Mass Effect 3 - Extended Cut Announced - Ending Explained

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Derek Larke from Bioware has made an announcement on the ME3 forums that this summer there'll be an extended cut version of ME3 available "at no cost to you - the fan". There's a mini FAQ attached to the announcement as well. A few quotes from this as well:
Are there going to be more/different endings or ending DLCs in the future?
No. BioWare strongly believes in the team's artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise. The extended cut DLC will expand on the existing endings, but no further ending DLC is planned.
What is BioWare adding to the ending with the Extended Cut DLC?BioWare will expanding on the ending to Mass Effect 3 by creating additional cinematics and epilogue scenes to the existing ending sequences. The goal of these new scenes is to provide additional clarity and closure to Mass Effect 3.
When will the Extended Cut DLC be available?Currently the Extended Cut DLC is planned for this summer, no specific date has been announced at this point.
A discussion for this announcement can be found here.
The story first broke on the BSN's ME3 forums when f1rstorm made this post about the Extendec Cut version of ME3 citing the press release from businesswire.com about the release of the ME3 Extended Cut version. A few quotes from the press release as well, citing both Ray Myzyka's and Casey Hudson's statements on the release of the ME3: Extended Cut version:
We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label. “Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.”
Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series added, “We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player.”
The question is this then: Are this action and these statements enough to calm the waters?
More information.
 
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I guess that depends on how convincing "extended cut" will be. I am sick and tired of "artistic vision" though. Just my opinion of course but computer games aren't works of art. Parts of them (like graphics or music) might be considered as such but certainly not the whole product. There was a time when there was a distinction between art and craft but not anymore. Declaring yourself an "artist" doesn't make you one. It's down to the recipient to decide what is and what isn't a work of art.

BTW Aries, you might want to correct first word of your question.
 
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If i wanted a Jodie Foster / Contact retard ending, i would probably go watch that movie. In this case, I eagerly await watching it on youtube because I already uninstalled this tripe.
 
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There are many things in this world that I like more than ME3's ending(s), but also a ton of stuff which I like less. The rigid sense of entitlement which is the dominant theme in this anti-ending movement is sickening to me, and could potentially become a real problem for creative freedom in commercial works which I care a lot more about than the Mass Effect plot...
 
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I think its a good middle ground between changing the ending (that would be too drastic), and not doing anything at all and keep the vague ending (wich hard-core fans already complained).

So in sum, a better understanding of what the artists wanted to do instead of changing in fact what they did seems a good middle ground and being free i can't complain at all.
 
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Sounds like a good enough compromise to me - from reading forum complaints I think they have correctly identified the problem most fans had, and avoided the main potential allegation (charging extra for a cut ending).

It will probably appease enough fans - I expect lots of forum backslapping and people cosying back up to Bioware ("fank ooo for listening to us!! We still love youuu!")
 
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Good now I'll quote forbes -

What makes consumers happy is not some great mystery. DLC that adds to the game without feeling cleaved out of it. A finale that reflects the grand scale of the story being told, rather than one minute of confusion which ends a hundred hours of a rich tale. No, you’ll never satisfy everyone, but pleasing 90% of fans is better than 5%, which is certainly how it feels with Mass Effect 3 today.

For content creators and the journalists that cover them to say fans are “whining” or “entitled” is missing the point. Keeping the fans happy is what keeps them coming back to the brand. If being great once upon a time sold tickets, M. Night Shyamalan’s box office receipts might rival James Cameron‘s. But once that trust fades, it doesn’t take long to go from eager anticipation to dread, wondering how badly they’ll screw something up next.

Maybe now these so called journalist's can stop there self righteous articles. IGN and a few others come to mind with there articles ridiculing the so called entitled masses.
 
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The rigid sense of entitlement which is the dominant theme in this anti-ending movement is sickening to me, and could potentially become a real problem for creative freedom in commercial works which I care a lot more about than the Mass Effect plot…

Sure, there are some people who want a happy Hollywood ending but many more are pissed off with inconsistencies and plot holes so stop regurgitating this "anti-ending movement" and "creative freedom" crap already. This is a last part of a game trilogy we are talking about and not a frigging Dali's painting.

Right you are Couch. And so is author of Forbe's article you have quoted.
 
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No $ needed for the "endings" DLC?
They say the world ends 2012., I'd say they might be right.
 
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I guess that depends on how convincing "extended cut" will be. I am sick and tired of "artistic vision" though. Just my opinion of course but computer games aren't works of art. Parts of them (like graphics or music) might be considered as such but certainly not the whole product. There was a time when there was a distinction between art and craft but not anymore. Declaring yourself an "artist" doesn't make you one. It's down to the recipient to decide what is and what isn't a work of art.

BTW Aries, you might want to correct first word of your question.

I think gaming has the potential to be "artistic" I just don't think it's really there…

Anyway, every single time one of the BW peeps brings up artistic integrity/vision I get this odd image of a fast food restaurant chef(Burger king specifically) running out of the kitchen and yelling at the customers to stop ruining his prize winning burgers with ketchup and mustard.

Artistic integrity and the gamers sense of "entitlement" are red herrings. Perfect for ignoring you know, plot holes, retcons and deus ex machina…

TBH, I played the game for roughly 15 hours on my brothers xbox 360 and I was too bored to continue - I guess the artistic qualities were to great for me to fathom… I may try again later just to see how they play out geth/quarian conflict and krogan/salarian genophage. Though I already disliked the humanization of the geth in ME2… (Continuing this tangent)If I had one complaint about the ME universe it's that it was not sufficiently alien. That's just me.
No $ needed for the "endings" DLC?
They say the world ends 2012., I'd say they might be right.

Goodwill, methinks they need it...
 
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Agreed. Let's assume that ME3 is a piece of art. That doesn't mean it's good or worth anything. An ugly painting is also art - just badly done art that nobody will pay anything for. So, if they simply extend the crappy ending, I will let them have their "artistic vision" and they can keep it, as I will not buy any game from them...
 
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I gotta say that I disagree with the prevailing negative sentiment towards the ending around here. I also disagree with everyone saying that video games aren't or shouldn't be considered art. Video games have the potential to be more artistic than any other form — being interactive allows the user to connect with it on a level that other art forms cannot, whether it is a film, a painting, or a good book.

My take on the ME 3 ending, which I actually thought was pretty good:

I have done some reading about the "indoctrination" theory some people are throwing out. It makes sense in some ways, but I had a different take on it that makes more sense to me. At the end, Shepard is transported up to the "catalyst", who takes on the visage of the young boy you see at the beginning and again throughout Shepard's dreams. The catalyst, in my interpretation, is some sort of "god" or god-like being(s). He takes the form of the child because it is a face of innocence being destroyed that Shepard is constantly reminded of, something he finds innocent and is comfortable with. Shepard seems to have some sort of recognition of what he is dealing with and that's why he has such a complacent demeanor. The catalyst supports this theory when he describes the reapers as his solution to "chaos". The god-like entity has created the reapers to maintain a sort of balance in the universe, and prevent his creations (organic life) from rising up to destroy him (or her, or them, or it, whatever). The catalyst even states something along the lines of how all "creations always rise up to destroy the creator" — a reference to the Geth battling the Quarians, but also a possible reference to a dominant civilization rising up to try and destroy the "catalyst" or god-like entity.

The Mass Effect series, in my eyes, always had a spiritual theme running through it. The catalyst being a god entity (think of it like Star Trek's Q if you like) explains why and how the reapers were created (it is the catalyst's way of preserving ancient civilizations and also restoring order to the chaotic nature of beings by wiping out the rising powers in the universe). The catalyst recognizes something is different about this cycle, other than Shepard's iron will…there was not one entirely dominant race, like the Protheans in the previous cycle and other civilizations that rose to power before them. It is assumed that humans were to become that civilization in Mass Effect 1, but through the next couple games, civilizations demonstrated an ability/eagerness to work together towards a common goal.

The odd planet that the Normandy ends up on can also be attributed to this theory…either in that the catalyst or the destruction of the relay that the catalyst allowed has transported them to a safe "eden", or perhaps they died and have arrived in an afterlife of some sort. It's possible that the afterlife in Mass Effect's universe is just an alternate reality or separate galaxy altogether.

The way that Bioware ended the series left a lot open to interpretation, but to me, that's a good thing. A solid interpretation easily fills in the gaps that are left open to us. I think if they redo the ending and I were to find out that my interpretation is way off and that they intended something completely different (such as the aforementioned "indoctrination" theory) that it would ruin the experience for me.

I come from the perspective of a film and literary critic, and I think Mass Effect ended it in a way that left just enough for us to discuss. I think of it like a science fiction classic like Solyaris in both its themes and how much can be interpreted. Not that I found the Mass Effect ending to be a sad ending by any means (contrary to what I have heard from others), but a good book or film doesn't always end with a sappy, happy Hollywood-type ending (in fact, most good books do not), why does it seem like video gamers demand it? The original Fallout didn't have that kind of ending, and it is the most memorable ending I have experienced. I also fondly remember the ending to Dragon Age: Origins, in which I sacrificed myself because I cared about my companions too much to send them to their deaths. If games are ever going to be viewed as on the same artistic level as films or literature, end-user demand for happy, easy (this would lazy to me!) endings will have to change!
 
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It's simple games are not art. It's a business and your fans are the ones that keep you working. Rule one of any business the customer is always right even when there
not.

Something some company's and developer's seem to forgot.
 
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Perhaps slightly off topic, but I hate the way several different endings are produced to a movie and then one is chosen after test screening.

I remember renting the movie The Butterfly Effect on DVD when it was new. The ending was satisfyingly logical and very depressing. I bought the movie on DVD a few years later, and the ending was entirely different, pointless and happy. There was even some other alternate ending as bonus material on the disc, yet the original depressing one was nowhere to be seen. I guess it was so depressing that somebody decided it should be buried and forgotten. (Sigh.)
 
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Couchpotato, you could easily say the same thing about films or books as businesses too. But you know what, there is no way in HELL you could convince me to go to the next Transformers film! I would much rather watch something with some substance.

Every now and then, something comes out that is both has a large budget and is also thoughtful (something along the lines of Inception perhaps). That's the general area I see Mass Effect 3 in.

I generally think that people at RPGWatch are intelligent and thoughtful, specifically about games. This is one area I find the popular values around here to be way off! Are people really saying they would rather have a title choose the easy, mainstream ways of presenting an ending rather than something interesting that demands a little abstract thinking?

This seems very inconsistent with game feedback I have received here before. What did people around here even like about the original Witcher? It was the thoughtful ending that made the game for me.

@Mr. Smiley, I also dislike when they make changes like that. I believe I saw the same ending to that flick that you did…but also remember a cheesy alternate ending on the DVD where he travels back into his mother's womb and strangles himself. Never saw the happy ending…
 
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…but also remember a cheesy alternate ending on the DVD where he travels back into his mother's womb and strangles himself. Never saw the happy ending…
That "cheesy" ending is the original one, and I don't think it's cheesy at all, but perfectly logical. Each time he travels back in time, he only makes things worse, until he realises that things would be better if he was never even born; depressing but logical.

On the DVD I bought, he goes back in time and makes everything right the final time. There is also an alternate "open" ending on the disc, but the depressing one is missing.
 
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