Mass Effect 3 Actors Come Back For More

[ShinobiJedi42]

Happy to hear that they are not just doing a text scrawl. It sounds like they are actually having either more scenes with actual dialogue or a voiceover montage. I wonder if we will start to hear more about actors returning to do voicework. Although it would make sense if there is a voiceover with each character doing one of the endings. Alenko/Control, EDI/Synthesis, Hacket/Destroy.

I don't mind the choices that were made. Control and Synthesis seemed much like the ancient glory days of science fiction like Clarke and Herbert and I highly respect that. I just want some closure and possibly take away the whole thing about the Relays being destroyed. The destroyed Relays is what made the ending horrible to me because it basically said that life in the galaxy will come to a stand still and most people left would die of starvation.

 

[Diana Kingston-Gabai]

But yeah, that was the impression I had since they announced that they were going to be making this "extended cut". It's not going to be the new ending a lot of people wanted, but rather just a patch-job to fill in plotholes like "How did the squad you took on the final push end up back on the Normandy for the very end?" and "Doesn't Shepard doom countless numbers of people/aliens to death no matter what ending you pick? Kinda sucks being marooned in a star system that has no planets you can breath on/eat the food of."

Here's to hoping the patch-job at least bumps the ending from being bad to "acceptable".

While I'd be the first to admit that ME3's ending did a number on my faith in BioWare, I think it is broadly possible to improve the ending in a very real and substantial way just by adding/correcting a few things - to wit, the crew of the Normandy isn't stranded at all, because they have a quantum link to Admiral Hackett's flagship and get rescued in short order. If the Citadel explodes, say that the arms sealed themselves off, many of its inhabitants survive, and the geth/quarians use the Conduit to build new mass relays.

Expanding the ending without changing it can work - it's just a question of whether the writers truly understand what went wrong the first time.

 

[bossfight1]

I'm worried about the chance that the DLC won't do shit, and we'll either keep bitching and Bioware will make ANOTHER ending, leaving us looking like entitled little shits, or Bioware will say "DEAL WITH IT", leaving us with a better-presented turd.

Alenko? But... He's dead!

 

[Formica Archonis]

However, j/k aside, I can't help but feel that this is more likely to reignite the flames than it is to put them out.

Probably will. Let's say it's a better but mediocre ending. Had it been the original ending, that would have been the end of it. There'd be some complaints, some message board ranting, but that'd be it. But NOW, there's all the baggage from the first ending. The ill feelings, the theories that will get proved/disproved, the factions, the debate if a different end is really any better, the people okay with the original ending, the question of what the 'canon' end is, etc. Even a good ending's going to get mired in that.

IMHO Bioware should have just given up on it. Let the flamewar blow over as it always does, let someone else take the front page of the news. But that's just me, and I'm probably wrong. (If they want to release any DLC, they probably can't leave it lie since they'll unintentionally stoke the fires every time they put out another ME3 press release.) It's not a good situation, and there's no right answer. Hell, even the optimal answer is probably impossible to find without being able to predict the future.

I'm just worried that if they don't manage to knock this sucker out of the park (which, between their comments and the audience mood, seems impossible) it'll be as bad as it was before.

 

[soren7550]

This is kind of old news. Sbarge reported on Twitter (along with several other ME3 voice actors) that they were heading back to the VO booth to record new lines some time ago.

 

[Paragon Fury]

This man is a master of the understatement.

 

[TheCaptain]

While I'm pretty sure I won't get what I wanted from this, there's a good chance I'll be more ok with it than with the current ending. As in, I still don't agree with the writing and sure as hell don't see the supposed "artistic vision" in it, but I appreciate the effort.

As in I didn't like the ending of the book, but at least now the last couple of pages aren't scribbled in wax crayon.

 

[Loonerinoes]

BioWare has said the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut, which is expected to come out this summer, will "expand upon the existing endings," but no actual changes will be made. Looking forward to seeing how that works out.

The extremists will hit the interwebz with a vengeance when it launches and will say it was a mistake either way. Either they'll pull out the 'artistic integrity' argument and not even give it a chance (even though it was probably made completely optional for this very reason), or the other extremist side will just keep on bitching about 'lingering plot holes', which they actually just made up in their own heads, since they in fact love making themselves miserable with their own supposed cleverness.

The moderates will give it a chance. Some will like it, some won't. Either way you won't hear much from them on the internet because the bitching (and yes - it is bitching it has long since stopped being just legitimate complaining, as it indeed was at the start) has long since chased them off.

And the filthy casuals, probably the majority of the playerbase as everywhere else, won't care for words on the interwebz as Joe Hallenbeck's wisdom loops through their brains while they enjoy the addition of completely optional free content:

Water's wet...
Sky is blue...
Women have secrets...
Who gives a fuck?

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Can we please have a release date that's narrowed down to a specific month, rather than just 'summer', because at this rate I don't know if it will be coming next week or 12 weeks from now, and that's annoying. I don't mind if it's not coming early in summer. In fact, I think I'd prefer that as it would imply that more substantial stuff is being put in, but please, can we just have more specifics dammit!

 

[Terminate421]

"Usually when a guy loses the game, the game shuts down, it's over, you're done. The players didn't like that."

So, can we take from this that all one three of the endings were intended to show that you lost?

j/k.

However, j/k aside, I can't help but feel that this is more likely to reignite the flames than it is to put them out.

And it's slightly hilarious/farcical that Bioware, the most story-driven developer in gaming, have to deliver a satisfactory ending to their game in what is essentially a post-release patch.

Personally if I was Bioware I'd just break the 4th wall and just insert a sequence where the various characters argue about what the hell just happened over the closing credits - director's commentary style.

I'd have it end where you get to pick what you do with your squadmates throughout the series. Suicide mission style but it isn't a suicide mission.

After the war, you have choices such as:

Setting up a bar on rannoch
Making a house on earth
having a vacation house on palaven

Then you can designated who goes where (For example, Garrus as bar tender) and see the conversations.

 

[Warped_Ghost]

Andy, the word you are looking for is Carth Onasi...

And inb4 the rage... Who knew Lance was such a gifted troll!

The only reason I didn't kill Kaiden was because I knew the voice actor used to voice a far cooler character.

 

[Diana Kingston-Gabai]

Can we please have a release date that's narrowed down to a specific month, rather than just 'summer', because at this rate I don't know if it will be coming next week or 12 weeks from now, and that's annoying. I don't mind if it's not coming early in summer. In fact, I think I'd prefer that as it would imply that more substantial stuff is being put in, but please, can we just have more specifics dammit!

I imagine the release date depends on VA availability - for example, there's been no mention so far of Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, and you couldn't very well do this without them.

But you're absolutely right: if taking more time allows for more thorough correctives to be applied, then patience is the best approach.

The extremists will hit the interwebz with a vengeance when it launches and will say it was a mistake either way. Either they'll pull out the 'artistic integrity' argument and not even give it a chance (even though it was probably made completely optional for this very reason), or the other extremist side will just keep on bitching about 'lingering plot holes', which they actually just made up in their own heads, since they in fact love making themselves miserable with their own supposed cleverness.

I think that's a rather gross oversimplification of what's playing out here. There are substantial plot holes in the ending as it currently stands. If these are fixed in the EC, then that'll be the end of that. If, on the other hand, BioWare fail to address any of the existing problems, further backlash is to be expected.

The creation of the EC isn't a reaction to some vocal minority of the sort that's always displeased with everything forever, it's a tacit acknowledgment that the overwhelming majority of ME3 players - extremists, moderates and apologists alike - were incredibly dissatisfied with the poorly-written conclusion. There's no shortage of potential explanations as to how/why it all went wrong, but none of that is relevant anymore. The EC will either fix the flaws or it won't.

 

[Evil Alpaca]

Personally if I was Bioware I'd just break the 4th wall and just insert a sequence where the various characters argue about what the hell just happened over the closing credits - director's commentary style.

It worked for Red vs. Blue when they provided multiple ending to the series.

Skip to 3:20 to see.

 

[putowtin]

Ahh, must avoid all potential for hope, there is no hope!!!!!!!!!

 

[Goofguy]

I see this as somewhat good news. There was all that talk about this DLC being just some added cutscenes and an epilogue. This at least shows that Bioware is putting some effort in to the DLC. Sure, it's still putting a Band-Aid on a GSW but at least the Band-Aid has pictures of Spongebob on it now.

 

[WanderingFool]

Personally if I was Bioware I'd just break the 4th wall and just insert a sequence where the various characters argue about what the hell just happened over the closing credits - director's commentary style.

...I love you...

But seriously, that would actually be worth a couple bucks, IMO, just for the lulz.

 

[370999]

Alenko? But... He's dead!

Or was he...?

Potential script

Catalyst: blah blah stupid reasons blah

Shepherd: objection, you child make no sense

C: Because I'm really the person you let die on Virmire out for revenge as a time-traveling ghost child that built the Reapers! You see commander/ skipper on Virmire I found a time travelling device which let me go to the first galactic race who I tricked into building the Reapers. Then I implanted myself into the Citadel (which I got my Reapers to build) and then I set up the cycle for Revenge!

S: That only raises further questions...

Ghost Kaiden/Ashley: buy DLC.

 

[Something Amyss]

I still posit Bioware may be the most masterful trolls of our time.

Though Valve is giving them a run for their money.

 

[Something Amyss]

Alenko? But... He's dead!

Or was he...?

Potential script

Catalyst: blah blah stupid reasons blah

Shepherd: objection, you child make no sense

C: Because I'm really the person you let die on Virmire out for revenge as a time-traveling ghost child that built the Reapers! You see commander/ skipper on Virmire I found a time travelling device which let me go to the first galactic race who I tricked into building the Reapers. Then I implanted myself into the Citadel (which I got my Reapers to build) and then I set up the cycle for Revenge!

S: That only raises further questions...

Ghost Kaiden/Ashley: buy DLC.

Well, it makes more sense than both the current endings AND the indoctrination theory.