Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

[Mar 21, 2012, 2:11 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

The BioWare Blog has a post from BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka confirming that criticism of the ending of Mass Effect 3 has had a massive effect on them, and they will indeed be changing the way the game ends, as they said they might. Here's a bit on their change in plans, and what lead to this point:

Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April. We’re working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we’ve received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.

The reaction to the release of Mass Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game concluded; we care about this feedback, and we’re planning to directly address it. However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review score and a review average in the mid-90s. Net, I’m proud of the team, but we can and must always strive to do better.

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152 Replies. 8 pages. Viewing page 4.
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92.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 23:02

finga

DarkCntry wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 15:34: Next time someone gets an order wrong at your local fast food joint, don't demand them fix it or get your money back, after-all, it's just fast food and you probably have some red herring at home to eat.... I'd ask them to fix the problem, and then they'd fix it. If somehow they didn't, I sure as hell wouldn't be picketing the store outside the next day or writing about it on the internet a week later, making photoshops and writing up FTC complaints. And I wrote that last paragraph pretending that serving fast food is anything like making art, music, games, books, or other media. Which it's not. Well, now that we're doing this, I'll be writing George R.R. Martin asking him to change A Song of Ice and Fire so that my favorite character doesn't die. Also, I'll need HBO to go back and re-cut all the show scenes to match. And quickly, too!

91.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 22:34

Dades

They made a lot of promises about the ending that turned out to be flat out lies. This is the second time we've seen this recently from Bioware, I am putting them into the penalty bin for a few years and hope that others do the same. No more money until their grandiose claims can be verified.

90.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 21:58

Sepharo

Fion wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 20:31:
For those who don't understand why everyone is up in arms over this, here's a good video explaining it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6M0Cf864P7E#!

That's a great explanation video, thanks.

So for someone who's only played the first one and a 1/4 of the second what does happen with the Rachni? They seemed to be the primary example that kept coming up as something where your choices would matter across multiple games.

edit: Ah nm, couldn't resist heading to the wiki. Spoiler: blurb in ME2, blurbs in ME3 and a decision to spare yet another queen which affects (with a twist) whether or not they're in your war assests or not.

This comment was edited on Mar 21, 2012, 22:14.




[I'm not trolling I'm just] tossing stuff like that in there only to get your panties all bunched up. -TrollinThundr

89.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 20:31

Fion

You have to admit the ending is pretty damn horrible. The little boy that created the reapers to wipe out organic life in order to save life from being wiped out by synthetics is laughably idiotic. Who the hell wrote that? And the whole 'organics and synthetics can never get along' is shown to be false earlier in the game when you make peace with the Geth. Frankly there should have been a choice to tell that little god child to 'f' off and take his circular arguments and Reapers with him and never come back. Bioware succeeded in ruining their own franchise in the last 5 minutes of it. Next we'll have Bioware.. or rather EA releasing DLC that explains all the plot holes, fixes all the crap endings, adds a new one or what ever. But of course, it won't be free. For those who don't understand why everyone is up in arms over this, here's a good video explaining it all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6M0Cf864P7E#! This comment was edited on Mar 21, 2012, 20:53.

88.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 20:26

Dev

necrosis wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 15:47: I love how he is comparing 75 people liking the game thousands not liking it. These 75 somehow have more weight than your MUCH larger consumer base. The consumer base that is actually paying for the game. Of course they have more weight, from the money weighing down their pockets. Actually, most of the reviews probably didn't play to the end before writing the review.

87.

Re: endings are the same

Mar 21, 2012, 20:14

Mashiki Amiketo

Ruffiana wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 19:44:
Ah well, that's just dissapointing then.

And this, along with an assload of other things is the reason why the ending makes no sense at all. The entire last 15ish minutes seem like someone got together 2 highschool students that wrote fanfic, and said "here, go at it." Broken vids that don't reflect, choices that have no impact on the ending, player choice taken away.

Even Parallax Abstraction should see that for what it is. Pure laziness, with a dose of "fuck you" to everyone who played the game.




-- "For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong." --H.L. Mencken

86.

Re: endings are the same

Mar 21, 2012, 19:44

Ruffiana

Trioptimus wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 19:12: Ruffiana wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 18:10: I saw Quarian ships in the final battle fleet...things that I assume wouldn't have been there if things had played out differently... I saw Quarian ships in the final battle fleet even though I watched them all get destroyed by way of my actions Ah well, that's just dissapointing then.

85.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 19:34

Asmo

Parallax Abstraction wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 14:18: Great, cause listening to whiners on the Internet sets such a great precedent. Either you believe in the work you released or you don't. By capitulating to the whining idiots (I have not yet seen the Mass Effect 3 ending but I can't imagine any ending that would warrant the level of outrage we've seen), you tell people that by screaming loud enough, they can just get whatever they want. Stand by what you made. I take exception to this. Yeah, there's a fair amount of hyperbolic frothing at the mouth, but as a long time fan of the series, I really expected the course of the game to give you some dramatically different endings depending on your actions. Recall Fallout 1 if you will. Simple screenshots with a brief voice over describing the 'fallout' of your actions. It provided symmetry and let you know that your actions had consequences. Spoiler (video included) to show just how little difference there really is in the endings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPelM2hwhJA I don't mind an ending that involves Shepard dying, I don't mind bad endings such as the Reapers winning or the Earth getting wiped out. What I felt was missing was a reasonable epilogue where the repercussions of major actions you take (ie. brokering peace between the Quarians and the Geth) are revealed. eg. curing the Krogan genophage might result in a swarm of Krogan's starting a new war, incidentally resulting in Wrex and Eve dying in a coup, so even though the reapers were defeated, the Krogan's plunge the galaxy in to a horrible war. I would also like to see some sort of exposition on members of the crew, particularly paramours. Plus there is a difference between giving in to whiners and understanding feedback that indicates general dissatisfaction with one very small but crucial part of the game. I loved 99.99% of the game, the last 15 minutes odd soured the experience for me precisely because the rest was so good. Imagine eating an awesome meal only for the last mouthful of food to be rotten. It ruins the entire experience. And given the amount of in game scripted moments and cutscenes, I doubt it would have been an extraordinary amount of work to present multiple endings more in tune with the actions of the player throughout the game rather than an arbitrary ending based on your readiness score and paragon/renegade status.

84.

Re: endings are the same

Mar 21, 2012, 19:24

hello newman

I luled so hard... However, most folks* appear to agree that the game as a whole is exceptional,* Yeah Bioware, let's be friends.. or better yet .. pals or .. buddies ! How about asking for donations Bioware ? I heard on various places on the interwebs that donations are highly underrated. Maybe you can turn some additional profit. DONATE TO SAVE CMDR. SHEPARD..folks

83.

endings are the same

Mar 21, 2012, 19:12

Trioptimus

Ruffiana wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 18:10: I saw Quarian ships in the final battle fleet...things that I assume wouldn't have been there if things had played out differently... I saw Quarian ships in the final battle fleet even though I watched them all get destroyed by way of my actions

82.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 18:10

Ruffiana

It's really in their best interest to provide an alternate ending to this saga. I personally have no intention to buy anymore DLC for ME3 unless I know that there's ultimately some kind of more satisfying outcome, better closure, and a hell of a lot less glaring plot-holes as a potential ending. I can't imagine how many people have walked away from this franchise entirely because of how it was all wrapped up. I actually really liked the synthesis ending. It's a nice coda to how I was able to resolve the Geth/Quarian war by having all organic live evolve along a similiar line as the Geth and effectively ending the conflict with the Reapers by removing their justiciation for the cycle of galactic destruction. All I would change about this ending is adding some sort of explanation as to why the Normandy has left Earth and ends up marooned on some primitive alien world to (presumably) restart a new civilization with Joker & EDI as the Adam & Eve of this new race of beings. I don't even mind the ME Relays being destroyed in this ending because with the evolution of organic life into a synthetic hybrid, that undoubtedly comes with a much longer--if not indefinite--lifespan. No worries about incompatible food from races being stranded on Earth (they can adapt to anything) or having to get home with mere FTL travel (they've got all the time in the universe). But the other two almost literally hue-shifted endings aren't really unique and don't provide an interesting contrast to that one ending. I would like to see the expected Reapers destroyed, galaxy triumphs, Shepard retires to live out remaining days with love-interest and presumably dies an early death from alchohol poisoning stock ending. Yes, it's a trope but it's the ending some people want. I'd also like to see the much darker, Shepard gives the giant middle finger to the other races in the galaxy, opts to carry on with TIM idea to control the Reapers, and simultaneously ends that threat as well as catapults humanity to the position of all-powerful galactic rulers. Much of the choices made and war assets collected should be highlighted in some additional elements or scene during the final battles leading up to the end. I saw Quarian ships in the final battle fleet as well as the Destiny Assencion...things that I assume wouldn't have been there if things had played out differently. But there are some really interesting war assets aquired during ME3 that most people would at least like to see a passing nod to. Outside of that, I would gladly pay $10 for any DLC that makes it very clear that Kaiden dies in some sort of horrible, painful manner. This comment was edited on Mar 21, 2012, 18:23.

81.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 18:08

Akando

Hi guys, fairly new poster here, been reading for years. I just have to say, I loved ME 2. It got me hooked to the series. Didn't like ME 1 at all...at first...gave it another shot and really liked that one too. Have played both many times. I liked ME 3 overall (wished to have seen more of Kasumi Koto "now you see me...") . Like most, disappointed with the ending. I do appreciate the hard work the developers put into the game, and I hope that something good will come out of all of this.

80.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 18:07

PropheT

TheBigVlad wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 16:31: I would think the point would be to entertain. Many of the choices I made during the series did alter my gameplay experience enough that I felt like they mattered, but I never expected them to make any huge impact to the overall story. I'm not sure why anyone would, honestly. Choices you made going back two games affected who was even in Mass Effect 3 to fight alongside. You may or may not have had a relationship with one or more people. That person may or may not even be alive to be in the 3rd game. You may or may not cure the genophage, save the collector base, save the galactic council, save any of 12 different people from ME2, eradicate the Rachni or not, save the Quarians or the Geth or both, and so on. With the choices you can make throughout the game there's no reason NOT to believe that they would have some impact on the ending. They even said they would, and they don't.

79.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 18:01

Silicon Avatar

This reads like somebody from a pro. PR disaster firm wrote it. Affirm the detractors, offer the olive branch, reaffirm the product's standing.. It's so formulaic that I'd be sort of insulted if I were a big fan of Bioware.

78.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 18:00

Mordhaus

WOOOHOOOOO!

77.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 17:56

Funkinator

Forbes Review of Dr. Ray Muzyka "But the plethora of positive professional reviews are less helpful by far than much of the ‘destructive’ commentary BioWare faces. Truth rarely lies in what we want to hear. Dozens of fawning reviewers tripping over one another to offer up their perfect scores hardly encourages BioWare to improve their product. “Look how exceptional our game is! We appreciate your concern and we are listening, but by the way did you notice all these perfect scores we just received? You’re delusional, but we care.”

76.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 17:38

paelian

"There's a warm wind blowing in from Minicoy." - Benjamin Sisko

75.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 17:26

Kastagir

The solution is easy: don't buy Bioware games. At the very least, stop the lemming behavior of pre-purchasing every title they produce. The intractable nature of Bioware's lead designers (and their equivalents) will not change until market figures make it clear. No amount of bitching in forums will change this, since as many have pointed out here and elsewhere, Bioware and EA have well-developed strategies for dealing with negative feedback. If you don't give them your money, they lose the argument that they have more loyal fans than critics.

74.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 17:24

Creston

TheBigVlad wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 16:50: Verno wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 16:35: TheBigVlad wrote on Mar 21, 2012, 16:31: I would think the point would be to entertain. Many of the choices I made during the series did alter my gameplay experience enough that I felt like they mattered, but I never expected them to make any huge impact to the overall story. I'm not sure why anyone would, honestly. Bioware has literally said that the game is all about building "your Shepard and telling your story". I get what you're saying about not expecting a totally personalized ending but its hard to argue that it wasn't sold that way. In fact Casey Hudson also said there would be individualized endings that were "too many to count" and claimed that there would not just be a simple three choice ending. It's not totally about personalization either, a lot of people were very attached to their companions and wanted some explanation in that regard too. The ending should have worked on some level but it just doesn't really seem to satisfy most people no matter what you're into - lore, the characters, your protagonist, etc. Alright, I understand that people had certain expectations based on BioWare statements and marketing. That makes sense. I guess it just didn't bother me as much as others because I stayed away from all ME3 related hype until release, because I had such little interest in the game other than seeing how the story ends (because I loved ME1). As I've said before, I had no expectations for the game other than it being utter crap. So, it's really hard for me to not be somewhat satisfied. Which is fine. I have no problem with people who DID like the ending, and I'm sure as hell not going to call them "smug idiots" or anything. And I absolutely understand that for people who DID like the ending, the idea of changing it is abhorrent. I fully support the idea of another ending being ADDED to the game, in addition to the ~~three~~ one that exists now. It's never going to happen, but it'd be a solution that would work for everyone, I think. Creston This comment was edited on Mar 21, 2012, 17:43.

73.

Re: Mass Effect 3 Ending Changes Planned

Mar 21, 2012, 17:19

Yakubs

game content initiatives Scumbags.

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