Mass Effect 3 Director Addresses Ending Controversy

[AbstractStream]

Refuses to die? Yes, but then again, it's still fresh. If that weren't enough, the issue keeps on re-surfacing as people who haven't finished it, finish it. Then their..."emotions" are added to the pool.

I kind of feel bad for Bioware though. The amount of hate and complaints they're getting would have driven me to hide out in a cave somewhere.
I'm not justifying anything they did though. Just making it clear o_o

 

[Tomo Stryker]

Awesome job Casey, you're either ignoring us and trying to minimize the fan base their hemorrhaging or they are truly ignorant to our cries. Either way I'm repulsed by Biowares way of handling the situation. Thanks EA, you've done it again!

 

[dragonshardz]

EA and Bioware can go suck a donkey boner... After the Dragon Age 2 debacle and now this, people should REALLY, and I do mean REALLY consider ignoring their products in the future (though knowing the state of the playerbase and how Activision continues to milk their franchises I highly doubt it will ever happen).

 

[wintercoat]

"We're listening, we are! But in the meantime, keep playing our game, there's DLC on the way!"

ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME?!?!?!

 

[digital warrior]

Look here is a pretty good rundown on why biowares ending makes no sense. note its 15 pages long. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QT4IUepvrU1pfv_B95oQj0H84DlCTUmzQ_uQh1voTUs/preview?pli=1&sle=true

 

[VonKlaw]

I'm gunna hurl out a prediction that the "let's change the ending" will be the last piece of DLC released. Right after the 90 million costume packs, the multiplayer maps, the new weapons/armour.etc, and that'll it be done under the guise of "we were working on the other stuff first"

I'd love to be wrong here, I'd truely love it. But I just don't see it happening.

 

[RJ 17]

He doesn't so much "address the ending controversy" as he simply says "We loved making the games, the endings fit, and we're still listening to opinions that likely won't change anything we do."

 

[soren7550]

I'm just waiting for two things:
- A DLC to fix this mess
- BioWare to man up, admit they did wrong, and stop with the poli-talk.

 

[samus_smash]

You know? I don't think he's actually seen the ending. If he had, he wouldn't be saying all your choices up till now have satisfying conclusions as the game progresses because in the end, none of it matters.

The ending is always the same. The mass relays are gone. The explosions probably killed billions of people. The entire galaxy is still screwed. The turians and quarians will probably run out of supplies and starve before they can make it home.

Meanwhile, Garrus somehow magically ends up back on the Normandy with Joker and Javek. The three of them stare wistfully up at the sky thinking, "Well, that's that. I see no reason to mourn our possibly dead commander or wonder how the hell we got here. Let's rebuild civilization because we are never getting off of this rock!" Then all of Joker's bones shatter because I do not see how he could walk away from a crash like that without a single cracked femur.

ANYWAY

I guess what really bugs me is that I have no reason to play the game or even the rest of the series again. My renegade broshep will have the same ending choices and outcomes as my paragade femshep. Everything in between doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Agayek]

Have a look:

For the last eight years, Mass Effect has been a labor of love for our team; love for the characters we've created, for the medium of video games, and for the fans that have supported us. For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you've made as a player since the journey began in 2007. So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions. You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey.

We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending-to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection.

I'm honestly not sure whether to feel insulted by the fact that I'm clearly expected to believe what they're continuing to shovel, or outraged at the fact that they tried to handwave it all so blatantly.

Even ignoring the blatant lies and PR spin in here, it really has to be the most unhelpful non-answer about the issue I've yet seen.

 

[Actino]

Why are people saying they are dodging the issue? They have quite clearly said they will adress the issue, but when more people have completed the game.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Well he just described exactly the ending I wanted.

What he didn't describe was the ending I got.

 

[Murmillos]

Look here is a pretty good rundown on why biowares ending makes no sense. note its 15 pages long. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QT4IUepvrU1pfv_B95oQj0H84DlCTUmzQ_uQh1voTUs/preview?pli=1&sle=true

While I enjoy that document, there are somethings that people are making huge logical jumps in taking to make a point.
One thing that got my goat was the StarChild control comment / counter point.

4. "I control the Reapers. They are my solution."

Everything Sovereign said about the Reapers contradicts the notions that they are tools controlled by a Child for the purpose of preserving Order.

A) Sovereign stated that each individual Reaper is an "independent nation" unto itself. That nobody created them - they have always existed and always will.

These two lines do not need to be mutuality exclusive. The Reapers could be fully unaware that they are fundamentally controlled by the Star Child. To the Reapers own programing/logic, they have a single goal - which was given to them by the Star Child. Any change to their behavior or control could be influenced with out their knowing.

And 2, as House M.D. states "People Lie". Just replace Reaper with People.

 

[Flight]

That sounds a bit too much like a politician's answer to me, like he's flagrantly ignoring the overwhelmingly negative reaction to the ending, covering his ears, and insisting that we "just don't get it". I loved Mass Effect 3, up until the ending. It was brilliant, well-executed, and every sacrifice felt like it meant something. Now, however, the whole thing just feels hollow.

 

[darkbshadow]

See while I didn't like the ending the big problem to me was all the stupid Plot Holes the ending caused. I loved every minute of of the game up until i meet the blue glowy child. Cause really I could handle the samey 3 choice ending we received as long as those Blatent plot holes weren't there. I'm hoping that soon Bioware comes out and says that the indoctrination theory was correct.

 

[Terminate421]

I love Mass effect, I love Mass effect 2, my favorite of the 3 games. I loved Mass Effect 3, up until the last 5 minutes.....which hopefully should be fixed by the rumored "The Truth" DLC.

I don't usually get angry at developers but I do get angry when they are "hush hush" about blatant issues, such as the lack of stopping Danger Close in MW2.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

Sorry casey but i was neither "Inspired or Uplifted" By the ending i was just "Huh?"

 

[johnnnny guitar]

wow did he forget everything they've being telling us for the past few years

 

[i64ever]

just have to ask. Did any of the journalists, including the Escapist's own Susan Ardent, whose review of ME3 appeared on release day actually play the game to the end? That seems hard to believe. While I can accept that they may have personally liked the ending (we all have our own opinion) I can't imagine they could have experienced it and not known how controversial it would be.

Giving this game a glowing review without even MENTIONING the firestorm that you surely known was coming would have been amazingly irresponsible. That is why some many fans have no faith in ANY review anymore.