Earlier this month, EA Games released Mass Effect 3. A game developed by BioWare, and last in the trilogy of the Mass Effect series, which centres around Commander Shepard.
From humble beginnings in 2007, the Mass Effect series has grown far beyond the realm of consoles to include comics, graphic novels and a newly announced Anime in the works. I have thoroughly enjoyed the series, at it's core it has a compelling, well written storyline. The amazing gameplay then carries it to levels of greatness seldom seen in a series of games.
The thing I like most about Mass Effect, and many other things from the science fiction genre, is that it's amazingly imaginative. I find myself in awe of the story, rather than sitting there thinking that I could do a better job. This makes it all the more easy to get caught up in. This is what makes the recent furore surrounding the ending, all the more disappointing.
Before I continue, I would like to note, that as yet, I have not completed Mass Effect 3 and am basing my opinion purely on what I am seeing written in various reviews and blogs out there on the internet.
The ending of Mass Effect 3 has come under a huge amount of criticism. To the point where the developer has released an official statement, and a charity has raised money to fund an alternate ending. Again, I do not know how the game ends. BioWare are rumoured to be working on DLC to provide an alternate ending for outraged fans. Don't get me wrong, this is a massive gaming series, with some amazingly written characters spanning a great many years.
The way it all ends is a big deal.
But this is the way I see it.
The guys and gals at BioWare have spent more time developing, writing, rewriting, creating and finessing Mass Effect than we've spent playing it. As much as I love Mass Effect, I'm sure they love it more. This is their baby, they've birthed it, raised it and set it free into the world, and they've done it for us. So as much as we want the ending to be spectacular, I imagine they do too. I would think the last thing they want is for it to end poorly. On top of that, the best part about being the spectator, and not the story teller, is that I'm on the ride, and all I can do is hang on.
That is why the very thought of BioWare reacting to the outcry by rewriting the ending as part of a future DLC is horrifying to me. It would be like everybody demanding that J.K. Rowling rewrite the last Harry Potter book because we didn't like the ending. Or upon the release of the upcoming Bat Man film, lobbying Chris Nolan because we don't like the way it all draws to a close. It's madness.
Sometimes the hero doesn't ride off into the sunset, or get the girl, or survive for that matter. That's just the beauty of the story that's being told. It may well be that when I complete the game, that it's an ending I didn't expect. But I'm not the one telling the story. I'm just along for the ride.
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