BioWare gives in, announces upcoming Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC

The ending to Mass Effect 3 is still one of the most talked about issues in the gaming world right now, and the people who have been actively campaigning for an alternate ending has sort of won through. This summer, there will be a free DLC that doesn't as much change the ending as expand on it. The ending being depressing and practically identical for everyone regardless of whether they've played this or that way aside, one of the major complaints was that the ending storyline makes no sense. Despite some "evidence" of it being foreshadowed, many players feel that too many previously unknown concepts were suddenly introduced in the last 15 minutes of a 100 hour game trilogy for it to be a valid ending to the story.

This is one way of "fixing" the ending that I've seen suggested by players, and perhaps the way of doing it that's the least likely to upset those who liked the ending. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with, and my biggest wish is that they make the ending more customized. Some cutscenes here and there that actually show the war assets you've collected, instead of the current system where you have 200 ways of increasing your war assets without any reason to do so beyond a certain (low, compared to maximum possible) number that unlocks 20 more seconds of video at the end.

Still though, I'm not sure if the extended cut will make me pick up single player again. I love ME3 multiplayer, but one of the absolute biggest problems with the ending as it is right now for me is that it makes me completely apathetic about what happens before that point in the story, and doesn't give me any reason to do anything but rush through it. That's quite a failure for a game that is at best average without the story, and I think a lot of people who don't understand the criticism towards the ending aren't seeing what it does to replay value for those who don't like it.

[Engadget/Press release]