BioWare Announces Post-Ending DLC for Mass Effect 3 [Updated!]

[McMullen]

Moviebob won't be happy with this.

I can't be the only one who thought that.

No, you weren't. Although it's not just Moviebob, but he's made himself the figurehead for the Sanctity of Art argument.

As an animator, I find that argument to be absolute bullshit. If my client and I agree on a spec for an animation and I delivered a product nothing like the spec just to say I got it done by the deadline, then my client would (if they had any brains or self-respect at all) refuse to pay until I did it right. If I were to protest that changing it would compromise my artistic integrity, then (again if they had any brains or self-respect at all) they would fire me and warn their colleagues not to hire me.

Rushing things out to meet deadlines is not art. It's called being fucking undeserving of the opportunity to contribute to the work. In fact I could go further and say that rushing something out to meet a deadline is itself spitting in the face of artistic integrity.

Moviebob has attacked people before who he doesn't like for the same reason ME3 fans are attacking Bioware. He seems to be unable to see what the situation is here. He should know better and it's rather disgusting reading the tweets he's made.

 

[X10Unit1]

Please stop being impressed that Bioware is releasing this DLC for free.

They are currently in damage control mode. Releasing this DLC for a fee would not have helped them. They need to do something like this in order to release DLC that you have to pay for(I am not against DLC you have to buy) without more blowback.

 

[videocrazy]

Well, as long as it gives a conclusion to the major sideplots, at the minimum, then I'll be happy. It'd be nice if the more minor ones had a conclusion as well, but knowing what happened to my surviving squadmates/other major characters and to the peace between various races that I brokered will be good enough for me. (I do understand that event flags can make tying up EVERYTHING rather hard.)

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I am not really expecting much of this. I can't even fathom how they could possibly fix the ending of ME3 without rewriting it. If you hand me a pile of shit and then after I complain, you agree to give me clarity on how important that pile of shit is, and how without it, life cannot continue. That is all well and good but it is still a pile of shit.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

It still doesn't change the fact that a ghost-child pops up at the last 5minutes and changes everything you ever learned about the Mass Effect lore. It still doesn't change that everything you've ever done throughout the series comes up to choosing your favourite of 3 colours.

The ending doesn't need clarification, it needs to be re-written

I mean really...no matter what you choose, the mass relays still get destroyed. This effectively ends the entire universe of Mass Effect, seeing as space travel is 'kind of important'. A massive fleet will still be stranded on a half-dead Earth and once supplies run out they will all starve to death. Everyone will be stuck wherever they were when the relays were blown up. Your squad still abandoned you and left with joker to colonise some jungle world.

Theres so much shit to wipe up...can this really fix everything? I have a feeling that it won't but at least they're doing something I guess.


A couple of things to note from this though:

1. This pretty much proves that the indoctrination theory is NOT true.
2. MovieBob and all the other critics will be maaaaaad.

edit: I like how they did this to "appease the few people who wanted closure" (paraphrased slightly). Making it sound like a minority of gamers were unhappy. 90+% of gamers is nowhere close to a minority.

It's like when a news anchor makes an apology and starts off with "To anyone that I offended..."

Just admit you fucked up.

 

[Timmibal]

Free
Optional
Clarification
Closure

Well, it ticks all my boxes. OK Bioware, you've got the benefit of the doubt back, don't fuck it up, for pity's sake.

 

[HBaskerville]

2. MovieBob and all the other critics will be maaaaaad.

Critics get mad when anyone but them complain. Also, there is a sense of powerlessness that goes with being a critic and when the unwashed masses get things changed the critics get indignant.

 

[Tigerlily Warrior]

There?s one part of me that?s very happy because I just want closure and I hope the cut scenes will provide that (i.e. Tali building a home on her world, construction of a new Citadel, maybe Liara with a little blue baby if you romanced her).

There another part of me that kinda wishes the Indoctrination theory was correct. I?d get to play more as Cmdr Shepard, which would be sweet. It?s more aligned with the themes that played out throughout the series. There wouldn?t be so many plot holes. And big picture, it would be such an epic moment in gaming history. Our version of ?The Sixth Sense? or ?The Usual Suspects?. I would replay the game not just to see the dialogue choices but to see the proof of indoctrination that I?d missed the first time.

But if all we get is the cut scenes, it?s okay. But, I think my hero worship of Bioware is officially over. Because that means they really, really, really thought the ending was acceptable as is. It means this DLC is BW scrambling to fix a PR nightmare they created. That this is one more example of BW dropping the ball.

Maybe I?m a little naïve to still hope that they are capable of doing something truly epic...

 

[Agayek]

The first step on the road to redemption is admitting you fucked up. I kinda see this here, since it at least shows that they were listening, but I will wait and see what is covered in the extended cut before I make my final judgment.

Pretty much this. I'm tentatively hopeful that it will actually serve as a decent ending, but with Bioware's recent past, I'm not so sure it'll deliver properly. At least it's free, so I'd at least have a reason to play through the game again.

EA/BioWare: We promise it won't be the same crap as original. Pay us and you will see.

I'm really curious how many more fall for their crap. What happened to "artistic integrity" Casey?

To be fair, this is free DLC. They're not asking you to pay for it. Really, I'm like 80% certain that this particular piece of DLC is what was originally planned as the ending before one of EA's executives forced the game out the door early and they had to slap something together. Hopefully it will manage to achieve basic literary competency, which is about all I'm hoping for.

 

[weirdee]

personally, i thought this was the original plan all along

 

[Varya]

I'm so glad they aren't changing the ending. I was one of the few who liked it and felt it went over well with the overarching theme of the game. I do think it could benefit from an extension, giving us more closure and some explanations though so this is good news.

 

[Artemicion]

Can't wait for moviebob to come and yell at us for destroying art forever.

On a lighter note, it's a nice compromise, and it sounds like everyone wins.

 

[Eric Morales]

Well, if this at least fixes some of the plot holes I suppose I can live with it. It won't make the ending "Good" but it might at least be passable. I can live with that.

 

[HBaskerville]

I'm so glad they aren't changing the ending. I was one of the few who liked it and felt it went over well with the overarching theme of the game. I do think it could benefit from an extension, giving us more closure and some explanations though so this is good news.

I'm curious how you think "God Did It" matches the overarching theme of the games.

Also, any cinematics that show team members on their home worlds are impossible due to the lack of Mass Effect transport. So unless they show everyone living (or dying in the case of Turians and Quarians) on Earth I don't see how cinematics are going to change anything. I guess they could show the cowardly Joker, along with Liara who used her magic teleportation powers to get from Earth to the escaping Normandy, repopulating the species with EDI on planet Bullshit.

 

[FFHAuthor]

Nope, sorry Bioware, every OTHER statement you've given about Mass Effect 3 has been the polar opposite of the truth, so no, I don't trust you on this at all.

I'll watch them, but I have no hope that they'll do anything you've said they will...and going by your track record of announcements about the game...this ending is going to raise more questions, cost money, be released this winter, and completely disappoint everyone.

On the bright side, using that logic it's going to destroy their 'artistic vision' so that's a plus if they're talking about the ending's 'artistic vision'...and they're really pissed at Casey Hudson.

 

[RatRace123]

That's pretty much what I thought they'd do for this situation.
It's all I wanted for additional ending content.
Though unless it does a really good job of clearing things up, I still think the ending will be lackluster, but if they take care of the gaping plotholes, I'll be content.
I still would've liked to see them actually adopt the indoctrination theory, but I figured it wasn't likely.

At least it's free; it makes sense, it's just a bunch of cutscenes, no new gameplay is added, but I still expected EA would charge for it.

 

[Valanthe]

Huh, this is -exactly- what I wanted to see. It's probably just gonna be some DA:O style text over some concept art/screenshots, but that's all I wanted, I can live with the bogus ending, I was just upset with basically being left hanging at the end.

And it's free, so that makes me feel better.

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

I wonder what'll it'll be. The ending is a goddamn mess. It'll take a lot to make it actually make sense. And doesn't change the fact that Star Child basically screwed himself. You failed, you were DONE. There was nothing you could do. Then star child BRINGS YOU TO HIM, and says he failed because you're standing before him. Even though he would have not failed if he just left you to die.

Freaking stupid.

Still, some explanations for things will be nice. Like "did I just blow up the galaxy?". You know, simple things like that. I mean, in Arrival it's established blowing up a relay causes the whole system it's in to die, since the relay essentially goes supernova. Then there's the fact that the Citadel is basically one big relay, so everything around Earth, including Earth, is most certainly fucked. I think. Game never explains if this is the case, or if it's not, or how it's not if it isn't. Or anything really.

I wouldn't even call it an "ending". It was just a point where the story stopped being told.

Whatever the case, it'll be interesting to see what they eventually release. Glad it's free.

i think the only way to explain the relays exploding without destroying everything is:
the remote detonation caused from the crucible created a different type of explosion, that would not destroy the system.

 

[Arina Love]

If you fancy up a turd it will still be a turd. No amount of Extended Cuts will make ME3 ending suck less.

 

[Ernil Menegil]

I wonder what'll it'll be. The ending is a goddamn mess. It'll take a lot to make it actually make sense. And doesn't change the fact that Star Child basically screwed himself. You failed, you were DONE. There was nothing you could do. Then star child BRINGS YOU TO HIM, and says he failed because you're standing before him. Even though he would have not failed if he just left you to die.

Freaking stupid.

Still, some explanations for things will be nice. Like "did I just blow up the galaxy?". You know, simple things like that. I mean, in Arrival it's established blowing up a relay causes the whole system it's in to die, since the relay essentially goes supernova. Then there's the fact that the Citadel is basically one big relay, so everything around Earth, including Earth, is most certainly fucked. I think. Game never explains if this is the case, or if it's not, or how it's not if it isn't. Or anything really.

I wouldn't even call it an "ending". It was just a point where the story stopped being told.

Whatever the case, it'll be interesting to see what they eventually release. Glad it's free.

Could not have said it better. The ending needs to be fixed, not explained - it will take nothing short of a miraculous incarnation of literary talent to make order out of THIS chaos.