So, I finished the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC this morning. And... meh. I mean, I liked the ending of Mass Effect 3 in the first place, so, I was just worried that they would completely change the ending of the game to appease the whiniest of the whiners [NOTE: that's not to say everyone complaining about the ending was whining. There were some legitimate complaints, but, the loudest people I heard were complaining about it not being a happy ending]. And, to a certain extent, they did just that. But, they also closed off a couple loopholes that were really bothering me. Namely, how your squadmates suddenly appeared back on the Normandy after being blown away by a Reaper and why it was in the middle of a mass relay jump when the mass relays exploded. Understood, now! A couple additional cut scenes and we're golden.

The other big thing I noticed was a lot of additional dialogue explaining exactly who the Catalyst is, what the Crucible exactly is, and what each ending choice means. Which is fine and good for anyone who was confused before, but, it basically elaborated on things I had already understood my first time. So, it didn't do much for me.

As far as appeasing people who were unhappy with the grim nature of the ending, it looks like just about everything came up roses! So, I chose the Control ending when I played through originally and this time again for comparison purposes. Additions to make the ending happier! Shepard gets to keep her memories and herself, so, it's not like she actually died. =D And she had the Reapers fix the mass relays! So, no one's stuck anywhere and everyone got to go home and enjoy a nice cuppa. =D In fact, there are now scenes depicting exactly that. =D Frankly, I liked the grim ending a lot better. Seemed more realistic after such an extensive war. Of course everything's going to be in ruins. They knew they were basically going to come out of the other side either devastated or extinct. If anyone lived at all, they'd have to rebuild everything. Now, though, everything's happy and shiny. =D

I still quite enjoy the ending, and the game as a whole, and feel like it's very powerful, I just feel like some of that was stripped away so that it could end happier. The only thing they didn't address was a loophole I read about concerning the explosion of all those relays, though. Ostensibly, earlier in the trilogy a relay exploding is catastrophic and destroys worlds near the relay. That many relays going off near so many inhabited solar system would, presumably, kill trillions. But it's not even touched upon. Other than that, though, it seems like they addressed everything I had heard complained about. For better or for worse.

And, in playing, I was reminded how damned much I enjoyed it! And I love the stinger with Stargazer and the child. Paints the entire trilogy as this story a man was telling his grandchild of a hero hundreds of years ago. AH, so good!