Poll: The Effectiveness of Boycotting: EA/ME3 Edition

[solemnwar]

I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition, so...

Which didn't come with the DLC on the disc already, btw, for people who were saying such: we got a little card with a code to download it through origin. No on-disc DLC on there. I only say this because people still seem to think that's the case...

 

[loc978]

Haven't bought it yet, but I still plan to eventually.

 

[Darthbawls77]

Pre ordered and got first day and bought the dlc. I have to say I really had fun with this game and loved the new fighting mechanics, so much smoother. The prothean dlc was kinda weak in my opinion, just didnt have very much meat of them bones but the character himself was pretty cool although I wish he was more active and talked more. The ending I have to say wasnt as deep as I wanted but besides that had no major issue with it. After watching some indoctranation theory vidoes I have to say I like the ending a whole lot more now with my new insight althought I realize its just a theory but I like how it sounds. Very interested in the dlc ending expansion to see what really went down I guess. Also just to note the multiplayer is really fun. Im having a great time fighting as a tech Quarian and solider Turian and fish guy adept lol.

 

[Windcaler]

I boycotted and am still boycotting the game for two reasons. The first being that the PC version required origin to run and I will not install that spyware on my machine. The reasons for that are several but I do work on this machine, and I do a lot of personal creative projects like art and writing. All of which I tend not to share with others and dont want shared on any level without my permission

The day 1 DLC is the other reason I wouldnt buy ME3. Theres just no way a company can justify day 1 dlc or disk locked content

So yeah, count me in the still boycotting group. Im sure there arent many of us

 

[DustyDrB]

I preordered the collector's edition last July (Yes. July). I loved the game overall.

Though I have a question for other CE owners: are the discs really freaking hard to get out of the case? It's a desperate struggle for me. I just try not to break them.

 

[Bat Vader]

I purchases the Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition. While the ending was not what I expected I still enjoyed the game. I enjoyed the combat and the characters. I think it was flawed in some areas but overall was a good game.

 

[pure.Wasted]

The ending they're talking about is virtually identical to every other ending, with one EVER SO TINY difference. First of all, it's simply not a big deal. They're not screwing you out of anything by making this one tough to get. You can easily skip it and play the game however you wanted to without worrying.

Second, it's really not that different from any choice/consequence system. If you go in thinking "I want character X to survive no matter what" and approach it from that outcome, looking up every guide, then yeah it's going to feel like they're restricting your options. But what's also an option is simply playing the game, and if the characters dies, so be it. If you didn't get that particular ending with 1 second of extra content, so be it.

I understand that. It just bugs me to know that such an ideal path exists in a choice system game. What if I liked that character? I should not have to tow an rigidly defined line to make sure he or she lives at end game. I do not play these games for my avatar. He is a generic slate that I cannot stand to be around in most situations. I tend to play because there is some NPC I genuinely like to be around.

The last time I saw something like this is in the Valkyrie Profile series. B ending is default and you get just for playing the game. C ending you get for not doing anything. A ending requires a ton more work. It's often worth the effort, but it's requires too many exacting steps and is still a pain.

Well, I think this might be a fundamental difference in what we look for in games. At least with Mass Effect, I'm not looking for a sim-world that I can micro-manage. I want an immersive narrative that happens "with or without me," so to speak, which I am able to influence to some extent through my choices. If I have too much control, ie. keeping characters alive is as easy as choosing the "Stay alive!" dialogue option instead of the "Go fall off a bridge" dialogue option, I find it difficult to take the characters seriously or form any sort of bond with them, because that's simply not how characters in other media/actual people IRL behave. The simplification is intrusive and reminds me that I'm "only" playing a game.

I really don't think that looking up a guide before playing ME3 is the right way to approach this kind of game (and this isn't necessarily addressed at you; for all I know, the ending is the only thing you've looked up in any detail). It gets in the way of the player's ability to perceive the world's immediacy when said player knows precisely what choice is coming up, and how s/he needs to choose in order to get result X, vs. how for result Y. The world stops being "real," to whatever extent it might have managed otherwise, and is reduced to the code behind the curtain.

I think the game very purposefully means to shock you with your inability to do certain things you would like to do. Without spoiling anything, a certain character's possible death in ME3 actually pulls up a Paragon interrupt (press L1 to take a heroic action! Fast!), but even if you hit L1, you can't save them in time. Shepard TRIES, but fails. The horror of that, as you realize what's happening, as you realize you can't do anything to stop it despite trying so hard, is what sells the scene. If you know in advance all of the triggers that go into this scene, all of the decisions that influence it, it's no longer a world, it's just a bunch of boxes that you can tick off while playing the game.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Hell, I bought the collectors edition, so I got the day-one DLC included as it was. Really, Javik is not as important a story element as people think: He does not add very much in the way of key plot details, simply another character and all that entails: Another option for your squad, another skillset, two more bonus powers, and extra backstory. The only things the day-one DLC add beyond that, is an extra gun and some lore.

If you aren't a hardcore ME fan, and likely never will be, you won't miss a thing. If you are, your mind was pretty much made up the moment you heard about it.

As for the ending, yes, the ending is horrible. Its broken, and makes no sense unless you come up with some kind of elaborate conspiracy theory, The Indoctrination Theory, to make it make sense. Which, it does. But, lets face it, while Bioware thought about that as being part of the ending, it wasn't. The pieces are just there by funny happenstance. Still a nice happenstance, though.

But, neither killed the game for me. I played it through several times, had a blast with the Multiplayer, despite the unlock system, and the only reason I'm not playing it now, is that A: My friends aren't playing it, and Multiplayer is always better with friends, B: I'm in the mood for a different game, namely Fallout: New Vegas, and C: I've pretty much burnt out on it, for the time being.

Its a pretty damn good game. Even great. But perfect? Far from it. Would've undoubtedly been able to get much closer, but I personally lay that on Casey Hudsons head, the bastard.

 

[octafish]

I loved Mass Effect, but was sorely disapointed with ME2. I will probably buy ME3 when either all DLC is bundled together ie GOTY edition or they fix the face import problem and the price drops below $30.

EDIT: So it seems the face thing is patched. Now about that price...

Oh and I don't have a problem with Origin, I have BF3 and FIFA12 and have switched my NFS games over to Origin from Steam.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

I originally boycotted it because of Origin requirement, I've said it a few times: that cancerous shit will *not* get installed into my computer. The endings fiasco only affirmed me in my conviction that not buying ME3 was the right decision.

 

[theultimateend]

I did not buy ME3 and the reason is not listed in the poll.

Once that bad boy is 20 bucks or less I'll be over it.

Getting Diablo 3 for free so I won't have to wait on that at least. (annual pass dealy)

 

[TakeyB0y2]

Pre-ordered the collector's edition back in December. Still haven't beaten it, about halfway through, too saaaaad to continue. :l

I pre-ordered because I honestly did fall in love with the Mass Effect universe, I really did. I have been enjoying the game, but well, with the whole fiasco with the ending, I honestly just have very little will to finish it. Also I haven't touched the multiplayer because I'm just too awkward on Live with strangers. Maybe if I had friends to play it with, but I don't. Saaaadness.

Now I know I probably should've held off pre-ordering and just waited until it's price went down.

Oh wellll, now I know.

I... Guess you could say I'm boycotting BioWare products now. I mean, I wasn't really all that into them in the first place, it was just Mass Effect that I really liked, and now that's agonezo. Also outside Mass Effect I haven't played anything with an EA logo on it for a long time either.

 

[fireaura08]

Honestly, I lost interest in the ME franchise after 2. ME3 was going to be a bargain bin, until I read the script/ending leaks, which turned it into a no-buy.

 

[Shuguard]

I did not purchase any of the mass effect games except for the first game. I was not interested at all.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Anyone that was going to buy, bought it. Anyone that never had an interest, continued to have no interest. Gamers have zero credibility and no conviction.

 

[Joccaren]

Uh, I pre-ordered it and got it day 1.

Highly disappointed, but I'm not tainting my perfect record of never returning a game.

Ask me when DA3 comes around. I won't have bought it.

Edit: I also have not played it in over a month. Its a pretty average game all in all, even without the ending, and the ending just takes away any reason to play it.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

I acquired the game through other means simply to be completely vindictive. Unfortunately, the game is, for the most part, outstanding.

So you pirated it and enjoyed the product you stole from EA , but refuse to pay them what you owe?

Oh yeah, you sure are a rebel.

 

[Rawne1980]

Got it, played it, messed around on multiplayer until it bored me and then returned it to where I purchased it.

It had no replay value for me so the best thing to do was to take it back and get my money back.

 

[psicat]

I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition, and loved every minute of the game. Can't wait for more single player DLC to come out.

 

[psicat]

ME3 was going to be a preorder, then the first Origin debacle happened (the datamining your hard drive one). Then EA decided it would be a good idea to have a motherfucking honest-to-Jesus-Christ PROTHEAN as a $20 day-one DLC.

I acquired the game through other means simply to be completely vindictive. Unfortunately, the game is, for the most part, outstanding, but I will stick to my guns until either ME3 comes off of Origin, or ME3 + From Ashes drops to ~$25, at which point I'll still run it without Origin because I refuse to have Origin on my computer.

Now, if the day-one DLC had been cosmetic content or maybe just a weapon pack (or even something along the lines of Kasumi/Zaeed), I might have relented and bought the game after a couple playthroughs; it's what I did with ME1&2, after all, so I have no qualms about doing that. The fact remains, though, that they held an extraordinarily important story element hostage as day-one DLC, which should be punishable by law.


God, I hate them so much for doing that.

Look an other damn pirate that likes to rationalize away their reasons for stealing. Pathetic!