No, I have not played any Mass Effect game. No, I don't care about spoilers. I'm the kind of person who enjoys the experience even if the ending is known. To that end, I plan to get and play all three Mass Effect games in one continuous story. And no, there won't be any spoilers of any sort on this post. Perhaps this invalidates me from making an opinion on the matter, but there are more things than Mass Effect when it comes to storytelling.
For the past week since Mass Effect 3 released, I've been seeing tons of discontent over the ending. But I've also been seeing a lot of posts about people who really liked the ending. Then again, those that hate it are very vocal about it so they are the most heard. Of course, it doesn't bother me, but I am perplexed about the reactions.
I am familiar with the emotional investment in a story whether it is from a movie, book, or video game series. But I also realize that, no matter the medium, it really isn't OUR story. This becomes harder in video games, especially those with multiple endings, because the expectation is that we are playing through our own story. We are forging our character's path, whether it is to die a gruesome death or live a happy life with bunnies and rainbows.
But once again, it isn't our story. As much as we feel we are the writers of our character's destiny, that really isn't the case. Take the Choose Your Own Adventure books. Yes, there are some with good endings and some bad, but those are endings that are pre-chosen by the book's writers. They are what the authors thought would make sense based on your choices, and they may not make sense to you.
I know there are people who will try to get the "best possible ending" and it usually means a "happily ever after" situation and I suppose that is what people have learned to expect. From what i've been gathering from the internet, this was not the case for Mass Effect 3 and hence the uproar. Of course, this makes it very obvious that this matter is extremely subjective. What one thinks as the "best" may not be the "best" for others.
As an example, one of my favourite games is Dragon Age: Origins. From what I gathered, the "best ending" happens to be the "happily ever after" situation. Sure, there are some kinks, but people strived to get the ending where everyone is content and happy. No war, no disgruntled nations, peace throughout the land. But that never was the best ending for me. The best ending was one that made sense for the character.
I played a good guy, a city elf who fought knowing that he needed to do the right thing. He feels compassion, but it is not what drives him. His moral compass was set and decisions were made from that direction and nothing else. In the end, chaos still existed and his story ended the way it should have ended. Was it perfect? Not at all. But the ending brought closure to a character that I invested a good bit of emotion on and that was enough. Yes, there were parts of the ending I got that surprised me and made me feel a bit sorry for my choice, but I realized I would have made the choice no matter what with that character. I did play the Awakening DLC, but I didn't enjoy it as much because it wasn't about my character.
Perhaps that's the whole point of the rage. People did not get the closure they expected or wanted for their Shepard. They wanted the REAL ending. But what about those that were happy or satisfied with their endings? Won't a "real" ending just mess it up for them? For those people, there had been closure and, while maybe not 100% agreeable, it was proper. A "real" ending patch would mean their experiences are invalidated, closure suddenly removed.
Yes, it feels that those that really liked the endings are a minority, but is that really the case? one thing about the internet is that, usually, only the angry make their voices heard. There really aren't that many people who go online to just say "yeah, it was alright".
So if you felt wronged somehow by Mass Effect 3's ending, there is no need to feel that way because it is quite certain Bioware will release a DLC to help bring your proper closure. Perhaps the same way Fallout 3 did with it's Broken Steel DLC. This way, those who liked the current ending can opt not to get it while the rest can download it and (hopefully) get the best ending they wanted.
Still, I think it's high time we just accept that not everything will be tailored to our liking. Not everything will have what we want and not everyone can be happy at the same time. Take value in what the game has provided you the whole time you were playing it...and then move on.
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