Mass Effect 3 Gets An Ending

[tautologico]

On the other hand, this ending shows signs of being poorly handled. It is inconsistent with itself, and thus confuses the fans. Plenty want to accept it... but they're not sure how, because it's not clear what the ending did. And there's the question of choices mattering or not... to which I'd have to say you're right -- you can't craft an ending for every version of Shepard out there -- except that this ending doesn't really seem to follow any version of Shepard we've been shown.

Yes, it was badly executed, and feels rushed. But it's not the only bad ending out there. I think maybe Bioware could clarify the ending and make it work better, but not change the ending that's already out there (like it, or not). Trying to change it will disappoint a lot of people anyway.

 

[mjc0961]

So was the objection that audiences wanted things to finish with multiple different outcomes? I can't support them on that.

I think that's a fair objection considering how frequently BioWare employees working on the game said "there will be multiple endings based on your choices, everyone will not get the same ending" and then gave us the complete opposite: everyone gets the same ending where their choices mean jack shit. That's called lying BioWare, and it's not nice.

Furthermore, it's disgusting that they took out Javik, who is just as important to the plot as any of the other squadmates you pick up in the game as he provides tons of extremely insightful backstory and opinions on the whole situation, so they could sell him for an extra $10. Play the game without him. Then go look up videos of conversations with him on YouTube. He's full of great lines, different thoughts on things that you don't get from any other squad member, and is full of foreshadowing as well. He was CLEARLY intended to be part of the main game from the start and then took him out to make us pay more money.

That, and the screen in the ending that says "Thanks for playing, be sure to look out for and buy DLC!". That's atrocious. The game's ending is asking me to spend more money! Is nothing fucking sacred to you in games, EA?! Why not just have Shepard get e-mails all the time reminding him that From Ashes is available for 800 MS Points as well, you scum-sucking swine?!

None of your choices mattered in the ME series. The ones you made in ME1 just got you an email in ME2. An you would have to be rushing the ME2 game to kill your team anyway. Although what team mate survived the mission didnt even matter to ME3. Even saving/killing the rachni queen in ME1 didnt matter cos there is still one in ME3 regardless. So stop bitching people. Its not the amazing game you thought it was. I completed ME1 and ME2 5 times each and ME3 twice only because not one choice you make matters in all three games matter. Im not talking about the ending, just in general.

ME1 and 2 are still amazing games. It's not the fault of those two games that BioWare's approach to so many choices in ME3 was "This choice doesn't matter, that choice doesn't matter, that one doesn't matter either..."

The only choices that didn't get fucked up the ass by ME3 are the ones regarding the genophage. So many different outcomes for the genophage depending on what you did in the first two games. That's the kind of ending we were promised, but not the kind of ending we got.

 

[Major_Tom]

Oh, and I guess you now like Deus Ex HR's ending too?

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Point. Missing it. Thanks for not understanding, Yahtzee.

Holding the Line.

I'm surprised that Yahtzee is both missing the point and isn't up in arms over the ending. For someone that has emphasized in the past how games should have good writing and that BioWare was one of the few developers that understood this, he really seems to not get it.

You guys are sure it's Yahtzee (and MovieBob, and Devin Faraci, and Ben Kuchera from PA Report and every other journalist that has said similar things recently) that's missing the point, and not yourselves?

Saying that games should have good writing doesn't mean we should pressure a company to change a game's ending that is perceived as bad. Even excellent writers do write bad books sometimes. But there's a certain level of respect for what the author has done, even if it's bad, that no one starts demanding they change something. Demanding changes is not respecting the writing, good or bad.

Yes. I am certain it is them missing the point and not myself. Because they are making assumptions about my views. I am not making assumptions about theirs. Ergo, the 'point' is what my views are. I believe I know those better then they do.

People are free to love the endings. I don't fault them for it. I don't mind depressing endings - I loved the ending to Dead Island where [spoilers] that nice mechanics girl gets raped, berated, becomes manic depressive then dies after ceasing to care about her life[/spoiler] simply because it was so dark and shocking in the games industry where we only seem to get happy endings. But that ending was fitting for the genre of that game, fitting for the story told, and fitting for the characters involved. Mass Effect 3's endings was none of these things, just a lazy Deus Ex Machina as it is literally defined in the last 10 minutes.

Respect is a two way street. If you want respect for your work, respect my intelligence. I don't think I have a -right- to change the gamings end, I would -like- to. Bioware has every right to ignore the shit out of me and complainers like me and more power to them as a business and an artist. I have every right not to purchase their products in the future out of disatisfaction, seek a refund (as many did in the initial 2 weeks, and recieved them I might add, even from Origin), and to pressure my friends and peers not to buy their games. Yet when I exercise my rights, I'm "immature" and "spiteful" whereas Bioware is "artistic" when they exercise theirs.

 

[Jaidenator]

This is the most impressive comment ever. Simple, elegant.

Hold the line.

 

[Darkmantle]

So was the objection that audiences wanted things to finish with multiple different outcomes? I can't support them on that

If the devs can't handle it, they probably shouldn't have have promised it.


Oh, something I just thought of, ever consider that maybe all these devs that are trying to support bioware are really just terrified this could happen to them, and are trying to cover their own as in the future, in case they fuck up an ending.

 

[T3hSource]

The series will effectively have no ending, just a big gap with the words "Audience: Fill In Your Preferred Ending Here".

Tried that 2 weeks ago in this very forum,but that message didn't come across as clearly as you described it,so ultimately it failed.

Taking this as the series' theme, the ending of ME3 makes sense. In fact, it would make even more sense if...

It does make sense but the question brought up in the ending didn't have any build up to it.Yes it was tackled with the geth,but from that point on it's just referred by characters,not brought in as the major narrative focus.
And those grim ending you suggested would still be better than what we got.

 

[wintercoat]

Yes, it would set a precedent because this has never happened before, has it? This will most assuredly be the first time ever that an artist has changed their work due to fan pressure. Nope, this has never happened before and everything is on the line now!

 

[Ardonas]

I'm glad you tried to understand Yahtzee, but you didn't at all. And yes, there are people who know better than us, but they didn't write that ending, nor did they write this article. Thanks for trying anyway.

 

[dragonswarrior]

The whole problem with the whole "writers who don't have dicks for heads will be forced to change their endings for the dickheads" is the fact that, you know...

NOT EVERYONE BUT ARTISTS ARE DICKHEADS.

There are tons of very intelligent people out there who just don't write books, or paint pictures, or design games, or whatever. But that doesn't automatically mean that somehow their views on those subjects are invalid.

See, this gets into tricky territory, because a large number of people out there ARE dickheads, I mean, lets be honest here. But we shouldn't let the silliness of some (or even most) people automatically invalidate those that have legitimate ideas or complaints.

And a number of the complaints about the Mass Effect ending are legitimate, intelligent, carefully researched, etc.

Again, as I have stated in previous posts, calling an artists work "sacred" and "totally their own" is extremely silly. I can't even begin to go into all the problems involved with that... Aiiieee tcha. Someone's work is never truly their own, and you know what? THAT IS AWESOME. Not a tragedy. Sorry guys. Figure it out for yourselves.

If someone does something poorly I think it is perfectly fine for an audience to call them out on their bullshit. If the chance is presented to correct said bullshit, than an artist should listen to the intelligent people and consider the option.

If they decide not to, whatever, that's their choice. But if they decide to change it that's hardly a bad thing. More a good thing really.

 

[Soveru]

What epilogue could there be? 'The mass relay explosions wiped out all life and the galaxy waited for evolution to churn out another race'

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

WAaaaaaah~!Tired of all the bitching and attacking anyone who tries to offer some perspective.
Write your own fanfiction.
Kill yourself.

With you on this. Thing is people go on about owning the characters, but want Bioware to TELL them what happened to them? I know what happened to Grunt and Garrus, i have my imagination and whatever Bioware says happened to them isnt what i may think did happen. For all we know Grunt might give up war and open a flower shop on earth. Would people like that? I just think it just opens Bioware up for more bitching. I admire the passion the fans have, its an amazing universe that i hope will spawn other games. But they need to grow up and stop acting like 3 year olds. If this is the most disappointing thing they have ever faced in their life then HELLO wait until you live life.

 

[Sandytimeman]

Almost 300+ hours of game play to give me some depressing ass story where everyone fucking dies. Could have saved myself 80 bucks and 35 hours if I had just let shepard die in ME2.

Freedom has a price. It was both disappointing and awesome. Would have hated a "Wow we beat the reapers and everyone is happy" ending. I guess they didn't want a generic Paragon/Renegade ending. But seems everyone did. I sold my copy and have zero interest in any new ending.

But you didn't get freedom, you actually just fucked the galaxy over and killed everyone.

 

[Jaidenator]

Furthermore, it's disgusting that they took out Javik, who is just as important to the plot as any of the other squadmates you pick up in the game as he provides tons of extremely insightful backstory and opinions on the whole situation, so they could sell him for an extra $10. Play the game without him. Then go look up videos of conversations with him on YouTube. He's full of great lines, different thoughts on things that you don't get from any other squad member, and is full of foreshadowing as well. He was CLEARLY intended to be part of the main game from the start and then took him out to make us pay more money.

Javik is like literally my new favourite character.

Javik+Garrus+Me=happiness

 

[Gigatoast]

So Yahtzee is totally on board with Bioware f**king up their story George Lucas style? He does know both JarJar and "Star Killer" also fall under that impenetrable umbrella of 'Well it's the story the creator wanted', right?

Once again an uninvested internet personality completley misses the point. Ignoring the various promises blatently broken from the developers, the hamfisted and cliche execution of the ending and the misrepresentation of the various themes presented throughout the series, a damn game with damn multiple paths should damn well have multiple damn endings! DAMN!

To put thing in perspective, imagine if Silent Hill 2 only had one ending in which it was reveiled that a wizard created the town in order to keep people from driving themselves insane by driving them insane, and James automatically convinces him to destroy the town forever and run away with him. Then you get to pick the flavor of ice cream they get to celebrate. That's pretty much what ME3's ending was to someone invested.

 

[The V Man]

I won't be playing ME3. The Mass Effect series has always felt bland to me. And now, knowing how ti all ends, I have no reason to continue.

I think what is most disappointing though is that the ending isn't even original. Maybe some of you have heard of FreeSpace? In the last mission you and a squad of bombers go on a suicide mission and fight through hyperspace to stop the massive death-ship from reaching Earth and culminating in the destruction of said death-ship AND the jump nodes that link back to Earth. It ends and you're more of less certain the explosion kills everyone and the epilogue states how Earth is now unreachable - which strands both humans and Vasudans (and probably a few Shivans too) there with no way to return back home.

So, yeah. Too bad about that 'epic' ending.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Yes, it would set a precedent because this has never happened before, has it? This will most assuredly be the first time ever that an artist has changed their work due to fan pressure. Nope, this has never happened before and everything is on the line now!

I know right? It's not like older, more respected mediums of art have had to do this

*cough* DOYLE *cough*

Also, painters don't -PATCH THEIR WORK-

 

[370999]

Yahtzee and I seem to have a completely different understanding of ME theme. I always thought it was quite clear "The inevitable can be averted, the cycle can be broken". The sacrifice of the Protheans, unexpected evolution of the Keepers and the killing of Sovereign in the first game all hammer that point. The ending is so bad because it ignores that.

 

[tautologico]

Yes. I am certain it is them missing the point and not myself. Because they are making assumptions about my views. I am not making assumptions about theirs. Ergo, the 'point' is what my views are. I believe I know those better then they do.

People are free to love the endings. I don't fault them for it. I don't mind depressing endings - I loved the ending to Dead Island where [spoilers] that nice mechanics girl gets raped, berated, becomes manic depressive then dies after ceasing to care about her life[/spoiler] simply because it was so dark and shocking in the games industry where we only seem to get happy endings. But that ending was fitting for the genre of that game, fitting for the story told, and fitting for the characters involved. Mass Effect 3's endings was none of these things, just a lazy Deus Ex Machina as it is literally defined in the last 10 minutes.

Respect is a two way street. If you want respect for your work, respect my intelligence. I don't think I have a -right- to change the gamings end, I would -like- to. Bioware has every right to ignore the shit out of me and complainers like me and more power to them as a business and an artist. I have every right not to purchase their products in the future out of disatisfaction, seek a refund (as many did in the initial 2 weeks, and recieved them I might add, even from Origin), and to pressure my friends and peers not to buy their games. Yet when I exercise my rights, I'm "immature" and "spiteful" whereas Bioware is "artistic" when they exercise theirs.

I don't think any of these people writing about the controversy is saying you don't have a right to not like the ending, to complain about it, to never buy Bioware games again, etc. No one is telling you what to think about the game or the ending.

The problem is that some fans feel that Bioware "owes" them a better ending or some such, and try to demand a new ending from them. This is what most journalists are talking against, not the fact of not liking the ending.

So yes, you have the right of doing everything you said, no problem, and I don't see anyone talking against this.

Personally, I don't love the ending but I don't mind it so much. It was a workable idea badly executed, and it feels rushed for sure. But I've seen bad endings before, and will buy future Bioware games if they're good. The fact that your opinion is different is no problem for me.