I know this is going off topic a bit but the ending that comes to mind for me is Stephen King's The Dark tower. The ending for that series was very bleak to say the least and I've thought about it for years but the story wasn't necessarily about the destination it was more about the journey we took to get there.

I have my fair share of criticisms for mass effect 3 but the story wasn't a big one, personally i think if the developers would have left out multiplayer which no one asked for they easily could have put more effort into the singleplayer but thats just me.

It did seem rushed and a bit like a different writing team composed it, but the game itself is amazing. Just like ME2 was. So, I could care less about what the upcoming DLC will be like, yet I'll still be interested to see it. My only concern is the hope that there will be a Mass Effect 4 and it doesn't end with 3..

This comment is a bit late, but I suppose that doesn't matter ;P

The only parts I didn't like about the ME3 ending was the complete lack of sense. If they had gone the same route, but had tied it into thee lore, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. As it stands it is a competent ending to a fantastic series.

god dam it bioware you broke my heart. i was so sad when i finished the game i and can't stop thinking about it. I have such a good times with shepard and it's missions and his crews like Ashly, Miranda and tali (which are dead meat beside Shepard now) and .... i think bioware shouldn't end it like this(killing the main characters specially Shepard) and destroy the mass relays. well, so so another good story ends but such a bad and dramatic end. and i can't play it again because it make so sad. sorry for English!!

man such a sad ending.I'm so upset and i can't stop thinking about it.such a good times with mass effect and Shepard and his crews like Miranda (which is dead meat now beside Shepard) Ashly and .... i think Bioware shouldn't end it, this way.I mean killing the game's character. such a dramatic ending it could be something better. sorry for English!! and one thing more god dam it Bioware you broke my heart.

langweilliges ende jungs aber ich hoffe das mass effect 4 besser wird aber sonst ist es ganz cool.thanks!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Chris.

@Chris_Watters I'd post my response here, but I've got a blog post dedicated to this precise issue. I'd love it if you could read it and give me some feedback. http://www.gamespot.com/users/eiji1/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25977462

I agree so freaking hard with this.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I loved both the series and the ending. The choices I made in the first two games played out in exciting ways throughout the whole game (i.e. Genophage resolution, Rachni issue settled, Geth issue settled). As for the final decision, I can see how it appears a bit lazy given how much gameplay figured into the ending of ME2. But I was happy with the final solution for the galaxy. SPOILERS Organic life went on living in my playthrough. They may have been setback a few thousand years technologically, but humans will have Earth to re-populate. The Asari will have Thessia, and so on. All because of the sacrifice of my Shepard - not too bad in my opinion. I do agree that the Normandy part was a bit odd though.

There have been plenty of great games with bad endings in the past, like Bioshock or Batman: Arkham City, that people were able to forgive. The problem with Mass Effect is that most people play it for the story. This is what the past 3 games have been building toward, and it was by far the weakest part of the narrative in all three games. Fans had been looking forward to that moment for years, that's why it was such a big let down. I was angry at Bioware immediately after seeing that awful ending, but the days that followed I learned to just focus on all the great moments that came before it. The ending did make me less likely to play as my alt character though. Now that I know the end result of my efforts will be so disappointing, I just don't see the point.

Well, when it comes to games....I've gotten used to being disappointed by game endings. Does anyone remember the Bioshock ending? sigh.... When it comes to a series like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, I do expect to feel satisfied with the overall story.... Dragon Age is #1 in that department for me right now....especially, if you read the book "Stolen Throne".

i didnt play ME before, well i guess i tried out ME2 with a friend. just accept the ending if you at least had a great time with the game itself. now if the whole game was terrible then you can rage :P

A lot of game developers are shutting down, I think I know what's wrong but I don't know why? Maybe all of the game developer are getting tired of working on games.

very well said

@CarlitosWay - The moment they starting putting their hand out and collecting the "fans" money is when it became more than just their little story. The entire basis of it's existence is to entertain and profit from the fans who are deservedly pissed off right now. BTW, The Song of Ice and Fire comparison is completely 100% invalid, sorry. That was actually competently written and the ramifications are STILL being explored.. it wasn't an ending of the series that was sloppily handled and over in 10 minutes with no closure whatsoever coinciding with a prompt to buy some of Martin's followup short stories.

I felt exactly the same way, Chris, except with a bit more understanding. ME3 was all about sacrifice. And it stayed like that till the VERY end.

Why do people say "Bioware failed its fans". For real? Like, they create their own story, the way they want it, and yet they failed YOU? How about you as "fans" failed Bioware? You insult and degrade the hard work that went into this content and story just because it doesnt suit your "fantasy imagination". You dont call up famous authors and tell them to rewrite their books because you didnt like it. Look at one of the best and main characters from "A Song of Ice and Fire" (who wil remain anon) gets beheaded early on in the series. I hated that. Doesnt make me think that the series or book sucked.

For all the things they accomplished, the fact that they failed the fans in the final and most important task will always remain the most prominent aspect of this franchise's legacy. It's like the 2007-08 New England Patriots, they went 16-0 during the regular season and made it all the way to the Super Bowl.. and lost. No undefeated season, not even a championship. Despite all the historic accomplishments and the fun ride, their season became a mere historical footnote due to them choking when it mattered most. True acceptance needs to come from both sides of the Mass Effect 3 ending debate.. those that hate it need to accept that the deed was done and the sour aftertaste will always remain despite any post-game patchwork, and those that were fine with it need to accept that despite all those good memories, it will never be remembered the same way it could have been.

I definitely agree with your explanation. After I finished it I was extremely sad. In my mind I was thinking, "What? That's it? How disappointing." However, I reflected upon it and realized that the ending was only one section of a great story. Sure it's important but the other parts of Mass Effect 3's story was so engrossing that I couldn't penalize the game for what it did in the ending. Disappointing? Yes. A bit salty? Yes. However, I would rather have the ending we do now than something else. It shows that the creators of the stories really want to stick with their original vision. And because of that I respect the ending despite the "averageness" of it.

I was certainly on the more negative side when it comes to the endings. It just really felt like a kind of poorly written piece of fiction, I wasn't angry about the ending but it definitely didn't feel good. Mass Effect 3 joins my special club of works where the ending makes me feel worse about the whole experience. It took a few moments to remember that there are absolutely incredible moments in that game and that for me says a lot about how I feel about that ending even if I can't quite articulate it at times.

for me it was and still is 2 4 5 1 2 4 2 2 4 5 2 2 2 5 4 2 ...