Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread [Spoiler tag free, beware]

[Thrawn]

Speaking of food.


 

COD delivery?  So does that shop just get screwed out of a grand as an internet joke when Bioware refuses to pay? (assuming that's even real of course)

[Fabricated]

What's funny is that the metaphor came to me because I haven't eaten sushi since last thanksgiving. My brother and his wife came to visit for Thanksgiving and they had all gotten a terrible noravirus strain on the way here; they were better by the time they got here for the most part but me and the entirety of my immediate and extended family caught it. I was feeling fine and thought I had dodged it, so I went to a great sushi restraurant for dinner after work the next day and the virus hit me when I got home. For 3 straight days I was in excruciating pain, vomiting, shitting, or some combination of the 3. I haven't been able to eat sushi since.

[Ratman_tf]

Speaking of food.


 

COD delivery?  So does that shop just get screwed out of a grand as an internet joke when Bioware refuses to pay? (assuming that's even real of course)

No, the Retake ME guys raised the money.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/03/27/mass-effect-3-protesters-sending-cupcakes-to-bioware/

[LK]

[Ratman_tf]

Some guy breaks the ending of ME3 down, Red Letter Media style.

[Fabricated]

Some guy breaks the ending of ME2 down, Red Letter Media style.

That's actually pretty good.

[Ratman_tf]

I edited a minor typo thar.

[Simond]

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Mass-Effect-3/Mass-Effect-3-Story-and-Campaign-Discussion-Spoilers-Allowed/Mass-Effect-The-final-hours-app-New-info-10556502-1.html

The Stargazer scene concept was taken from a seventh grade student from Berlin who sent a letter to Casey Hudson.
The boy stated that "It would be cool if Shepard had a child and this child was roaming around a cave and found a prophecy and knew what to do about it because he's Shepard's son."

Casey Hudson stitched that letter to his office door as a reminder that everybody should get at least, one piece of the ending which was the same for every player.
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Mac Walters explains that "there's things of the story you don't need to know because they will always be less cool that what you had imagined for them"

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Martin Sheen's dialogue was delayed from August to mid-november because Bioware was still "experimenting different endings"
"It had to be the end of Commander Shepards saga but there was still debate as wether he should die or not"

The purpose of the ending was not to provide closure but "to make sure players felt certain feelings so the end sequence was written to provoke these feelings" rather than provide story closure

I...what. What.

[tmp]

The purpose of the ending was not to provide closure but "to make sure players felt certain feelings so the end sequence was written to provoke these feelings" rather than provide story closure

I...what. What.

[Ratman_tf]

Ok. Giving the kid a little scene was cute, but I think it could have been integrated better. (Shit, what they show the kid wrote made more sense than what was actually in the game.)
It's been beat upon many times now, the end wasn't thought provoking or emotional in a 'good' way, it was discordant and disappointing. These are the things fans are feeling about it. We did need closure to the story, only a buffoon would think otherwise.

 

[Der Helm]

Did anyone else think that the planet the Normandy crashed on looked (moonwise) very much like the planet in the grandfather scene ?

[Fabricated]

Mass Effect 3: Literally written by children.

[Tannhauser]

Quote
"The purpose of the ending was not to provide closure but "to make sure players felt certain feelings so the end sequence was written to provoke these feelings" rather than provide story closure"

I would like to know the thought process behind this.  I assume the retarded lab monkey fed Drano is still alive to explain?

Sounds like they got too 'clever' for their own good.  You have told a mostly epic story for three games, why not fucking end it properly?  What feelings were you trying to provoke?  Rage? Disgust?  If so, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

A 'good' ending is one that makes sense. It can be tragic, bittersweet or glorious but you need to end it.  Your bone-headed attempt has tarnished your once respected name.  A company was at steak.  Assholes.

[Paelos]

Man, between this and SWTOR, there should be case studies done on the whole process.

[Simond]

Some guy breaks the ending of ME3 down, Red Letter Media style.

A Good Video.

[Sjofn]

I like how you link shit that is a mere ten posts before yours, Simond. It's even described the same way! Why, it's like you can't even be bothered to read the thread, so fierce is your hardon to be a dipshit.

[Rokal]

I just need to stop following threads about ME3. Every new piece of information about ME3 at this point just makes the ending more disappointing. I didn't even think that was possible.

[Velorath]

I like how you link shit that is a mere ten posts before yours, Simond. It's even described the same way! Why, it's like you can't even be bothered to read the thread, so fierce is your hardon to be a dipshit.

I like how he thinks that people who don't like or play EVE shouldn't post in the EVE sub-forum.

[Sjofn]

Ha, shows what I know, he was being a dipshit in a DIFFERENT way than I thought! Well, the dipshittery still stands. <3

EDIT: Ooh, and a quick enough edit that I look barking mad. Well, whatever, I'm going to go take a nap now.

[Mazakiel]

Work's kept me from finishing the game until now, but now that I have....yeesh.  I'd have never guessed ME3 would end up being one of my biggest gaming letdowns ever.  The shitty ending wouldn't be so bad if the rest of the game, and series as a whole, hadn't been so good.  

While I'm not in the 'Never give Bioware money ever again' camp, I'm definitely avoiding anything that has Casey Hudson's name attached to it.  

[Simond]

I like how you link shit that is a mere ten posts before yours, Simond. It's even described the same way! Why, it's like you can't even be bothered to read the thread, so fierce is your hardon to be a dipshit.

I don't know what you're talking about.

E: okay, as you've calmed down now - I spotted Ratman_tf's post literally at the same time as I pressed post, hit edit straight away and changed it to a quote and endorsement of his one instead. Obviously not quick enough to stop you jumping down my throat, but v v

[Kageru]

Some guy breaks the ending of ME3 down, Red Letter Media style.

A Good Video.

A good video even if you haven't played ME3. The breakdown on the different types of sci-fi was really interesting, and how Bioware broke it hard to argue even without needing fine details.

[koro]

The "Narrative Coherence" part was beautiful.

[Margalis]

I like how he thinks that people who don't like or play EVE shouldn't post in the EVE sub-forum.

To be fair 90% of people on F13 feel that way about their chosen games, yourself included.

[Velorath]

I like how he thinks that people who don't like or play EVE shouldn't post in the EVE sub-forum.

To be fair 90% of people on F13 feel that way about their chosen games, yourself included.

Indeed.  The difference is, I don't tell people that, while at the same time posting obsessively and almost exclusively in threads and sub-forums devoted to games I don't play.

[LK]

The "Narrative Coherence" part was beautiful.

Excellent video. Stayed far more on point than a Red Letter style review. I also loved that breakdown of sci-fi and the Narrative Coherence part. His presentation is far more effective than explaining that the ending "raises too many questions."

This video is a good example of presentation's importance when making an argument, something I forget on occassion.

[Comstar]

The "Narrative Coherence" part was beautiful.

One day there will be a SF TV or Movie and the important plot point will be that The Narrative Coherence Is Failing and That Would Be A Bad Thing. Like a total plutonic reversal.


Total Plutonic Reversal also describes exactly what happened at the end of Mass Effect 3.

[Surlyboi]

Mass Effect 3: I don't want my face burned off.

[Ingmar]

Ahem: protonic. Carry on.

[Surlyboi]

Yeah, but in the context, plutonic makes more sense, since it's a mangled word that holds more meaning than the end of ME3. 

[Fabricated]

So those cupcakes the Retake ME3 group had sent to Bioware arrived:

Hi Everyone

Today, we received the 400 cupcakes you collectively sent us through your donations to express your feelings about the endings of Mass Effect 3. We want you to know; we are indeed listening to all fan response and acknowledge your feedback. We appreciate creative and thoughtful attempts like this one.  

The gesture certainly gained our attention both with its creativity and deliciousness. However, while we do appreciate that fans were creative in how they expressed their views, after a lot of discussion, we decided ultimately the reason that they were sent was not done in the context of celebrating the work or accomplishment of the Mass Effect 3 team. This is a subtle, but important aspect in determining how to pass the feedback to the team.

BioWare regularly works with many deserving charities,  as such it was decided that rather than passing  out the cupcakes to staff or wasting good food, to donate them on behalf of our fans to a local Edmonton youth shelter. We know that for the kids that have to use this facility, something as simple as a cupcake is a rare treat and would definitely brighten up their day.  Thank you to the fine folks at the local youth shelter for accepting the donation and to the fans who donated the cupcakes.

Please keep providing your feedback on Mass Effect 3, we’re still listening.

Do the Bioware guys literally have an EA PR vulture hovering over them at all times?

[Lantyssa]

Caw, caw.

[ajax34i]

A Good Video.

It's a good video from our point of view, but from Bioware's point of view they're getting lectured on the basic principles of storytelling -- something that they take pride in being experts at.

What would my reaction be if I screwed up on a tech support ticket, and the customer then set up a meeting to tell me that for tech support "you always check if the computer is plugged in and turned on, etc."?  I'd probably have a purely emotional response, even if the customer's voice was calm and the lecturing logical.

Maybe they'll get it that the ending was that bad, but they probably know that already.

[Rishathra]

we decided ultimately the reason that they were sent was not done in the context of celebrating the work or accomplishment of the Mass Effect 3 team.

Worked that out all on your own, did you?

[Kageru]

It's a good video from our point of view, but from Bioware's point of view they're getting lectured on the basic principles of storytelling -- something that they take pride in being experts at.

I don't remember where I read the quote, but it was something like "Geniuses screw up as often as anyone else, it's just their reasons for doing so are more complex".

Being an expert does not make you infallible, indeed it can just as easily contribute to over-confidence and myopia.