Split: Request for comments/interviews from HTL

don't sell yourself short, without your direct help, some of our planned projects wouldn't be possible (these plans will hit polls soon so the forum DOES get a say)

1.How are you involved with the HTL community and retakemasseffect.org?
I joined HTL shortly after the PR thread was closed on BSN. It is my primary source of information considering I find Facebook and Twitter hard to navigate through.

2.Are you involved with any other organization that are fighting for a new ending to Mass Effect 3?
I’ve liked the facebook page, but that was it. I posted a couple of times on BSN, but the threads were moving too fast. Then I joined here, and I feel right at home. Overall though, I don’t think of HTL as a different organization. When I liked facebook, agreed with people on BSN, and made an account on HTL, I was doing it as a retaker.

3.Why did you get involved with these particular organizations?
I liked the facebook page back as a quick fix for my frustration at the ending. I spent the following week or so lurking on BSN until the PR thread was locked. Then, I found HTL had reposted the PR thread in an attempt to keep it alive, so I created an account. It’s significantly smaller than BSN or the Facebook page, and I prefer going to a forum. That’s why I go to HTL more than any other site.

4. What is wrong with the Ending of Mass Effect 3?
The ending felt really tacked on. My sister warned me that it’s “worse than Blue’s ending from Saga Frontier”. I wasn’t sure how that was possible, but BioWare managed to exceed my expectations again, but not in a good way this time.

My major problem with the ending is that nothing happened. Even if the Indoctrination Theory is true, then Shepard was lying on the ground tripping out while the Reapers run rampant. If the IT isn’t true, and everything after the suicide dash for the beam occured, then I’d say everything after that is what’s wrong with the ending.

5.What do you want to see from Bioware Regarding the ending of Mass Effect 3?
I want the scenes with Starchild out. Instead, EMS will determine if the crucible functions as planned, is destroyed/disabled by the Reapers before it’s activated if there weren’t enough fleets collected to keep them busy, or kills everyone due to insufficient preparation. A small epilogue for the surviving characters would be nice too.

6. What are your feelings towards Bioware recent announcement of 'Mass Effect: Extended Cut'?
Initially, I was disappointed with the fact that there will be no additional endings. After some time to think on it, I want to give the extended cut a chance. My major problem with the Indoctrination Theory is that it still leaves things unresolved. If these extended scenes expand on this idea, it could change my impressions of the original ending or it might not. I’ll see when it’s out.

7. If a majority of fans are happy with this resolution, do you think the HTL and Retakemasseffect.org should stop campaigning?
Absolutely not. Even if I become part of that majority, it’s not my place to censor anyone. People have the right to their opinions, and I won’t tell anyone to stop talking about what’s important to them.

8. What do you think is the best way to get what you want from Bioware?
Keep talking and stop buying.

9. Do you think movements like this one create a dangerous precedent within the gaming community?
I can see how people could perceive it that way, but in essence? Not really. For me, this isn’t about making BioWare do what I want, it’s about getting them to do what they said they’d do in the first place.

10. If you could say one thing to bioware(briefly) what would it be?
If we didn't cared, we wouldn’t be so loud. We do not wish the creators harm, we trust you’ll do the right thing—eventually.

1.How are you involved with the HTL community and retakemasseffect.org?

I single handedly keep things ticking over/awesome at http://tinychat.com/retakemasseffect but otherwise, just a concerned member that wants to see one of the best sci-fi franchises around get an ending it deserves.

2.Are you involved with any other organization that are fighting for a new ending to Mass Effect 3?

Nope.

3.Why did you get involved with these particular organizations?

I didn't - pay attention! You're worse than Bioware, saying you're listening when you aren't really!

4.What is wrong with the Ending of Mass Effect 3?

Pretty much everything - it's shocking really. The more you analyse the ending, the more it just crumbles to nothing - it's really a case study of total failure for narrative structure. For this to come from a studio which is known first and foremost for its writing, it's simply astonishing. That something so fundamentally flawed on every level could get OK'd is not a good sign for Bioware's reputation.

Not only is it nonsensical and idiotic. Not only does the Starchild introduce a bunch of plotholes and in and of himself come across as the dumbest God-like AI ever - and seriously, Holly from Red Dwarf could give this guy a run for his money - but the ending (in itself a blatant rip-off of Stargate SG-1) essentially goes "Welp, there goes the Mass Effect universe - hope you enjoyed it!"

Forget Joker landing on a jungle planet and your incredible teleporting squad - or the fact if you bust your balls in multiplayer you get a 10 second clip of Shepard taking a breath - that's the galaxy you just saved fucked. Now, apparently space magic can stop mass effect relays detonating like a supernova and there's talk that the relay network can be rebuilt but really, destroying the relays is unforgivable and condemns the franchise to the scrapheap - or worse, prequels.

5.What do you want to see from Bioware Regarding the ending of Mass Effect 3?

An apology for the ending and their ham fisted PR efforts that followed the fan reaction - where those of Retake were at best patronised. I'll be expecting that around the same time flying pigs are spotted over the frozen wastes of Hell.

Oh and to fix the ending - it doesn't require a gigantic boss battle (that sounds too video gamey for a video game!), it just needs Shepard to activate the Crucible and for that not to cause galactic genocide or rape and a good epilogue covering the fate of the galaxy and your crew past and present - hell, Bioware had this stuff down to a fine art in Dragon Age: Origins, it just makes you wonder how it all went so wrong, so quickly.

6. What are your feelings towards Bioware recent announcement of 'Mass Effect: Extended Cut'?

Mostly suspicion. It feels like a calculated move to do the least possible work, with no admission of failure and a good chance to punt the issue off to some unspecified date and thus deflect all criticism by saying "it'll be answered in the DLC!" and allow tempers to cool and interest to wane. So, they're just playing the long game, as they know that historically these kind of movements have short shelf lives and time is on their side.

7. If a majority of fans are happy with this resolution, do you think the HTL and Retakemasseffect.org should stop campaigning?

That really depends how happy and how big the majority is. Without qualification, the question is too vague to answer.

8. What do you think is the best way to get what you want from Bioware?

Anything that hurts the bottom line - at the end of the day, EA suits don't give a damn about Casey Hudson's "artistic vision", they care about cold hard cash and if looks like a total re-write of the ending is going to help them financially, then they'll do it.

9. Do you think movements like this one create a dangerous precedent within the gaming community?

"Dangerous precedent" is just a way of dressing up a slippery slope fallacy - which is to say, it's an argument without merit. If anything, the precedent set is a good one - it's a group of consumers joining together to productively give voice to dissatisfaction. The only people who consider it a dangerous precedent are the "professional" gaming press who realise that their incestuous relationship with the industry makes them a prime target when the Retake movement begins to repurpose - hence their constant criticism and open hostility.

10. If you could say one thing to bioware(briefly) what would it be?

How - after such perfect finales as there were in Dragon Age: Origin and Mass Effect 2 - could we get such a lazy and lacklustre final mission and jaw droppingly awful (and utterly nonsensical and franchise ruining) ending to your biggest IP? How do you get something this simple so horribly wrong? This is not and never has been a case of people not liking the ending because it wasn't all smiles and sunshine - we'd have been fine with bitter sweet but the ending as it stands is just a garbled mess that even Star Trek Voyager writers would be ashamed to have their names attached to.

You're being given a second chance - you'd do well to take it or you're condemning yourselves to repeat the same mistakes.