Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut out tomorrow!

Disappointed Mass Effect fans take notice. The highly anticipated Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is due out tomorrow, June 26th. This downloadable content feature has been highly anticipated since the series' controversial conclusion earlier this year.

Should we make this beam red, blue, or green... fuchsia?

 The description on the Bioware Blog explains that the content pack will " expand upon the events at the end of Mass Effect 3... through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes." Don't expect the Extended Cut to dramatically change the ending, rather it will provide fans with "deeper insight to Commander Shepard’s journey based on player choices during the war against the Reapers." While this all sounds well and good, it should go without saying that there is virtually no way that the Extended Cut will please everyone, a point that Bioware readily admits in the brief documentary video included in the Extended Cut overview.


Dave Thier mentions on Forbes.com that, "Bioware has a lot riding on the ending, but in many ways that damage is already done." There has been a very loud segment of the series' more faithful consumers who have vocalized their disappointment. The blockbuster title received a lot of negative buzz extremely early in their product's life cycle. Thousands of their most dedicated and involved fans rallied together to "hold the line" in an attempt to get a new batch of endings through letter and charity campaigns. Some of these fans may think the E.C. is just the sort of closure that their Shepard's saga needed, whereas others will consider it to be salt poured into the wound. Implementing this content in a way that maximizes the favorable responses and minimizes the venomous ones will be critical for maintaining Bioware's fiercely loyal fan following.

When Mass Effect 3 owners can expect to find the DLC on their platform

The Extended Cut will be available at no additional charge for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 customers. However Playstation 3 customers outside of North America will have to wait until July 4th. Expect a hefty 1.9gb download, which hopefully demonstrates just how much content they crammed into this release. 

In order to access the Extended Cut content, players will need to load a save prior to the final Cerberus related mission.