Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC Coming This Summer

See, was that so hard?

@ScoreSetter said:

And this ending will incense all those that thought the original ending was good enough and shouldn't be added to.

By the time I get around to playing it, I expect the ending to have been changed three more times on top of this and only see the original endings and first edits on YouTube.

It's probably some kind of social experiment by BioWare to prove that no matter what happens, us organics will only end up fighting each other and should be culled every 50.000 years. Thanks alot, internet.

I have yet to finish ME3, so I cannot comment on the relative quality of the ending, but I actually see this response as a positive thing. Art holds a sacred place in many people's minds. Some believe that the artist and their vision are protected and should never be affected by audience reactions. I agree with this statement to a point. Moviebob's video discussing the TMNT outcry did a good job of explaining how fandom does not equal ownership of a property. But, I disagree with the idea that it is a bad thing for an artist to listen to their fans. Just because an artist is allowed to do whatever they wish with a property doesn't always mean they will make a good call. Sometimes artists make bad or disappointing art. That Bioware is seeking to expand upon their ending to try and make it more impactful seems like a good response. I am glad they are sticking by their original ending and not changing it, but I am also glad, as a fan of the series, that they are trying to make these games the best they can be. Obviously the journey of Mass Effect is more important than the destination, but a series this great all the way through deserves a solid conclusion and maybe something good will come out of Bioware's efforts.

I'm down for this.

Ugh I don't feel like going through all that dialog again just to see a few more cutscenes. I will just watch it on youtube.

If Dark Knight Rises doesn't end with a 20 minute epilogue telling me how everyone lived until they died of old age, by golly, I'm going to start a campaign against the Nolans and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau!

I hate the internet sometimes.

Hey remember when they released the director's cut for blade runner which made the movie way better and no-one fucking complained?

Maybe you fucks should actually give this a chance before parroting the "artistic integrity wahhh" line that you don't actually understand but you heard a bunch of games press harp on about it so you figured that you'd go along with them because you wouldn't want to be "entitled" now would you?

In summary, eat many dicks.

I haven't played Mass Effect 3 yet, so I have no idea how I will feel about the ending once I've experienced it, but I, for one, completely disagree with what is transpiring here. As a creative person, I think it's disgusting the way fans of the series have reacted. I mean, we've all been there: finished a trilogy of movies, a TV series or a series of games, just to get to the ending finding ourselves wondering how something we loved so much managed to end so poorly. And yes, we probably bitch and complain about it. We shun the thing we once loved because we feel like it didn't deliver on our expectations.

And then we move on.

In the end, this is the artist's creation. It is not ours. To try and please everyone, is pointless, so as a creative person you do the best you can to create the best work you can, and hope that the creation you make brings as much joy to others as it did to you.

I understand why BioWare would want to please/appease their fans, and I can see why going down this route of "fixing" the end might be tempting, but I disagree with it whole-hardheartedly. By "fixing" their ending, they are basically saying that they were wrong. In art, there is no right or wrong. There is only opinion. And if nothing else, they are setting a precedent for fans to continue on this path: bitch and complain enough, and you'll get what you ask for - whether or not you truly deserve it.

Oh, and believe you me, they'll get what they ask for - or rather what they deserve - because this isn't the first time "fans" have reacted in such a way. There was an anime series that came out during the late 90's that people loved and then became infuriated with the ending. After prolonged protests, the creator of the series gave in and made a new ending. And guess what: people hated it one even more than the original.

So what happens when BioWare "fixes" the ending and people are still unhappy? Do they fix it again?

At the end of the day, it's great that people are able to discuss what they liked and didn't like about a piece of art. Art is meant to spur up emotions, to encourage conversation and debate. But at the end of the day, when all is said and done, what do you do?

You move on.

Hrm now I'm not sure if I should finish the game or wait for that DLC... great.

@PosableActionFigure said:

Hey remember when they released the director's cut for blade runner which made the movie way better and no-one fucking complained?

Maybe you fucks should actually give this a chance before parroting the "artistic integrity wahhh" line that you don't actually understand but you heard a bunch of games press harp on about it so you figured that you'd go along with them because you wouldn't want to be "entitled" now would you?

In summary, eat many dicks.

most level headed post EVER

Why would I have any faith that the guys who made the ending I didn't like would get it right the second time? What if I don't like the new "enhanced" ending? Will they try a 3rd time for me?

I'll probably watch this stuff on Youtube.

The people who went ape shit over the ending will still not be pleased. I will probably check it out when it drops, if I still have interest. I am glad they are going about it in a way that expands upon the original ending(s) instead of retconning them. I never thought the ending(s) were bad, they were just all presented the same, which seemed lazy.

@Seraphim84 said:

Erg, I feel dirty

Ya know what... I kinda do, too.

It's not that big a deal for me. I can look past the ending being a bit rubbish, or there being plot holes, or even the feeling of agency being taken away at the very end. All I wanted was some sort of feedback about how my decisions had an effect, like the genophage, etc. If this does that, I'll be happy

What is wrong with the ending can't be fixed with a few cut scenes. This whole thing is pointless.

If you thought the ending to Mass Effect 3 threw your choices to the wind, you don't remember Dragon Age II.

*SPOILERS*

"HEY YOU WANT TO CHOOSE THE MAGES? FIGHT BOTH LEADERS FOR NO REASON. HEY YOU WANT TO CHOOSE THE TEMPLARS? FIGHT BOTH LEADERS FOR NO REASON."

All they had to do was cut one boss fight out of the end depending no who you chose. Or hell, even fight WITH your sides leader instead of against.

Just in time for a finished second playthrough

Bah don't think a few cutscene going too fix the ending. I was hoping Bioware would go the way Gainax did with Evangelion by making "The End of Evangelion" for mass effect that would have been interesting. I would have pay for extra new ending with a new vision. Not really interested in a extended ending even if its free.

Disappointing that they yielded but at least it's not changing the actual ending. Will await to see what gets clarified with bated breath.

I just hope they remember my Fem-Shep's birthday...

Penny-Arcade (Relevant)

I know some people won't be fully satisfied, but I totally am. That's all I ever really wanted from the ending really, some more explanation/clarification and closure. This news has kinda made my day.

I'm very curious to see how extensive this is, I can't really imagine most people being happy with just a couple extra cutscenes. All I want is for this DLC to make the ending less mind-bogglingly awful.

It's commercial art. If you think the final game was some pure form of Bioware's 'artistic vision' you're delusional.  
It won't 'fix' the ending, but this really is the best thing they could have done given the circumstances and financial reality of the situation, so good on them. 

Perfect, now everyone shut up!

Wow, it took CD Projekt Red almost a year to add new cutscenes and 4hour of gameplay (for free) to the chapter III of the witcher 2, that final chapter was a little weak as well. Makes me wonder how much "extended" its going to be.

Anyways im still trying to finish ME1, that Saren is a dick.

The news bums me out because, regardless what you thought of the ME3 ending, it shows that if you complain enough about something, a company will buckle. I can't see how we can get invested in a game or a franchise anymore with the knowledge that the ending or even story beats are subject to change if there's enough negative feedback.

Don't know how I feel about it. I guess it means the internet wins? That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

As someone who's still playing through this and about to go to Horizon and Sanctuary, should I stop and wait for the DLC? Do we know if this will be integrated into the game proper? Between this and the import glitch that was part of the reason I waited to start playing in the first place, this whole release seems like a massive clusterfuck...and I like the game and have no opinion on the ending since I haven't seen it/them yet.

@Jellybones said:

If Dark Knight Rises doesn't end with a 20 minute epilogue telling me how everyone lived until they died of old age, by golly, I'm going to start a campaign against the Nolans and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau!

I hate the internet sometimes.

That's hardly the same thing.

People hated Mass Effect 3's ending becaus it was nonsensical and provided absolutely no sense of closure for anyone and left the entire galaxy in a state of unexplained limbo, only for Buzz Aldrin to pipe in with a plea for players to buy DLC.

I hope that these ending additions make the experience more satisfactory for fans. Going three games in only to be rewarded with Casey Hudson's delusions of 2001 grandeur disappointed a lot of people. Though, it doesn't sound like it will do anything to remove Space Child, who basically symbolizes all that is wrong with the ending in its original state.

Also, I wonder what this means for Bioware's other ME3 DLC plans. They had to have already had development time and money budgeted for other DLC that they had planned and obviously weren't expecting any of this. They had to have shifted resources around to make the revised ending a reality, which means that the original DLC plans had to either be put on hold or were substantially revised.

@MichaelEM3 said:

@Barrock said:

@MichaelEM3 said:

@Tebbit said:

@MichaelEM3 said:

Really surprised EA convinced Microsoft to allow them to release this DLC/patch for free. Don't MS have some pretty stringent rules regarding this stuff? EA must be suffering a pretty heavy financial loss because of this fiasco.

How could that possibly be true? Didn't Mass Effect 3 sell a lot of copies?

I meant a heavy financial loss independent of whatever they made off total copies shipped/sold. I meant they probably had to pay MS an illegal amount of money for them to get this free DLC past cert.

I dunno. If I were Microsoft I wouldn't want Sony to be able to say "The only place you get get the extended version of Mass Effect 3".

Didn't meant to imply the PS3 version won't have this DLC either. As Alex's story and the EA press release points out, all versions of the game will receive this free DLC.

It's just that Microsoft is the company that just last year forced to Supergiant Games guys to release their Bastion DLC for $1 (when SG wanted to charge nothing like they did on the PC) because "free" and "DLC" typically doesn't compute for them.

I get what you're saying but there's a difference between an arcade title like Bastion and Mass Effect 3. EA will have no problems from MS about releasing this content for free.

@nohthink said:

Don't know how I feel about it. I guess it means the internet wins? That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Nah. They're just clarifying, not rewriting it to be something different. I think it's a good compromise.

wahh ambiguity makes hulk mad HULK SMASH

@PosableActionFigure said:

In summary, eat many dicks.

Are you offering . . . . baby?

People will still bitch about it. Because people have no lives.

Ending was great. indoctrination

There is no way clarifying the ending can make everybody happy. There is too much division as to what actually happened in that ending, especially when one considers the fan favorite Indoctrination Theory. Vagueness is the one advantage the ending has, and simply adding "clarity" will not be enough.

Well, it has one other advantage, but I think most people agree that that's an advantage who have played the game, so I won't bring that one up for spoiler's sake.

So glad they're not retconning anything. If you want to make changes, this seems like the right way to go about it.

@MichaelEM3:

Bioware could always do it as a title update if microsoft doesn't allow it as free DLC.

Its good that bioware has done this but I feel it's unessecary. I enjoyed the ending the way it was. I feel people looked entirely past the point of what the ending meant and were looking for an argument. HAPPY NOW PEOPLE!

@Vegetable_Side_Dish said:

It's commercial art. If you think the final game was some pure form of Bioware's 'artistic vision' you're delusional. It won't 'fix' the ending, but this really is the best thing they could have done given the circumstances and financial reality of the situation, so good on them.

Yes! Someone else gets it. I've seen other creative types on here talking about how this is horrible and a violation of artistic rights - PUH-lease. I've been a graphic designer for over ten years and the idea that customers have no say in something creative that you are SELLING them is baffling. Art for the sake of art is fine and good for being considered untouchable, but be it a videogame, movie, TV show, or music album - the artist has a certain level of obligation to the audience if they wish to continue a long term relationship with their customers. The idea that commercial art is somehow untouchable is romantic nonsense.

@drumpsycho89 said:

Its good that bioware has done this but I feel it's unessecary. I enjoyed the ending the way it was. I feel people looked entirely past the point of what the ending meant and were looking for an argument. HAPPY NOW PEOPLE!?

Yeah, pretty much.

RIP Art

~25000 BC (early paleontholitic cave paintings) - 2012 AD (revision of ME3 ending)

I hope I'm wrong, but I bet the second take on the ending still won't satisfy a large portion of people.

If they are just expanding on the endings that means the problems with the endings will still be present. Oh well...

I'm glad it's free. Since it's not actually changing the endings, I'll likely still be disappointed, but it'll be interesting to see.

I hope we get multiplayer DLC before then.

@stoic665 said:

RIP Art

~25000 BC (early paleontholitic cave paintings) - 2012 AD (revision of ME3 ending)

Get over yourself. This was planned from the beginning.

Hell, the voice actor for FemShep confirmed she's recorded no new lines, so any new content here must have.. *gasp* been created before the game was released.

The ending was obviously a set up to create mass interest before the true one was released. Either way, this is hardly the first time a book/movie/game has been expanded after release.

They doing the best thing, extending the original ending and explaining it better but not changing, for the best price, free. Also releasing it at the perfect time of year, I'd expect to see the first piece of planned, paid DLC to be released at the same time.

I'm actually really looking forward to seeing what they do with this. 
Hopefully it will actually improve upon the original ending and not just feel tacked on, but either way, it will be interesting to see.

@WinterSnowblind said:

@stoic665 said:

RIP Art

~25000 BC (early paleontholitic cave paintings) - 2012 AD (revision of ME3 ending)

Get over yourself. This was planned from the beginning.

Hell, the voice actor for FemShep confirmed she's recorded no new lines, so any new content here must have.. *gasp* been created before the game was released.

The ending was obviously a set up to create mass interest before the true one was released.

It was a joke. Chill.