So what is it about
Mass Effect 3's ending that has so many up in arms? For many, the lack of direct player control over some rather massive story threads seems to be the main sticking point. After investing dozens of hours into a story where every decision seems to matter,
Mass Effect 3 players "reach the ending of
ME3 and realize that everything you have done means nothing," as the Facebook protest group puts it.
This isn't 100 percent true; there are 16 or so distinct variations on the
Mass Effect 3 ending, depending on how you're counting, and some of them show how previous player choices can have profound consequences for the fate of major characters and even entire planets. But the protesters do have a point: the larger outlines for the final fate of the galaxy seem preordained no matter what decisions you've made or how hard you've worked to get that "galactic readiness" rating up before the final battle.
I
mentioned in my review that I found the ending I ran into on my first
ME3 playthrough "somewhat unsatisfying from a narrative point of view," but at the time I figured there were other "better" endings that could have been achieved through careful decision-making and effort on a subsequent playthrough. Now that I've researched just which portions of the ending can be changed through player action, though, I'm genuinely surprised at how little all of Commander Shepard's actions seem to impact what happens to the galaxy as a whole.
