Ashes Cause Anger

...Look at the wall of rage.

I've been kind of out of it for the past two weeks, so I haven't been getting into a whole lot of writing for my blog. I am getting back into it and I have a ton of stuff I'm working on that will hopefully be done shortly. To tide you over until then, I will be talking about that Mass Effect DLC so, uh just gonna leave this here...


Spoiler Alert!
You've been warned!



Mass Effect 3 Day One DLC Causes Huge Community Backlash

By now just about everyone knows that Mass Effect 3 will be getting a bit of day one downloadable content. I don't think Bioware really planned on telling us so soon though. And can anyone really blame them giving the huge tsunami of backlash they have gotten? Maybe they knew we'd react like that. For the uninitiated who have decided to ignore my spoiler warning, Mass Effect 3 will have a piece of downloadable content available called "From Ashes" that will introduce a new mission and a new squad member. And he's Prothean. Yeah. That's a pretty big bit of DLC. Now, if you've got your N7 Edition preordered then your all set, the DLC ships with that version of the game. If not, it will be available for 800 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Now that those bases are covered...

A lot of people have gotten very upset with Bioware and how they seem to be moving to monetize Mass Effect as much as possible as of late. The art book, the figurines, and now this downloadable content, some people are saying that it's going to far. To be fair, something like this as downloadable content seems a bit of an odd move. Bioware's Michael Gamble explained that "The content in "From Ashes" was developed by a separate team (after the core game was finished) and not completed until well after the main game went into certification." He also mentioned that this DLC wasn't really aimed at newcomers or casual players of the series, but more for the longtime and die-hard fans (such as myself).

As far as the downloadable content goes, I have mixed feelings. I understand the point of the downloadable content being geared towards the longtime players but, I feel as if this is the kind of huge important revelation that's should be weaved into the main story. Not reduced to some kind of side show. I am kind of upset about that. At the same time though, the only reason this would be reduced to an optional side mission is if it isn't actually important to the end game result, or that it is not necessary. I will be a bit disappointed if that is the case but Bioware has a much longer history of success than they do failure. Michael Gamble himself said that the game you get out of the box is completed and is as they intended it to be released. Which means that The Prothean was not originally going to be in the game at all (I assume.) If that is the case, then "From Ashes" would have been downloadable content whether it was released day one or day 217 and a half. Actually, when it comes to DLC why do we seem to be so upset when it's something that is being released at a games launch but don;t seem to have as much of a problem with content that comes out after the game is released? I understand some of the underlying pieces sometimes, especially when it's something that could be perceived as being hacked right off the main game and then sold. But as far as Bioware has said, that was not the case here. I have never heard a developer come out and say that a piece of day one content was unrelated to the main game, but Bioware has done just that. What reason do we have to not believe them?

On the maximizing of sales from the Mass Effect franchise I can only say this. So what?

This is a game series that is going to go far beyond this trilogy, and it already has. No one bats an eye if Halo or Call of Duty push out figures and books but if Bioware decides they want to release an art book celebrating the artistic history of the series people start screaming like spoiled children? I have seen way more backlash against this OPTIONAL extra stuff that Bioware and EA have been releasing related to Mass Effect than I have most other game franchises. I just don't understand, especially since all of this is OPTIONAL and can be passed over or ignored one doesn't want anything to do with it. It's just silly how much people are overreacting to these things. Mass Effect has a huge expansive universe that has been developed, and it would make much, much less sense to not try and capitalize on that than it would to do exactly what Bioware and EA are doing. No one is forcing anybody to buy this stuff either. As they also are not forcing you to buy "From Ashes." It is there if you want it, and if you don't, then thats great too.

Did I mention it's OPTIONAL?

Some people have gone so far as to cancel their preorders or decide not to purchase Mass Effect 3 because of all of this. To the people doing that, it is your right to do so. But really think before you do it. I don't see as much of a cause to not pick the game up because of marketing moves. As I said above, much of this is merchandise that is made specifically for fans of the series. Yes they have a DLC code or two tied to them but if it really bothers you so much that some people will be getting a new weapon or armor set that is just extra content, you may want to reexamine how excited you are for this game. Mass Effect 3 will be one of the most important games of the year, and will likely be one of the best. If you've stuck it through the first two and loved them, then trust in Bioware to deliver on their promises.

Of course that's just what I think...


I will have some excellent new content coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled. As usual, spread the word, go like the facebook page, and keep reading. Oh and you guys should comment now and again! I am open to feedback, criticism, suggestions, and discussions.

Until next time...

Image Sources:
#1. http://social.bioware.com/forums/forum/1/topic/323/index/9382439/18
#2. http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/121/1219156/image1_1329863585.jpg