It’s hard to talk about Mass Effect 3 without bringing up its mess of an ending. As I stated in my review, it’s a damn shame that ME3 managed to screw up it’s conclusion while pretty much getting everything else right, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. EA and Bioware are aware of fan complaints (and the personal threats and insults,) and they’re going to try to set things right this summer with the release of the “Extended Cut” free DLC pack.The DLC is said to contain new scenes and cinematics that will be added in to the final chapter of Mass Effect 3, which Bioware is promising will “further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3.” Bioware is also saying that the ending will provide a more satisfying conclusion than the original game’s somewhat esoteric and disjointed set of imagery.
The DLC is also going to be released for free, which should appease some of the angry internet lynch mob who like to find any excuse they can to hate on this *mostly* pretty great game.
I’m glad to hear that Bioware is expanding on the ending without changing it completely; the original ending had some interesting concepts that could’ve salvaged the ending, but in my opinion, the execution was all off. I don’t really have any problems with what actually happened in the ending, but rather, with how quickly it was presented and resolved. With a proper explanation for the game’s, uh, literal deus ex machina, and some expanded conversations, I think Bioware might be able to fix this mess. Of course, since they’re just expanding on the ending and not completely changing it, people who complained that the ending wasn’t “heroic” or “happy” enough won’t be satisfied, and they’ll still be legions of fanboys who will rage that the ending doesn’t restore the game’s universe to some ideal status quo, but really, there’s no way you can make everybody happy. There’s always going to be some nerd out there who will be mad when the ending doesn’t match up with the fan-fiction he’s written in his head.
Like I said, I was as dissatisfied with ME3’s ending as everybody else, but hopefully this new free DLC will get people to stop focusing on the game’s one flaw and remember that the 99% of the content preceeding that ending was fantastic. Ideally, the ending should’ve been good in the first place, but it’s nice to see that Bioware is taking active steps to correct their mistake.
