Mass Effect 3


ShaunKL

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Actually... hang on. The story was heading toward a pretty inevitable end

("We're all fucked")

but BioWare promised a lot more interactivity than what we got. Regardless of what choices you made during the game - during the entire trilogy, for that matter - you got one of three essentially identical cutscenes followed by "We have DLC for you! Buy some!!!!!" Okay, I'm not enraged, but I am deeply annoyed right now. I don't demand a new ending storywise, but yeah, the ball was dropped here. Don't get me wrong - this was a SPECTACULAR game and I enjoyed it immensely. But we were promised hyper-interactivity and instead got a walk down a corridor followed by "What color would you like the explosion to be?"

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Yeah, I was fine with the ending for the first few hours, then I started to think about it and got really really angry.

These two videos sum up my thoughts perfectly.

Spoilers, obviously.

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Here's are the problems with the indoctrination theory (haven't watched this particular video, but I've seen a dozen others.)

1) If it's true, the ending is still stupid and leaves a ton of stuff open.

2) If it was all in his mind, who stopped the Reapers?

3) If this was their intention all along, I believe they would have mentioned it by now in an attempt to calm everyone down.

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Here's are the problems with the indoctrination theory (haven't watched this particular video, but I've seen a dozen others.)

1) If it's true, the ending is still stupid and leaves a ton of stuff open.

2) If it was all in his mind, who stopped the Reapers?

3) If this was their intention all along, I believe they would have mentioned it by now in an attempt to calm everyone down.

1) Kinda.

2) That hasn't been shown yet. The idea is that the final-final hidden sequence (where you see Shepard take half a breath) is on Earth (immediately after he gets hit by Harbinger's beam), not the Citadel, so the entire ending that we see after the beam is imaginary, and the "real" ending is left open. The rubble you see around Shepard is concrete rubble from London, not metal like the Citadel. (I doubt the Citadel has any concrete on it)

3) Maybe. Maybe not. Though there's enough very direct evidence to pretty much confirm that subtle indoctrination was definitely something Bioware placed in there on purpose.

I do recommend watching the video. I'd seen a few other theories on indoctrination and wrote it off as random speculation until this one.

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Watched the video. Didn't convince me any more than the others. I think the whole indoctrination thing stems from people being so pissed with the ending that they just can't believe it, to the point they'll convince themselves of anything else.

1) It leaves more open than any of the other endings, which is a lazy cop-out, the exact opposite of the effort it would have taken to put this together.

2) Yeah. That's retarded. Did Quarian Bob from accounting shut down the Reapers? Find out when you buy the DLC for 1600 Microsoft points!

3) Indoctrination was a theme, yes, and I absolutely believe it factors into some of the stuff in the ending. Hell, I'd even go as far to say that Reaper influence is the reason Shepard accepted that he only had three choices instead of the six or seven other logical conclusions he could have come to.

All this said, it still doesn't fix the issues with the ending and in fact, creates more, especially if their intention all along was to nickel and dime consumers (some of which paid over $100 for this game) into paying for the "real" ending.

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I'm just imagining a decade from now, when someone is playing through the Mass Effect series for the first time, only to get to the end and realize he can't get the "real" ending because the means by which to acquire it no longer exist.

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That's one of the reasons that I'm a little wary of the DLC-dependent, fragmented trend in gaming. What about people who desperately need a patch to get the game to run correctly? Hell, what about the fact that console games rely on multiplayer servers that get shut down after less than a decade? For games that are heavily multiplayer-dependent, that means that in many ways the game just dies after a while and becomes unplayable.

They already had a smaller version of this problem between ME2 and ME3, where a lot of people didn't get the Arrival DLC and were confused as hell by ME3's opening.

The funny thing is that all of those problems seem to be directly tied to EA far more than any other publisher.

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The thing is, the way the ending was set up, there's no WAY that the intent wasn't to have at the very least a DLC sequel down the line. All the "different" endings line up too neatly and take you to too similar a place for the next chapter to pick up. I wish I had the link, but someone at BioWare (who I presume isn't at BioWare anymore) came out and said the intent all along was for there to be DLC content that picked up on the ending. People are clamoring for a new ending when that's been BioWare's intention all along.

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The DLC has been announced. It'll be called "The Extended Cut" and will be free this summer.

From Destructoid:

BioWare and Electronic Arts have announced that, after weeks of controversy, Mass Effect 3 will be gaining further clarity and context for its ending this summer with "Extended Cut" -- a free piece of downloadable content that will hopefully give players what they asked for.

"Through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will give fans seeking further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3 deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes," said EA. "Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge."

Executive producer Casey Hudson said BioWare has "reprioritized" its post-launch efforts to make this happen. So there you go, the power of protest made a company change course ... and they're not even charging for it, as many dreaded. Looks like the power of protest accomplished something. Whether for good or ill remains to be seen.

But hey, people got what they wanted and those happy with the current ending don't have to download this. So ... is everybody cool now?

The bolded words are the ones that scare me, and give the implication that they are completely satisifed with the ending they gave and are going to bend over backwards to make it work. Making it free is absolutely the right move though.

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An official press release went out today announcing how we are re-prioritizing the Mass Effect 3 post release content schedule to provide a more fleshed out experience for our fans. For many of you the “Extended Cut” will help answer some questions and give closure to this chapter of the Mass Effect story. Oh and it’s at no cost to you – the fan.

Here is a mini FAQ to help you understand what the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is and isn’t:

What can fans expect from the Extended Cut DLC?

For fans who want more closure in Mass Effect 3, the DLC will offer extended scenes that provide additional context and deeper insight to the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s journey.

Are there going to be more/different endings or ending DLCs in the future?

No. BioWare strongly believes in the team’s artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise. The extended cut DLC will expand on the existing endings, but no further ending DLC is planned.

What is BioWare adding to the ending with the Extended Cut DLC?

BioWare will expanding on the ending to Mass Effect 3 by creating additional cinematics and epilogue scenes to the existing ending sequences. The goal of these new scenes is to provide additional clarity and closure to Mass Effect 3.

When will the Extended Cut DLC be available?

Currently the Extended Cut DLC is planned for this summer, no specific date has been announced at this point.

Why are you releasing the Extended Cut DLC?

Though we remain committed and are proud of the artistic choices we made in the main game, we are aware that there are some fans who would like more closure to Mass Effect 3. The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard’s story.

So there you have it. Are we proud of the game we made and the team that made it? Hell yes. Are we going to change the ending of the game? No. Do we appreciate the passion and listen to the feedback delivered to us by our fans? Very much so and we are responding.

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  • 2 months later...

"Hey guys, do you think we should actually listen to people and make, you know, a logical ending?"

"Nah. Let's add a troll ending! That'll show those meany-heads!"

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Apparently when Bioware said they were only going to "clarify" the endings, they actually meant "change some huge details."

Now, none of the options end with the relays being destroyed, only damaged at most. Also, it shows the Normandy safely lifting off the planet it crashed on. So, overall, it went from "everyone you ever cared about died" to "everyone lived."

Oh, and the after-credits ending for the "refuse" option reveals that the next civilization in the next cycle survived specifically because of the efforts of Shepard, so hooray.

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  • 10 months later...

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