115 réponses à ce sujet

[Terraforming2154]

You are going to have a lot of reading to do, OP.

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.  Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
Yes
 
2. If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
n/a

3. Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
Yes
 
4. If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
Romanced no one - didn't affect my enjoyment of the game, though I can easily see how it could for some. "Can't anthropomorphize galaxy," right?
 
5. In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
Yes, in a way it played a big part. They made me care.
 
6. Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
Yes, I was always worried something a renegade would say would be too harsh for me to enjoy it.
 
7. What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
- Shepard climbing out of the rubble after the Citadel battle (ME1)
- Final sequence of the suicide mission: The squad running back to the Normandy / Harbinger's angry speech because Shepard hit a very obvious nerve / Normandy escaping the Collector Base (ME2)
- Legion's sacrifice on Rannoch (ME3)

I think they all have a pretty big theme of perseverance and determination in them, though Legion's is much more understated and ends on a bittersweet note while the others are more notably triumphant.
 
[Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity]
 
1. Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
I think video games can be art in part because I do believe that art is fluid.

2. Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

Yes.
Joker came off as a coward at the ending of the game.
Shepard came off as spineless and hollow at the ending. She was no longer my character, but just a vessel for Bioware to get their own storyline accomplished. Of course, Shepard has always been a vessel for Bioware's storyline, but it never felt like that before.
   
3. Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
I think it made sense and I see what they were going for (though I think it is bit too heavy-handed), but I also feel that it was incredibly tacked on and gained too much focus. Yes, the conflict between organic/synthetic life was a focus to the series, but it wasn't the central focus, nor was it the sole focus. It felt like the writers thought Joker/Edi = Adam/Eve sounded cool and ran with that instead of thinking about anything else.
 
4. Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
No.
I think that ME2 had the most humorous moments of all the games. Though ME3 had more moments than ME1, which felt pretty understated in that regard.
 
5. Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
No.
I think that Bioware already compromised their artistic integrity by changing the tone and focus of the series when they incorporated their nonsensical rush-job of an ending.
 
6. With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
Stranding does not equal death. Death is definitive. Being stuck on a planet, Gilligan's Island style leaves a lot of speculation. Too much of it. I feel like the end of a series should at least try to wrap up the loose ends of most of the characters.
 
7. Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
I wanted to know the Reaper origins, in a sense, but I don't think they did it correctly at all. I think I read something about, based on Karpyshyn's ideas for the ending, the Reapers were once organic and had fused into synthetic beings. That's an interesting concept. The fact that there were organics capable of that type of technology perhaps when life just started to exist on Earth could have been interesting.

However, the angle they took was bad. The God Child is a trope that have been so overdone that I wish they had just left the Reapers shrouded in myth and let us come to our own conclusions (that is an example of a "good" type of speculation).
 
8. A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 I really can't speak knowledgeably on this, since I am not much of a video game player.
I will just say that I held Bioware's writers to a higher esteem than I do most video game companies, and I believed in them making a solid, intelligent, definitive conclusion that respected that narrative of the series. 
 
9. Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Why do you think Bioware didn’t do something similar for a character synonymous with the franchise itself? Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?
I think Chobot is a pretty clear shoulder-rubbing gesture with IGN. It is all politics at the end of the day, isn't it?

I think Tali's face was incredibly, insultingly lazy. But I like to think that they ran out of time, instead of just stopped caring. But, they could have done better if including a photo was the best they could do with the time they had. They have talented artists on staff, couldn't they have figured something out?

[Section 3: The Endings]
 
1. Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
I have beaten the game once, and I have sort of replayed it. I tried getting through it a second time, but quit right before the Illusive Man's base.
 
2. What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
I think it was lazy, unimaginative, confusing, depressing, and directly contradicts the series up until that point. I could spend several paragraphs explaining my problem with the ending, and have done so on this forum. I will just say that this series did not need an Architect or Starchild figure. It didn't need to rip off Deus Ex. It could have, and should have, been more than what it was. And I have no idea what the writers were thinking.
 
3. Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 I think for most people (including myself), the ending is a huge factor in regards to replayability. No matter how you play throughout the first two games, nothing matters in the end. You can play as a horrible monster who lets squadmates die left and right, but you will still get the same ending as the altruistic hero who fought for everyone else to live.

I think Multiplayer was nothing more EA's choice to make sure they were returning a cozy profit, which is why they will undoubtedly be pushing MP packs in the coming months.
 
4. Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 I feel like they are accurate examples. Unfortunately, I feel like there is a disconnect between the lead writers of the first two games and the writers of this game. Either the people calling the shots this time around were sick of the series as it stood and thought they could make it better, or they didn't understand the tone and characterization that had been laid out in the previous games.

I did see the Tali/Garrus thing coming a mile away though, and was fine with it. The treatment of Joker is baffling though, as I already stated earlier. Honestly, even his characterization earlier in the game contradicts his actions at the end, so who knows what was going on there.
 
5. At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
From the very beginning? Honestly, I know some people will disagree, but the whole game felt off for me. There were some fantastic, gorgeous moments. Moments that I think could have defined the series for me (Shepard feeling legitimately human and upset; Legion's sacrifice; helping the Krogan) - but there is something about the writing in the game that feels like it was written by people who knew about the first two games and were trying to replicate that style and not quite hitting the mark.
 
6.Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?
I don't know anymore, honestly. I would be indignant about it, but I still think I would pay for a better ending than what we got. I would prefer for them to fix it, rather than slap some tape on something that is already deeply flawed and unsatisfying.

Edit: Based on the announcement of the Extended cut, it seems like they are unfortunately going with the idea of slapping a bandage on a gaping wound. How wonderful.
 
7. Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 I wanted to believe in the Indoctrination Theory, but Casey and Ray's comments earlier in March squashed that hope for me. They seemed too indignant over fan reaction for me to believe they were stringing us along.

I legitimately feel like IT was tossed around and some of the elements were included in the game (like Vega's bizarre comment about humming), but I think the idea was scrapped and the elements were kept in, leading to inconsistencies.

I dont' feel like IT is any different that a rewrite, though it gives Bioware an easier way out than a complete overhaul would.
 
 [Section 4: Economic Input]
 
1. Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
I bought all of them. I bought the game half-price I got into this series later than most, so both ME1&2 were already being sold used by the time I wanted them. So I happily bought all the DLC as a bit of "thank you" to the company for providing me with such a fantastic game. My same sentimentality is the reasoning I purchased the CE for ME3 - just a type of small thank you on my part.
 
2. The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 I sadly don't feel like it will have much of an impact at all on any industry. It might make Bioware think twice before releasing something like ME3 (but they should have known better already after the DA2 fiasco), but for the most part, I feel like the majority of consumers aren't at the point where they demand higher quality writing in video games or other forms of entertainment (except literature, but even then...).
 
3. Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?
I bought the CE, so it was already included.
I think that them not providing it in the regular game just shows where Bioware stands from a business standpoint. I think it shows, to a degree, that they are more concerned about money than they are about providing players with a complete and well-done product. Which, in my opinion, sort of blows their argument of artistic integrity to dust. They didn't have the integrity to include a character that provided profound insight into of the series' bigger mysteries, yet we are supposed to believe they hold their endings to some higher, artistic standard?

Modifié par Terraforming2154, 05 avril 2012 - 09:11 .

[Wintermaulz]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
yes
 
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 yes
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 Tali, Liara, Garrus
  (bunch of saves)
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 Yes
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 I choose decisions based on what id do IRL, so Ya
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 Peace between geth and Quarians, ME2 end, Battle of the Citadel
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 Art is fluid, Though i consider games to be a consumable luxery
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 NO i dont
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 Apart from the eve reference with Baraka, i dont see aconnection between the two
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 I think the humour was on par with the previus 2 games
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 Nope
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 They are stranded, there are a million different things that could happen while they are stranded. We dont know if they get rescued, they died, or W/E
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 They did it in a very poor way
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 What endings? i got one
 
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Why do you think Bioware didn’t do something similar for a character synonymous with the franchise itself? Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?
I think that IGN is very biased given the fact that one of they're employees is part of the game.
Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
I can bare to play single player again after i beat it
 
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 I think the endings have no closure, and really detract from the core themes of the series. I am a retaker
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 As stated above, i cant bear to replay it. Multiplayer is a nice side game.
 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 I never read the novels, so i cant really coment on kai leng, he just seems to be a bad villan. Garrus and tali i have no problem with. Jokers flight from the final battle is really inconsistent with his charector.  
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 The last 10 minutes
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings? Yes
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 I was in the IT camp for a while, Now i just think its ****** poor writing
 
 

 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them? I dont have a credit card, so i didnt buy any.
 
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 I think it will effect all mediums of entertainment
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?
I got the collector edition, so i got it with that. I do think it was alienating some off there consumers.

[Infinityphoenix]

Wow, lots of feedback!  It took me two hours to read the responses, I would like to thanks everyone for their assistance so far .  I've tried to respond to everyone, so here's to you:
@T_I_M_B_0:  Other franchise which were compared were The Matrix Franchise, Gurren Lagann, and Deus Ex.
@LilyasAvalon:  Thanks, enjoyed your comment on the overall info given about the end situation, the first thing that came to mind was the infamous Godfather Horse head scene, the second was of Sheppard being drunk in the alleyways in Omega.
@Plageon:  Thanks for responding .
smegalong beach:   I wasn't trying to get a certain answer (or pander to a specific group), I was just trying to come to a conclusion about why people would be angry.  We could argue whether putting that much emphasis on a Easter Egg character could have been better spent putting attention on other, long-running characters like Jack, Thane, Jacob, or Miranda.
@AwesomeDudex64:  Thanks for your response .
@Eulalia Danae:  Thanks for responding .
@Giarc Yekrub:  Thanks for your perspective as a person who enjoyed the ending, abet a very confusing one.
@StealthTH:  I'm going to change it, thanks for pointing this problem out .
@Nidowa:  Thanks for the feedback .
@Crazychris153:  Thanks for taking the time .
@CheeseEnchilda:  Yeah I was so happy for the topic to be accepted .  Yeah, about everyone starving, I don't see how Bioware can justify the ending of the franchise like that.
@MrGone:  I  apologise that questions don't appeal to you, I'm not a troll, I'm just trying to get my research paper done.  If you like my questions, you could have just been straight-forward about it.
@Zolt51:  My question on humor in ME3 could have been expanded on.  Playing the game, I felt that the tone of humor was different than the previous installments.  ME1 and ME2 had more emphasis (in my opinion on serious humor, like the elavator dialogue).  The Garrus/Tali question was written when I found that some fans felt that the pairing was forced, as there was no indicator in the previous installments.  Perhaps the posts I was looking at were written by fans who had romanced Garrus and Tali in other playthroughs, and felt those felt closer to cannon that the writers did?
@Joccuren:  Thanks for your input .
@Gravity Eyelids: I think with the PAX announcement of "The Clarity Ending"  will cause fans to continue their petitioning.
@Seijin8:  Starting in ME2, I think punching that reporters is the true "paragon" ending.
@Alaska-the-1st:  I try my hardest .
@TJX2045:  Thanks for adding to the study .
@Deflagratio:  Yeah some opinions I've found are that the alien characters are much more dynamic and interesting than the human characters.  Except for Anderson.  We all believe that Bioware's endings are non-cannon.
@Hudathan:  Thank you for your input .
@Gammazero79:  Thank you ,I'll publish it once I've finished writing it.  So, roughly around April 16th.
@DrowVampire:  Fangirlism towards a character is never a wrong thing lol.  I enjoy Tali's character personally.
@zninjazero:  Thank you for adding .
@Fall_Inc:  Maurader Shields > Better Kai Lang > Khalisah al-Jilani > Regular Kai Lang
@Silasqtx:  The question was to gauge whether or not fans were angry about putting more emphasis on a new character rather than a previously-used character.  Tali was my example for physical detail, but I could change it to include characters that only had honorable mentions like Jack, Miranda, Thane, or Jacob.  Thanks for pointing that out .
@FortisimoDS:  Thanks for your opinion .
@BEAR-IRON:  Thanks for adding to the conversation .
@aristaea:  Good point, I'm changing the title.  Thanks for the video, I laughed so hard .  Rene-Shep is a jerk.
@wright1978:  Makos are always fun .
@TheRedVipress:  Good metaphor, death by 1000 cuts.  Reminds me of a line from Assassin's Creed:  Embers.
@Iedra2:  Thanks for your input .
@Zeggeh:  References that were used in comparisons were The Matrix franchise, Deus Ex, and Gurren Lagann.
@Erield:  Thank you for your contribution .
@PotterGaz:  I'm trying not make my questions biased, I'm planning on adjusting that question.  I've come up with a new approach, but thank you for pointing that out.   I will post the paper once I've completed complying the responses and finish my research, around April 16th.
@Thaddeus283:  Thank you, and of course .
@Calamity:  Yeah I've got to admit, Chobot's rendering was odd to look at.
@rowan93:  Thank you for finishing the questionaire .
@ramenbito:  I think the theme, you have is hope against all odds.  Thank you.
@Ashley_82:  Thank you for responding .
@MrFob:  Thank you for your honesty about the questions.  I found that the humor and ending of ME3 was similar to how humor and the ending was used in The Hangover.  The ending of The Hangover didn't make any sense, especially since the whole pretext of the movie was to find Doug, they brought up something that was never brought up to solve the question of where Doug is.  The mood of the humor in The Hangover made people forget about the problems with the ending, instead making them remember the humorous parts of it.
@Syenthrus:  At this point, I would be less suprised to see The Catalyst being Leeroy Jenkins than to see The Catalyst being Old Man Jenkins.  Joker is awesome, he tried to go down with the ship in ME2.  Everyone wants a completed game at end of the day, thats what I think the underlying cause of why fans are revolting against Bioware's decision.
@Aerevane:  Teacher is pretty open with the topic, so I was more than happy to do a paper on a theoretical research topic than one thats seen in real life urban plannning.
@Mandemon:  Thank you for your comments .
@Noats:  A lot of what my teacher taught this semester was about urban planning, and one of the themes discussed is the incorporation of Arnstein's Ladder (which describes the level of control the public has with decision makers and vise-versa).
@Mobius-Silent:  Thank you for response .
@CaptainZaysh:  I apologise that you found Section 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 bad.  Those questions will be used to determine why fans are being vocal, and disect it to the smallest point.  Thank you for answer the rest of the questionaire though .
@fle6isnow:  I found Shep's sacrifice appropriate to the theme of the franchise, but it doesn't make sense with the situation that the writers put the character in.  Personally, looking at the ending in hindsight, I wish they would have pusged the launch back.  Your explaination of Joker's action is interesting, and that it's similar to the Vimire mission; do you save Sheppard, or try to save all the crew.  Thinking about it, maybe his relationship with EDI influenced his decision?
@killer3000:  I would pay for an ending that gave us that verbal option.
@bahamutomega:  Thank you for your response.  "Shepard".
@mrmarcus101:  Thank you for answers .
@Archeen:  The relationship caught me off guard too, thats why I wanted to get everyone's opinion.
@Dreadcall:  It did catch me off guard when I saw it on Youtube, but I didn't see it in game.  Definitely a Talimancer.  Of course I post it .
@Melicomp:  Thank you for your dedication; Garrus/Tali does open a new dimension of their characters that we've never interacted with.  I wish Bioware hadn't shown Tali's face, or put enough effort into the design that it showed.  I mean, you go on DeviantArt, and there's tons of inspiration.
@Srav:  Mako's were fun.  Although, I was suprised that crashing it into the Presidium would be the only thing in the ME1 universe to break it.
@hyperforce99:  The endgame does seem to heavily contradict itself.  I think Bioware wanted speculation, but not on whether the writers intentionally wrote the ending like or if it was due to time constraints.  They've backed themselves into a corner with the current endings, and no amount of clarification will appease the fan base after going dark for nearly a month.
@terraforming2154:  I think with how Bioware has responded, we need to go see a doctor.  Maybe bribe her with some Serrice Ice Brandy?
@wintermaulz:  Sorry for the lack of examples, but arguements have discussed the endings of Gurren Lagann, The Matrix franchise, and Deus Ex.

Phew.
Alright, keep up the good work everybody, thanks for your input.  I will be adjusting some questions for less bias, and put up a netural title.

[Infinityphoenix]

Bump.

[gameshrk]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 N/A
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
Yes
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 Multiple run throughs with different genders. Main playthrough was a male; none, Tali, Tali. It helped provide depth for most characters (except Jacob and Kaiden).
 
5.     
In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the
final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main
influence in saving them?
Yes and the achievement was a bonus.
 
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 Was more inclined to be paragon in ME1 and ME3. ME2's interupts made renegade a bit more appealing to me, but I was still mainly paragon.
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
Saving the council in ME1. Felt like it actually had weight. (Obviously it didn't after I played the sequels but I remember the feeling fondly).
Garus' lines during the archangel recruitment. "It wasn't easy. I had to really work at it", "My handler at Csec would be impressed," etc.
Entirety of Rannoch story arc in ME3. Made much more potent by Tali romance.
1 and 3 share cominality by focus on choice and feel of weight of choice. 2 and 3 share cominality by rich character development.
 
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 Videogames are an amalgamation of art forms. Each part that makes a game is a seperate art form (Music, Story, visual art, and story). However the game as a whole is a product. It is marketed as such and should be treated as such. Art is fluid. It can be changed at any point. Whether or not the change will ruin it is debatable.

2.     
Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA
rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a
similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 Most of the ME2 cast fell like they were included as an afterthought. This was likely due to the fact that they can all die and thus can't be made very important. I don't approve of it, but I understand it.
 
3.     
Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made
sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic
organisms?
 The setup for it was so asinine that it robbed any and all purpose and symbolism.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more
humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was
to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to
detract fans from over thinking the ending?
Perfect amount of humor in my opinion. Every sad story needs a little comic relief. The humor came BEFORE the ending. If it was meant to be a distraction it would have come AFTER the ending.
 
 
5.      Given
Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into
the series, do you think changing the ending all together would
compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 Bioware has already compromised its artistic integrity by working with EA. Anything under consideration now is meaningless. Personally I just want an ending that makes sense. I don't care how they go about making it.
 
6.     
With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part
of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew
any different?
 Stranding the crew appeared to have no point. Mordin's death had a logical flow leading up to it. We know why it happens and accept it as part of his character based on past knowledge. The same can be said for Thane and Legion. Stranding the crew starts with Joker fleeing for no discernable reason following an already rediculous premise of non-lethal exploding Mass Relays. Our suspension of disbelief was already past the breaking point.
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the
right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or
should it have been left alone?
 I assume you meant Star Child's reasoning for the Reapers. His explaination was contradictory and full of logical falacies. If it was a choice between no explaination and what we got, I'd go with no explaination. However, I'd accept an explanation that made logical sense over no explaination.
 
8.      A lot of fans found
the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other
franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises,
they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 Most of those games were single, standalone series. Others just didn't have the emotional investments that the ME universe created. The ending is just offensive to the more invested fans. It's almost like the creators assumed you didn't bother reading the codex or playing the first too games. It's just insulting.
 
 
9.     
Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica
Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss
England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas
Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an
Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in
Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s
defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role
had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset
fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a
scapegoat?
Yes, Yes, I think they are correct or at least found one of the major reasons.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.     
Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America)
have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 Yes, twice by technicality (on same playthrough)
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 I hated it. It has too many plot holes and pulls a masive 180 in terms of theme. I have this opinion because I put thought into what I had seen.
 
3.     
Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value,
what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in
this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware
has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why
they added multiplayer capabilities?
 I find it hard to find the will to replay. Yes the ending is the main reason why I find it hard to replay. Multiplayer was most likely forced on Bioware by EA and has nothing to do with the endings other than changing the color of it.
 
 
4.      Some
pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not
Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the
franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai
Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by
fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s
introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his
personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the
player does not romance them in the previous installment of the
franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the
fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these
accurate examples?
I couldn't care less about Kai Leng. He killed Thane (or Kirrahe) which is enough to earn my ire. Served his purpose as a mid-boss so I really couldn't care less.
 Garrus and Tali was just out of place, it could be assumed that things developed behind the scenes without needing a lot of imagination. Joker, on the otherhand, was insanely out of character when he fled. Proof can be found when Shepard talks to him and he replies that Shepard had done many things to cause doubt, but he had never mutinied once, "not once!"
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 The second harbinger arrived at the run for the beam.
 
6.     
Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass
Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending
over a free text epilogue of the current endings?
 Your mention of the Shadow Broker dossiers are a non sequitur in respect to the ending. We were promised an experience we did not recieve when we purchased the product. Charging money for a new ending to fullfil that broken promise would be outright extortion. I will not tolerate anything less than a free ending dlc that fills in the plot hole, fixes the logic leaps, and provides some much needed clossure. If it is not provided, I will never buy anything from Bioware and by extention EA ever again. (Not really into sports and movie games anyway.)

7.     
Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of
Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion
of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or
is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How
is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last
sequence?
 I believe indoctrination theory would be the perfect fix for the ending. However, I believe Bioware intended for the current ending to be taken as is.

No further coment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.     
Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content
(DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what
was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
 
 
2.      The
Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in
EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by
25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing
in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of
entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.     
Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you
think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making
them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history
of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players
upset about the vagueness of the ending?

[Zombie Chow]

Great topic.  I actually did a thesis paper on games myself, so I know your professor will expect all questions to be answered methodically for it to count.  Here I go.  Also, anticipating you may need more appendices, please let me know if you need screenshots to accompany the following statements. Good luck on your paper, man.

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1. Have you completed Mass Effect 3?

Yes, I completed Mass Effect 3 and saw all the endings, which are really slight variations of just one ending.

2. If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?


3. Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

Yes, I have played the previous 2 installments, each with 3 different characters.

4. If you have, which character was your LI in each installment? Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

On 1 character, I had a love interest, Dr. Liara T'soni.  It did affect how I enjoyed the game.  Partly, there was some emotional connection to that particularly playthrough.  More than that, though, it brought an additional personal context that served as a different form of motivation.

5. In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?

Yes, the overlying stories were the main influence, but that was largely driven by a game mechanic called the loyalty system, where completing the team members' personal missions made them more effective.  The important point to my gaming experience was why my characters chose to help his/her team members.  In each case, there was a slightly different motivation.

6. Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?

To a degree, I would "game" the system to achieve the highest possible renegade score in order to unlock dialogue options.  In other words, I would make ethical choices not out of a sense of morality, but for game benefits.  However, in 1 playthrough, I decided to abandon that approach and just make choices based on what felt like a natural reaction (where I would be a paragon to friends and a renegade to people that annoyed me).  That natural approach was the most fun, and something I continued afterwards.  Example below:



This was the character I mentioned above. Notice the ring which shows a mix of some Paragon with full Renegade. This image is a snapshot right before the below situation.



Note that this is the last dialogue check, where one's Paragon or Renegade score affects the heated stand-off between 2 team mates. Notice that this very character actually somehow managed to get a Paragon option (in blue) while the Renegade one (greyed out) is not available. It was interesting to note, I would have chosen the Paragon option to defuse the situation.

7. What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

1st, in ME2, after defending team mate Tali on the charge of treason in a court of her species, the judge thanks Shepard for helping one of their race. Shepard replies, "With all due respect, I didn't represent one of your people. I represented one of mine," demonstrating how loyal she is to her own crew members.

2nd, in ME2, a police officer and minor character, Captain Bailey, lets an assassin go. The assassin had just prevented his son from being a hired killer himself. When asked why, Captain Bailey replies, "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?" Very indirectly, he reveals a huge personal failing of his, without being defensive or apologetic.

3rd, in ME1, when speaking to a virtual intelligence from an advanced civilisation that has long died out. I like the idea of people that are so selfless that, even after their race has been wiped out and almost all traces of them erased, they still want to help you survive. Even in death they still serve a greater good.

The common thing between these is very hard to identify. I believe they are all very potent character moments, revealing a lot about not just the speaker, but their relation to people around them, in a simple quip.

Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity

1. Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

I have no idea on whether or not video games are art. This is a question that falls under the purview of your conundrums of philosophy and I'm more of a practical guy.

All I know is this. Art only happens when a viewer reacts with a creator's work. A literary masterpiece without someone to read it is just a bunch of papers with scribbles on it. A beautiful painting hidden away is just acryllic on a canvas with no meaning of its own. Art happens in the mind's eye, in the interaction, the rest is just stuff.

Video games, by its very nature, has a level of interaction built in. That's a given, so yeah, I don't know.

2. Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

No, I really didn't notice it. Perhaps the voice actors being so ingrained and comfortable with their familiar roles masked this, but I do not share this opinion.

3. Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

The Adam and Eve reference made some sense, but this was drowned out by it trying too hard to be an allegory. Then suddenly Vega walks in.

4. Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?

I do believe there are more humourous moments in ME3 than in previous installments. I don't think it was for any reason aside from humour being inherently funny. Again, I think the jokes worked only because of the voice acting cast.

5. Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

I have no idea what Bioware and EA mean by artistic integrity.

All I can say is this. I was under the impression I was getting a Mass Effect game. The ending so deviated away from my expectations as set by the previous titles that it no longer seemed to be a Mass Effect game. Bioware and EA now tell me it is a work of art, possibly one inspired by a strange religious cult.

I think I must have misunderstood the nature of what I purchased. I would like to trade in this piece of art for my Mass Effect game please.

6. With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?

The death of characters and stranding them is comparable. However, as it relates to ME3, I believe the player is given 3 choices that strand the entire galaxy, which is a different issue. Furthermore, 3 choices that all lead to the same outcome is no choice at all, really.

7. Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?

I think they made the right choice.

8. A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

My personal dissatisfaction was not caused by plot holes, it was by how far the ME3 ending went off a tangent. It became Inception or Twin Peaks or Silent Hill.

9. Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)? Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

I have no opinions on these issues as I was not aware of them.

Section 3: The Endings

1. Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

I have beaten the game twice.

2. What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?

My initial impressions was that it was very surreal, like a dream montage that could not have been a real ending. Then, I realised the options given by the game's ending were almost exactly that of a 10-year old game, Deus Ex. All the while I was thinking, "This isn't Mass Effect."

3. Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?

I replayed both ME1 and ME2 around 6 times each. I find it very hard to motivate myself to play through ME3 again. I do not know if that is why they added multiplayer capabilities. On a related note, I liked the multiplayer capabilities.

4. Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?

I did not have a strong opinion on Kai Leng, except that he was bland compared to his predecessors. Even the silent antagonist in ME2, the Collector General, which was this highly gentically modified bug-like creature, had more personality than him.

Garrus and Tali I thought were handled very well. Since ME1, they kept on teasing each other and I happened to always bring them on the same missions for that reason. In retrospect, that was sexual tension, so I thought it appropriate they became a couple in the end.

Joker abandoning the fight may have been due to his and Shepard's superiors, like Admiral Hackett, ordering him to temporarily retreat. I did not think it was a big deal.

5. At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

The quality of writing and the feel of ME3 changed precisely at the point where the game was ending, which I mark at when Shepard awoke from being nearly hit by a Reaper laser. It was a very stark contrast.

6. Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

Yes, I think I would pay up to around US$10.00 for a completely different ending.

7. Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans? How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?

I absolutely had believed it was a hallucination sequence and, as proof, I made a post about it. Please note it is timestamped before the announcement that Bioware is developing an Epilogue DLC.

http://social.biowar.../index/10973597

My reasoning was not due to interpretations from any specific moments in ME3. Rather, I looked at plot twists from Bioware in previous games, such as Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark and Dragon Age: Origins.

There, they used similar dream sequences that were a test of the player character's resolve. The way to wake up from them was to actively resist and fight back against the illusions. The situation presented in the ME3 ending very closely mirrored them.

Section 4: Economic Input

1. Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?

I did not buy all of them. As I recall, I bought only the Lair of the Shadowbroker. This DLC was focused on the character, Dr. Liara T'Soni. I mentioned earlier she was a love interest for one of my characters. She only became a love interest after I purchased this DLC, just so I can experience it, so that was not my motiviation for the purchase.

My purchase decision was shaped by very positive reviews on its content, its play length, and its story arc. The primary review site I looked at was Gametrailers.com. It was at a higher price point than the other DLC (US$15.00 vs. the standard US$10.00), but I recall thinking I would get much better value from it as well, thus I bought it. After playing it, I absolutely felt it was greater value and would recommend it to others.

2. The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?

As I recall, EA stock has been a rollercoaster for the last few years compared to other game companies. I remember EA has lows of $15 to highs of $25 compared to Activision's $10 to $12 range. I'm not sure any single factor is responsible, but if anything I think it has more to do with their product release timeline than the Retake Movement per se.

That said, negative publicity caused by its customers will of course have a negative impact on its stock price, as it directly has a negative impact on future revenue as its customer base move away. It's not Wall Street, it's common sense. However, I can't precisely gauge exactly how much at this moment.

3. Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

No, I hadn't, because as soon as I got ME3 I got straight into it instead of looking at the DLC. I didn't think about it much, perhaps I should have. I suppose all the game sites I visited were so busy reviewing the core game they hadn't considered it yet, so the DLC failed to make its way to my top of mind.

I hadn't thought much on the nature of day 1 DLCs. I can understand why the player community might think they are an inappropriate business practice. I myself do not feel that strongly about it as I know I can always simply ust not buy them.

[Infinityphoenix]

I apologise for not responding the last two days, so personal matters involving the end of lectures came up. Anyways:
@gameshrk: Thanks for adding to the study .
@Zombie Chow: Thanks for the luck, I think I'm going to need it. Paper just went from 15% to 20% of the final mark of the class. At the moment I don't need any screenshots to for the paper, but I will keep your offer in mind. By the way, I'm glad one of us knows what they're doing writing a paper on gaming lol. I think Bailey's comments during Thane's loyalty mission got a lot deeper after reading the Bailey exerpt from the Mass Effect: Evolution paperback.

[Infinityphoenix]

Bump.

[Stefanomarq]

Infinityphoenix wrote...

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3? Yes 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise? Yes
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
I have many playtroughs. My LIs were Liara, Miranda, Jack and Tali (Tali 3 times). Before ME3 I enjoyed all playthroughs equally, so I don't think changing my LI affected it.
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them? Yes, I think so. 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other? I played both but, yes, knowing that there were different reactions made me play most time as paragon.
 
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 Dialogue with Sovereign on ME1, Suicide Mission on ME2, Mordin's death on ME3.
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 Yes, video games can be art, but not everyone of them is. Art is fluid.
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 I don't have a problem with that except for the ending, when Shepard becomes totally different.
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 No. Adam and Eve lived in a paradise and didn't have to reproduce, and were both the same species. Joker and EDI crashed their ship in a wild jungle before almost getting killed in the biggest war in the galaxy and now will have to struggle to survive with limited resources. It does not fit well.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
Yes, I think there were more humorous moments and I enjoyed them very much. I don't think it was to detract us from the ending because we still haven't got there, and it's hard to remember this good moments after the ending. 
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 Sure it won't. First, because changing the ending would be the salvation of their artistic integrity: ME was the best sci-fi epic ever made and they destroyed it. It's like going back in time and watching Leonardo da Vinci paiting a mustache in La Gioconda; it doesn't matter if it's his paint, you HAVE to stop him from doing that, for art's sake. Also, as it is a videogame, it's like a comissioned work; they promised to deliver us onde kind of experience and we didn't have it.
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 First because, the way I see it, killing a character is one of the greatest moments in any story, and you know you have a good writer when he can make you grief for a ficticional character. Deaths can be very well made, like Mordin's, when you see that there's a pourpose for this death and it's worth it. And after that that character is really gone. Stranding the crew does not give any satisfaction, it's just pointless, and it gives us more doubts and questions. At that point, stranding the crew or making them explode in space would have the same impact, because having your beloved comrades being killed for no reason is just way too bad.
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 Wrong choice. The series was never about "what are the Reapers and what are their reasons?". It was always about "how can we stop them?". The Reapers were presented as ancient and ultra-advanced machines that we could not compreend, and it fits them very well. It gave them a very fearful aura, they were almost like gods to us. You see, Bioware writers are all humans like us, so they can NEVER create a reason for the Reapers, because they can only think as humans. Explaining the Reapers diminishes them, especially when the explanation is that terrible.
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
Many reasons. It didn't fit in Mass Effect lore, it was totally alien (no pun intended). It's like reading Romeo and Juliet and in the end appeared a time-traveller that kidnaped Juliet. Can you imagine that? And then is there are the coices, or the lack of them. We've been told that our choices would matter in the end, but happened that Bioware just threw them all in the garbage, so those 200 hours of differente gameplay were for nothing. And the number of plot holes is too high, higher than any other franchise ending.
 
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?
Yes, I also feel kinda insulted that they gave such a treatment to an IGN reporter and disregarded the other characters and the fans. Nothing against her, but no one cares for Jessia Chobot's. Really. And when Tali removed her mask and the "camera view" changed for her back.. twice... I really felt like they were making fun of me. I could picture a developer by my side laughing at my frustration. And yes, I think it's very reasonable to think that Bioware's treat to IGN had influence over the review.


Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 I've beaten the game once and I can't replay it now that I know the end is that amazingly bad.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 I'm young, but I must have already read more then 200 books in my life, played over 50 videogames and I have no idea how many movies I've seen, but I can't recall a single ending as bad as ME3. It's not just bad, it's insulting. I can't even find the words. It really managed to ruin everything that came before it, I didn't even know something like that was possible. It disregarded all of the player's effort, it's nothing what they told us it would be and everything they told us it wouldn't. I feel violated. I love storytelling and I see this ending as a insult to everything that's good on any story, and the person who wrote it should never be allowed to write again. Yeah, it's that bad.
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 The ending is the main factor, for sure. The multiplayer is there just to get more sales.
 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 Kai Leng is ok for me. Not the best villain ever made, but it's ok, nothing to complain. For Garrus and Tali being togheter, I think it's even pretty cool. But Joker running away is just non sensical, another major plot hole.
  
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
Well, the Cerberus attack on the citadel was not that great, but it got a lot better later on Rannoch. Still, I guess that after Rannoch things started to slowly fall appart.
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?
No, I wouldn't. I paid for a full game, not 85% of a game, and they already sold one important part of in separate (Javik). Bioware should give us what they promised us and we paid for. They can charge whatever they want for other things.

7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?

Well, you can see how bad an ending is when people wish it was not real. I agree with them. I don't know if Bioware planned, problably not, but the Indoctrination Theory is brilliant and, if it was true, would have been the greatest ending ever made in History. Unfortunatle, Bioware is not even willing to take that opportunity. Bioware sure wants speculation, but there are good bases for the IT. And the difference is that the IDT would not require a rewriting, just add content.
 
 
  
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 I bought the deluxe version of ME2, so many DLCs were already included, except for Arrival. I didn't buy it because I think it was not worth the money, so I played it on my friend's PS3.
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 Well, it already is. We see all the times how poorly written movies lost a lot a money. If a product is good, people buy it, otherwise it is not, and when your product is a story...
 
 
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?
I bought the ME3 Collectors Edition, so I already got this DLC in the pack. And yes, charging extra money for something that's already in the product is evil and I also think it's illegal. It's the same as selling a Shirt with just one sleeve and then charge to give you the other one. I really think it's time to someone to something against this practice.

My answers are in bold. About me... I'm a 23 years old brazilian man. Wich means, I'm sorry for grammar mistakes.

[stcalvin13]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 Yes. 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 
Yes.
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 
I had no LI in ME2.  In ME1 and 3 Liara was my LI.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 
Yes.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 
Not sure what you mean.  Sometimes I didn’t like the renegade consequences, but I was pretty evenly split between renegade and paragon for all three games.
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?


The final scene on Rannoch is my favorite.  Curing the genophage was another highlight.  After that, seeing Liara become the shadow broker, Jack’s loyalty mission and conversations in ME 2 are highlights.


Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 
I believe that certain video games are art, while others (e.g. sports games) neither are nor try to be.


Whether art is “static” or “fluid” depends on it’s medium.  Music is somewhat fluid: an artist plays the same song even if he arranges it differently.  Tales passed down orally are even more fluid.  Movies and novels are not particularly fluid.


Video games are a particularly fluid medium—we allow developers to patch them, add to them or outright change them through DLC.  
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 
I can’t recall any such sequences.
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 
No.  It felt forced.  The only reason to choose Joker and EDI to be their “Adam and Eve” (rather than, say, Tali and Garrus) was because Joker is human and EDI is an AI—two races that are supposedly merged now.  Also, it only works because they’re on some planet (which one?) in some jungle (which one?) and we aren’t focusing on the rest of the galaxy, which is presumably also affected.  It’s just a weird thing to end on.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 
Yes it did.  I think it was intended to lighten up the game.  I think it succeeded.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?


No.  Artists take feedback from fans, other artists and others besides.  I see no reason why they cannot change the game, if their artistic integrity permits them to add to the game via DLC.  Moreover, adding to the game often changes things about it, like the impact that a previous decision may have had.
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
Several things.
First, if a character is to be killed it should be onscreen or at least obvious that he is soon to die by his last moments on screen.  Stranding the crew on some planet, leaves the player to infer that the characters will die.


Second, there’s significance in the character deaths in Mass effect up til that point.  Kaiden or Ashley died a hero.  Same for those that didn’t survive the suicide mission, Grunt, Legion and Mordin.  Wrex may have died protesting Shepard’s decision to destroy the cure for the genophage.  Samara may have committed suicide to avoid killing her final daughter.  All these were the result of where the story had to go.


By contrast leaving the characters stranded feels pointless.  Wrex’s death on Virmire was tragic.  Legion’s was heroic.  Ashley’s was the result of her mistrust of Shepard.  Leaving Tali stranded on some planet with no way back to her homeworld feels meaningless.
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
Absolutely not.  The reapers worked as a villain because they were mysterious and unexplained.  It made them more intimidating.  Explaining them was never a good idea.  Making them someone else’s puppet, erm, solution robbed them of all that made them interesting.
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 
They are most often compared to the ending of Deus Ex.  I’ve never played DE.  The endings I found them most similar to were the endings of the Matrix trilogy and the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, both of which were terrible endings.  


BSG’s ending was better because for all it’s plotholes, deus ex machina and non-explanations it focused on the characters.  And people loved BSG because of it’s characters.  Mass effect 3 abandons it’s characters.  They play no role in the conclusion and we have no info on what happens to them.


The Matrix Revolution’s ending was better because the Matrix had always been filled with Metaphor and quasi-spirituality.  It also gave us a final showdown between Neo and Agent Smith which they’d set up since Matric Reloaded.  And Agent Smith had been the closest thing to an antagonist that the Matrix had.  


The Mass Effect 3 ending introduced a new antagonist to us in the final minutes.  Moreover, the ending differed tonally from the previous games.  The quasi-spirituality was unprecedented and raised a host of questions that it didn’t answer.  Why can Shepard control the reapers?  Why does Shepard throwing himself into a beam of light allow synthetics and organics to be synthesized?  What does synthesis actually do?
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?


I do think that there was too much spent developing Diana Allers.  I don’t mind Allers as a character, but that time could have been put to better use.  


I would have liked to see some of the ME2 newbies get a spot on the squad, or at least more facetime, but this feels like a minor gripe.


I don’t think that Jessica Chobot’s inclusion had a big effect on IGN’s rating.  I think IGN’s rating is attributable to two things.  First, they wanted, really wanted, Mass Effect 3 to be the BEST. GAME. EVA!  That colors your view.  This is heightened when you design a whole new layout for your final review.  They couldn’t very well roll out a 6.0 score on that fancy layout could they?  And they couldn’t design it and not use it could they?  They were bound to like the game, regardless of the quality.


The second factor is that reviewer Colin Moriarty is just wrong (notice how nice I am).  He’s said that up until the ending of Mass Effect 3 he enjoyed Mass Effect 2 better.  I cannot think of anyone who shares that opinion.  I’d say more, but since he has given so little reason for his opinion (he has said nothing beyond that he “gets” that it would not do for one ending to leave open a sequel while another did not).


I do think it was a mistake for Chobot to be part of Mass Effect 3.  An apparent conflict of interests is a conflict of interests.


Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
I have not replayed the game.  I sold the game.  I sold Mass Effect 1 & 2 as well.  Before playing Mass Effect 3, this would have been inconceivable.  I had never sold a non-sports game in my life.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?


I believe that the ending is the worst ending in all of science fiction, maybe the worst in all of fiction. (I am taking into account how good everything before the ending was.  Had that been terrible the ending would not be nearly as bad.)  


I do not want to overstate this, so let me be brief.  First, I cannot think of a single thing that the ending did right.  (I think the ending begins after the conversation with Anderson.)  There is not one “well at least they got this right” moment.  Not one.


The things they got wrong are mind boggling.  The closest thing to a comprehensive list of gripes can be found at these four sites: https://docs.google....&sle=true&pli=1


http://social.biowar...5/index/9851623


http://i.imgur.com/wZr54.gif





The short answer is that the ending is plot hole ridden, abandons the tones and theme of the games thus far, is a deus ex machina, removes character choices and is not clear on what is happening (e.g. If Shepard controls the Reapers and Shepard dies, who’s controlling the Reapers?  Won’t they just come back?)  The writers have said they wanted Mass Effect 3 to leave “lots of speculation for everyone.”  There is a reason David Lynch does not make Star Trek.  There’s a bigger reason why David Lynch does not make only the very ending of Star Trek episodes.


3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 
It is the factor in the inability of fans to replay the game.  I sold mine—and the others!—as a result of the ending.  


I don’t think BW intended multiplayer as a way to distract people from the ending.  But it’s saved them.  The games’ already down to $34 on amazon.  If not for multiplayer, if might be in the mid 20s.
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
Kai Lang was not a very interesting character.  He was a minor character, so I don’t particularly mind him.
The Tali and Garrus pairing was also odd.  It wasn’t out of character for them, but it wasn’t in character either.  I think it’s unfair to write this one up as bad writing; it’s likely that some of your crew would develop romantic relationships and Tali and Garrus are good enough candidates.  It still was rather weird.
 Joker would never abandon the fight.  It was completely out of character.
 
 


5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 
When you get hit by Harbinger’s beam.  Everything after that felt like a dream and plotholes (or at least oddities) start appearing.  It dives off a cliff once after the conversation with Anderson.
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?


I’d absolutely pay for a new ending—I’d buy my games back and everything.  I wouldn’t pay for a test epilogue to the current endings.  I sold my games after Bioware announced that they were merely clarifying the current ones.  Contradictions cannot be clarified.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
I don’t think it’s a dream.  I suspect that Bioware wanted to give rise to that interpretation.  (The ending is after all, very dreamlike.)


I could believe that it was a dream if Bioware hadn’t handled things the way they did.  If they just announced “Shepard was indoctrinated!” everyone would love them again.  But they haven’t, and they lose fans by the day.
 
It isn’t really all that different from wanting to rewrite the ending.  Most of those who want a rewrite would be satisfied with a continuation on the assumption that the ending was a dream.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
I bought all of them.  I loved Mass Effect.
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
I don’t understand the question.


I think the next person who wants to end a sci-fi series with an open ended quasi-spiritual sludge will think twice about it.


I think EA will continue to see their stock decrease.  I think Bioware has lost a lot of fans and a lot of trust.


I think poor writing will be with us always, but hopefully retake shows that consumers are ready to punish entertainers for lazy writing.
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?


Yes.  I bought it.  Yes, I think it was a mistake on Bioware’s part.

Modifié par stcalvin13, 08 avril 2012 - 08:41 .

[frozngecko]

frozngecko's input:

Note: Have fun reading and good luck with the social experiment (I've done studies like this myself before, I understand the hardship...and its worth in the end.) 

 [Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?

 Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?

 Yes
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

Yes.
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

Male Shepard: Ashley; Female Shepard: Garrus. 
Each affected how I enjoyed my game in positive ways. My connection to the game grew stronger as I got to more intimately know each character...especially my LIs.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?

For the most part, yes. The characters I didn't save for their stories had overlying stories that I either didn't like or thought was exaggerated and out of place.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 
No. I chose to be Paragon or Renegade based on the situation. It just happened to be that I swung more towards the Paragon decisions by default.
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 
1) "May you be in heaven a half an hour before the devil knows you're dead." - Garrus's final line. I told him that there was no Shepard without Vakarian, and the he better damn well duck.
2) Talking to Wrex in ME3. It made me smile to see him reflect on the days in the Normandy SR-1. It was like seeing a good old friend.
3) "Just like old times, Shepard" - Seeing Garrus after finding out I had to work with the terrorist organization Cerberus.

The common theme revolved around the fact that in ME1, Garrus and Wrex were my two "go-to" squadmates. They ere my best friends for both of my Shepards. My memorable moments with them were towards the end, when the stakes go higher and my friends got closer.
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

I believe that Video Games are a form of art because art inspires emotion. I believe that it is fluid and that people's appreication of art changes with the time and with the culture.
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 
I only had problems with two of the characters throughout the series as a whole in terms of "being rewritten". I believe that Jacob was poorly rewritten, especially for Shepards with Jacob as an LI. ME3 for Jacob LI's essentially equated to a "you might as well have not romanced him" moment. On top of that, I believed the conversations should have been more volatile and angry for Jacob LI's.

The other character I had trouble with was Liara in both ME2 and ME3. Her sudden change in personality between ME1 and ME2 was not convincing enough for me to considered "justified" while her relegation to being a squadmate made her as the Shadow Broker irrelevant, IMO. I believed that BioWare missed a great opportunity to make her a major player in the plot by failing to make her a  source of intel for missions (instead of someone like Specialist Traynor...no offense to her). 
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 
No. It did not. While the reference was made with good intentions, the execution of the endings made the Adam and Eve reference more offensive to the theme of "co-existence". The events leading up to that reference left many logical plotholes in the story and ended up leaving the player more confused than satisfied.  
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 
The game does have more humorous moments than the previous installments, but I do not believe the humorous moments were created to detract fans from overthinking the ending, nor do I believe it cuts the theme of war and death in the game. The humorous moments worked because it brought more character into my squadmates and the world around me. One game developer said that in order to get the player engaged in saving the world in a video game, a developer must make the world a place the player would want to save. Moments like the humorous moments makes saving that world much more meaningful and personal.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 
No. Painters edit their artwork when the people who commissioned them propose that they do so. As games consumers, if a good amount of people speak out against something in a game (especially something as important as the game's ending), it is in the best interests of the games company to listen to those people. Since our businesses work on the principle of Capitalism, companies do know that if a consumer is not satisfied with the product they paid for, they most likely have lost that consumer. This is what fuels growth in our economy. Great companies do fail if they don't adapt.
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
 The death of the well accepted characters were emotionally meaningful and signifcantly affected the plot or was affected by the plot. The stranded crew were different because the process in which the ended up where they ere confused the players, thus making their "sacrifices" unmeaningful and emotionally cheap. Character deaths become meaningful when their deaths make sense in the plot (your actions logically affect their well-being).
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
They made he right choice in explaining it....but the explained it poorly, in my opinion. The logic behind their reasoning is flawed and circular. 

8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 
The holes in the plot and in the logic seem to not fit from the beginning when Shepard teleported to the Citadel to the end (dead in two of the endings and alive in one of them). With the great writing and storyline throughout the rest of the game, the ending was surprisingly unpolished and logically flawed at almost every turn.
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

 I think that they put an equal amount of emphasis in both....meaning that the Easter Egg was done in poor taste and that the characters introduced in Mass Effect 2 were relegated to minor cameos instead of major plot drivers. I think IGN's score is a bit rigged, but not necessarily due to Jessica's role in the game. I believe, however, that Jessica's role in the game was pointless and could have been relegated to Journalist characters well known or well established in the game (like Emily Wong or Kalisah Al-Jalani). I think some fans were looking at Jessica Chobot's character as a scapegoat or a representation of everything that was wrong about the game.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
I have beaten it once with a Male Shepard and I'm attempting another playthrough with a Female Shepard.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 
I did not particularly enjoy the ending and I was one of the people who sided with the Retake Movement. I thought the ending was poorly written and did not make any sense. It was emotional, sure, but I felt like I was constantly taken out of the game (as a player) because I constantly was asking myself important questions that couldn't be, but should be answered in the plot (Why is the Citadel on Earth? How did Reapers/Cerberus take control of the Citadel? How did Anderson get there before I did? Who is the Catalyst? Why is my Shepard accepting the Catalyst's logic? etc). There was also no real closure to the ending, other than the Reapers/Geth dying. There was no indicator that my choices did anything real good to the galaxy, and in a weird irony, made the situation worse for the people I chose to save. In the end, my decisions ended up beign for nothing, since my Shepard rejected co-existence (even though my Shepard fought for Quarian/Geth Co-existence) in order to kill the Reapers...which was sorely out of character for my Shepard.
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 
I have found it difficult to attempt another playthrough because I felt that, regardless of my choices, the ending doesn't seem worth going through. There is no worth in making big decisions and fighting for the best solution to problems when the big decision I make will force the particpating races to lose the homeworlds they were fighting desperately for and the one synthetic race I fought hard to save. However, I think the did not add the MP capabilties because of the ending.
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?

I did think there were some degrading of the quality of known characters in the franchise, but I disagree with some of the examples listed. I thought Kai Leng was handled well (I never read the books, and I believe they are irrelevant to the video game story) and I thought Garrus+Tali was handled well. I do believe that Joker abandoning the fight during the climax was a problematic plothole and character problem, as he even said that he would support Shepard 100% and also has been one of the few characters to support him/her in all three games.
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 
After Shepard gets hit by Harbinger's laser blast, I felt the writing all of a sudden went downhill in its quality of writing and feel.
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

No. Although the Shadow Broker Text files in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC was great, I believe that the Shadow Broker should've been the central plot in ME2 (I considered that game's writing quality to be poor). I will not pay money for a proper ending. EA/BioWare does not have the right to sell me an unfinished product for the price of a finished product. When Consumers pay for a piece of art or a product, they expect the product to be finished (game works and main storyline is in the game). If they are going to supply a supplemental ending DLC, it should not cost me any money at all.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
As a fan of the series, I would like to believe the Indoctrination Theory because I believe that it nicely ties up the loose ends and addresses the serious plot hole in the game's ending. Although I believe this is speculation (since BioWare did not seems to come up with this idea), the speculation is well supported using the lore and dialogue from the game. I believe that this movement is different from the supporters of rewriting the sequence because this movement is attempting to justify the ending and supporters of this movement therefore are only asking mainly for clarification DLC in hopes that the clarification DLC would support their theory, thus making the ending meaningful to them.
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
 I bought all of them because I wanted to enrich my experience of the game.
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
To say the least, I believe it will affect the games industry exclusively, who are now looking at the economic consequences of angering long-time games consumers by producing high-profile but poorly written AAA games. 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

No. While I did find the "From Ashes" DLC to be interesting, his points do not play a crucial role in the plot of the game, which I deem more important for me. As a fan, I bought the DLC in order to supplement my knowledge of the lore and to deepen the experience for myself. Players can play the game without the DLC and still get a meaningful experience (until the end), but will miss out on other interesting conversations and scenes in the game.

Modifié par frozngecko, 08 avril 2012 - 09:02 .

[AlloutAce]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?

 Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 
N/A
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 
Yep, multiple times
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 
First through, Ash, Tali, Tali. Loved it, Tali reminds me of my RL girlfriend, except mysterious.
 
5.     
In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the
final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main
influence in saving them?
 
Some of them, others werent so interesting. I enjoyed Mordins, and Tali's especially. The quarian culture in the game really fascinated me. The main plot of the collectors was not very engaging though, the squadmates made that game.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 
Nope, I played right down the middle typically, I like to call myself moral with a oppurtunistic side. I hate that persuasion options were affected by your paragon/renegade score instead of skill points in the 2nd and 3rd games
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 
The final cutscene of the fleet engaging sovereign really stuck with me and was the highlight of the series for me.

Playing through the first time of mass effect 2, in which i didnt do alot of loyalty missions, garrus died. I almost stopped the game and started over right there.
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

Yes, and i dont know what static or fluid mean.
 
2.     
Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA
rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a
similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

I'm not really sure I agree, all the characters that made cameos in ME3 seemed to be fairly similar to the way I remember, with the exception of Mordin of course.
 
 
3.     
Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made
sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic
organisms?

Not really sure what you mean by this question.
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more
humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was
to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to
detract fans from over thinking the ending?

I don't think the humor was intended to either, it was in similar amounts as the previous titles aswell. That was something I don't think Bioware changed very much.
 
 
5.      Given
Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into
the series, do you think changing the ending all together would
compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

No. Not at all, its obvious, atleast to me, that Bioware probably asked for more time, and some talking piece of dog S*** head executive at EA, made a stupid decision. I swear, I could run EA better then those business executives, in order to run a business they need to love games and the market its in.
 
 
6.     
With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part
of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew
any different?

Because stranding the crew made no sense, why werent they fighting at earth, how did my dead crew member magically appear on the normandy? So many unanswered questions and blatant plot holes.
 
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the
right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or
should it have been left alone?

I think it should have been left alone, however that is up to Bioware. If Bioware wanted to come out of left field with a key plot element that was not foreshadowed AT ALL in the last 5 minutes of the game, they can. But they shouldn't, thats bad writing even by my college freshman english standards.
 
 
8.      A lot of fans found
the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other
franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises,
they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

Other endings were executed MUCH MUCH better, Red Dead Redemption being the best example. I for one had no problem with Shephard dying, as a matter of fact I prefer it. He is mortal, and its gonna take alot of sacrifice to defeat the reapers, im sick of everyone else dying and making sacrifice, yet shephard always comes out unscathed. (Well except when tali kills herself and he doesnt seem bothered in the slightest that his LI, just jumped off a cliff)
 
 
 
9.     
Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica
Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss
England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas
Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an
Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in
Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s
defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role
had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset
fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a
scapegoat?

I generally consider the Main large websites to be biased upon hype, mostly because people will flame them if they give it a poor score if they are a fanboy. However the photoshopped picture was effing lazy, and Jessica Chobots character was lame, Naomi Kyle is so much better. All Jessica Chobot did was lick a f*ckin PSP.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.     
Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America)
have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

I have and once. Im waiting for them to fix the ending
 
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 
I'm a "retake" I guess, Bioware failed to Complete its trilogy it deserves. And for those throwing artistic integrity around, a part of integrity is quality of your work. If you want to make a great series and write well and have the them be that your choices matter, dont throw it all out the window, by using terrible writing mechanics (look up critiques of the ending, they didnt even get the fundamentals right) and massive plotholes.
 
3.     
Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value,
what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in
this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware
has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why
they added multiplayer capabilities?

Once its fixed im sure ill play it over and over.
 
 
 
4.      Some
pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not
Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the
franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai
Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by
fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s
introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his
personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the
player does not romance them in the previous installment of the
franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the
fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these
accurate examples?

Ya im pretty damn sure Joker wouldn't abandon the fight. As for Tali and Garrus, war does strange things to people. In regards to Kai Leng you will always have inconsistencies with different authors as each wants to create his own unique character.
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

About midpoint when i realized that all that galactic readiness was just another scanning mechanic with a little more interesting back story.
 
 
6.     
Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass
Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending
over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

Yes i would pay for a NEW ending, no catalyst bull****.
 
7.     
Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of
Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion
of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or
is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How
is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last
sequence?

I doubt it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.     
Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content
(DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what
was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
 
 
2.      The
Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in
EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by
25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing
in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of
entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.     
Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you
think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making
them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history
of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players
upset about the vagueness of the ending?

[Nightdragon8]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 --
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

 Yes
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

 Multi playthoughs , so I have one for all the Male acclable ones (not Kadin didn't even have a save for when he was alive.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?

 No it wasn't. Considering the choices of the last mission, It was for me a choice of you was best suited for each role. (A leader making dumb choices for dumb reasons and getting people killed not a good thing)
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?

 If you are talking about the renegade interupts then no, alot of the stuff I would have done, (not the reporter, I found it much for statifying to beat her back with words than with fists)
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

1. ME3 Mordin's sacerfice honestly it was such a beutiful moment... (not seeing him die but, I guess seeing him live and doing the things he does best.
2. ME2 hard to say really, but i liked the part where Shep told TIM to shove it.
3. cant think of another good one off hand.
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 Art, Fluid, depends on the artist also. I mean I know the buddist monks who do sand paintings think art is fulid.

While you have sculpters who want to make sure there art stays the way it is for as long as possible.
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

 Not really sure... Ash does seem sort of off to me...  All the rest seem fine.
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

 Meh. I figured thats what it was but it was unnessary in my mind. my playthrough of, helping joker and edi get together and the Geth and Quarians making a peace and the geth welcoming the Quarians back. I remember my first ME2 playthrough, I got Legion last, and at Tali's trial i had accutly encourged them to go to war with them, but after getting Legion and talking to him,  felt bad about saying that to the Quarians.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?

 There are some funny moments, but it was mainly to cut the tension and maybe remind us that it is a game. As for it there for the ending I dont think so.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

 If they make it so those endings are still there they aren't compromising anything, all the hard work and what not wont go to waste, nor does it harm artistic integrity. IMO if they want to keep the integrity and give people what they want, all they would need to do is have an option in game where you can turn off the extra endings and what not.

I think of it as like a expaiontion of the game. Also if you look at Visual Novels they have some wonderful stories, which all of the endings could be considered cannon. Where you have your Favorite boy/girl ending up with the protagianist. Look at Clanned. Kannon, Kira Kira. (all ages version) If you want NSFW Visual Novels for reference will give them in PM.

Cross Channel IMO is a crowning Jewel of "Bittersweet" good Visual Novel

So I will support them in changing it or not changing it, but I hope they have in mind that they are willing to deal with the ponetial conesquises with pulling the "artisitc integrity" card. That if there future sales tank because no one is buying there games anymore, that they can deal with that. Not to mention if they start a new storyline, I get the feeling alot of people are not going to be going out and buying there games right away. So I think the days of "first day sale breakers" are over for a long while. thats my prediction anyway.

6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
 If you are talking about Mordin and Legion, I accpeted there deaths quite easily. Those deaths are the crown jewel of "Bittersweet" Anderson's death was sad. The same with Sheps.

The stranding of the crew IMO just completely breaks the Chacters IMO. Joker running away to save EDI honestly I can see that, but having all your squadies there?? Explecly ones you had in your party during the last mission. Is more or less a big  WTF?? Because I really don't see Liara,VS(Virmire survior), Tali, Garus, Javik, agreeing to leave teh fight, (the very least of all Javik)  I dont see any of them in there Charcter doing that at all.
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
I don't mind them reviling the motive... but, reviling such a "Childish" motive made me do a double take ont he convo...  the only thing I could think of after that was, No wonder they used a child avatar. It honestly reminded me of some twilight zone stuff where, people wished to be left alone so the wish was granted and everyone was gone. Sort of feeling. It also reminded me of the story "Prefect Stranger" by Mark Twain. Where the 'angel" brought the clay people to life and because one was annoying him, he reached down and squashed it or "killed" it.
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 
 With DA:O I couldn't really find any major plotholes, nothing really glaring really. DA2 was fine, didn't really see so many plotholes, only 1 glaring in that the Quinari sure took a long time to find teh book.  C&C... eh.. the story wasn't great, it was fun, Tho yes with C&C3/4 explaining how Tiberium was worth anything after the abundice of it is sort of hard to explain (unless the vehicles where made out of it or soemthing)  Red Alert , 1&2 where fine, 3 was meh... but that was mainly for the RTS part not the story.

Beaking the next one down abit
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.

Didn't know who it was, but seeing the "orginal verion of the photo then seeing the "Photoshoped" (sorry but the qualtiy of the image looks like a "decent" Photoshop job (heh feel sorry for the makers of Photoshop now that the term is used for such a "dirty word" for editing in a ad-hock manner) If she agreed to being used in such a way then fine but... it sort of feels cheap..

 Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

Didn't even know who it was sposed to be at first, and didn't even know it was a IGN worker till after I played the game.

As I learned this info... i can't say I was suspious but, she really IMO didn't play that big of a role in the series.

As for adding her over "improving characters" thats compeltly hard to say in how tose kinds of choices where made. If that was the reason behind it, then I think it was a poor one.

Adding a new chacter over enaching older ones IMO bad. Unless you are going to completely fade out the other Characters Now that only happens when you have a long series of Novels and such to do such a thing. Doing it on the "last story" is just poor writing practices IMO

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
Beaten yes replayed .6 times (if you where to both my attempts 2, you will get 1.2 but I dont think thats what you are asking =p ) so really replayed = 0 if I round down.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 
IMO made too large of a plothole to fill in at all. IMO its just bad writing...  now I do allow the had wave of the "Thermal Clips" based on "Gameplay changes" so that was fine (it was a minor part of the story anyway so no bigg issue there)  Joker running with squadmembers, needs a VERY good explaination as to why they even agreed to do such a thing. Major character breaking IMO. Story can be secondary as long as they keep the characters (in character)
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 
 ME1 and ME2 still had the unknown ending at the time, we all though that maybe some choice or another would effect the game. I mean going from ME1 to ME2 even some of the 'side quests" wither you did them or not effected how the story went. Like the recuitment mission for Thane (main character playthough did all sidequests) So I got a dialoge from the asari where she knew shep. Another playthough where I forgot to do the quest, and she acted like she didn't know him. IMO that was a cool change. It was replayable because we didn't know what we would get from the future game. With ME3 I really didn't notice much change unless the characters where dead. and the off screen "killing" off of minor characters, IMO is lame, because I dont use Twitter much or facebook, and I only found out from BSN that they killed Emily Wong, I mean what it was decided just before the game came out that she would be killed?

As for not wanting to replay ME3 the ending left sucha  bitter impression in my mouth that really why would I want to play it agean? if all playthroughs no matter what choices I make will ALWAYS lead the same ending. thre is ZERO replay value in it. Alot of people like to say "But its the Journey" sorry its not. A Journey has a begining middle and "end". "Infinte Journeies" are only for those that don't have resposablities or immortal, and because I haven't meat an immortal person. If anything I'm reminded of the Star Trek Voyager Episode where, one of the "Q's" wants to end his life because he has "done it all"

As for adding Multiplay "because" of the ending, its hard to say if that was the reason or not, IMO i think the reason was more to go along to lines of games like Assassins Creed where it was SP and then went MP The multiplayer is jsut a side note to teh game, while it still is a great SP game, They didn't seem to sacerfice much of the SP (granted we haven't seen how THAT story is going to end so its still up in the air)
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 
 Those are mainly issues with having an outside author doing "fan fics" of a franchise is just that "Fan Fiction" I never read the Novels nor do I am inclined to read them. I get tid bits here and there from the forums.

If the orginal "autor" wants to add such characters that is fine, its there right to, (as long as its all legal) Tho I would wish they would at least give us backstory and what not of said characters, and the reason for the conflicts they bring into the story. Like the reason Cerburus was hated by the Quarians, it was never stated why so much bad blood. I was hoping it would be exaplined in game what all happened. I ended up finding out on the forums the reason for the bad blood. (not really a place to be finding out where it happened, and that infact the incedent happened in some "other" author's story. I never liked such practices even with other franchises. (can't think of one off hand... I think D&D had a few things like that happen... that and Star Wars, tho with SW it was mainly in the exended universe where those things happened so it really doesn't count as tehre really is no "cannon" to it)
 
 As for pairing off the people in game like Tali and Garus (that was a fun surprize =) ) but i dont find it a problem, because I don't see anywhere where it would be Character breaking. Are they allowed to fall in love? Yes, no problem, is it love or just a fling? (never given the answer) but again it falls inline of acceptable behavoir.
 
Jokers running away, does seem like a character break, because I don't really see him as the type to run away with so much at stake. Honestly, considering his devotion to the SR1 during begining of ME2 that he would rather go down fighting than running away. I can see with the "Destory" ending in that maybe if EDi figured out that the wave was going to destory all "syntiic life" that he would book it out of there to run away from it. But that does not explain why your Squadies are with them.
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 
After the "Star child"  that whole section just seems out of place. I got a hint of it with the "talking to the dieing reaper, on Quarian homeworld" that the reason it gave was "to stop the chaos" as an answer, it felt... strange at teh time, and after Star child it was a very childish answer... and really after all that, it really put the reapers and all of into a catagory of the "Grade school bully" Because most grade school bullies are the kids who are bigger stronger than all the others. So it really gave them a childish. So really they are sposed to be the most powerful beging in the galaxy and they give a reason for doing this like a kid in Grade school would give a teacher. "I want to stop them fighting so I beat them up " Look up "Insane Troll Logic" at TVtrops . org
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

Maybe... the DLC I will pay for list is very very short... and I will wait to find out other peoples opionons of the DLC before even thinking about buying it.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
 the IT...  honestly while they have some ground to stand on... its loose. I wont try to burst there bubble on it because imo they have lost it because of the ending. and if they want to think that was how it went... more power too them. I dont subscribe to it but I'm not going to deny them, as I said they do have some base ground to say that.  If they wanna come up with there own FanFic's about what happened for "Real" I may read them.

As for the last part of your question, I think that is something you should ask yourself and not us, because that would be writing the paper for you =)
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
 Bought most of them, only 1 weapons pack, got the hammerhead missions, arvial, broker, overlord, (hammerhead and weapons because I had some money left of giftcards and needed to use it up before bank started taking money away from them) Broker/overlord/arvial for the story
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
As for the stocks... anyone is fine with claiming they where the reason for it, who knows maybe stock holders didn't like the ending and sold there stock because they though the writing was weak. It could also be because of the people "returning" the game because of it.  ME3 was a major event, and when you hear people are "returning" the last game of a series. Doesn't that make you wonder why? and it would lower stockholder confidence. ?

 Well poor writing is poor writing no matter where it is, Movie/Book/Comic and now Games. Poor writing shows no matter what medium is used. Its just a matter as how much visablity it has for a given community. With books in there respective communities its very visable. But for those not really reading alot of books it wont be seen, there. Movies are more visable so all of us can reliate to watching a movie and getting a poor writer or poor whatever to make a movie bad. In fact we have a non offical rating system as in "B" movies.  As for games, for the X?Y?Z?? generation its the new medium for storytelling. Before that was Books, then Radio, then Movies, then TV, now we have games, as a storyteller.

With Books are, almost permanet in there stories as after it goes to press, there can be no changes made. Unless there some serious Type or printing error there really is no way for the same author to go back and change things.

With TV I think we all know about the famus "Dream arc" that killled the show "Dallas" alot of people where angery that they would change the story and do something like that, Not to mention spinoff show of the orginal series. So they tried to change the story, but that was also because the show had been on a long time. And people where intrested in the story. Only to have it thrown in the face that "That didn't happen" So that was a very unsucessful atempt to "change the story"

I haven't really seen it with movies, only with DVD extras do we see any change. Tho I think a good explame of quality of story telling is MIB1 and MIB2 IMO, MIB1 was a great story, and even some times could be taken as 'reality' While with MIB2 it became much more childish, because they started breaking even the laws of gravity at one point.

With games it can be a much more fluid process, Fall Out 3/The Witcher 2 have succuessfully changed the ending and the protests where much less publisid than with Bioware. They didn't give a "artisic integerty" card for not changing it. In Fall Out case, it really was a matter of dealing with troll logic, The guy in immune to radiation, but he asks ou to do it because "its your destany" Troll logic Defcon 1... As for the The Witcher 2, dont really know the details on it, but aparently the endings really wasn't well recived but they went ahead and changed to to please there fans.
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

Got collectors edition so it came with it (i regert getting it now but willing to stick with it) 

I think it was kind of odd, making him someone you had to buy to get, considering the weight of the chacter could bring to the story. In the grand scheme of things its not that big of an issue. But, the Thessia beacon does make Liara's lines very out of place. Talking like Javik isn't even there. (Its reacting to you Shep because it thinks you are a Prothan, when the more logical assumtion would be that its reaction to Javik)

It does make it hard for it not be a "pay us $10" considering what teh character 'could' bring to the game. So it does seem like a money grabbing scheme on the part of BW.

[Federally]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience] 1. Have you completed Mass Effect 3?

Yes

2. If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?

NA

3. Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

Ps3 player so I've only played 2 & 3 tho I'm familiar with the plot of 1.

4. If you have, which character was your LI in each installment? Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

Have multiple playthroughs, LIs include Garrus, Thane, Miranda and Tali. The writing of most of the LI dialogue was really great and made the characters more alive, so yes.

5. In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?

I never looked up how to save all of them. I tried to but failed to on 4 of 5 playthroughs and was heart broken when I lost one due to my own errors! So yes.

6. Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?

I did one straight renegade game in 2 and at times it was hard to follow through and often when dealing with squad members couldn't say the renegade response. Same thing in 3, my renegade Shep quickly turned Paragon because many choices felt too wrong.

7. What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

1.The conversation between femshep and a LI Garrus at the FOB in London. 2. Conversation between Shep and LI Tali on Rannoch. 3. Thane deathbed scene with FemShep after reading the prayer. Common theme? Amazing conclusion to tons of character development and very sad/touching scenes.

Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity

1. Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

Yes. Fluid

2. Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

I don't know

3. Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

Of course not, without a long explanation i'll simply say the Normandy crash would kill/disable EDI (read the codex she's a quantum blue box AI!). It makes no sense and its so forced it just breaks the lore and plot. 'Artists' who sacrifice good art just to make a philosophic statement disgust me.

4. Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?

I haven't considered if it had more or less. It had a fair amount that broke up the drama without ruining the flow of the story. Doubt it has anything to do with the ending as the writers involved in dialogue weren't the ones who wrote the main story arc.

5. Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

EA is a publicly traded corporation, they make business decisions, artistic integrity is not involved. If it was then BioWare wouldn't have had to have deadlines to meet or strict budgets, they would have simply pursued their artistic vision. They want to make money and you HAVE to please customers to make money, citing 'artistic integrity' is a cop out.

6. With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?

There is closure to Mordin, Thane and Legion's stories, there is only questions and plot holes with the Normandy crash. No closure

7. Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?

They made the correct choice in ME2 when it was explained the Reapers harvest advances species for procreation. This is a hero's journey, a story of good vs evil, forcing a last minute plot twist and trying to give the primary antagonists sympathetic motives is a big mistake. You can't try and turn the bad guys into sort of maybe good guys in the last couple minutes.

8. A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

The only stories I know of the ME ending is similar too are plays from ancient Greece. The different is the Greeks actually believed there really were Gods who could bring the hero back to life and present him solutions, we do not so a Deus Ex Machina doesn't work.

9. Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)? Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

I think people are unfairly mean to Ms. Chobot. That said her appearance in the game and IGN's behavior are suspicious, though IGN has proven to be an unreliable source for accurate reviews anyways so they may be unrelated.

I do agree the effort spent on Dianna Allers would have been better used else where. And of course they took the easy way out with Tali. True 'Artistic Integrity' would have been modeling her face in game, making her actually look alien and standing by their decision. Instead they made her a sexy human with lines drawn on her as the fan pleasing easy way out.

Section 3: The Endings

1. Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

Beaten it once. Played 2nd Shep through to London FOB and I can't bring myself to progress further. I'm also reluctant to import my other 3 ME2 Sheps. The ending just ruins it all for me.

2. What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?

I hate it. Without writing a three page rant I'll simply say it breaks all the rules of good story telling. It lacks narrative coherence, shows all action with no consequence, opens too many plot holes and answers no questions. Instead of making me happy or sad it made me frustrated.

3. Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?

As I mentioned before I have struggled to replay the game due to the endings. I have played a lot of MP.

4. Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?

Haven't read the books, ME3's Kai Leng is a joke as an antagonist. He is an empty character with cutscene super powers and weak boss fights. Garrus and Tali is whatever. Joker's escape is different, it was forced. It wasn't a decision by the character's writer, the plot required it in order to setup the Adam and Eve nonsense of the ending so of course it doesn't fit.

5. At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

Thessia. The Thessia mission is a hunk of crap hidden behind great visuals and some tear jerker dialogue. If you separate yourself from the Asari on screen and Liara's sadness you realize the actual story behind the Thessia mission is abysmal and it just gets worse from there.

6. Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

I've spent $60+$10Dlc already, as far as I'm concerned I already paid for a good ending. I won't pay again.

7. Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans? How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?

The IT theory is just people in denial. Instead of admitting BioWare ****ed up bad they are actually hoping BW says 'it was all a dream!' which is a terrible and over used plot device.

Section 4: Economic Input

1. Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?

Bought all of them. Mass Effect 2 = great, more Mass Effect 2 = more great.

2. The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?

This will have no impact in other mediums and will only negatively impact gaming. Other studios will be less likely to take big risks and set similar lofty story telling goals.

3. Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

I bought it. Was okay with it until I got the impression that it was part of the game they carved out and sold us separately. Seems like a raw deal

[the slynx]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Yes.
 
2.      n/a
 
3.      Yes.
 
4.      Liara/Liara (and again, Liara in the final) in one; Liara/Miranda (and incomplete) in another. It did not affect my enjoyment.
 
5.     Their stories contributed to it significantly. I ended up saving a few characters about whom I was indifferent, including Jack and Zaeed.
 
6.      I mostly played Paragon, but chose on a by-situation basis rather than to choosing one path and sticking with it.
 
7.      The Tuchanka mission in ME3 with Mordin; the sense of exploration and wonder in starting ME1; most of ME2. All gave a sense of possibility, but with constraints on and consequences for your actions.
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      I believe video games can be thought-provoking and emotional experiences created by people with that in mind. Talking to artists has led me to conclude I don`t understand or care what art is; but I care about things that can do the things mentioned in the first sentence.
 
2.      Shepard seemed too passive in the final scenes, whereas he had seemed more intense and angry earlier on.
 
3.      No, in terms of plot consistency. No, in terms of being too facile for the nuance the game had previously utilised.
 
4.      I think all games had humorous moments, with ME1 being a bit more dour.
 
5.      I think the endings can be amended to retain the initial quandary, but also provide other options.
 
6.      I found the crew`s escape jarring in narrative terms. I don`t mind characters being stranded or dying in a game that emphasises consequence like this one.
 
7.      Prior to the explanation, the Reapers had a frightening inscrutability that was compromised by the explanation; several good, clear objections can be raised to the logic presented behind their actions.
 
8.      The ending reminded me somewhat of Deux Ex, which I didn`t particularly like. ME3`s problems arise from compromised consistency of themes, logic and narrative structure. There aren`t many games with both the emphasis on and quality of story as the ME series; the trilogy`s endings did not meet these standards, regardless of the actions or quality of other games.
 
9.      I have no opinion of Jessica Chobot. Some IGN editors have openly disavowed objectivity in reviews, and this sort of attitude has, in my mind, informed much of their writing quality. They are simply not a very reliable source of analysis, although they remain fairly competent at presenting simple news.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      I have beaten the game one time, and will likely play towards the final mission one more time.
 
2.      I did not like the endings; they were inconsistent, had noticeable narrative holes, jarred with philosophical implications made elsewhere in the series, were undifferentiated, and introduced a regrettable deus ex machina character without explanation.
 
3.      I don`t think MP can be blamed for the campaign. Much of the campaign was of high quality. I do think the endings affect replayability; the endings were sufficiently poor that they made the universe less interesting a place to inhabit.
 
4.      I didn`t appreciate the Normandy abandoning the fight. I`m indifferent to other squadmates having relationships, and find the objection strange. Kai Leng did not have the sort of depth normally associated with the series or the developer, and stuck out as a result.
 
5.      My first worries emerged in the final hour or so, when it became clear that we were meant to believe the Reapers had left an open portal to the Citadel, which they now knew was central to human war efforts, largely unguarded. There were earlier indications that the game favored action over consideration, but I believe this fits reasonably well with the desperation the finale is meant to invoke.
 
6.      No.
 
7.      I don`t believe indoctrination theory is a good one, although I am willing to admit it may be true. My thoughts on the matter are linked in my signature, but are lengthy. Generally speaking, I believe IT to be poor writing that relies on an ambiguous narrative device.
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      I purchased Shadow Broker, Kasumi`s add-on, a weapon pack and the AI one, whose name is currently escaping me. I purchased new, and so was entitled to some add-ons, such as the Zaeed DLC. I read good things about the add-ons I purchased and had some money left over on my Xbox account. I also purchased two add-ons for the first game (Bringing Down the Sky and Pinnacle Station).
 
2.      Poor writing is endemic in the industry, but is often (and justifiably, in some games) overlooked. Some games are judged on different merits, and I believe this game is one of the few judged to a high narrative or cinematic standard; I don`t believe this sort of standard will become the default. I`m not convinced of the ties between EA stock prices and the Retake movement.
 
3.      No. I believe a) the price was not worth the likely content, based on previous character add-ons, and if the character was critically important to the story, he should have been present in the game in the first place.

Modifié par torudoom, 08 avril 2012 - 12:47 .

[Daverid]

 [Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3? 
Yes
 2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?


  3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
Yes 

4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game? 
Liara in All 3 Games. Have done all available LI's as MaleShep in both ME1 and 2 .. Didn't effect the game as a whole but Liara as a LI has felt like the best of all them in ME1 and 3.  

5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them? 

Yes. Also growing to love all their characters throughout in not only their Missions but also Conversations on the Normandy and on planets.

6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other? 
Mainly Paragon but some Renegade Choices definitely felt better at Times. 7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them? 
Mordin Sacrificing Himself to Cure the Genophage. Final Battle Cinematic with all the Ships assaulting the Reapers. Legion Sacrificing Himself to Upgrade the Geth and achieving Peace between Quarians/Geth. The Common theme's being that 2 of them are the Ending to Pivotal Moments we are aware of throughout the entire series (And I guess the Final Battle IS the Means to the End of the WHOLE ME storyline)... And Sacrifice. Big moments of crying as Main Characters who we've grown to love immensely sacrifice themselves for the greater good ... And the Fleet is sacrificing huge amounts for the sake of the whole galaxy. 

Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity 

1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid? I believe it can be classed as Art. and it is definitely Fluid. 

2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with? I have a problem with 0 characters. I felt they were all done nearly perfectly and was happy with every single Character and the way they Continued or Ended. 

3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms? 

Nope. I think that Ending makes sense if one was to choose Synthesis as their Ending. The others should not involve that, regardless of whether EDI and Joker got together because of you.

 4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending? 

I don't think the Humour has anything to do with the Ending :S   I think there WAS more humorous moments throughout the game but it was more due to the fact that we have grown so used to all these characters after 2 games and the Writers have gotten better at writing the characters. So little In-Jokes and minor quips were hilarious. 

5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity? 

I don't think Changing the ending would compromise themselves or EA .. However it would cause them to have to admit that they F'd up, and they screwed up the Original Ending... Which (As we've now learnt since PAX) they're just simply not willing to do. They desperately want to believe THEY'RE ending was FINE and Makes sense and so they're doing all this to preserve their "Art". 

 6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?   7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone? 

They should have explained it .. But NOT like the way they did, it was HORRIBLY executed

 8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different? Going to be general here but most of those Games with 'Similar' Endings actually MADE SENSE. Using the Recent Deus Ex (Human Revolution) as an Example... We get 3 (4) Choices ... In reality it's a bit random, and I sort of did wonder how and why I was randomly getting this choice. But it makes sense. The choices are all built up throughout the game, the decision you have to make is foreshadowed CONSTANTLY throughout Mission and Side Missions. You meet all the characters and hear there side of the story and their perspective on Augmentations and issues presented in the game. The Choices Make 100% Sense.. ME3's make 0% 

9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

Very different scenarios ... Jess Chobot they just had to Render her face into the game and boom done. Tali they would have to Find the right person .. Render it in .. Add effects they needed to .. Would have been quite a bit more effort no matter what they did.. I personally don't have a problem with Tali's Face. But I think the choice should have been : DON'T show the face AT ALL  (Keep it a mystery!) OR come up with a completely Original In-game Face and SHOW IT IN-GAME (When she takes mask off on Rannoch)


Section 3: The Endings 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

Twice. Only did it the second time to get the "Red" Ending in which Shepard takes a Breath because I HOPED DLC would come that would prove the Indoctrination Theory correct and I would need that Save. Sadly that 30hours on the Second play was completely wasted now that were going to get this stupid Extended Cut and I would just use my original Play anyway.   

2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion? 

I have the opinion of pretty much everyone who has LIKED the retakemasseffect page. You being a Hater of the Ending I'm sure has a similar Opinion as I. 

 3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities? 

 I played one multiplayer match and it was completely boring. What a waste of resources just so EA could add Micro-Transactions.. **** you EA. Also the game has 0 Reability compared to 1 and 2 ... I played twice and regret that now after the announcement of Extended Cut. Just because you know what's coming is so bad that you can't be bothered playing the other 99% of the game, even though it's so awesome, you just can't do it.

 4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples? 

I enjoyed every single character in the game, as stated Above. Personally I didn't mind Kai-Leng.. I never really saw him as the "Main Villian" ... Just like I didn't view TIM as the main Vilian, it always was and is THE REAPERS. Cerberus, TIM and Kai-Leng are just Misguided Morons. A Organization that gets in the way of your real Goal to Rid the Galaxy of the Reapers. I thought Kai-Leng was fine and server his purpose. I chuckled when I saw Garrus and Tali together, it's Cute, and personally I think it makes perfect sense. Shepard shouldn't be the only one to get Laid before going into Battle >.>
Also Joker leaving the Battle .. Well that falls under "Bull**** Stupid Plothole Crap As a Part of the Ending". It was just ridiculous. Joker would not abandon Shepard and it's a load of Crap. I refuse to believe he would ever do that EVEN if commanded to by Hackett. So I hope the Extended cut has a Goddam AMAZING explanation to why because I will still probably refuse to believe it.

 5..      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3? 

It's not really the Quality of the Writing .. It's the whole Plot of what occurs once Shepard gets lifted via Elevator to where the God Child is

 6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings? 

Yes I would happily pay $10 for a Real Ending (Perhaps say something like the Indoctrination Theory)

7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?              

I think the Fans have been EXTREMELY Smart at putting all these pieces together to form the Indoctrination Theory / Dream Sequence and it's a complete and Utter Failure on Bioware's Behalf for giving us the Extended Cut DLC instead of Giving us the Amazing piece of Fan Fiction we have pieced together for them

Section 4: Economic Input 

1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?

I bought every single one of them. Reason was because i LOVED ME1 and 2 .. And buying the DLC seemed Logical... And I don't regret it, it was all Awesome in 1 and 2. 

   2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?   

I don't think RetakeME3 is the sole reason for EA's stock drops .. They've released all their big games and they're now in a Lul ... I'm sure as soon as they release their next big game it will spike back up .. But it has definitely dropped quicker then it should have and probably due to the mass Media around the Ending and hate towards ME3. I don't think it will affect other areas of the Entertainment industry... Just look at Lucasfilm, they're not destroyed because of the Prequels (Wish they were tho)

    3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

I received From Ashes DLC from Collectors Edition. However the character was quite intruiging and some of the Scenes with him are hilarious and informative. I would probably have paid the $10 for him anyway. I don't really care how and When BioWare bring out DLC as long as it's quality is good, and frankly it's quality is acceptable. (It could have been only 5-7 bucks instead of 10 however). It's just the Ending makes the Prothean Pointless.

Modifié par Daverid, 08 avril 2012 - 01:11 .

[AlphaFist]

1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?

Yes.
 
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?

N/A
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

Yes, both games.
 
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

Mass Effect - Ashley.
Mass Effect 2 - Did not romance anyone, stayed faithful to Ashley.
 
 
5.     
In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the
final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main
influence in saving them?

I just wanted to have a playthrough where I saved everyone, I would have saved everyone even if there was a character I did not like but this was not the case.
 
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?

I played the whole trilogy as a paragon character.
 
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

The Novaria mission in the first game, from being able to investigate corruption to driving to the base and bringing it back online and finding the paragon way to progress. Gaining every squad members loyalty and seeing the impact that has in the final mission. I still felt a sense of anxiety everytime I played the suicide mission even though I knew I had maxed out the characters and upgraded everything I could.
 
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

Some videogames can be considered as art but they are primarly for entertainment. Art can be both static and fluid, if the Mass Effect series is considered art then I would consider it to be fluid since the player has decisions to make in its outcome.

 
 
2.     
Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA
rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a
similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

I did not read the leaked script so I would not know. Nothing really comes to mind about thinking something had changed.
 
 
3.     
Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made
sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic
organisms?

Not really. Seemed cliche.
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more
humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was
to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to
detract fans from over thinking the ending?

Maybe slightly less than Mass Effect 2 but I have not played every single mission or explored every dialoge option to know for sure.
 
 
5.      Given
Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into
the series, do you think changing the ending all together would
compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

No. I would be happy if BioWare adopted the indoctrination theory (even if they did not originally did not plan this) and added an extra ending onto the end that shows Shepard waking up (as seen in the destory ending) and finishing the fight on his/her own terms. If BioWare did this I believe it would be the most engaging form of storytelling since Andrew Ryan in BioShock.
 
 
6.     
With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part
of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew
any different?

Again it seemed cliche and it raised more questions. Something that the conclusion of a trilogy should not do.
 
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the
right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or
should it have been left alone?

If by the Illusive Man then his involvement was fine and he appeared less than in Mass Effect 2. Harbinger should have made more appearances though.
 
 
8.      A lot of fans found
the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other
franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises,
they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

Those stories were linear and did not involve the player making choices over three games. BioWare essentially nullified hours of investment in the series in the last hour or so of gameplay.
 
 
 
9.     
Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica
Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss
England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas
Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an
Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in
Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s
defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role
had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset
fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a
scapegoat?

I did not romance Tali so I did not see the photo in the game (but saw it on the internet instead) I can see how people would be upset. In my opinion BioWare should have just left her face to the players imagination and not bothered with photoshoping a face in. The addition of a reporter on the Normandy was interesting but I don't think they implemented her well and could have done more.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.     
Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America)
have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

Twice. The first time a couple of days after it was released and the second time about a week or so afterwards on Insanity difficulty.
 
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?

I blacked out during the ending on my first play so it made very little sense to me and I actually had to rewatch it on Youtube. The longer I think about the ending the more problems I find with it.
 
 
3.     
Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value,
what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in
this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware
has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why
they added multiplayer capabilities?

The ending makes me want to replay the game less. I will always play as a paragon character and I completed both previous games multiple times. I imagine when I replay Mass Effect 3 most decisions and characters I help will probably end up dying during the events of the ending anyway. The multiplayer is a fun addition but the goal is just to add points to your EMS score for the finale anyway so there is not really any reason to keep adding and adding to it.
 
 
 
4.      Some
pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not
Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the
franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai
Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by
fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s
introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his
personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the
player does not romance them in the previous installment of the
franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the
fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these
accurate examples?

Some characters I wish were in the game more such as Grunt, Zaeed and other squadmates from the previous game. Not really explored the dialoge options enough yet to have an opinion on the rest.
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

After Tuchunka. Mass Effect 2 was a lot more solid from beginning to end.
 
 
6.     
Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass
Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending
over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

I think if BioWare/EA charged for any new ending DLC it would make things a lot worse. Text epilogues would be far worse than extra cinematics however.
 
7.     
Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of
Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion
of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or
is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How
is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last
sequence?
 
After watching several videos on the indoctrination theory it certainly has a lot of evidence going for it. Such as the starchild being a mixture of male and female Shepards voice, the reversal of paragon/renegade choice colours and the weird vignetting of the screen and Anderson's dialoge. Ideally I would want any new ending DLC to support this theory, if the ending DLC disproved the theory I would be more upset. If BioWare intended the indoctrination theory to be true it would be the smartest piece of videogame story telling in recent memory.
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.     
Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content
(DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what
was the reasoning behind buying them?

Yes I bought every avaliable piece of content as I consider myself to be a completionist fan of the series.
 
 
 
2.      The
Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in
EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by
25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing
in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of
entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
Maybe developers will be less keen to take certain risks with established franchices. But this proves that the consumer is always right and the developer should satisfy them as best they can.
 
3.     
Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you
think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making
them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history
of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players
upset about the vagueness of the ending?


It was included in my collector's edition so I did not pay for it but I have downloaded and played it. The actual mission was a little abrupt but I don't really see the problem with having the character as a download. I never really wondered what the game would have been like if he was included on the disk, I have yet to replay the game with this character though...

[Laurencio]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 
Yes I have.
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 
Yes I have

4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 
I had several playthroughs with different LI in each of them. I don't really know as I've only experienced one part of that question.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 
I don't like to lose. Losing people you don't need to seemed like a loss to me, so I refused to let it happen.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 
Not really.
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 
The Genophage scene in ME3, the destruction of the Quarian fleet in ME3, and the Suicide mission in ME2 I think. Been a while since I played ME1 though.

The theme seems to be emotional conclusions. I suppose.
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 
Yes. Not sure what you mean.

2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 
 Miranda. She was constantly letting me help her and begging for my help in ME2, now she doesn't even want to talk to me properly. That was a little odd. The rest could basically be explained by what they had experienced. Character progression was pretty good in the series.

3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 
As in Joker and EDI? Sure. Not that I got that ending in my first playthrough.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 
No.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 
No, but I do think that from a pragmatic point it would be next to impossible, it's not an emotional decision. If the original writers don't want to change the ending, then changing it would indeed comprimise the artists' invidiual artistic integritiy.
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
 They are on a habitable planet, they have an entire ship filled with experts in virtually every field with them, as well as a very high level of technology aboard the ship, they have weapons, they have medical supplies and they have food. There is no reason to believe that they would automatically die, contrary to popular belief.
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
Not relevant. Could have been left alone, but could also have been explained. The explanation given wasn't really good enough, that was the problem, not the decision to give an explanation.
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
 
People always look for connections, that's just how the brain works. Whether or not they are really there is another story. The reason these people are upset about it is because they have made an emotional connection to the Mass Effect universe and see it as seperate from anything else.
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

No, no and no.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
Yes, none so far.

2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 
It's OK, could be better, has a handful of issues. It's their story, they can do what they want. Because that's how it's always been and there's no reason why this game should be any different.
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 
It has replay value, and I will more than likely finish it a few times more.

They haven't, it's a false assumption considering that in the past month they have made numerous press statements, they have constant communication over social media and in less than a month they have begun a project to adress fan concerns. That's not being "largely quiet".

No, multiplayer has nothing to do with the percieved replay quality of the game.
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 
 Kai Leng was just a stupid character. He wasn't badly portrayed, he was just bad period.

Why Garrus and Tali can't have a relationship is beyond me. There's nothing in particular about their characters that suggest this to be impossible.

I have no idea why Joker did that, but it's not against his character's personality to protect the ship at all costs, as evidenced in the opening of ME2 where he must be convinced to leave the ship while it's falling down around him.
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 
The quality varied throughout, there were moments that were absolutely brilliant, as well as really cliché and nonsensical ones. The pace and feel changed when they changed the pace and feel, intentionally, in London.
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

Obviously. Thats not really a valid comparison though.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
It's a desperate attempt to make poor design choices seem relevant by using clichéd writing and inventing a conspiratorial twist to the writing that doesn't exist. It's a desperate hail mary by people who can't accept writer's freedom, much like how the new Star Wars trilogy isn't "real" in the minds of many Star Wars fans.

Let them think what they want, I'm going to stick to what the storytellers tell me.

Bioware doesn't desire speculation among their fans, you have no evidence to support this, therefore the question is invalid.

Invalid question.
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
Only those that changed the story, I'm not buying cosmetic armour, weapon changes and the like. Cause I liked the game and wanted more of it.
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
 Not an actual question. Poor writing has generally been badly recieved in television, movies, books and other entertainment forms for decades already.
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

Yes I did. He doesn't play a crucial role in the story, that is inaccurate. He adds to the story, adds interesting information, gives you a chance to experience a new alien race and their mentality, but he is no more crucial to the story than buying gold-fish to your fish tank.

And no, he doesn't in any way have anyhting to do with the ending.






I have to say your bias is very evident. You make assumptions that are not supported by evidence or facts, and your questions are generally geared towards the retaker goals. You need to work on your questions, because this can never result in a netural, scientific paper.

[Robert-42]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 -- skip --
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 Yes
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 Tali. Not really.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 No
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 No
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
- The suicide mission.
- Curing the genophage.
- Cinematics of the beginning space-battle in the earths orbit in the end (before landing in London) .

All of them were epic moments giving the feeling: "This is it"
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
 Yes.
Static or Fluid?  Static with fluid elements depending on the genre
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 No
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
Not really
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 Yes. Humor has been always an importand part of the Series.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
No. I think the original Dark Matter ending would have been the only one with artistic integrity.

 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 The death of Mordin, Thane and Legion made sense. They sacrified themselves more or less voluntary for a greater good.
 The crew didn't want to strand. It does not make sence. This does not help achieve anything. It makes an Happy Ending impossible.
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
I think it should have beein either been left unexplained -- because the hyperintelligent Sovereign and the Reaper on Rannoch have told that we are not able to comprehend.
Or it something very mysterious or a very good reason.
Given an already often used theme (organocs vs synthetics) in a series which gave in ME2 and 99% of ME3 the feeling that we can coorporate very well (Edi, Legion/Geth) is a too simple and too fishy motivation.

 
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?
The main theme of mass effect has been the fight against an epic mysterious and almost invictible enemy. The cycle itself gave the feeling that this fight is more importand than anything we have seen in other franchises.
Replacing that with something very simply and common (Terminator, IRobot, ...) has taken the whole energy of the series.

 
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?
No, I think showing Tali's Face in a Foto as gift makes sence and is the mopst sensitive way to do it.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 I've played the game ocne. I also watched the endng a few times to check the Indoctrination Theory.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 I don't like the ending. It's dissappointing, because the fight epic mysterious enemy is replaced with the unlogical organics vs synthetics explanation. Also because no Happy end is possible (Which I think should be possible in such an decision driven game)
It also destroy the whole galactical civilization
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
The ending has removed all motivations to play the third part again.
 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
Yes:
*  I haven't read the novels. But Kai Leng felt somehow out of place.
* Tali/Garrus felt somehow wrong, as we know Tali to be a more romantic person to say that she just wants Garrus' body.
* Joker abandoning the fight during its climax was totally out of place
 
 
 5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?
 Landing in London. It changed from beeing an epic fight against the Reapers to an postapocaliyptic depressing something.
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?
Yes
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 I personaly like the indoctrination theory as it brings sence to the current ending and allows to add an appropiate ending of the MassEffect Saga.

I don't think that bioware has chosen sheppard to be indoctrinated (although I think that they might have thought about that or added hints to get the fans speculating)

I think they have no evidence, but very good hints like the trees beeing mirrored in the starchild scene.

It's the only way to make a new ending where you don't have to try to forget the old one.

 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 Not all. I've bought the
ME2:
  "Kasumi", the "ShadowBroker" and the  "Arrival"

  I've informed myself whitch of the DLCs had interesting additional story

ME3:
  the "Prothean"-DLC

  because a real living Prothean was very very interesting
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
The first 99% of ME3 has been the best of MassEffect in my opinion. So the proce decrease is unjustified
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?
I've bought it. I like it. And I believe bioware that they've started developing it after the rest of the game has reached gold status. Javik is a nice character but not essential to the history of the franchise as he is just a soldier, not a scientist.
I don't understand other fans beeing upset because of this.

[Sundance31us]

OP

Are you going to take into consideration the legal aspect; specifically the right of an owner (Bioware/Producer) to do as it wishes with its property (intellectual property/ME franchise)?

[Hussain747715]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 N/A
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 yes
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 Kaiden (died), Jacob (Betrayed me), and Taylor. It didn't affect me much.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
It was for most of them except for Samara (who I hate but saved anyway) and Jacob (because I didn't know he would've betrayed me ). 
 
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
I was purely paragon because I though most of renegade choices consider only short-term effect and are kind of unrequired most of the time.
 
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 Although the ending made me forget all of these I think best 3 would be:
1. Soverigen encounter in ME1.
2. Mordin sacrafice (ended really well).
3. The leaked Anderson and Shephard excahnge in the ending (Uncut version found on the internet).
4. IF the above doesn't count then it would be any speach associted with TIM (because he is too awesome).
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
They are form of art but I think it is fluid especially games like ME where gamers play huge role in shaping the story.
 
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 The only problem that I think I had that the death of any 
character only meant that you will get another one. e.g. if Wrex is dead you get Wreav (or w/e his name), Mordin dead you get another salarain and so on.
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?
 The whole Normady scene didn't make any sense for me.
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 The only game that has lack of humorous momments was ME1 and even that one had a lot of fun momments so my answer is NO.
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?
 They already changed some elements of story according to fans feedback, going to provide a 'fixed' edition for decepition book (will it harm their 
 artistic integrity?), and other games have already done it (none critisised them for it)
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 Because the whole scene didn't make sense and was out of context and character.
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
I would've liked it left unexplained
 
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

I haven't played these other games so I don't really know but what I know is:
1. It doesn't fit the theme of the story. 
2. This ending is supposed to be the ending of 3 games a total of 100 hours. You would expect that the players are more invested in that story than another game with only 25 hours or so.
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?
I believe that Tali was handled poorly and I don't see the point of including a journalist in a game except for one reason that I would leave for *speculation*.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
not even once although I had plans to beat it a couple more times before the ending.
 
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 Crap.
Smells bad.
Not going to repeat what others have already said you can look at one of 1000 threads about the endings.
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
The ending is a main factor for my inability to replay any of the three games 

 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
Kai Leng, I haven't read the book so I dunno.
I am okay with Garrus and Tali (really).
Joker scene was totally out of character.
 
 
 
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

After you got hit by Harbinger there are some inconsistencies but it degrades even further after the 'space elevator'. 

 
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?
A text alone ? no.
Gameplay and text? yes
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 I believe that those who support that the ending was dream are one of the most passionate fans of the game and Bioware. However, I believe that they are wrong and Bioware didn't intend it as dream. It is different from those who want it changed because these fans believe that releasing this and then releasing 'The Truth' was Bioware plan while the fans supportining the rewrite believe that Bioware intended this game as it is and it was a mistake.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
Yes all of them, because I wanted to support Bioware.
 
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 Not sure but word of mouth is a strong sales weapon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?
Yes, I bought it because I wanted to experience the story 'fully'. I don't see how is this related to the ending but it is another bad point on Bioware.

[Electric Pig]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.       Yes I have
 

2.      N/A
 
 
3.      Yes, multiple times
 
 
4.      Liara for main. Did other romances just for experience. 
 
 
5.      For certain characters yes
 
 
6.      Sometimes yes. I liked being liked..
 
 
7.     Talking to Legion and learning about the true Geth, listening to Kirrahes hold the line speech and hanging out with Garrus on citidel. No real theme.
 
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.       I would argue that games are capable of being art, games that can make you feel something are art to me (something above KILL PEOPLE WITH MA BUG GUN). That said if somethings bad you shouldnt refuse to change it cause it'll ruin the "artistic integrity " you should take the critism and improve. If a artist spilt ink all over his painting would you expect him to just ignore it and carry on?
 
 
2.     I dont see any major inconsistenties with the characters. Any change in attidue is because of the situation they're in.
 
 
3.    The theme of co-existance between robot and man was not established until 5 minutes before the end of the game. The theme running through 3 games was basically finding a way of uniting the galaxy 
to stop the reaper threat. So no. I do not agree with the theme. And would argue bad stroy telling for changing the main goal so late in the game. 
 
4.      It was to break the mold of gloom and death throughout the game, which is a good thing.
 
 
5.      No. Intergrity is bulls**t. With the ending as terrible as it is, Hudson should of admitted to screwing up and announced an alternative ending. Course thats not happening now. Mainly because of his ignorance. 
 
6.      Why are the characters strandard to begin with? Why was Joker running away? How did your last squadmates leave earth? Too many plot holes. 
 
 
 
7.      Considering the reson made no sense they should of never of explained. 
 
 
8.   
 
 
 
9.      Allers was a horrible character only bought in for a easter egg to.. I dunno what crowd. But someone at ea/bioware figured this would be a good idea. The crap performance by Jessica won over no-one and brings to question why couldnt someone like emily wong be in the role. I do not think this affected igns score, me3 is a great game I wont deny that because of the isssues I have with some of its features.
Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      3 times beaten. 3 recoulered endings.
 
 
2.    Bad ending. Plain and simple. Plot holes. Inconsistent theme. Overally depressive. Absolutly no closure. Barley takes in choices in earlier games. The fact any reak fan finds it good outstands me. 
 
 
3.      The ending hasnt affected my replayability, I still enjoy the gameplay and the story up to starchild. However my enjoyment of the game has severly dropped now that I know what awaits me at the end.
 
 
 
4.     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.      Star child. The poster boy poor writing.
 
 
6.      No
 
7.     I take indoc theroy as canon. I dont think Bioware intended it. At all. I use it just to avoid taking one of the intended endings as actual canon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      I bought all of them. As I love the world of mass effect. So damn much.
 
 
 
2.      Just gaming. Media still looks down at the gaming industry despite its growth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.      Got it free with collectors pack. Although its obvious it wasnt built in two months like bioware said. So I do feel bad for those who had to buy it.

[FaultenXIII]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
 Yes I have.
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?
 Yes I have played both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 On my main playthrough it was Liara, on my secondary playthrough it was Garrus. The LI storylines were one of the main motivations for me in the games as it was both interesting and rewarding getting to know the characters I was most drawn to.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 Yes, very much so. For me the loyalty quests were one of the game's most well done parts. It was one of the few times a game made me genuinely care for a fictional character. The one's that stood out the most for me were the ethical and moral conflicts in Mordin's quest line, the themes of murder and redemption with Samara, and Garrus' struggle with revenge and betrayle. So after going through these trials with my Shepard's squadmates I was extremely motivated to ensure their survival.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 Allowing the 'interrupt' options, for both renegade and paragon, allowed me to play a more complex Shepard and thus a more 'human' Shepard. Some of the renegade options allowed me to more fully express frustration at certain characters in the series. The sleazy reporter for example. <_<
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?
 Mordin's death in ME3 where he is sining "The Very Model of a Scientist Salarion" is perhaps the first time a video game has ever made me cry. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time knowing that Mordin was knowingly going to his death, but also that he was doing so with peace in his heart and mind. The second was perhaps the Loyalty quest for Thane where he is trying to save his son from throwing his life away. It was a very emotional and enduring tale of father and son, and I liked Bailey's comment that 'You think he's the only father to ever screw up raising a son?". I found it a very well written and mature scene. Lastly I really appreciated the development of Legion over the corse of the missions on Rannoch. Legion's comment of appreciating the organic concept of hope and even wishing 'Shepard Commander' "good luck" were really touching moments showing that Legion was individuating and growing as an individual. 
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?
I do believe that some video games can count as art, but it depends on the game, genre and intent of the developers/studio. It is much like visual art or any other expressive medium. Even within visual art you have different expressions. There is 'High Art' such as the works of Picasso, Van Goh, and Dali, but there is also comic book art with the works of Alex Ross, and then there is even photography. Each area is held to different standards, sometimes within the same area (i.e. the difference between abstract art vs realism). So I feel that video games can fall along similar lines in that regard. Action games such as the Call of Duty series are held to a different set of standards than more story driven series such as the Uncharted series. 
 
I do believe that art is a fluid concept. Just take a look at art history and see how much our current concept of art differs from 30 years ago, 100 years ago, 400 years ago. It has changed and evolved over the course of history, reflecting different styles and values of those times. As such I think that is a pretty good case for art being a fluid concept. Simply put, what is prefered now, may not always be so in the future.
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

I don't have a clear opinion about this. I would not be suprised if some executive meddeling occured during the development process after the microsoft lead as a way to try and keep the game still suprising upon the release. This may have impacted some characters/plot lines as a result. 
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

Not really. I never felt the theme of ogranics vs. synthetics was a big one in the Mass Effect universe. While the Reapers were technically synthetic constructs, I felt tha the major themes of Mass Effect were Idealism vs Pragmatism, Humainty Finding its Place in the Galaxy, and What is Life? The symbolism was there at the end with Joker and EDI, I just felt it had little to no weight given that theme was never really built up or stressed to me.
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?
 
 I think that Mass Effect had the same amount of humor in it as previous games, but it stood out more due to better writing at those moments. The themes of War and Death were there in the game, I just feel that the humor was there to help keep it from being to overbearing.

5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

No, two of Mass Effect's most iconic characters, Garras Vakarian and Tali Zorah, were developed at the request of player feedback. This demonstrates that Mass Effect is a shared vision between developer Bioware and the player base that expereinces the game. Further proof of this is the overall interactive nature of the Mass Effect game series. The game itself is designed around an interactive narrative with the player. The player is an instigator and major actor in the game's story line. So saying that it is the developer's sole artistic vision is not entirely true since the players have also had a hand in deciding the corse of this series.

Also as a side note, historically artists have been paid by patrons to develop certain pieces of work based on the patron's desires/preferences. In addition within the art world, in particular high art, artistic integrity counts for very little. An artist's fellow peers and critics are stil free criticize and verbally degrade a piece of work if they do not care for it. 
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
 The deaths of certain squadmates was understandable because their deaths were well written and emotionally satisfying. Mordin died undoing what he believed was a mistake and a tragedy. Thane died saving someone's life instead of taking another life. Legion died in the attempt to grant its people true intelligence. These all saw some resolution to complex characters in ways that were satisfying, because while they were killed off it was done in a way that made sense. 
 
Stranding the crew of the Normandy on an uncharted jungle world/moon was very random and unconnected to the larger story. Why was Joker fleeing from the battle on Earth? Just moments before in the game he was telling Commander Shepard that he, Joker, was with the Commander till the very end. It seemed very out of character for this wise cracking, but ultimately loyal, character to suddenly be fleeing from the most important battle in his life. In addition the stranding of the Normandy crew was not a form of resolution for the player. It just generated more questions. What would happen to Joker's health? How will Garrus and Tali survive? The fact this failed to deliver satisfactory resolution is the main point of frustration.

7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
 Yes and no, I do believe giving some motive for the Reaper's actions was a move in the right direction. However having it come down to organics vs synthetics I believe was the wrong explanation for these monsters. Especially given that theme has been only a periphrial concept in the series; mostly explored with the quarians and the geth, and not much elswhere.

8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

For the most part the Mass Effect series has been largely unaffected by major set backs and unsatisfactory contecnt, with the exception of minor problems here and there in the seires. On the whole it has been a model of excellent gameplay and story telling. Which is why the troubled and controverisal ending stands out all the more. Going through three games and countless hours of great gameplay and emotional storytelling only to arrive at an unsatisfying ending only serves to underscore how bad the ending was. 
 
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

I have no opinion. I found the character Allers to neither annoying or interesting. The rest of ME3s cast looked well enough.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
I have played it once, though I am going through ME2 and am planning on importing a save file into ME3.
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?
 
It does have several flaws and I feel that it does go against a fair bit of the earlier themes in the Mass Effect series, however I will say that it is not one of the worst endings I've ever seen. It does provide a form of resolution to the series; however given what the advertising led us to believe, I was expecting an ending that would incoperate more of my previous decisions into the games climax and finale.
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?
 
 Unfortunately yes, I do think that the ending to Mass Effect 3 does inhibit the game's replay value. Knowing that very little of my decisions provide any real consequence to the game's ending robs it of the joy of discovering extra content that I may have missed.
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 
 I have no opinon of Kai Leng due to not having read the Mass Effect books, though I did not mind his character in the game. As for the other characters, I did not feel that they were written differently. The pairing of Garrus and Tali did not bother either as it was pretty funny to me.
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

To me the writing in Mass Effect 3 seemed to change on Horizion and again after taking Cronos Station. However the most evident change in pace and writing seemed to be the scene with the Star Child/ Catalyst. 
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

Yes a $5 or $10 dollor text ending similar to Dragon Age: Origins would not be that bad to me.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
 While the 'Indoctrination Theory" has some interesting claims, I blieve it is people trying to make a reasonable ending out a bad one. More precielsy they are seeing connections in the endings where there are none. In psychology this is called the Gestalt Effect; the tendency for the mind to complete an incomplete image. Regarding the Indoctrination Theory, the fanbase wants to see the ending as something better or at the least more satisfying. So they are finding only the parts that support their view of this, which is confirmation bias, and are weaving them together into a narrative that makes sense to them. 

While I like the indoctrination theory, I do believe the endings are what they are presented as: destroy, synthesis, and control. This may be unpleasent for the fans, this is what we have to work with.
 
 
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?
 
I purchased Lair of the Shadow Broker, Overlord and Arrival. I both Shadow Broker becuase I wanted to continue the romance my Shepard started with Liara and I bought Overlord and Arrival because I heard it could influence ME3.
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
 It's hard to say given how recent this is. As it is, the game has only been out for about a month. So we'll have to see. I hope that Bioware, and the gaming market at large, can walk away with this seeing how important quality product is to its consumers. So hopefully games in the future will get more time and better writers to fully develop them into better stories and products. However at heart, I'm a cynic, so this could also back fire and just wind up with games getting less funding per project as developers only go for a loss investment/ low risk approach and we loose new game ideas in favor of lasting franchises that are known to seell (i.e. Madden and Call of Duty).
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

I bought the Collector's Addition, so 'From Ashes' was already bundled in there. I did however think that having day one DLC for such a crucial character wasa a kind of underhanded move, but I figured that was more of an EA marketing trick more so than Bioware betraying their fanbase. While the game can techniqually be played and completed without the character 'Javik' from the DLC, the player loses flavorful insight into the game's lore and background. If it had been a DLC for extra guns or armor I don't think there would have been a fraction of the same outrage and backlash as there was for the Prothean. Then again I doubt EA/Bioware would have profited nearly as much.  <_<

[Alamar2078]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?   YES
 
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?  N/A
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?  YES
 
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?

I had one character for each possible "male Shep" love interest ... I didn't just have one LI in each game.  Why would I limit myself from a content perspective.

While I did have a character for each possible "male shep" LI I found that primarily my LIs were Ash from ME1, Tali from ME2 [left Ash because of Horizon] and chose to stay with Tali in ME3.

In terms of enjoyment I really like that BW pays attention to LIs because that seems to "round out" the person that we are envisioning in the story.  It make Shep a little less one dimenstional and adds flavor to the character.  This also gives Shep something to care about.

Note:  In ME2 I would often take my LI with me and set up the ending so Shep could save them before they fell over the ledge in the final cutscenes.   Stupid ... yes.  Derpy ... yes.  But BW allowed me the control to write my own story so why not.
 
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?

While I valued the overlapping stories most of my Sheps [even renegade] did the loyalty missions anyway because why would I miss the additional content??

The fact that there were overlapping stories, that you could see your crew grow closer to you, that the missions could have an emotional impact were of course huge bonuses.
 
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?

Not really.  Most of my characters are "boy scouts" anyway.  I only have a few full blown [mostly] Renegade Sheps and the way I see the character they wouldn't care about other people's reactions to what they do.  They get the job done and god help anyone that gets in the way.

OK there were one or two Renegade choices that I almost never take because you've got to be such a d!ck to take them it's silly.
 
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

In Tali's Recruitment mission from ME2 I really loved hearing her logs and the fact that she wished Shep was there.  This really hit home as sweet esp. coming relatively close after Ash's reaction on Horizon.   That one thing flipped what I thought about LIs, staying "loyal" to people, etc. quickly.  IMHO a very good job by the writers.

Also in ME2 in my first playthrough I took my LI [Tali] with me to the final battle.  Being spoiler free an knowing this was a suicide mission I figured that someone somewhere just HAD to die.  So seeing Tali about to fall over the edge I thought "Nooooooo" as I was going to stick with the results of my first playthrough no matter what.  Needless to say I was happy to have caught her.

Honestly it's very difficult to choose the 3rd favorite moment as several are VERY close.  I guess I'll choose Garrus & Shep. shooting bottles in ME3 as the 3rd favorite moments narrowly beating out ME2's Tali quote of "it was totally worth it" and ME3's stabbing of Kai Leng.

IMHO the common theme was being EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED to characters and the IMAGINARY relationships that SHEP & the other characters had.  It's only because I was invested or had "bought in" to the character(s)
 
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

Video games CAN be a form of art just like a painting or drawing CAN be a form of art.  Neither one has to be art but they certainly can be.

I'm not 100% sure what is means by "do you believe art is static or fluid" so I'll read into it what I think you're getting at.  Art can be static but IMHO some of the best art is fluid such that each person takes away from it something potentially much different.  Something that you can revist a second time and get a different experience from [thus the fluidity] is something that I would value highly in art.

Art that is static can still be art but it loses some of it's potential by being fixed and rooted in the moment so to speak.
 
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?
 
Because of the whole endings fiasco I only played through one time so I may not have noticed characters that seem "out of character" too much.

I did notice that some information about Samara, her children, and the Ardakt-Yakshi (sp?) seemed to have gotten retconned but that didn't bug me other than wishing BW would have kept their story straight.   Once rules have been established in a setting you shouldn't break those rules unless you have a really good reason.  I don't see this example as really having that good reason.

The only thing I noticed was that potential was wasted.  Why didn't Zaaed rally the Blue Suns and other MERC groups to your defense.   Why didn't Grunt stay with his battlemaster / go back?  Why wasn't Kasumi's gray box data more relevant?  Why did most of the ME2 specific squadmates seem irrelevant to the story at large?

 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

If you are asking was I somehow "confused" by the ending or didn't get it then no ... The ending was understandable in terms of comprehension.

I do believe that the means to get to that ending are not consistent with what we have seen in prior games so as such it came off as a very poor, ham-fisted was to accomplish this.
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?

In terms of the humorous moments I saw that as a natural way to "blow off steam" and it seemed natural engough of a thing to do between friends that care deeply about each other.  I do NOT see that as a malicious way to get us not to notice flaws in the game.

Devil's Advocate:  During my initial playthrough because of many "golden moments" I did not notice the failures in the story / narritive that on retrospect cause issues with the game as a whole.
 
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

I think if approached properly Bioware can have its cake and eat it too so to speak.  Therefore I believe that alternate endings can be made without sacrificing their artistic integrity.

Example:
-- BW could announce that the endings as presented are the "real endings"

-- BW can choose to release a "clarity and closure" DLC that expands on those endings without losing their artistic integrity.  After all this just gives more details about what is going on.

-- Nobody that "loves" the endings would have to download the above DLC.   BW wins, pro enders win, folks that only want clarity & closure win.

-- BW could annonce a "What If" DLC that has alternate but "unofficial" endings in them.  BW could embrace IT theory and then create a set of relatively straight forward, relatively divergent endings that range from somewhat happy [Shep lives, at least some squadmates live, mass relays are operational, but TRILLIONS are dead, many planets are wrecked, perhpas Shep has emotional scars he/she never really recovers from, etc.] all the way to totally depressing & sad.  Attach a great epilogue and call it a day.

-- With the above EVERYONE wins except those that want the last set of endings for free.  I figure BW would have to charge for this level of effort but at least it would be there.   BW would protect artistic integrity AND also please a good number of fans.  No real losers here.
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?
 
Characters such as Mordin died for a purpose.  I see Mordin as a tragic figure.  Mordin knows that rationally he had to participate in the genophage but then again this kills him inside.  Having him die to cure the genophage brings his character full circle and is a meaningful ending.

Legion's end is a little less clearly motivated however it still makes enough sense.  While taking the next evolutionary step from the Reapers goes against what Legion stood for in ME2 [and relates to other questions in this survey] I can see this change in prior characterization as somewhat acceptable.  While the Geth didn't fine their own answers they took someone else's answer and made it their own.

Thane is known to be dieing before the game.  He does get one last moment in the sun as a dieing Thane does well enough against Kai Leng to go out with a bang!!

Miranda's and Tali's deaths are both avoidable but not something that I could say that would be all that shocking in hindsight.   Samara's potential end seems forced to me but I don't have a problem with that as it's not all that surprising that Samara could do something like that --- it is in her character.

On the other hand the mechanism used to strand the crew violates rules of common sense and what we have seen in the ME universe.  Joker running from the battle seems unusual ; the damage to the Normandy would seem to preclude safe landings ; teleporting crew mates seem unlikely ; etc.

I see this ending as something that BW perhaps wanted to do but simply didn't care about how they did it.  As such it is forced and just simply is not objectively good by any measure that I know of. 

 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?
 
While on paper I think revealing more of the Reaper's motivations is a good idea I would rather it have been done in a way that seems consistent with prior lore in the game.  There is no need to introduce "god" in the last 5 minutes of a story and have god "fix your problems for you".  With almost no buildup or support to this sort of thing in game it's is just out of place and doesn't even fit well with the existing narrative.

As for your question I would say if you don't do a really good job of explaining the Reaper's motivations then you should just skip that all together and leave that as a mystery that perhaps can be addressed in ME4, 5, 6, etc.

 

8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

I am not as familiar with other franchises such as Deus Ex or similar.  However doing well (financially??) and providing a good ending or an ending that was promised / hyped are not the same.

Mass Effect 3 is different from DE / DE:HR in that I was very familiar with ME3's prelaunch statements & hype.  I was also very familiar with the tone & themes of the prior 2 games.  Taking all of these things together I came into ME3 with a certain set of expectations -- IMHO a set of expectations that BW deliberately helped set even though BW [imho] knew full well that these expectations would not be met by the game itself.

I see BW's only honorably, ethically justifiable move is to create a set of endings that are consistent with the expectations that they deliberately set and had no initial intentions to meet.  Because BW made statements about the game they should not be allowed to go back on those statements because of something flimsy like "artistic vision" or similar as that is irrelevant to one's moral obligation to live up to your word.

 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

Artistically I disagree with BW's "blatant commericialist approach" to how they approched the Diana Allers characters.  The ME universe already has reporters with which the fans have grown attached to.  It would make more sense to be able to recurit these existing reporters than to waste resources creating a new character all together.  IMHO Emily Wong or Ms. Al-Jilani (sp?) would have made better characters.

Not doing a render of Tali's face for 10 seconds is really insulting seeing that they had the perfect spot to do this in game but couldn't be bothered to do.

The only explanations that I can think of is that having a bangable Chobot in game would draw in more money from new people to the series than improving upon existing characters.  That or the decision was rushed and no effort could be put into it.

While I can't say that having a well known IGN person in game helped BW obviously created a potential conflict of interests situation and as such it would have only have been a smart move to avoid this and reuse characters that they already have in game for this purpose.

For for people seriously believing in some form of "bribery" I don't think it goes that far.  It's just an "incomprehensively stupid" decision from a fan, character, art perspecitive.   Actually I find this sort of thing dramatically weakens the "artistic vision" arguement.


Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?
 
Have am in NA, preordered the game, got it around 7PM local time, and beat it on March 10.  I have not replayed the game at all.  As a matter of fact the "violation" that I felt by BW not living up to their own word [deception?] sucked the will to do any gaming out of me.   For several weeks I didn't even turn on the XBox.  Now I can stand to watch Netflix but I still haven't played one second of any video game at all in the last 4 weeks + since I beat the game.

FYI:  I put more time into the DEMO for ME3 than the actual game.  Most of that demo time was spent on MP obviously but I hope this is descriptive of how much I thought I would get to play [based on prior hype / statements] and how much BW's "vistion" has ruined things for me.

 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?

From a narrative POV I think pretty much everything after Shep nearly gets hit by Harbinger's beam weapon is horribly bad.  Taking away parts of Shep's control by making him "walking wounded" is cheap.  The seeming logic gaps leading up to the TIM encounter are disorienting.  Having the cruicible not do anything when connected to the citadel seems to invalidate a lot of prior work done.   Meeting "god" and having him "fix everything for you" is a classically bad ending.

Artistially the messages sent about the ending are frightening:

-- Control.  From what we can tell the Reapers are sentient beings.  The control ending seems to imply that you are taking away their freedom / choice and they will obey you.   This rings pretty close to "slavery".

-- Destruction:  While you can get rid of the Reapers [who seem intent on killing you] you also have to kill potentially billions or trillions of now fully awakened Geth to do it.  Genocide is not a pretty option.

-- Synthesis:  This preferred option, from a "respect for life be it organic or sentient" POV is by far the worst ending ...  You have to work hard to beat "slavery" or "Genocide" but the writers somehow managed this.  The ending preaches at you [in more than one ending] that destroying diverstity is a valid way [the preferre way?] to deal with your troubles.   This violates themes throughout all of the games and is really repugnant.  This doesn't even go into the idea that through "force and control" you "violate" every form of life in the whole galaxy by inflicting change upon it that is unwanted .... There's only one crime I can think of that combines force, control, and violation and doing that to everything in the galaxy is horrific.

The kicker to this is recently BW acknowledged this and JOKED about it [imho].  They released a picture showing a Batarian in Blue [blue for control].  Batarian society is known to embrace slavery.   They had a Geth in Red [for destroy] and it's the Geth that are primarily the ones that had genocide inflicted upon them.  Finally there is an Asari in green [synthesis] as they are the closest example of folks that want to merge with others.

Really how could a "Diversity Manager" approve these sorts of stunts????


On the subject of "space magic" I would assume you have gotten enough comments on.  To summarize my feelings on this no ending should violate known lore.


In terms of what I'm personally most upset though is that I feel that BW deliberately set up expectations for the game that they knew full well they would not deliver on.  It's this violation of trust and ethical behavior which strikes me at a ore level.   This is why I want NEW endings so that I will have something that confroms to the set of expectations that BW deliberately built up.


 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?


I see the violation in trust as my primary reaons why ME3 replayability has been killed for me.   This violation is even spreading so that I have no intention of EVER playing a BW or EA game again unless they restore some of that trust lost and give me what they told me they were giving both in the letter of the law and in the spirit of the law.

Note:  I figure I played ME1 15-20 times all the way through.  I figure I played ME2 10-15 times all the way through.  I figure I will only play ME3 the one time I have so far.   It's bad when you spend more time on the DEMO for the game than on the game itself.

I do see the ending [or lack of promised endings] as the main reason I am not playing now nor enjoy the thought of playing.

I do believe that BW has been largely quiet about just how badly they messed up the endings.  From a pure $ POV it's far easier to just hide and hope that everything blows over.  Of late it seems BW / EA has been taking the easy or cheap way out a lot.

I think MP was added as an additional money grab.  I don't believe there is much artistic merit to it.  The fact that BW pretty much lied about all the game being available in SP compounds earlier broken promises.
 
 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?

I haven't read the novels so I do not know about problems with Kai Leng's characterization.   While I've played all the games, bought all the DLC so far [no further] I don't know enough about KL to make a statement on that.

As for Tali & Garrus I think that the romance thing would be a little silly but at least they are closer to genetic matches than Tali & Shep.   While I think it's kind of dumb I'm not raging about this.

As far as Joker leaving the fight I do see that as being out of character.  Plus BW being sloppy in showing motivations is lame. 
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

The overarching plot [Cruicible] of ME3 seems weak and I can point to issues going back all the way to the start of ME3.

I can mostly ignore those but I feel everthing went off the tracks at the end where Harbinger's beam nearly struck Shep.  Pretty much everything after this is cheap & forced & ham-fisted.
 
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

For an ending that is consistent with what I believe BW intended fans to expect I'd pay up to 30$ [full expansion pack price!!].   Depending on the quality of what's given I may pay or may not pay depending on whether BW is giving me anything of "value" to me.

 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence? 
 
 While it may not be true I can't accept endings that deviate so far from established tones, themes,etc. of the series and ME3 itself.   Therefore my "artistic vision" of MY Sheps ending embraces IT as it is the only thing that can be used to make sense out of all the crap thrown into the ending.

I think IT has some good support but there are potential problems with it too so it's not a cut & dried thing.

Here's one problem though.  Lets say that IT theory was actually the intent.  I believe, given legal and other threats, that BW could not admit to shipping a deliberately incomplete game.  Therefore they have plenty of financial incentive to fib about their actual plans.

The good thing about IT is that it can be tacked on at the end so we don't have to change what's already there.  Shep can just wake up and finish the fight from there.
 
 
Section 4: Economics
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?

I bought EVERYTHING for ME2 [even appearance packs] because I wanted to support BW.  IIRC the only thing that I didn't buy yet was the interactive comic that folks new to the series could use.  I would have considered even that if I'd have gotten the game BW promised me ....

Note:  I also bought all ME1 DLC!!
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
Honestly I doubt the Retake Movement has a lot of impact on EA's stock price.  Maybe some effect because shareholders don't like controversy but I doubt most shareholders are even really aware of "retake".

I do think that the Retake Movement and the botched endings 100% account for the STEEP decline in price.  After all it's hard to repeal the laws of supply & demand.  Release a product people view as crappy and less people will want to buy it.  This forces the price down in a very expected manner.

I don't think this is much of a statement against poor writing as not delivering a product as advertised and/or a product that your consumers want to actually purchase.  I think the effects may spread to other industries but I think most of the effect will be contained in the gaming industry. 
 
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

I bought the XBox CE of the game so the "From Ashes" DLC was included as part of the purchase price.   If From Ashes was not included I probably would have bought it on the assumption that anything BW does must be golden

I do think that anything that can be perceived as a money grab is going to work against you if the product is not well received.  Basically you give detractors something to argue about.

Plus seeing that the DLC could have been finished in time for the game I see other folk's logic that this is just a stealth increase in the price of a game and is, at best, slimy behavior befitting a used car salesman rather than a company looking out for the interests of its customers.

[Rumbutt]

[Section 1 – Prior Gameplay Experience]
1.      Have you completed Mass Effect 3?
        
         Yes
 
2.      If not, do you know how the trilogy ends?
 
 
3.      Have you played the previous 2 installments of the Mass Effect franchise?

          Yes: The first six times, the second four times.
 
4.      If you have, which character was your LI in each installment?  Did this affect how you enjoyed the game?
 
         The character with which I've played through all three installments stayed faithful to Liara througout the series.
 
5.      In Mass Effect 2, presuming you saved every team member during the final chapter, was the overlying stories of the characters the main influence in saving them?
 
          For some, yes.  In particular, Miranda, Mordin, Garrus, Tali, Legion, Chakwas and Jack.  Other characters were saved on account of the fact that that's what my Sheperd would do.  He's a very "no one left behind" type of guy.
 
6.      Did the reactions of renegade choices in the franchise forced you to play one way over the other?
 
         Not sure what you mean by this question.  I will say that other than the ending of Mass Effect 3, I never really felt forced to play a certain way.  My main Sheperd was a paragon, save everybody he possibly can guy, but I still hit almost every single renegade interrupt in ME2 when playing him.
 
7.      What are your favorite 3 memories of the story’s franchise? Is there a common theme among them?

          There's so many it's difficult to pin down just three, but I'll try.  First, all the choices from Virmire on in ME1.  Wrex dies on my first playthrough.  The moment was a true emotional shock, as he was my favorite character in the game and Ash just blew him away.  In my subsequnt play throughs, Wrex survived, and I convinced Saren to shoot himself on the Citadel.
 
          Second, The Genophage arc of ME 3.  Seeing the conclusion of the arc so beautifully setup throughout the previous two games was wonderful.  In my two playthroughs, I cured the genophage, and Mordin sacrificed himself.  I couldn't bring myself to do anything else.  I did look up videos of the other possibe outcomes on youtube though.  It's amazing the amount of variance that one scene can provide, and the power of the dialogue and the characters.  Seeing Mordin finally admit his mistake made me wish I could play through advocating sabotaging the cure.  Seeing Wrex in a vengeful rage against Sheperd was ME storytelling at some of it's best.  Even though I'll never see it in game, it was some of the most powerful writing I've ever seen.  Not the most powerful in a video game, the most powerful, period.

          Third, the Geth arc from ME 3.  Once again, another arc setup all the way back in ME1 during your first conversations with Tali on the Normandy.  I made the point to her back then that the Geth were just defending themselves, and she snapped at me.  Then I met Legion in ME2 and learned about the Geth, about how they made decisions and isolated themselves to avoid conflict.  And , also in ME2, we met the other Quarians, and I wanted to punch most of them.  Then, finally, war breaks out between the two, once again.  At the final moment, we're offered a choice between the Quarians or the Geth.  I agonized over the decisions before deciding that the Geth didn't deserve to die for defending themselves, whereas the Quarians had made the choice to attack the geth TWICE.  And then, as a result of my various actions throughout ME2 and 3 I was able to convince the Quarians to cease their attack on the Geth before the Geth annihilated them in self defense.  I haven't even been able to bring myself to watch the youtube videos for the different outcomes here, but I know what occurs in them.

Is there a common theme here?  Yes: My actions throughout the series had consequences, consequences that are readily apparant.  Others made different choices, and received wildly different outcomes.
 
Section 2: Bioware and Artistic Integrity
 
1.      Do you believe video games are a form of art? Do you believe art is static or fluid?

         Yes, video games can most certainly qualify as art.  Just as some movies or books are entertainment, and some are art, the same applies to vidoe games.  I enjoy both entertainment and art, though not everything in either camp.

          Art is certainly fluid, not static.  Some people have made the argument that videogames are not art because the player contributes to it.  However, doesn't everyone contribute a part of themselves in some form to art in the form of paintings, photographs, poetry, prose, music and film.  Doesn't everyone bring their own experience in point of view to each piece of art, and interpret in a way that is unique to them?

          I'm reminded of an English class I had where we were asked to write an analysis of the plot structure of a short story, I apologize that I don't remember the particular one.  When I read it, viewed through the lens of my life experience, I saw the intense pain and emotional trauma of experiencing and understanding death at a very young age.  Another, however, interpreted it with a racial subtext, associating it with lynchings in the deep south.  Both views are equally powerful, and we, the readers, contributed to each others experience of the art with our own interpretations, our own contributions to the piece.

         Art has always been a form of interaction, has always been fluid and interactive.  Anyone who says differently just doesn't get the point of art, at least in my opinion.
 
 
2.      Throughout the third installment, some fans believed that Bioware /EA rewrote specific characters during important sequences. Do you have a similar opinion? If so, which characters do you have a problem with?

         Some people point out Legion as a character this occurs with.  I disagree.  Legion explained that the Geth wanted to find their own path to their goals, that they did not want to develop along the paths that Reapers desired, so to speak.  And then the Geth changed their minds, the Legion's specific runtimes apparantly disagreed.  When Legion was used to broadcast the signal that changed the Geth, he retained the Reaper enhancements but without the Reaper control.  He had developed along a path that differed from the one presented by the Reapers, though still using their technology.  It's also a very different thing to refuse something when you don't have it, than to give it up once you do.
 
 
3.      Do you think the Adam and Eve reference at the end of the game made sense, given the theme of co-existence between organic and synthetic organisms?

         After reading others interpretations of the the synthesis ending, it seems to run counter to the unity of diversity/strengths in the differances of the many theme of the series and favors a homogenous, borderline racist and fascist approach to unifying different people.  Instead of finding the similarities already extant in the diverse peoples of the galaxy in order to unite them, this ending imposes an artificial similarity on them that is supposed to make peace because they're all the same now...  Doesn't seem like it would work regardless of how ethically questionable it is.  Short answer: No, I don't.
 
 
4.      Do you think Mass Effect 3 had more humorous moments than previous installments? If so, do you think it was to cut the theme of war and death in the game, or was this an attempt to detract fans from over thinking the ending?

          I didn't really notice any more humor than usual in the Mass Effect series, other than a few fan service moments where made fun of things in previous installments. (Sheperd can't dance, Garrus is doing calibrations).
 
 
5.      Given Bioware’s previous experience with incorporating player feedback into the series, do you think changing the ending all together would compromise Bioware / EA’s previous decisions and artistic integrity?

          As it stands, in my opinion, the ending comprimises the artistic integrity of the series and thus that of Bioware.  EA doesn't have any artistic integrity, they're a publsiher, not a developer, they don't get to make that defense.
 
 
6.      With the death of well accepted characters in Mass Effect 3 as a part of trying close that character’s story, what makes stranding the crew any different?

          The deaths of characters earlier in the story all served a purpose, they all died either doing, or attempting to do something, that would help save the galaxy, or a people, or even just one person.  Mordin died curing or trying to cure the genophage, Thane or Kirrahe died to save the Salarian Councilor, Legion sacrificed himself to save the Geth.

          Other characters died in a way that provided powerful, tragic moments to the series.  Kaidan/Ash died trying to defend the Council, beleiveing that Sheperd was a traitor.  Wrex died attempting to avenge his people against Sheperd, who had betrayed his friendship and trust.

          Meaningful and dramatically powerful deaths.  The crew is stranded for no reason, with no explanation of why they were fleeing, and left on a planet where some would probably starve to death awaiting rescue.  It has no meaning, no power.  It is bleak, but not in a dramatic, meaningful or powerful way.  It is the definition of anticlimatic.
 
 
 
7.      Do you think Bioware made the right choice in explaining the antagonist’s role in the series, or should it have been left alone?

          What made the Reapers a good antagonist was the fact that they were enigmatic, unknowable.  The explanation of their purpose was far too mundane and simple, not to mention a complete logical fallacy.  If they couldn't have come up with something better than that, they should have left the Reapers motives, origin and purpose up to speculation.  Considering the fondness they seem to have for the concept, it puzzles me that they did not.
 
 
8.      A lot of fans found the ending of Mass Effect 3 to be reminiscent of the ending’s of other franchises. Despite various amounts of plot holes in these franchises, they did well. What makes Mass Effect 3 different?

         Nothing makes Mass Effect different.  People compare it to excellent franchises with horribly botched endings such as Lost and the Battlestar Galactica reboot because it is so similar.  The only difference is that Lost and BSG experienced a sharp decline in quality in their final seasons, which served to cushion the blow of their mediocre and poorly written endings.  The opposite is true of Mass Effect: Mass Effect 3 featured the finest writing in the entire series, up until the mediocre plot hole ridden ending.  It's the difference between being kicked down a flight of stairs and being dropped off a cliff: Both are unpleasent, both involve falling, but one does a lot more damage than the other.
 
 
 
9.      Bioware used 3-dimensional facial rendering for voice actress Jessica Chobot’s character Diana Allers, but photo-shopped a picture of Miss England 2005 Hammasa Kohistani for the character Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. Do you think Bioware put more emphasis in designing an Easter Egg character over improving characters that were introduced in Mass Effect 2 (such as Thane, Jacob, Miranda and Jack)?  Given IGN’s defense of the game and its endorsements, do you think Jessica’s role had an influence in the site’s score of the game? Do you the upset fans correct in making this presumption, or is it biased by looking for a scapegoat?

        I don't mind Bioware using real life models for characters.  It's perfectly fine.  However, the fact that you only get a photoshopped photo of Tali, as opposed to an actual in game render and animation, is what makes it seem lazy.  Every other example they provided of real life models being used for characters in Mass Effect had their character rendered and animated in game.  Default Male Sheperd, Liara, Miranda, Samara, TIM, Allers, all these characters were based on actual people, just like Tali.  But they were actually rendered and animated in game.  That's the difference.

       As far as whether Chobot's role in the game created a conflict of interest or not, I won't speculate.  I will, however, point out that both Bioware/EA and IGN should have been aware that it might create that impression and that it was probably not the best idea.

Section 3: The Endings
 
1.      Given that the game has been released since March 6 (in North America) have you beaten the game? How many times have you replayed the game?

          Beat it in the early morning hours of March 7th, took a day off work just to play all day.  Played a 100% completion playthrough since then, so twice.  To be honest, if not for the ending, I probably would have played through the game five or six times by now.  The rest of the game is that good, but the ending just spoils it.
 
 
2.      What did you think of the ending? What is your position on it? Why do you have that opinion?

         I thought the ending was inconsistent, nonsensical and contradicted both the established themes and lore of the series.  The Catalyst in and of itself is a major plot hole, not to mention the last minute revocation of player agency at the moment where that is most crucial.  In a game where two major plot arcs throughout the series factored numerous choice over the course of ME1, 2 and 3, to have the final culmination of the main plot arc not do so is indescribably disappointing.  There are some many things wrong with the ending, I could triple this length of the post.  Many people have already expounded on the problems, so I'll let you reference them, as I agree for the most part.
 
 
3.      Mass Effect 1 and 2 were both known for their replay-ability value, what about Mass Effect 3? Do you think the ending is the main factor in this inability to replay the game, or do you think it’s because Bioware has been largely quiet about these reactions? Do you think this is why they added multiplayer capabilities?

         It certainly does impact my ability to replay the game, as I said, I've only played through twice, though up until the last ten minutes I thought my every moment of free time would be taken up playing and replaying the game, much like happened with Skyrim in November.  However, the ending effectively ruined any motivation to do so.

         I don't care why they added multiplayer.  It's funner than I expected, and I greatly enjoy it.  But the ending has even affected my motivation to play multiplayer.  In my opinion, they time and resources spent on multiplayer, while they produced an enjoyable product, would've been better used on the ending, or other portions of the game that seemed rushed.
 
 
4.      Some pivotal moments in Mass Effect 3 have fans debating whether or not Bioware is degrading the values and quality of known characters in the franchise. For the most part, fan opinion of Cerberus assassin Kai Leng’s portrayal in Mass Effect 3 has been negative, mostly described by fans as being due to having multiple authors since the character’s introduction in the novels creating inconsistence’s in his personality. Others examples are the pairing of Garrus and Tali if the player does not romance them in the previous installment of the franchise, and Joker (the pilot of the character’s ship) abandoning the fight during its climax. What is your opinion of this? Are these accurate examples?
 
        Kai Leng should've had less trash talk and more action.  Less cheap video game boss tricks that didn't even make him difficult to defeat anyway.  It really, in combination with Deception, which I thankfully haven't read, turned the character into a charicature.

       I don't find the Garrus & Tali romance to be a degradation of the characters or their quality in anyway.  Is the main character supposed to be the only one who can have a romance?  I don't get why people complain about this.

       Joker, however, is where things really break down.  At the climax of ME1 he is piloting the Normandy at the tip of the spear in the battle against Sovereign.  In ME2 he refuses to abandon the Normandy despite the fact that the ship has been all but blown to bit.  In ME3, during the largest and most important battle in the history of the galaxy, where the fate of EVERYONE and EVERY living being in the galaxy will be decided, he turns tail and runs.  There is no explanation, no reason given, no rationale for this extremely out of character behavior.  Whoever wrote the end forgot who this character was, what he stood for, and what his motivations were.
 
 
5.      At which point do you think the quality of the writing changed the pace and feel of Mass Effect 3?

         It's really hard to pinpoint exactly where, but pacing for the final Earth mission was horrible.  Wierd incosistancies pop up starting just after Kronos station.  Things that could be overlooked if not for the massive drop in quality of both the writing and the production after the final scene with TIM and Anderson.
 
 
6.      Despite the popularity of the Shadow Broker text files in the Mass Effect 2 DLC [Lair of the Shadow Broker], would you pay for a new ending over a free text epilogue of the current endings?

         That was providing additional, ancillary, non-critical information about the characters.  I care about the characters, so I wish to learn more about them.  But it's not essential to the characters, or the story for me to know that.  Essential information about the resolution of characters and plot is missing from the ending, even disregarding the massive plot holes.  I would pay for a new ending, but that would be the last mone Bioware or EA ever recieved from me.  It should be free.  And it shouldn't just be a clarification.
 
7.      Another point that fans argue about is whether the end game sequence of Mass Effect 3 was real or whether it was a dream. What is your opinion of this, where do you stand? Do either have good claims to support, or is this just a part of Bioware desiring speculation amongst fans?  How is this different from the people who support a rewrite of the last sequence?
 
        Considerding the nature of the child at the beginning of the game, it seems hints were dropped as to whether Sheperd actually saw him or not, but that sort of hint needs a reveal at the end, so that the foreshadowing can then be reviewed and people have an "Oh, I didn't notice that!" or an "Oh, that's why that seemed so odd!" moment.  Without that reveal, it's just left to speculation, and when the foreshadowing(intentional or not) was done the way it was in ME3, that's just unsatisfying.
 
 
Section 4: Economic Input
 
1.      Mass Effect 2 was known for having lots of Down-Loadable Content (DLC). Did you buy all of them? If not, which ones did you buy, and what was the reasoning behind buying them?

         I downloaded the extra squad members, and LotSB and Arrival, mostly for story reasons.
 
 
2.      The Retake Movement has claimed responsibility over the recent decrease in EA stock prices, as well as causing the price of the game to decrease by 25%. In these instances, do you think the stigma against poor writing in entertainment will be a factor in the future aspects of entertainment, or will it be exclusive to the gaming industry?
 
         I don't know.  I hope so.  If, through our protest, we can stop not only another ME3, but another Lost or BSG, that would be an amazing and wonderful achievement.  I can't judge that until I see whether we've even had an effect on the game industry first.
 
3.      Did you buy the “From Ashes” DLC? Given the premise of the plot, do you think the produces alienated themselves from their consumers by making them pay extra for a character that plays a crucial role in the history of the franchise, and have caused another rallying point for players upset about the vagueness of the ending?

         I got the CE, so I didn't have to buy it.  Having played it, I'd say that it should've been free, because the extra mission was bland and uninteresting, the backstory was unessential, though the character of Javik was certainly more interesting than I'd originally assumed.  Just like the decision with Chobot, I don't think they did themselves any favors here, and even a moments critical thought would've anticipated the sort of reaction that they received.  Just poor judgement.