Should Bioware Be "Held Accountable" for Mass Effect 3?

Yesterday two friends of mine and I were having a great discussion/debate about Mass Effect 3, Bioware, and EA. Most of the discussion revolved around the ending and how much they hated it. I won't give any spoilers here on what the ending is, so don't worry about that. We were more or less talking about whether or not Bioware needs to be "held accountable" for their actions.

The problem was that my friends thought that Bioware should be "held accountable" by their fans because of the ending they gave the series. Personally, I think that's ridiculous. Even if there's a poll that says 98% of Mass Effect's fan base hates the ending, Bioware has no reason to change it. They may say they're looking into it, but they've already made their money and therefore have no reason to listen to you.

They argued that this will affect whether people buy the DLC or recommend the series to other people later on down the road. The first point could have some merit, but the truth is as much as people complain about how much they hate something they refuse to vote with their wallets. Most of the fans that hated the ending will no doubt wind up buying the DLC. It's like the people who complain about Call of Duty being the "same game" every single year, but go out and buy it on day one.

The second point about recommendations is meaningless. EA (or any other company) would never base their estimates on the hope that someone would recommend the series to a friend. If I'm remembering correctly, most companies make their money in the first week of release (kind of like movies with the first month). While I'm sure an extra sale here or there is appreciated, in the grand scheme of things it couldn't matter less.

There's also the dangerous precedent that changing the ending would set. On the off chance that I'm completely wrong and Bioware does decide "patch" or change the ending via DLC, suddenly the fans would realize that they are in control. If fans of one series can force a company like Bioware/EA (no doubt EA would have to sign off on that kind of decision) to make a change like that, what's to stop fans of another series expecting something similar. Suddenly fans are dictating how their games should be made and that can only lead to disaster. Personally, I thought it was insane that Sucker Punch actually went back and changed Cole's character design back after the "outrage" there was over the new design.

Yes, there were mistakes made. The whole day one DLC thing is a business practice I wish no one used. The fact that there were numerous lies about whether the DLC was made during development and then locked, or if it was on the disc or not is also bothersome. I think the "controversy" wouldn't have been as big as it was if there was just a little honesty here or there.

Above is the video Colin Moriarty (from IGN) filmed about the Mass Effect 3 controversy. While I've slightly tired of the whole "games were more expensive when I were a kid" bit (I know it's true, but it appears everywhere like a trump card), he makes a lot of good points. The biggest of which is that fans feel like they are owed something, that they are "entitled" to a better ending. What fans are having a problem realizing is that Bioware owes them nothing. Petitions are going to do nothing, no matter how much money you "raise for the cause". You bought their game, they made their money, and that's where your relationship ends. Not every developer is like Valve and gives away DLC for free and has the greatest relationship with their fans and expecting them to be is a pipe dream. And I wouldn't even expect Valve to change the ending to Half-Life is people hated it.

Another point he makes is that there is a correct way to disagree. Ranting and raving like a five year old isn't it. Everyone has that series (whether it be movie, book, TV, or game) that had an awful ending. For me it was both Lost and Battlestar Galactica. Both series had awful endings and there are few that would disagree with that opinion. Yet there weren't any petitions to have them go back and refilm an ending. Why? Because people realized that's what was written and no matter how much they raged, nothing was going to change. And it shouldn't.

In the end though, this is simply my opinion. I'd love to know what you guys think. Let me know in the comments below!

In Case You Were Curious

It's stuff like this (and Origin) that make me glad I lost my saved data so I didn't wind up buying Mass Effect 3. Chances are even if I did have my saved data I still wouldn't have bought the game, not with crap like this. Chances are if I ever wind up playing the game, it'll be from a used copy I pick up years from now, when they release an HD collection or something.

What do you guys think?

Trailer Number 2! This Time It's Mass Effect 3!

Decided to make another trailer since the last one turned out pretty well. Not sure what I think of this one compared to my first one. You guys will have to let me know. My goal is to do one every week, hopefully uploading on Friday.

Hope you guys enjoy it! Feedback is always appreciated!

Star Trek 2 Theories & Speculation

A few days ago some set pictures from the new Star Trek movie popped up online. These pictures included Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) fighting the film's currently unknown villain (played by Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock). The fight looks to take place on some sort of space barge or junk yard. The pictures don't show too much of the surrounding area, just the action with the characters themselves.

There are a few things to be gleaned from these pictures. The first is that the villain seems to be human. He had no ear make-up or prosthetic pieces of any kind indicating he's some sort of alien villain. I like this is idea mostly because whenever Star Trek tries to create a new species of villain for a movie they tend to screw it up terribly (such as Star Trek Insurrection). Granted this doesn't stop them from also screwing up a human villain, but there are less chances of it.

Another thing I (along with all the sites reporting these pictures) noticed was the Starfleet logo on the villain's shirt. Is/was he a member of Starfleet? Or is he some other villain who has taken a Starfleet uniform? A lot of people are speculating that he's Gary Mitchell, an old friend of Kirk's from the Academy in the original series.

Personally, the most telling thing about these photos is how well the villain is able to handle himself against Spock. If you remember from the first movie when Kirk attempted to defend himself against Spock it didn't too well for him. Here though it seems that Cumberbatch has not only escaped a Vulcan nerve pinch, but is seen even holding Spock in his own death grip.

To me, this could mean that our villain is part of the Eugenics, or rather the type of augmented human that Khan was. Of course then the question is: couldn't this be Khan? Certainly, it could be a different interpretation. I would hope that Abrams and crew wouldn't try to re-interpret Khan and simply opt to go for an original villain instead of being bound by the old lore.

So what do you guys thing? Do you guys have any wild ideas about who or what the villain could be?

(See more photos here)

(All photos by Eric Ford of On Location News)

How StarCraft 2 Could Work on TV

Now before I begin the meat of this post, let me put a disclaimer out there. This piece isn’t about whether StarCraft should be on TV, but rather how it could work if it was on TV. The argument of whether or not SC2 should be on TV has beaten to death and I’m not here to kick it any further.
Are we good?

Sweet.  Now let’s begin.

Out With the Familiar, In With the Different

The first thing that would have to go is the current tournament format. That doesn’t mean it can’t continue the way it has online, but viewers on TV aren’t going to have the attention span that most SC2 fans do. The goal here is to appeal to an audience larger than the current SC2 community. They need to reach out and grab other viewers, or else there’s no point. Therefore any current tournaments like MLG and IPL would be pointless to try and translate to a TV experience. It’s better to start fresh than ruin what already works online.

The current long format with multiple games and several streams is only going to confuse new viewers or make them feel like they’re only getting half the action. They need to be able to get the whole package. The solution? Shorter, single elimination tournaments. This keeps things clean and crisp with minimal complications and confusion. He who wins advances and he who loses is out. It’d be very easy for new viewers to catch on to.

You also don’t need to show so many games in a single day. People aren’t going to be watching StarCraft 2 for seven hours straight. They’re going to want it in smaller chunks (closer to regular sports games). This would help extend smaller tournaments while keeping the viewership happy.

The Rise of Team Games

People enjoy one-vs-one sports like UFC and other martial art related sports, but all of the most popular sports in the world are team sports. People enjoy watching team members work together towards a common goal. Nothing is more spectacular to watch than when everything clicks into place and a “play” goes exactly as that team had planned.

This is something StarCraft 2 could use to its advantage. While anything above 2v2 is seen as a more “casual fun zone” type of game mode, I think if utilized properly there is a wealth of material there for people to enjoy. Sure it may not be as “in depth” as 1v1 but put a prize pool in front of those teams and you bet your ass they’ll be trying to figure out the best way to win.

A More Defined Season

The tournament scene for SC2 on TV would have to be streamlined. Instead of several different tournaments going on right near or at the same time as each other there needs to a more defined season similar to football or baseball. The smaller format detailed above would help with this.
This makes things easy to follow for the casual viewer. He doesn’t have to wonder which tournament this is, which players are still playing, what the prize pool is, who the casters are, etc etc. He can tune in any time and know what the deal is because it’s been the same all year.

Create Characters

As Artosis once stated in a State of the Game episode, the biggest advantage SC2 has is its diversity. People from all different backgrounds play the game at the highest level. Many of them are already figures (whether they like it or not) that the community looks up to. Take these people like White-Ra, Naniwa, Huk*, and make them stars. Build them up so people will want to invest in them and their story. Nothing is more exciting than cheering on your favorite player whether their part of a larger team or on their own.

*There are of course many more people worthy of being built up, I just didn’t feel like boring everyone with a “complete” list.

Money Makes the World Go ‘Round

Obviously the biggest hurdle for StarCraft 2 is monetization. How do networks make money off of StarCraft? It’s not a sport where there are times and places to break (except for the occasional pause). Ads would have to be presented similarly to how they’re presented online. Commercials are played in between games, sponsorships are talked about by casters, and perhaps a few overlays could work?
I realize that this is clearly the biggest obstacle, but my lack of knowledge in the advertisement industry makes it difficult for me to pinpoint the exact way ads should be approached. No doubt there is a solution that I haven’t found yet. It’s certainly not impossible.

So what do you guys think? Would you enjoy watching something like this on TV alongside the big online tournaments?

Why I Will Not Be Playing Mass Effect 3

I'm gonna tell you a story, one that as of yesterday has been concluded. It's about me, who stupidly forgot to move his Mass Effect saves over to a safe location before blowing away my PC and rebuilding it from scratch. I do this about twice a year to keep everything fresh and running smoothly.

The solution sounds easy enough right? Just replay the games! Well there are a few problems with that idea. The first of which is that Mass Effect is not a very good game. Its gameplay is slow and boring. Don't even get me started on the Mako (the atrocious vehicle sections in Mass Effect 1).

My next thought was to just download a save off a website that had all the choices I made when I originally played Mass Effect. This was going well until I learned that Mass Effect 3 would require Origin. No thank you. I've heard way too many horror stories about Origin that I don't want to risk paying $60 for nothing.

So there goes Mass Effect on the PC. What could I do next? Well I could buy the game on the PS3! The comic it had allowed me to bypass playing Mass Effect 1 while getting all the choices I wanted. It also came will all the DLC (except Arrival which was released after the PS3 version) that I'd bought and paid for on PC. All for the excellent price of $20. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Well I get home from the store, pop it in, and wait a ridiculously long time for the game to install. When it's finally done, I go to input my code for the DLC. Welp, the PSN is down. I totally forgot about that, but fine. I wait until 12:30 AM EST for the store to come back online. I go to put my code in and it rejects it. At first I thought the letter were case-sensitive (sometimes the codes are, it's rather odd). So I input the code again, got rejected. The messages was different than the standard "not valid" message. It said the code may have expired. I didn't think these download codes could expire...

Turns out they can. On the fine print of the paper it says the code expire January 1, 2012. Perfect. I then went online to find out if it was possible to still redeem the code. Most people didn't seem to have a problem redeeming the codes after their expiration date, but every once in awhile I'd come across someone on a forum who was unable to get the DLC. Nearly defeated, someone suggested I try an online chat with an EA support person.

I spent an hour "on the line" with someone who talked like a robot. It was all rather awkward, like the whole thing was automated and scanned my messages for keywords with which to reply to. Anyways, he started telling me that the DLC was in my account and that the code should work. N0t the case. There still isn't any DLC in my account and the code still doesn't work. I gave up once it hit 2 AM and my head was ready to explode from a major headache.

And now we're here, the day after where I'm ready to go back and return my copy. Or trade it in rather since I opened it and I can't fully return it. At least I'll get something out of it (I'm expected about $5). It simply isn't worth it to spend all that money for DLC on the PC that I've already paid for on the PS3. I also don't want to risk my money buying ME 3 on Origin. So I'm done, and will simply find out how everything ends on YouTube. Chances are it'll be better that way as I won't have to play through awful corridor shooting sections.

Funday Monday All Semester Long

I'm well through the second week of my classes/work schedule and I've come to a realization. I can no longer play StarCraft 2 as much as I'd like.

This may not sound like a big deal to you, and in the grand scheme of things it probably isn't. But StarCraft 2 is a game I enjoy immensely and have aspirations of playing at a high level someday. I did my best to stick to a set schedule of playing a certain amount of games a day, but between classes, homework, and my job it has become impossible.

So I've decided to enjoy the game in a different way, and that's to completely fool with the system. I'm going to do crazy builds that make no sense, do cheap builds whenever possible, and just do whatever I want. My league standing will no doubt drop considerably and I'll probably get demoted, but whatever. I can't keep up a practice schedule right now anyways so who cares?

Anyways, I gotta finish my ramen and run to class. PEACE.