Honestly, I think the thing the franchise needs the most is for Bioware to try and do ME3 again.
As it stands, ME3 leaves the universe too bleak, too dark. Any future presented in a sequel is either oppressed by the dominance of Synthesis (you can disney it up all you like, its still eradicating two ways of life, two forms of existence, to allow another one to take their place. As I recall, the Brotherhood of Mutants had a similar philosophy of getting rid of the lesser levels of life to make way for their own. Even more sinister, Hitler had similar ideas about promoting the Aryan race over all others.) or threatened by the 'inevitability' of Synthetics wiping out organics. As is, this franchise built up on the premise of self-determination and defying the odds is brought low by concepts we are railroaded into accepting as inevitable, unavoidable. This flies totally in the face of the idea that we are in control of this story, a covenant concluded between developer and consumer when the import and paragon/renegade systems were first proposed and implemented. A sequel cannot work with these ideas still in place.
As for prequels and inquels, their potential is reduced by the endings, as no matter the effort that goes into them, they all will ultimately lead to those depressing endings anyway. Very few of us want to feel that we wasted our effort, and that's all the current endings give us. The franchise has no sense of accomplishment left to it, retroactively draining that sense away from other games in its own timeline.
An MMO or RTS could work, set before and during the Reaper War respectively, but you'd ultimately be tightening the knot that attaches your neck to the millstone that is ME3. If you commit to further installments to the franchise that rely upon ME3 or cement its canonicity, all you will do is drag the franchise further through the mud.
The fact is that you could do an ME3 remake, and many of us would probably get it. We want to see the ME franchise end on a high note. We want to see the triumph of this saga as a trailblazer for player input in interactive media. A satisfying ending to Shepard's arc would probably convince us to keep buying ME and Bioware games for the next dozen years or so.
You could release this as the 'alternate version', or something. Not an improved version, just a different one. An alternate choice for us, the players. Those who like the current version can keep that as canon. Those of us who need a different conclusion to our story will have this other version. And you know what? Some of us will play both, maybe even getting just as much enjoyment out of one or the other. I'd feel a lot happier about the Crucible plot being an option rather than the only thing I'm permitted to do, I'd probably take a few different Shepards through that plot again to have a different experience to the new storyline. It'd increase the replayability tenfold for me, at least.
It'd take time, money and effort, but it'd be the best way to do justice to your own story, Bioware. It'd be a huge gesture to your fanbase. It'd be a sign of maturity as content creators. But above all of that, you are in a rare position. You have something that I think every creator of an artistic product should cherish- a second chance that your market is all too happy to give you. Not many creators would get a second chance at producing something, but you have a fanbase who would lap it up.
I don't hate Casey for what he did to the story, nor do I resent Mac, Mike, or anybody else involved in the creative direction of this latest offering. They have proved their talents in other games. They simply tried to do something here that fell flat on its face. The fact that they've received such flak over it shows that people care about the story they created. Anybody who wasn't a fan would have just turned and walked away. we care about the story, about the franchise, and a lot of that is down to the work these people have put in before now. I'd trust them to have another go, this time with the knowledge that we aren't investing money in the franchise to have some philosophical statement about inevitability and futility dropped in our laps in the last act.
Everybody makes mistakes, that's why everybody deserves a second chance. Bioware have a fanbase who are willing to extend this second chance. They should take a hold of it with both hands.
If not, I honestly don't see the franchise as remaining viable beyond one more game. To continue with such decay in the franchise's core structure will lead to its collapse. If you won't change the core Shepard arc into a more satisfying journey and outcome, then let the saga die in peace.
Modifié par fainmaca, 21 septembre 2012 - 11:53 .
Retour en haut
(just my 2 cents worth)
