by Adol The Red » Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:06 am
Sorry to beat what I see as a dead horse, but I was just interneting and came across more of the whole Mass Effect 3 ending stuff and it got me riled up. I've heard a lot of points on this "issue." Bioware commenting that they want to please their customers, which I can't fault them for. Others criticizing Bioware for the move because it helps feed the already overgrown sense of entitlement people seem to have. Again, a point I can see. Other criticisms for the change because it works against video games as an art form. This argument essentially states that changing the ending comprimises the artistic view of the original creators, which no other art form would willfully do to itself. Again, I can see their point. And the arguments for the change... Um... You know. The ending sucks. Sorry, in my internet wanderings I haven't found too many good points as to why the ending should be changed, just that people didn't like it. Some people have made some good points about expanding on the current ending, and I can agree with those. I've already talked about people building up expectations instead of just seeing what is there, so I won't go back to that point.
My feelings tonight started with this . For some reason I started reading the comments. This is something I usually avoid since a lot of people tend to be negative on the internet and I don't really need more of that than I get from myself. I would suggest reading one post on page 2 from a veteran. It's the big one. But a few people got me worked up, and even though they won't see this, I want to point a few things out, if only so I go to bed not pointlessly thinking about this instead of sleeping.
The first is this. We don't know what Bioware will change. At the very least I haven't seen a synopsis or a run down. What I expect is an expanded ending. A lot of people are worrying about missing out on what is there right now. Others are, as stated above, critcizing them for comprising their artistic view. Now, my own belief is that they should have left well enough alone and not given into the masses, but I don't have any information on which to base criticism of them other than that they are making a change. If it is what I expect (and hope for, since they're going to do it either way), then we will see what was there originally plus some expanded content on what happened, both to the galaxy and to the characters we care about. If that is all they do, they I have no complaints, even on the side of comprimising artistic vision. I don't think additions will hurt from a storytelling aspect. Again, though, we don't know what the changes will be. They may be drastic. They may disappoint, they may not. The only thing that is certain is that people will complain about it. Bioware can't win in this, aside from making the oodles of money they will make off of this game. But any artist knows you can't please them all, so even when they make whatever changes they make, people will complain. Some will still hate it, and even though many critics of the original ending may indeed be satisfied by the revisions, others will condemn Bioware for making them in the first place. So, whatever they do, I won't be complaining either way. I may be dissatisfied, sure, but that happens. I just want to enjoy playing games, not start a movement because a company made an artistic decision I didn't agree with. To be clear, I'm not trying to attack the critics, either. People have a right to be dissatisfied with things and disagree with them. It's just that usual case where when people complain on the internet they let it all hang out, and its easy to villify them. I don't agree with pushing to change the ending, but that's just my view, and not just for ME3. I really hope this sort of thing doesn't become the norm in gaming. I doubt it will, but as the blogger states, its just kind of embarrasing as a gamer.
Okay, that was long winded enough, so on to point two. I was going to say this in an earlier post and didn't, but now I've changed my mind. That is, you can make up whatever you damn well please. Playing a game, anything that wasn't covered by the creators is fully in your realm to make up. Out of thin air. Hopefully based off something, but whatever. This isn't a grand revelation. Fanfic writers do it all the time. What about the Star Wars expanded universe? Its people taking even the smallest openings in the story of whatever they love and filling them with their own details. Any art from is the property of both the artist and the one who views it. Now, this may seem to support the argument for changing the ending, but that's not what I mean. I feel many have taken things way too far in this case and in other media for demanding changes that they didn't agree with. Dual ownership of art is about experience. All the artist can do is put it out there. It's up to you to experience it however you want. It's not a requirement, not some thing being forced on you. It's a freedom, something to be excited about, and most succesful artists will agree with this. Take Stephen King. His words first articulated this thought for me, so I know he agrees. He doesn't have to change his stories if something happened that I didn't like, but I don't have to be stuck with one cemented view he's trying to shove down my throat. My best example is from a set of books he co-authored with Peter Straub, The Talisman and Black House. The main character is a man with light brown, almost blonde hair. For me, though, Jack has always had dark hair. Part of it was just reading too fast and missing the original description when I was a kid. Part of it also my own personality. I have dark hair, and even in my own work I see my male leads with dark hair, at least at first. I can't help it. The Jack Sawyer in my head is different fromt he one in King's or Straub's head, I can assure you. I don't do this with every character, but I also don't feel like I need to fix my slightly innacurate view of this one. He is more real for me the way I see him.
Another example is the first Colony Wars. This game's story is told from a very impersonal view. You're just a no-name pilot. Well, not in my playthroughs of Colony Wars. In my playthroughs I'm Jameson Richter. I was living in a sky city on Midas working to support my mother and sister as a gas miner when the Navy attacked. They targetted civillian zones heavily (that part is in the game's data log) and for a while I didn't know if they were allive or dead. They turned out to be okay, but a lot of people weren't, so I signed up witht he League of Free Worlds and became a fighter pilot. Enough was enough. Earth would pay. And they did, because I went all the way through the game and was in the battle that saw the Tzar's personal Super Titan destroyed. This is my story to Colony Wars, and no-one else's. I don't think the people from Psygnosis that made the game would begrudge me this. They would probably be happy to see someone care enough about their game to go in depth with their own story. There was a hole, and I filled it in myself.
This may not fix people's disappointment, but it seems everyone has forgotten that they have the freedom to decide for themselves what happened to Tali and Garrus and the rest after the game ends. Bioware left it open. Just like they can make up their own personalities for the minor crew members. Hell, the shippers love this freedom. Maybe its just me, but it seems like people are fighting very hard to have their own view taken away from them. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I apologize. I'm tired and starting to ramble.
To summarize, I feel its a good idea to wait and see what they do before we criticize what they do, and to not forget that you can add whatever you want in the spaces left open by the creators. Some writers do this on purpose. Sometimes its bad writing, and many might argue that this is the case with ME3. They may even be right. All I know is enjoyed my time with all three games, and I foudn all of ME3, and its final sequence, to be spectacular.
Okay, I think I'm done babbling. At the very least, I feel better getting all this off my chest. Also, just a little side note, I brought the name Jameson back for my main Shepard. Since he's Shepard, he's way more badass than Jameson Richter. Of course, fighting some Reaper forces in my Eclipse might be fun...
Also, a note on the actual point of the blog, Journey really is great. I have yet to play it online. I don't know, I have extreme trepidation about any online gaming, even that. Just a crazy amount of fear. It's almost phobic... Anyway, I liked some of the examples given about people just being decent in journey. I kind of wonder if it would be the same if you could communicate with words. Its kind of funny that people get way more decent when you take the words away and force them to represent themselves with actions alone. Kind of deep, when you think about it. ...or I need to sleep.
Epic , brah!
