Why the ending did not work (repost)

OP gets at why the ending feels wrong.

It's too passive, with Shepard reacting instead of acting. That's why the game feels anticlimactic and unsatisfying...at least partly.

If they weren't so desperate to remake the ending of DEUS EX, the Catalyst ending could've been reworked so that your choices were being made IN SPITE of the machine.

That does't rectify the horribly WTF-inducing mish-mash of cutscenes that follow it, or the bland band aid offered by the extended cut, but it would be a start.

While I love 90% of Mass Effect 3, the ending is among the greatest narrative blunders I've ever experienced.

I'm pretty happy in general, but man, pacing was a MESS with Priority Earth. And, of course, it was sad not to see more from your assets/team.

Most companies usually take the feedback and use it to improve future products. They don't change ones that were previously released.

The goodbyes are about the only part of that mission I like.  I stop playing once I get to that point on my games now.  After playing through the ending once I have no desire to finish again. 

I remember that infamous Weekes post. 

I had no trouble believing every word of it. Just a shame that the ending, of all things, is what got screwed up so badly. 

I had no problem with the ending. Shepard sacrificed so much, so why not make the ultimate sacrifice? also, there was some major foreshadowing leading up to it...such as the final calls to the teammates scene.

I don't know if people still put credence in the Indoctrination Theory but after finally getting into the ME series (through ME2), and watching loads of vids about the IT, I'm left with the question:

if Shepard never leaves Earth while having those hallucinations about the holo-child in the rubbles of London - who actually fires the crucible?

Shepard did. He makes the choice from within his mind to destroy the Reapers and they get destroyed.

From the leaked script:

CUTSCENE:

The DEVICE docks with the Citadel, Shepard destroys the tubes resulting
in the Reapers being destroyed. Earth is okay. Shepard survives.

I'm ok with the destroy + high ems ending. I found synthesis to be interesting but not what I overall wanted. The main thing was wanting to give Shepard a chance to start a family with the LI. Not possible if dead. I gave MEHEM a shot today. It's interesting but - and I can't quite put my finger on why - it didn't work for me. Maybe because Anderson died but everyone else got a happy ending? Not sure. Anyway,I'll stick with my breath scene and imagine he and Kaidan live happily ever after.

I don't understand. I read all of this stuff, about ME3 Ending. There were many Youtube videos about "Bioware Change Ending", they were posts on the BSN "Bioware Change Ending". I completed ME Trilogy, 2 days a go, and hell, this ending of beatiful journey in ME Universe ended so much bad. When I was in that ending Place, where you decide, I felt a bit, weird, for all those time I spend in game, trying to do everything good, helping, supporting people and waiting for like some-kind of Happy End or something like that I got 3 choices, which only Destroy is like choice I would make, but c'mon. In the ending movie, I was happy for few things, but I felt bad about Geth, EDI and other Synthethics. But seriously, from like 100+ hours I spend in game, all I see, is Shepard Breathing, and her love refusing to put his name in memorial wall. I'm really shocked, that for 4 (I guess) years, people wanted other ending, telling Bioware "Change this Ending", and all you get is the little explanation about how squadmates got to Normandy, and view of your love in memorial flashbacks etc? I don't remember name now, but some company, when released game, and people told them to "change ending", they have changed it, in some kind of dlc or something like that. And if People in ME, are still not satisfied, then why Bioware, doesn't make a DLC, where you have some other ending options etc. I don't know if it is like i wrote here, cause I have fresh wound from that "ending", but I feel, a bit...lied? I made so many choices to see only 3 option of ending this game. Dammit Bioware, thanks for ruining my view of happy ending of Commander Shepard story

Allow me to disagree. People need a measure of stability in their lives, or they will be so occupied with just surviving that nothing beyond that will ever get done. Also, the Council didn't micromanage and hover over everyone's lives, it set policies. It may not have had the best interests of everyone in mind, but then, who does? Who even can, with interests being as diverse as they are? For most people, I suspect, it was comfortably far away so they could ignore it as it ignored their personal lives. I'd prefer such a setup because smaller communities are *way* more likely to interfere with your life.

This reminds me of a conversation with Shep and Ash on the Normandy in ME1 about how the Council might act as a stablalizing force to temper out our more agressinve human natures.