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[Hartt951]

Eh, you should've seen the stuff last thursday. That is when the shit really hit the fan. Wikipedia vandalism, ME3 BSN forums getting locked down, threats, SPECULATION... it was bad.

But yeah, 5 threads about the ending is a lot.

Damn, I bet. But just saw a 6th now. That's crazy for GAF considering it's usually one game, one topic.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Don't forget that this is the second spoiler thread for ME3. The first one reached 20K a couple of days ago.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Man, I thought I was totally done, and put this whole thing behind me. Then someone linked me to all the game devs twitter feeds. There is now whiskey in my coffee.

 

[Replicant]

Eh, you should've seen the stuff last thursday. That is when the shit really hit the fan. Wikipedia vandalism, ME3 BSN forums getting locked down, threats, SPECULATION... it was bad.

But yeah, 5 threads about the ending is a lot.

You forgot "Amazon accept returns of ME3".

 

[Riposte]

Forbes article should probably be its own thread. If it is then I missed it.

 

[Hartt951]

You forgot "Amazon accept returns of ME3".

Haha, the number keeps growing. Does anyone from Bioware have a GAF account? I sure hope they're seeing this.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

Man, I thought I was totally done, and put this whole thing behind me. Then someone linked me to all the game devs twitter feeds. There is now whiskey in my coffee.

Be sure to link the interesting parts.

The thread must be fed.

 

[Subitai]

Request for adding this to the OP if it hasn't been asked yet.

http://i.minus.com/ibcSTeuvkBsQRM.jpg

 

[Derrick01]

Shit has hit the fan.

I realized that when this ending situation reached Fox News and CNN. The TV versions, not the websites.

 

[heliosRAzi]

You know what, I am glad people have stopped talking about the Indoc theory

Spoiler

for now

 

[Dresden]

More than anything else, I love how suffering brings people together. It's a community building exercise like no other; political persecution, religious crackdowns, bad videogame endings. Love it.

 

[bigdaddygamebot]

So...the ending really is just the lazy cherry ontop of the lazy sundae that Bioware threw together.

The ending isn't great but you can see how little effort they put into the game with countless things, in particular the way they handled missions/quests.

What a cluster-fuck.

So...I closed out the trilogy. Hooray.

There were high points. Like the Krogan genophage and the possible betrayal.

The Quarian/Geth stage was pretty interesting as well.

However, in the end, I am done with Bioware.

 

[inky]

The ending isn't great but you can see how little effort they put into the game with countless things, in particular the way they handled missions/quests.

The truth is Bioware cuts corners in the most awful ways, showing they don't really respect their universe, while at the same time they put too much emphasis into stupid market-tested extras. It really shows where their priorities lie.

Forbes article should probably be its own thread. If it is then I missed it.

Too many threads at this point. It would be worth it if the angle was put on difference in critical response and it collected a bunch of articles and tweets from all sources, not just Forbes, but I am not doing that so if anyone wants to step up, that's what I would recommend.

 

[heliosRAzi]

More than anything else, I love how suffering brings people together. It's a community building exercise like no other; political persecution, religious crackdowns, bad videogame endings. Love it.

This is the group support thread, man. We've seen people go through the stages of grief in the last thread.

So...the ending really is just the lazy cherry ontop of the lazy sundae that Bioware threw together.

Do you know about the photoshopped picture of Tali?

 

[Barack Lesnar]

So...the ending really is just the lazy cherry ontop of the lazy sundae that Bioware threw together.

The ending isn't great but you can see how little effort they put into the game with countless things, in particular the way they handled missions/quests.

I don't agree at all with this. It was a spectacular game sans the ending. Plenty of content so it didn't seem rushed or lazy to me. I ended up at around 38 hours.

 

[MechaX]

I realized that when this ending situation reached Fox News and CNN. The TV versions, not the websites.

Wait, what?

 

[Tokubetsu]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidth...ped-taking-donations-from-retake-mass-effect/

Be sure to link the interesting parts.

The thread must be fed.

My bad, I meant to say the gaming journos*

 

[Hartt951]

You know what, I am glad people have stopped talking about the Indoc theory

Spoiler

for now

Even if the Indoc theory is true and that is what Bioware purposely created when they made the game, I would still be pissed off.

Who would ever think it's a good idea to make a batshit, nonsensical ending, make everyone pissed off, let high speed speculation from everyone proceed and then release paid DLC saying "lol, jk, it was just a dream, shepard was indoctrinated here's the real ending". Like I just hope that no creator of any type of entertainment would ever think that's a good idea.

 

[timetokill]

So delicious

 

[Rodney McKay]

You know what, I am glad people have stopped talking about the Indoc theory

Spoiler

for now

Why bother when everyone knows it's true?

Spoiler

;D

 

[WrenchNinja]

I don't agree at all with this. It was a spectacular game sans the ending. Plenty of content so it didn't seem rushed or lazy to me. I ended up at around 38 hours.

The game felt pretty short to me. Not many side mission, side quests were mostly fetch quests with little thought to them and not much consequence. Took me around thirty hours but most of the time it was being lost and not knowing who or where I was supposed to get an item or give an item to because the quest log was abysmal. I eventually figured out that you have to rely on the map to notify you of who wants to talk to you or requires an item you've gotten.

 

[Rodney McKay]

Even if the Indoc theory is true and that is what Bioware purposely created when they made the game, I would still be pissed off.

Who would ever think it's a good idea to make a batshit, nonsensical ending, make everyone pissed off, let high speed speculation from everyone proceed and then release paid DLC saying "lol, jk, it was just a dream, shepard was indoctrinated here's the real ending". Like I just hope that no creator of any type of entertainment would ever think that's a good idea.

You're talking about the people who made Dragon Age 2.

 

[Derrick01]

Wait, what?

I heard it was on Fox News but I personally caught a segment on CNN on Saturday afternoon where they were talking about the fan outrage from the ending and the guy they were talking to gave a brief summary on our complaints (not enough info, not enough choices, etc). Kind of amazing really, not sure if it's in a good or bad way though.

edit: Found it on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIq0ehGsdKE

 

[heliosRAzi]

The game felt pretty short to me. Not many side mission, side quests were mostly fetch quests with little thought to them and not much consequence. Took me around thirty hours but most of the time it was being lost and not knowing who or where I was supposed to get an item or give an item to because the quest log was abysmal. I eventually figured out that you have to rely on the map to notify you of who wants to talk to you or requires an item you've gotten.

CNN's segment

 

[Tokubetsu]

New Forbes article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidth...ped-taking-donations-from-retake-mass-effect/

 

[Riposte]

You know what, I am glad people have stopped talking about the Indoc theory

Spoiler

for now

After BioWare was certain they exterminated the Mass Effect series, they left the indoctrinated slaves to starve or die from exposure

New Forbes article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidth...ped-taking-donations-from-retake-mass-effect/

I like this guy, tbh.

 

[Dresden]

I think I'm going to put up a 'media response on ME3 controversy' thread

because the world needs more ME3 threads.

 

[heliosRAzi]

I think I'm going to put up a 'media response on ME3 controversy' thread

because the world needs more ME3 threads.

Walters, this is what LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE DOES

After BioWare was certain they exterminated the Mass Effect series, they left the indoctrinated slaves to starve or die from exposure

Bioware are the Reapers!

 

[hateradio]

Man, I thought I was totally done, and put this whole thing behind me. Then someone linked me to all the game devs twitter feeds. There is now whiskey in my coffee.

I hope you drink and post responsibly.

http://i.imgur.com/nCkst.png
So delicious

Not enough threads, I say.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

I think I'm going to put up a 'media response on ME3 controversy' thread

because the world needs more ME3 threads.

The more threads that get put up the higher chance that the mods impose a moratorium on ME3 threads and start locking them. Just be careful lol

 

[Hartt951]

You're talking about the people who made Dragon Age 2.

I know, I hate that part screw Bioware

 

[EatChildren]

lol look at the upload date.

hahahahahahaahhahhahaa ahhh

perfect

 

[DTKT]

You're talking about the people who made Dragon Age 2.

Two different teams. I'm all for criticizing, but let's not just blindly hate because they work in the same company.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

So delicious

I think we actually had four up there at one point. Actual threads-
OT
Spoilers (1 & 2)
Ending Initiatives
Charity
Multiplayer
Ending Controversy- turn off?
And for good measure- ME3 costumes in FFXIII-2

Why bother when everyone knows it's true?

Spoiler

;D

You do know that if Bioware clarifies the ending you can't even pretend Indoctrination theory is real right. As it stands you can wake up and then kill Harby in your imagination. When they clarify how space magic works it will all be for nought, unless you let Marauder Shields wipe you out.

 

[Minion101]

You do know that if Bioware clarifies the ending you can't even pretend Indoctrination theory is real right.

It's pretty obvious Bioware gave a vague ending so people will give their own interpretations of it. The Indoctrination theory has the most hints. It's up to the player to choose if their Shepherd was indoctrinated or not.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

Reaaaaaaaaaaaaally not looking forward to tomorrow's news cycles if the charity story goes big, or if Penny Arcade decides to make a snarky backhanded strip about BioWare's response or the Child's Play thing (though they're equally likely at this point to wash their hands of this stint with gaming and go back to making strips about D&D and parenting and iPhone apps).

Maybe I missed something, but what PA's actually written about the game seems fair.

http://penny-arcade.com/2012/03/16/the-delicious-invasion

When it comes to Mass Effect 3, certainly they have the “right” however vaguely enumerated to make what they want, and those who consume it have the “right” however vaguely enumerated to say that what they have done is wrong/bullshit/authentically evil. These “rights” don’t necessarily overlap: they exist as perfect spheres, bouncing off one another in space. Creating or critiquing is just a way to pass the time until you die. I won’t say ne’er the twain shall meet, but they might not, and they don’t have to.

Ownership is a very complicated business when it comes to cultural product, though. They succeed by virtue of the fact that we, as players, incorporate these stories into our lives. I’ve always wondered what the conflux of digital goods, interactive storytelling, algorithmic content creation, and democratized funding mean for an idea like authorship. I think we’re beginning to find out.

In response to the Child's Play thing:

http://penny-arcade.com/2012/03/21/childs-play-and-retake-mass-effect

This is a passionate community that formed around one thing, and some of that passion was expressed in charitable giving. I actually support this cause, but I am a pessimist, and I’m thinking about the next time something like this happens - when someone attaches Child’s Play to something we can’t get behind, or leverages your history of generosity and fellow feeling for their own weird bullshit.

 

[LightofRohan]

I still can't believe people don't believe the indoctrination ending... it seems so obvious

Also the problem with a lot of these journalists thinking we are all nuts for "demanding" a new ending is that, when you listen to the internet passion. It's multiple voices that come together and sound louder then it really is... if you were to just listen to them separately you'd find that we aren't SCREAMING demanding it be changed and if not Bioware will be dead. But we are all just voicing our disappointed feelings online about our much loved series. One guy takes it and associates it with Childs Play and it comes off like all of our songs demand a change against the inky song of Bioware. Which isn't true...

Also I think there is a handful of us that THOUGHT Bioware had this planned and we are letting them know, "Ok! release the real ending now!".

 

[heliosRAzi]

It's pretty obvious Bioware gave a vague ending so people will give their own interpretations of it. The Indoctrination theory has the most hints. It's up to the player to choose if their Shepherd was indoctrinated or not.

It's outright stated in the notes Walters wrote on the ending. LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE!

I still can't believe people don't believe the indoctrination ending... it seems so obvious

And yet indoctrination is not mentioned anywhere on Walters notes for the ending.

 

[hateradio]

It's pretty obvious Bioware gave a vague ending so people will give their own interpretations of it. The Indoctrination theory has the most hints. It's up to the player to choose if their Shepherd was Indoctrinated or not.

You choose to be indoctrinated. Yes, you do.

I still can't believe people don't believe the indoctrination ending... it seems so obvious

It's just confirmation bias and shadows, smoke, and mirrors. Oh wait, that's part of the space magic.

 

[DTKT]

Ownership is a very complicated business when it comes to cultural product, though. They succeed by virtue of the fact that we, as players, incorporate these stories into our lives. I’ve always wondered what the conflux of digital goods, interactive storytelling, algorithmic content creation, and democratized funding mean for an idea like authorship. I think we’re beginning to find out.

God damn wisom. Right there.

 

[BannedEpisode]

So is it possible for you to broker peace between the geth and quarians on a default ME3 save file?

I mean without importing a save.

 

[HK-47]

I think I'm going to put up a 'media response on ME3 controversy' thread

because the world needs more ME3 threads.

Dammit, Blasto! You cant just go putting threads about Mass Effect 3 all over the forums. you'll get the mods breathing down our necks!

 

[Metroidvania]

And yet indoctrination is not mentioned anywhere on Walters notes for the ending.

Totally is though. They mention they dropped the 'total' indoctrination aspect. That doesn't mean they dropped it entirely.

But if you seriously Bioware was willing to let things get this out of control when pitching it to the EA overlords.....

Yeah. No way that would happen.

So is it possible for you to broker peace between the geth and quarians on a default ME3 save file?

I mean without importing a save.

Don't believe so, but I'm not 100% certain.

 

[Replicant]

So is it possible for you to broker peace between the geth and quarians on a default ME3 save file?

I mean without importing a save.

I don't think so. That means you'd only gain 2 points at the most and you need 5 at least IIRC.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Mad speculation.

 

[Dany]

So is it possible for you to broker peace between the geth and quarians on a default ME3 save file?

I mean without importing a save.

...that is a good question. Because the qualifiers for peace are if you settled the fight between legion/tali in ME2 and what you did to the geth in Legions loyalty.

Also, the indoc. theory is true guys, you guys are just too indoctrinated in your hate of bioware to see the truth.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

I think I'm going to put up a 'media response on ME3 controversy' thread

because the world needs more ME3 threads.

The way some of the media has responded to this is easily the most vile thing that has come out of the entire situation.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Totally is though. They mention they dropped the 'total' indoctrination aspect. That doesn't mean they dropped it entirely.

I know that a sequence was planned, but on the notes that Walters wrote, the one with LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE, I don't remember indoctrination being mentioned. And the stuff Gib found in the files doesn't mention indoctrination at all either. When TIM starts messing with Shepard at the end and those black tendrils come up, that's TIM's "control mojo"

 

[bigdaddygamebot]

The truth is Bioware cuts corners in the most awful ways, showing they don't really respect their universe, while at the same time they put too much emphasis into stupid market-tested extras. It really shows where their priorities lie.

Having tried to purge myself of the sub-par experience that is ME 3...I just played some Journey.

It drives home how...inelegant Bioware is at pretty much...everything.

Even in the way they decided on trophies/achievements. The achievements in ME 1 were great and super-grindy.

I got 49 out of 52 achievements in a single playthrough. They put as much effort into using trophies/achievements to encourage the player-base to play through multiple times and in different ways as they put effort into the "reputation" score and your "war effort rating."

...what did those two things do again? I must have missed it. : /

 

[HK-47]

I think the fact the Bioware didnt bother entirely removing the indoc ending is what will alow them to save their asses via any ending changer dlc. Their laziness shall save them.