Hell, why stop at games? "I love the new White Stripes album, but the guitar solo on track #3 sucks, and I DEMAND they change it!" 

Is that sarcasm? I honestly can't tell. 

Fox DEMANDS you change the article!

I actually don't know if he is serious or not, but it does sort of fit the article's theme.

Surely, because it would be utterly ridiculous to assume - at this point -that someone either hasn't played FF VII, or isn't aware of the death scene. 

How about *SPOILER ALERT - Do not read if you haven't beaten Final Fantasy VI*

Then later in the article - *ALERT - I meant VII... sorry.*

:D

AERIS DIES!?!?!?! Great! No point in playing the game now!

yes, it's just a friendly sarcastic jab. maybe you could put the spoiler alert at the very end for maximum comedic effect.

No way! Aeris dies?

...Oh wait. I already knew that. Never mind.

I'm so glad that I went through that pain a long time ago. I still can't believe that she didn't bleed after that one.

Stabbing a sword through someone's chest? That's cool. BLOOD?! WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH! We can't have that! Make this a bloodless, cold-blooded murder.

First off, I don't believe the Mass Effect ending sucks. 

Second, there was an extremely large body of gamers acting in this manner; it wasn't a select few. It wasn't just with Mass Effect either - it extends to the gaming culture in general anymore, but it was admitedly most pronounced with this particular incident.

Additionally, of course Aerith's death made sense. It was one of the greatest narrative moments in video game history. I used that specific moment for two reasons: everyone is familiar with it, and it would be one of the most utterly ridiculous examples. 

Why would I strive for ridiculousness? Because it was a satirical piece. 

I wouldn't say it is more pronounced in this one instance, you just heard about it more.  There are crazies on the internet and many of them play video games, surprising, I know........

I'm tired of people bashing on the fans who didn't like the ending and painting them all in the same light.  It's just as bad as the minority of crazy whiners out there.  If you have paid any attention at all, you would realize the vast majority have taken a mature stance on speaking out as to why the ending was terrible and giving well over a hundred reasons as answers.  These include impossibilities and plot holes by the dozens.  

I know what you were going for and it is cleverly written, I just don't see the connection at all and more than that, the generalization of the whole retake movement as whiny, kicking and screaming, entitled babies is highly innaccurate.

See my comment above. I wasn't complaining. 

Here is a question: If the game studio in question was the maker of Homefront, Kaos Studios, and given that the studio isn't a well established critical darling like BioWare, Would you satirize players who complained about its lackluster status if it then resulted in the game being made better as result of a free patch, especially if it didn't change what people liked about it originally?

Or would it instead generally be hailed as a good thing all around without a ounce of debate about the artistic integrity of the original game?

Not to speak for JC, but I think the issue isn't that it's changed, it's that it's being changed to appease a very vocal group of fans who claim to speak for everyone.

For the record, I liked the ending. I'm very happy with it as is.

Better is a matter of opinion. Again, I didn't think the ending was bad. 

What you are talking about is changing narrative, not some shoddy game mechanic, or a balancing issue. BioWare crafted an ending that they felt accomplished their goals, and them changing it sacrifices their artistic integrity. If gamers had united to speak out against poor game mechanics, that would be one thing. Demanding a change to the story simply because they don't like it - that's entirely different. 

When a musician or band releases an album, and people don't like it, they don't demand they change the songs. 

When a studio releases a new movie, if it sucks, people don't demand they change it - they just express their opinions. Some people didn't like the Inception ending, but you didn't see them signing petitions and trolling the internet demanding Christopher Nolan change his artistic vision.

What does that make gamers who demand a game studio change their artistic vision, simply because they don't agree with it, or don't like it? Entitled. That is what is makes them. 

They don't claim to speak to everyone, that is where you are wrong.  And the group is quite large.  

I really feel that if you enjoyed the ending to the game and find it completely satisfying, you just weren't invested in the Mass Effect universe enough and that is fine.  But you cannot deny the impossibilities and myriad of plot holes that are abound in the ending and how it relates to the trilogy.  There is no getting around that whatsoever and knocking people who understand these things and are asking for more is just as bad as what you are trying to criticize, if not worse.

That typifies entitlement more to me than anything.  You like the ending as it is, fine, then let your game experience end there with Mass Effect 3.  I choose to ask why Bioware suddenly forgot how to write when it mattered the most and how they actually thought this was a passable ending in any way, shape or form in relation to their magnus opus of gaming.

It's possible to be invested in the Mass Effect universe, not like the ending, and still not think Bioware should change it. I don't care how many plotholes there are, I don't think Bioware should change the ending ... and I doubt a new ending will fix it all anyway.

If you didn't like it, why wouldn't you want to see more?  That doesn't make any sense.

Because I don't work for Bioware. DLC would've come down the pipeline anyway.

It'd be different if after some criticism Bioware came out and announced they were going to retcon or change something. But this isn't the case. Bioware defended the ending, and the issue got so big that it seems they're doing this to save face.

First off, Mr. Rose, why are you so outspoken against this considering your featured article is about the Indoctrination Theory, which is precisely why I like the ending? 

Also, to say I am not invested is a total fallacy based upon presumption. The first Mass Effect is one of my favorite game narratives of all time.

"I really feel that if you enjoyed the ending to the game and find it completely satisfying, you just weren't invested in the Mass Effect universe enough and that is fine."

But see, I was invested in the universe. I played all three games with the same Shep, I contemplated the moves I made and how they'd effect the story and all that, and I thought the ending was really well done. It's ambiguous about some stuff, it leaves some questions unanswered, but I didn't feel like any of it *needed* answering. I *know* what happened to Sam Shepard (at least I think I do...) and that's what matters. Not how my crew got back on the Normandy, not why they were flying through space, not where the [spoiler character] came from.

I think the thing people wanted and didn't get from the ending was fan service. They wanted to see what happened to Garrus, or that reporter you can beat up on the Citadel or whatever, but really the whole third game is fan service. The whole thing is the final victory lap before Shep rides off into the space sunset.

Was it what people wanted/hoped for? No, clearly not, but that doesn't mean it was bad.

I concur Sam. I think people wanted a Fallout style ending - but that obviously isn't what BioWare was going for. If IndocTheory is true, then what they did was indeed next-level shit - far beyond anything formerly accomplished in game narrative. 

If it's not, and it's purposely ambiguous like my statement below outlines, it's still goddamned impressive. 

The main writer for mass effect before he left, Drew Karpyshyn, had an entirely different ending which was about dark matter. Since he left after ME2, and bioware changed direction to its present ending, doesn't that mean they have already betrayed the original artistic integrity?

I've read what karpyshyns intended ending was, sounds far better than what we got, and more in line with what I would have expected. If a DLC was released that restored this plot line, would it be bioware bowing to the players, or more like a directors cut being released? not unlike the numerous recuts of movies, like Blade Runner.

I didn't want fan service and I"m sure most of the people speaking out about the ending didn't either.  I wanted closure that made sense in the context of the story, happy or sad, doesn't matter.  I wanted to see the choices I made in the game reflect what happneed in the final battle.  I also wanted to face the Reapers and get the answers from Harbringer himself, not have him fly away and let me do the tango up to the only way to defeat them........

We received none of these things and in their place, we got thrown together story crutches and plot holes abound instead.  

Thing is, if Indoctrination had any chance of being true, I wouldn't be writing what I'm writing now.  The DLC announcement and wording regarding it reduces the chances IT is actually true to about, say 1%.

With respect, I wrote that article well before the DLC announcement that was recently put forward and only posted it now because I only recently joined Bitmob.  Since the DLC announcement, my optimism and support for the IT has all but been dismissed.  You can read it in the wording, or the more telling no new gameplay statement.  

I would love for the IT to be true, it would mean Bioware are clairvoyant and gods of writing and it would also mean the finale was yet to be decided.  It isn't perfect, but it's many times more satisfying and acceptable than what we currently have.  Sadly, it just isn't going to be.

My only point of contention is the labelling of the entire base of fans that spoke out against the ending as entitled.  

Agreed. 

I'll point out that in Mass Effect, the story always ends with Saren being defeated, regardless of what choices you made. In Mass Effect 2, the canon ending always has the Collectors being defeated, again, regardless of your choices. Mass Effect 3 finishes with the Reaper threat either being destroyed or otherwise ended...regardless of your choices. Therefore, I disagree with those who claim the ending doesn't reflect your decisions well enough - the first two games resolved their conflicts in a broad sense regardless of your smaller deviations along the way, as does the third game. As for perceived "plot holes," you can find any number of inconsistencies in the first two games, or in any story for that matter. The ending is what it is, like I said I'm glad we're getting an extended cut at all.

Mike, maybe you'd like to address these thoughts in a full article of your own? :)

And for the record, we promote every story that hits our front page on Facebook and Twitter. Our community determines our agenda -- what they care about, we promote. (In fact, stay tuned for another piece we've got later today that refutes this stance.)

Thanks for commenting! 

Mike, you're certainly entitled to your opinion that the Mass Effect 3 ending failed to deliver. I agree. But that doesn't, under any circumstances, make this piece "embarrassing." Moreover, I found it pretty damn funny. Lighten up, dude.

Please try to keep this discussion civil. Both of you. We can debate the merits of ME3's conclusion and even of this article without resorting to personal attacks.

Mike, you called his writing embarrassing, barren of any critical thought, immature, vapid, tasteless, humorless, narrow-minded, and intolerable. You told him he lacked decency and literacy. You said he was full of vile, uneducated bias. And you were offensively condescending.

JC reacted in kind, which he should not have done.

You've both made your points. Either be more considerate or clam up. 

It wasn't out of context. 

We're done here. Any more comments on this particular train of thought will be deleted. 

I'd be happy to have you point a few of these gems out! I try to feature as much of our community content as possible, which is why I curate weekly Spotlights, Hidden Gems, Bitmob Wants You writing prompts, Featured Community Writers, and individual articles. If I missed something you find worthy, my inbox is always open. 

Having said that, I'm confident and very satisfied in the quality of the work we feature on our front page. If you disagree, I again invite you to write some articles of your own. You have my word that they will be given due consideration. 

I thought the ending was a load of crap that metaphorically took a dump on fans' expectations and the fans themselves. But I've largely forgotten about it, and I don't devote copious amounts of time to demanding restitution. And I also found this article pretty funny.

Thanks Matthew. I might, admittedly, be a bit more lenient with this sort of thing. Growing up in the NES/SNES era, buying bad games was an inevitability. I always figured that I chose to spend my money on a game, and if it sucks, I will just be more cautious when purchasing from that developer in the future. Sometimes you get burned taking a leap of faith. That is how I ended up with a Panasonic 3DO at launch. lol

And yet we put up with said bad games because we were young, poor (for the most part), and had to get value from our purchases.

It's no wonder I nearly always played through NES games but struggle through most everything today.

I concur. I often find myself struggling to get through new games myself. I find the most innovative and exciting games today are coming out of the indie market, for various reasons. I think another reason why I like so many indie games is because they often resemble earlier games. There is an elegance in simplicity. Limited controller layouts, and limited technological resources, tends to create an environment where one relies on innovation through clever level design rather than convoluted controller schemes. There is a reason I am still playing Super Metroid on a near annual basis, and have been for too many years than I care to admit. heh. 

I did endure a lot of bad games though. Too many. That is why The Angry Video Game Nerd appeals to so many from our age demographic. He may be over-the-top, and may use an over-abundance of obscenities, but he perfectly encapsulates the rage associated with playing a game like Friday the 13th or the first TMNT. 

Well, I was more referring to the fact that we have less tolerance for crap nowadays owing to our larger disposable income :-)

But there was definitely a charm to old-school NES games that today's interactive entertainment lacks. It was a charming simplicity.

Wait a minute, I want to join a class-action lawsuit against Metal Gear Solid 2. That whole game was nonsense! I seriously thought I was crazy by the end, but not the good/fun kind of crazy.

lol. Indeed. 

"You can't charge people characters and then play the "artistic integrity" card."

Fair enough. lol

I don't remember Aeris' death as sad or emotional. I just remember a guy with a giant sword floating down to stab her while the guy with a giant gun for a hand just stood there with a look on his face that said, "shit happens," and no one had the good goddamn decency to yell, "Aeris, move!"

Also, I refuse to refer to Aeris as Aerith. She was born as Aeris in FF7 (the only game that matters) and she died as Aeris in FF7.

Matthew: I was yelling for her to move, but she apparently didn't here me. lol. Is there a "funniest comment" reward on this site? 

"And we can debate whether ME3 is art or not, but it's DEFINITELY a commercial product. You can't charge people characters and then play the artistic integrity card"

Game...set...match. 

Could not have said it any better myself Mike. As a huge Mass effect fan, the sale of the Prothean character as DLC actually makes me far more upset than theending.  Nickle and diming of a character so pivotal to Mass Effect law rubs me the wrong way. Clearly, Bioware and EA view ME3 as a product to be sold to us piecemeal, and I fully intend to treat it how I treat all the other products I purchase. If I'm unsatisfied with the quality/performance of said product, the manufacturer is going to hear about it.  I know one thing is for sure, now that I'm done with  the Mass Effect trilogy, it is going to be far harder for Bioware to sell me on anything they create next. I do not appreciate being jerked around. I will come at all their future products with a far more critical eye so as to avoid getting fooled again.

I laughed my ass off.  I said pretty much the same thing on some social medium or another a few weeks back..  If it irritates you, it's working as intended.