Is it worth the wait?
It’s no secret that a certain percentage of Mass Effect fans were not happy with how the trilogy ended, and some have been vocally calling for changes to the ending. Announced shortly after the release of Mass Effect 3, the Extended Cut DLC was intended to bring a little more closure to those who were left wanting more, but we were warned that the ending wouldn’t be changing. Well, this DLC is finally available and, as a fan of the original ending, I just had to check it out. (WARNING: Small spoilers ahead!)
What You Get
The Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC doesn’t add any actual gameplay so it’s a little hard to discuss without spoiling it for anyone who either hasn’t played the game yet, or hasn’t experienced every ending yet. If you want to experience the new content it will all take place after you’ve made your big choice at the end of the game. To do this, you’ll need to load up a save that is before you attack the Cerberus base.
What you actually get is about four minutes of additional video and narrated slide shows that explain more about what happened after the last scene showing the Normandy, in the original endings. Everything up to that point remains the same and this DLC feels like what the endings should have been when the game was released.
The most intriguing part is a new, fourth option that people are calling the ‘Refusal’ ending. This ending can be triggered by using your gun, instead of choosing one of the three endings included in the original game. That’s my spoiler free explanation of how to get it, anyway. This ending is completely different, and I did enjoy it but it won’t satisfy people who wanted more of a ‘happily ever after’ situation.
Verdict
If you wanted Mass Effect 3 to end differently, you’re going to be disappointed. The hour or so of game you’ll have to replay might be too much for some people to bother downloading this DLC, but I think fans should experience it. If you haven’t finished Mass Effect 3, simply download this and carry on as if these were the available endings. I don’t feel like much effort was put into the new content, and it shouldn’t have taken three months, but some interesting new details about the aftermath are revealed. At least it’s free.
For those of you that don’t want to go back and play the endgame again, you can watch all of the endings in the below playlist courtesy of Tetra Ninja. SPOILERS AHEAD, obviously.
