Mass Effect Trilogy was one of Bioware's flagship games when it was released. Almost nine years ago, many gamers were too young to recognize the greatness of this triple-A. Unfortunately, In 2012, Mass Effect 3's endings made headlines for causing one of the most significant controversies in video game history.
Table of Contents
- The Better Business Bureau sued EA over their endings (False Advertising)
- The last enemy of Mass Effect became a meme and a hero for trying to protect us from the ending
- The extended edition was released for free with the Citadel DLC to handle the backlash
- The Indoctrination Theory was the redemption of the series
- Commander Shepard survives Mass Effect 3
A remaster of Mass Effect is finally being released, worthy of the video game's influence. This is quite a long time ago now, and many of you may not realize how significant the endings are. The good news is that I'm here to remind you just like I do every year in my email to Bioware to entice them to acknowledge the Indoctrination Theory is true (more on that later.)
The Better Business Bureau sued EA over their endings (False Advertising)
A claim for Mass Effect 3 was that players' choices mattered, and endings reflected that. [quote] Executive Producer Casey Hudson:
"It's not even in any way like the traditional game endings, where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got ending A, B, or C."
A player can select three endings at the end of the game, containing only a few unique scenes. Technically, there are eight, but in reality, they are just the three main endings with a few scenes changed.
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click to enlarge + 6So players were understandably upset and complained to the Better Business Bureau. In the same way that No Man's Sky was permitted to lie about its features, EA got away with the lackluster ABC endings. Technically, the endings were different, so the courts cleared Electronic Arts.
The last enemy of Mass Effect became a meme and a hero for trying to protect us from the ending
It's the first time a 'final boss' was considered a hero. The Marauder Shields meme is how fans got back at EA and Bioware for mishandling the ending. The pictures below show just how dedicated he was to saving us.
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click to enlarge + 6That's right; an enemy that dies within a few shots and doesn't even put up a fight is technically the final boss of Mass Effect 3. Enjoy the memes.
The extended edition was released for free with the Citadel DLC to handle the backlash
Bioware and EA split the united front against EA with the extended cut and Citadel DLC, a brilliant move. Some gamers legitimately thought this was good because it explained more. It did explain a lot more of the ending, but it proved that the Mass Effect endings resulted from lousy writing.
EA and Bioware addressed many the complaints in the extended edition, which was released right before the paid Citadel DLC- which felt more like an ending than a real one. It was enough to appease many fans, and the backlash against EA and Bioware soon died down, along with interest in the series.
The Indoctrination Theory was the redemption of the series
Mass Effect Trilogy fans typically fall into one of two camps: One did not care about the mishandling of the series and are usually those who say, "It's just a game." The other developed a well-thought-out theory that I personally choose to accept today.
Basically, the theory explains that Commander Shepard was indoctrinated over three games. The player's choice is whether to give in like The Illusive Man and control or join the reapers, or reject the reapers and destroy them. One of the best parts of this theory is that it uses the Star Child's lies to demonstrate his deception, which is the ONLY way that Shepard survives.
Do you see why I believe it?
Commander Shepard survives Mass Effect 3
In Mass Effect 3, if players chose to destroy the Reapers and prepared for a final battle, they were rewarded with a special ending. The romantic choice is not going to put Shepard's name on the wall of dead squadmates, and he will survive the events of the game. Bioware itself confirmed Shepard's survival. Enjoy the spoiler clip.
It is known as the "Perfect Ending" and "Shepard Lives." It is also the first ending chosen by the male voice actor for Shepard, Mark Meer. In four days, the remaster of the series will be available, and I am thrilled to play it. Join me as I cry over the ending that inspired me to enter the video game industry in the first place.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Mass Effect page.