Three Voice Actors Confirm Return For Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut

Well, more than the three of them have been confirmed. In fact, a month ago Ali Hillis, Brandon Keener and Mark Meer all confirmed more voice acting is going on.

So, chances are the principles will be getting more V.O in.

Uuuhhh... Shepard? Just a wild stab in the dark.

Any bets they run with the indoctrination theory?

I wouldn't doubt it since they talked about it during PAX. They seemed to read deeply into that theory.

They need to just refer to the way they wrapped up Dragon Age: Origins (with more cutscenes, preferably)... not just some lame scene of the Normandy crew getting out of the crashed ship to view the changed universe in awe.

And dare I say, maybe leave a little bit of room for a possible ME:4? Or cooler yet, ME: Prequel!!

Nick obviously had access to the new ending DLC early. Ya know, I actually forgot Kaiden was even part of the trilogy. I hadn't seen him since ME1, many cycles ago.....

Nick obviously had access to the new ending DLC early. Ya know, I actually forgot Kaiden was even part of the trilogy. I hadn't seen him since ME1, many cycles ago.....

I actually enjoyed the ending... Whiny lil ****tards...

Let's hear all about how the Shep that saved the entire goddamn universe did it without sacrificing himself to a cause greater then himself. Sure it would be nice to see a screenshot of him walking out of the normandy and into the arms of whoever he romanced. It would be cool if civilzation can continue its spacefaring ways with the mass relays and the citadel intact. Let's see this cookie cutter happy day ending for all those idiotic fanboys who wanted their hero to live and procreate so they could fap to the cutscene. It ended the way it should've. In question and speculation.

Rant Done

I do agree with you that the backlash from fans was.... extreme.

But you have to admit, that after playing through 3 full games with a myriad of moral choices and story arcs, that they wrapped up the series akin to a show that was quickly cancelled on the SyFy network.

Great game. Do not get me wrong, I've played through it twice now. But I, like the "whiny lil @*#tards" as you refer to them, were expecting more from the conclusion of this series. I'm not asking for "cute" (again quoting you)... I'm asking for closure.

Wow, talk about calling the kettle black there Spartan. I really liked the ending too, the last quarter of that game was the most intense and desperate gameplay and narrative I have ever experienced. That being said, there is just too much room for speculation. This is a video game, not a David Lynch movie. I agree that some life affirming ending would have been dumb, but my Shepard took a breath after the Citadel explosion, which no human or any other species could survive (much less the fall to earth if you subsribe to the indoctrination theory). Shepard isn't Superwoman, so there is obviously more going on there. A little clarity, that's all the ending needs.

Not that I entirely disagree with your complaint about over reaction (heh, kvetching about kvetching, so meta, but fair) but...

The problem isn't the downbeat of the ending. One of my favorite video games is Fallout: New Vegas. New Vegas, like Knights of the Old Republic II, is a brutal deconstruction of RPG archetypes and there is no optimal or perfect ending. Most of the characters, very well written and likeable, get screwed no matter who wins the main fight. Life in Fallout is terrible and you get close up views on that misery and the mighty Courier is powerless to stop it.

The problem, from a narrative standpoint, is that cohesion breaks down completely at the end (the entire story, for me, is much weaker than the first two - I pretty much knew it was not going to end well after Mars) and intelligence and thematic significance are sacrificed with it.

(replied to myself due to Character limit)
This sacrifice, further, is in vain. The ending is a good example of railroading - it focuses on a B Plot to the detriment of the A Plot. What makes it inexcusable, from a literary view, is that the B Plot was already resolved some time before and depending on how well the player handled it that resolution may well flatly contradict everything the ending says. The narrative is not so much incoherent (it is that) as it is schizophrenic. It doesn't even know itself. And then, of course, there are the plot holes...I'm done talking about it, I want to end on a separate note.

The reason why ME3 pissed everyone off so much was because the stuff leading up to it was not only good, it was exceptionally good for video games. The narrative was tight; Chekhov's guns were well-oiled and ready to fire. Then Bioware blew it. They had contrast to see the failure - what was good made the bad more painfully obvious.

Couldn't disagree more. The narrative in ME 2 brought nothing new to the story arc, aside from the reveal of the collectors/protheans (which should have been no surprise if you paid attention). The whole game was based on gathering a team for a boss battle, a cliched and obviously lazy storyline. In ME1 you had almost gathered your entire roster before you left the Citadel, you met them organically as you progressed through the story. The act of gathering your team did not comprise the bulk of the narrative, exposition was the focus. ME3 got back to the narrative style from ME1. You met your companions on your journey, your as opposed to your journey being comprised of gathering your squad, which left lots of room for the writers to really craft an excellent story.

"which left lots of room for the writers to really craft an excellent story. "

Which they proceeded to not do at all. While the story in 2 may not be original (there's no such thing as an original story...In Medias Res, for example, is about three thousand years old if The Odyssey is the first - besides, real life has written every plot you can think of more times than there are books) it is well crafted. Indeed, lack of originality was deliberate - the series is a reconstruction of space opera. Major and minor flourishes throughout the first two worked well in ways that they fell flat in 3. We could discuss why, but I think it's largely fruitless except to aspiring games writers and it's also along that same line that I think they should not change the ending. It is a spectacular failure. It is so spectacular that it should remain as a monument to how badly one can screw up so much in such short time, in contrast to such resounding success prior.

It's not about that. It's about three games worth of decisions being disregarded for one right at the end. *SPOILERS FOLLOW AS IF YOU'VE NOT PLAYED IT BY NOW* Sided with the quarians? Let Grunt die? Saved the Rachni queen? Never let Grunt out of the tank in the first place? All of these choices and more have the capacity to massively affect the ending and other than contributing to a number which unlocks the synthesis option (which in itself makes no sense) they change nothing. Everything comes down to the one choice you're given right at the end and you're rewarded with a different colour of space magic. I agree some have taken things too far with lawsuit threats and whatnot but complaining about the ending is totally valid.

The story lost focus the moment kai leng was introduced.

It's just my opinion. I hate whiners in general and was ok with the game ending. Mainly due to the fact that after a certain point the only thing making it a mass effect game are character names. I agree with you all. Just had to get it out.

Agreed. But consider this, if BioWare has in fact used the indoctrination theory as the games true ending, then this game will go down as the most amazing video game conclusion of all time. If you subscribe to that theory, and If you chose the synthesis or control paths, then YOU were indoctrinated also. Think about that