Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC Coming This Summer

@munnyman5 said:

I don't care, really.

The ending of ME3 could've been a 1080p video of a fat guy jerking off, and I would still feel like I got my money's worth. I laughed more at the snippets of dialog in that game than I have at some pretty good stand-up comedy routines. I'm just really thankful I get to play games, and wasn't born in Somalia or something.

But that's just me.

That's a real great positive sentiment that would sound less smug had you not typed that last sentence, I guess.

I hope fixing up the plot holes and explaining more helps. It still won't be the ending I want, but at least it will make sense.

I don't see how more exposition fixes an ending that is a LITERAL deus ex machina.

There are plot holes and a lack of closure but everything after the illusive man stinks. You need to cut the ending at that point and start over.

Invoking the ghost of Tommy Westphall: tired and irrelevant. But it's Navarro so no surprises there...

I guess everyone will just forget about the true original ending that was deemed perfect by the writers.

People.

But, I already saw the end. I dont need another one.

Nice that its free but I'd rather have something that would make me re-install the game. Hopefully they have some shadow broker esque story content coming up.

Alex, this writeup is great. I'm in no position to demand anything, but more stuff like this would be wonderful. :D

The terms "Extended Cut" and "clarification" worry me for reasons other people have probably stated, but I'll reserve judgment until I hear exactly what they end up doing.

Kudos to BioWare on this being free, at least. Since they're apparently decided not to completely rewrite the ending, here's hoping they'll at least make it less like middle-school arthouse nonsense -- and remove the "buy our DLC!" screen from the post-Stargazer scene, jesus christ.

Anyone who still claims that Bioware doesn't care about their fans after this is either a massive troll or an idiot.

@rustyengel said:

The journey was great, let down ending or not (the ending was fine) I am mature enough to not let something as trivial as the ending ruin my entire 200 hour mass effect experience.

Yeah, endings to trilogy long stories in games that are supposedly story focused are "trivial".

Hilarious.

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

I will wait and see, which is sad since Bioware used to be a trusted name for me.

I don't know how they can fix plot holes and inconsistencies detailed in numerous posts and articles with just an epilogue cinematic pasted onto the current ending end unless it is the Indoctrination theory.

So, maybe I'll wait until the summer to play ME3? I need a reason to justify not buying it just yet and this seems like a perfect one.

Bloody hell, what's with all the Alex hate on here recently?

You dislike his style sometimes, fair enough, but the great thing about GB is that the staff are personalities not just content generating machines.

If Mass Effect 3 ended like St. Elsewhere it would've been a far better ending.

Wish they'd change the ending. The ending provided makes Mass Effect 3 an incomplete story. I just can't believe that it happened. Whatever this free DLC is it won't make me forget about my first time beating it. It's a nice gesture, but the damage has been done. I've played ME1 3 times and ME2 4 times, that ending really did bum me out. Oh well, guess we all have to move on with our lives. Maybe this DLC will help ease the pain.

Great, but I have no intention of replaying that final mission again so... this is kinda worthless.

Thanks. I liked most of the ending, just not the huge plot holes and missing closure.

Why did they even bother people are staying going to hate them even for releasing this free dlc to an ending to be honest which wasnt as bad as everyone said.

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

Haha. I agree. Spoiled brats.

I'd like to think the original ME3 is basically a publicity stunt that worked brilliantly. If the "indoctrination" theory is true, people will go from despising the ending to loving it/eagerly consuming what comes next.

But chances are, the ending is actually intended at face-value, and is complete shit.

It's a ruse. They'll release the true ending - 'Shepard wakes up from his indoctrination nightmare to kick some Reaper butt with a lot of help from his friends from all over the galaxy' - it has to be...

...lest this ending has been the biggest fail in entertainment media to date. Makes me fucking sad. Guess it was a budget thing then. The investment in a positively memorable full quality ending experience would not have translated into more sales, hence the executive order has been handed down... 'Casey Hudson - get it done! Cheaply.'

Must hurt to kill one's baby as a corporate assassin. Guess somebody had to do it. Guess he's not getting paid enough for all the hate he's been getting. Skull-crack-a-lacking hate this world so much.

Summer? Wow, I will care even unless about this by then which is crazy because I don't really even care now. If people are still up in arms about the ending by then I pity them, must really have nothing going on in their lives.

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

This expanded ending is going to suck. It might actually get me to do another playthrough though out of curiosity, which I hadn't planned on doing ever.

@Lotus said:

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.

They should have made Saren the main antagonist for the entire series.

In Star Wars terms: They Darth Mauled him but this needed a Darth Vader...

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

Yup.

For me I don't need another ending as that is far from the only reason I don't want to play this game again. The wave combat, especially on that last mission is enough for me to not want to play it a second time. Good for the people that care, but this is hardly a compelling solution, it doesn't fix the simple fact that you will always remember your original time with the game, which is why I think changing the ending is so dumb. At least it'll help those that haven't played it yet, right?

I liked the ending as is but still would have liked some additional explanation on a few points, so this is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for.

And for free, which is a wise choice but not one I was expecting EA to allow.

@Seppli said:

It's a ruse. They'll release the true ending - 'Shepard wakes up from his indoctrination nightmare to kick some Reaper butt with a lot of help from his friends from all over the galaxy' - it has to be...

...lest this ending has been the biggest fail in entertainment media to date. Makes me fucking sad.

This sums up my thoughts pretty eloquently. I mean Shepard and his buddies can still sacrifice themselves, as long as the kid and everything it says is acknowledged to be total bullshit.

I bet this was a planed paid dlc but the bad press forced them to go free with it.

I didn't want anything, but I'll take more ending as long as it doesn't change what actually happens. BioWare needs to stick up for their vision.

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

These are the same people who went from declaring ME2 the worse thing to ever happen to RPGs to reminiscing about how vastly superior it was to ME3. (See also: Dragon Age: Origins)

Seems like a good way to do it, not sure how I feel about playing through with my main character again. I have my canon ending at this point, I'll see it through again as FemShep, though.

I guess that okay. I still haven't beat the game yet so oh well.

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

Not exactly a surprise or even necessarily a BAD thing that you can't please everyone all the time. I mean is there a large number of people espousing all three of those snippets? Likely the first two were the "entitled brats" and the last was the "Gamez is totally art" side.

I suppose this is the best that could be asked of them at this point. I am fine with and ending that is both open ended and bittersweet, but that ending needs to make logical sense and fit within the context of the universe. The problem with ME3's ending was that it made no logical sense and it didn't fit within the context of the Mass Effect universe. But I don't want them to change that for the damage has already been done. They can't undo the terrible ending that they already delivered.

Through all of this I am afraid that the lesson people will walk away with is, "always end with a happy ending where everyone is saved." I want challenging endings. I want endings that go beyond the standard expectation for an ending. If I start a game where I need to save the world, then I know it will probably end with me saving the world. But messing with that expectation has to be done right and it has to be done carefully. Red Dead Redemption has one of my all time favorite endings, and I would hate for other game developers to think that they can't do that. Challenge me. Surprise me. Just don't fuck up the way Bioware did.

@Apocralyptic said:

Weak... Bioware, don't you know that when you cave to fan pressure, the terrorists win?

True. They should have left it as it was and accepted that some people didn't like it.

@cannonballBAM said:

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

Haha. I agree. Spoiled brats.

There is more than one person on the internet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

The irony is off the charts. If you care about the ending enough to be mad that they are adding more to it, you need to be able to step beside yourself and visualize 20,000 other people who feel just as strongly about the ending needing more content. If you don't care about the ending this doesn't affect you. If you are trying to make the argument that games are art and should be untouchable I think EA and Bioware have just established that this isn't the case, and if you're just disappointed that it isn't the case, you have a bigger issue to take up with game publishers than angry fans. If you're mad about "a vocal minority" getting their way with you have no room to argue the next time a marketer lies to you and sells you something you weren't promised and you shouldn't have a say the next time SOPA rolls out and you want to act "entitled" about your internet. So many pots hurling epithets at kettles.

This is disappointing. Even though it's free, I won't play it. Done's done; my Shepard has made his journey and made the final choice. That's that, for me.

Well, at least that complaining got them more Mass Effect content for free, that's something at least. Now let's see if it's good or not.

I don't need closure. The terminal that let me talk to nearly everyone before I went was fucking closure enough. Seriously? Do you think Mass Effect is done? Why do people need to know every little detail when there will most likely be another Mass Effect at some point.

I am interested in this but ultimately don't need it. Also, yeah, you totally have the right to not get this if you hate it. Personally I'm just upset i'll never be able to play this series again without automatically thinking of every asshole who complained. I would like to Eternal Sunshine that shit!

i don't care about ending, i want Tali's face to be better

@RichieJohn said:

@Apocralyptic said:

Weak... Bioware, don't you know that when you cave to fan pressure, the terrorists win?

True. They should have left it as it was and accepted that some people didn't like it.

yeah ... "some".

I think that this is essentially the best thing that could have happened.

The ending is in all likelihood not going to be significantly changed because that'd represent too much work and it'd really rub people who liked the ending the wrong way; this will disappoint some (personally I'm reserving judgement until I've played it) because let's face it; the ending was bananas - but it's certainly throwing people a bone. Even though I hated the ending because it didn't make sense, I think the real emotional reason for me hating it was the fact that it threw all the characters I cared about into a giant mysterious scenario with no hint as to what would happen.

I also never, ever expected it to be free. This is something I'm very pleased about.

@briangodsoe said:

"I hate the ending! They need to change it! Fuck Bioware!"

"I heard they were going to do something about the ending but I bet they'll charge! They probably planned this all along! Fuck Bioware!"

"They're releasing a free DLC that will add context and an epilouge that will probably address my choices? I can't believe they caved! Fuck Bioware! Sellouts!"

Seriously what the fuck internet?

Life must be difficult when you think every single post on the internet is made by the same person.

Interested to see what they might have (or might work up between now and release) for this, but it'd take some major reworking for me not to think that the ending was a crazy, out-of-character/universe clusterfuck.

The game part is still decent though

All they need to do is add a few more cutscenes in there for the stupid people that do not want to simply think about the implications of their choices, but need everything carefully and slowly explained to them so their brains don't hurt.

And I will not be the least bit surprised when the "Extended Cut" content sucks even worse than the original.

I guess I know when my Insanity/FemShep/Renegade/S-Rank playthrough will be now!

P.S. I've gotten over my hatred for the ending mostly at this point since the rest of the game was pretty dang good. Not Mass Effect 2 good but almost. I'd like it if they put a true ending in there where if you pick destruction, Shepard wakes up on Earth and realizes the star child was a weird indoctrination dream and then proceeds to ACTUALLY solve the Reaper problem somehow with a bunch of real endings. I'd be totally okay with that, implications of late DLC endings aside.