Why do gamers hate games because of one "small" problem?

[Rheinmetall]

Lately I've noticed that there is a lot of controversy because of the game "mass effect 3"'s ending. And I see how everywhere I go, I hear of this and I get tired of seeing all this anger and frustration because of a good games ending or another small thing in a game like it's multiplayer.
I also take note of how the people say that because of the problem they blame the whole game or company because of it.
I wonder why people can't just accept that a game is good and leave it as it is without the need for a huge uproar for change.
So what do you guys thing of people critiquing a game based off a "small problem"?

Your question is more of a statement really, a statement that you liked Mass Effect and that all those gamers that didn't like it because of the ending and are now pissed with Bioware are saying nonsense, or something like that. There isn't any question. Also your argument is based on a very subjective basis: You say that the ending problem is actually a small problem, because it happens to be small for you. For other gamers the ending is crucial regarding their whole experience of the game. Isn't it a legitimate approach, the same as yours that you consider it as minor?

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

So you really believe that a shit ending undoes all of the fun you've had?

Alright then.

The amount of hyperbole you employ is god damn amusing. No, it doesn't "undo" any fun. Yes, it sours the memory of it to some extent. Don't put words in my mouth, and don't reply again.

I'll reply as much as I god damn please, as long as there's discussion to be had.

So you're saying that the ending didn't ruin your fun? It only sours the memory to "some extent".

What you seem to be implying is that it actually isn't that big of an issue. In that case, why the fuck are you arguing with me?

No. I believe that if you care about story, a shit ending to a good story is going to make the whole experience considerably more shit.

And I agree, but that doesn't mean it precludes you from ever enjoying that game again, nor indeed as I keep saying, has it invalidated your experience.

 

[Emiscary]

Games put you into the middle of an experience. In movies/tv/books it's way easier to overlook a flaw because you're just passively observing what's going on. But when you're actively participating in something and there's something just plain *wrong* with it, it can shatter your ability to enjoy things.

Also the ending of a story based game is kind of the lynch pin of the whole affair. Especially when it was predicated on the importance of choice and branching decisions...

 

[Murmillos]

Using the "I had a very strong emotional investment into the characters" isn't a valid point. So the fuck what? It's the end of the trilogy, you won't be playing as them again. What does it matter how it ends? Either way you will cease playing as them.

Not to mention the lengths people have cried about this shit. Wanting refunds, boycotting Bioware, even threatening to sue. It's all pathetic. You didn't like the ending? That sucks, now move the fuck on with your life.

So seriously, you are just gong to openly invalidate any conversation or reasons anybody has because you don't like their reasons, then openly troll them for having said opinions?

Why even start a thread if you don't care about anybody others viewpoint when your only plan is to openly insult somebody for being displeased with the games ending.

Very childish.

 

[Feylynn]

The ending to Mass Effect 3 is not "One small problem".
If you don't agree with that statement it's unlikely we will ever understand each other.

Bringing Mass Effect into this wasn't a great idea if you want the broad topic addressed in a rational manner.
I don't think small things do ruin a game for anyone, it's just a matter of perspective as to whether or not the flaw at hand is small.

As I said, a bad ending shouldn't invalidate the experience of the journey for them.

It didn't, most people I've talked to loved the rest of the game, still love the rest of the game, and will never not love the rest of the game. The problem is that makes it very unlikely we'll ever hate the ending any less because we will always care. If we didn't love the rest of the journey we would have no problem with the ending.

Narrative arc does that, intro,inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion thing.
Mass Effect 3 goes more like, intro, incident, rising action, climax.

Picture that like a roller coaster. Imagine how much the people on that ride would enjoy it after the fact if it had "One small problem". It was missing the last segment of track.
It wouldn't slow down and the people on he ride would have no way to expend their momentum save to crash into the ground.
But this is emotional not physical and so the only way to expend that is to vent, rage, attempt to be understood by others, and then forget about the game at risk of "caring to much" all over again.

I'm glad I played the game, but if they can screw an ending up this badly than I have no idea what to expect from future releases from them. I'll likely buy them regardless because I love these worlds but you can only be disappointed so many times before you call the company Square Enix or Sonic Team and just walk away shaking your head, I would love nothing more than for that to NOT happen.

 

[Worgen]

It's not a small problem. It's like the ending to the Sopranos, but worse in that people had a very strong emotional investment in the characters they were interacting with. This, after dumping hours and hours into the series.

People who cannot see this are fucking blind.

It is a small problem. Using the "I had a very strong emotional investment into the characters" isn't a valid point. So the fuck what? It's the end of the trilogy, you won't be playing as them again. What does it matter how it ends? Either way you will cease playing as them.

Not to mention the lengths people have cried about this shit. Wanting refunds, boycotting Bioware, even threatening to sue. It's all pathetic. You didn't like the ending? That sucks, now move the fuck on with your life.

If me3 was a movie then it would be getting panned by everyone for having a bad ending, but because its a game its ok? The problem is that since its a multi part series, people are very invested in it plus it was always about giving the player control over things and letting the player become shepard, since it sounds like they fucked that up at the end I can understand the hate. Sure it went a bit overboard but I think that is more about people wanting to complain to bioware about something, bioware is one of those devs that has a big fan following and devs like that get a big boost from fans but if fans think they are messing up then the response is pretty harsh.

 

[Quesa]

Why does *anyone* hate *anything* because of one element (or multiple elements), regardless of its size, shape or duration? Any number of reasons, most personal. There are minor quibbles that ruin movies, books, tv shows, render actors unwatchable to millions, destroy companies and alienate masses.

The important thing to remember is that only things you agree with are relevant complaints. Give 'em hell, Sparky.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

Seeing as how Mass Effect 3 is littered with problems throughout the game it's more than justified to dislike it.
The ending is just the one that bothers people the most.

 

[Intensifizer]

Any ending to a computer software game is a small problem. Some of you people have fucked-up priorities.

 

[Ren_Li]

...Sigh.
The ending of ME3 is not a "small" problem. The writing has always been Mass Effect's strength. The story, the characters, the lore, are all well-written and I think it's safe to say that almost anyone who calls themselves a fan are, primarily, fans of the writing first.

So the ending of this trilogy takes all of that good writing, and essentially undoes it. It screws with the writing of the main character, making him/her act contrary to who he/she always was regardless of morality (by which I mean, determined and unwilling to lie down and let crap just happen). It screws with the writing of the actual lore. And the writing, in and of itself, is BAD. Any writer, presented with the ideas outside of context, and agree that it probably wouldn't work. You don't add new characters, new rules, new lore, etc which will totally change the way things work in the last few minutes of the final part of a series. It's bad writing, no matter what media is being written.

So the main strength of the series and the thing that most fans are fans of is completely turned on it's own head and bounced against the concrete for a bit.

And that strength is the sort of strength that stays with a person. Good game play is fun for a while, then you put the game down and go off to do other stuff and it doesn't haunt you. Good writing can. There are powerful books which can stay with a person for their entire life because of the way it's written. Same with movies. Writing is something that can get into your head, stimulate your emotions, make you think and feel, and because that's the strength of the Mass Effect series, it succeeded. It got into peoples' heads. Maybe not YOUR head, but don't discount the power strong writing can have just because it's not impacting you personally.

So combine the combination of the generally good writing, and the fact that that has the potential to get in people's heads, to stay with them and leave lasting impressions; with the magnitude of really, REALLY bad writing in the ending, in all areas across the board... That's why it's a big problem. That's why it's causing so much uproar.

I'm not going to include my thoughts on the ending, or why I think them, or my thoughts on the fan response here. This is simply a post on WHY the fans responded as they did.

 

[Dendio]

99 percent of mass effect 3 game was amazing. It had a weird ending.
It has ending clarifying dlc on the way as well as game expanding dlc.
Im more than happy with the game, I think its one of the best i've ever played.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Let's see...I've laughed, I've cried, I've enjoyed the company of ALL of my crew members. I've yet to reach the ending for me3 yet but if it truly sours the experience as badly as most say it does...it would honestly ruin the series for me. Seeing all of my actions make a difference in the story so far has been awe inspiring to me as a gamer. Punching that reporter AGAIN, saving the rachni queen again, seeing grunt, saving ashley, hanging out with garrus, watching Mordin give his life and legion as well...this character that I'm playing as has transcended any other video game character I've ever played as. My shepherd is me. To see none of it matter as described by so many....is heartbreaking.

 

[Tono Makt]

The Mass Effect 3 problem is exactly the same as the LOST problem; (A): People got too invested in the series, (B): The endings are truly terrible as people say they are, and (C): The creators disregarded the main attraction of why people enjoyed consuming the media (LOST = discovering the mystery, ME3 = having player engagement matter).

I think it is even more true for ME3 is because your laying down 60-70 bucks for the game, not to mention the false advertising surrounding the ending itself (not calling it endings, they are all the same dammit.)

i was pretty upset with LOST's ending, but it was something I got over within the next hour or so because I didn't spend money on it nor was it advertised to have an epic of all epic ending(s).

The LOST analogy is even more apt given Darlton's response to the fan's outrage at the ending. They spent 5 seasons playing off of the super-fan/Otaku/"Stop Playing 6 Degree's of Ben Linus He's Not A Real Person" viewers to sell a boatload of crap to the fans, only to say at the end that the series was all about the relationships between the characters, and the mystery was completely secondary. When fans got upset, they passed all the blame onto the fans who misunderstood what LOST was all about, and said it was our fault for not getting LOST. Their patronizing and insulting attitude is what kept the issue going for as long as it did, not just the craptastic Season 6.

(Now, more than a year later, they've started to subtly admit that they messed up the final season and that the fans might have a good reason to be annoyed. Too little, too late in my books.)

 

[Thoric485]

We don't. It's just the result of gaming publications overplaying a mediocre title as the RPG of the decade.

 

[thomas.owns]

I recently picked up R&C A41, this game was bashed for it's glitchyness and bugs. I haven't had any issues and am enjoying the crap out of this. I don't know why people will instantly hate a game based off one small issue.

If the issue is gamebreaking, sure I get it at that point.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

The Mass Effect 3 problem is exactly the same as the LOST problem; (A): People got too invested in the series, (B): The endings are truly terrible as people say they are, and (C): The creators disregarded the main attraction of why people enjoyed consuming the media (LOST = discovering the mystery, ME3 = having player engagement matter).

I think it is even more true for ME3 is because your laying down 60-70 bucks for the game, not to mention the false advertising surrounding the ending itself (not calling it endings, they are all the same dammit.)

i was pretty upset with LOST's ending, but it was something I got over within the next hour or so because I didn't spend money on it nor was it advertised to have an epic of all epic ending(s).

The LOST analogy is even more apt given Darlton's response to the fan's outrage at the ending. They spent 5 seasons playing off of the super-fan/Otaku/"Stop Playing 6 Degree's of Ben Linus He's Not A Real Person" viewers to sell a boatload of crap to the fans, only to say at the end that the series was all about the relationships between the characters, and the mystery was completely secondary. When fans got upset, they passed all the blame onto the fans who misunderstood what LOST was all about, and said it was our fault for not getting LOST. Their patronizing and insulting attitude is what kept the issue going for as long as it did, not just the craptastic Season 6.

(Now, more than a year later, they've started to subtly admit that they messed up the final season and that the fans might have a good reason to be annoyed. Too little, too late in my books.)

true. i have quite to say about the situation overall, and how bioware has handled it as poorly as the LOST writer/producers did, and it's just gotten old trying to get them to admit to the fuck up that is the ending.

 

[rob_simple]

I recently picked up R&C A41, this game was bashed for it's glitchyness and bugs. I haven't had any issues and am enjoying the crap out of this. I don't know why people will instantly hate a game based off one small issue.

If the issue is gamebreaking, sure I get it at that point.

My problem with that game was the fact they took it in a direction it didn't need to go (4-player co-op). R&C is my favourite series and until now it had never had any emphasis on multiplayer so that was my problem.

OT: I think the difference here is a small issue that only occurs once like the ME3 ending --seriously if the ending sucks that's a real damn shame; just make up your own and get over it-- shouldn't matter when you've had hours and hours of enjoyment out the product, but when it's a niggling little issue that constantly pops up it can wear you down.

For example, Dead Island's melee combat was complete horseshit: attacks constantly passed right through the enemy. Considering this was a game based almost entirely around melee combat I hated it even though it was a pretty neat (if badly, badly executed) idea.

 

[Asita]

Any ending to a computer software game is a small problem. Some of you people have fucked-up priorities.

Actually, no. It's long been known by storytellers that the ending is one of the most important points in the story. Heck, Brecht's philosophy behind his plays revolved around the idea of practically weaponizing the audience's reaction to those moments by specifically denying catharsis so the audience would feel the need to act on the social issues presented in his performances. Amusingly, the ME3 ending rather neatly (albeit by pure accident) demonstrates Brecht's idea (perhaps even better than Brecht himself ever did), but instead of affecting social change[footnote]Due to the ending rather definitively not having implications outside the story itself[/footnote], the nature of the ending compelled the audience to instead focus their dissatisfaction back unto the 'playwright' and the play itself.