For all of the creative and innovative moments within this game and the series entire, my "favorite Mass Effect moment" hasn't happened yet. Give me a happy ending, my crew, my Shepherd with a pulse and little blue children -- then we'll talk favorite moments...
Anything that has happened before, no matter how amazing, was made moot by the poor ending choices of ME 3. Then again, you guys should know this. It is a central lesson in narrative and story construction -- the end IS the beginning.
I only have 2 more years before earning my Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting at UCLA, consider this me offering my services for the future.
Bioware, if you are listening, here's my 2 cents about why the ending has turned me off.
1. The player is given a choice at the end, but the choices:
A - Are generically available (Not based on alignment or choices made), and thus make previous choices false. I am trying to replay the series as a different class/gender/alignment, but if it's all going turn out the same in the end....
B - Result in virtually identical cutscenes, and so aren't really a choice at all. Any significant difference between them... we're expected to imagine for ourselves?
2. There are things that don't make sense. EDI was in my party at the end, how did she get back onto the Normandy before the final cutscene? And what planet do they land on? Aren't the Mass Relays destroyed?
3. The premise the final choice is based off of is flimsy. Organics versus synthetics? So, Reapers, maybe you've met my buddies the Geth? We're at peace now. Also, EDI says hi. This premise only seemed to be decided on late in the third game, and it didn't feel right, becasue I was staring at evidence that the Reapers' reason for invading was untrue.
4. You can talk the Illusive Man to death. That seems familiar. Didn't I do that with Saren in game 1?
5. There is virtually no closure. We get to know that a few party members survive, and the Mass relays are destroyed, and the rest we have to make up for ourselves. After buying each game and all the DLC, and spending so much time on it, I feel (FEEL, mind you) that I deserve more than that. I want to know if my choices made a difference. What happens with the Krogan? The Quarians?
I think the endings don't need much to make them work. I think there needs to be some distinctions between the different choices at the end, and I think what endings you have available or how they play out needs to factor in player alignment and choice. After all, isn't that the fundamental mechanic the entire series has been based on? That your choices affect the universe you are in?
Finished the game a few days ago, and now is the time to give some feedback, now that I've got some distance. The favorite moment? They've been summarized over and over again, but on my part, curing the genophage and everything that happened with the Geth were my favorite. Lots of emotions, and manly tears. I've got goosebumps just by remembering them. Honestly, good job, and many thanks !
To cut to the most important part, I'd say that the whole game was excellent and provided me with a wonderful experience, except for two elements:
Tali's photograph. First, why a photograph? Why not model it? Don't understand that choice. Would clearly have been a better solution not to reveal her face (or any quarian's for that matter) at all. If you do it, please do it properly, not only because it is tasteless as it is now, but also because it simply kills the mood. The lack of enviro-suit is yet to make sense to me as well. And the human-like look? If I didn't know this was Tali's face, I would have said anything before saying it could be a quarian's face. Maybe some fashion human girl from the Purgatory, but never a quarian. I respectfully but strongly disagree with your choice on this one.
The ending. When Shepard arrived in front of the ghost kid, every emotion I had simply made a U-turn. I did not appreciate the "dream" parts featuring Shepard running to a kid (especially when your face is full of deeply carved red scars), I found it way too cheesy. So finding that kid on the very end only stopped the excitement. But I understand what it means, so I accept it without problem now. The talk with the kid? Was okay for me, though could have been deeper and provide more answers. The end choices however... Well, a disaster on many levels. We were told that those kind of "canon" endings would simply NOT happen. Well, it did. We were told that everything, would be explained, and answers given. Obviously not. And we were also told that we could play the Single Player mode only, and get the best ending. I was greatly surprised to hear that Shepard could have survived... If we played multiplayer. Makes no sense to me. SP an MP should and have been separated, period. It's not the same experience. It begins to pile up, doesn't it?
Well, so here I am. Fan since the first game, I hoped to play that game for a little longer than the 30 hours it took me to go through that last one. I ordered a game that, even though I had extreme pleasure playing, was simply not was promised. I feel cheated, swindled. Both the quality of the endings and the comparison to what was promised strip me of any will to go on playing, either on MP, NG+ or with my other Shepards. Too many holes. Sure, I can use my imagination to fill in the blanks. I used it for all three games since the first one came out, sometimes to add to the experience, sometimes to fill tiny holes. But never have I needed it to correct plotholes or fill gaps of the size of a meteoric crater. Let me ask you: How does my last squadmates ended up on the Normandy? Shouldn't have they died ? Why the is Normandy already in space ? If I control the reapers, why are the mass relays destroyed? If organics and synthetics are fused, why destroy the mass relays again? Moreover, we've seen in the Arrival DLC that a mass relay that explodes simply erases all traces of life of a system. From that: how does the normandy survives? And most importantly, the fact that they're exploding means that life in those systems is simply eradicated. So that's it, everyone dies? Whatever we chose, in the whole trilogy, 3-4 guys from our ship miraculously survive? Seriously, that makes no sense and is absolutely terrible.
Now, after a few days after finishing the game, I want to say that the ideas behind the endings are nice, even excellent. Controlling the reapers, destroying all synthetics or blending organics and synthetics, I love all of them. But only the ideas, not what was made out of them. They feel out of place. Also, all our choices made no difference in the end. Again, this was not what was promised.
Some say it's the journey that is important, and it sure felt good. Very good. But the final destination has the final word, and in my case, I don't think I'm buying other stuff from you guys or putting in a good word around me. You acknowledged the problem up to now, that's a step, but it's still not what is needed. I will certainly change my mind if you commit yourself to doing something accurate.
For the magnificent journey I had because of you, thank you. Otherwise, the ball is in your camp. You know we care, and we know you do too (may it be sentimentally or financially, or both), and I trust you will get to the conclusion that correcting those mistakes will help you in more than one way.
Cheers from Switzerland. [smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/devil.png[/smilie]
it's been 5 years since mass effect 1, 5 years making cautious decisions, choices, exploration to have the best ending... and what do we get? the same 3 endings than everyone, THAT is very frustrating...
still the game is excellent, the multiplayer is awesome
my favorite moment is probably the scene with Tali when the Quarians get their planet back
or Liara freaking out in the asari temple, the whole battle at the end to take back earth.. until the choice at the end
Not trying to sound like a broken record but I loved the game, brokering a peace between geth and quarian, curing the genophage, a thresher maw killing a reaper, target practice with Garrus, the gameplay (love the upgraded melee combat, only some sword moves could have made it better) but the ending might have killed Mass Effect for me as well as my trust in Bioware. This was not a matter of not wanting to tell too much but rather having an ending that felt completely contradictory to the whole series. ME has always made you feel like your choices as a player mattered. This ending didn't it did not matter if I saved Wrex in ME1, if I Destroyed the Collector base and ensured the survival of my crew in ME2, if I reconciled the quarians and Geth in ME3 or any number of meaningful actions I did throughout the series (managing to get my war asset over 7000 ,if I'm remembering my final count right,) meant nothing in the ending. Sure the Stargazer and child was cute and memorable but that is the only positive thing I can say. The ending said to me all those decisions, the effort you put in, the connection to the Shepard(s) and his or her crew you made over so much time means nothing (there are other issues that fans have already adrresed such as the normandy running off, a fleet of aliens stuck in Sol, and the like but that is not the main thing that bothers me). All of that destroyed in an explosion of red, blue or green depending on which machine I hobled on over to. I might not be able to even try to enjoy a play through with the other two Shepards I made (I had plans for a fourth but that seems pointless as things are now) Not trying to sound over-dramatic but if something is not done about the ending I will never buy a bioware game again. Here are some suggestions on a proper ending. EDI since she is based on reaper tech could alter the crucible's programming so it only destroys the reapers leaving the geth and mass relays alone. Or Shepard uses the combined forces of the galaxy to beat the reapers the old fashioned way (Shep could still potentially die but in a heroic fashion like Spike from Cowboy Bebop). Then after the defeat of the reapers shep has two series of options. First series, should humanity become the dominent force in the galaxy (with potentially shep as leader) or the galaxy become more united by this experience and more races get seats on the council (Or just have more of a large parlament type of thing). Then Should Shepard become the next Counsilor (or leader of galaxy if humanity becomes the dominant species), Stay in the Alliance (Maybe become admiral or something), or retire. Insert part with love interest which might become strained of course given some of these options. Honestly something along this line of thought was what I was thinking they would do anyway (well, minus Shep ruling the universe part, that was kind of a secret hope of mine, possibly with Liara as his second in command). If you got the ending you did because you had trouble balancing telling too much and telling not enough might I suggest your writers watch the following: Princess Mononoke, Cowboy Bebop, Sanjuro, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, I could go on. In conclusion what happened to the Bioware I loved, the makers of such awsome games like KOTOR, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect 1 and 2. I know the Men and Women of Bioware can give Commander Shepard and his/her fans the ending the Mass Effect series deserves.
The endings were all bottle necked where even though you are presented with 3 different choices you still get the same basic result which is Shepard dies/gasps, the relays are destroyed, normandy crashes, and the galaxy becomes disconnected.
Why can't there have been you die to save the galaxy and the galaxy remembers you for your actions and it shows your squadmates after the fact.
Or you save yourself but allow other races to die, maybe everyone on Earth or something along that line. Maybe even just live and no one dies.
It really doesn't matter what happens as long as there is some sort of actual choice that changes something in some regard and closes the story. I loved most of the ending but some of the plot holes are confusing and need to be addressed.
Favourite moments? This game was brilliant 99% of the time. The depth of character interactions, they were passionate, charming, heartbreaking. The locations, just stunning. Even the messages, paying up on the choices, like Rana being indoctrinated & killing Asari, I was hooked from the intro... and then the ending... it was a real WTF moment.
Loved the game, but if you do decide to update the ending, that probably wouldn't hurt.
I have posted this on another thread but felt it needed to be seen on another. Now put together will all the other evidence.
While shep is halucinating, he is walking round the pirimeter of the conduit, now if he takes the control choice, then in reality he just walks away and he is indoctrinated. If he chooses synthesis then really he will enter the the conduit and be beamed up to the citadel to be harvested (indoctrinated). But if he chooses destroy the what he really is destroying is the conduit which is why he is surrounded by rubble when he wakes up.
Then, I got so angry that I could kill the people responsible for that if they were near me.
Then I got calm. I finally understood the deep philosofical meaning behind the ending: no matter what you do, you life will be miserable. The universe sucks. Live with it.
Do not need to be reminded of it in a game. Games are for fun. They are entertainment.
Also more importantly, Mass Effect 3 has always been about overcoming the odds. The whole series is based around that theme, all their advertising for 5 years too.
To do a 180 turn in the last 5 minutes of a 100++ hours series, without any build up to such an ending is just bad story telling. Also including a new bad guy at the last moments is horrid. Lastly, after 100 hours of choice, to remove all choices is seriously bad game mechanics.
If anything about the ending needs fixed e.g. the finality of it (What happens to the rest of the galaxy? Hasn't the galaxy been Shepards chief concern through all three games?Why is it suddenly forgotten?), are nothing compared to every decision you ever make having absolutely no consequence.
EVERY CHOICE GIVES THE SAME THING EXCEPT DIFFERENT COLOURS
Personally, I was ecstatic with the ending. It brought to mind all of the great science fiction novels I had grown up with.
Arthur C. Clarke wrote brilliant hard science fiction, and yet the Space Odyssey and Rama sagas both wound up with far stranger and imaginative endings than I had ever anticipated, even though I could later see the subtle hints that it was coming.
The same was true with Mass Effect. Looking back, the general points leading to the ending aren't so hard to pick out, and yet it comes out of left field the first time regardless.
I don't think a new ending is really necessary, the entirety of Mass Effect 3 wrapped up most of the important plot points of the first two games, but obviously no everyone sees things this way and it's natural to try to appease those angry gamers who demand a new ending rather than those of us who were happy.
I am frustrated. I really am frustrated. I spend 75€ on a game and over 100 hours playing all three parts and at the end of the experience all I can feel is an emotional disconnect? You dropped the ball. Big time. However, let me explain why I think this is.
First of I have a short list of minor complaints that I was willing to overlook as a loyal customer (My first Bioware game was Baldur's Gate 2). However, in light of the ending of the game there is more that needs changing than the end, specifically the attitude of your company.
1) The Quest log is not working. I do not enjoy it to waste time running around for nothing in a game.
(I bought a collector's edition for a significantly higher price. I found that product to be lacking in a number of ways. Don't think that I would not have spent more on it! However even what I got for 75 € was lacking.)
2) The promised comic is a preview for a comic not a finished product
3) The artbook is a preview for an artbook not a finished product
4) I really had hoped the soundtrack to be a CD
5) The "dog" is useless
6) Why has the patch velcro hooks? Thoose make it almost useless. Was it not intended to be sewn onto something?
7) Tali's face, Jacob and Thane's romance (this I cover from hearesay so excuse me If I am not correct in the Details), and the Strachild/Wintersun metal song affair show lazyness in crafting the product.
(DLC)
8) The day one DLC partially on disc controversy (granted I got that with the CE but regardless), show extremely bad manners toward your fans
9) The Omega DLC can instantly be seen as "missing" content. Sure it might not have been ready (or you might not even have started working on it) but it already sticks out that you will have to buy it. It should have been there in the first place.
10) The first thing after the credits is a message to buy DLC? Is this a bad joke? I will have to think very hard about this in particular.
In short: This behaviour will not fly Bioware. About this alone I am pretty disappointed in you. I think this is exploitation of your customers. You promise but you don't deliver and when you do, you hold parts back on purpose. You would be well advised to change this or it will cost you many customers in the long run. I truly love your products but tell me how should I tell someone that I get basically ripped of by you? I would have loved to show someone the artbook but that preview you got me would make me ashamed if I had to justify to anyone getting the CE for this.
After writing this part down I really thought about just saving my money in the future and to walk away from your company. However, there is still something that I will see through (till): The End
I finished the Dialogue with the "god child" and immediately felt confusion. I felt nothing more. Afther that I completed the ending and went straight to the forums to find out what was wrong. A lot was wrong and still is.
I will now share something with you concerning interactive storytelling. I have a good amount of experience in roleplaying games (pen and paper/larp) as storyteller and as player. This I think is very much akin to interactive storytelling like you do it in your game. I once had a stunning experience that is pretty much akin to what I experienced with the ME 3 ending. A certain adventure (this was written by an author and we had bought it) of the game "The Dark Eye" ended in flat out "tragic" failure. I as a player was upset as hell, not only because the adventure had been annoying and bad in so many ways, but because I had put effort into this only to see how nothing came out of it. I was like "**** this, I could have stayed out of the Orcland (with my character) and nothing would have been different!" There was simply no payoff. This is a lesson to be learned from true roleplaying: When you are the character you want them to succeed. The player becomes in part the figure he is playing. This goes way deeper than the attachement to a character in a movie or a book. You emphazise stronger.
This goes so far that the Vampire the Masquarade Core Rulebook give advice like this: "Acommodate Player expectations: It's their game too, remember. You have to have some kind of idea what type of game the players want to play.", "Don't forget the payoff: If the players work hard and make smart decisions, their characters' success must be in proportion of the challenges they have faced, or they will feel cheated.", and "Don't abuse your power: You are the final arbiter of events. Your word is law, but you can not use this authority to beat the characters into what you want them to do."
The same thing goes for Mass Effect 3.It is an interactive storytelling experience. The player is Commander Shepard. When you force Shepard into the "god Child" choices you betray everything outlined above. You force them (!) into your (!) conclusion and deny them any payoff (!). This does not mean that you are not crafting the story but this is interactive! Shepards fate can simply not be predetermined (obviously the real of the plausible has to set borders here) because that would mean our choices don't matter. (remember what you advertised by the way?). Forcing one ending - and yes 17 or 16 variations of three differently colored explosions leading to almost the entirely same conclusion count as ONE ending – denies the players the story they want to play. You forgot the payoff to. [at this point i wanted to write something mean about the popup at the end but I cut that out because I try to reason here] You just walk over the players work. You have to show them for what they did all this and why it mattered to make choices in the first place.
This is how I describe what is wrong here: You as storytellers have a responsibility to us as players as much as I have the responsibility towards my players. The deep emotional investment needs to be handled carefully. When you start to mistreat your customers and players this will come back to hurt you. This is over all a business relationship. We pay you to be treated right. However, the ending caused me and others much emotional distress. This is not to be taken lightly! Because when you mistreat someone in a roleplaying game (even if not on purpose!) you need to realize that they themselves are partially invested. Let that sink in.
Your customers actual lives an psyche are invested in your products. (If you don't believe me go to your forums and look or ask! I personally felt almost sick for two days and still focus on this one week after the end. God knows I have better thinks to do... maybe not, preventing one other person from going through this is worth more than my stupid science paper) You have a responsibility in an interactive story. In this game series in particular, because interactivity is the central feature. This is true roleplaying. You might not want the responsibilities coming with this but you have them and you need to address them.
So as a customer in this relation I urge you strongly to put out an alternative ending that addresses the grievances of the people in the Forums. I want to like your games I truly do, I want you to continue making games, and I want to buy them and the merchandise for them. I wan't to get invested in your games because you truly did an awesome job with them and provided not only an enjoyable but a meaningful experience. The ending of ME 3 stand in complete contradiction to everything that has come before. Please allow me to still be part of this.
Do not forget: In this relationship profit is strongly connected to brand loyalty and you can not afford to lose this loyalty by abusing it in form of exploitation (10 points above) or bad (interactive) storytelling.
This is my take on this. I apologize for the many errors, especially in punctuation, but this is not my native language.
You should make sure everyone of your employees responsible reads the following articles:
This is a screenwriter and from the standpoint of his profession he explains in detail, why Shepard is not a tragic hero and what else is wrong with the endings. This is rather conventional but still an important read!
Why you enjoy art and the one problem with Mass Effect 3
This is about why your players felt emotional disconnect and distress. The source is frustration and he explains how your ending fails to deliver emotionally.
This video will also go a long way of helping you to accomplish a better ending (this is not me):
Mass Effect 3 Ending: My Thoughts, What Could Have Been, What Should Have Been
I urge you strongly to take his war asset approach for your ending. Ignore the indoctrination theory, because mental battles are not the ones a player fights. This is about a real battle let us fight it.
Sincerely N.G. W.
By the ending I wish to see some day: Keelah se'lai
Personally, I was ecstatic with the ending. It brought to mind all of the great science fiction novels I had grown up with.
Arthur C. Clarke wrote brilliant hard science fiction, and yet the Space Odyssey and Rama sagas both wound up with far stranger and imaginative endings than I had ever anticipated, even though I could later see the subtle hints that it was coming.
The same was true with Mass Effect. Looking back, the general points leading to the ending aren't so hard to pick out, and yet it comes out of left field the first time regardless.
I don't think a new ending is really necessary, the entirety of Mass Effect 3 wrapped up most of the important plot points of the first two games, but obviously no everyone sees things this way and it's natural to try to appease those angry gamers who demand a new ending rather than those of us who were happy.
Yea up to the end, ME3 skillfully and beautifully wrapped all up. AND THEN, they when and smash it all up. That is what I call closure.... NOT
Then, I got so angry that I could kill the people responsible for that if they were near me.
Then I got calm. I finally understood the deep philosofical meaning behind the ending: no matter what you do, you life will be miserable. The universe sucks. Live with it.
Do not need to be reminded of it in a game. Games are for fun. They are entertainment.
Also more importantly, Mass Effect 3 has always been about overcoming the odds. The whole series is based around that theme, all their advertising for 5 years too.
To do a 180 turn in the last 5 minutes of a 100++ hours series, without any build up to such an ending is just bad story telling. Also including a new bad guy at the last moments is horrid. Lastly, after 100 hours of choice, to remove all choices is seriously bad game mechanics.
I completely agree with you. I play videogames to escape from the depressing world that we live on.
But it seems that depression is contaminating even videogames. I fell sad right now. I was suposed to save the galaxy. But I failed. I am nothing but a miserable failure.
Sorry guys, I don't want to bother you. My problems are mine. I was just looking for a moment of joy in a videogame, but that's not what Bioware intended with ME3.
"Hudson pointed to the rave reviews received by outlets like the New York Times and Penny Arcade, but acknowledged that "some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories."
No your fans (passionate and other wise) want an ending that makes sense. I know you wanted to make a bittersweet ending but when you butcher the games own lore and introduce mysterious "star child" in the last five minuets that gives the same end with three different light shows don't be surprised if you get called out on it. I can say goodbye to Sheppard but this ending dishonor the entire series.
"Hudson pointed to the rave reviews received by outlets like the New York Times and Penny Arcade, but acknowledged that "some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories."
No your fans (passionate and other wise) want an ending that makes sense. I know you wanted to make a bittersweet ending but when you butcher the games own lore and introduce mysterious "star child" in the last five minuets that gives the same end with three different light shows don't be surprised if you get called out on it. I can say goodbye to Sheppard but this ending dishonor the entire series.
They have made a bittersweet ending. We've had the bitter part, so the sweet bit is bound to come along...surely...please?
Not trying to sound like a broken record but I loved the game, brokering a peace between geth and quarian, curing the genophage, a thresher maw killing a reaper, target practice with Garrus, the gameplay (love the upgraded melee combat, only some sword moves could have made it better) but the ending might have killed Mass Effect for me as well as my trust in Bioware. This was not a matter of not wanting to tell too much but rather having an ending that felt completely contradictory to the whole series. ME has always made you feel like your choices as a player mattered. This ending didn't it did not matter if I saved Wrex in ME1, if I Destroyed the Collector base and ensured the survival of my crew in ME2, if I reconciled the quarians and Geth in ME3 or any number of meaningful actions I did throughout the series (managing to get my war asset over 7000 ,if I'm remembering my final count right,) meant nothing in the ending. Sure the Stargazer and child was cute and memorable but that is the only positive thing I can say. The ending said to me all those decisions, the effort you put in, the connection to the Shepard(s) and his or her crew you made over so much time means nothing (there are other issues that fans have already adrresed such as the normandy running off, a fleet of aliens stuck in Sol, and the like but that is not the main thing that bothers me). All of that destroyed in an explosion of red, blue or green depending on which machine I hobled on over to. I might not be able to even try to enjoy a play through with the other two Shepards I made (I had plans for a fourth but that seems pointless as things are now) Not trying to sound over-dramatic but if something is not done about the ending I will never buy a bioware game again. Here are some suggestions on a proper ending. EDI since she is based on reaper tech could alter the crucible's programming so it only destroys the reapers leaving the geth and mass relays alone. Or Shepard uses the combined forces of the galaxy to beat the reapers the old fashioned way (Shep could still potentially die but in a heroic fashion like Spike from Cowboy Bebop). Then after the defeat of the reapers shep has two series of options. First series, should humanity become the dominent force in the galaxy (with potentially shep as leader) or the galaxy become more united by this experience and more races get seats on the council (Or just have more of a large parlament type of thing). Then Should Shepard become the next Counsilor (or leader of galaxy if humanity becomes the dominant species), Stay in the Alliance (Maybe become admiral or something), or retire. Insert part with love interest which might become strained of course given some of these options. Honestly something along this line of thought was what I was thinking they would do anyway (well, minus Shep ruling the universe part, that was kind of a secret hope of mine, possibly with Liara as his second in command). If you got the ending you did because you had trouble balancing telling too much and telling not enough might I suggest your writers watch the following: Princess Mononoke, Cowboy Bebop, Sanjuro, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, I could go on. In conclusion what happened to the Bioware I loved, the makers of such awsome games like KOTOR, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect 1 and 2. I know the Men and Women of Bioware can give Commander Shepard and his/her fans the ending the Mass Effect series deserves.
I am frustrated. I really am frustrated. I spend 75€ on a game and over 100 hours playing all three parts and at the end of the experience all I can feel is an emotional disconnect? You dropped the ball. Big time. However, let me explain why I think this is.
First of I have a short list of minor complaints that I was willing to overlook as a loyal customer (My first Bioware game was Baldur's Gate 2). However, in light of the ending of the game there is more that needs changing than the end, specifically the attitude of your company.
1) The Quest log is not working. I do not enjoy it to waste time running around for nothing in a game.
(I bought a collector's edition for a significantly higher price. I found that product to be lacking in a number of ways. Don't think that I would not have spent more on it! However even what I got for 75 € was lacking.)
2) The promised comic is a preview for a comic not a finished product 3) The artbook is a preview for an artbook not a finished product 4) I really had hoped the soundtrack to be a CD 5) The "dog" is useless 6) Why has the patch velcro hooks? Thoose make it almost useless. Was it not intended to be sewn onto something?
7) Tali's face, Jacob and Thane's romance (this I cover from hearesay so excuse me If I am not correct in the Details), and the Strachild/Wintersun metal song affair show lazyness in crafting the product.
(DLC)
8) The day one DLC partially on disc controversy (granted I got that with the CE but regardless), show extremely bad manners toward your fans 9) The Omega DLC can instantly be seen as "missing" content. Sure it might not have been ready (or you might not even have started working on it) but it already sticks out that you will have to buy it. It should have been there in the first place. 10) The first thing after the credits is a message to buy DLC? Is this a bad joke? I will have to think very hard about this in particular.
In short: This behaviour will not fly Bioware. About this alone I am pretty disappointed in you. I think this is exploitation of your customers. You promise but you don't deliver and when you do, you hold parts back on purpose. You would be well advised to change this or it will cost you many customers in the long run. I truly love your products but tell me how should I tell someone that I get basically ripped of by you? I would have loved to show someone the artbook but that preview you got me would make me ashamed if I had to justify to anyone getting the CE for this.
After writing this part down I really thought about just saving my money in the future and to walk away from your company. However, there is still something that I will see through (till): The End
I finished the Dialogue with the "god child" and immediately felt confusion. I felt nothing more. Afther that I completed the ending and went straight to the forums to find out what was wrong. A lot was wrong and still is.
I will now share something with you concerning interactive storytelling. I have a good amount of experience in roleplaying games (pen and paper/larp) as storyteller and as player. This I think is very much akin to interactive storytelling like you do it in your game. I once had a stunning experience that is pretty much akin to what I experienced with the ME 3 ending. A certain adventure (this was written by an author and we had bought it) of the game "The Dark Eye" ended in flat out "tragic" failure. I as a player was upset as hell, not only because the adventure had been annoying and bad in so many ways, but because I had put effort into this only to see how nothing came out of it. I was like "**** this, I could have stayed out of the Orcland (with my character) and nothing would have been different!" There was simply no payoff. This is a lesson to be learned from true roleplaying: When you are the character you want them to succeed. The player becomes in part the figure he is playing. This goes way deeper than the attachement to a character in a movie or a book. You emphazise stronger.
This goes so far that the Vampire the Masquarade Core Rulebook give advice like this: "Acommodate Player expectations: It's their game too, remember. You have to have some kind of idea what type of game the players want to play.", "Don't forget the payoff: If the players work hard and make smart decisions, their characters' success must be in proportion of the challenges they have faced, or they will feel cheated.", and "Don't abuse your power: You are the final arbiter of events. Your word is law, but you can not use this authority to beat the characters into what you want them to do."
The same thing goes for Mass Effect 3.It is an interactive storytelling experience. The player is Commander Shepard. When you force Shepard into the "god Child" choices you betray everything outlined above. You force them (!) into your (!) conclusion and deny them any payoff (!). This does not mean that you are not crafting the story but this is interactive! Shepards fate can simply not be predetermined (obviously the real of the plausible has to set borders here) because that would mean our choices don't matter. (remember what you advertised by the way?). Forcing one ending - and yes 17 or 16 variations of three differently colored explosions leading to almost the entirely same conclusion count as ONE ending – denies the players the story they want to play. You forgot the payoff to. [at this point i wanted to write something mean about the popup at the end but I cut that out because I try to reason here] You just walk over the players work. You have to show them for what they did all this and why it mattered to make choices in the first place.
This is how I describe what is wrong here: You as storytellers have a responsibility to us as players as much as I have the responsibility towards my players. The deep emotional investment needs to be handled carefully. When you start to mistreat your customers and players this will come back to hurt you. This is over all a business relationship. We pay you to be treated right. However, the ending caused me and others much emotional distress. This is not to be taken lightly! Because when you mistreat someone in a roleplaying game (even if not on purpose!) you need to realize that they themselves are partially invested. Let that sink in.
Your customers actual lives an psyche are invested in your products. (If you don't believe me go to your forums and look or ask! I personally felt almost sick for two days and still focus on this one week after the end. God knows I have better thinks to do... maybe not, preventing one other person from going through this is worth more than my stupid science paper) You have a responsibility in an interactive story. In this game series in particular, because interactivity is the central feature. This is true roleplaying. You might not want the responsibilities coming with this but you have them and you need to address them.
So as a customer in this relation I urge you strongly to put out an alternative ending that addresses the grievances of the people in the Forums. I want to like your games I truly do, I want you to continue making games, and I want to buy them and the merchandise for them. I wan't to get invested in your games because you truly did an awesome job with them and provided not only an enjoyable but a meaningful experience. The ending of ME 3 stand in complete contradiction to everything that has come before. Please allow me to still be part of this. Do not forget: In this relationship profit is strongly connected to brand loyalty and you can not afford to lose this loyalty by abusing it in form of exploitation (10 points above) or bad (interactive) storytelling.
This is my take on this. I apologize for the many errors, especially in punctuation, but this is not my native language.
You should make sure everyone of your employees responsible reads the following articles:
This is a screenwriter and from the standpoint of his profession he explains in detail, why Shepard is not a tragic hero and what else is wrong with the endings. This is rather conventional but still an important read!
Why you enjoy art and the one problem with Mass Effect 3
This is about why your players felt emotional disconnect and distress. The source is frustration and he explains how your ending fails to deliver emotionally.
This video will also go a long way of helping you to accomplish a better ending (this is not me):
Mass Effect 3 Ending: My Thoughts, What Could Have Been, What Should Have Been
I urge you strongly to take his war asset approach for your ending. Ignore the indoctrination theory, because mental battles are not the ones a player fights. This is about a real battle let us fight it.
Sincerely N.G. W.
By the ending I wish to see some day: Keelah se'lai
We know that you're listening; how could you not? What we want to know is about how much you actually care about your fans, not just how much money they're willing to pay but how satisfied they are with the product they get.
We also want to know how willing you are to fix a product of yours if it negatively impacts those two things.
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