Gamers Ask Bioware to Change Mass Effect 3's Ending, Raise $38k For Charity

I'm not going to spoil, but actually I would say that the ending is lazy and poorly implemented. That is actually a pretty good sumary. But I'll leave it up for everyone else to decide when they've finished.

I was definitely disappointed with the ending. Every time I think about it, I feel like it was just a bad dream. But I think this whole fundraiser is a bit crazy..... Something I found on the internet about this,
"Disappointment is when an author ends a story in a way you deem unsatisfying. Criticism is telling them as much. Entitlement is believing they owe you a new one."

The ending is pretty bad...

I can appreciate what it's like to be disappointed by something you hold so dearly. Having said that, it is NOT our game, it's Bioware's. While i can empathize with the feeling of disappointment, i think this may just be one of the most sad moments of entitlement i've seen in a very long time.

For me, while giving to Charity is always good, attatching such a thing to such a petty petition is ridiculous to me. It makes out that changing the ending falls in line with a 'just cause' and could almost be interpretted as an attempt to make Bioware look villainous if they DON'T meet the demands of a charity-giving organisation of players.

Or, to shorten it, this whole thing is really, really weird.

Probably not a wise idea to comment on this until you've seen the ending, Joseph.

Let's just say it's bad...really bad.

On a related note: what's your favorite color?

Oh god. Now if they release epilogue DLC they were already working on, they can act all "You demanded it! We made it!"

I agree with the above comment, lazy and poorly implemented is the perfect summary. When you look at the entire series, even just Mass Effect 3 alone, that ending feels completely off with everything they worked so hard on. I had a hard time believing this was what BioWare came up with, the ending feels nothing like BioWare. Except for one instance, remember how they reused not only dungeon layouts, but the exact same interiors in Dragon Age 2. Well that's what this ending BioWare created felt like.

The ending wreaked of EA. A company that has shortchanged their OWN sports titles, and can't even put in what SEEMS like half of the effort they put into their previous gen sports games. This SEEMINGLY half-hearted effort SEEMS to also be affecting BioWare now.

More than the fans deserve a proper ending, the entire Mass Effect series deserves one, but most of all, the people that worked so hard on that series deserve to see it end on a high note. If this was their intended high note, then they got it, but I have a hard time believing most of those workers thought this would be their high note, including Casey Hudson.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Mass-Effect-3/Mass-Effect-3-Story-and-Campaign-Discussion-Spoilers-Allowed/Indoctrination-Theory---FAQOrganized-9862090-1.html

(Website contains spoilers)

Basically, that entire post explains why the ending isn't really "The ending".

/Pointless.

SPOILERS AHEAD (Not just ME3, but Song of Ice and Fire and Inception so be warned!!)

I felt the ending left a certain openness that gives the series much more character than most games do nowadays. Rather than give a solid, concrete ending that completely closes the book on the Mass Effect series, this allows for us to question the ending, giving us more to discuss, and thus more to look forward to. By leaving it open ended it not only allows for DLC (hooray capitalism), but also the possibility for another sequel or maybe a spinoff series. If they don't change the ending I give Bioware infinitely more credit for not bending over to everyone who's sad that the ending isn't exactly the feel good hit of the summer. If they do, then I'll be very curious to see what they do, but I'll still consider it an "alternate ending," and nothing more.

As a side note (with much more anger attached), has any other artistic medium had to deal with this before? "HEY! It's not 100% clear whether Cobb is still dreaming at the end of Inception! I demand a recut!!" "HEY!! Why is Ned Stark dying in the first book of the series!? I demand a rewrite!!" Sometimes I really don't like the first amendment.

Inception = no matter the ending you interpret, it is well established throughout what will happen to Cobb in either ending.

ME3 = no matter the ending you interpret, it is terribly established throughout what will happen to the galaxy and races in any ending.

There ending could have been fine (it doesn't need to be a "feel good" ending), I think its getting so much flack because it seems cheap, and half-heartedly done, compared to the entire game and entire series.

Its pretty bad especially since bioware was selling this trilogy as "make your story the way u want it..." type of deal...when the 3 endings in the game have almost nothing to do with ur overall decisions in the games and are pretty much the same ending. It's just a total let down with huge plot holes, not only that but i heard they are making story-based DLC later on. I mean the Shadow broker DLC and The Arrival DLC was extremely needed to explain the jump from mass effect 2 ending to mass effect 3 beginning.

Wonder how many diseases would be cured already if people donated to all the shitty writers out there.

"Personally I have yet to finish the game, but I imagine that the ending isn’t something lazy or badly implemented, rather it probably throws a twist into the canon that many just aren’t comfortable with."
That's pretty much it Joseph. I'd like to hear your opinion from when you actually finish the game though.

Finish the game Joseph, this is a very real, very serious issue. Especially considering that this is the second time in a row that Bioware has had a bs ending for a game.

I'm tired of people getting flack for being pissed about this, they have every right to be. Especially if Bioware pulls a Bethesda and releases a Broken Steel style dlc branded as a retcon or, even worse, a "true ending".

I mean, its not that its an unhappy ending. Its that the game, largely marketed on how much the choices made and actions took affect the events of the game. There was almost no difference. Control, Synthesis or Destory all led to Shepards Death (with one tiny not really noteworthy exception), the destruction of the mass relay's (and effective genocide of colony planets and the races trapped in the earth's system). The ending was filled also with plot holes such as how joker ended up picking up members of you're squad that we're on earth, some with you on the final mission and making it to the mass relay before crashing. Furthermore, the games designers obviously cared about the interactions between you and crew. Otherwise they would not have built such fascinating backstories and spent the effort on character interactions that they did. To leave a 3 part game with not conclusion as to the characters is atrocious. What I think some miss is that its not that is a sad ending, or whatever, its that its an ending only in the sense that there is no game after that. There is no closure to practically anything and the storyline and the themes used in the end are inconsistent and largely contradictory to the entire rest of the plot line. As a customer there's a difference between feeling entitled to a new ending, versus saying to a buisness (as their customer) that its product was unsatisfactory and asking them to possibly do something about it, or at least admit that they messed up. If a restaurant I like serves me bad food, I politely let them know its bad and ask them to do something about it, and if they don't, I politely go about my buisness and don't eat there again. Same premise.

I expected a big ending with a massive fight in the end, I was very disappointed by how it actually ended. I do agree with a change, but do these people know it will come as a dlc, which people will have to pay for, assuming Bioware decides to do something about it.

You really should add a spoiler warning to that post.

I'd ask Bioware to change more than just the ending to Mass Effect 3, but I'll leave it at that. kudos for earning 38k.

I haven't seen the ending yet, but I've heard enough complaining to know roughly what happens. Honestly, I wish everyone would just shut up and stop complaining about it.

We'll see whether I change my tune after I finish it myself, though. But I'm honestly sick of hearing everyone constantly & completely trashing it.

I am a master of ignoring. I am also a creative writer. When I end a game and it doesn't look to end in my favor, I will do one of the following things: either I will ignore the ending, create my own ending to counteract the disappointment, or do a mixture of both.

It is unfortunate to say, but Mass Effect 3's ending breaks the universe and everything I ever cared about in the series. It just makes no sense, and has no place anywhere near the ending of such a great trilogy of video games. Not that I'm calling out for a different ending to be made, but it is fact that BioWare has royally fucked this in the anus. It has yet to be determined whether this fucking was intentional or not, however, so we'll see how it goes from here.

I both cannot wait, and do not want to see the ending now.

Ya the ending might suck but most of the game is good and is one of the better games out there. I feel like these people are being a little too self entitled about this issue

Oh man now I want to play ME3 just to see this clustefuck of an ending.

For such a great trilogy, the ending was simply a disgrace, and a twist doesn't have anything to do with that fact. It's just rushed and disregards pretty much the entire philosophy of mass effect, which used to be that your decisions and actions at least somwhat matter. Fuck you, bioware (ea)!

The thing is, 95% of ME3 is absolutely amazing. If you play patiently and thoroughly you will discover so much wonderful content; there's so much humor, so many thrills, so many epic moments, so much great dialogue even where you least expect it. The end of the game on the other hand felt rushed and definitely lacked the quality writing the ME trilogy deserve. Also, making Javik a DLC is nothing short of a scandal. He's such an essential character for understanding the story; obviously he was left out of the original game only because of EA's insatiable greed.

Btw guise, Bruce Willis was a ghost the whole time. Kappa

upon completing ME3 the ending seemed passable, but after looking into the other endings and reading the various theories, The ending to ME3 may very well be absolutely brilliant.

It is hinted that the ending is trying to mislead and confuse, to provoke thought. Indeed it seems it was cryptic enough to where people don't get it to the extent that they are raising funds and petitioning to have it changed.

It is kind of brilliant, and I hope they stick with it. only trouble is I expect the truth of the ending will wind up as DLC, rather than to be left there to be inferred.

Anyway, SPOILERS ahead:

The ending has aspects similar to the Morinth "Romance" in that it plays to the players arrogance as the protagonist; that they are untouchable. It uses series conventions against the player, switching up the decisions and encouraging the player to do the "wrong" thing. It is a strange disjointed, deus ex machina sequence.

Essentially an unconscious dream as shepard lies in the ruins of london wrestling with the indoctorination that he has slowly started to experience after so much contact with the reapers. He is not above it simply because he is who we play as.

The game presents an abstract, bewildering choice, with some that are conveniently all lovely and you win. It is hard to force the players way of thinking. We are inherently disjointed from the experience, so we cannot feel mind altering effects, beyond linear forced portrayal of playing it out and knowing it as such, taking player agency out of our hands to just show us "hey, you are being forced to do this".

A Similar example would be dragon age origins in the fade. In this you are presented with an alien location, a clearly false story to keep us there (darkspawn gone, duncan is here and well).

Dragon Age simply gave us dialogue options to either buy into it a little bit, or to just go "nah, this is fake". As a player, we know it is false, so given our agency we are likely to just go "this is fake, we don't buy it". So the mind altering aspect fails on us because we do not have that understanding of being in that state.

Others simply take control from the player and make our character do set things until we break free of the control. And often it clues us (the player) in on what is going on.

Instead mass effect has given us a (on the surface) disjointed, contrived ending. It actively (and convincingly) convinces players to follow this strange turn and pick the good options. Which, it turns out is actually indoctorination.

With those options Shepard changes (briefly) into looking indoctorinated Saren/Illusive man esque, or even husk like. And then we get a lovely all is well dream. Joker has somehow teleported team mates who were at ground zero aboard and is flying off, etc. All is well with the galaxy, threat over. Shepard won.

It feels wrong, because it is. And the negative "do not do this" ending, actually has a scene that shows shepard still lying there, alive but badl

The ending sucked balls..

They don't have to change the endings. Just add additional ones. That's all i want.

At least it was for a good cause.

Just finished it myself. Like a lot of people, loved it until the last ten minutes. And all the turret sequences. Sometimes I wonder if Devs play games enough to know what sucks?

Anyway, yeah, bad ending. The rumours of a dream sequence thing would explain the issues with it (if you've finished it, you'll know).

I really believed, that everyone was complaining because the ending was sad or something. But no. I have finished this this beautiful game but I have seen the twisted black tail of the beast. I cannot recall an ending to a game that has left me asking so many questions, that has given me this much agony created by the absence of closure. I would be content with just a script retelling of the ending. I dont need much, I just need to know the outcome of the hours of my life that I have sunk and invested into the mass effect universe, I want to see continuity in the lore, but alas, it seems this agenda will go unanswered. And so will depart my care and affection for these games. I am sorry to say, yes, the ending is pretty darn bad.

OMG ppl u have to watch this video from family guy...It pretty much represents the ending of mass effect 3....lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rBJZn9UlFk&feature=g-all-f&context=G2d5ab5fFAAAAAAAADAA

It's a good cause, so fair play to them.

And the ending(s) blew. Blew big, hairy goat cock. Blew in a way I didn't think they'd be able to blow it, judging from the quality finales to ME1 and ME2.

Just feels like so much wasted effort, y'know? All through aside for an A-B-C ending where your choices, your Shepard, doesn't really count for anything.

Man, I really don't like this game... there's a reason it's earned the name
Dragon Age 2 : 2 by me.

the ending is just so poorly implemented that the game (if your in it for the story) just get ruined at the end. the ending i think can be changed a little, just an internet update would be able to do this quickly, and put it in to the games being produced in factories now it would be so much easier for bioware to do this so that there name doesnt get dragged through the mud (and so that the ending doesnt confilct existing connon).

I loved the game I was playng all the side missions from 1+2+3 and then I reached the end of the story and I nearly threw my controler through the tv I was so angry