Bioware is currently taking feedback on ME3 at the official Mass Effect twitter account. So I guess if you want to get your voice heard now's a good chance.

https://twitter.com/#!/masseffect

Don't! It's a trap! They only want to cross reference the username to their database and ban your accounts!

In all seriousness though, that's pretty cool, I guess.

*waits for inevitable "Twitter temporarily shuts down due to Video game rage" thread*

Bioware doing what Bioware does best. Listening to fan feedback. Whether they are just listening or actually thinking on it has yet to be seen.

@imooumoo: Hey I'm just glad they're listening. That's the Bioware I grew to love.

Please tell us what you think; provided it is less than 140 characters.

@JeanLuc: That's true. I just hate the thought of an overlord at EA shaking his head going "NOT APART OF THE PLAN". Bioware going "If you just gave us more time..." "NO SHUT UP. FINISH THE GAME." I may be exaggerating but that's what it looks like to me.

I'm probably just a giant poopy head, but I don't see where they are asking for feedback?
 
Also, is there any way shape or form I can write several hundred paragraphs in twitter? Because I think that would just about scratch the surface.

They've also posted some pretty cryptic responses on their twitter about some aspects of the ending.

I think they're hinting pretty heavily at some DLC coming up or something. Maybe they're gonna pull a Broken Steel.

I love how the twitter says:

'The war for Earth has begun, decide how it ends.'

When you don't actually decide anything beyond what color energy blast you like the best, lol

However for people on Twitter who wants to be heard you should direct them to this link http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/

Thats basicaly everything that was wrong with the endings.

@imooumoo said:

@JeanLuc: That's true. I just hate the thought of an overlord at EA shaking his head going "NOT APART OF THE PLAN". Bioware going "If you just gave us more time..." "NO SHUT UP. FINISH THE GAME." I may be exaggerating but that's what it looks like to me.

Yeah, its easy to blame EA for the ending because the idea of Bioware willingly putting that ending in seems crazy. But we don't know the true story so whatever.

Can somebody tell them all these theories so they can say ya that's what we were going for so everyone can be happy

I don't understand how they could not have had a full arc with the story at the end. All these discussions about how it really ended when people should be saying "That was one of the best video game trilogies ever." I'm not asking for a happy ending, I don't think anyone with their head on right is asking that, but for God sakes give some sense of satisfaction for being a part of this journey for the past 5 years. When a large majority of your fan base is pissed off or trying to come up with a ridiculous reason for why everything played out the way it did, to the point where there are rumors it was all a type of dream and the real ending will be released later, than you know you made a mistake somewhere.

@msavo: Yeah and I do think Mass Effect is one of the best video game trilogies ever. If video games had an official Hall of Fame the Mass Effect series would be up there with the best of the best.

Quick! Someone with a twitter account direct them to the gamefront article.

If all of these cryptic statements and smug secrets are implying that their incomplete, incomprehensible ending will be "fixed" with follow-up DLC, things are only going to get worse for them and for the game industry as a whole.

@JeanLuc: I completely agree. The entire series is pure gold.

140 caracters is easy:

Giant plot holes. Stitched together cut scenes. Previous decisions didn't have any impact. To short

@Encephalon said:

Quick! Someone with a twitter account direct them to the gamefront article.

Done.

@Wrighteous86: Yeaaah, I think the ending is shit, but I think them backtracking/releasing a "new" ending via DLC is way worse. Even if it's the indoctrination thing (which I definitely don't think is true but still) it just seems like a really bad precedent. Some of this shit seems straight up like a textbook abusive relationship: the hurt, the interpreting and making excuses, the ever present promises of improvement. Oh well. As I've said elsewhere, I'd rather BioWare just learn from their mistakes and move on rather than pulling a George Lucas.

@Wrighteous86 said:

If all of these cryptic statements and smug secrets are implying that their incomplete, incomprehensible ending will be "fixed" with follow-up DLC, things are only going to get worse for them and for the game industry as a whole.

This times about 1000.

@CrossTheAtlantic said:

@Wrighteous86: Yeaaah, I think the ending is shit, but I think them backtracking/releasing a "new" ending via DLC is way worse. Even if it's the indoctrination thing (which I definitely don't think is true but still) it just seems like a really bad precedent. Some of this shit seems straight up like a textbook abusive relationship: the hurt, the interpreting and making excuses, the ever present promises of improvement. Oh well. As I've said elsewhere, I'd rather BioWare just learn from their mistakes and move on rather than pulling a George Lucas.

I tend to agree, I think the endings are garbage but what are the larger repercussions of compromising your vision (such as it is) to placate the fans? Focus testing game stories and endings into cookie cutter blandness.

They don't actually care.

The fact that they have to ask shows just how far their heads are up their own asses.

@Encephalon said:

Quick! Someone with a twitter account direct them to the gamefront article.

Actually, this 100 times. That article perfectly describes why the ending is total bullshit. And honestly, I think this is Bioware just trolling. How the hell can they not know what is wrong with their ending? I have a hard time believing these same people that created ME1, ME2 and that amazing 98% of ME3 are somehow unable to figure out what it wrong with that last 2%. Then again, I have a hard time grasping that the ending in the game is the ending Bioware thought was acceptable to put in a game like ME3.

@depecheload said:

The fact that they have to ask shows just how far their heads are up their own asses.

They know what people don't like. This is all just viral buzz marketing for their "fixed" ending or "explanation" DLC... and that will only make things worse. Either it will succeed, and more and more companies will release incomplete games intentionally, in order to get more gamers to buy more DLC, or it will fail and their company will become an even bigger joke. Either way, gamers and Bioware are doomed.

@Wrighteous86 said:

@depecheload said:

The fact that they have to ask shows just how far their heads are up their own asses.

They know what people don't like. This is all just viral buzz marketing for their ending or "explanation" DLC... and that will only make things worse. Either it will succeed, and more and more companies will release incomplete games intentionally, in order to get more gamers to buy more DLC, or it will fail and their company will become an even bigger joke. Either way, gamers and Bioware are doomed.

Well I think that's a bit much. But I doubt BioWare will ever do this again.

@JeanLuc: That is so true.

@wsowen02 said:

@CrossTheAtlantic said:

@Wrighteous86: Yeaaah, I think the ending is shit, but I think them backtracking/releasing a "new" ending via DLC is way worse. Even if it's the indoctrination thing (which I definitely don't think is true but still) it just seems like a really bad precedent. Some of this shit seems straight up like a textbook abusive relationship: the hurt, the interpreting and making excuses, the ever present promises of improvement. Oh well. As I've said elsewhere, I'd rather BioWare just learn from their mistakes and move on rather than pulling a George Lucas.

I tend to agree, I think the endings are garbage but what are the larger repercussions of compromising your vision (such as it is) to placate the fans? Focus testing game stories and endings into cookie cutter blandness.

It's not about compromising the vision at this point. Bioware consciously, intentionally built up the notion in players' minds that their choices would matter and would ultimately affect the outcome of the story. This did not happen. Rather than live up to those expectations they themselves built, they pushed the concept of choice completely off to the side for the final ten minutes of the game, in which some of the most important, narrative-defining concepts are laid out for the player, and the only options presented are so similar to one another that the idea that the player has any agency at this point is laughable. No matter what happens:

• The relays are destroyed, so no more galactic space travel. Also, it was already established that the destruction of a relay would be of such power that it would destroy the entire system it's located in.
• A lot of races that were armed to the teeth for a final battle with the Reapers are suddenly stranded in the Sol system.
• Joker crash lands on some planet somewhere with no explanation as to why he had left the battle, nor how or why other members of the crew were suddenly back on board the ship.

So everything you worked toward has been rendered completely and utterly meaningless. You have no ability to avoid committing any of these acts and others like them. At this point, you might as well be playing a Final Fantasy game with a particularly nihilistic ending because that's what you're getting. The Reapers are gone, but the galaxy is fucked, and there was nothing you could do to prevent that no matter how high your Galactic Readiness rating climbs.

Sounds like damage control to me.

@Hailinel:Haha, you might as well just tell Bioware to watch their own endings ending and if they think it's fine then all hope is lost.

The only way people will be happy with the ending is if it was all some sort of dream or hallucination. If that ends up being the case I'll reluctantly give BioWare my money; but that will probably be the last time I give it. Dragon Age 2 sucked, I have no interest in ToR (KoToR 3 would have been a better idea), and ME3 was a game that failed to satisfy. I hate to be one of the people begging them for a RoTJ ending. But I think that is what would have made everyone happy and it would have spared them the trouble of backlash and excessive DLC.

@Hailinel said:

@wsowen02 said:

@CrossTheAtlantic said:

@Wrighteous86: Yeaaah, I think the ending is shit, but I think them backtracking/releasing a "new" ending via DLC is way worse. Even if it's the indoctrination thing (which I definitely don't think is true but still) it just seems like a really bad precedent. Some of this shit seems straight up like a textbook abusive relationship: the hurt, the interpreting and making excuses, the ever present promises of improvement. Oh well. As I've said elsewhere, I'd rather BioWare just learn from their mistakes and move on rather than pulling a George Lucas.

I tend to agree, I think the endings are garbage but what are the larger repercussions of compromising your vision (such as it is) to placate the fans? Focus testing game stories and endings into cookie cutter blandness.

It's not about compromising the vision at this point. Bioware consciously, intentionally built up the notion in players' minds that their choices would matter and would ultimately affect the outcome of the story. This did not happen. Rather than live up to those expectations they themselves built, they pushed the concept of choice completely off to the side for the final ten minutes of the game, in which some of the most important, narrative-defining concepts are laid out for the player, and the only options presented are so similar to one another that the idea that the player has any agency at this point is laughable. No matter what happens:

• The relays are destroyed, so no more galactic space travel. Also, it was already established that the destruction of a relay would be of such power that it would destroy the entire system it's located in.
• A lot of races that were armed to the teeth for a final battle with the Reapers are suddenly stranded in the Sol system.
• Joker crash lands on some planet somewhere with no explanation as to why he had left the battle, nor how or why other members of the crew were suddenly back on board the ship.

So everything you worked toward has been rendered completely and utterly meaningless. You have no ability to avoid committing any of these acts and others like them. At this point, you might as well be playing a Final Fantasy game with a particularly nihilistic ending because that's what you're getting. The Reapers are gone, but the galaxy is fucked, and there was nothing you could do to prevent that no matter how high your Galactic Readiness rating climbs.

I totally agree. Let's be clear, I'm not saying it was a good or honest vision. I just think that, for whatever reason, they decided this is how they wanted to end it.

My point is simply that in the future, developers may be reluctant to do something ballsy because of the threatened financial consequences of this. I'm not saying that this was a good example of a ballsy ending or that that is the lesson they should take from this. I cannot imagine that this was the response EA/BioWare expected or wanted from this.

Hope that makes a little more sense.

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

The proper way then, would to have been to make that clear in the game's story. Even if it was revealed at the end. This isn't fucking Blade Runner.

The way it is now, if they come out with DLC and say Shepard WAS indoctrinated, either they "stole it from people" or "they kept it vague to make a confusing ending so more people would feel compelled to buy the DLC that explains it".

@DeShawn2ks: I can see Shepard being indoctrinated. But it would have been nice if they just came out and said it instead of everything being cryptic. At this point I don't care what they do. They can change the endings and make the reason the game ended like it did so convoluted that I'll me even more upset by it. Or they can leave it alone and I will just learn to deal with it. Whatever they do, all I know is that I'm throwing away my BioWare fanboy card. It was a good run, but damn, they know how to screw it all up.

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

So we have two outcomes. BioWare does nothing and people get pissed off or BioWare fixes it and people will get pissed off. Its a lose-lose scenario. That being the case, I'll take the outcome where they fix it, at least then I'll win.

@Wrighteous86 said:

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

The proper way then, would to have been to make that clear in the game's story. Even if it was revealed at the end. This isn't fucking Blade Runner.

The way it is now, if they come out with DLC and say Shepard WAS indoctrinated, either they "stole it from people" or "they kept it vague to make a confusing ending so more people would feel compelled to buy the DLC that explains it".

Why is the proper way to telegraph what is happening and not drop little hints through out the story? I'm not saying one why is right or wrong but why can't you do one or the other? Also I am sorry I never so fucking Blade Runner so I don't know what you are talking about. Only beef I will have with the DLC angle is if they charge for it.

@Mongoose23 said:

The only way people will be happy with the ending is if it was all some sort of dream or hallucination. If that ends up being the case I'll reluctantly give BioWare my money; but that will probably be the last time I give it. Dragon Age 2 sucked, I have no interest in ToR (KoToR 3 would have been a better idea), and ME3 was a game that failed to satisfy. I hate to be one of the people begging them for a RoTJ ending. But I think that is what would have made everyone happy and it would have spared them the trouble of backlash and excessive DLC.

Dream endings are the worst cop out in storytelling I can possibly think of. I'd almost prefer the poor ending we got to having it turn out to be a dream.

@Wrighteous86 said:

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

The proper way then, would to have been to make that clear in the game's story. Even if it was revealed at the end. This isn't fucking Blade Runner.

The way it is now, if they come out with DLC and say Shepard WAS indoctrinated, either they "stole it from people" or "they kept it vague to make a confusing ending so more people would feel compelled to buy the DLC that explains it".

Whatchu talkin' bout Blade Runner for?

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Wrighteous86 said:

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

The proper way then, would to have been to make that clear in the game's story. Even if it was revealed at the end. This isn't fucking Blade Runner.

The way it is now, if they come out with DLC and say Shepard WAS indoctrinated, either they "stole it from people" or "they kept it vague to make a confusing ending so more people would feel compelled to buy the DLC that explains it".

Why is the proper way to telegraph what is happening and not drop little hints through out the story? I'm not saying one what is right or wrong but why can't you do one or the other? Also I am sorry I never so fucking Blade Runner so I don't know what you are talking about. Only beef I will have with the DLC angle is if they charge for it.

Actually, the comparison to Blade Runner is interesting because (Blade Runner spoilers) the entire lynchpin of the "Deckard is a Replicant" theory is the fact that he was having dreams about a unicorn, and at the end Gaff makes an origami unicorn as if to say "I've seen your dreams too". And in Mass Effect 3, for the first time in the series, there are dream sequences. And at the end of the game, something from those dreams (the boy, obviously) seems to materialize in Shepard's real life. It's a very interesting parallel. And an indication, to me anyway, that the clues are there in the game.

If they don't already understand why the ending is nonsense, it's hopeless. This is just a PR play, allowing people to vent their frustration, and then they'll probably turn it around as a marketing point for new ending DLC, "because the fans demanded it!"

@DeShawn2ks: Because the only reason people believe the indoctrination thing is BECAUSE of how random and bad the endings were. Sure, they found ways to back it up, but if the whole game were the same except for the nonsensical ending, no one would have considered he were indoctrinated. If they attempted to drop hints throughout the story, they did it pretty poorly. So they either had a bad ending, or a great ending that was executed badly.

@Kevin_Cogneto said:

Actually, the comparison to Blade Runner is interesting because (Blade Runner spoilers) the entire lynchpin of the "Deckard is a Replicant" theory is the fact that he was having dreams about a unicorn, and at the end Gaff makes an origami unicorn as if to say "I've seen your dreams too". And in Mass Effect 3, for the first time in the series, there are dream sequences. And at the end of the game, something from those dreams (the boy, obviously) seems to materialize in Shepard's real life. It's a very interesting parallel. And an indication, to me anyway, that the clues are there in the game.

That was the point I was making. Mass Effect has always been a big dumb action series. A B-movie Sci-Fi romp. If they decided to make it a deep, twisty, Blade Runner story for the last one, it's inconsistent and done pretty poorly. While that would be an amazing game ending, if that is indeed the ending, it could have been executed better.

@drac96: I agree with you on that. But to be honest a dream ending will make me feel better I think. The game should have ended when Shepard kill The Illusive Man. But we all can't have what we want. Even when we give BioWare $200 plus dollars to make a series that will be satisfying.

@JeanLuc said:

@DeShawn2ks said:

@Mongoose23: There is a lot of evidence out there that is pointing to Shepard being indoctrinated. It makes sense to me after reading all the info out there about why this is. It is possible they are wrong and all of us who thought that might feel stupid. Then if Bioware comes out and says yes Shepard was slowly being indoctrinated and points to all the evidence out there as proof people will then say Bioware sucks because they had a crappy ending and stole the idea to fix it from people who were already talking about Shepard being indoctrinated.

So we have two outcomes. BioWare does nothing and people get pissed off or BioWare fixes it and people will get pissed off. Its a lose-lose scenario. That being the case, I'll take the outcome where they fix it, at least then I'll win.

Even if you have to pay more money in order to see this ending?

@benjaebe:

Finishing last night, my own conclusions, and the conspiracy theories on the net kind of point at

The spacekid is Harbringer trying to indoctrinate you - so many hints for this. Anderson doesn't see the kid in the vent, no-one reacts or even notices the kid when they are getting on the shuttle shortly after. The dreams point at his subconcious warning him that the kid is a danger to him. If you read the entries on indoctrination, several of the things come up - Vega asking about a humming noise for example. The end from the point where Harbringer lasers you is probably all false and occuring in your mind, with Harbringer using your memories to finish the indoctrination. There is no way Anderson followed you up, but he does. He suggests everything to you, sheppard doesnt question or argue - not normal. He beats you to the catalyst, despite being behind you, and despite there only being one way on to the platform. The gun you have hear has endless bullets and is probably not real. Sheppard doesn't question the kid at all, who is against killing the reapers. The kid contradicts himself several times. It is believed the choice he gives you is the choice of indoctrination - both options besides destroy change your eyes to the indoctrinated colour in the cutscene after. If you destroy with enough EMS, you get a cutscene of Sheppard waking up on the broken concrete of London and not on material that would come from the citadel. I think Bioware have pulled off the best ending to any video game ever... by tricking us with a fake one that ties into the fiction amazingly well!

@Hailinel: I would pay 10 bucks for some satisfaction. It wont hurt anybody i think. Most of us have put more than two hundred into the Mass Effect franchise already.

@Mongoose23 said:

@Hailinel: I would pay 10 bucks for some satisfaction. It wont hurt anybody i think. Most of us have put more than two hundred into the Mass Effect franchise already.

But people paid for the third game with the expectation that the game would provide closure without the necessity of DLC.