I'm one of those people who didn't outright hate the original Mass Effect 3 ending that I got. Although once I realized that all the endings were pretty similar, I couldn't help but understand why other people were so upset. As the excitement of not blowing everything to Hell wore off, I also realized there were glaring plot issues. I addressed these in a Mass Effect 3 post back in April.
Now that the Extended Cut DLC has been released, the endings are longer and more detailed. I'm especially happy that they filled in some of the plot holes, like why the Normandy was flying and how my crew I took to Earth survived. I picked the same option as I did before of destroying the Reapers and there's definitely more information and cutscenes that explain things better. You can even ask the Star Child questions before you pick. There is a new refusal option, which I feel doesn't gel with my Shepard's beliefs. I can't imagine going through all that trouble only to refuse to pick and let the cycle continue.
If you hated the original endings, you probably won't like the extended ones. I still believe BioWare and other developers need to take this fiasco to heart. I hope something like this never happens again, as I still feel endings shouldn't be changed just because of fan pressure. While I can't deny this DLC did provide more closure, it shouldn't have been needed. All this "extended" information should have been there back in March.
More on the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC
I'm yet to play Mass Effect 3 (or 2 for that matter), so I don't know what all the hubbub was about considering the ending. What I do know is that artists (game developers, musicians, writers etc) should be allowed to express themselves however they choose to. They should be allowed to tell whatever kind of story they choose, and not have to cave in to customer expectations.
ReplyDeleteI haven't finished Mass Effect 3 yet, but I've kinda been thinking of the entire game as an ending. As it is, the game is just a gigantic climax of the story, where all the little things you did along the way come back to save you or bite you in the ass. But when I look at it that way, I probably won't feel cheated no matter what the final choices are.
ReplyDeleteI am kind of disappointed that Bioware caved to the angry few. I see video games as art--or heavily story-based games like Mass Effect as a book. People write angry letters to authors all the time because they don't like how it ended, but never have I seen an author go back and rerelease the book with a longer or more detailed ending. That's just absurd.
Ahhh I still have to get ME3 and start playing it! I'm kinda glad I waited, as I won't have to wait for the DLC.
ReplyDeleteAllison (Geek Banter)
Love the mass effect franchise. I still haven't gotten to play ME3 though! uggh it's sitting on my shelve beside me and I even pre-ordered it. I refuse to play it until I can finish it start to end.
ReplyDelete