Look, I get where you're coming from, Stan, and I respect how hard it is for you guys to want to come out of your shell to talk when everyone is berating you.
But the fact of the matter is there's a lot of bad blood here on both sides. You have to realize if people are upset, there is probably a reason for it. I've followed the PR for this game from the start. Avidly. I scoured the net every day leading up to release for new information. And the truth of the matter is the PR leading up to this game's release was atrocious. Yeah, you can try and pin it on us not understanding what was being said, but is that really fair? I understand it can be hard, things are always changing in the development process, sometimes the right hand doesn't always know what the left is doing, and the pressure of speaking on camera or giving interviews or whatever plays a role. But that doesn't change the fact we were lied to. Maybe intentionally, maybe not. No ABC endings, the EMS scores not needing multiplayer, if I went back and really looked I imagine I could find more. And don't get me started on everything Silverman was saying. While not outright lies, they certainly weren't the things I as a long time fan wanted to hear. If you really want, I can start pulling up quotes.
But instead of pointing out each and every little thing that was said leading up to release, I'd rather address the actual issue here that is eating away at this community and its relationship with the developers. Let me put it plain, the majority of us? We love you guys, we love the work you do, the passion you put into these game, and we want, we really, really want to feel like when you say something, when you tell us something, we can trust you. We want to be able to talk to you, because what you guys have to say matters to us. I've loved Bioware for years now, and one of the coolest things about you guys for me has always been how open you are with your fanbase. I was always able to put faith that you guys would do whatever it took to make us happy, not just as consumers, but as gamers, as people who sincerely enjoy the stuff you make. An example of this was Tali. There was no doubt in my mind she wouldn't be a love interest in ME2, even a year before release. Why? Because I knew you guys were listening, you knew what those of us who liked her wanted and you delivered big time. That's what we love about you guys, not just your ability to tell stories, but your willingness to tell the stories you know WE want told. And that is flippin' awesome. I can't overstate how great I think that is.
But then ME3 rolls around. And instead of faith being rewarded, we're met with utter disappointment. The ending is a wash, I'm sorry, but it is. For a lot of reasons. Gone are the themes carrying the entire story forward, of Victory through Sacrifice, gone is all that unity you were feeling in getting all these people and aliens to work together, and it's replaced by some absurd mix between the Matrix and Dues Ex, all explained by a character that shows up at the last minute who no one in their right mind would trust. We were left crushed, Shepard is dead in almost every ending, and shown to be gasping for breath in the rubble of the best, and no matter what the relays are destroyed, and the galaxy, the universe you made that we loved so much was torn apart. And that felt so... spiteful. It felt like someone was slapping us in the face, spitting on all our faith and trust. It wasn't our story anymore, it wasn't even yours, in a way. Because you took all those things you built up, all this unifying of all these races and instead of us getting a big payoff at the end where the galaxy has been shaped by our choices, you literally blew the universe up in our face.
So, left crushed and disheartened, what were we supposed to do? We started going back, trying to figure out where you went wrong, and all the dishonesty and miscommunication or what have you starts coming out. And it just feels like more of a slap in the face when you're told there's not going to be any ABC endings and that's what we're given, that we don't need Multiplayer to have even the bare hope of our Shepards living, but we do.
Granted, the EC fixes some of these glaring issues, but it doesn't alleviate all of them. Synthesis makes no damn sense, the Catalyst's logic is circular and has been disproven by Shepard, it's still jarring and people don't like it. At least you conceded not letting the galaxy explode, so that's something, I suppose, but it's still jarring. There is a reason we're upset about these things, there's a reason we're depressed, not just in the state of the galaxy in the original cut, but by the fact you guys even let it come to that. You left us feeling like crap, with little to no explanation. The EC alleviates some of the pressure on the in-game front (though in my opinion not nearly enough), but the problem remains that out of game there's still a gaping wound between us and you. You can argue that the EC was enough of an admission of guilt and desire for amends, and I respect that, but I disagree with it. The EC was just closer to what we always wanted from you to begin with, you giving us a token of what was promised and not ending everything on a completely sour note. And now there's this disconnect, now we're freaking out, flinging all this criticism at you because we have no idea if in the future you're actually listening to us, or if you are, what you're listening to.
Look, I want there to be a Mass Effect 4. And I want it to be something we make together. Yes, you guys are the devs, its your project, and I respect that completely, but the reason we like you guys so much is because it's always felt like we had a hand in whatever was being made. It wasn't about your "artistic integrity," it always felt like you guys would toss that out the window if it made us happy, it wasn't about your pride, it was about telling us a story and letting us be a part of it, both as Shepard and as fans, both in the final product and in making it. But now there's all this bad blood, all this doubt, we're worried it isn't about that anymore. That it's more about you telling the story you want and less about telling the story we all want. So we criticize, we tell you what we think is wrong, and regrettably some people are still so upset they can't do this in a civil, or even often times rational manner. And then you all feel like we're signalling you out and attacking you. Granted, I have no illusions to the contrary, you do get attacked, and it makes me sad that's what it's come to.
Because ultimately, and I think I speak for most people here, when it comes down to it, I don't want there to be this divide. I want Casey and Mac to be able to sit down and actually talk about their decisions and what they've learned from all this. I dont' want to just be told you're listening, yes, I want you to acknowledge us, I want us to be able to feel like we can trust you again. I know, I know, actions speak louder than words, you'd rather show us, such as with the EC, and with the upcoming Mass Effect game, you'd rather show us the improvement, because talking about it isn't going to change anything.
But it's not just about vocalizing that you've improved or that you're going to do better next time, it's not about promising us things are going to work out. It's about making us feel like we used to, back before ME3, back when it felt like this was something we were in together. If you guys start opening more direct lines of communication and start speaking more openly with us, yeah, it's going to be ugly. There will always be those people who are just going to bash and ridicule you. But not all of us. I dont' want the endings to be something we can't talk about, nor the bad PR or whatever. I want us all to just be able to acknowledge there's been some big mistakes on both sides and that we can move on from it, so you can get back to making games with clear heads without being afraid of your own forums for fear of being burned at the cross when you post and so we can feel like the stories and universe we love so much, that we feel like we had a hand in crafting even if from afar is in good hands.
Anyway, that's just how I feel. There's a divide here, and I want it mended. Because you guys feeling like crap and us feeling like crap doesn't leave anyone happy. But I can't make you guys open up, no more than I can make some of my more... vocal and less intelligent compatriots pipe down. I just hope, going forward, we can get back to that good place we were at before, where it wasn't about artistically blowing up the universe we love and failing to measure up to promises and hype, and more about just making something at the end of the day we can all love and enjoy.
I don't expect a reply to this. Hell, I don't expect you to even read it. Either way, I just want this tenseness to end. I want to come on these forums and be excited by the newest piece of information to come out, not worried by the content or saddened that everyone else feels worried about it, too.
Anyway, if you did read through all this, thanks for your time, in any event.
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