A little about me and ME
I started playing the Mass Effect series some time ago, when the demo was made available on the Playstation Network in 2010. I played it, and to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed. I didn't pick it up for almost two years later. Say about a month before Mass Effect 3 was slated to come out. My roomate had enjoyed ME2 thoroughly and I figured I would give it another shot. In doing so, the series dug its hooks in, and dug them deep. I played ME2 until completion, and then played it halfway through, played the demo for 3, found out that Wrex could be saved, and then replayed 2 again, this time using the custom content from ME:Genesis.
I became a fan, and eagerly awaited the release of ME3.
I have played ME3, completed it. I am on my second playthrough. Except there is a significant problem.
I hate the endings.
Since the game has been released and completed, there have been a lot of comments in regards to the DLC fiasco which I honestly don't really care about. That isn't what this is about. This is about the injustice done to fans in regards to the endings and my thoughts on the subject, as an author, game developer and as a gamer.When I first played Mass Effect 2, i was reminded of why I loved Bioware and their approach to gaming. ME2 wasn't so different from Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate. You walked a semi-linear path, that was ultimately defined by the choices that you made. These choices were the reflection of things that you had done throughout the games massive story.
As Shepard and crew made their push through the Omega-4 relay,towards the Collector Base and ultimately through it, you saw the effects of your choices whether Paragon (good) or Renegade (evil or just bad). And even if you played a rat-bastard renegade, the choices could still end up in your favor. For me that made me want to continue forward. It helped drive the story home for me. Everything that I had done seemed to matter in the end. My Shepard and his stalwart crew of misfits survived that battle with everyone alive. While K. Shepard wasn't a full renegade, he had made the right choices and everyone survived to see ME3. That is the way I wanted it. That is the way most gamers wanted it. That's what Bioware gave us. The choices were important for a very simple reason. They either would be, or wouldn't be in ME3. Still the ending of ME2 made us hopeful for the resolution that would be delivered in Mass Effect 3.
Now onto ME3 which I have played thoroughly. Every major decisions made from part 1 and part 2 is in effect here. Excellent story telling at it's finest. Small things and major issues from the previous two games are delivered with pinpoint accuracy, and you still feel the effects of those choices. And if you didn't make the right choices, it makes you want to go back to ME2 to correct those if you can. That's an awesome game and shows the dedication to the epic that is Mass Effect.
Going through the game you are faced with more hard choices, but this is to lead you to the games ultimate conclusion and the final days of a storyline that started with Saren and Sovereign. It is here that you expect to see the end result of everything that you have done so far. You are on Earth with your two squad mates, desperately trying to make it to the beam that will transport you to the Citadel...
And this is where the story breaks. (caution: spoiler)
Harbinger appears and starts firing his laser blast at the squad trying to make it to the beam, decimating them. Shepard is caught in the path of the beam and besides destroying his armor the story is damaged beyond conclusion to me.
Here see it in detail. (this video contains one of the endings so only watch if you want it spoiled)
That being said, I'm rather appalled at Bioware for destroying a series which took them years to create. Mass Effect has become a phenomenon world wide. They had done so well in continuing where ME2 left off and even ramped up the action and the story. They had made all the right decisions, but the DLC fiasco created a rift between developer and consumer. A lot of bad blood was caused by that and the endings have made it worse.
I just want to say, I normally don't write about issues like this, unless I am writing an article, but this is one I am passionate about.
Continuing onward..
Mass Effect 3 is truly an epic game and a part of an epic series. Bioware did a lot to improve what they had given us before, but we fans constantly demanded more. So Bioware being Bioware gave us more. What we got was a truly awesome adventures that was unfortunately fucked at the 12th hour.
As a gamer, I'm pretty diehard. I will play a game for hours, until I either get frustrated or complete it. Mass Effect 3's ending from a gamer perspective is a piece of shit.
As a game developer, I can understand from Bioware's perspective. This is their work, and technically no one has the right to make tell them their way is wrong. However once a product is made for consumers, they have every right to complain about how bad it is, because what you spent time and effort making, they spent money and effort playing. Customer satisfaction is one of those things that comes with being a part of a consumer-centric society. If the customer isn't happy, the customer won't buy your next project.
As an author, I understand that not everyone will like the decisions you make. I am often forced to kill characters or make changes that my fans don't like. Why? Because the story calls for it. When I tell a story, I let the characters and the story tell me where they should go. However because of written media being what it is, I can always decide later that a character survived their death. This has been done for years. Yeah the court of public opinion can be a powerful tool if it is united enough. If too many of my fans told me that they collectively hated the ending of one of my stories, I could either tell them to go fuck themselves (which I wouldn't do) or try to find a mutual balance that doesn't sacrifice the stories integrity but pleases them as well.
Now I'm not the only one to write about the ME3 fiasco and these are just my personal thoughts on the subject, but I really wanted to say something about it, because of how much I've come to love the series in a very short time. Mass Effect is what every project whether game or movie or book wishes it could be. A series with fans so devoted they are willing to unite so that any injustice made to it is overturned. It is truly a beautiful thing.
I've collected some links to some of the most outspoken and wellcrafted defenders that the ending to Mass Effect 3 should be changed.
mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/
Bioware Forums about ME3 ending
Retake Mass Effect 3
DemandABetterEndingToMassEffect3
mass-effect-3-sucks/
No comments:
Post a Comment