Mass Effect 3

[Mr. Spencer]

Perhaps the strangest crossover I've heard since Soul Calibur IV and Star Wars. Square-Enix have announced that characters in XIII-2 will have Mass Effect 3 costumes.

http://andriasang.com/con0ca/ffxiii_mass_effect/

XIII-2 had a shitty ending with the real ending as DLC. COINCIDENCE?

[Reston]

LOL, I called it. Seems that poster who released the leak about their being DLC (same guy who leaked the Lair of the Shadow Broker) was right. Apparently they are going to do something after all about the ending. Enjoy.

Ray Muzyka comments on ending,

"As co-founder and GM of BioWare, I’m very proud of the ME3 team; I personally believe Mass Effect 3 is the best work we’ve yet created. So, it’s incredibly painful to receive feedback from our core fans that the game’s endings were not up to their expectations. Our first instinct is to defend our work and point to the high ratings offered by critics – but out of respect to our fans, we need to accept the criticism and feedback with humility.

I believe passionately that games are an art form, and that the power of our medium flows from our audience, who are deeply involved in how the story unfolds, and who have the uncontested right to provide constructive criticism. At the same time, I also believe in and support the artistic choices made by the development team. The team and I have been thinking hard about how to best address the comments on ME3’s endings from players, while still maintaining the artistic integrity of the game.

Mass Effect 3 concludes a trilogy with so much player control and ownership of the story that it was hard for us to predict the range of emotions players would feel when they finished playing through it. The journey you undertake in Mass Effect provokes an intense range of highly personal emotions in the player; even so, the passionate reaction of some of our most loyal players to the current endings in Mass Effect 3 is something that has genuinely surprised us.

This is an issue we care about deeply, and we will respond to it in a fair and timely way. We’re already working hard to do that.

To that end, since the game launched, the team has been poring over everything they can find about reactions to the game – industry press, forums, Facebook, and Twitter, just to name a few. The Mass Effect team, like other teams across the BioWare Label within EA, consists of passionate people who work hard for the love of creating experiences that excite and delight our fans. I’m honored to work with them because they have the courage and strength to respond to constructive feedback.

Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April. We’re working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we’ve received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.

The reaction to the release of Mass Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game concluded; we care about this feedback, and we’re planning to directly address it. However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review score and a review average in the mid-90s. Net, I’m proud of the team, but we can and must always strive to do better.

Some of the criticism that has been delivered in the heat of passion by our most ardent fans, even if founded on valid principles, such as seeking more clarity to questions or looking for more closure, for example – has unfortunately become destructive rather than constructive. We listen and will respond to constructive criticism, but much as we will not tolerate individual attacks on our team members, we will not support or respond to destructive commentary.

If you are a Mass Effect fan and have input for the team – we respect your opinion and want to hear it. We’re committed to address your constructive feedback as best we can. In return, I’d ask that you help us do that by supporting what I truly believe is the best game BioWare has yet crafted. I urge you to do your own research: play the game, finish it and tell us what you think. Tell your friends if you feel it’s a good game as a whole. Trust that we are doing our damndest, as always, to address your feedback. As artists, we care about our fans deeply and we appreciate your support."

Source: http://blog.bioware.com/2012/03/21/4108/

[Vector]

And then the new ending comes out, and people don't like that either so they fucking bitch and they fucking moan. You can't win, BioWare. I wish you wouldn't have caved to the angry mob. Epilogue DLC is one thing, but if they 'change' the ending or add a 'new' one, I think the standard set will be disgusting.

[News Bot]

I don't know if a single ending to counteract the other three lumps of RGB garbage will be enough. They hyped the game to have many different endings influenced by the player's choices, and the games themselves are indicative of this. One ending would just be too polarizing and still piss off a large number of people, and will make the entire multi-choice aspect of the series utterly pointless.

[Beanovsky Durst]

Angry mob? Ok...
The "original" endings just ruin what is a huge epic saga. Mass Effect is always been about choices and outcomes, and a 3 color swap at the end doesn't reflect how awesome this series have been, neither bring closure or carry the weight of decisions we made. If endings are changed via DLC they're still optional...
Bioware can deliver. There's no doubt of that. If the revised endings take into account the points I mentioned, even if it's a grim closure, then I don't see the need to "fucking bitch and fucking moan".

[Pikminister]

Angry mob? Ok...
The "original" endings just ruin what is a huge epic saga. Mass Effect is always been about choices and outcomes, and a 3 color swap at the end doesn't reflect how awesome this series have been, neither bring closure or carry the weight of decisions we made. If endings are changed via DLC they're still optional...
Bioware can deliver. There's no doubt of that. If the revised endings take into account the points I mentioned, even if it's a grim closure, then I don't see the need to "fucking bitch and fucking moan".

This dammit, THIS.

It gets annoying reading about apologists saying that people are complaining only because the endings didn't have rainbows and fucking unicorns all over the damn screen.

[Vector]

My point was that you can never please everybody, and by caving in it seems like that's what BioWare is attempting to do. No matter what they do with this proposed additional content, there are still gonna be people who fucking bitch and fucking moan. And then what?

[Mr. Spencer]

And then the new ending comes out, and people don't like that either so they fucking bitch and they fucking moan. You can't win, BioWare. I wish you wouldn't have caved to the angry mob. Epilogue DLC is one thing, but if they 'change' the ending or add a 'new' one, I think the standard set will be disgusting.

INDOCTRINATED PRESENCE DETECTED

[Vector]

Why, because I'm not crying about the ending every day? Because I don't have a sig DEMANDING we "retake" a fucking game?

[Dracarys]

^Haha (edit: Mr.Spencers post)

I'm fine with the ending as it is, but explanation is needed. I'm really hoping
Spoiler:

show spoiler

The indoctrination sequence (assuming there is one) only started as Anderson died. TIM and Anderson deaths were perfect.

[Mr. Spencer]

I see you can't take a joke. Nice of you to assume that I "cry" about the ending every day. Am I disappointed? Yes. Do I believe in FTC complaints and other extreme actions to get a new ending? No.

Amusingly enough, an edit of my own here. Referring to Vector. I'm trying to be civil with you here.

Second edit: There, removed my signature since it was causing you distress. Better now?

[Beanovsky Durst]

My point was that you can never please everybody, and by caving in it seems like that's what BioWare is attempting to do. No matter what they do with this proposed additional content, there are still gonna be people who fucking bitch and fucking moan. And then what?

Then they should have thought the ending better in the first place. Delay launch, do a test group first. Focus their efforts on SP instead of MP. I don't know. What's done is done. They are trying to save face, if they are listening to feedback then they have nothing to fear.

[Darkmoon]

If enough people have expressed displeasure with a game, then the game should be fixed. People 'bitch and cry' as I understand it about things like multiplayer characters being unbalanced - I believe I mentioned earlier that a Human Vanguard is several levels of magnitude nastier than everyone else - and many companies try to fix those balance issues, if I recall. Even though some people won't be happy with them. Even though others will say things like 'the game is so broken now I can't play it.'

As I've said before, I'm not a big multiplayer fan. Mass Effect is probably the first time in forever that I've done it. But I do read patch notes, and multiplayer fixes often seems a large part of them.

But because it's story elements that upset people, it's bitching and moaning and BioWare shouldn't listen? Does that mean Slant Six should ignore the issues with ORC? After all, they were 'happy' with the game they've got out there, why should they fix it?

Frankly, I wouldn't mind it if the damned game's ending even started to make sense...

Spoiler:

show spoiler

Why is Joker and the Normandy even in transit when the Relay network is destroyed? And how did EDi, who was apparently vaporised by Harbinger, get back aboard the Normandy? When did she even get that chance?

In fairness to BioWare, there are several different endings. Unfortunately, they're all minor, minor changes such as how damage is done during the end sequence, meaning the Red flavour ending apparently has four variations, with scaling collateral damage.

[Inferno04]

This would've made a better ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MSuVTzsg8

[Vector]

YouTube video:

Show YouTube video