Enraged fan claims Mass Effect 3 ending was ‘false advertising’

Now this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read.  Fans have gone to ridiculous levels of stupid over the Mass Effect 3 ending, with BioWare forums users "El_Spiko" claiming he has filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints against EA and BioWare for "false advertising" with the Mass Effect 3 game – particularly the ending.

It's one thing to "protest" the ending of a game with a charity fundraiser, but to file a legal suit over the ending of a video game…come on people.  Have a little more sense than that – or at least more of a life.

"After reading through the list of promises about the ending of the game they made in their advertising campaign and PR interviews, it was clear that the product we got did not live up to any of those claims," user El_Spiko wrote on the Bioware Forums (via).

El_Spiko pointed to a post that is a compilation of BioWare and EA's claims with Mass Effect 3.

"Clearly, none of these were represented in the ending. If anyone else wishes to file a complaint (the more there are the more likely the FTC will take action) just go to FTC.gov and fill out a complaint form in the Consumer Protection section," he continued.

He added, "This is not something I was happy to do, but after the terrible ending that was in no way the product that had been advertised to me and the lack of any kind of response from Bioware/EA to address this, I felt it was one of my only recourses. I'll be returning my copy of the game before the end of my 30 day return policy if the ending still hasn't been addressed by then."

In addition, El_Spiko also filed a Better Business Bureau complaint as well.  According to the user, the BBB will at "the very least" notify EA of any complaints they receive.

El_Spiko isn't alone in his argument.  User Cato_84 chimed in:

"Does all that talk of meaningful player choice, multiple significantly different endings and closure for the characters and series not seem, at the very least, strange?"

"You know, I'm willing to overlook the ones that were made back in, say, April 2011, because things might have changed in development over time. But the ones that came out this year? No, unacceptable, and yes, these ARE outright lies because they knew that what they said went completely against what they had planned," BrotherFluffy added.

According to the FTC rules, "advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers."  Claims as to whether or not BioWare or EA broke those rules "must be substantiated."

Something tells me this guys argument won't hold up.  According to PCmag, a similar crazy woman did recently sue over a "misleading" trailer for Drive,  although not through the FTC. 

It's safe to say that "fans" of the Mass Effect series have taken their angers towards Mass Effect 3 to an unhealthy level.  It's a game people.  It's not real life. 

BioWare's Casey Hudson recently admitted that the they "recognize some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories – and these comments are equally valid."

He suggested player feedback – if constructive – will be considered in the development of future content for the Mass Effect series.

"An outpouring of love for Garrus and Tali led to their inclusion as love interests in Mass Effect 2.  A request for deeper RPG systems led to key design changes in Mass Effect 3," he justified.

"Your feedback has always mattered," Hudson reassured fans.  "Mass Effect is a collaboration between developers and players, and we continue to listen."

While I think many of us can agree BioWare screwed up the ending, filing with the FTC over it is just absurd.  Michael Bay has butchered movies year after year and no one has sued him.  Hell, he's about to butcher Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.