Joe Frazer emailed in to say reviewers are influencing developers in creating safe sequels.This week we've got Jez Potter, who says he loved original Mass Effect 3 ending.
I've just finished Mass Effect 3, having got there spoiler-free (don't ask me how). And I was blown away. There's been a great deal of furore about the ending, sometimes with justification, sometimes not. As a dyed-in-the wool ME fan, I was rocked by the ending in a way I've never experienced in this medium before. At 2am, and with that haunting piano refrain still echoing in my headphones, I sat furious, elated, desolate. So many questions, so much to process.
But all the debates about the ending, to me, seem to miss the bigger picture. For the end of a videogame to have the same crushing emotional impact as the end of a beloved TV show or movie franchise vis a new experience for me. It's a testament to the commitment BioWare have to gaming, and the potential that have as an artform, as a medium capable of telling mature, engrossing stories, rather than just new and interesting ways of shooting people in the face.
There were certainly missed opportunities and missteps − I do think they made a bit of a dog's dinner of the ending, and it's ambition as 'high sci-fi' stumbled within the confines of gameplay conventions − we all know that thanks to the shrieking masses on the web there will now be an Extended Cut [It's out now - Ed], but for me the ending and trilogy as a whole exemplifies BioWare's ambition and courage.
Which ever way you look at it, ME was a stunning trilogy with unforgettable moments - and can any other game claim to have been discussed and analysed in the way that ME has? Sure, ME3 made some concessions to bigger business requirements − multiplayer, multi-platform tie-ins, etc. They didn't spoil the game for me, because honestly I couldn't care less about any of that. I cared about the story, the story of my Shepard; the guy I spent 150 hours of my life fighting, romancing, sacrificing, and agonising with. And I enjoyed every second of it.
XBW says: Jez, your letter is refreshing like a gallon of Mojitos on a hot summer day. In a rush to criticise the ending many have forgotten about the 150 hours of game before that. We've always said it: Mass Effect is about the journey, not the destination. And god forbid anyone speaks out to say they're happy with the ending.
CVG says: I agree with you Jez, and in fact I still haven't checked out the Extended Cut DLC because of it. Although I'll admit the ending provided more questions than answers those brief few minutes were insignificant compared to the hundreds of hours that preceeded it.
Source: computervideogames.com
But all the debates about the ending, to me, seem to miss the bigger picture. For the end of a videogame to have the same crushing emotional impact as the end of a beloved TV show or movie franchise vis a new experience for me. It's a testament to the commitment BioWare have to gaming, and the potential that have as an artform, as a medium capable of telling mature, engrossing stories, rather than just new and interesting ways of shooting people in the face.
There were certainly missed opportunities and missteps − I do think they made a bit of a dog's dinner of the ending, and it's ambition as 'high sci-fi' stumbled within the confines of gameplay conventions − we all know that thanks to the shrieking masses on the web there will now be an Extended Cut [It's out now - Ed], but for me the ending and trilogy as a whole exemplifies BioWare's ambition and courage.
Which ever way you look at it, ME was a stunning trilogy with unforgettable moments - and can any other game claim to have been discussed and analysed in the way that ME has? Sure, ME3 made some concessions to bigger business requirements − multiplayer, multi-platform tie-ins, etc. They didn't spoil the game for me, because honestly I couldn't care less about any of that. I cared about the story, the story of my Shepard; the guy I spent 150 hours of my life fighting, romancing, sacrificing, and agonising with. And I enjoyed every second of it.
XBW says: Jez, your letter is refreshing like a gallon of Mojitos on a hot summer day. In a rush to criticise the ending many have forgotten about the 150 hours of game before that. We've always said it: Mass Effect is about the journey, not the destination. And god forbid anyone speaks out to say they're happy with the ending.
CVG says: I agree with you Jez, and in fact I still haven't checked out the Extended Cut DLC because of it. Although I'll admit the ending provided more questions than answers those brief few minutes were insignificant compared to the hundreds of hours that preceeded it.
Source: computervideogames.com
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