Well the loud mouths of the internet got their wish in that Bioware are now looking into expanding and clarifying the ending. I've no idea how it ends (only got the game today) so I can't say how for sure. Really it's just shameful behaviour from these 'fans'. Their argument is that 'Well Bethesda did it for Fallout 3!!!' which is true, they did outright change the ending through the Broken Steel DLC. But in that case, they took a dumb ending and made it waaay worse.
*FALLOUT 3 ENDING SPOILER*
For those who've played it, you'll remember that pre DLC, you were asked to step into a hugely irradiated tanker and shut off a machine before it destroys the Wasteland, but killing you in the process. Except, if you had the mutant companion, you know straight away that everyone can be happy if you ask him, who's completely immune to radiation, to go in there and shut it down. Therefore you found the perfect way to beat the game by using your brain. Except, the mutant comes up with some bullshit about how he wouldn't want to deny you your destiny by going in there and turning it off. Bullshit.
Now in the Broken Steel DLC, if you do select the option to do it, he goes in and does it, which already feels rather dumb, but then you listen to the narrator afterwards and he outright calls your companion the true hero.
So yeh, that was a really dumb way of handling it, here's hoping ME doesn't do anything dumber than that. If fact I don't really want it to change at all. Bioware just dug themselves into a hole by caving into their selfish demands. I don't agree with a lot of endings to other forms of entertainment I've become engrossed in, like Lost or The Dark Tower, but I don't and would never even dream of sending out letters or emails to the creators demanding they change their minds just because I didn't like it.
The sense of entitlement that these loud mouths have is absolutely crazy. They forget that despite the marketing talk, it's really not 'their' story, it's a choose your own adventure story. A very good one, with a well realised universe with history and characters I'm fascinated with, but it's not as dear and as personal as other people believe. My worry is that this will put off anyone attempting something similar as this proves you can't be all things to all people and when you have an exceptionally vocal group on the Internet, you can't win.
In other news, I got the game at last. Initial impressions are pretty good. What's that council? You fear the Reapers are here? Oh shit, that's terrible. If only you had someone to warn you. Oh wait. I DID! 2 GAMES AGO!!! I wish a renegade option appeared at that point where Shepherd is like, 'I warned y'all but you're on your own now' and then took off in a jetpack. That would be the true ending.
Also, why are people just lazing about on the Citadel, more concerned about finding things? Aren't the Reapers meant to be the worst shit ever?
Also, if you don't mind having a noob on the team, hit me up with some multiplayer. You know you wanna.