Why do gamers hate games because of one "small" problem?

[Mr.Pandah]

Let's see...I've laughed, I've cried, I've enjoyed the company of ALL of my crew members. I've yet to reach the ending for me3 yet but if it truly sours the experience as badly as most say it does...it would honestly ruin the series for me. Seeing all of my actions make a difference in the story so far has been awe inspiring to me as a gamer. Punching that reporter AGAIN, saving the rachni queen again, seeing grunt, saving ashley, hanging out with garrus, watching Mordin give his life and legion as well...this character that I'm playing as has transcended any other video game character I've ever played as. My shepherd is me. To see none of it matter as described by so many....is heartbreaking.

 

[Tono Makt]

The Mass Effect 3 problem is exactly the same as the LOST problem; (A): People got too invested in the series, (B): The endings are truly terrible as people say they are, and (C): The creators disregarded the main attraction of why people enjoyed consuming the media (LOST = discovering the mystery, ME3 = having player engagement matter).

I think it is even more true for ME3 is because your laying down 60-70 bucks for the game, not to mention the false advertising surrounding the ending itself (not calling it endings, they are all the same dammit.)

i was pretty upset with LOST's ending, but it was something I got over within the next hour or so because I didn't spend money on it nor was it advertised to have an epic of all epic ending(s).

The LOST analogy is even more apt given Darlton's response to the fan's outrage at the ending. They spent 5 seasons playing off of the super-fan/Otaku/"Stop Playing 6 Degree's of Ben Linus He's Not A Real Person" viewers to sell a boatload of crap to the fans, only to say at the end that the series was all about the relationships between the characters, and the mystery was completely secondary. When fans got upset, they passed all the blame onto the fans who misunderstood what LOST was all about, and said it was our fault for not getting LOST. Their patronizing and insulting attitude is what kept the issue going for as long as it did, not just the craptastic Season 6.

(Now, more than a year later, they've started to subtly admit that they messed up the final season and that the fans might have a good reason to be annoyed. Too little, too late in my books.)

 

[Thoric485]

We don't. It's just the result of gaming publications overplaying a mediocre title as the RPG of the decade.

 

[thomas.owns]

I recently picked up R&C A41, this game was bashed for it's glitchyness and bugs. I haven't had any issues and am enjoying the crap out of this. I don't know why people will instantly hate a game based off one small issue.

If the issue is gamebreaking, sure I get it at that point.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

The Mass Effect 3 problem is exactly the same as the LOST problem; (A): People got too invested in the series, (B): The endings are truly terrible as people say they are, and (C): The creators disregarded the main attraction of why people enjoyed consuming the media (LOST = discovering the mystery, ME3 = having player engagement matter).

I think it is even more true for ME3 is because your laying down 60-70 bucks for the game, not to mention the false advertising surrounding the ending itself (not calling it endings, they are all the same dammit.)

i was pretty upset with LOST's ending, but it was something I got over within the next hour or so because I didn't spend money on it nor was it advertised to have an epic of all epic ending(s).

The LOST analogy is even more apt given Darlton's response to the fan's outrage at the ending. They spent 5 seasons playing off of the super-fan/Otaku/"Stop Playing 6 Degree's of Ben Linus He's Not A Real Person" viewers to sell a boatload of crap to the fans, only to say at the end that the series was all about the relationships between the characters, and the mystery was completely secondary. When fans got upset, they passed all the blame onto the fans who misunderstood what LOST was all about, and said it was our fault for not getting LOST. Their patronizing and insulting attitude is what kept the issue going for as long as it did, not just the craptastic Season 6.

(Now, more than a year later, they've started to subtly admit that they messed up the final season and that the fans might have a good reason to be annoyed. Too little, too late in my books.)

true. i have quite to say about the situation overall, and how bioware has handled it as poorly as the LOST writer/producers did, and it's just gotten old trying to get them to admit to the fuck up that is the ending.

 

[rob_simple]

I recently picked up R&C A41, this game was bashed for it's glitchyness and bugs. I haven't had any issues and am enjoying the crap out of this. I don't know why people will instantly hate a game based off one small issue.

If the issue is gamebreaking, sure I get it at that point.

My problem with that game was the fact they took it in a direction it didn't need to go (4-player co-op). R&C is my favourite series and until now it had never had any emphasis on multiplayer so that was my problem.

OT: I think the difference here is a small issue that only occurs once like the ME3 ending --seriously if the ending sucks that's a real damn shame; just make up your own and get over it-- shouldn't matter when you've had hours and hours of enjoyment out the product, but when it's a niggling little issue that constantly pops up it can wear you down.

For example, Dead Island's melee combat was complete horseshit: attacks constantly passed right through the enemy. Considering this was a game based almost entirely around melee combat I hated it even though it was a pretty neat (if badly, badly executed) idea.

 

[Asita]

Any ending to a computer software game is a small problem. Some of you people have fucked-up priorities.

Actually, no. It's long been known by storytellers that the ending is one of the most important points in the story. Heck, Brecht's philosophy behind his plays revolved around the idea of practically weaponizing the audience's reaction to those moments by specifically denying catharsis so the audience would feel the need to act on the social issues presented in his performances. Amusingly, the ME3 ending rather neatly (albeit by pure accident) demonstrates Brecht's idea (perhaps even better than Brecht himself ever did), but instead of affecting social change[footnote]Due to the ending rather definitively not having implications outside the story itself[/footnote], the nature of the ending compelled the audience to instead focus their dissatisfaction back unto the 'playwright' and the play itself.

 

[thomas.owns]

I recently picked up R&C A41, this game was bashed for it's glitchyness and bugs. I haven't had any issues and am enjoying the crap out of this. I don't know why people will instantly hate a game based off one small issue.

If the issue is gamebreaking, sure I get it at that point.

My problem with that game was the fact they took it in a direction it didn't need to go (4-player co-op). R&C is my favourite series and until now it had never had any emphasis on multiplayer so that was my problem.

OT: I think the difference here is a small issue that only occurs once like the ME3 ending --seriously if the ending sucks that's a real damn shame; just make up your own and get over it-- shouldn't matter when you've had hours and hours of enjoyment out the product, but when it's a niggling little issue that constantly pops up it can wear you down.

For example, Dead Island's melee combat was complete horseshit: attacks constantly passed right through the enemy. Considering this was a game based almost entirely around melee combat I hated it even though it was a pretty neat (if badly, badly executed) idea.

It was a different direction I agree. While not quite as polished as the originals, I felt it was still decent but not nearly as good as their previous title.

But a valid complaint though.

 

[OneOfTheMichael's]

Lately I've noticed that there is a lot of controversy because of the game "mass effect 3"'s ending. And I see how everywhere I go, I hear of this and I get tired of seeing all this anger and frustration because of a good games ending or another small thing in a game like it's multiplayer.
I also take note of how the people say that because of the problem they blame the whole game or company because of it.
I wonder why people can't just accept that a game is good and leave it as it is without the need for a huge uproar for change.
So what do you guys thing of people critiquing a game based off a "small problem"?

Your question is more of a statement really, a statement that you liked Mass Effect and that all those gamers that didn't like it because of the ending and are now pissed with Bioware are saying nonsense, or something like that. There isn't any question. Also your argument is based on a very subjective basis: You say that the ending problem is actually a small problem, because it happens to be small for you. For other gamers the ending is crucial regarding their whole experience of the game. Isn't it a legitimate approach, the same as yours that you consider it as minor?

Honestly, I've never played the game, only a bit of the first game. I suppose I did state more of a statement in what I wrote than a question.
What I was actually trying to say is that I want to know why people hate games because of one problem and that they can't just like the game.
I also understand that many feel like they what they did in a game didn't mean anything in the end.

 

[Shadowkire]

So you really believe that a shit ending undoes all of the fun you've had?

Alright then.

The amount of hyperbole you employ is god damn amusing. No, it doesn't "undo" any fun. Yes, it sours the memory of it to some extent. Don't put words in my mouth, and don't reply again.

I'll reply as much as I god damn please, as long as there's discussion to be had.

So you're saying that the ending didn't ruin your fun? It only sours the memory to "some extent".

What you seem to be implying is that it actually isn't that big of an issue. In that case, why the fuck are you arguing with me?

No. I believe that if you care about story, a shit ending to a good story is going to make the whole experience considerably more shit.

And I agree, but that doesn't mean it precludes you from ever enjoying that game again, nor indeed as I keep saying, has it invalidated your experience.

Unless he plays Mass Effect for the story, in which case the ending of the story(and this particular ending) is no small thing.

The problem with the ending is that people who play ME like to play through the game one way, then start a new character and play through a completely different way to see what the outcome is. The ending to ME3 depletes the enjoyment out of these replays because every time a player is given a choice that player will remember the ending and think "It doesn't matter."

The ME3 ending is such a big deal because it is the only ending given in the series, ME1&2 ended with what amounts to a "to be continued..." meaning that 1 ending needed to wrap up the entire trilogy. Instead of wrapping it up they threw everything you did, every choice you made, and ultimately the built up expectations of all the players into one of three big piles of trash about to be put through an incinerator.

The fun they had before they reached the ending was great, but now that they know the ending they won't be able to have that kind of fun with the trilogy again.

 

[IrritatingSquirrel]

I think the uproar over the ending is mostly 'cus people expected more. It's pretty.. abrupt the way it gets thrown at you, and it's the last thing you experience. I can see how that can leave a bad taste in some people's mouths. Also, Mass effect gave gamers a hell of a lot of freedom to decide where things go, and the ending doesn't really match that. It brings home that, in the end, it's someone else's creation and some people just might be unable to accept that - This is just me guessing, if i'm honest. I wasn't fussed either way by the ending.

 

[omicron1]

I cast "Invoke Godwin!"

You know, Hitler was a pretty all-around great person! Charismatic, great strategist (don't quote me on this one), brought his country out of the throes of defeat to become a powerhouse economy, an accomplished writer, and responsible for one of the largest empires in history.

Shame about the ideology.

 

[Fidelias]

Well, people view different issues, well, differently. I consider Mass Effect 3's ending a HUGE problem, because I played the series for the story, not for the gameplay. And the ending just tore the story to little shreds. Now I can't even play the other two great games (my opinion, obviously) because I know that the story is going to turn out to be crap.

I don't play games for the journey, I expect the journey to pay off with a climactic, epic ending, that makes sense with regards to the game.

Just because YOU might disagree, does not make you right, and me wrong. It means that YOU have an opinion, and that I ALSO have an opinion, nothing more.

Another thing that I look closely at in games, is the in-game music. It might be the most immersive game world, with the greatest combat and characters of all time, but if it has a crappy soundtrack, I'm not going to like it.
You might think this is silly, but games with boring soundtracks literally put me to sleep.

 

[Vigormortis]

Lately I've noticed that there is a lot of controversy because of the game "mass effect 3"'s ending. And I see how everywhere I go, I hear of this and I get tired of seeing all this anger and frustration because of a good games ending or another small thing in a game like it's multiplayer.
I also take note of how the people say that because of the problem they blame the whole game or company because of it.
I wonder why people can't just accept that a game is good and leave it as it is without the need for a huge uproar for change.
So what do you guys thing of people critiquing a game based off a "small problem"?

EDIT: I can relate to how some of you feel about ME3. Though I've not played the entire franchise, I know how gamers can become disappointed because of a games ending. For me it was the ending to rage which was just as bad as its story.

Here's the thing. It depends on what you mean by "small problem" and how much of an effect that "problem" has on your play experience.

For example: Let's say you're playing a rather exceptional game with grandiose locales and a sweeping story.

However, you come across a small sub-boss fight section that's just poorly made and a chore to play through. After several attempts, you finally get past it and continue on; the rest of the game as great as everything prior.

This is an example of a "small problem" that can easily be ignored. One that doesn't really detract too much from the over-all experience of the game.

However, here's example 2: You're playing a game that's otherwise well designed and relatively fun to play. However, let's say this game has FOV issues (making the image feel zoomed in constantly), awkward UI interaction, and unpolished mouse and keyboard controls.

These are fairly minor problems, but seeing as they are present in the game throughout it's entirety, they essentially taint the whole experience. Thus, these "small problem(s)" can quite easily ruin a whole game for someone.

So, again, it depends on what you mean exactly by "small problems". Because, as has been my experience, some of the most "minor problems" I've come across in my gaming life have been responsible for ruining more games than "big problems".

 

[SageRuffin]

I look at it in a "pros vs cons" kinda way. Since ME3's been beaten to hell and back several times (often within a course of 24 hours), I'll use something else recent: Asura's Wrath.

Pros:
Balls-to-the-wall action
Finely-crafted graphics
Ambient soundtrack
Well-crafted story (which saddens me as these are the same hammers that wrote that mess of SCV's story)
Anime-esque presentation (which I understand some people absolutely despise, but it works for me)
Decent amount of goodies

Cons:
Action can get too frantic at times, disrupting timing for button prompts
If focusing on story, one may be distracted during an interactive cutscene and miss a button prompt
Some prompts have too-short timing
Inconclusive ending

So, from my own experiences, Asura's Wrath has a few issues, but I view them as minor, as they don't sully my overall enjoyment of the game. Then again, I'm one of those weird people who thinks DA2 is not as bad a game as everyone claims and that Jade Empire is one of BioWare's better IPs, so take this for what you will.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I'll reply as much as I god damn please, as long as there's discussion to be had.

What you're doing here is not having a discussion. Where's the discussion? Is it the part where you tell people how much value they should put in an ending, and them saying "no"?

The discussion is where we're trying to convince each other with our views. Because that's kinda what a discussion is.

So you're saying that the ending didn't ruin your fun? It only sours the memory to "some extent".

Oh it did. I have zero - zero - inclination to ever pick up a Mass Effect game again. What it didn't do was "undo" the fun I had before the ending, whatever that comical use of the term means. You're trying to interchangeably use terms that are not interchangeable.

Funny you should say that [http://thesaurus.com/browse/ruin]. Since, well, that's what a synonym is. (Oh look, ruin and undoes!)

What you seem to be implying is that it actually isn't that big of an issue. In that case, why the fuck are you arguing with me?

I'll decide how much of an issue it is to me, thanks. And to answer your question, because you keep quoting me and misrepresenting my position, how thick is your bloody skull?

Ah. Resorting to the previously mentioned name calling, are we? May I direct you to the forum rules [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/codeofconduct]?

No. I believe that if you care about story, a shit ending to a good story is going to make the whole experience considerably more shit.

And I agree, but that doesn't mean it precludes you from ever enjoying that game again, nor indeed as I keep saying, has it invalidated your experience.

On the gameplay aspect, sure, it doesn't. But you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who played the ME series for its gameplay, and I'm not one of those people. The ending did make me not care about the entire series, and you don't get to decide whether it did or not.

No I don't. But I do get to express my opinion. Which is: I feel that that's the entirely wrong way to think about it.

The problem with the ending is that people who play ME like to play through the game one way, then start a new character and play through a completely different way to see what the outcome is. The ending to ME3 depletes the enjoyment out of these replays because every time a player is given a choice that player will remember the ending and think "It doesn't matter."

The ME3 ending is such a big deal because it is the only ending given in the series, ME1&2 ended with what amounts to a "to be continued..." meaning that 1 ending needed to wrap up the entire trilogy. Instead of wrapping it up they threw everything you did, every choice you made, and ultimately the built up expectations of all the players into one of three big piles of trash about to be put through an incinerator.

The fun they had before they reached the ending was great, but now that they know the ending they won't be able to have that kind of fun with the trilogy again.

I recognise this. I know it leaves the emotional feelings that people had hanging. But to discount all the fun you had and start "hating the game" (because that is the title of this thread) is ridiculous.

The ending to Mass Effect 3 is not "One small problem".
If you don't agree with that statement it's unlikely we will ever understand each other.

Bringing Mass Effect into this wasn't a great idea if you want the broad topic addressed in a rational manner.
I don't think small things do ruin a game for anyone, it's just a matter of perspective as to whether or not the flaw at hand is small.

As I said, a bad ending shouldn't invalidate the experience of the journey for them.

It didn't, most people I've talked to loved the rest of the game, still love the rest of the game, and will never not love the rest of the game. The problem is that makes it very unlikely we'll ever hate the ending any less because we will always care. If we didn't love the rest of the journey we would have no problem with the ending.

Narrative arc does that, intro,inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion thing.
Mass Effect 3 goes more like, intro, incident, rising action, climax.

Picture that like a roller coaster. Imagine how much the people on that ride would enjoy it after the fact if it had "One small problem". It was missing the last segment of track.
It wouldn't slow down and the people on he ride would have no way to expend their momentum save to crash into the ground.
But this is emotional not physical and so the only way to expend that is to vent, rage, attempt to be understood by others, and then forget about the game at risk of "caring to much" all over again.

I'm glad I played the game, but if they can screw an ending up this badly than I have no idea what to expect from future releases from them. I'll likely buy them regardless because I love these worlds but you can only be disappointed so many times before you call the company Square Enix or Sonic Team and just walk away shaking your head, I would love nothing more than for that to NOT happen.

This is more or less the response I've been waiting for. What you're saying here is that you hated the ending, but loved the games. You just can't replay them because of the sour taste in your mouth.

This is the sane response, and I understand this one. The problem that many people have had when responding to me here is saying this, but less clearly and without really realising that the title of the thread is 'Why do gamers hate games because of one "small" problem?'

Hammeroj on the other hand, seems to be implying that all of the time he spent playing the games count for nothing. While yes, that's the case with the ending, the enjoyment he got from playing the games should still be worth something.

Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who's been replying to me. I haven't had a good discussion on the forums for a while.

 

[AbstractStream]

I think that's an over generalization. Not all gamers hate on games for their problems. It must be a pretty huge problem to hate the game on. I see what you're getting at though.

I see small problems to be things like crappy voice acting, or glitches. [Those problems can escalate though. I understand that.] Since you're talking about ME3, I can tell you for certain that I don't hate it. Despite the ending, I've already played it 3 times over and I love it. I just get up and do something else when it's time for the ending to come around. To be entirely honest though, it kind of hurts playing through it, knowing how it ends...

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to get at is this: What some people might see as a "small" problem might be an entirely different thing to someone else. A "huge" problem as it were. There's a whole group of people across the country that will tell you that ME3's ending wasn't a "small" problem xD

Geez, this post was all over the place.

 

[Uszi]

I've never hated a game because of one small problem, and I don't even hate ME3 given all the problems it has.

I do frequently talk about the only parts of a game I don't like online... but that also doesn't mean that is the only thing I like about it.

You can't really have a good discussion in a thread if everyone just talks about how satisfied they were with Tuchanka in ME3.

 

[Joccaren]

That it shouldn't make us unable to enjoy the game in the future? Sadly it has

Then you're doing it wrong. Yes the ending is important, but if it outweighs all of the fun you can have during the course of them, you didn't really like them in the first place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But they do. If you enjoyed playing the games in the first place, one cutscene shouldn't ruin you continuing to play the games again and again. I'm not saying that you can just relive your past enjoyment, I'm saying that it is clear evidence on what you would enjoy doing in the future.

Here is why it does ruin the series:

The gameplay itself was NEVER good, nor great. It was acceptable, and it got the job done. It was there to keep things interesting whilst the story trudged on, and the story is what had our attention. The story and our choices are what I - and undoubtedly many others - enjoyed.
The endings destroys both.
It opens up plot holes that invalidate the entire first two games, destroys characters like Joker and your squad - they are now cowards rather than my allies - and turns the ominous, unknowable Reaper threat into toys for a child AI.

Playing Mass Effect 1, I looked forward to getting to Virmire, to having Sovereign deliver his speech about how epic and evil the Reapers were. I looked forward to proving him wrong.
Now, I get there, and all that goes through my head during that speech is "The Reapers are my solution" and some ridiculous reasoning for that solution.
I looked forward to retaking control of the Citadel, stopping Sovereign from using it to open a Relay to darkspace. Now I can only ask "Why the hell isn't the Catalyst opening this Relay? It controls the Citadel no?
Playing ME2, assaulting the Collector base always felt like I was helping stop the Reapers, I was preventing them from making another Reaper to open the Relay to darkspace and win the war for them, I was forcing them to fight conventionally so that we would have a chance. Now, when Harbinger says "You've changed nothing", I can only think of the Catalyst, its retarded logic and how my choices had no impact.

None of my choices matter in the end. Did I cure the Genophage? Who cares! Its not like the Krogan will be getting home any time soon, let alone going to war with the galaxy ever again. Did I save the Destiny Ascension? Yes? Wow, I can see a 2 second clip of it jumping in! And the best bit of all, no matter my choices the game always ends the same way! No difference! YAY! [Except rainbow colours]


If I want to play a shooter, I'll hop on BF3. I play ME for the story and the choices. Both are invalidated and destroyed by the ending. Some can wipe the ending from their minds and play through again - I envy them.

This extended cut may fix some of the problems, but I will guarantee it won't fix them all. Whether this will make it playable again remains to be seen. Seeing as its just cutscenes though, and maybe a bit of dialogue, I doubt it.

 

[Skin]

It's not a small problem. It's like the ending to the Sopranos, but worse in that people had a very strong emotional investment in the characters they were interacting with.

The Sopranos ending is the second best TV series ending of all time IMO. It is supposed to be ambiguous the first time around. Watching the series the second time around clears it up and it does have a definitive ending. The lead writer worked on the ending for 3+ years if I remember correctly.