New ME3 ad is...Offensive.

Ugh, i hope thats not real.
Problem with the journey thing is...The very last bit you remember, forever, is the destination.
If the journey is a fantastic emotional ride but the destination is a dystopian war that YOU created. Yeah, not so great.
The ending is so memorably bad that it just sticks with you.
The Journey may be important, but the destination should not suffer because of that.

Cavafy specifically references Homer's Ithaca and Odysseus' perils to get to it.

I see this as a nice way for Bioware to admit that the "destination" is crap.

Please don't tell me you're defending the practice of selling at full cost a product purposefully damaged by the retailer.
While not outright illegal as far as I know, it's morally abhorring. GameStop, just like everyone else in society are not required to adhere to morals but allowing such practices degrades society. In my opinion, the evolution of morals is directly related to the evolution of mental and psychological faculties and the ability to think critically. I am a part of the society that is affected by these morals and thus I can abide neither such practices nor the acceptance of such practices, which ultimately leads to their proliferation.
The greatest example is how indifference towards the hatred of knowledge allowed such hatred to grow to the point of it bringing down the science of classical civilization and soon after classical civilization itself, ushering in the dark ages and all they entailed such as the burning of women simply for being called "witches".
While I don't think GameStop's business practices will lead to a new inquisition on their own, they do threaten the free market by attempting to dictate that anything that does not bring GameStop profit must not exist. And yes, unfortunately they are a large enough force on the market to set (or at least help in setting) market trends and have a lasting effect on the market. Combine that with every other company that only cares for profit and who'd do exactly the same and you get the makings of a very nasty situation on your hands.
I've never bought anything from GameStop (mainly because we don't have them in Israel) so I can't speak to the quality of service they provide, but their business practices keep me from ordering from them online. I mostly buy from Amazon when buying games online.

As for the ad, Though @Nachtdämmerung beat me to it I'll still reference the Titanic - knowing that the destination is most likely death at the bottom of the ocean, I wouldn't want to be a first-class passenger aboard the Titanic if someone offered to pay me for it (and created time travel technology to actually achieve this).

I'm not. I'm also not in favor of publishers intentionally breaking contracts for a marketing gimmick.

"If you agree to NOT do this, we'll carry your game."
"OK!"
"...you did it anyway. Was it accident?"
"...yes."
"Really?"
"No."

.... {games returned}

Thanks for the clear-up. And had they done what you describe I'd consider them to be fully in the right on this issue - if the contract between GS and Eidos stated that GS would not sell DX:HR if the package included a voucher for a free digital copy from a competitor service (i.e. On Live) GS would be in their right to send the packaged games back and hold Eidos to be in breach of contract. But instead they decided they had the right (which they didn't, neither creative nor legal, regardless of if the vouchers were put in the games by mistake, which is nonsense in itself) to open the games, remove the vouchers thus effectively damaging the product, re-seal them and sell them at full retail cost. They eventually returned the games, but it seems to me they did so only because they got flamed by both the media and the consumers.

Edit: Perhaps there was a loophole in the contract that GS took advantage of to legally be allowed to remove the vouchers from the sealed games, but that doesn't make it any less immoral or a dick thing to do. I still think they sent the games back either because of mitigation with Eidos or because they felt the pressure from the media and the consumers or all of the above, not because it's bad business.

Well said Cuttlefish well said!
Lots of cookies for you!!! "Looks around for Lil One" cause her cookies are the best!

I'm absolutely willing to believe both companies were being dickish.

I also firmly believe there was something going on in the background.

Gamespot, being a vaguely neutral third party, had this report on the issue, which is where I suspect we can leave it.

I like the fact that this ad attempts to minimize the complaints about the ending. It's one of those things that I woke up to this morning and wanted to shout about, but I remembered that they said the same thing about Lost... then I laughed and started my day! Hold the Line!

Actually, it is fitting for a company named GameStop to advertize ME3 because when you finish the journey you.GAME.STOP.

Late to the party on this thread, but...Wow. That has got to be the single most absurdly, stupid ad I've ever seen in my entire life.

Just...wow...

Don't forget that only a minority of 710 people complained at all. 1514 people didn't say anything about the journey, that must mean they all loved it.

They just say what EA tells them to. Even if what they want them to say is falsely advertising the game. Take for example this cue card for GameStop employees...from back around launch. Did we get that? Why don't I remember my decisions mattering? Do you guys?

This one facepalmed repeatedly...

I keep asking this question for months but i get no clear answer: Has anyone managed to Take Earth Back? (Not into Stone Age?)

Only in my mind...where the ending actually made perfect sense...and there was no idiot star child...and I fought Harbinger and took Earth back like a boss.

*sniffles* It was beautiful.

Let me guess...in a former life you worked for the White Star Line's PR department

Yes, remember that dream too...after taking the galaxy back and kicking the Reapers back into dark space I was reunited with my crew on the Normandy and Joker (who of course never fled away from battle ) asked "Course heading, commander?" and Shepard answered "Second star to the left, straight on 'til morning"...and then me and my crew all sailed of into the sunset...

Another point in proof that GS employee's have no clue what they are doing half the time.

Whenever I go into Gamestop, I'm talking to the other customers when the employees there don't know what to say, or I correct them. lol