ckriley wrote...
BellatrixLugosi wrote...
I've learned from these forums never to trust a user review for a game. Also learned that a ending is more important then the game itself. That and somehow this game is able to give more then half of its players PTSD.
This is exactly how I feel. I actually made a thread on this yesterday, but not surprisingly it was locked because this community couldn't control themselves and started bickering. The ME3 forums have made me lose complete respect for the BW community. After playing ME3, I can honestly say the posters here have zero credibility to me.
It's one thing to dislike a game. It won't be everyone. I get that. But the sheer amount of hate and negativity was just way, way, way over the top.
Ack, wrong button... didn't mean to report your post, if I did. Just trying to reply.
I agree whole-heartedly about not trusting reviews. Professional reviewers seldom play through the whole game, due to time constraints, having access only to demos, or even just disliking the genre and rushing out a generic review of similar playtypes. I remember reading about Oblivion, and how it was spectacular gameplay. I DID enjoy Oblivion, but that has to be one of the buggiest games I've ever played, and I waited until the Game of the Year edition came out. I had multiple issues with lockups, corrupted saves, and broken quests. None of these problems were mentioned in half of the reviews I read; only the glorious gameplay and depth of story were touted. The other half of the reviews blasted Bethesda for the faults, claiming it made the game unbearable (I agreed, sometimes), with only a smidgen of them seeming to be somewhat more balanced in the pros and cons.
I have never really paid much attention to professional reviews: They tend to be written by only brown-nosing industry climbers, angst-ridden haters of the developers, or shills placed by either the created game's company or its antagonists in the business. User reviews, on the other hand, tend to be made by actual gamers. Then you only have to determine if they are a fanboy or critic. Sometimes, you get lucky enough to find a correct appraisal of the game, but how would you know until you play it yourself?
The BioWare forumites have an equal dispersal of pros and cons in their reactions. There is a thread here in the owner's section by a student whose literary professor (DrayFish) has a wonderful opinion about ME3 that has been my favorite since joining the forum. You can search it by looking up "thematically revoting", but don't let that color your impression of the posts. Both sides of the ending controversy are well spoken, defended, and calmly discussed there, and it has opened my eyes to more understanding of possible meanings with the ending and with the plot leading up to it. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to read a balanced discussion without trolling spam comments or hate. We are passionate, yes, but not necessarily carelessly manic in our thoughts.
Back on topic, Mass Effect 3 was the first game I have bought new in a long time. Usually, I will wait for the GotY editions, to allow time for bug fixes, new DLC, and hopefully, a lower price, but Mass Effect 3 had me drooling for weeks before the release. I got my buddy to pick it up, and he even got the Day 1 DLC I had previously thought was just a pre-order perk. When it got here, I didn't even thank him before I loaded the disk and started listening to the hauntingly lovely intro music. I had rushed through the demo, so the first mission, I was running full speed to get to a new chapter. I would look at a walkthrough after each mission to see what I had missed, and somehow, I heard the rumblings of discontent about the ending. I avoided any more tainting of my gameplay until I finished the end, and then I read up to make sure I had not made a horrible mistake somewhere along the way.
I was disappointed to know that I was not the only one who thought there had been a mistake, or that maybe my Shepard had failed to make the right choice because he was suffering from indoctrination (before we heard of the whole Indoctrination Theory). When I saw the credits roll, I sat here for ten minutes, expecting some resolution to the mass destruction I had just caused in the galaxy, and was rewarded with {REDACTED}. Assuming it was based on history, no one could know what happened to Shepard after being {REDACTED}, or at the latest, when Hackett contacts him saying "nothing's happening". After that, it is all speculation on the part of Buzz Aldrin.
I can appreciate BioWare's ability to create a well-loved game that sparks all kinds of discussion and passionate fervor, but I can not happily abide the silence on the canon explanation after this much time. Controversy led to publicity. Now before that publicity completely sours, they need to take advantage of the moment to reassure current fans and secure new ones who might be avoiding the disappointment of the ending that is already in the public eye. Had there not been so MUCH anger, it would have made sense to hold quiet for a fiscal quarter or so, to stir up a level of interest and more sales before releasing a satisfactory denouement. However, my analysis shows that a significant number of people who WOULD have purchased ME3 are waiting to see how this brouhaha pans out, and if players can get a more satisfactory answer to their denial in the logic of the ending. Will there be another ME that follows the "true" adventures of Shepard on the Citadel and beyond? I hope so, but even Back to the Future 2 was kind enough to flare "To Be Continued!!!" across the screen at the end of the cliffhanger. ME3 just flared destruction across my joy.
I WILL be hesitant to buy another EA/BioWare game new, but my experience on the forums has been mostly nothing short of spectacular. I have seen both sides of the issue, and expanded my consideration. However, my attitude about the reaction of EA to this controversy has fallen far short.
Glad to speak with you all, I just wish we had a happier subject.
Retour en haut
or a }:^] (if I feel devilishly inclined) to let the person know that the decision was made by a person evaluating the specific comment, not just a spider crawling the threads and locking them with general rules. Each case is unique: all 382 of them I answered today got a personal response that may have included a "cut-and-paste" posting of specific info, but also was individually evaluated. I personally am in a position that is even more distasteful, as I warned the appropriate people there was going to be a lot of negative feedback, and was basically told, "make it sound pretty". So while some lockdowns may seem arbitrary or hateful, remember that human error goes both ways: Perhaps the sig is not meant to be hateful, but to convey the idea he is doing what he has to, even if it "seems" evil. INFLECTION DOES NOT CARRY WELL IN PRINT. 
