Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)
http://www.gameinfor...PostPageIndex=2
Interviewer: [Regarding the numerous possible endings of Mass Effect 2] “Is that
same type of complexity built into the ending of Mass Effect 3?”
Hudson: “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.”
“We have a rule in our franchise that there is no canon. You as a player
decide what your story is.”
You're company, or at least a representative, made these comments. I recognize the use of the word "CAN" in that its a possibility, not a certainty. However They were not retracted. they were not refuted. they were not corrected. This set My, and others expectations. You did not state you would have to recant this, you did not release more information to manage expectations. You did not communicate to the consumers that you indended to go a different direction. You did not tell anyone that you were going to do it differently, realease another game, push out the story arch, or anything of the sort. Ironically stated by another user well before release:
http://social.biowar.../index/10287481
It disturbs me that your team was capable of such a gross oversight. Stop being so upset about our reaction, and take accountability for your behaviour, the miss managment of expectations, and correct the issue. Grow a quad and take ownership of the mess. Be transperant about how there could be such a blatent gap in what was promissed and what was delivered. Provide a reasonable explination then accordingly release what you said you would give out of box.
Once you take accountability and act to correct your mistake, many will have mercy and forgive you. Not before.
Wow, this is SPOT ON.
To go further, keep in mind, those who are upset, are upset not because of overhype, but because of a combination of a wild departure from BioWare quality, and
outright lies (see bold.) If you look in the thread, many of the quotes being used as talking points from the RME movement were made AFTER they already knew that the ending was not what they were promising.
What's mindblowing to me is WHY.
*BioWare obviously knew we wanted multiple and diverse endings, otherwise they wouldn't have promised them.
*The rest of the game does an absolutely AMAZING job of including decisions and consequences. (In the Priority: Earth mission, one of the reaper Ardat-Yakshi monster thingies was named "Morinth." What a cool easter egg for those of us who chose her!)
*As numerous BW employees said - this is the end. There's no future game to screw up. You can do anything from letting the reapers win to giving Shepard the butterflies and rainbows option to everything in between - with no consequences for future game development!
Somehow, somebody had to think that this RGB ending would be cheaper, and for some reason, they hoped that - even though they were aware of, and guilty of creating fans' expectations - the fans simply wouldn't notice the complete lack of everything the game stands for. How anyone at BioWare is surprised by our reaction is beyond me, and if they are legitimately surprised - well, that's even worse than the ending we got.
That said, there are a few things wrong with RM's post - which some have said, but I'd like to echo.
#1 Artistic Integrity. I'm sorry, you can't claim that. It'd be like if Van Gogh painted Starry Night, but then 90% through finished the job in crayon and afterwards had the audacity to tell me he'd be painting more for me to buy. Hamlet had a tragic ending - THAT was art. This ending ... well, I've seen people get banned for less.
#2 Constructive Criticism. We're completely willing to give it to you. However, you must afford us the same courtesy. This PR doublespeak is indirectly doing to us the same thing you're asking us (whose money you're obviously afraid of losing) not to do to you.
"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."
-Condescending Translation: "I can't believe you didn't think what we did was art. I'll try and find a way to make it easier for you to understand our vision, but I probably can't because you're uneducated and lacking in taste."
"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."
-Condescending Translation: "Aw crap. This reaction is definitely gonna hurt sales. Give our analysts a minute to figure out how to continue cashing in on this in the cheapest way possible."
"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. "
-Condescending Translation: "We may have to change the ending. I'm not going to commit to it though, because we're still trying to decide if we can put a band-aid on a bullet wound."
"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."
-Condescending Translation: Some of our DLC is going to come out before we fix the problem. We need you to buy it so our feelings don't get hurt.
"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."
-Condescending Translation: "It's good enough for the critics - don't you know we pay them off for a reason? You're supposed to treat their word like gospel!"
"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."
-Condescending Translation: "You're hurting our feelings. What's more, the grunts who have to put up with you guys don't have insurance that covers therapy or xanax. Be nice to them so they don't quit. So help me, I will turn this game around!"
OWN your mistake guys. Don't cling to artistic integrity where there isn't any. Don't ask us to humanize you while simultaneously giving us only trite, vague, and grudging statements about our wholly legitimat gripes. Don't do anything besides fixing the problem.
Mass Effect is my favorite series of all time. I want to play it into the ground until BioWare's next big hit. However, with that ending, it'll never see the inside of my console again. I'm not boycotting, I'm just apathetic. After playing through DA2 the first time, I've never played it again. I definitely won't preorder the sequel. I'm not boycotting, I'm just apathetic. Be very careful not to try to convince me that I'm not valued as a customer - I might just believe it.
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