When Mass Effect 3 came out, it was a great success for developer BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts. It became one of the best-selling gamesof the year, it successfully added multiplayer to the franchise and it received great reviews across the board. With all of that attention, it also became the most criticized game in the series in large part due to its ending.
All throughout development it was advertised and hyped up by key people at BioWare that Mass Effect 3 would complete and conclude the Commander Shepard story, but as anyone who’s finished the game knows, the ending is rather open-ended and players are not given a chance to see what the actual results of their actions are, at least not fully, nor are they able to see what happens to each of the characters they’ve grown attached to throughout the series.
For some fans this was totally cool, for others (especially supporters of the Indoctrination Theory), it didn’t meet their expectations and there began the community outcry for an alternate ending. The controversy sparked quite a bit of debate over the question of whether or not BioWare’s work of art should be able to stand on its own, or if they should change or add to their product simply because gamers demand it.
In the end, BioWare went with the plan of fleshing out the conclusion of the series through the upcoming Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC, which releases next week for free. In talking about the DLC, ME3 lead writer Mac Walters described the new content in his own words while also giving his explanation for why the team decided to do the DLC in the first place.
In the words of Mac Walters, what exactly is the Extended Cut?
“The extended cut is content that players can download at no extra charge which expands the endings of Mass Effect 3 through some additional scenes and an epilogue sequence. So it provides a lot of the closure that players are looking for and it answers some of the questions that people have been asking. And it gives a sense of what the future holds as a result of your decisions throughout the series. Your final choice is just one part of how the story ends up, but then there’s the whole game and whole series worth of choices that results in story decisions and a lot of those now are going to be reflected.”
Why did BioWare make the Extended Cut?
“We didn’t do the extended cut because we were trying to make everyone happy or to make it perfect, we just saw an opportunity to expand on the things that we felt we could add value to the experience to those who might appreciate it.”
“I remember when Mass Effect 3 launched, the team was incredibly proud about what they had delivered and even though we were getting incredibly reviews there was some really tough criticism coming in that was pretty hard on us. And what happened over and over again in those days was that people from throughout the team would come in into my office with ideas for what they could do for players to address the feedback that we’re hearing. The thing is, we love this universe as much as the fans do, we’ve been putting our hearts and souls into this for over eight years and when it’s all over, we wanted to take a little more time to say goodbye to it. We wanted that as much as fans did so we were really happy to have the opportunity to work on the extended cut and it’s been a labor love to put these extra scenes in and show a little more about what’s going to happen with the Mass Effect universe after we say goodbye to it.”
In essence, it was fan feedback that gave birth to origins of the ME3 single-player DLC. The important takeaway from this however, is that there are many, many people who put countless hours of work into the game and they care as much or more than we do about how it plays out. Undoubtedly, some on the team weren’t entirely happen with the ending either and as evidenced above, had their own ideas for how to make the game even better than it already is.
As Casey Hudson put it best, video games are an interactive medium and with social media, social marketing, community interaction, relationships form between developers and fans that are stronger than ever before and with that comes a certain responsibility. The Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC, like it or not, sets an interesting precedent for the industry and we can’t fault the talent behind the game for doing the best they can to enhance the experience.
To prepare for the DLC, be sure to get online tonight for the N7 Bounty Weekend. This one’s called Operation Savage and requires that the community take out 7,000,000 enemy grunt forces.
Don’t forget to read our Mass Effect 3 review for more.
Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut releases June 26, 2012 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
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Source: BioWare
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Well, what’s passed is passed. Bioware failed to live up to it’s promises and then told the fans to F-off when we called them to task about it. I won’t be DL it even though it is free because I just don’t care anymore.
It is very clear that ALL they care about is the multiplayer aspect of the game. The single players was great, but the ending felt like someone went WTH we don’t really need this it’s all about multiplay anyway and just through something together to finish it.
I’m not so sure. The multiplayer was a barebones tack-on at launch: One mode, six maps and super repetitive. It’s only better now because of the free DLC but it’s still just the one mode with 11 waves. I wonder how much they make off the microstransactions though.
I’ve given them $40….. I hate my self
Don’t hate yourself too much their Bret you have a lot of company.
When I was playing I never spent a cent of real money on the multiplayer packs…I played way too much to need to…
…but I would constantly hear people talking about buying them with real cash. In fact I talked to at least 4 separate players that were spending $20 every week on the multiplayer (for god knows how many weeks after launch), and then there are the kids – lots of kids talking about spending their allowance on it every week…
I’m pretty sure they made a buttload off MP Packs.
Man, I did the their/there thing – still wishing we had an edit on these comments Vic.
Enough to mask new DLC as benevolently given freely, that’s how much. I’ll bet every time a new class launches they make a pretty penny on Spectre packs. I’ve even found myself doing it and I don’t love the multiplayer and raged at the ending.
I wish I could thumbs up your comment David. I feel pretty much the same, gonna check out the attempted patch on YouTube…
C’mon – be honest – who else is doing that?
Personally I loved the open ended finale. They made a game and obviously enjoyed making it and what they did to it. The only reason they are making the DLC is because of whiny children who complained that they didn’t like the ending. You don’t see movies releasing an extended end in continuity because of upset filmgoers, they just accept it is a chance that comes with viewing a film. We have just gotten to spoiled with all the friggin DLC out there that we want everything our way. There is something called artistic integrity and I for one am just upset that Bioware felt the need to bow to whiny internet bozos.
obvious troll is obvious
Movies are not an interactive medium, video games are. And not just from a video games perspective, but in marketing via social media, hence community managers having their roles and importance change so drastically this generation.
They didn’t have to change anything, but their own team wanted to. Who’s to say they can’t do that if a lot of the staff want to? That arguement of yours would block patches to Skyrim that add Kinect support, new features like horse combat and more.
I should also add, that once a movie releases into theaters, it’s done. It cannot be changed in that form. Video games release with known bugs that are fixed afterwards because in a connected digital word, patching is normal now.
Since video game releases are 97% forced under release date constraints, games are often missing important elements and sometimes those elements involve the story. In this case, BioWare didn’t offer the conclusions/rewards/consequences to threads of decisions throughout the game and they realized that too.
In addition to what you are saying, Rob, several movies release on DVD/Blu-Ray with alternate endings and scenes, much like Mass Effect 3 is doing now.
Movies have had extended and director’s cuts for well over a decade. Ever hear of Highlander 2: The Quickening? Movies and TV programs also change (“retooled”) based on focus groups, fan feedback and ratings.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought Sherlock Holmes back to life due to fan outcry.
yep true. All they care is multiplayer cause that all they been supporting lately. Plus to get the best ending you have to play multiplayer which is stupid for a single player experience
I thought the ending to ME3 was that bad I actually laughed when it happened. By FAR the worst game in the series. I would of loved to of kept my old ME2 crew, my ME2 normandy exactly the way it was (as the ME3 one seems smaller), and gotten rid of the new really lame crew members. None of the new ones were even close to being as good as Mordin, Thane and Miranda etc, they just felt forced there. Should of kept the originals, should of rounded of the ending, should of been more choices and the overall consequences of them at the end.
This wasn’t simple error, it was disgraceful and embarassing. I will not be downloading this extended cut, the experience was ruined for me on the first playthrough, and I feel like its been tarnished and stained, playing it all through again would be boring. That sounds incredibly sad lol, but its true. I am in agreement with David on this one, I am not interested anymore. You get one shot to deliver a amazing game Bioware, its not right to keep throwing extra bits in which aren’t technically large playable DLC packs (like Skyrim Dawnguard), especially when they aren’t even playable bits. I payed £40-£50 for that game, and for the things you promised, you simply did not deliver. Now time has passed, I am totally unphased and disinterested in the ME franchise unless a new one comes out, or unless I return to them in like 5 years.
my thoughts exactly .
Agreed
I’m with you, but I also don’t want to write off what ultimately amounted to a 8 year emotional investment. I’m going to give it a chance because I do care about the universe, even more so than I do about the stupid politics of the company that makes it. Nothing will erase the feeling I had when I beat it the first time, but if I can have a positive experience, I’ll feel better about it at least.
You Tube For the Win!!!
Oh, I agree as well.
Double-talk to the end, I see. I really hate the “honesty = weakness” stance that every corporation ever seems to take.
b*******, the only reason they are doing this is because the community they pissed off and the controversy they got are large enough to hurt the sales of the next Mass Effect game. Bioware, I fully trust you just not EA.
Bioware is dead to me, with DA2, ME3 and SWTOR, and all the lying, and PR stunts, double talk, excuses, and mealy BS, I’ve had it. The old Bioware is dead. This is EA/Bioware. This will never excuse the day one DLC, the lying, the blatant disrespect for fans and the asinine hypocrisy of their “artistic integrity”.
I’l pick this up, because it’s free. Watch it, then delete it forever off my HDD. I’m not buying another Bioware game ever again.
I also like how they interview Casey Hudson, as if anyone even remotely savvy, believes a single word he says anymore.
They could’ve interviewed the Bioware office Janitor and it would’ve had more cred with me…
I am not going to argue that the ending was bad. It was. But the game itself was awesome. The gameplay was great. The story (up until the end) was in my opinion a masterpiece. And the multiplayer is a great way to stay in touch with the ME uiverse long after the story is done.
But yes the ending was a disappointment in that it was too open ended. But what I don’t get is the hatered for Bioware. Yes they droped the ball at the end, but everything else was great. So why all the hatred?
They dropped the ball… in the finals while they were down by one with only seconds left. Sure you can commend for trying but they still ended up losing.
look, i’ve been a fan since the beginning of the mass effect trilogy, and i enjoyed every single one, thats a win on its own, but now, lets talk about the ending. throughout every game, bioware created a universe so believable, that i actually showed emotion for made-up species that is so unique, i loved it,not many games can give me that feeling, and when bioware ended the trilogy like that, its depressing, it’s not a failure, it’s just simply upsetting. they had such a great story which could’ve been expanded on in so many ways, and what do they do? they make it so that all the endings to the game are completely unbelievable, and the one ending that you can actually survive, which seems impossible seeming as he would’ve fell from the citadel, through space without any gear or protection, and entered earths atmosphere at such speed, and crash landed onto the surface, and still be breathing? not to mention the so called *best ending* ends up with commander shephard commiting genocide beyond forgiveness. lets go through this, he destroys all geth, he murders one of his crew members (this is EDI im talking about) , and in every ending, the troops that you promised peace with and they could have a real life again, are stranded in earths system, and turians and quarians cant eat the same food, and if you brought the krogan, they would most likely go insane from hunger and end up turning to canniablism, most likely eating their fellow allies. bioware, i am pissed with you, and i’ve always believed in you, but when you made joker flee from the battle leaving shepard? im sorry, thats low. and even when major coats claims that nobody survived the run to the beam, joker and your crew would’ve gone back for you, whether it was to save you, or pick up your body. if you can fix all this nonsense, i will have some faith in you bioware, but after everything thats gone wrong in the last chapter of the series? it feels like you can’t fix this, because we went through so many hours for you guys, terminating sorvereign, the destruction or taking over of the collector base, and this is how you end it for us? i look forward to seeing how this wraps up to be honest.