Quote:
Originally Posted by astrangerhere
As an interesting side note, conversations very similar to this are happening right now in the video game world regarding the conclusion of the Mass Effect video game trilogy. I just found it interesting to see the thread here as well.
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Uh-huh.
The problem with the ME3 debate is that everybody is annoyed in a *different* way. Very appropos for a game built on the premise that everybody got to play a different character a different way. Some are upset over the lack of difference between the endings, others by the disconnect between their game choices and the limited endings offered up, and some are just upset that none of the endings led to a "happily ever after--'til the next game" ending.
I'm in the "procedural" camp, myself; I don't care if my heroine survived or not, or that the only endings are "The villains are right", "The traitor is right", and "everybody loses", but rather that I think the ending is heavy-handed, sloppy, and disconnected from the rest of the series. It was just poorly executed. (Plus they lied--you can't get the "best" ending without playing the online component.)
To put it another way; Mass Effect is both a Story and a Game and the ending fits neither. The debate, however, has floated a dozen or more alternative endings, both positive and negative, that would have better suited the gameplay and/or story. And it is interesting to see the significant divide between those comfortable with a range of outcomes and those that insist on the happy ending. Something like 80/20 from what I've seen.
The fight has cost them enough sales that they are now promising some sort of relief but I'm not holding my breath for a more cohesive ending.
In truth, the pessimist/optimist debate is ongoing all over.
But the root of the (non-literary) debate, at this point, is simply too compicated and too political for these forums.
I'll just quote Geoff John's Green Lantern: "Hope is sitting around doing nothing and waiting for somebody else to solve your problems."
Whether you think that is a viable strategy for these times is a sign of how optimistic you may be.
