Ben-DutkaI had a feeling this would cause some problems.
After fans went ballistic over the apparently unsatisfactory endings in Mass Effect 3 , they were often accused of needlessly bashing a fine production and unsurprisingly, the entitlement issue arose.
In reply, some of those desiring a new ending for ME3 set up a system asking those interested to contribute to the Child's Play charity, which seeks to give video games to ailing kids in hospitals. However, the purpose of someone's donation was never really made clear, besides to sort of prove that the angry fans weren't as selfish as some believed. And as a result, the donation drive that was supposed to run through April 11 has been stopped.
The news came via Penny Arcade . Unsurprisingly, the big problem was that many contributing to the charity thought they were paying for BioWare to write a new ending; i.e., they had to reach a certain goal amount in donations. But this was never tied to BioWare in any way and furthermore, Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillon was "buried under mail" wanting to know how much money was necessary for a new ending. PayPal has contacted the charity on account of the "high number of donors" who are now requesting refunds.
In the future, as stated by Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins: "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause." Yeah, well, that makes sense, doesn't it?
Related Game(s): Mass Effect 3
I figured that's how it would end. Validating a selfish goal with a selfless method can never lead to good things.
Additionally, I love that quote from Holkins.
You can't see me right now, but I'm shaking my head. Some people are just downright stupid.
"What? No! I don't want to donate to helpless CHILDREN! I WANT MY NEW MASS EFFECT ENDING!"
I think the down voter missed the sarcasm here.
haha, excellent post.
It's a shame that this is what occupied the headlines. In the same period news broke that Crapcom locked out a ton of content that is already on the SFxT disc and plans to charge another 40 some odd dollars to unlock it. That should have taken priority over this. ME3 having an "unsatisfactory" ending is small beans compared to the rip off Crapcom once again deployed on unsuspecting gamers.
"Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause."
This is pretty much the point some of us were trying to make in the last article about this charity. These raging nerds were just trying to save face. Charity is great but do it because you want to. Not to prove to fellow Internet dweebs that you're not a selfish, whiny, brat of a gamer.
Last edited by Jawknee on 3/25/2012 10:05:31 PM
I hope Capcom doesn't pull that stunt with Dragon's Dogma. If all goes well, that'd be the FIRST Capcom game I purchase this gen. If not, I'll be putting on my big boy pants and try to suck it up.
I would just wait and buy it used if I were you. That's what I plan on doing with Resident Evil 6. I would have done that with SFxT but it was given to me as a gift from my sister who doesn't know enough about games or Crapcom to avoid their scams.
It did get headlines, but I think the ruination (in fans eyes) of one of this generation's top trilogies is bigger news than Capcom going for a cash grab like they always do.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 3/25/2012 10:33:29 PM
@Jawknee
Well, I'll be keeping a close eye on the game. If nothing smells fishy, I'll get it new to support the title in hopes for a sequel. But if Capcom tries to pull anything, I'll either wait for a price drop or opt for it used. Right now, though, Dragon's Dogma is shaping up to be a sleeper hit.
Yea it did but I guess I just mean people's priories are out of whack(which shouldn't surprise me). The more bad publicity Crapcom receives, the more pressure it might put on them to at least acknowledge why people are pissed. Outrage over Crapcom scamming people out of content they already paid for is more justified than a being a disappointed in a crappy ending in my opinion.
I hate to say it Jawknee, but I think Capcom has somehow gotten a pass this generation. Nobody will truly call them out for dickish moves the way we have for SE and Bioware.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 3/25/2012 11:27:43 PM
It's gotten to their head too. Any complaints made at Capcom Unity will get you banned or the threat of a ban.
Mass Effect is more important franchise this gen than anything Capcom has released.If wasn't for ME3 ignite so much train wreck this spot would be for Capcom.They are really lucky all this chaos with ME3 happened.
they are charging………for colors now…. i really think i may never buy another capcom game
"the big problem was that many contributing to the charity thought they were paying for BioWare to write a new ending" LOL Seriously what is wrong with people. People hate on dlc but their willing to give money to Bioware to rewrite the ending?
I'm a very die-hard ME fan (been playing the series since 2007), but I didn't donate because of the very same reasons people like Jawknee and TheAgingHispter have mentioned.
Unlike many, I didn't mind the lack of closure because as the credits were rolling, I closed my eyes and put my hands to my head and reminisced about everything I did in the trilogy with my first every playthrough, Victor Shepard 🙂
I didn't mind the lack of closure because (in part having a great imagination) I wondered and assumed the fates of many of my squadmates, the various races, etc. I philosophized about whether my decision was morally right or not, despite finding out that the endings are a simple matter of "choose your favourite colours".
In my personal experience, the fact that Bioware are creating Ending DLCs are unnecessary, but fine to me 🙂 it's a win-win in my circumstance as I was one of the few who objectively and subjectively, liked the ending.
And as a sidenote, I don't really like the notion of something as a "work of art", as was mentioned in the written letters from Bioware the past two weeks. A true work of art, whether criticised or not, speaks for itself and stands on its own shoes, so to speak.
People that directly call out that their works of art come off as pretentious, from my perspective.
I disagree about the pretention, since the creation of a game includes most artistic disciplines available (writing, acting, set pieces, music, technical effects, cinematography, etc) that it's okay to consider a game an artistic statement.
The thing about games is, they are by their very nature a flexible work of art that changes as we interact with it.
Got to agree with you there World. I don't mind it when a few lingering questions are left unanswered. Sometimes it's a great way to segue to the next game. But not on Mass Effect 3. The game is supposed to be the final game. It is a trilogy, after all. Or at least it is supposed to be one.
Aside from that, the ending had too many gaping plotholes to be desired. While I won't take drastic steps like other Mass Effect fans did, I would appreciate a little more closure about the characters I cared about.
I want more closure not because I feel entitled to one, but only because it's the sort of expectation that Bioware had set on the minds of the Mass Effect fans before ME3 was released.
Personally, this situation is almost no different to the entire FF XIII fiasco. It disappointed a lot of its existing fanbase and you can't blame them for voicing their opinions (granted that there are fans who take things a bit too seriously).
Maybe you didn't mind the lack of closure and thats totally cool thats your opinion and how you felt. But Bioware sold their product on this whole "your choice matters, and that there would be an uncountable amount of endings."
This is why the ME3 ending was bad. They SOLD their product on lies. Even days before the game was launched their are quotes from the devs on how the ending would provide closure and how they couldn't think of a better way to wrap up the series.
Apparently ripping of Deus Ex almost to the T was the best way to end it?
Just because you didn't mind the ending and others didn't doesn't mean that the ending isn't objectively terrible.
I respect people who are satisfied with the ending, however I doubt they were either A) really attached to the series, B) didn't see how terrible and full of contradictions and plot wholes the ending was, or C) they buy the indoctrination theory and are content with the fact that shepard only defeated the reapers in his mind and that the game actually didn't end and the reapers are still fighting the rest of the galaxy.
While we are talking about Crapcom, yeah I am never buying another capcom game new full price again. Lost Planet 2 was the last lol, I am extremely interested in Dragons Dogma but I will hold off for a while.
What a bunch of retards that got confused. Giving to charity to raise awareness of important issues has been done for ages. It isn't anybody's fault if some nimrods think the money is going somewhere it isn't. Research before you donate; in America (apparently) money is a free speech statement.
I really don't think anything about this was clear, especially when it first started. I think that was part of the problem.
It was clear to me, cast your vote by donating to a good cause, get good numbers, get your message across using those numbers. Classic tactic.
Oh come on. You know as well as I do that people only read headlines, and they NEVER read between the lines. 😉
Those people deserve to lose their money. A fool and his money are soon parted.
I'm starting to dislike the Mass Effect fanbase in general. -_- wonder if another fanbase gonna top them this year on being the worst.
Last edited by Oxvial on 3/25/2012 11:17:42 PM
If capcom annouces a ultimate SF X tekken then its probably going to be them.
They should have just waited for bioware to announce the real ending or a patch that fixes it. Then they could have save there money.
ive said it once, twice and ill say it again.
it never ceases to amaze me peoples reading comprehension on the internet!
or should i say lack thereof.
capcom isn't charging for colors…
$20 is the price for the 12 characters on disc…
costumes are like 3 or 4 bucks…
Actually the costumes are going to be a buck a piece. Still a rip off when that content is already on the disc.
^ was a reply further up… (ps3 web browser)
Last edited by JaktheDaxter on 3/26/2012 9:52:19 AM
huh…
And I thought us FF die-hards had our heads in the clouds. lol
Ha…..just Cloud
zing!
Interesting approach, long winded, but good.
This is what I said in an earlier post about charity and the reason to give. People now want their money back because they thought they were giving it to a charity that would re-write an ending of a game? Seriously? how about just giving to charity….just helping and giving because its a good thing not because you want something out of it. Now the money that should have gone to kids in hospitals is going to sit in limbo because some a-hole would rather have his money go to a game he/she already paid for then someone in need.
Really is sad to watch what we become…
These people are worse than I was giving them credit for. They should all play the game again just to make sure they paid attention.
So the idiots just hurt a charity. Way to go, oh selfless, unentitleds ones. Next time, spell out everything, like you're talking to a 4 year old. Include important points like, BioWare will NEVER rewrite the ending, no matter how much you donate. This is just to make us look good. Less confusion this way.
And even if a new ending was made, you'd still ahve to pay for it. You really want to pay BioWare to make a new ending, then pay to d/l the ending? Or buy a whole new disc with the new ending on it? I know nobody is stupid enough to think they'd get a new ending for free.
Then again, it never stated you were donating to get a new ending, so it's the donors fault for assuming.
Good thing some ppl dont watch animé. Have u seen some endings like Evangelion, Berserk, Gantz…. those are horrible and are due to budget cut or cancellation of the show. Now ppl complaining about an ending that was meant to be this way… I dont know what to say.
But i've said so in a previous news: if we let the angry player lead the game direction we end up like that Car Homer designed in the Simpsons….