What we ask for with the endings is not an unreasonable request. BioWare advertised, well before ME3's release, that the endings would take our choices into account and provide closure to the story. Because BioWare's storytelling had thus far been excellent, we also inherently expected the narrative to make sense, but that goes without saying. The ending did none of these things. The fact that people had to devise theories to try to rationalize the massive plot holes is proof enough of a bad writing scenario.
However, the thing that has most irritated me is that, almost in spite of the outcry of loyal fans, BioWare has refused to admit the ending was flawed in the first place. (I understand that many people like it, but I'm sure even they would admit that it could have been better.) Rather, they have deflected it back to the fans, implying that we (A) didn't understand the artistic direction, (
asked for too much, © didn't like that it was dark, etc. Which are all completely false. We didn't like the ending because it violated the two primary tennets of the ME series: player choice and good (coherent) narrative.Normally with other works of art, the consumer has the power of money. You don't like a song/artist? Don't buy the song or CD. Don't think the movie looks good? Don't pay to see it. However, as much as video games are art, they are also a consumer product. And as such, the consumer has the right to demand what was advertised. Clearly, the ending is not what was advertised. I don't buy into BioWare's "artistic vision" argument because Mass Effect 3 is first and foremost a consumer product, and when there is an issue with a product, the ONLY good business move is to fix it. From a Gamefront article:
As we’ve stated repeatedly in our analyses, and we’re certainly not the only ones, the quality of Mass Effect 3′s ending is questionable. BioWare would love to frame the debate as a difference of opinion and is working hard to do so. But would it be so bad if the developer just owned up to the fact that the ending isn’t that good, and promised to do better?That will never happen, but if it did, it’s quite possible and in fact likely that this would engender more confidence in BioWare, not less. To have the sheer guts to admit a mistake and fix it would endear BioWare to its community, definitely (more on that in a moment), and it would also indicate a willingness of a major game developer, and by extension, its publisher, to recognize that quality of story is a very important concern.
(http://www.gamefront...d-game-writing/ )
To follow that up, here is a real world example: Microsoft and the Xbox 360. Like many many people, my 360 red-ringed. The issue was overwhelming, and Microsoft, like BioWare, went into PR damage control mode. However, Microsoft came out and publicly accepted responsibility for the hardware failures. Not only that, the company took a profit loss to ensure that anyone who suffered this problem could ship their Xbox to Microsoft, have it repaired/replaced, and shipped back at NO COST to the consumer. Regardless of your views on Microsoft, that is good customer service. They acknowledged the issue with their product, and made the necessary moves to fix it.
I went from cursing Microsoft's ignorance to praising their handling of the situation. Sure I went a week without an Xbox, but I saw something more important: a company who was willing to take a profit loss to ensure that the issues with its product were fixed AND that consumers who encountered the issue had it remedied for free.
Clearly, there is an issue with this amazing, wonderful product. Mass Effect 3 (and indeed the whole series) is a testament to how amazing video games can be, and BioWare can solidify that claim far better by fixing or changing the ending than by trying to brush it off as a difference of opinion. So how can BioWare deliver the ending that they themselves advertised? I'm sure you all can fill in the blanks here:
- Let our choices matter
- Give us an ending that makes sense within the existing lore of the game
- Give us a coherent ending free of plot holes
- Give us choice in how the ending actually...ends
- Give us an epilogue that establishes a sense of closure with the characters we have become so fond of
- and for pete's sake...NO STAR CHILD!
Hopefully I have made someone's day a little better and more informed by typing this, if not then oh well.
EDIT: For purposes of clarification, I just want to quickly distinguish between artistic direction in a game as opposed to a book. A book is a passive experience, like music and movies. The author creates a story and you are a passive participant (although when I read good books I feel like I'm there
Modifié par MikeFL25, 10 avril 2012 - 03:30 .
Retour en haut
