[Spoiler] I think I got the best ending. Change my mind.

[CTPhipps]

If you are copied but cease to exist as you, does they who believes they are you become you? Or are they now someone not you but believes themselves to be you? In which case were you, who no longer exists now them instead of you?

I think Johnny made a hilarious comment on it in Sinnerman.

V: What about you? Are you in Heaven? Gone? Actually the real Johnny.

Johnny: I think that is a completely bullshit question no one should actualy give a shit about. I'm me, so what does it matter?

Which is a valid response.

 

[topmoinger]

When you choose to go see Hanako, Misty makes a comment about you betraying Jackie (Arasaka killed him). So i think that siding with the people who killed Jackie is seen as betrayal. Although I would agree with you that this is not really betrayal, we tried to steal from them after all. They just shot thieves.

Also, I agree about everything said about Soulkiller just creating a copy of yourself, and your true self being killed. However, it can also be a philosophical question because if you consider that you are the data in your brain, saving that data and putting it in another body could be considered that this is still you. It's more a matter of opinion about if only the original you is you, or if the data that makes you is you.

And as I told Misty in that ending, it was not Arasaka's fault that Jackie and I made a very bad decision that backfired on everyone involved in the heist. You literally tried to rob from the boss' son and as far as the public know, you killed the Saburo. So why are Arasaka the bad guys for killing Jackie when we tried to steal from them lol. There has to be some level of accountability other than just blaming Arasaka.

Post automatically merged: Jan 17, 2021

 

[Pandaman102]

Technically there's only one real way for Johnny to avoid being hit by Soulkiller: suicide.

It's grim, but consider that you're told that you're so insignificant that Hanako has already forgotten you... yet if you choose to reject the Save Your Soul offer one of the voice mails that plays during the credits is none other than Hanako herself offering to hire you. It would be a waste of your talents, she says, why not make use of them in your remaining time?

You have Arasaka's attention, you can only hope they don't decide to pay you a visit while you're on your death bed, too weak to resist as they cart you off to their Soulkiller table. It would be a waste of your talents, after all, and Johnny warned you they can change who you are without you knowing. Snip, snip, snip, a little editing and your engram will forget rejecting the offer, what a loyal, talented soldier you will be.

 

[claudiu111]

On my first play through, I chose the Arasaka ending and rejected the contract. After some research about the other endings, let me give you a list of why I think my choice leads to the best ending.

1. Any other choice results in Soulkiller removing Johnny's engram or V dying. Now, I personally have a huge issue with using Soulkiller in my play through so it was never an option. Anytime a copy of the mind is used in fiction, it is treated as if the 'ego' survives when the copy is transferred into a vessel. It does not.

Here is a mental experiment to try and convince you: Imagine a copy of your mind/soul/whatever is made and you SURVIVE THIS PROCESS. The copy is transferred to a physical clone of you and is kept in a lab. You go on with your own business but death befalls you as you are accidentally struck by a speeding truck. The copy replaces you in society and everyone is none the wiser. In this scenario, you have experienced death and are no longer conscious. Thus, In my opinion, 'you' have not survived.

2. So you get sent back to Earth with EVERYTHING YOU STILL HAD BEFORE. That romantic relationship? Still there. No one died unnecessarily. Rogue? Alive. Still family with the Avocados? Yep. How is this ending any different to the Panam ending minus the scenery? (I do regret not going back for Takemura though)':

3. A few people mention that you should stick it to Arasaka like somehow it was your duty to do so. I feel like destroying Arasaka is a pointless exercise fueled by petulant self interest. So what if you adhere to whatever principals you had and took Arasaka down a peg? Cool? Now Militech and the other megacorps get to eat away at some of that Arasaka real estate you freed up. Great job.

I'm keen to hear what you guys think. By all means, take the discussion as seriously as you want but be civil.

Exaclty, I always had a problem with this. Steal the implant that gives you immortality. YOU
No such thing. The copy that lives is just that, a copy, a clone not you. You are dead. From your point of view you do not exist so that implant does not give YOU immortality.

 

[ivigraf]

Best ending? I think it's the one u truly chose as a first run.. it will be different for everyeach one of us.. I don't think that MY ending is better then other's.. it is best for ME .. I took a path to go that road.. and to be honest my first ending touched me deeply.. all those emotions .. I took some bad choices and some good ones.. life is that.. nothing is perfect.. but I really appreciate my ending and was very happy with it

 

[mr.Boolean]

For me best one is for Rogue or secret one where she stay alive. Aldecaldos and Panam is sweet ending but for my opinion is the most selfish. You know you dont have much time and force close people to go through it, to see how you will dying. Better to push them away as possible and left in blaze of glory how the true merc must do. Johnny by the other hand finally grow up(on V example), stopped to be an selfish asshole and finds his redemption, left in cyberspace. So my vote for secret one.

 

[Zaccarato]

All of the endings are certainly interesting. With the name and association you would expect the "Devil" ending to be the bad ending, or at least the evil one, yet tbh it's perfectly understandable why people would pick it: to avoid Soulkiller.

I don't really care for Soulkiller, so for me, Star has to be the best ending. Riding into the sunset with Panam (and potentially Judy for FemV), with a new family at your back is, for me, is the most fulfilling ending by far. Plus, I suspect V's condition is far from incurable (and the ending practically confirms it), so the ending for me is more sweet than bitter.

I was going to gloss over the importance of Soulkiller and just say "It's philosophical differences". But I think it needs to be expanded upon for people to understand why I don't have a problem with it.

You enter Mikoshi, boom zapped. At that moment there, V technically dies and is uploaded to Mikoshi. Alt then does some untangling and you have the option to renter your body. Now, the problem people have here is that the "soul" is supposedly not transferred along with the engram. This is further supported by what Alt states at the blackwall (though nobody should be trusting Alt to run a lemonade stand at this point).

From what I understand, a great many people's discomfort comes from the fact that they believe that V's "consciousness" or "soul" is lost in the transfer, in the same way that you can't guarantee that it's really "you" that wakes up every morning, or who comes out of a Star Trek teleporter. But, in my opinion, that's demonstrably not true, simply by the fact that you retain control over V. If you get zapped and it's just boom black screen roll credits (but V actually survives) that'd be interesting, but you control V through Mikoshi, and afterwards. Therefore, I would posit that you, as the player, actually forms the bond that links past V to future V (I.E her consciousness). It's meta asf.

Finally, to everyone around V, she is the same as before and after Mikoshi. Hell, she thinks she is the same. So, she is. Perceptibly there is no difference, so there isn't.

That's my take. Don't expect to convince you, but it's why I don't think Soulkiller being used on V is bad.