BioWare 'falsely advertised' Mass Effect 3, Better Business Bureau concludes
Some have argued that the ending of Mass Effect 3 didn't properly reflect choices made along the three game adventure--a point that the Better Business Bureau concedes is false advertising.
Mass Effect 3's ending has caused such a stir that BioWare and Electronic Arts are preparing an "Extended Cut" that offers "further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3" and "deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes." Some have argued that the ending of Mass Effect 3 didn't properly reflect choices made along the three game adventure--a point that the Better Business Bureau concedes is false advertising.
"Did BioWare falsely advertise?," a BBB.org blog post asks. "Technically, yes, they did."
The problem comes from the language used during the game's marketing. A statement like the following is seen as an "absolute"--essentially a promise that offers "no indecision."
Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome.
Of course, by offering the Extended Cut DLC for free, BioWare is not only trying to make amends with fans, but is rectifying an issue that could be construed as an undelivered promise. Speaking at Penny Arcade Expo, developers emphasized that the new content will feel like the endings are more personal. "In general we wanted to give the players a sense of personalization with the endings," BioWare producer Mike Gamble said. "Many people mentioned that some of the choices they made in the game are not necessarily reflected in the ending scenes. We're definitely going to focus on things like that."
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replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, BioWare 'falsely advertised' Mass Effect 3, Better Business Bureau concludes.
Some have argued that the ending of Mass Effect 3 didn't properly reflect choices made along the three game adventure--a point that the Better Business Bureau concedes is false advertising.-
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Oh wow
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There was choice...it was just shallow and not at all reflective of the quality of the rest of the product.
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Fucking crybaby gamers.. back in the day we just said what a shitty game and moved on with our lives.
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The Matrix sequels were actually really good sci-fi movies. I've never understood the hate they get...
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No, they weren't. They were quality sci-fi movies with some awesome set pieces. Sure, the first one was the best, but the sequels were good movies.
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I think movies/games that are bad don't piss me off as much as movies/games that suck but were one step away from being very good.
Example: High Tension. Awesome slasher flick had they just stuck to basics. Then they added the worst plot twist imaginable. It doesn't even make any sense and is a total cliche.
Examples for TV are Lost, Sopranos, and the first season of the Killing. All were pretty good from beginning until the near end. When the whole series was ruined by a lousy ending.
Sometimes being emotionally invested in a story and left off unsatisfied is worst than having no pay off from the money and time invested. -
I can understand people are passionate about this game, and regardless if the series deserved better this is the ending they gave it. Petitions? BBB? Ridiculous!
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Wow, well, they got called on it and judged accordingly.
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You guys.....the BBB does things? This is blowing my mind.
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Its the best place to buy a good review:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/business-bureau-best-ratings-money-buy/story?id=12123843#.T4X_M9WV2uY
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I'm loving ME3, I'm only about 2 hours in but I don't see how the ending could ruin an otherwise great game. There is no way after this backlash that Bioware will release another game in this universe though, thanks alot.
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I'm still having fun with it despite having beaten it twice. I'm around 80 or so hours between two plays and MP :)
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I thought it was very lazy but I'm part of those who don't care. Great experience (the trilogy) and all the alliances you chose echoed along most of the way. I don't really understand the fuss, I mean you even get an option to wipe out the Reapers. To me, the bummer is the please press A, B or C kind a ending because it's just boring. I prefer a Bioshock kind of ending where the choices you make impose an ending. Much more natural, and gives the game a better replay value. I don't know, maybe that's exactly what the fuss is about, but personally, even if it's disappointing, I don't think it's worth going to the BBB.
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Holy shit. I thought ME3's ending was dogshit but...really? BBB?
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Well, it's true. Tons of big promises of the huge effects your various actions over three games would have, and it was all a lie. This isn't surprising.
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Yeah, it does, but it's abstracted through the readiness stuff. There's something like five or seven different combinations of stuff that happens depending on your readiness level & option you pick at the end.
The bulk of the cutscene is the same, though, ignoring the color shift.
The argument presented in the BBB blog post, however, would apply to ME and ME2 as well.-
It's not at all the same. In ME2, the survival of your teammates is directly determined by the loyalty of those teammates based on whether or not you did their missions. The success of your approach in the Normandy is based on ship upgrades, etc.
In ME3, the space magic choices you have at the very end are arbitrarily determined by the number of points you've accumulated from random side missions during the game.
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haha, hilarious. They should have advertised it this way:
"Play Mass Effect 3! All your decisions will shape your experience and every playthrough will never be the same with different choices! "
Then do a little tiny warning at the end
"Ending is excluded from the decisions made within the game. Batteries not included"-
This is the key statement in the article : A consumer would have to very carefully analyze this statement to come to a conclusion that the game’s outcome is not “wholly” determined by one’s choices.
In other words, they technically were false advertising because they didn't have a unique ending for every combination of choices presented in the game.
This is the gamer equivalent of needing a "contents may be hot" warning on a coffee cup. -
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lol!
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View - > Other Settings
Under "Phrases to filter out"
add:
Mass Effect 3
ME3-
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Ya, I half-heartedly filter shit. But then I wonder what I am missing and remove the filter.
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this is a weird argument to make: you're presented with the consequences of your choices throughout the whole game. Just because your choices converge during the last 20 minutes doesn't invalidate everything else you did up to that point. Life's choice converge to a single inescapable conclusion for all living beings after all (spoiler YOU WILL DIE).
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This sort of thing and EA winning that Consumerist poll make me embarassed to be a gamer. Such a complete and total waste of time and energy.
The irony of my posting about this on Shack while I'm at work is not lost on me, btw.
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EPIC WIN FOR TEH INTERNETZ
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... atleast i don't lie-
oh shit caps again
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BBB has been irrelevant for decades.
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Entitled idiots strike again. Mass Effect 3 had a crap ending and a crap beginning, but the middle 90% was as perfect a game as I could ever want.
Meanwhile, 99% of video game releases essentially have a "Thanks for playing!" 10 second cutscene that advertises the next game, and then 3 hours of credits. Nobody says boo.
Whenever the internet is up in arms about something, take the opposite track. That's how you know it's correct.-
Most people don't really fuss about the ending for a 5-10 hour linear game. They will be disappointed but you won't ever see groups of people petitioning for a new ending. RPG specifically sell you on the idea that your actions influence the story and progression so when that doesn't happen its understandable when people are angry.
We were told since Mass Effect 1 to hold on to our saves and that the game will be unique to us. They advertised the game as having personalized story. After a 100+ hour ride to the finish the least they could do was provide an epilogue. I can live with the plot as written but certain minor and character arcs needed to be wrapped up. Bioware as a company has delivered a proper epilogue for Dragon Age: Origins so it was perfectly with in reason to expect it for the completion of ME3. -
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I'm so glad I have saved these in my backlog.
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the Onion couldn't make this up.
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The decisions you make DO completely affect your outcome. People are just being pissy because there are only three outcomes. The choices you make throughout all three games are what influence which of the three options you choose. I'm so glad entitled internet jerks choose to spend their time rallying the BBB over some artistic liberties taken instead of any number of the real issues the world is facing.
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You are forgo doing any most of the side quests in ME3 and still get a good ending if you play MP and keep promoting characters. You can get 75 war resources every time you promote and couple that with the galactic readiness. Having the ending dependent on a score you can alter externally is pretty lame.
I enjoyed the other 99% of the game and the plot before the last 5min. I wished they would have spent more time showing off what the allies were doing instead of being a nameless value added to your EMS.
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Unless they give us the Mass Relays back, what the heck does it matter? The hopes and dreams of every race we've helped out is still destroyed. Ruined Game. Period.
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