Controversies surrounding Mass Effect 3

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mass Effect 3 is an action role-playing video game and the third installment of the Mass Effect video game series, developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA). Upon its release March 6, 2012 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows, Mass Effect 3 generated controversy. Its ending was poorly received by players who felt that it did not meet their expectations. On June 26, 2012, developers released an Extended Cut as downloadable content (DLC) intended to clarify the endings and remedy fan concerns. The initial announcement of the development of add-on content to amend the ending as well as the subsequent release of Extended Cut sparked debates over the treatment of video games as art and whether BioWare should have to alter their vision of the work in response to external pressure, regardless of its quality. Both BioWare and EA have been criticized for questionable business practices over the release of Mass Effect 3: From Ashes as paid DLC on the same date as the base game's launch and the casting of Jessica Chobot, a video game media personality who was affiliated with video game journalist websites IGN and G4TV at the time, as non-player character Diana Allers. The inclusion of expanded LGBT content with full fledged romance options, the creative decision to utilize a stock photo as the basis of popular companion character Tali'Zorah's face, and an online poll to determine the redesigned appearance of the female version of player character Commander Shepard for Mass Effect 3 have also provoked controversy.

Ending of Mass Effect 3[]

Background[]

In the original Mass Effect trilogy, players assume the role of Commander Shepard, a customizable avatar who leads allies from across the Milky Way galaxy in a struggle against a collective of powerful synthetic lifeforms called the Reapers, who harvest the galaxy of sentient spacefaring life every 50,000 years. By the events of Mass Effect 3, the Reapers have arrived in the galaxy and begin harvesting entire worlds. To stop them, Shepard must form an alliance between all of Mass Effect's alien races to build the Crucible, a megastructure built from blueprints designed by the civilizations from previous cycles, including the Protheans, which can theoretically destroy the Reapers.

As Shepard, players dispatch a final "Marauder" enemy, entering a Reaper teleportation beam on Earth to reach the Citadel and begin the game's ending sequence. This follows a long and grueling battle in London where Shepard is gravely wounded by Harbinger, the leader of the Reapers.[1] Once there, Shepard attempts to fire off the Crucible, only to be transported to the Citadel's pinnacle. They encounter the Catalyst, an artificial intelligence with the appearance of a child, that declares itself to be the creator of the Reapers. The being says that the Reapers' job is to exterminate intelligent races that have reached the capability of creating artificial lifeforms such as the geth, because artificial life will eventually destroy natural life if allowed to proliferate.

Having conceded defeat to Shepard, it presents up to three options for activating the Crucible, which will break the Reapers' galactic cycle of extinction:[2]

  • Destroy the Reapers and all other synthetic life, including allies such as EDI and the geth.
  • Control the Reapers by copying Shepard's influence into a new artificial intelligence, creating a galactic peacekeeping force.
  • Synthesize all organic and synthetic life, which should result in both life forms achieving perfect understanding of one another.

By making any of the above choices, Shepard activates the Crucible, which emits a wave of energy that spreads throughout the galaxy via the mass relays, damaging them in the process. As the Normandy is hit by the wave of energy, it crashes on a remote planet.

Shepard also has the option to reject these choices entirely, which will result in the Catalyst bitterly declaring the cycle will continue. A scene will play showing the Reapers defeating the allied forces, and Liara's hologram in a time capsule explaining how they lost their war and gives information to the next Cycle to assist in their war. The Stargazer epilogue is also altered, showing an alien woman instead of a human man, and mentions the time capsule saved their species and all that is known about Shepard is, "from the Archives"

Response[]

An example of fan criticism directed at the perceived futility of choice between the original endings of Mass Effect 3.[3]

Although Mass Effect 3 launched in early March 2012 to a predominantly positive critical reception, its endings received a very poor reception from players. By mid-March 2012, a contingent of displeased fans had organized an internet campaign called "Retake Mass Effect" to demand a better ending to the game, part of which included a charity drive for the organization Child's Play.[4] The drive raised $80,000 in less than two weeks before it was stopped.[5] One fan made a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that BioWare did not deliver on the promise of its game.[6] The Better Business Bureau supported claims by fans that BioWare had falsely advertised the player's "complete" control over the game's final outcome.[7] However, the UK Advertising Standards Authority disagreed, ruling that EA and BioWare were not guilty of false advertisement since the endings were "thematically quite different", and the choices and Readiness Rating reflected in the ending content were significant enough to avoid actionable misleading of consumers under existing law.[8]

Opinions over the game's endings divided many critics. Among the criticisms include the ending rendering character choices inconsequential; a general lack of closure; lore contradictions and plot holes; character and narrative inconsistencies; the absence of a final boss battle; and inconsistencies between statements by BioWare staff during the game's development and the form the endings ultimately took.[9][10][11][12][13] Commentators took note of the magnitude and scale of the public reaction and highlighted how invested the series had made its players.

A widely discussed fan theory proposed that the base game's endings were a hallucinated consequence of Shepard's gradual, forcible Reaper indoctrination over the course of the trilogy, also positing that the "Destroy" ending was purposely colored red to dissuade Shepard from picking it, and thus, overcoming the mind control.[14] Dissatisfied fans also turned the final enemy unit encountered in combat into an internet meme called Marauder Shields.[1]

On March 21, 2012, Ray Muzyka published an open letter on the official BioWare blog in response to the controversy.[15]

By March 16, 2012, project director Casey Hudson and community coordinator Chris Priestly acknowledged the growing controversy and provided assurances that the team were listening to feedback, though Hudson defended the polarizing ending whereas Priestly noted that they were waiting for the right time to respond.[16] Hudson later went on record and conceded that players ought to have more closure and answers for the creative direction they had taken.[17] BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka later announced that the company planned to address the criticism, with a further announcement to be made in April 2012.[17][18][19] On April 5, BioWare announced a free downloadable content pack that would expand upon the ending.[15] Some commentators expressed concerns that changing the endings by giving into fan demand would compromise the developers' creative vision as well as the artistic integrity of their work, and ultimately sets a bad precedent for the development of creative works in the video game industry.[20][21] Video game developer Ken Levine remarked that he felt sad that players were fervently calling for a revised Mass Effect 3 ending as they would be left “disappointed”.[22] Others like Stephen Totilo from Kotaku welcomed BioWare's decision to be open towards revising the ending to their work.[23]

The expansion, Extended Cut, was released for most platforms on June 26, 2012.[24] The pack supplements each ending with additional cutscenes during the ending sequence, and a montage-based epilogue. The epilogue elaborates upon other aspects of the conclusion and elaborates on the aftermath of Shepard's actions, such as the fates of various supporting characters, alien species and entire worlds, all of are variable based on prior narrative choices made by players along with their accumulated "Effective Military Strength" (EMS) score.[25] Extended Cut also provides an additional choice for players to refuse the offer and have Shepard attack the Catalyst, which results in the Crucible not being activated and an inevitable Reaper victory over the current cycle of organics. Following the release of the Extended Cut pack, Mike Fahey from Kotaku observed that fan reaction was generally mixed,[26] although certain individuals like the FTC complainant expressed satisfaction with the reworked ending sequences it introduced.[27] Video game publications were similarly divided, with some critics such as Joe Juba of Game Informer describing the new additions as a "substantial improvement" over the original ending,[28] while others such as Paul Tassi of Forbes felt it was "too little, far too late."[29]

Aftermath[]

"I remember about a week or so after we had launched [the game], we'd seen all these excellent critical reviews ... then all of a sudden people were saying, 'I felt the ending was weak.' And someone would say, 'Yeah, I thought it was actually pretty bad.' And someone else would say, 'I hated that ending.' It just snowballed like crazy, and pretty soon the whole issue was on fire."

—BioWare General Manager Aaryn Flynn in 2016[30]

Retrospective discussions of Mass Effect 3 inevitably involve attention towards its ending. James Davenport of PC Gamer opined that the game's ending received an "inordinate" amount of criticism, which distracts players from the other positive or exemplary aspects of Mass Effect 3.[31] Forbes contributor Erik Kain took the view that the public outcry and the subsequent response from BioWare and EA "may end up being a healthy one for the industry, opening a new chapter in gamer/developer/publisher relations", and called the release Extended Edition as a complimentary expansion to the original endings a "remarkable" choice that made gamers realize "that they are entitled, and that it isn't a bad thing, to quality games".[32] In 2018, Lucy O'Brien from IGN concurred and remarked that fan-driven internet campaigns like "Retake Mass Effect" have contributed to a paradigm shift in how consumers influence video game developers.[33] With the inclusion of Mass Effect 3 and its DLC content into the Mass Effect Legendary Edition compilation released in 2021, BioWare staff are hopeful that following the passage of time and the release of Legendary Edition, players would reassess their opinion about the ending as the culmination of the trilogy's overarching story arc.[34]

The Consumerist suggested that the ending controversy of Mass Effect 3 was a significant contribution to EA being named Worst Company in America two years in a row between 2012 to 2013 for a recurring poll it organized.[35][36] Remarking that the public outcry "was so negative and so widely publicized", Chris Morran from The Consumerist suggested that the development of the game's multiplayer came at the expense of a satisfactory ending, and that players were left "with an empty feeling after reaching the obviously rushed endgame".[36]

Day-One DLC[]

The decision to release Mass Effect 3: From Ashes as paid downloadable content (DLC) alongside the launch of the base game was criticized by players.[37][38][39] Shortly after the pack's release, one player uploaded a video on YouTube with alleged proof that the contents of From Ashes are included on the disc but deliberately withheld by the publisher unless an additional amount of money to access the content is paid, even though work has been completed prior to the release date.[40] Several BioWare staff members, including Hudson and Gamble, publicly defended the business practice.[39][41] At the 2012 Game Developers Conference (GDC), game designer and former BioWare staff Christina Norman implored players to judge the DLC based on the quality of its content as opposed to the timing of its release.[42] Electronic Arts eventually responded with a press release, and clarified that for the player to access the contents of the pack, an additional download of about 600 megabytes in size that is not on the disc is required.[40]

Wes Fenlon from PC Gamer noted that it reflects poorly on the developers that the one character who could offer significant insight into a pivotal element of the Mass Effect universe was locked behind a paywall, even if he is not essential to the main plot.[43] The presence of Day-One DLC in many of the video games EA published was identified as a factor behind its placement as the "worst company in America" in 2012 according to polling held by Consumerist.[44]

Tali's face[]

A cosplayer recreating Tali's appearance from the series.

Tali'Zorah, or simply Tali, is a companion or squadmate of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3. One of the most popular characters throughout the original trilogy, her face is perpetually obscured by her helmet; players could only see a vague glimpse of her facial features within the series' game engine. BioWare's position on whether to reveal her face was a long-standing internal debate,[45] and the developers announced they were still unsure during Mass Effect 3's development.[46][47] Concept artist Matt Rhodes felt it would interesting to see how players compared her personality to her appearance, and how they would respond to an appearance that challenged their expectations as "a little too alien, just a little too repellant".[45] They were aware that either decision would likely annoy some people, and that no reveal could universally fit all views of Tali.[46][47] BioWare wished to unveil her face in a "tasteful way" outside of the game engine, and decided that a gift from Tali would be the best way.[48] A stock photo of Miss England model Hammasa Kohistani was used to ensure the face's closeness to a real photograph.[48]

The reveal of Tali's unmasked face as part of the culmination of her Mass Effect 3 romance was met with widespread criticism from fans, who believed that the use of an existing image showed a lack of effort on the part of the developers, who were unwilling to spend the money to hire a model for the role.[49][50] IGN described it as one of the series' biggest controversies.[51] Conversely, GameZone's Matt Liebl felt that the issue was not as big as fans had made it out to be.[49]

In the 2021 Mass Effect Legendary Edition compilation, BioWare addressed the criticism by removing the modified photograph of Kohistani and replacing it with a unique computer-generated humanoid face with all-white eyes. Overall, fans regarded it as a positive change, although it was met with some disappointment that the developers opted to maintain her human appearance rather than making her appear more alien.[52]

Portrayal of homosexuality[]

The inclusion of full fledged same sex romance options in Mass Effect 3 provoked backlash from some players and special interest groups. Kotaku published an article on May 16, 2011, less than a day after developer Casey Hudson's announcement about the game's incorporation of same-sex romances, reporting that some players have spoken out over their concerns that characters like Kaidan Alenko having undergone "implausible and abrupt sexual transformations" at the expense of "narrative consistency and integrity".[53] Shortly after the release of Mass Effect 3, a YouTube video which shows an intimate scene between a male Commander Shepherd and Steve Cortez, an openly gay crew member of The Normandy, provoked an outcry among some players.[54] Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot and Craig Takeuchi from the Georgia Straight highlighted instances of dismissive comments against the game's same-sex relationship content which were posted on several websites in their respective articles.[55][56] VanOrd in particular noted that he was targeted for personal attacks about his sexual orientation on social media in retaliation to his review of Mass Effect 3.[55] Queerty suggested that some of the user-generated comments posted on review aggregator Metacritic were indicative of a review bomb movement to intentionally lower the game's user rating in response to the romance content.[57]

In April 2012, Jeff Brown, VP of corporate communications at EA, claimed that his company was inundated by "several thousand" letters and emails protesting the inclusion of LGBT content in the video games it publishes like Mass Effect 3.[58] EA issued a statement denying that it came under pressure by any groups to include LGBT characters in their games, but acknowledged that it has voluntarily worked with pro-LGBT groups to discuss appropriate content as well as the harassment of players in online forums.[58] James Brightman from Gameindustry.biz noted that many of the letters appeared to have originated from addresses in the US State of Florida and were likely coordinated by local anti-LGBT groups based there.[58]

Several commentators concluded that the backlash was primarily driven by disapproval over the unprecedented depiction of male homosexuality in the series.[55][57][59] Andreas Blüml observed that lesbian or pseudo-lesbian options for female characters was in fact the norm throughout the trilogy, whereas the inclusion of same-sex options for male characters in Mass Effect 3 is the anomaly and started what the media termed a "gay controversy" in the United States.[60]

Redesign of Commander Shepard[]

The default appearance for Commander Shepard's female version, colloquially known as "FemShep", underwent a design overhaul for Mass Effect 3. Six different designs for the default female Shepard were hosted online via the official Mass Effect Facebook page, and fans were asked to vote for whichever design they preferred, not only as the standard in-game model but also as part of the game's marketing efforts like trailers and box art.[61][62] BioWare staff made many different designs before narrowing the choice down to the six options for the poll.[63] The blonde Shepard with freckles won what was described as a controversial popularity poll; while commentators like Kirk Hamilton from Kotaku accepted what he perceived to be a legitimately democratic choice, others like Kim Richards from PC Gamer rejected the outcome and criticized the poll for encouraging players to go for the most Barbie-like conventionally attractive appearance.[64][65][66][67] BioWare later decided that the hairstyle promoted in the poll may have interfered with the vote, and so made another competition to decide that.[68][69] The red-haired Shepard won the subsequent competition.[70]

In retrospect, Carlen Lavigne's analysis of the controversy concluded that the poll was presented like a beauty contest, which positioned Shepard in a sexualized manner for the pleasure of a straight male audience; this has a corrupting effect on Shepard’s standing as a feminist lead, even though the original intention is to promote a female character as the face of the franchise.[71] Leandro Lima noted that the manner in which Shepard was included within the marketing campaign for Mass Effect 3 was still problematic for many players, as she is "perceived as very generic in terms of design".[72] Patricia Hernandez from Polygon felt that the manner which the female Shepard poll unfolded was "strange" and that BioWare's attempts to continue modifying her years after the release of the first game while her male counterpart's appearance remains unchanged is somewhat "off-putting", but expressed relief that "in 2021, there’s no vote, no massive fan campaign to get BioWare to even consider highlighting FemShep" in response to her prominence in the promotional material for Mass Effect Legendary Edition.[73]

Involvement of Jessica Chobot[]

Jessica Chobot's character Diana Allers was modeled in her likeness.

Jessica Chobot voiced news reporter Diana Allers in the 2012 video game Mass Effect 3. Chobot and the media organizations she worked for at the time had previously made it known that she would not review the game in any official capacity.[74] While she had access to a blog hosted by IGN, Chobot herself clarified that she was never a professional writer for IGN or reviewer for G4, but rather her role is that of a host or entertainer.[75]

Forbes contributor Erik Kain labeled her involvement as a "grotesque instance" of journalists being too close to publishers since Chobot had previously previewed the game on G4TV and openly admitted that she was a BioWare fan.[76] Kain argued that Chobot was in a position of authority within a media organization who like himself had access to a blog platform as part of their work for their respective organizations, and opined that she should be held to the same journalistic standards even if that authority is merely over the flow of information.[76][77] Writing for The Escapist, Dennis Scimeca acknowledged that while many individuals do assume overlapping roles in the field of video game journalism, he took the view that there are important distinctions to be made between the roles of a journalist, a host and an entertainer. Scimeca explained that both BioWare and Electronic Arts were well within their rights to cast Chobot in Mass Effect 3 in light of her actual role in the industry, and thus her involvement was not ethically inappropriate.[78] In a later interview with Polygon, Chobot emphasized that she is an on-screen personality who never considered herself to be a journalist, and remarked that she was never asked for her side of the story by people who write about her in the press.[79]

Chobot also spoke out in support of the original ending presented in Mass Effect 3 shortly after the game's launch; on April 2, 2012 she issued a public apology on the IGN blog following backlash from players in response to her choice of words and tone.[77]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Sims, Chris (November 21, 2017). "Disappointing final levels that almost ruined great games". Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Cotter, Padraig (March 21, 2019). "All Of Mass Effect 3's Endings Explained". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Tassi, Paul (June 22, 2016). "Whichever Terrible 'Mass Effect 3' Ending You Picked, It Won't Affect 'Andromeda'". Forbes. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "Mass Effect campaign demands new ending to series". BBC. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  5. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (March 23, 2012). "Retake Mass Effect Child's Play fundraiser stopped". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Gregory, Jon (March 17, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 Ending Fighter Goes To The FTC – News". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  7. ^ Eddie Makuch. "Mass Effect 3 falsely advertised, says BBB". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Rose, Mike (13 June 2012). "Mass Effect 3 advertising was not misleading, determines ASA". Gamasutra. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Hornshaw, Phil (March 9, 2012). "Player Starts Poll Asking BioWare for New Mass Effect 3 Ending". GameFront. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  10. ^ Sterling, Jim (March 10, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 fans petition BioWare to change the ending". Destructoid. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  11. ^ Tassi, Paul (March 12, 2012). "How Bioware Could Find Redemption Using Mass Effect 3". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  12. ^ Langshaw, Mark (March 11, 2012). "'Mass Effect 3' fans campaign to change ending". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  13. ^ Molina, Brett (March 19, 2012). "BioWare: No decision yet on 'Mass Effect 3' ending". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  14. ^ Ashley Reed (August 12, 2017). "7 mind-bending gaming theories that we really want to be true". Gamesradar. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  15. ^ a b darklarke (April 5, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut". BioWare. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  16. ^ Phillips, Brett (March 16, 2012). "Bioware Director Responds to Mass Effect 3 Criticism". IGN. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Tom Phillips (March 19, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 ending: BioWare admits fans needed "more closure"". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  18. ^ "'Mass Effect 3' makers to rewrite 'soul-crushing' ending for furious fans". Fox News. March 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  19. ^ Muzyka, Ray (March 21, 2012). "To Mass Effect 3 players, from Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWare". BioWare. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  20. ^ Jeff Marchiafava (March 30, 2012). "Why Changing The Mass Effect 3 Ending Is A Mistake". Game Informer. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  21. ^ David Houghton (March 23, 2012). "The Mass Effect 3 ending: Why it is vital to the future health of games that BioWare not change it". GamesRadar. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  22. ^ Sacco, Dominic (March 23, 2012). "Ken Levine upset over Mass Effect 3 ending saga". MCV UK. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Stephen Totilo (March 21, 2012). "Why I'm Glad BioWare Might Change Mass Effect 3's Ending For the Fans". Kotaku. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  24. ^ BioWare Community Team (June 22, 2012). "Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut". BioWare. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  25. ^ "Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut". Mass Effect 3 Official Website. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  26. ^ Fahey, Mike (June 26, 2012). "The Verdict is In: Fans Love / Hate the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  27. ^ Watts, Steve (July 2, 2012). "FTC complainant calls Mass Effect 3 ending 'complete'". Shacknews. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  28. ^ Juba, Joe (June 26, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut: The Good, Bad, And Ugly". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  29. ^ Tassi, Paul (June 26, 2012). "Mass Effect 3's Extended Cut - Too Little, Far Too Late". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  30. ^ Bertz, Matt (December 2016). "Doctors & Dragons". Game Informer. No. 284. p. 31.
  31. ^ Davenport, James (April 27, 2017). "The Mass Effect games ranked from worst to best". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  32. ^ Kain, Erik (26 June 2012). "What The 'Mass Effect 3' Extended Cut Means for the Future of the Gaming Industry". Forbes. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  33. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (August 31, 2018). "The (Sometimes Dangerous) Power of the Video Game Community". IGN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  34. ^ Keane, Sean (May 15, 2021). "Mass Effect director hopes Legendary Edition changes your feelings about the infamous ending". CNet. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  35. ^ Gaudiosi, John (April 7, 2012). "Electronic Arts Named Worst Company in America". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012.
  36. ^ a b Morran, Chris (April 9, 2013). "EA Makes Worst Company In America History, Wins Title For Second Year In A Row!". Consumerist. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  37. ^ Brenna Hillier (March 11, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 From Ashes DLC not shipped on disc". VG247. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  38. ^ Gillin, Joshua (March 7, 2012). "'Mass Effect 3' is here, but 'From Ashes' DLC burns fans". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  39. ^ a b Jason Schreier (February 24, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 DLC Triggers Fan Outrage, BioWare Response". Kotaku. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  40. ^ a b Owen Good (March 11, 2012). "Part of Mass Effect's Controversial Day-One DLC is on the Disc, Video Alleges [UPDATE]". Kotaku. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  41. ^ Juba, Joe (March 6, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 DLC: From Ashes Impressions". Game Informer. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  42. ^ Andrew Yoon (March 9, 2012). "Mass Effect designer defends day one DLC, says game developers 'are not evil'". Shack News. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  43. ^ Wes Fenlon (December 14, 2016). "The Mass Effect companions, ranked from worst to best". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  44. ^ Hsu, Tiffany (April 4, 2012). "Electronic Arts: 'Worst company in America'? Consumerist says yes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012.
  45. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (July 24, 2013). "BioWare artist reveals cut Mass Effect ideas". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  46. ^ a b Gaston, Martin (July 4, 2011). "BioWare to show Tali's face in Mass Effect 3?". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  47. ^ a b Cork, Jeff (July 3, 2011). "BioWare Struggling With Tali's Unmasking". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  48. ^ a b Liebl, Matt (April 7, 2012). "PAX East 2012: BioWare aimed for 'tasteful' Tali face in Mass Effect 3". GameZone. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  49. ^ a b Liebl, Matt (March 8, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 fans upset with BioWare's use of stock image". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  50. ^ Schreier, Jason (March 7, 2012). "Gamers Are Now Angry at BioWare Because of An Image in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILER)". Kotaku. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  51. ^ Skrebels, Joe (May 17, 2021). "Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Addresses One the Series' Bigger Controversies". IGN. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  52. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (May 15, 2021). "Mass Effect Legendary Edition changes Tali's controversial cabin photo". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  53. ^ Drew Cohen (May 16, 2011). "Mass Effect Fans Worry That Expanded Gay Options Will Create Inconsistencies, Alter Canon". Kotaku. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  54. ^ Todd Harper; Meghan Blythe Adams; Nicholas Taylor, eds. (2018). Queerness in Play. Springer. p. 61. ISBN 97833-1-990-542-6.
  55. ^ a b c Kevin VanOrd. "Why Do You Hate Mass Effect 3?". GameSpot. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  56. ^ Craig Takeuchi (March 9, 2012). "Mass Effect 3 goes gay: Lesbian and gay sex scenes spark debate". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  57. ^ a b Dan Avery (March 6, 2012). "Watch: Mass Effect 3 Gives Gamers An Intergalactic Gay Tryst". Queerty. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  58. ^ a b c James Brightman (April 4, 2012). "EA defends itself against thousands of anti-gay letters". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  59. ^ "The Need for Real Same-Sex Relationships in Games". 1Up.com. June 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  60. ^ Blüml, Andreas (2014). Gerold Sedlmayr; Nicole Waller (eds.). Politics in Fantasy Media: Essays on Ideology and Gender in Fiction, Film, Television and Games. McFarland. Gender and Racial Roles in Computer Role-Playing Games. ISBN 978-0-7864-9510-8.
  61. ^ Tim Turi (July 24, 2011). "Bioware Lets Fans Choose Female Shepard's New Look". Game Informer. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  62. ^ Michael McWhertor (July 23, 2011). "What Does Mass Effect 3's Official 'Fem Shep' Look Like? You Make the Call!". Kotaku. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  63. ^ Luke Plunkett (March 12, 2012). "The Many Unused and Unseen Faces of FemShep". Kotaku. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  64. ^ Matt Bradford (July 26, 2011). "Blonde female Commander Shepard wins BioWare's box art competition". GamesRadar. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  65. ^ Kirk Hamilton (August 1, 2011). "Fans Picked the Blonde in a Controversial Video Game Beauty Contest, But That's Not a Bad Thing". Kotaku. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  66. ^ Kim Richards (July 27, 2011). "Mass Effect 3: Death to Blonde Shepard". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  67. ^ Sophie Prell (August 12, 2011). "Why the Mass Effect 3 FemShep vote was the wrong move". Destructoid. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  68. ^ Robert Purchese (August 18, 2011). "Mass Effect 3: FemShep voting round 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  69. ^ Mike Fahey (August 17, 2011). "You Picked FemShep's Look, Now Pick Her Hair Color". Kotaku. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  70. ^ Robert Purchese (August 30, 2011). "Mass Effect 3: Red head FemShep wins". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  71. ^ Lavigne, Carlen (September 1, 2015). "'She's a soldier, not a model': Feminism, FemShep and the Mass Effect 3 vote". 7 (3). Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  72. ^ Lima, Leandro (November 2017). ""It's [not just] in the game": the promotional context of video games". 7 (3). Kinephanos: Journal of Media Studies and Popular Culture. Configurative Dynamics of Gender in Bioware's Marketing for the Mass Effect Franchise. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  73. ^ Hernandez, Patricia (3 February 2021). "Mass Effect's decadelong FemShep saga finally comes to a close". Polygon. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  74. ^ Workman, Robert (May 4, 2012). "Jessica Chobot interview about Mass Effect 3". GameZone. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  75. ^ Chobot, Jessica [@JessicaChobot] (October 26, 2012). "Not a writer for IGN or reviewer for G4. I'm a host/entertainer" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2012 – via Twitter.
  76. ^ a b Kain, Eric (October 26, 2012). "All The Pretty Doritos: How Video Game Journalism Went Off The Rails". Forbes. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  77. ^ a b Chobot, Jessica (April 2, 2012). "You know what, you're right". IGN. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  78. ^ Dennis Scimeca (September 13, 2013). "Jessica Chobot and Mass Effect 3". The Escapist. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  79. ^ Hall, Charlie (September 13, 2013). "Jessica Chobot: Stepping Into Daylight". Polygon.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Retrieved from ""