Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A History of Whimpers: Infamous endings throughout video game history]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/a-history-of-whimpers-infamous-endings-throughout-video-game-hi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/a-history-of-whimpers-infamous-endings-throughout-video-game-hi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/a-history-of-whimpers-infamous-endings-throughout-video-game-hi/#comments Time has come and gone between the release of Mass Effect 3 and its Extended Cut DLC - launched to soothe the savage outcry the original ending stoked in fans back in March. As disappointing as Mass Effect 3's original ending was, to call it the worst ending in video game history - a claim many fans have made - is to be excessively hyperbolic.

What Mass Effect 3's original ending did was continue the video game industry's infamous tradition of unsatisfactory or controversial conclusions. Maybe this trip down memory lane will help you remember that, as annoying as ME3's initial use of traffic lights to denote multiple endings was, the video game industry has a bad habit of awful endings. (Obviously, the following contains spoilers.)

Gallery: Mass Effect 3 (1/4/12)

Continue reading A History of Whimpers: Infamous endings throughout video game history

JoystiqA History of Whimpers: Infamous endings throughout video game history originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>endingsmass-effect-3microsoftOpinionpcplaystationps3xboxFri, 31 Aug 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/#comments Franchise director Casey Hudson has previously spoken out in brief defense of the Mass Effect 3 endings, but now he's made it official in a written message that explains BioWare's dedication, passion and reverence for the series and the feedback it receives from fans -- all of it. Yes, even the popular "you deserve to be skinned alive, made into jerky and eaten by rabid goats" (paraphrased) feedback.

Hudson avoids spoilers, but suggests finishing the game for yourself and forming your own conclusions before reading his missive:
"For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you've made as a player since the journey began in 2007," Hudson writes. "So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions. You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey.

"We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending -- to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection."

Hudson stresses that the Mass Effect team takes fan feedback seriously and often incorporates it into the games directly, and says it is still listening to that response now. "Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we'll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you'll hear of Commander Shepard."

JoystiqHudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWarecasey-hudsonendingsfansfeedbackmass-effect-3microsoftpcplaystationps3xboxSun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Mass Effect 3 director defends DLC, endings with 'common sense']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/mass-effect-3-director-defends-dlc-endings-with-common-sense/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/mass-effect-3-director-defends-dlc-endings-with-common-sense/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/14/mass-effect-3-director-defends-dlc-endings-with-common-sense/#comments Turns out Mass Effect 3 is controversial. Some people like its DLC, ending and storyline, some don't, and some want to see the entire BioWare team thrown into pools of mud and flogged for days to pay for the things they put in their own game. Franchise executive producer and director Casey Hudson seems to be taking the mixed reactions in stride, and even has some simple, logical reasons behind a few of the supposed scandals, such as Mass Effect 3's day-one DLC, From Ashes.

"I think a lot of the common sense is prevailing," Hudson told Digital Trends. "Initially, it was spun in a direction that suggested that we had taken the lore out of Mass Effect 3 and were holding it inside the DLC only, which now the people who actually have played Mass Effect 3 and the DLC they know that that's not true."

From Ashes is an optional piece of content not integral to the main story, Hudson noted.

"When we finish a game, we finish it many months before it actually hits the shelves and that team goes on to work on something else that in those intervening months represent millions of dollars of development time.... So in this case, we chose to work on a DLC which people really enjoyed for Mass Effect 2 and we also wanted to make sure that people had it as an opportunity to build it into their first play-through if they wanted that as an optional thing."

As for the ending, Hudson said he likes its mystery and interpretation possibilities, and having a reactive ending is better than one that falls flat and fades out. "I didn't want the game to be forgettable, and even right down to the sort of polarizing reaction that the ends have had with people -- debating what the endings mean and what's going to happen next, and what situation are the characters left in -- that to me is part of what's exciting about this story."

JoystiqMass Effect 3 director defends DLC, endings with 'common sense' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWarecasey-hudsoncontroversyDLCendingsFrom-Ashesmass-effect-3microsoftpcplaystationps3scandalxboxWed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The VC Advantage: Street Spoiler II]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/30/the-vc-advantage-street-spoiler-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/30/the-vc-advantage-street-spoiler-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/30/the-vc-advantage-street-spoiler-ii/#commentsFiled under:


With all the hoo-ha over the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl spoilers (warning: spoiler link contains spoilers) I got nostalgic about classic fighting game spoilers. You know, as happens in this little corner of the website. I love fighting game spoilers. I love spoilers in general, preferring the buildup of anticipation to a "surprise" to the actual feeling of surprise, but fighting game spoilers are especially delightful, for the simple reason that nothing in a fighting game's storyline matters. Also, fighting game storylines are usually incredibly hilarious, whether this is intentional or not.

Street Fighter II is the canonical fighting game, and appropriately has the best goofy ending animations in the genre. If you haven't played this seventeen-year-old game, you should be warned: the above YouTube link contains spoilers that will blow the whole game wide open. If you are sensitive about such things, you should go through the game yourself to learn the motivations that drew eight people to fly around the world and punch each other in one-minute intervals.

But if you live in 2008 and have already finished Street Fighter II, then revel in some ending videos with us! Now it's time to celebrate in our appropriate fashion.

JoystiqThe VC Advantage: Street Spoiler II originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomendingsfightingspoilersstreet-fighter-iivcadvantageWed, 30 Jan 2008 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Remembering the 8-bit sunsets]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/remembering-the-8-bit-sunsets/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/remembering-the-8-bit-sunsets/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/14/remembering-the-8-bit-sunsets/#commentsFiled under:

We've spent the week regaling releases of yore, celebrating the intricacies and conventions that made them so memorable, but if there's one trait about some of these retro titles that we don't remember fondly, it's trudging through waves of enemies and uninteresting levels only to find our efforts rewarded with little more than a shot of the protagonist staring off into the sunset.

These twilight scenes weren't anomalous, phenomena exclusive to games of a certain genre or limited to a few occurrences. With just a cursory check, Games Radar was able to dig up no less than 18 NES titles that featured these over-the-horizon endings. Were developers just too lazy to try for anything more? Or was it something more sinister -- a secret cabal of Apollo acolytes looking to resurrect their solar deity with these 8-bit tributes? Think about that the next time you wonder why the sun seems to have somehow increased in size since you last saw it ...

JoystiqRemembering the 8-bit sunsets originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>8 bit8-bit8bitendendingendingsnesnintendoretrosunsetsunsetsThu, 14 Jun 2007 13:00:00 EST