Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Disappointing"

As I played through the game I was in gaming Nirvana. This was the apotheosis of gamer's game. The choices I faced, bringing the galaxy together, loosing dear friends along the way and the humor, all of this felt right. The pace of the game was frenetic, thank god the boring mining and probing for resources of ME 1 & 2 were gone. I did not want to sleep as I wanted to keep playing to see the end, how my choices over the span of three games would pan out. An end where I expected that Shepherd would likely not survive, yet the legacy of her deeds would shape the future of all races.
As I struggled with some levels I sought walkthroughs online and became aware of the discontent of some with the ending. I did not pay these any heed, saying to myself that there will always be some people who are never happy with anything and unlike me did not expect Shepherd to die. Afterall, this game was praised by critics and so far in my gameplay this proved to be correct.
I was shocked as I watched the limpimg Shepherd be given three totally implausible choices and kept waiting for my cues to argue the obvious flaws in the monologue of the child/VI. I was in utter disbelief as I sat through the next sequences. I felt betrayed: all of my efforts over three games have been rendered utterly and totally meaningless yet Shepherd just accepted these. This was reinforced by "professional" critics denouncing my feelings and my wanting appropriate closure as childish and wrong.
This game and it's aftermath has left a sour taste in my mouth. I hope that Diablo 3 lives up to expectations. I need something good to play.