BioWare Announces Post-Ending DLC for Mass Effect 3 [Updated!]

[Xaositect]

Dear idiots at Bioware and pretentious morons everyone.

Stop using the artistic integrity excuse. You fundamentally shifted the priority and dynamics of the series away from a story driven Bioware game with (quite poor at the time, but could have
been improved on) RPG and TPS mechanics to a flat out shooter fan chasing Gears clone.

YOU. HAVE. NO. ARTISTIC. INTEGRITY.

Just because its shitty writing doesnt mean its somehow sacrosanct compared to the rest of the game.

The ending is abrupt, leaves you with about a thousand times more questions than it answers, nearly of of which are the negative "what the fuck is going on there" variety.

This whole debacle HAS set a dangerous precedent for the industry. Contrary to what the whiners who are whining about the whiners when they try and defend this fundamentally shit ending would have you believe, for gamers, its a positive one. It sets the precedent that for game developers, their fanbases now may not just lie down and take a piss poor ending with shitty, confusing writing and next to no closure. Particularly if you have LIED about the ending. Bioware can be in denial all they want, but they LIED about the ending, fundamentally.

The fans who complained and asked for more from the ending didnt expect too much, neither are they entitled. They are simply victims of a developer who promised too much, and clearly didnt have the talent, or maybe just the inclination to make good on those.

Now we will doubtless have more shit writing to justify shit writing.

Like an epilogue that explains why your squad inexplicably fled like cowards aboard the normandy to make a miraculous escape. Or that the fleets maybe werent destroyed by the same force that crippled the normandy. And subsequently if they survived then they didnt simply just starve to death (especially the quarians and turians) or did from infighting or whatever.

But still, a very small minority of people had sufficient lack of taste to tolerate the shitty writing and general lack of closure that was the ending, so I guess that means its perfectly fine, and to alter the ending is to violate its artistic integrity. Even if you arent a moron, and know that games go through many iterations in development, and even in some cases like Mass Effect take a massive shift in game design to cater to the third person shooter market. But changing the series to cater to shooter fans doesnt violate its artistic integrity. No sirree. But asking for probably one of the worst endings in modern video game history to have some effort put into this time in the form of a rewrite definitely does.

But hey, at least the free DLC will probably add a few more badly written epilogue style question marks to hang over the huge, fucking terribly written question mark that is the ending itself.

And then Bioware can take that shitty ending thats damn near ruined the universe and make an FPS spinoff series or something awful like that. But I wont care. I wont even be able to replay the magnificent ME1, because I know what a giant turd it leads to in ME3.

 

[w00tage]

The entire ending debacle isn't new, Hollywood has been doing this forever. How many movies couldwe all think of where the same kind of thing happened?

And I think we need to remember that due to the rapid growth of the games industry, there were plenty of paychecks open for "artistic talent", and consequently the games industry is flooded with wanna-be Hollywood directors, writers and animators.

But does game company management have the history with artistic failure to see it coming and steer the project away from it? It really looks to me like the answer here was "No". Instead, it looks like they were caught up in their own vision of getting a "dramatic, powerful, epic ending for the series" and forgetting completely about the audience.

And before anyone brings up the purity of artistic vision thing, I call bullcrap on the whole argument. Art is a medium of communication, the entire point is to communicate with the audience, so you can't EVER have your "pure" vision unless you yourself are the audience. If the audience is other people, the medium must work for them, or you have failed as an artist.

 

[Kinguendo]

Yes, fighting ultimately for nothing... but that was always the most likely possibility when fighting a vastly superior force.

Especially when you consider the things you spent the last 2 games fighting 1 in each and now there are tons of them, its the most likely thing that would happen. Why would they win? Because they want to? It just makes more sense that they would lose.

That's broadly true, but the previous two games have you facing similar odds and finding a way out. Hell, you could argue that's been a driving component of BioWare games for years: you fight gods, emperors, whole armies, in spite of the fact that your chances of success are low. But if you persevere, you'll succeed. That's a satisfying mechanism both narratively (the Hero's Journey and all) and ludologically (you are rewarded for 40-something hours of gameplay with a conclusion that affirms your own success at beating the game's challenges).

And what do you mean it was for nothing? You play RPGs like this for the immersive story, not to be bullshitted in the last minute.

Absolutely. Which is why I wouldn't accept an ending where every deeply engaging and emotional part of the story is rendered meaningless because the premise was flawed to begin with (ie: you set out to stop the Reapers but the Reapers can't be stopped so you're doomed anyway).

No, you do not face similar odds in the first 2 games. You fight 1 Reaper and 1 Reaper-Human hybrid that is quite limited while still being allowed to travel around the universe without much in the way of resistance, not the same as all of the reapers controlling most of the universe. Given that Shepherd has already died once before the entire Reaper race appeared, I would say they are pretty much forked.

And as I said, I would not end the entire franchise on "You Lose. Byeeeeeee!". It would allow for a legitimate continuation of the franchise while giving a reasonable end and explanation for the events, are you honestly saying you didnt expect to beat the Reapers since the first Mass Effect? Because I was never under the illusion that this "vastly superior race of super-sized, sentient weapons of mass destruction" wouldnt lose to a bit of human elbow grease.

 

[Kinguendo]

... Yeah, I know. Its infinetly better than the current ME3 ending AND actually lets the franchise continue legitimately.

How the HELL is that any better? It's throwing your fanbase to the ground, taking a shit down their throats, and still wanting them to buy your next game.

People are angry because they feel that the choices they made, in a game series where making choices was central to everything, had a negligible effect on the ending. So your solution is a new ending, where all choices are rendered completely meaningless, all continuity between the games completely destroyed, an ending where the main character learns nothing, accomplishes nothing, and, at the last, is physically reduced to nothing.

That's the kind of shit that flies in one-off artsy games where everyone can appreciate the shocking nature of futility as it's presented in-game, not as the stunning finale to a game trilogy 5 years in the making.

So... the fans want a completely unrealistic ending where they beat a vastly superior race who uses your own bodies against you and not to mention everything that made every race in the Universes lives better was controlled by the Reapers. Its like going to war with someone whos army is better in every way AND they control your transport AND base of operations, those are literally unwinnable odds. Saying "You win because you tried." is freaking patronizing, they would not win!

 

[Xaositect]

So... the fans want a completely unrealistic ending where they beat a vastly superior race who uses your own bodies against you and not to mention everything that made every race in the Universes lives better was controlled by the Reapers. Its like going to war with someone whos army is better in every way AND they control your transport AND base of operations, those are literally unwinnable odds. Saying "You win because you tried." is freaking patronizing, they would not win!

Yeah, since thats what the first games were all about. Just because you, mac walters and casey hudson decided that some pretentious "war is hell, this battle is unwinnable" motif in the last five minutes is all cool, edgy and grimdark doesnt mean it actually works.

Go take a look at fiction that has nihilistic and bleak endings. They COMMIT to it from the beginning. They dont spend 2 installments worth telling a soaring space opera about one mans battle against all odds and being victorious only to turn around in the last five minutes like an immature child and renege on that style.

Like it or not, the artistic integrity of Mass Effect was violated by its own writers and their clear difference of opinion where to take the trilogy at the end. That its fucking terribly written is bad enough. That its written in a manner that harkens to a a teenage school pupil getting bored of writing something for school so he half-asses in the ending in a way that doesnt make sense to get it done quicker is even worse.

One of the central themes for Mass Effect has NEVER been "the futiliy of war against a vastly superior race". You are just PLAIN WRONG if you think that is the game.

The theme of mass effect is TRIUMPHING AGAINST THESE ODDS AND MAKING THE CHOICE IN HOW YOU WANT TO DO THAT.

Do you go for the themes of galactic unity, cooperation, friendship. i.e. PARAGON.

Or do you go for the hardass route of sacrifices, hard decision making and victory at any cost. i.e. Renegade.

Instead of something reflecting that with the ending, we get some weird, disjointed piece of shit that looks like it was cobbled together from the initial main ending and several terrible ideas, and ultimately leaves the story in a state where virtually nothing has been accomplished and nearly everything has been destroyed or tossed aside in a manner that suggests nothing but a bad end.

You know the ending your proposing? Well in a Bioware game, or at least a game made by what used to be bioware, that kind of of ending is one among many and reached by YOUR CHOICES.

 

[Diana Kingston-Gabai]

And as I said, I would not end the entire franchise on "You Lose. Byeeeeeee!". It would allow for a legitimate continuation of the franchise while giving a reasonable end and explanation for the events, are you honestly saying you didnt expect to beat the Reapers since the first Mass Effect? Because I was never under the illusion that this "vastly superior race of super-sized, sentient weapons of mass destruction" wouldnt lose to a bit of human elbow grease.

The Reapers are vastly superior, but they're neither invincible nor infallible. And this cycle is already substantially different from the others: the Reapers are facing not one dominant species but several working in unison (different races means different strategies, different approaches to war, etc.), they're not in control of the Citadel and the Relay system, and - most significantly - Sovereign's destruction has allowed for the reverse-engineering of Reaper technology (ie: Thanix cannons).

Given all these elements - most of which is largely due to Shepard's direct efforts - you at least have a fighting chance.

 

[Jfswift]

Right or wrong it's nice to see a company that cares about its fans.

 

[Sarge034]

OFF-TOPIC: One thing I'm certain that we can all agree on, is that the melancholy piano piece that plays during the final cutscene is, in spite of the various terrible things going on in front of our very eyes, a freaking masterpiece.

Both of these had better make their way into the game. The first video could be an easter egg for the insane play through or something and the extended Anderson conversation had better be there no matter what. I WILL have my genetically impossible love babies with Tali... I WILL!

And I thought most all of the music in the ME series was pretty awesome, but yes. It is a melancholy masterpiece.

 

[Sanguinedragon]

... Yeah, I know. Its infinetly better than the current ME3 ending AND actually lets the franchise continue legitimately.

How the HELL is that any better? It's throwing your fanbase to the ground, taking a shit down their throats, and still wanting them to buy your next game.

People are angry because they feel that the choices they made, in a game series where making choices was central to everything, had a negligible effect on the ending. So your solution is a new ending, where all choices are rendered completely meaningless, all continuity between the games completely destroyed, an ending where the main character learns nothing, accomplishes nothing, and, at the last, is physically reduced to nothing.

That's the kind of shit that flies in one-off artsy games where everyone can appreciate the shocking nature of futility as it's presented in-game, not as the stunning finale to a game trilogy 5 years in the making.

So... the fans want a completely unrealistic ending where they beat a vastly superior race who uses your own bodies against you and not to mention everything that made every race in the Universes lives better was controlled by the Reapers. Its like going to war with someone whos army is better in every way AND they control your transport AND base of operations, those are literally unwinnable odds. Saying "You win because you tried." is freaking patronizing, they would not win!

If I want realism, I will watch the news, or go outside, or call my dad.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

While I wasn't really for changing or editing the ending (Note: I have not played the game, but I feel changing a story so that it's a happier ending is a bit childish, but it could actually be a bad ending that I just haven't seen), I think Bioware and EA have handled this well. For the people that liked the ending, they can ignore the DLC, and the people who didn't at least get something. Also the free part is nice, otherwise this would just be obvious exploitation. As it stands, though, well played, Bioware and EA, well played.

 

[Darh Abdomino]

Well since I picked Synthesis I just assumed that because everything was part synthetic then that wouldn't be as much of a problem...somehow...I never was any good at biology.

Neither is Bioware, apparently (Spoiler: Robots don't have any DNA). They don't pay much attention to physics either, apparently. (Robot parts don't just show up out of nowhere)

 

[Vault101]

Indoctrination theory makes ALOT of things make sense

It might be too much too hope for but they havnt directly refuted it yet

And then there's this.

Look, with all due respect to the Indoctrination Theory fans - yes, I've read the videos and the articles and the discussions, and I understand where you're coming from - it's not an ending. It's even less of an ending than what we have in that it loops back on itself. How is this a better option?

It means that I chose corretnly..if its true then my shepard broke free from indoctrination and had awoken back on earth...what happnes next? mabye she can make anotehr dash for the beam

but as Ive said so many times before..probably too much to hope for

While I wasn't really for changing or editing the ending (Note: I have not played the game, but I feel changing a story so that it's a happier ending is a bit childish, but it could actually be a bad ending that I just haven't seen), I think Bioware and EA have handled this well. For the people that liked the ending, they can ignore the DLC, and the people who didn't at least get something. Also the free part is nice, otherwise this would just be obvious exploitation. As it stands, though, well played, Bioware and EA, well played.

this has got NOTHING to do with how happy the ending isnt (but on that point..why not? you know how sadistic ME3 is?)

its got everything to do with the fact the the ending does nothing...goes back on ALOT we know about the mass effect universe...its just terrible in every way imaginable, and as easy as it is to dismiss this as fans being fans we actually have a point here

 

[Sarge034]

Indoctrination theory makes ALOT of things make sense

It might be too much too hope for but they havnt directly refuted it yet

And then there's this.

Look, with all due respect to the Indoctrination Theory fans - yes, I've read the videos and the articles and the discussions, and I understand where you're coming from - it's not an ending. It's even less of an ending than what we have in that it loops back on itself. How is this a better option?

That is the point, it does loop back on itself. It effectively makes everything that happened after you get blown up false if you picked the "red" option. If you picked the "red" option then you break free of the control and wake up to go on to the "real" endings that reflect your choices in the previous games. That is why it is such an appealing option.

I have no doubts that Bioware will never do something so cleaver as this is just them trying to put another coat of paint on this wall and call it good...

 

[Nantucket_v1legacy]

Even if the ending was awful at least we have free DLC.
I believe the ending was supposed to be thought provoking but it was just delivered incorrectly. I am looking forward to the epilogue.

 

[Diana Kingston-Gabai]

That is the point, it does loop back on itself. It effectively makes everything that happened after you get blown up false if you picked the "red" option. If you picked the "red" option then you break free of the control and wake up to go on to the "real" endings that reflect your choices in the previous games. That is why it is such an appealing option.

It really isn't, because the implicit assumption is that there are "real endings" that we're not seeing. So if you accept the indoctrination theory as valid, you have even less closure than you would have by just taking the ending, terrible as it is, at face value.

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Moviebob won't be happy with this.

I can't be the only one who thought that.

I thought it, too, albeit with a grin of ill-concealed delight on my face at the time. I'm gonna love seeing how he reacts to this.

Its interesting that its free. But just adding additional scenes to an already complete game just feels tacked on.

If you wanna look at a game that retconned their ending in a good manner, look at Fallout 3. Yeah, the ending wasn't really that good - especially for the people who ignored the "you cant go back after this point" message. But for those who wanted a deeper investment, we got Broken Steel, which let us continue where we left off and gave us a much deeper ending.

They didn't say "Our bad, this sucks, have an extra cutscene". This wont pacify the people who are crying about the ending to begin with - part of the problem was the ending gave no closure because their actions had next to no effect on the ending. Unless they add a LOT of cutscenes, which I am doubtful of, people are still going to complain.

Make a DLC that expands the ending. Make it a playable scenario. That way people fine with the ending (most the people I know and myself included) can just let the series fade, and people who want more can pay the premium and get more (or wait for a GoTY Addition). Then everyones happy.

As much as I like the idea of post-ending gameplay for ME3, I think Fallout 3 and ME3 are sufficiently different beasts that what had to be done in Broken Steel isn't a necessity for ME3.

In Broken Steel, you could expand on that epilogue 'til the cows came home, and it wouldn't change how mind-blowingly stupid it had been. You had to be given freedom after the end, because it was the only way they could redeem such a terribly-structured forced choice.

But with ME3, I think cutscenes/epilogue are more than capable of fixing what was wrong. You don't need to jump back into Shepard's boots for it to be revealed that, for instance, he was being slowly indoctrinated and a chunk of the ending was hallucination. Just take a look at the Marauder Shields webcomic [http://koobismo.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4t2v53]. It starts of pretty much as a joke, but Jesus tapdancing Christ, does it get serious and amazing fast. And best of all, the way it's told? All easily done through cutscene.

"We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson-"

Credibility, GONE.

On another note, this DLC had damn well better explain how in the hell space magic managed to make its way into my Mass Effect, making the ending all the more enraging than it already was. Seriously, had they just taken the time to explain how in the fuck the Crucible works and maybe NOT cut out the vast majority of Anderson's final conversation with a Shepard that hadn't gotten involved in a romantic relationship on Hudson's whim the ending wouldn't have stung nearly as much as it did.

Casey Hudson decided to cut most of this conversation out, because he thought it would have been TOO LONG, just FYI. Really says a lot about his creative process.

I heard that a couple weeks back, and I have no problem admitting that it nearly brought me to tears. It was fucking heartbreaking to hear that from Anderson, and it made perfect sense given his interactions with him/her over the course of the games. It was the best deathbed speech I've heard outside of goddamn Shakespeare.

...and then I remembered in astonishment that it was followed by a hitherto unknown 'character' telling me that I could save the galaxy from the Reapers by fusing all organic life with goddamn robot DNA. It was as stark a contrast as seeing death camp footage spliced into a Disney movie.

This DLC had better be breathtaking if Bioware hopes to regain the fans it has lost. I'm not expecting much myself, though hopefully I'll turn out to be incorrect in my assumptions.

Well, it's free. That's a step in the right direction, and shows (at least somewhat) that this isn't just another case of EA looming over Bioware's shoulder like some sort of money-vampire.

OFF-TOPIC: One thing I'm certain that we can all agree on, is that the melancholy piano piece that plays during the final cutscene is, in spite of the various terrible things going on in front of our very eyes, a freaking masterpiece.

Damn straight. And again, stark contrast. Those are the moments when I'm sure even Robert Ebert would concede that video games can be works of art.