"All Were Thematically Revolting". My Lit Professor's take on the Endings. (UPDATED)
#201
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:06
#202
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:10
#203
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:13
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Sadly the aspect of credentials does matter, especially on forums where any one at any time could be anything or where the writer can make any claim to exagerate his or her own personal standing or value in a community as being greater then what it actually is. So while you may still hold an actual position or a BA maybe even an MBA or your Doctorate in the terms of where the OP stands with his proffesor, you are correct credentials should never be something that is required to post but they are required.RollaWarden wrote...
I have a feeling that there may be more lit professors (I've revealed more than once that I'm one) lurking on this forum who haven't come forward. Part of the reason, I suspect, is that we want an argument’s merit to come from its objective quality, not from the prestige of the person making it. I am continuously impressed by the quality of many arguments criticizing the endings, and applaud the posters. Their arguments are no less valid than mine or any other professor who posts on this forum.
That said, I realize this is a far from perfect world. Credentials matter more than they should. If we scholars in the literary academic community could be consistent in our message, and articulate it consistently as well, perhaps we could do some good regarding the ME3 ending. Maybe not, but at least we would have tried.
I'm disappointed that such enormous potential for transcendence in storytelling through the medium of video games was squandered when (what I suspect happened--of course we can only speculate) the ugly corporate head of greed bulldozed creative development. I had believed that in the ME series I was seeing a new level of interactive storytelling--the ascension of a new genre with production values, writing, and direction on par with any film, and transcending film through the interactive nature of video games. Then in 10 minutes at the end of ME3, that potential died in three colors. That's what saddens me the most: the wasted potential. And now the artists are (forced?) to hide behind a wall of carefully planned PR statements and long palls of silence. Worse still, our wholly justified and consistently accurate criticism of the endings has been twisted into yet another cynical marketing slogan. Just a shame.
I'll tell all of you, fellow posters, what I tell my students, and what we've discussed in my fantasy literature class this semester. Never give in. Never surrender. Hold the line. Continue to stand united, in one voice, championing the achievement that the ME series has represented through 99% of the series, and the potential it still has. That potential still exists if the artists on the ME3 development team can come to terms with what they did to the series, and what they can still do to correct it with this summer's DLC.
Hold the Line.
Since I've made a claim about what I do for a living, I'll sign my post. Cheers, everyone. Time to start prepping for my classes today.
Best,
Dan Reardon
Assistant Professor
Director of Composition
Department of English and Technical Communication
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Its a shame you probably won't be able to respond. Maybe when you come back to view this thread, can elabortate a bit on these points. You are unclear in your exact meaning.
You state that the trancendance of the story is wasted in the game, more specifically through the use of the endings or any form of hinderance from EA/Bioware as a means to finish the product and get it out as redily and quickly as possible. If that is the case would the differences, in the literary aspect of ME1 and ME2, not be considered equally offensive? Both pertain very different dichotomies of what the events in the ME series are pertaining to while in there own manner advance the progression of the ultimate story arch for the ME series so isn't stating that the ending of ME3 ruins that experience of mannerism in which the stories progress obtuse, or to say subjective of your own perspective? If you look at the games as a whole to which they are designed in a manner that presents the main archs of the story in a clear and constant progression considering the series as an individual unit and a whole with the only diviation being the "time sink" of video game development, can you state as you did that from the literary concern the stories told have little cohesion?
I don't really know what the value of the italicized is. You make blanket statements based on personal perspective and bias, disreagarding the artists without as it seems knowledge of those who have made that statement while seemingly praising them, without consideration that those artists may as a whole stand behind the endings and (you will have to excuse how this comes off) pander to the sensibilities that have been infringed upon by the ad. All which have nothing to do with the literary view of ME as a series or in the case that you elude to ME3 and it's ending. SUrely there is no difference between the literary works of the author of the Twilight series and those presented in the ME series?
Again you praise the wroks while previously condemning them? That is surely an odd stance to take.
#204
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:19
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Sorry if I miss clipped the post I wasn't trying to convelude your statement.Kilshrek wrote...
ManiacalShen wrote...
So wh.............
This part right here is where the end falls apart.
Shepard fought to protect and defend all life. That included the geth. And the rest is as you said.
The option to protect all life in ME3 isn't as prevelent as it appeares. You by player choice can signify the destruction or death of multiple species in the game including the Krogan, Geth and Rachni, just as by choice you can save them. The story isn't cohesive with the implication you are making. Actually in the game Admiral Hackett even states as so that some of the decisions, such as the Rachni and Geth, are suspicious but under the circumstances are or may be neccessitated by the required need for using the ingame representation EMS.
#205
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:31
Modifié par BD Manchild, 16 avril 2012 - 04:32 .
#206
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 04:42
RollaWarden wrote...
I'm disappointed that such enormous potential for transcendence in storytelling through the medium of video games was squandered when (what I suspect happened--of course we can only speculate) the ugly corporate head of greed bulldozed creative development. I had believed that in the ME series I was seeing a new level of interactive storytelling--the ascension of a new genre with production values, writing, and direction on par with any film, and transcending film through the interactive nature of video games. Then in 10 minutes at the end of ME3, that potential died in three colors. That's what saddens me the most: the wasted potential.
Continue to stand united, in one voice, championing the achievement that the ME series has represented through 99% of the series, and the potential it still has. That potential still exists if the artists on the ME3 development team can come to terms with what they did to the series, and what they can still do to correct it with this summer's DLC.
Opsrbest wrote...
...so isn't stating that the ending of ME3 ruins that experience of mannerism in which the stories progress obtuse, or to say subjective of your own perspective?
That might be so, were it not for a multiplicity of like-minded correspondence, corroborations, and careful, reasoned analysis of the endings and their highly problematic nature. I've long thought that BSN posters should perhaps collect all these fine analyses into a single thread. I'm thinking now that's been done, but the speed of new posts and thread on BSN means that such posts are quickly lost. So I'd say, Opsrbest, that there's a remarkably consistent criticism of the ME3 ending that belies any of our personal biases.
Opsrbest wrote...
If you look at the games as a whole to which they are designed in a manner that presents the main archs of the story in a clear and constant progression considering the series as an individual unit and a whole with the only diviation being the "time sink" of video game development, can you state as you did that from the literary concern the stories told have little cohesion?
I think the ME3 ending lacks adherence to the story's major themes. As other writers across several sources on the web and in this forum have explained, we can view the ME trilogy as a three-act narrative structure. The problems inherent in the entire trilogy's ending can be viewed through the literary critical lens of the three-act structure. Certainly there are other ways to view the ME3 endings. This variety of perspectives stems, perhaps, from my concern that in the scholarly community we have failed to adequately examine the model of video game storytelling as a unique genre on its own, with its own narrative rules. I'd very much enjoy a conversation about what those rules should be. The literary model as, as a foundation, works pretty well, though, across films, short stories, novels, and narrative poetry. The model has some value for us, I think, regarding video game narratives.
Opsrbest wrote...
I don't really know what the value of the italicized is. You make blanket statements based on personal perspective and bias, disreagarding the artists without as it seems knowledge of those who have made that statement while seemingly praising them, without consideration that those artists may as a whole stand behind the endings and (you will have to excuse how this comes off) pander to the sensibilities that have been infringed upon by the ad. All which have nothing to do with the literary view of ME as a series or in the case that you elude to ME3 and it's ending. SUrely there is no difference between the literary works of the author of the Twilight series and those presented in the ME series?
Again you praise the wroks while previously condemning them? That is surely an odd stance to take.
Apologies, Opsrbest. I'll try to be more clear. First, I'm not sure how my personal perspective (I admit to confusion about how you're using the word) isn't worthwhile. All our perspectives are personal--but that's a conversation for another time. In short, we can look at the empirical evidence of EA's email advertisement, and make considered summations regarding that advertisement. It's an exercise in textual criticism. As for bias, well, that charge is often leveled at criticism as a simplistic attempt to quickly defrock it . Simplistic rebuttals to complex arguments don't usually work very well.
I wasn't aware that in a single post I had to confine my thoughts to literary criticism. If my plea to BSN posters confused my point about critical analysis, for that I sincerely apologize.
There's a great deal of difference between Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series and Mass Effect. Too many, in fact, to detail here, and we're already, I fear, OT.
We often praise some aspects of a work while criticizing others. Happens all the time. I'd offer that it isn't at all unusual. In fact, it's often more the norm than the exception. We can simultaneously praise the ME development team for their achievement and lament the external forces that may be interfering with that creative process. Unfortunately, we've been lamenting that problem for a very, very long time regarding the creative process.
Thanks again very much for your response, Opsrbest. I sincerely appreciate the discussion and your questions.
Best,
Dan
Modifié par RollaWarden, 16 avril 2012 - 04:48 .
#207
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:08
#208
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:11
#209
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:20
I really like this professor. This is the kind of feedback BioWare NEED to seriously mull over as regards the ending, which is exactly as thematically repulsive as he says it is. If seasoned literary academics are attacking it as vehemently as the fans have, then they definitely screwed up and need to start over from scratch.
No, because the only thing seemingly "unique" or "intelligent" about it is that the OP lied about the source.
He just said what everyone else has been saying, and slapped the term professor at the end.
Modifié par Vromrig, 16 avril 2012 - 05:21 .
#210
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:22
#211
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:36
#212
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:53
RollaWarden wrote...
Opsrbest wrote...
Again you praise the wroks while previously condemning them? That is surely an odd stance to take.
We often praise some aspects of a work while criticizing others. Happens all the time. I'd offer that it isn't at all unusual. In fact, it's often more the norm than the exception.
I was going to say something along those lines too. Surely a few minutes where one does not think/feel that an artist has not lived up to their potential does not simply negate their previous acheivement. Does the luke-warm reception of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" mean that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is now worse? I would argue that it does not, even if the larger story arc suffers because of "Kingdom". The same applies to Mass Effect: the last ten minutes, regardless of its execution, does not negate what was done well in the story leading up to the ending. It may dampen some of the emotional impact, but there is no reason to temper the praise directed towards the rest of the game except to mention that the ending does not live up to the same standard. A thorough critique of any work will identify the strengths of a work along with its weaknesses, because to do otherwise would not be honest or fair to the work or the work's creator.
#213
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 05:56
Guest_Opsrbest_*
RollaWarden wrote...
That might be so, were it not for a multiplicity of like-minded correspondence, corroborations, and careful, reasoned analysis of the endings and their highly problematic nature. I've long thought that BSN posters should perhaps collect all these fine analyses into a single thread. I'm thinking now that's been done, but the speed of new posts and thread on BSN means that such posts are quickly lost. So I'd say, Opsrbest, that there's a remarkably consistent criticism of the ME3 ending that belies any of our personal biases.
I wasn't refering to the collective whole, to skip ahead to your question and reply further on in your response, but yours as an individual or one with the backing of I'm assuming a masters(?) degree.
You make the same statements that are and have been presented on these forums, and those I have already read, but to my knowledge I haven't read any that make the claim of you, the OP and a few others. The critical analysis, the use of authors such as Doyle in terms of revision and the link to the gaming medium (or the use of Myers against ME as poorly as I worded that sentence) and my favourite response of contemputious critical acclaim. I would have liked to have read what you thought using your background in the unsimplified manner that you replied with.
Numbers do not make an arguement valid. Accurate appraisal does.
Modifié par Opsrbest, 16 avril 2012 - 06:13 .
#214
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:05
Guest_Opsrbest_*
Which is the basis of my point. The ending has been used and I mean actively used by memebers on this forum and in the gaming community, even to cite the OP and RollaWarden and the collective colaberation as to why the ending is bad, as a means to state that the ending itself is what makes the game bad. While I applaud the OP if they are infact citing an actual accredited Proffesor as well as RollaWarden (more so since they be mens can back up there statements) is under the use of the thread and the thesis used in the same manner.Sc2mashimaro wrote...
RollaWarden wrote...
Opsrbest wrote...
Again you praise the wroks while previously condemning them? That is surely an odd stance to take.
We often praise some aspects of a work while criticizing others. Happens all the time. I'd offer that it isn't at all unusual. In fact, it's often more the norm than the exception.
I was going to say something along those lines too. Surely a few minutes where one does not think/feel that an artist has not lived up to their potential does not simply negate their previous acheivement. Does the luke-warm reception of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" mean that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is now worse? I would argue that it does not, even if the larger story arc suffers because of "Kingdom". The same applies to Mass Effect: the last ten minutes, regardless of its execution, does not negate what was done well in the story leading up to the ending. It may dampen some of the emotional impact, but there is no reason to temper the praise directed towards the rest of the game except to mention that the ending does not live up to the same standard. A thorough critique of any work will identify the strengths of a work along with its weaknesses, because to do otherwise would not be honest or fair to the work or the work's creator.
Until we actively pick apart every aspect of the game's story both individually and as the collective, we can't really state that the ending is bad because of perception and literary use. Critical acclaim by armchair critics is the worst that literary discussion can offer.
#215
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:14
I imagine there's some lines in this video that fits Bioware, or maybe not. ~_~
#216
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:15
Opsrbest wrote...
RollaWarden wrote...
That might be so, were it not for a multiplicity of like-minded correspondence, corroborations, and careful, reasoned analysis of the endings and their highly problematic nature. I've long thought that BSN posters should perhaps collect all these fine analyses into a single thread. I'm thinking now that's been done, but the speed of new posts and thread on BSN means that such posts are quickly lost. So I'd say, Opsrbest, that there's a remarkably consistent criticism of the ME3 ending that belies any of our personal biases.
I wasn't refering to the collective whole, to skip ahead to your question and reply further on in your response, but yours as an individual or one with the backing of I'm assuming a masters(?) degree.
You make the same statements that are and have been presented on these forums, and those I have already read, but to my knowledge I haven't read any that make the claim of you, the OP and a few others. The critical analysis, the use of authors such as Doyle in terms of revision and the link to the gaming medium (or the use of Myers against ME as poorly as I worded that sentence) and my favourite response of contemputious critical acclaim. I would have liked to have read what you thought using your background in the unsimplified manner that you replied with.
Understood. Won't list my credentials; anybody who cares can take a look at my profile on the Missouri S&T website. My education and degrees are all there. More to the point, however, allow me to express that I really appreciate this correspondence, Opsrbest. I've considered bring to bear my understanding of writing as a literary critical and writing scholar regarding ME3, but my other research has precluded it. These conversations are admittedly the critical outlet I have regarding the ME series, with which I've been deeply interested as both a gamer and as a scholar. But while my time is limited for criticism of this nature, I've strongly suggested to a colleague that she investigate ME as a literary scholar. She downloaded ME1 from Steam and started it this weekend! She's well aware of the ending controversy, but is enjoying the storytelling, as so many of us have.
Thank you again, Opsrbest. You'd be a valued member of any of my classes at S&T.
Dan
Modifié par RollaWarden, 16 avril 2012 - 06:17 .
#217
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:20
artistic integrity.
Guys, artistic integrity.
artistic integrity.
Come on you guys, artistic integrity.
I hate Casey Hudson.
Modifié par DevilHakoten, 16 avril 2012 - 06:22 .
#218
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:23
#219
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:24
Made Nightwing wrote...
"Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist in chapters, publishing each one as they went, and each chapter would be based on the feedback that he got for that chapter. Conan Doyle brought Holmes back from the dead. Those are just wo examples, there are many more. BW broke their own artistic integrity when they allowed EA to set their deadline. Now there are many things that you can say about ME1, but you can never say that it was rushed. The graphics were glitchy, sure, but the characters and dialogue were finely polished."
Dr. C. Dray.
*baby elephant walk plays*
Ladies and gentlemen, Dr C. Dray has just hit the ball right out of the park! That's a home run, everybody, a home run. Bioware is down 52 - 0.
Seriously, your professor is an absolutely, undeniable boss.
#220
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:25
#221
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:28
if only I could find a professor like that at my college....
#222
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:30
An English Gamer wrote...
Now tell him that Bioware says that the only reason the ending doesn't make sense to him is because he is stupid so they will release something to spell it out for him.
Yeah a professor!
#223
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:33
Made Nightwing wrote...
So, my lit professor and I are nerds. I throw in 'but the prize' references on my essays about Odysseus and Achilles, he throws in Firefly references in his lectures, we get on great. Now, I've previously mentioned that he disliked the endings, but today he gave me a full rundown on what exactly he found displeasing about the endgame:
"I don't get it. You get a choice between control. I just shot The Illusive Man five minutes ago because I said that we weren't ready for that power. Why on Earth isn't there an option to express how faulty that choice is? And then Destroy? Dammit, I just saved the geth and quarians, they're working together as a re-united race. Why is genocide an option? WHY? And then Synthesis just completely mistakes everything about evolution. There is no apex of evolution, we continue to adapt and move forward or we die. Aside from that, I'm forcing a choice on the entire galaxy, without the option to tell the damn thing to go to hell! All three endings were so entirely removed from the themes of the whole series that they were completely unrecognisable! It's like Casey had just finished playing Deus Ex and Mac had just watcched teh season finale of BSG."
"If I'm going to speak about 'artistic integrity', I will be compelled to point out that the ending was in no way the artistic vision of the team. BW has already stated that the ending was thought up between Casey and Mac, without any part of the peer review process being consulted. It was not a product of the team, but individuals. Aside from that, saying that artistic integrity forbids them from changing the ending is ridiculous. Many novelists have re-written entire works because of negative feedback on them. Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist in chapters, publishing each one as they went, and each chapter would be based on the feedback that he got for that chapter. Conan Doyle brought Holmes back from the dead. Those are just wo examples, there are many more. BW broke their own artistic integrity when they allowed EA to set their deadline. Now there are many things that you can say about ME1, but you can never say that it was rushed. The graphics were glitchy, sure, but the characters and dialogue were finely polished."
"In conclusion, I must say again that all the endings were thematically revolting. It is absolutely critical in the name of good writing that the ending of a story must match the journey. Mass Effect has never been a story about the disparity between synthetics and organics. As a matter of fact, it has been quite the obvious. For three games, BW has hinted and pointed out that life could be so much more greater and mysterious than the organic perception. It's driven the point home, time and time again, that unity is possible. So why, then, at the very end of a series that has clearly been about unity and co-existence, would they end it with the point that different forms of life simply cannot co-exist unless their diversity is totally stripped away? It makes no sense. Furthermore, it is emotionally crushing that all this hope of co-existence that has been built up from the quarian-geth storyline (Geth Prime:...and then we will help you rebuild your world.) is suddenly yanked away at the last second. Good day."
Dr. C. Dray.
This mortal... I LIKE HIM!
ANOTHER!!!
#224
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:36
Sorry, Bioware. You did 90% of a great game, but those final 10 minutes are really, really bad. And you can't say they're bad just to make people "speculate". That's a cop-out and you know it. Great stories with great endings can lead to POSITIVE speculation. People still discuss the merits of the sacrifice in A Tale of Two Cities; people still discuss the moral ethics of Heathcliffe's behavior in Wuthering Heights; people still analyze the symbolic importance of Moby Dick and the obsession of Captain Ahab in a fate vs free-will, nature vs. man discourse.
Mass Effect has NOT generated positive speculation or positive analysis. It has been a non-stop, month-long stream of fans and rational readers pointing out why the ending fails thematically, structurally, and logically.
#225
Posté 16 avril 2012 - 06:36
AlienSpaceBats wrote...
I think that future ME3 game boxes should have a sticker on the front that says "thematically revolting" .
+1





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