Regarding Mass Effect 3: Angry players might actually have a point.

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

As well, there ARE precedents for changing an ending. The best example of this is Dickens' classic Great Expectations...

I actually noted [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.358558-Regarding-Mass-Effect-3-Artistic-Integrity-and-the-doom-of-gaming-as-an-artistic-medium#14161385] the Arthur Conan Doyle's initial conclusion to his Sherlock Holmes series in The Final Problem. Due to popular outrage, he ressurected the detective for more adventures, and resented doing so, but delivered regardless.

Update: bombing health centers and lesbian bars [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116530-Gamers-Ship-400-Cupcakes-to-BioWare-in-Protest-of-Mass-Effect-3].[/footnote] Frankly, these protests are demonstrating how totally awesome the gaming community is.

On the other hand I really don't think this is the outcome that Bioware intended. I think they wanted to produce a great game with a satisfying ending to a trilogy and convince their audience that it was worth the $60 and that they should buy the DLC.

There's an adage for creative writing classes that has applicability to all other art forms, you can break the rules, but first you have to know the rules. The point is, when you break from the classical chain of story tropes, it has to be intentional. This is why we forgive George Lucas's suspension of convection physics in the lava fight, but don't forgive his shoddy dialogue: The this [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BattleAmongstTheFlames]). The lame dialog was just sloppy screenwriting.

I don't think Bioware was intentionally trying to provoke emotions and introspection. I think they were just being sloppy. And sloppy results is not something that needs to be preserved for artistic integrity.

238U

 

[CentralScrtnzr]

They should have an option, should they want to overhaul the ending, to shoot the star-child right in the fucking face; maybe then Shepard could shoot himself to abort this whole intellectual property before it gets any more full of itself.

 

[Smeggs]

Personally, i liked it. What was the expectation? Everything would be fluffy bunnies forever?

The expectation was that we'd get what we were promised.

The majority of fans seem to agree that all they really want is closure, which could be easily remedied with a patch that would at least show what happened to the galaxy after your choice.

Y'know, so that your choices actually would matter in the end, and wouldn't be made moot by Catalyst-God-Boy.

It seems like the wide consensus was that Shepard was going to die no matter what, because that's just the kind of story it was. Instead, with all of the plot holes and the fact that we see none of the effects our decision had on the galaxy, Shepard died for literally nothing.

 

[Justanewguy]

I actually noted [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.358558-Regarding-Mass-Effect-3-Artistic-Integrity-and-the-doom-of-gaming-as-an-artistic-medium#14161385] the Arthur Conan Doyle's initial conclusion to his Sherlock Holmes series in The Final Problem. Due to popular outrage, he ressurected the detective for more adventures, and resented doing so, but delivered regardless.

Update: bombing health centers and lesbian bars [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116530-Gamers-Ship-400-Cupcakes-to-BioWare-in-Protest-of-Mass-Effect-3].[/footnote] Frankly, these protests are demonstrating how totally awesome the gaming community is.

On the other hand I really don't think this is the outcome that Bioware intended. I think they wanted to produce a great game with a satisfying ending to a trilogy and convince their audience that it was worth the $60 and that they should buy the DLC.

There's an adage for creative writing classes that has applicability to all other art forms, you can break the rules, but first you have to know the rules. The point is, when you break from the classical chain of story tropes, it has to be intentional. This is why we forgive George Lucas's suspension of convection physics in the lava fight, but don't forgive his shoddy dialogue: The this [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BattleAmongstTheFlames]). The lame dialog was just sloppy screenwriting.

I don't think Bioware was intentionally trying to provoke emotions and introspection. I think they were just being sloppy. And sloppy results is not something that needs to be preserved for artistic integrity.

238U

Holmes is a good example. In terms of sloppy writing, there's a rumor going around the internet that the main writing team was cut out of the last level. If that's true, that would definitely be an example of a legitimate reason to go back and have THOSE guys do the last level. It'd be like JK. Rowling doing the Potter series, only to have the last chapter ghost written by her publisher. Sure it might turn out ok, but it's still her work.

On a different level, though, I think that the people who wrote the level were trying for a really cerebral, very open to interpretation type ending; they failed, but I think that's what they were going for.

Also, you win one internet for properly using a footnote. That's awesome, sir.