Mass Effect 3's Ending Was Intended To Polarize

[Burntpopcarn]

Haven't finished the game yet. But I'm sure you're right. Mass effect 3's endings suck.

 

[Bebus]

Snip

My feelings exactly.

When I finished, I was more baffled than anything.

Then I tried to make excuses.

Then I started to think about it a bit. All the things you mention. Bioware's enormous number of Press Releases that effectively sold us a false product (should "The Truth" turn out to be wishful thinking). Marauder Shields trying to warn us [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcxaqV6jjvw].

Then you realise the ending had no cohesion. It made no sense. It ignored everything you did up to that point. It created more plot holes than over 100 hours of other gameplay and complex, interweaving story managed to (and there were several!!). It did not provide closure, and when you start up for a second time you will find yourself just wanting to shut the game down, go onto the Bioware forums and Hold The Line.

I hope Bioware can fix this, I really hope they have something in the bag. This is either Bioware declaring their Quad bigger than anybody elses, or what will go down in video game textbook history of how to kill a company.

 

[Ross Fixxed]

If I'm to be honest, the thing with the Normandy is driving me absolutely mental. It makes no sense to me.

I don't usually buy into any theories about what these companies (EA etc) do... However, this all seems like marketing genius. Forums are exploding over this, everyone wants to see and know and complain.

Seriously what the hell was with the Normandy? How was EDI on it, arrrrrghhhh!

 

[Sesambrot]

I hope Bioware can fix this, I really hope they have something in the bag. This is either Bioware declaring their Quad bigger than anybody elses, or what will go down in video game textbook history of how to kill a company.

If they actually do something about it, I'd say they had this up their sleve all along!
It would be kind of evil, but actually an interessting marketing idea.
However, I'm not going to mind if we can all laugh about it in the end...
Assuming they don't actually sell the new ending (if it exists), in which case you'll only see even more rage.

Oh btw, if there actually is a "post-ending-DLC" coming, I demand that everyone who is satisfied with the current ending, and who is acting like an imbicile towards those that disagree, to not touch that DLC at all.
I know this is purely based on the assumption that this thing actually exists and that the ending is as unsatisfying as everyone wants to make me beleive (although the facts I hear about it seem quite clear), but honestly, if you are actually 100% happy with how it ended now, then just have the balls to stick to your oppinion and be done with it.
I know this is most likely not going to happen, but let me say this, for saying the one thing and then doing the other, you deserve to be called a hypocrite!

 

[zehydra]

Wow, they raised $27,000 to change a game's ending? What the hell is wrong with these people? The absurdity and inanity of fandom knows no bounds I see.

 

[zehydra]

Why? Why would you deliberatly make an ending this "divisive"...and not even in a good way? Isn't the whole point of media to get people to LIKE your media (all of it, including the ending) so they buy more?

Only from an economic perspective. If games were to only follow this "point", then we'd end up with very boring, very stale and bland video games.

 

[Sesambrot]

Wow, they raised $27,000 to change a game's ending? What the hell is wrong with these people? The absurdity and inanity of fandom knows no bounds I see.

You are completely wrong!
First off, in the meantime, they did raise $55,282..

Secondly, they are not doing it solely for the purpose of getting a new ending!
They are mainly doing it for the kids, all of the money raised has already gone to Child's Play, even if the ending doesn't change, they will have helped a whole lot of children!

In fact I would like to ask you to refrain from calling this effort an absurdity/insanity of fandom, as those donations are actually making a difference completely unrelated to the Mass Effect Universe.
Actually I'm in no position to make demands, but I would like you to read a bit more about the subject before posting crap like that!
http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play

 

[zehydra]

Wow, they raised $27,000 to change a game's ending? What the hell is wrong with these people? The absurdity and inanity of fandom knows no bounds I see.

You are completely wrong!
First off, in the meantime, they did raise $55,282..

Secondly, they are not doing it solely for the purpose of getting a new ending!
They are mainly doing it for the kids, all of the money raised has already gone to Child's Play, even if the ending doesn't change, they will have helped a whole lot of children!

In fact I would like to ask you to refrain from calling this effort an absurdity/insanity of fandom, as those donations are actually making a difference completely unrelated to the Mass Effect Universe.
Actually I'm in no position to make demands, but I would like you to read a bit more about the subject before posting crap like that!
http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play

Look, I know the money is for a good cause, I get that. But the ultimate motive is to get the writers to change the end of a story, and that is bullshit. It's not you, the player's story, it's theirs. Deal with it.

I don't mind donating to child's play. I DO however have a problem with this kind of petition.

 

[Czaran]

There?s been a lot of discussion and debate about the conclusion of Mass Effect 3, so I thought I?d share my perspective with you here. I?ll avoid outright spoilers, but I?d still recommend finishing the game and experiencing it for yourself before reading this.

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.

We've had some incredibly positive reactions to Mass Effect 3, from the New York Times declaring it ?a gripping, coherent triumph?, to Penny Arcade calling it ?an amazing accomplishment?, to emails and tweets from players who have given us the most profound words of appreciation we've ever received.

But we also recognize that some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories?and these comments are equally valid. Player feedback such as this has always been an essential ingredient in the development of the series.

I am extremely proud of what this team has accomplished, from the first art concepts for the Mass Effect universe to the final moments of Mass Effect 3. But we didn't do it on our own. Over the course of the series, Mass Effect has been a shared experience between the development team and our fans?not just a shared experience in playing the games, but in designing and developing them. An outpouring of love for Garrus and Tali led to their inclusion as love interests in Mass Effect 2. A request for deeper RPG systems led to key design changes in Mass Effect 3. Your feedback has always mattered. Mass Effect is a collaboration between developers and players, and we continue to listen.

So where do we go from here? Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we?ll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you?ll hear of Commander Shepard.

We look forward to your continued support and involvement as we work together to shape the remaining experiences in the story of the Mass Effect trilogy.

Thanks for taking this journey with us.

Casey Hudson

Hmmm...still not directly adressing how much the ending sucked.
I was actually hoping for a bittersweet ending, a sad ending where Shepard dies, etc, and has some last words with the crew.
A bittersweet ending where the whole mass effect universe actually isn't completely blown up.

I still don't see how/why they would do this, other than to gain more profit, but I think this quote should be added to the main post or something.

 

[Inkidu]

I don't give a shit about your artsy-craftsy-jerksy-offsky ending. I want to talk with you about the freaking lie. I can't achieve 5K effective preparedness in single player. I've used guides, and been meticulous to the point of absurdity, and I still come up 2k short give or take. I've thrown my bests games at it reloading and comparing gained resources damning any kind of role playing aspect. I call fucking impossible. I can't be any more thorough than I am.

However, you know who gets the free ride? People with high speed internet connections! Oh no, this isn't some great science fiction RPG epic, no it's a multiplayer game. Multiplayer is how you win it. God, you couldn't even give players the option of playing multiplayer against a CPU like Gears of War 3. Nope you've got to have high speed internet. Thanks for punishing all of us who bought it for the single-player aspect and because we can't do multiplayer games. Nope, my preparedness is stuck at half.

The kicker is I know I have options not available to the person who plays from Mass Effect 3 alone. How's anyone who starts playing from ME3 going to get the "do both things" options. So, obviously it's some kind of gross lie, because I've run all the numbers I can and it doesn't add up.

Fuck, "Fix the Story" How about, "Make it Fair for Everyone". I'm done, BioWare's never going to see another dime out of me. Go join Blizzard and Square-Enix as developers I'm never going to look at again.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

i youtubed the other two endings after just completing it. i was surprised my Shep died, but i'll get ove it. Really can't believe how similar the other endings are though. seems lazy
all in all, after DA2 and ME2, i was dreading this game. Having finished it i can saay i enjoyed it.

 

[Sanguinedragon]

Wow, they raised $27,000 to change a game's ending? What the hell is wrong with these people? The absurdity and inanity of fandom knows no bounds I see.

You are completely wrong!
First off, in the meantime, they did raise $55,282..

Secondly, they are not doing it solely for the purpose of getting a new ending!
They are mainly doing it for the kids, all of the money raised has already gone to Child's Play, even if the ending doesn't change, they will have helped a whole lot of children!

In fact I would like to ask you to refrain from calling this effort an absurdity/insanity of fandom, as those donations are actually making a difference completely unrelated to the Mass Effect Universe.
Actually I'm in no position to make demands, but I would like you to read a bit more about the subject before posting crap like that!
http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play

Look, I know the money is for a good cause, I get that. But the ultimate motive is to get the writers to change the end of a story, and that is bullshit. It's not you, the player's story, it's theirs. Deal with it.

I don't mind donating to child's play. I DO however have a problem with this kind of petition.

you are wrong, It stopped being "their" story the moment they asked us to pay them for it. The moment they said all our decisions would matter , and then gave us this crappy copy and paste crap. If I commision you to make an impressionist painting and you paint me a modernist, I have every right to tell you it is wrong. and I won't pay you

 

[Vuljatar]

It's not you, the player's story, it's theirs. Deal with it.

You're not too clear on the concept of a strongly choice-centric RPG, are you?

 

[Proverbial Jon]

According to the Catalyst, the Reapers were created for the sole purpose of ensuring the existence of organic life in the galaxy, through the assumption that all synthetic creations will eventually turn on and destroy their organic creators.

By harvesting technologically advanced species before they are capable of creating true synthetic life, and then storing these old species within immortal Reaper bodies, room is made for new life to flourish and grow, as was the case for primitive man. The continuity of life in the galaxy is assured through this cycle of extinction, as it ensures that organic life will never be fully exterminated before its time by synthetic life, as was demonstrated by the quarians and the geth.

why don't they just kill the synthetic lifeforms or tell them they will fuck up their civilisation if they ever intent to create true synthetic life.

its like doing things backwards.

What a ridiculous idea. It's like Halo's unbelievable idea that the Halo rings wipe out ALL LIFE in order to starve the Flood and therefore save the rest of the galaxy... umm yeah, that's all well and good but now everyone is DEAD.

Trying to present some sort of high concept sci-fi gibberish to people who simply wanted to see Reapers explode was not a good move on Bioware's part. And did they seriously learn nothing from Deux Ex Human Revolution's paltry endings? After a massive 3 games choc full of choices, the endings is basically decided through A, B or C? Poor show.

Ultimately, all my hard earned rewards and painstakingly made choices all came to nothing. The final run is nothing more than a mindless onslaught of enemies we have fought many, many times already. I saw no cause and effect, no thoughtful, tactical approach which utilises the skills of my entire team... nothing. Just run and gun.

Spoiler: Are there really any spoilers any more? This, just in case.

Curing the genophage, brokering peace between the Quarians and the Geth, taking down Cerberus... it was all for nought.

 

[Detective Prince]

I wasn't upset that Shepard died (Seriously, that's how I EXPECTED it to end) what I WAS upset about was how badly they handled the entire thing. -.-

And if this is a case of "Well the game doesn't ACTUALLY end there..." THEN I'LL BE EVEN ANGRIER. Lol. I mean seriously...Don't make me pay money because you twits couldn't be bothered to finish a game properly...

 

[Sesambrot]

Look, I know the money is for a good cause, I get that. But the ultimate motive is to get the writers to change the end of a story, and that is bullshit. It's not you, the player's story, it's theirs. Deal with it.

I don't mind donating to child's play. I DO however have a problem with this kind of petition.

you are wrong, It stopped being "their" story the moment they asked us to pay them for it. The moment they said all our decisions would matter , and then gave us this crappy copy and paste crap. If I commision you to make an impressionist painting and you paint me a modernist, I have every right to tell you it is wrong. and I won't pay you

While I would agree that petitions like that seem stupid, is it really stupid to demand what you've been promised all along? especially if you payed for it?

To be honest, from what I hear the idea for the ending doesn't sound all that bad..
I mean taking away all choice and turning it into A, B and C, goes against everything the series stands for, and still totally fucks it up, but at least you could agree with it from a philosophical point of view, that whatever a single person does cannot significantly change fate on a grand scale, at least not their own.
If you ask me, that's still a shitty ending, but probably something people could have lived with and hadn't complained about as much if it was properly implemented.
But that is actually where the real problem lies, the ending feels tacked on, as if the whole ME Staff had gone on vacation for the last month of development and left finishing the game to some trainees that had to stay behind.

And that is what people are complaining about the most!
You can argue that it's their game, and they decide how it should end, but you can't argue that they should be allowed a sloppy imlementation of it, without having to fear any repercussion.
I really despise the bootliking attitude that is displayed by so many, if I don't get what I was promised for my money, I AM entitled to complain! And it doesn't matter what the object in question is.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

i wonder in the future ME stories will be about waring flotilas in our solar system, the race restablish travel, coloniasation of our solar system. they're the only ways I can see it going

 

[sumanoskae]

Wow, they raised $27,000 to change a game's ending? What the hell is wrong with these people? The absurdity and inanity of fandom knows no bounds I see.

You are completely wrong!
First off, in the meantime, they did raise $55,282..

Secondly, they are not doing it solely for the purpose of getting a new ending!
They are mainly doing it for the kids, all of the money raised has already gone to Child's Play, even if the ending doesn't change, they will have helped a whole lot of children!

In fact I would like to ask you to refrain from calling this effort an absurdity/insanity of fandom, as those donations are actually making a difference completely unrelated to the Mass Effect Universe.
Actually I'm in no position to make demands, but I would like you to read a bit more about the subject before posting crap like that!
http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play

Look, I know the money is for a good cause, I get that. But the ultimate motive is to get the writers to change the end of a story, and that is bullshit. It's not you, the player's story, it's theirs. Deal with it.

I don't mind donating to child's play. I DO however have a problem with this kind of petition.

You make it sound like we're threatening Bioware to get what we want. That's not the case. First of all, we can't do that. We've already sunk our money into the game, all we can do is refuse to buy DLC.

Second of all, we're not going to (At least I'M not) do anything if we don't get what we want. We probably won't buy any DLC, but we'll do that for the same reason we buy or don't buy anything, whether we think it'll be worth our time and money. I don't hope they'll change the game because we demand it, I hope that the decision to end the game the way they did was unpopular enough among THEM that someone within the studio decides they can think of a better one, that I hope I'll like to.

It's not about rights or what they "Have to do", I think the ending sucks, they can change it, and most of us would very much like that. Simple as that, just like any other criticism. They don't have to listen at all if they don't want to, but I should point out that Bioware have already built their game based heavily around feedback. They have no problem listening to their fans.

You can't honestly say that Bioware doesn't have a right to do with they want with their art because they can do what they want with their art. That's ass backwards.

They take criticism, not because they have to but because hearing critiques on your work is healthy, and can make you a better writer. Maybe somebody else noticed something that you didn't, or saw things from a perspective that you'd never thought of. Stories don't spring fully formed from the head of Zeus, every bit of fiction is in reaction to something, even if it's just life itself.

To suggest that an outside suggestion will in some way insult or tarnish a story is ludicrous. If you can't have confidence with your work under scrutiny, that's a problem with the work not with the scrutiny. The scrutiny is the result of the work being processed in the context of the real world, the world that we all have to live in, the world that all fiction is based on and therefore already affected by. If Bioware can honestly say that they can't think of a better way to end the series, that's up to them. We at least deserve to know so we can move past the bargaining stage of grief, get through depression, and reach acceptance.

 

[AgentLampshade]

Memorable? I can't even remember what happens. I picked a vague choice and some stuff blew up. Joker landed on the Garden of Eden and the credits rolled.

Everything was perfect until that damned platform of doom lifted Shepard up into...that place.

 

[Yeager942]

Thank you for the great post! As a member of the BSN group that has been promoting the Child's Play drive, I can certainly say that we are not trying to "strong arm" anyone. Bioware has every right to create the Mass Effect universe however they see fit. We at Retake Mass Effect are trying to communicate to Bioware that the vision they had of Mass Effect was not what we expected based on publicity and past experiences in Mass Effect. While the origin of the drive was certainly based on the endings, the general consensus among the forum is that we are trying to use our disappointment with these "divisive" decisions to fuel a positive movement. Some claim we are entitled, but we are trying to open discussion about the topic in a civil manner. Its easy to rage on a forum, but we are showing our commitment to the issue in the only way investors understand- our wallets. The important thing is that, regardless of Bioware's decision, this will have a positive effect on children who are in desperate need of enjoyment during a dark and terrifying time in there lives. Everyone wins. Thanks to all who have shown your support for this worthy cause.

The charity idea is genius. A truly great idea to turn an inherently negative protest into a positive force.

Hold the line!