Mass Effect 3: False Advertising Accusation
On Tuesday I wrote an article that was widely slammed by the readers for arbitrarily dismissing the “vocal minority” of fans who did not like the way Mass Effect 3 ended – for which I am personally sorry. Don’t worry I am not going to make the same mistake today. One of the most frequent arguments made by our esteemed readership was the idea that BioWare had promised players a unique experience based on the decisions they made in game. This was obviously not the case.
It now seems that it is not just disappointed fans of the franchise who feel swindled by this. The Better Business Bureau has levelled a complaint at BioWare for what they see as false advertising. This is a very serious accusation undoubtedly, but one that many people feel is deserved. The argument for the accusation, as made by Marjorie Stephens, the director of communications for Better Business Bureau, is this: “If you had purchased a game for $59.99… and were told that you had complete control over the game’s outcome by the choices your character made and then actually had no control over the game’s outcome, wouldn’t you be disappointed?”. Obviously an excellent point.
BioWare announced earlier this week that they intend to release a free DLC in the summer entitled Mass Effect 3 – Extended Cut, which they hope will placate the disenfranchised. Whether it will or not remains to be seen, but that hasn’t stopped some fans asking for a refund. As yet, none have been received for this reason but should this accusation of false advertising be taken further then that is a very real proposition.
Reluctant as I am to throw myself into the firing line once again, I really can’t help but stress once more that I feel this situation has been blown out of all proportion. I love the Mass Effect trilogy. ME 1 was one of the games that cemented my love for gaming, and the Mass Effect 3 endings WERE disappointing, no doubt. But the question should be asked, do we really play the game just to get to the end? I personally had just under 30 hours of good, solid gameplay up until that point, plus the previous two games. I certainly won’t be asking for my money back. I think games have been released recently with much bigger problems that probably deserved more vitriol. I am thinking of Dead Island, Rage, Skyrim…
I recieved some criticism in my previous editorial for appearing to not care about the storyline. This is not true. I care very deeply. I just don’t think that people would buy a book, or see a play, not like the ending and demand a refund. They might not read the book again, they might avoid the author altogether from then on and that’s their choice. Everybody is, of course, entitled to their own opinion and I welcome yours in the comment section below. I know that there is nothing I can say that will avoid the trolls. But that’s the price you have to pay for going against the grain. (AS)
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