The main point for me to throw out here is that the endings aren’t actually different so it’ll depend on what you didn’t like about the original endings that will decide the view on whether you will like these. Inevitably the problem with this is that BioWare have plugged some major plot holes but you can’t really see whether this has been to patch it like a bug problem or because they are cowards about the way the fans felt about the original endings.
There really isn’t a lot of change that has any great importance on the story. There are a few new scenes, new lines of dialogue and some clarification on the completely terrible jumps of the finales plot but nothing that insinuates a rewrite.
For example one of the things that has been updated is an explanation on why the Normandy left Shepard at the end which gives us a little piece of clarity on BioWare’s plan was originally.
One larger addition is the option to now blow the Star Child's head off. It created the Reapers in the first place and basically kills off the Indoctrination Theory floating around. Its an interesting take on the ending but isn’t one of the happiest to say the least.
Granted BioWare have done a fairly solid job of tweaking the endings without conclusively saying that the public were right and they were not. It does show the they didn’t really have an ending that could be easily completed based on the large amount of options the player took on during their 5 year quest. It mi9ght not be the ending you wanted but they sure as hell show us with this ‘patch’ that it is the ending the writers wanted.
The only tweaks that seem a bit wasted are the ending story buffs which seem to have been thrown out with the ‘how do we appease everyone’ card. Yes they give us further clarity but they aren’t really achieving all that much – at least for me in particular. They just feel like a cop-out. I won’t enlighten you more than that but when you see them you’ll know exactly what I mean.
Overall I am glad that BioWare released this expanded endings patch though I can’t help but feel it wasn’t a complete success. The biggest thing for everyone to take note of is the post-release plot changing should never become the norm; this is simply because it takes away from what a developer and writer set out to do – regardless of whether you liked it. I hated Bioshock 2 and mainly because of the ‘improved’ gameplay and prequel storyline but I can completely understand why people loved it.
The point that developers in particular should take note of us that you should know how to end a game and not make a 5 year or even 20 hours excursion feel ‘wasted’ with a ‘downer’. Obviously don’t rush something that all your fans have been waiting to see; especially then that wait it years as opposed to hours/months.
The worst thing to come out of this though has got to be the knock that BioWare has taken ‘again’. First they suffered with Dragon Age 2 and now the ending of one of their most popular franchises ever. Just because you are/were a great publisher doesn’t mean you can get sloppy now. A good reputation takes years to build but 5 minutes to fall over.
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