Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is a single-player roleplaying video game developed by BioWare. It is the conclusion of the Mass Effect trilogy, bringing to a close the story of the main character Commander Shepard as s/he attempts to defeat the threat of the Reapers.
== Plot Summary ==
==Characters ==
*Commander Shepard
===Squad Members===
*Ashley Williams
*EDI
*Garrus Vakarian
*James Vega
*Javik
*Kaidan Alenko
*Liara T'Soni
*Tali'Zorah vas Normandy
=== Allies===
*David Anderson
*Karin Chakwas
*Steve Cortez
*Jeff "Joker" Moreau
*Samantha Traynor
==Ending Controversy==
Many fans were unhappy by the way the Mass Effect 3, and by extension the entire series, ended. After the game's release, fans gathered on sites such as Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, the BioWare Social Network, and the /v/ board of 4chan to share opinions about the conclusion.
While responses were varied, the majority seemed to feel that the final product did meet the standards that the developers themselves set.The Mass Effect 3 Ending Backlash Continues To Gain Steam, posted March 12, 2012. Accessed March 20, 2012. Around the middle of March 2012, a BioWare Social Network user named cato_84 started a thread that contained pre-release quotes from key BioWare staff.
===Retake Mass Effect and Child's Play===
Retake Mass Effect was founded to unite disappointed fans and put a positive spin on the protest by donating to Child's Play.Kotaku: Charitable Donations Don't Give You the Right to Ask for Changes. Accessed March 20, 2012. As of March 20, 2012, over $70,000 was raised.
This attempt to raise awareness came to an ignominious conclusion: some donators demanded refunds from PayPal with the excuse that they believed they were funding the actual ending, not donating to a charity. This lead Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade and Child's Play to make a statement regarding his charity:Child's Play Doesn't Appreciate Being Used to "Retake Mass Effect", posted March 23, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2012.Child's Play Shuts Down Fundraiser to Change Mass Effect 3's End, posted March 24, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2012.
Other fans were not so charitable: BioWare Forum user named El_Spiko filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Committee as well as with the Better Business Bureau, and urged other fans to do the same.Mass Effect 3 Fan Complains to the Feds Over the Game’s Ending. Accessed March 20, 2012.
Game Front, a gaming site for reviews and news, posted an article on March 13, 2012 about why unhappy fans are justified.
=== The Indoctrination Theory===
The Indoctrination Theory is a fan-created theory that some people believe explains the game's conclusion. This theory relies on the meta-interpretation that the main character, Commander Shephard, essentially hallucinated the final scenes. This is used to defend the ending and fill the plot holes that some fans feel were created, or at least left unresolved, by the conclusion. The first post on the subject seems to be byne on the BioWare Social Network. As of March 20, 2012, byne's post had received 760 pages of comments.
Tumblr used uninhibitedandunrepentant posted their support of the theory:
===BioWare Response ===
BioWare developers made a post to the Mass Effect Facebook page on March 18, 2012 with a response that they were aware of the fans' responses and had not "ruled out" anything.
On March 21, 2012, one of the BioWare founders Dr. Ray Muzyka made a statement on the BioWare blog directly addressing the ending controversyBioWare Co-Founder Promises Fans "Clarity and Closure", posted March 22, 2012. Accessed March 21, 2012.
Muzyka also addressed what he called "destructive commentary" from fans; this may have been in part inspired by the abuse writer Jennifer Hepler received in February 2012.
==Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
* Variations on a Theme, with Tank and Gunfire by servantofclio - A very popular Shakarian ending fix-it by way of a Peggy Sue time loop.
* Die Hard The Hunter by AcidQueen - a FShenko fix-it that retells the ending and ignores the Extended Cut and Leviathan DLCs, in addition to pretending that the Starchild doesn't exist.
===Fanart===
==Resources==
===Fan Communities===
*unofficial BioWare forums
*masseffect reddit
*masseffectkink - kink meme
===Archives===
*Mass Effect at AO3
*Mass Effect at FF.net
===Other Resources===
*masseffect wikia
*Everything You Need to Know About the Mass Effect 3 Ending Controversy, article on The Mary Sue
*Mass Effect 3 Ending-Hatred: 5 Reasons The Fans Are Right, article on Gamefront
*Mass Effect 3 Ending Controversy on MetaFilter
*The Non-Mass Effect Fans' Guide To Why The ME3 Ending Was Objectively Terrible by Lucia Zephyr
*Mass Effect, Tolkien, and Your Bullshit Artistic Process by Doyce Testerman
*A Logical Breakdown of Why the Mass Effect 3 Ending Makes No Sense, googledoc fan collaboration
==References==
Category:Mass Effect