tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4282504373890041231.post3051448611943369634..comments2024-03-08T08:23:19.959+00:00Comments on Paul Anthony Shortt - Author: Video Game Endings and EpiloguesPaul Anthony Shortthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393249001158230985noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4282504373890041231.post-76855171183917259002012-04-09T22:31:27.783+01:002012-04-09T22:31:27.783+01:00That's a good point. A revolutionary form of v...That's a good point. A revolutionary form of video-game storytelling was promised, absolutely. Which is why depending too much on traditional video game methods feels like a let-down.<br /><br />I'm about to hit the last run. For my own experience, I can safely say I've seen how my choices have affected the galaxy so far. In fact, I can't think of any decision I've made so far for which I haven't seen the end result, those results have just been presented throughout the course of the game, blended into the story, rather than been pointed out in an epilogue. <br /><br />What comes next is the final push. Maybe I'll make choices that aren't properly resolved from here on, but I definitely have seen the payoff for just about every decision I've made coming up to this.<br /><br />Of course, it has been pointed out, repeatedly, that Mass Effect 3 is only the end of one chapter of the Mass Effect story. Players have been told to keep their saves. I take this to mean that there will be more games in this setting, and we'll get to see how the story continues, even without an epilogue.Paul Anthony Shortthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14393249001158230985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4282504373890041231.post-38610285364525174492012-04-09T22:14:48.252+01:002012-04-09T22:14:48.252+01:00Endings are hard, but to give a spoiler free respo...Endings are hard, but to give a spoiler free response, fans legitemately expected to see the repercussions of all their actions as the climax. That does not happen unless you consider the whole third act the ending climax, and even so, the extremity of the actual ending states automatically raises questions of 'Well, that changes everything, so how does my legacy carry on in the brave new world?' <br /><br />If you play a Metal Gear game, you know you're going to be told a story, and maybe some people will live/die based on your choices, but the main story remains unchanged by such minor plot details. You like it if you think Hideo Kojima is an auteur, and hate it if you want to be able to do anything as cool as the cutscene in the game. <br /><br />But Mass Effect is a game that's sold on choices making a difference. Bioware pulled a Lost on the ending, no doubt, but they probably realised that most fans would be happy if they got some closure on the impact their final choices had on their squadmates, allies and so on. I'd argue they were too stuck on traditional storytelling techniques to step up to the ending the series needed.Jantohttp://art.jantomcmullin.comnoreply@blogger.com