Intriguing stuff to be sure, but heres the problem: the main complaints about the ending werent the lack of closure, the inability to see what happened to your characters, or even some of the more maddening plot holes. They have to do with the fact that the primary feature of the Mass Effect series has always been choice. Its so critical that the official websites blurb still says EXPERIENCE THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF AN EMOTIONAL STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER, WHERE THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE COMPLETELY SHAPE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND OUTCOME. And the endings of Mass Effect 3 are aesthetically indistinct and functionally almost identical. (Adding to this, no one was upset because Shepard died; they were upset because no matter what you did, he died. In other words, the outcome was the same.) This, and not the fact that we have no idea whether or not Liara had Shep babies, is the issue.