The following is a response to this letter by Dr Ray Muzyka to Mass Effect 3 players.
To Dr Ray Muzyka, from
a Mass Effect 3 fan
Thank you for taking
the time to respond to the Mass Effect fan base regarding this
controversy. You have every right to be proud of the work you and
your company has done in the past. BioWare is a company that produces
high quality games and has an excellent team behind it. I am sure
most of the fans, even the ones presently criticizing Mass Effect
would agree. I have been following the controversy regarding the
ending of Mass Effect 3, and most of the criticism seems to stem from
the last ten to fifteen minutes of the game. It is a testament to you
and your company that you have released so many quality games over
the years.
However, your comments
do not address the key points brought forth by your critics,
specifically the final ending of this trilogy. The final sequence
seems to break some conventions of good storytelling. I would like to
note a few examples:
Themes: The
theme of free will is a constant throughout the series. Often the
main character, Commander Shepard, is faced with a one sided choice
presented to him by other characters. In just about every
circumstance, the player, as Shepard, can reject the choices given to
him and take a different path. The final choice given to the player
by the alien AI rejects this theme. Shepard is forced to accept one
of the solutions as presented by the alien AI, an entity that he has
been struggling against for 3 games. Although he questions every
other solution presented to him throughout the series, at the finale,
he blindly accepts the reason and logic of his ultimate enemy.
The theme of organic vs
synthetic life is also prominent throughout all three games. In Mass
Effect 3, Shepard is finally able to see the real reason for the
Geth/Quarian war. The player has the opportunity to solve this
problem, freeing the Geth, allowing them to become individuals and
ending their conflict with the Quarians. This theme is undone when
the alien AI claims organic and synthetic life cannot live in peace,
although Shepard has proved that it is possible and he is unable to
question this assumption.
Underdeveloped
Ending: With all the time and effort put into the storytelling of
the series, the final ending appears underdeveloped and rushed. The
logic used by the alien AI can be summed up as follows: In order to
protect you from inventing artificial intelligence which will evolve
and kill you, I have created this hybrid artificial intelligence
which returns every 50 thousand years to kill you. The circular logic
is obvious and is not present anywhere else in the trilogy.
Plot
Inconsistencies: Mass Effect Relays – Throughout the 3 games,
the key goal of Commander Shepard is to save the galaxy. This is his
overriding motivation. Yet, in all three endings the Mass Effect
relays explode. Even if these explosions do not destroy the solar
system they were in, as established in ME2 DLC The Arrival, creating
a holocaust far worse than the Reapers so far, travel throughout the
galaxy would be ended. This would strand thousands perhaps hundreds
of thousands of non humans, some of whom it has been established
cannot eat human food, on a planet that has been destroyed by the
Reapers invasion. In addition, certain other planets which cannot
survive without help, such as the Krogan planet, are likely to
starve, or devolve into tribal fighting, something which Shepard has
spent considerable effort to prevent.
Normandy Escape –
During the battle for Earth, it is established that the Normandy and
its pilot, the character Joker, is engaged with the Reapers. Yet,
immediately after Shepard makes his final choice, we see the Normandy
racing to escape a blast wave. Did the character of Joker leave the
ultimate battle right in the middle? Were the other characters on the
ship, all of whom have demonstrated loyalty and faith in Commander
Shepard, simply decided to flee without a thought to trying to save,
or even ascertain the fate of their beloved commander?
Normandy Crash –
After the escape scene, the Normandy is shown to be crashed on some
jungle like planet and Joker walks off the ship, followed by two
other crew members. It has been previously established that Joker has
a condition that makes his bones brittle and prone to breaking. How
is he able to walk off the ship, after what appears to be a serious
crash under his own power? Furthermore, some players have reported
that often one of the other two members who exit the ship are a
member of Commander Shepard's party during the run to the beam, all
of whom were reported as killed. How did these characters survive the
run to the beam and how did they get onto the Normandy in the middle
of the biggest space battle in galactic history?
There are additional
plot inconsistencies but I believe these are the main ones.
Although I am sure most
of the critics of Mass Effect 3 enjoyed the game immensely, you can
see how the discarding of some themes, the underdeveloped ending, and
plot inconsistencies could detract from the enjoyment of what would
otherwise arguably be the best story in video game history.
I, and many other fans,
would appreciate it if you addressed these questions in order that we
could understand the vision you have laid out.
Sincerely,
A fan
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