'Artistic integrity? Where did you come up with that? You're not artistic, and you have no integrity!' - Jerry Seinfeld
No seriously. I don't think Bioware has the right to use 'artistic integrity' as an excuse to defend what could arguably be one of the worst ending to a gaming series ever created. I have often wondered if they ran out of arguments, and just threw around the term 'artistic integrity' at any opportunity. Fans rightfully however have said that this is Bioware's game, and by all means, I agree.
But I would like to think of the whole Mass Effect 3 situation as special, because as much as the game is Bioware's, the players did shape their entire journey throughout 5 years of gameplay. My commander Shepard may be different in so many ways to my friends' Shepards, and that's not just through making different decisions or appearance-wise. I would like to think that fans themselves gave their Shepards personalities and more importantly, life. How I see my Shepard, would be totally different from how a random developer at Bioware may intend Shepard to be seen by fans. So leave out artistic integrity for a moment, and think about how Mass Effect became the game it is....or was. The players had a huge role in making what the Mass Effect universe has become.
But then there's always the argument that, a game is not necessarily art, but rather, it's a consumer product. Therefore, artistic integrity doesn't really count. I don't agree with this entirely, but it is true that games are in fact consumer products. The developers, promise certain features to their consumers, and consumers buy these products with the expectation of the features mentioned. Put aside games for a while, and think of a new computer. The creators promise consumers that it would be faster, can store more and can play games without lag. However, when the consumer buys it, none of this is true. It's not fast, it can't store much and can't even run Pacman.You complain, and the creators say that changing the it is not an option at all, citing artistic integrity, considering a computer has some sort of aesthetic value to it as well!
However, what is more disappointing is that Bioware is ignoring pretty much ALL of the fan feedback, outrage and media coverage on the subject of the endings, and using cheap PR tactics to avoid the matter. They announced the extended cut right before PAX, so that the issue could be ignored (and it was) while causing a lot of disagreements within the retake community. I am very convinced that this was expected, and was planned out by EA and Bioware. PAX was disappointing as well, considering how nothing was mentioned about the endings, and the people who asked questions were probably EA plants. A neutral person would have had the impression that the majority of Mass Effect fans are actually pro-enders from what went on at PAX. The reason they mentioned for photoshopping Tali's face was also a disgrace and I'll tell you why.
Many characters like Bioware mentioned, were based on real face models. However, Tali's picture wasn't 'modeling' after a real person. It was a lazy, cheap and disgraceful process of photoshopping a stock photo. When they have extremely talented artists, why would you photoshop a stock photo? A concept artist could do a speed sketch of Tali's face better than what they gave us. Put in a little more effort, and you have something entirely new. SURE, go ahead and model the face after someone real, but don't photoshop a stock photo and claim that you're the right and everyone else is wrong. This was an excuse for laziness.
Personally, I don't like what I have heard about the extended cut. I wanted the ending(s) to be remade. I wouldn't have cared if I had to pay for a better ending, if that meant actually giving the Mass Effect trilogy the ending it deserves. I don't really need clarifications for the God-child, or multicoloured explosions. I need something which is consistent with the lore and the standard Bioware has set over two brilliant games. Would it really hurt Bioware to admit that they were wrong, and give the majority of fans what they wanted? Wouldn't that make Bioware even more popular among it's already huge fanbase? I really don't understand why they are acting like a spoiled child (ah, remember the God-child?) when they have the power to make everything right. Some people have told me that, perhaps, the extended cut has elements of the Indoctrination theory to it.
I highly doubt this, because this is Bioware we are talking about. A new ending may be in the works for next year, or later this year. I don't know. That is, at the price of 1200 Bioware points! But I do get the feeling they are concerned more about the multiplayer, which I stopped playing because it really got boring after a while. That's where the cash is, and EA loves cash. Right now, Bioware has their middle-finger up at the fans, and EA continues to count money. That's how much they really care about their customers.
However, what is more disappointing is that Bioware is ignoring pretty much ALL of the fan feedback, outrage and media coverage on the subject of the endings, and using cheap PR tactics to avoid the matter. They announced the extended cut right before PAX, so that the issue could be ignored (and it was) while causing a lot of disagreements within the retake community. I am very convinced that this was expected, and was planned out by EA and Bioware. PAX was disappointing as well, considering how nothing was mentioned about the endings, and the people who asked questions were probably EA plants. A neutral person would have had the impression that the majority of Mass Effect fans are actually pro-enders from what went on at PAX. The reason they mentioned for photoshopping Tali's face was also a disgrace and I'll tell you why.
Many characters like Bioware mentioned, were based on real face models. However, Tali's picture wasn't 'modeling' after a real person. It was a lazy, cheap and disgraceful process of photoshopping a stock photo. When they have extremely talented artists, why would you photoshop a stock photo? A concept artist could do a speed sketch of Tali's face better than what they gave us. Put in a little more effort, and you have something entirely new. SURE, go ahead and model the face after someone real, but don't photoshop a stock photo and claim that you're the right and everyone else is wrong. This was an excuse for laziness.
Personally, I don't like what I have heard about the extended cut. I wanted the ending(s) to be remade. I wouldn't have cared if I had to pay for a better ending, if that meant actually giving the Mass Effect trilogy the ending it deserves. I don't really need clarifications for the God-child, or multicoloured explosions. I need something which is consistent with the lore and the standard Bioware has set over two brilliant games. Would it really hurt Bioware to admit that they were wrong, and give the majority of fans what they wanted? Wouldn't that make Bioware even more popular among it's already huge fanbase? I really don't understand why they are acting like a spoiled child (ah, remember the God-child?) when they have the power to make everything right. Some people have told me that, perhaps, the extended cut has elements of the Indoctrination theory to it.
I highly doubt this, because this is Bioware we are talking about. A new ending may be in the works for next year, or later this year. I don't know. That is, at the price of 1200 Bioware points! But I do get the feeling they are concerned more about the multiplayer, which I stopped playing because it really got boring after a while. That's where the cash is, and EA loves cash. Right now, Bioware has their middle-finger up at the fans, and EA continues to count money. That's how much they really care about their customers.
