Mass Effect 3's Ending Was Intended To Polarize

[Guardian of Nekops]

Words like "polarizing" and "divisive" imply that some people really hate it AND some people really love it.

I have yet to hear from ANYONE who thinks that these endings are the best thing since sliced bread. Given the number of folks who are willing to support nearly anything that Mass Effect does, that means the new endings are BAD to the point of not being real endings, not... "divisive" or "memorable." At least not in a good way.

Also, if the plan is to sell people a new ending, a real ending, as DLC? That's... a bit shady. A $60 game needs to include an ending in the purchase price. If you add more content to the end of this, content that actually fixes these undeniably poor endings? They really, REALLY need to be free.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

So to get more endings we have to buy DLC. How about in one of the DLC you simply explain how the original 3 endings make any sense with the game lore. It's a miracle that they didn't go all sopranos on us and cut out right when the big moment was to occur. I got the best ending possible and the little surprise in the end was nice, still, i'm guessing it's all meant to go the dick route and force us to get answers with DLC.

 

[SushiJaguar]

Then how the hell do they make money, zehydra? We may pay to play the game, yes, but we pay them to make the game, because they can't very well make a game without any money!

 

[The Forces of Chaos]

I guess the signs that Bioware is losing their standards (or becoming a bigger part of EA) were already there given the evidence of dragon age 2 and the deception novel. Somehow I think mass effect 3 is going to be mostly used for the multiplayer than the single player ( ME2 reference : this is depressing ).

I don?t think they will try to change the endings, as they want to release new dlc which is pointless for some given the nature current endings.
I wonder how long it will be before they go the way of Westwood.

 

[satsugaikaze]

Y'all should check out the Escapist podcasts concerning the endings.

Not that the endings aren't flawed, but if people could be a tad more open-minded there's a bit of insight into what could be a fundamentally interesting idea behind a rush-job execution.

 

[Bansheebot]

Well, I certainly won't forget it. Things that make no sense usually get stuck in my head forever. In this case, not in a good way. What I find more annoying though is that it seems they didn't keep their promise for not having an "A, B or C" ending. You get three choices and in all of them pretty much the same happens, with some slight variations. No wonder the indoctrination theory is so appealing to me.

 

[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

You didn't commission them to make Mass Effect 3. You didn't pay them to make the game, you paid them to play their game.

Wrong. I paid them for a product. Based off previous products and I expect the same quality as I have been paying for and have paid for. My buying and playing the previous titles(over and over) infers that I like what they are doing, not hey change it to mediocrity. Being that this is an inferior product I have every right to complain and demand that the problem be rectified.
And yes I did "commision" this work when I bought and paid for the previous games. That effectively paid them to make this one.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Y'all should check out the Escapist podcasts concerning the endings.

Not that the endings aren't flawed, but if people could be a tad more open-minded there's a bit of insight into what could be a fundamentally interesting idea behind a rush-job execution.

I do not intend to be rude sir, and thank you for your suggestion, however I feel it exemplifies two glaring flaws with the games ending. First, that it requires -explaining- by a third party for one to appreciate, and two, and it was a rush job.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

You know, I guess I'm not as serious a gamer as I thought I was. I've been playing computer games since I was 6 (19 years ago now) and for most of that time the games have been CRPGs in one form or another. But yet after all this time I still can't find it in myself to care so much about a video game that I go to the lengths that I have seen some people across the interwebs going to regarding the Mass Effect endings.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel that the ending to Mass Effect was a masterpiece of storytelling. Yes, there are some glaring potholes. Yes, they use an obvious Deus Ex Machina to resolve the plot. And yes, it does leave one with some mystery as to the final fate of those concerned. But let's be honest with ourselves people, how much of genre fiction is littered with those exact same types of storytelling. Sci-fi genre fiction is notorious for these exact same problems, across all it's forms books, games, television and movies. It's to something that should be new to you!

I guess my question is, what drives you to start petitions to get the ending changed? What motivates you to rage at writers, developers and anyone even tangentially connected to the series with such hate filled bile that it frankly makes me a little uncomfortable to read some of it? What makes you so angry that you feel the need to lash out even at other fans who may have a different opinion to you, labeling them fanboys or Biodrones? In short what is it that makes you care so much?

Anyway, in the end, I really think we need to remember one thing. In the words of the now immortal Wade Wilson "Remember boys and girls, it's all Pretendy fun time games".

PS - This was even longer, but I'm typing it on my IPad and switched to a different tab and it lost my typing. I hate Apple's idea of multitasking.

 

[satsugaikaze]

I do not intend to be rude sir, and thank you for your suggestion, however I feel it exemplifies two glaring flaws with the games ending. First, that it requires -explaining- by a third party for one to appreciate, and two, and it was a rush job.

True on both counts, but then again other people may have understood it themselves, other people may have not. Doesn't *necessarily* mean it's flawed, although in this context it's something to take into consideration.

Hell, first time I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey I didn't understand it even after someone explained it to me lol

 

[Navvan]

Spoiler: Mr.Wizard's Post

You know, I guess I'm not as serious a gamer as I thought I was. I've been playing computer games since I was 6 (19 years ago now) and for most of that time the games have been CRPGs in one form or another. But yet after all this time I still can't find it in myself to care so much about a video game that I go to the lengths that I have seen some people across the interwebs going to regarding the Mass Effect endings.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel that the ending to Mass Effect was a masterpiece of storytelling. Yes, there are some glaring potholes. Yes, they use an obvious Deus Ex Machina to resolve the plot. And yes, it does leave one with some mystery as to the final fate of those concerned. But let's be honest with ourselves people, how much of genre fiction is littered with those exact same types of storytelling. Sci-fi genre fiction is notorious for these exact same problems, across all it's forms books, games, television and movies. It's to something that should be new to you!

I guess my question is, what drives you to start petitions to get the ending changed? What motivates you to rage at writers, developers and anyone even tangentially connected to the series with such hate filled bile that it frankly makes me a little uncomfortable to read some of it? What makes you so angry that you feel the need to lash out even at other fans who may have a different opinion to you, labeling them fanboys or Biodrones? In short what is it that makes you care so much?

Anyway, in the end, I really think we need to remember one thing. In the words of the now immortal Wade Wilson "Remember boys and girls, it's all Pretendy fun time games".

PS - This was even longer, but I'm typing it on my IPad and switched to a different tab and it lost my typing. I hate Apple's idea of multitasking.

A lot of it has to do with people expected better based on the previous two installments. That and the fact that pre-release developer/producer/director quotes get about as close to a flat out statement that something like this wouldn't happen and set expectations completely different to what they delivered.

Spoiler: Forced into endings

?There are many different endings. We wouldn?t do it any other way. How could you go through all three campaigns playing as your Shepard and then be forced into a bespoke ending that everyone gets? But I can?t say any more than that??

Interview with Mike Gamble (Associate Producer)

Spoiler: Answers to questions and Impact of choices

?Every decision you've made will impact how things go. The player's also the architect of what happens."

?You'll get answers to everything. That was one of the key things. Regardless of how we did everything, we had to say, yes, we're going to provide some answers to these people.?

?Because a lot of these plot threads are concluding and because it's being brought to a finale, since you were a part of architecting how they got to how they were, you will definitely sense how they close was because of the decisions you made and because of the decisions you didn't make?

Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)

Spoiler: Endings Based on Choices

?For people who are invested in these characters and the back-story of the universe and everything, all of these things come to a resolution in Mass Effect 3. And they are resolved in a way that's very different based on what you would do in those situations.?

Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)

Spoiler: Ending Flavors A,B,C

?Yeah, and I?d say much more so, because we have the ability to build the endings out in a way that we don?t have to worry about eventually tying them back together somewhere. This story arc is coming to an end with this game. That means the endings can be a lot more different. At this point we?re taking into account so many decisions that you?ve made as a player and reflecting a lot of that stuff. It?s not even in any way like the traditional game endings, where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got ending A, B, or C.....The endings have a lot more sophistication and variety in them.?

Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)

I'm not going to touch the other topics as they are largely subjective, and you already mentioned plot holes and such in your original post. Also I can't really address what makes some of the people particularly vile in their responses and such. Although I believe that is more of a individual character thing than some sort of induced condition from the negative reaction to the ending.

 

[ASan83]

Eh, I've finally come to accept the ending and can see Mass Effect for what it is: A stellar sci-fi story that shits the bed at the end. Is that optimal or how I wanted it? Hell no, but they as creators are within their right to end their IP any way they choose. If you want to end your IP on a mindfuck ending that robs the goodwill of half your fanbase, more power to you, just don't expect some people to be OK with that.

 

[pandorum]

Its just a bunch of people who have a sad that Shepard actually fucking dies at the end of her trilogy.

Sorry not everything is shit rainbows and vomit skittles in magic fairy wonderland, but sometimes shit just doesn't end that way.

That said; they ought to at least put something in to detail the outcome of the player's choices throughout the game. Other than that the endings were good; leave them alone.

If your actually good at the game Shepard lives.

 

[Zukhramm]

This has probably been said in this thread, multiple times, but "It was supposed to be stupid" is a pretty bad excuse.

 

[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.

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

You didn't commission them to make Mass Effect 3. You didn't pay them to make the game, you paid them to play their game.

Wrong. I paid them for a product. Based off previous products and I expect the same quality as I have been paying for and have paid for. My buying and playing the previous titles(over and over) infers that I like what they are doing, not hey change it to mediocrity. Being that this is an inferior product I have every right to complain and demand that the problem be rectified.
And yes I did "commision" this work when I bought and paid for the previous games. That effectively paid them to make this one.

Maybe a "commission" was your intention when you paid the money for Mass Effect 1 and 2, but you can't honestly expect them to know that it was a commission. Money is just money, unless you send them a little card that says "please use these funds for your next game"

"My buying and playing the previous titles(over and over) infers that I like what they are doing, not hey change it to mediocrity. Being that this is an inferior product I have every right to complain and demand that the problem be rectified. "

Would you be just as demanding of the matrix sequels, which were pretty horrible in comparison to the first one?

 

[Velvo]

What I care about isn't the ending, but the amazing and moving game leading up to it! Who the hell cares if the ending leaves a bit to the imagination? The journey there was still one of the most memorable experiences I've had in a game series.

The "remember the journey, not the destination" way of thinking only really works when the destination doesn't defeat the entire point of the journey and make the ending so unneededly bizarre that instead of leaving us with a sense of satisfaction that the 100+ hours we put into the story was worth it, it leaves us angrily trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

No, the "remember the journey, not the destination" way of thinking only works if you HAVE it. Amazingly, even though the ending was somewhat dull, somewhat contradictory, and didn't explain itself well, I still feel satisfaction from all the things that came before. It doesn't negate the emotions I felt while playing the game. If you put all your emotional eggs into the ending, you're bound to be disappointed.

Could it have been better? Yeah, but I'm not disappointed because I didn't expect anything from it. To me, there is no ending, there's just the experience. Course, I'm used to thinking in terms like that.

It's strange, it's actually rare that you find people making a big deal over spoiling the ending of a story in most countries around the world. Even if you know the end, you don't know the context until you experience the story. Perhaps it's a different mindset, one that is more used to the idea of mortality. After all, we all know how the story really ends: everybody dies (eventually).

 

[Riff Moonraker]

Last I checked, people remember Star Wars IV: A New Hope. I dont think having an option to have an ending like that would in any way make the game forgettable. Jeez.

 

[disgruntledgamer]

Its just a bunch of people who have a sad that Shepard actually fucking dies at the end of her trilogy.

Sorry not everything is shit rainbows and vomit skittles in magic fairy wonderland, but sometimes shit just doesn't end that way.

That said; they ought to at least put something in to detail the outcome of the player's choices throughout the game. Other than that the endings were good; leave them alone.

If your actually good at the game Shepard lives.

LMAO you talking about that 2sec clip at the end? Still doesn't stop it from sucking any less or helps it make any kind of sense. Poor Deus EX ripoff is still a poor Deus EX ripoff regardless of who lives.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Why thank you. I really wasn't sure whether I was speaking out of my arse or not. I was so disappointed that TIM wasn't used more at the end. I had no choice but to kill him (even though I've been going for a pure paragon throughout the game which was frustrating). TIM was one of the most interesting characters in Mass Effect. His motives were never made clear and the way he toyed with Shepard was great. Cerberus were a huge threat throughout the whole of ME3, so it was kind of turd how they suddenly vanished and did not factor at all into the various endings in any way.

Of course I think an A, B or C ending structure isn't best and I would have loved to have seen something more complex. Bioware could have come up with a simple algorithm to calculate and give you an ending based on both your choices throughout the series, your total EMS and any choices you make within the last 10 minutes. The game is already capable of recognising your choices from Mass Effect 1 and 2 when you import a character and it adjusts itself accordingly. I don't understand why the ending was not given the same treatment.

Space Jesus was just embarrassing - as were those dream bits. I don't know about anyone else, but chasing young boys through the woods in the middle of night is a questionable activity. Even if it's just a dream.

How do you think the green ending could have been done better to actually fit in better with Mass Effect universe? That one has me stumped. I think I probably would have just removed it.

Yeah, I think the reason TIM and the Reapers WERE so interesting was because there was still a lot of mystery surrounding them. Space Jesus went and removed all of that for us in the most wand-waving sort of manner, the worst way possible. I would have preferred the Reapers to just have existed "because we say so" than try to explain them away with an obnoxious deus ex machina.

I was also going for more or less all-out paragon. Sadly I chose the renegade route with the Quarian admiral when we returned from the geth ship. He tried to blow the damn thing up with us still on it and the paragon option was "I understand." What the hell? So yeah, because of that I got the greyed out paragon option at the end with TIM, sad times.

I know nothing of game design, but an ending akin to Mass Effect 2's would have been welcome. A thrilling assault on an unstoppable enemy which uses all the characters you have got left and pulls together all your choices. That is what I was expecting frankly. Just like you, I can't see why they didn't do it that way. They had already done it once before.

I admit I lol'd hard at your comment about chasing boys through the woods at night! Although I'm playing FemShep so I guess it wasn't as creepy.

Honestly, synthesis might seem like the perfect solution out of the three but it was just outright DUMB. I mean what? If ever there was a more saccharine, happy families ending it was this one. Both organic and machine life melded together into one lifeform and everyone lives happily ever after? That doesn't even make any sense! An entire universe of diverse races is suddenly just merged with what, living technology? How do they reproduce? Does the machine/electronic part just occur naturally? What?! I honestly can't wrap my head around that concept.

 

[LordOfAllHeSurveys]

Here is how the ending got started;
EA: So we got a dateline in march, hows the game coming along.
Bioware: Pretty good we just added the Diana Allers character in the game, which set us behind scheuale, but if you could just delay it until May I think it will be pretty much be ready.
EA: Uh, no can do, we don't want to piss of the fans for delaying this installment.
BW: But the game won't be finished by then.
EA: I know, but can't you rush things up a bit.
BW: Well if we really rush, we can get to the part where shepard is indoctrinated and we give him three choices in the game, two are bad, but you can resist and get them out of your mind, but if we don't explain it, it will feel half-as
EA: Do it.
BW: But it won't fell like you chose your ending, we promised 16.
EA: We are not Vavle, we are going to relaese on time.
BW: What about the endings.
EA: One word: DLC
BW: Fine, we'll get on it.
EA:Trust me everyone will happy.
BW: Yes boss
BW: This pathership gets worse all the time.