The Teen and I went on our first healthy walk this evening. I am out of shape and it was hot and gross. We are now playing zombies. I broke down and bought a new map, but we have to wait for it to download. It was either that or a puzzle. I didn’t want to deal with puzzle times. I mean, I like puzzles, but I know how this adventure ends; lots of little pieces all over. She lost parts of her superman puzzle, which really bothers me. Missing puzzle pieces are weirdly irritating to me and also make me a little sad…

I “finished” Mass Effect. Apparently I didn’t find all the possible war assets because I didn’t have as much as they say you can get. Not sure what I missed, or how. Must have been from early on in the playthrough before I understood the war assets system. I’m pretty sure I accidentally let at least one person die I could have saved. I don’t know If I’ll play through again to see if I can do better. I feel like I would have a better time, especially since it took me so long to figure out how they changed the tech powers. Cryo ammo didn’t seem to work for some reason early on, then it got really useful at the end. I liked it best in ME3, so I don’t know what the deal was. I also wasted some money on stuff I didn’t really need, like upgrades for guns I don’t like. I’d like to see the “perfect” ending, although I don’t think of it that way based on MY moral compass. I’d also like to see the fail and blue endings. Just for the sake of knowing what they were like.

As far as the ending is concerned, the original version was ridiculous. The idea that you could fart out so little epilogue and expect people to take it was insulting. Whoever okayed it was either wildly lazy, or clinically insane. Especially in light of the fact that you could add so very little (in the form of the extended cut) and make it passable. In all honesty, failing to make the ending of the Mass Effect series truly epic is a sad comment on where the priorities are for developers. They should have known better. In a game that stresses the importance of choice not giving at least some hint that your choices mattered was irresponsible.

All that said, the series is still leaps ahead of the next best science fiction franchise. I couldn’t even tell you what that would be. Also, if not for the gradual evolution of the series from RPG to RPG FPS I would never have tried other, similar, games such as Borderlands.