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Looks like BioWare is capitulating to the fans who wanted the ending changed. They made a statement today, reported in the New York Daily News, that they've decided to change the ending and we'll hear more about it in April.

On one hand, I'm interested to see how the ending will differ (especially since it wasn't the best way to really end the series), but on the other hand, I'm a little saddened. By giving in to the fans who bitch and moan the most, BioWare has not only set a precedent, but told fans that they have the final say in all development matters.

While this might get BioWare out of hot water with ME3, I have a feeling it'll only make matters worse for DA3. You can be sure they'll be people who "hate this" or "hate that" and expect their demands to be catered to after ME3.

This is not true!

It's NOT about hating this or that in the game - it's about endings, that are so out of "character" with the whole series and offers no real closure or explanation to a lot of things, that just doesn't make sense.

When promised player choices will give up to 16 diversed endings up to 2 months before release, then of course fans are upset, when it's not delievered.

For the fans it's not about getting a "new" or "happy" ending, just explanations. Whether it comes in the form of a DLC or some cutscenes or whatnot is really not important.

As for having a final say - Bioware has always taken pride in the fact, that they listen to their fans - and have even said, that the story in some places have been influenced by things fans have said/written etc, so why not now, when they clearly lost the ball with these endings.

I don't think these endings were planned from the beginning - because if they were I can understand why the majority of the original writers cast left.

As for precedence - no again - Fallout's Broken Steel is a case of "extra" ending.

I might end this with saying, that I absolutely love this series - yes I finally got around to playing them - even ME3 was wonderful 99% of the way.

Edit:
Oh as for the Statement - he never really said anything about making a new ending - he said they 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"

Lots of players - including myself - invested myself so much emotional in the characters, that it's really hard not to get "full" closure for them.

And Tawm - it may "just" be a game, but a hell of a great game, right?
That we can agree on:) - which is why it's so sad it has to end this way.

I have avoided this thread, because I have not yet beat the game. Had many other distractions and games to knock out first, and I wanted ME3 to have my full attention... but I accidentally clicked onto this thread, and saw this (had already heard about it)...

And the quoted portion...

DeadPoolX wrote:By giving in to the fans who bitch and moan the most, BioWare has not only set a precedent, but told fans that they have the final say in all development matters.

I could not agree more.

It's. A. Game. People. Get the frick over it. It's Bioware/EA's story to tell.
Don't like it? Go trade your copy of ME3 in for some store credit and move on with your life.

This is very disappointing if they actually go through with a different ending. And how will this effect those who want to see the original ending? Will this new ending be forced on people if they have not completed the game by the time this new ending comes out?

Sad. Sad. Sad day.

Lots and lots and lots of respect lost in my eyes.

Just a precaution: Please put all spoilers within spoiler tags. Thanks.

misslilo wrote: It's NOT about hating this or that in the game - it's about endings, that are so out of "character" with the whole series and offers no real closure or explanation to a lot of things, that just doesn't make sense.

Do we really need an explanation for every little thing? What about simply having an ambiguous ending that requires players to think and come to their own conclusions?

I was able to extrapolate quite a bit from the ending. Was it my dream ending come true for the ME series? No, but it's not my story to tell.

misslilo wrote:When promised player choices will give up to 16 diversed endings up to 2 months before release, then of course fans are upset, when it's not delievered.

I don't recall them promising that, but if they did, that was an extremely stupid thing to do. With all the choices, decisions and options present in all three games, it'd take dozens of different endings to cover everything players may or may not have done.

As is, I think BioWare ended the game in such a way that leaves them open to potentially developing a fourth game in the series. If you got the "best" ending, it shows Shepard taking a breath while lying under some rubble after the credits have finished.

misslilo wrote:For the fans it's not about getting a "new" or "happy" ending, just explanations. Whether it comes in the form of a DLC or some cutscenes or whatnot is really not important.

Do you really think that'll satisfy them? Sure, they say that now, but just wait. No matter what BioWare does to rectify the situation, they'll still have people screaming at them. In the end, it all comes down to what each individual wanted or expected, not what was promised to them.

misslilo wrote:As for having a final say - Bioware has always taken pride in the fact, that they listen to their fans - and have even said, that the story in some places have been influenced by things fans have said/written etc, so why not now, when they clearly lost the ball with these endings.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to take feedback from the fans. How many developers do this? Not too many and even fewer give their fans the same authority that BioWare does.

That said, the ME series is BioWare's creation and theirs to do whatever they want with it. We, the fans, don't have to approve their decisions and certainly shouldn't get to tell them to remake a portion of the game to suit us better.

I've played plenty of games, watched tons of movies and TV shows and read many books that've all had less-than-satisfactory endings.

But you know what?

I never once considered screaming at the developer, director or author and telling them to redo it. That's insane and the epitome of self-entitlement.

Tawmis wrote: It's. A. Game. People. Get the frick over it. It's Bioware/EA's story to tell.
Don't like it? Go trade your copy of ME3 in for some store credit and move on with your life.

Absolutely. BioWare's problem is they've given the fans too much control.

Tawmis wrote:And how will this effect those who want to see the original ending? Will this new ending be forced on people if they have not completed the game by the time this new ending comes out?

Good point.

Unfortunately, the people on the BioWare Social Network believe they speak for "all the fans." Given that ME3 sold over 890,000 units on the first day in just North America (and it's since been released worldwide), I'd say the whiners are nothing more than an obnoxiously loud and very vocal minority.

misslilo wrote: Lots of players - including myself - invested myself so much emotional in the characters, that it's really hard not to get "full" closure for them.
And Tawm - it may "just" be a game, but a hell of a great game, right?
That we can agree on:) - which is why it's so sad it has to end this way.

Rest assured, I have invested a lot of love and time into this. I have scanned every planet - done everything I can from ME1 and ME2 to get the MOST out of the game and characters. (I even saved before I began romancing everyone in ME2, and went through and romanced - EVERYONE - even JACK, who words can not put how much I hated that character - and I think Bioware was trying to appease some bad ass thing). I have spent a lot of time on Mass Effect. Everyone at work came to me asking me where I was in ME3, when it came out, because I constantly praise - not just Mass Effect, but Dragon Age - saying how much they put into the content and the characters. Hades, for Mass Effect 3, I am even playing Mass Effect: Infiltrator, which if you tie it to your Origin account/XBOX/PS Live accounts and turn in the "Intel" you find - it can help with your Mass Effect 3 game, and prepare it for the "best" ending possible (as in readiness, apparently).

My problem is when companies stop "listening" to their fans, and begin "appeasing" their fans. You can still listen to your fans, without bending over backwards to appease them. Because what happens, is the fans see this, and begin screaming about what's "broke" in the game (how this power or this weapon should do more damage, or do this or that) - and the game developers begin catering to these people. Then someone else will scream "Well when they changed this, they broke that." And on and on and on. I did not have a problem discussing how disgusted I became with the Bioware Social Board (that it is now) back when Dragon Age was done. I saw this WONDERFUL and AMAZING community that was full of helpful people (back on Bioware's old forums) that would help you script code for Neverwinter Nights, and just be absolutely encouraging. Then they made the "Social forum" and changed everything - and, it was like a different tide of people. (I wish I could find the specific thread that finally set me off - when someone for either Dragon Age or Dragon Age II - complained that the newest patch prevented them from using a freeze/shatter spell on bosses, because Bioware determined that it was too powerful and adjusted it). I tried to explain (calmly) that I believed Bioware saw this as a "broken" spell and was fixing it to prevent exploits. The person in question, and many others, whined, and bitched, and cried. I couldn't believe my eyes. I know this isn't everyone on the forum - but most of the threads I saw were nothing but complaints about various things. And with that, I bid the forum farewell. For a year - until boredom at work one day, I stumbled across the Neverending Nights thread, logged in, updated it and logged off.

For me - I have not got to the end. But it's Mass Effect 3. Probably the last one. (Well at least with Sheppard). I don't want confirmation - but I am guessing, everything goes to hell. I am guessing most of the NPCs we have all grown to love are going to die. I am going to guess that things will be very, very tragic. But in the end, with the cost to everyone - probably even to Sheppard himself/herself - the world will be saved. Or at least a part of civilization. It will be sad. It will be depressing. This is my guess. This is my expectation.

And knowing Bioware, probably quite a few surprises (that they seem to be hinting at right off the bat).

Holy cow - I just found Morinth on my renegade play-through. My mind is blown considering how easily I could have missed her.

My full renegade naturally left her alive in ME2. After doing the Ardat-Yashi mission, however, I was stumped as to why she wasn't replacing Samara's role or present anywhere else in the game.

Then during the Earth mission, when we're on the rooftop trying to destroy the Hades Cannon, a Banshee comes over and starts fighting us. I have no idea why I glanced at the top of the scene for that brief second, but seeing the name "Morinth" over the banshee's life bar surprised me more than any other character's cameo thus far. Very nice touch there.

I wanted to not care about the ending, but the more I think about it, the more I think it was a stupid ending. It almost feels like a cliffhanger ending setting up some future DLC or a sequel, which should be a no-no for an epic trilogy like that. Then again, Halo 3 did that crap too with their horrible ending, and even that had more closure.

But my problem with the ending is mostly due to the fact that all of the various different endings are all pretty much the same with a few slight changes and color alterations. So really, the choice you make at the end seems inconsequential. And it doesn't give you any indication as to what the ramifications of your choice are. It doesn't even really give any hint as to fate of the galaxy or your squadmates either. Sure, you see some of them crash on some planet, but what was stupid about that is why were they speeding around the galaxy anyways, and how did squadmates who were with me in the final battle get on that ship? Were all of my squadmates supposed to be on it? And I can't imagine they'd just haul ass and leave commander Shepard. It's not like they knew he did, if he did, or what exactly what was going on because I sure didn't. And I assume that all of the mass relays blowing up caused the destruction of all of their sectors just like what happened to the Batarians in the ME2 Arrival DLC. So using the Crucible I assume caused the deaths of billions of lifeforms Since it seems to destroy ships too, I assume that huge Armada that flew to Earth to fight the Reapers were all either destroyed or stranded in the Sol system since there are no more mass relays. I have to assume because I don't know. All I know is whatever ending I choose, it's pretty much the same result. It doesn't help that destroying the Reapers seems to have the best result because it's the same as the other endings except Shepard seems to live, but the game makes seem like the renegade ending by using a red theme for it, while the other two endings seem like what the bad guys have wanted all along.

Anyways, that's just some thoughts from someone who doesn't even really care about the whole fiasco, so I can understand how someone could feel cheated by it. I don't think Bioware should change it though because that would cheat people even more. I don't want to have to replay the game to see the "real ending" or whatever Bioware is planning to do. I don't even want to replay that last section. It was extremely annoying how some cutscenes and dialog couldn't be skipped, and the whole final encounter was like that. I think paid DLC would be insulting. Overall, I thought the story was good, but way too linear. And it felt a lot shorter compared to previous games. The eavesdropping Shepard quests were ridiculous. But the main story had good emotional punch and it tied all of the threads from previous games nicely. It just doesn't give enough closure at the end.

Yesterday I tried a bit of multiplayer with my boyfriend and some strangers found online. Well, surprisingly enough, I really liked it!

I've mostly been playing the single-player lately (no rush, since I want it to last), but I have occasional bursts of OCD multi-player playing. Yesterday, I played it way too much, since I'm determined to unlock a better sniper rifle. Of course, most of the weapons I do get in random unlocks are ones I never use, like shotguns and assault rifles.

Unfortunately, I'm not as inherently aggressive a player as most people, so I feel that I don't contribute as much to the team as I should. I do better when I can be more tactical and worse when I get surrounded and have to act quickly. Then I tend to panic and do stupid things.

Maxor127,

I tend to agree with "Indoctrination Theory" which is, for the most part, a fan-created explanation for the endings of ME3. No one knows if it's even remotely close to what BioWare had wanted, but it has a large following, with more coming into it everyday.

Here's a video about Indoctrination Theory. If you haven't played the game DO NOT click on the video.
As for ME3 multiplayer... I really wish we could trade weapons and items. I have a million sniper rifles, not the least of which is the Widow. Do I ever use them? NO! I'm a terrible Infiltrator.

If trading weapons was allowed, I'd hand over the Widow to Maia in a second.

I stick to classes like the Vanguard, Engineer, Adept or even Sentinel. None of those classes needs a sniper rifle; they could use it if they wanted, but it's not an essential weapon to those classes, like it is to the Infiltrator.

The Soldier seems gimped in the powers and abilities department, but I guess that means you can carry as many weapons as you want. If his powers suck, who cares if you have a super long recharge time?

Maxor, could you please use spoiler tags around information that might give away details late in the game or about the ending itself?

I don't know if you've used them before, but they work like this:
That would result in this: Luke's father is Darth Vader!

Indeed. I fixed it.

Without reading any of it.

I am BARELY into ME3. I am taking my time because I am playing ME:Infiltrator on the iPhone, which helps improve Galactic Galaxy Map Readiness thing. So please keep using spoilers here. I have been avoiding this thread for the most part since I started my game, but sometimes when I hit the threads to make sure everything's cool.

DeadPoolX wrote:

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[spoiler]Luke's father is Darth Vader![/spoiler]

I tend to agree with "Indoctrination Theory" which is, for the most part, a fan-created explanation for the endings of ME3.

I'm not sure how the fans geared away from one inexplicable ending into another. "Indoctrination theory" seems to make the current ending even more implausible and unsatisfying. So far, the only ending that works is the "Red" ending, but only if I'm playing as my psychopathic renegade character - and she'd probably hit the "Blow Earth Up" button if it were available.

Datadog wrote: I'm not sure how the fans geared away from one inexplicable ending into another. "Indoctrination theory" seems to make the current ending even more implausible and unsatisfying. So far, the only ending that works is the "Red" ending, but only if I'm playing as my psychopathic renegade character - and she'd probably hit the "Blow Earth Up" button if it were available.

I think the reason the Destroy Ending (Red) is considered the "best ending" is because you get a three second clip of Shepard, underneath some rubble, breathing. It tells us he's alive. You only see this scene if you have over 5000 EMS, though. If you don't, the scene doesn't play and this ending probably kills everyone on Earth as well.

The Control (Blue) and Synthesis (Green) endings outright kill Shepard.

I see the Control and Synthesis endings as allowing the Reapers to win. They either still exist when Shepard attempts -- and most likely fails -- to control them, whereas Synthesis merges synthetics and organics, another Reaper goal.

The only option to defeat the Reapers is to completely eradicate synthetic life, which includes the Reapers. Throughout the series, Shepard's main goal was to stop the Reapers any way possible.

Believe me, I didn't like killing all synthetic life. I'd warmed up to the Geth (and got them to peacefully work alongside the Quarians) and I really liked EDI. It was nice to see Joker "get the girl" for a change.

Unfortunately, killing the Reapers meant synthetics had to die, which included the Geth and EDI. I'd like to think EDI had a backup of herself within the Normandy, but that may not matter, considering how badly damaged the Normandy is when it crash lands.

BTW, I have a crackpot theory on where the Normandy landed after the relays blew up. It crashed somewhere in Thedas (aka "THE Dragon Age Setting").