Lets be realistic, this game isn't what its cracked up to be, and the ending is the furthest thing from what is wrong.
Right off the bat, back when the game was released, the first things we noticed were the playstyles, such as action, rpg, and narrative mode, and the face import not working. However, the latter was fixed later on. Now, why did we all get into Mass Effect to begin with? Because it is an RPG with choices in dialogues and outcomes. So tell me, why the hell would anyone who is a fan of this series play on Action mode and have the choices be made for them? This is one of the things that is wrong with this game, its trying too hard to cater to the non RPG crowd at the same time as its trying to please the hardcore fans.
So why does this game pale in comparison to its predecessors? Well let us find out. To start, look at the hubworlds. Oh wait, let me correct that. Hubworld. Yes, we only have one place to land in between missions, and it is only the Citadel, whereas in previous Mass Effects we had a choice of planets to land on.
Dialogue choices...remember the investigate option? Well, in this game we barely see that option. Most of the time you only have 2 options to choose from in a standard conversation. Whats worse, on the Normandy, you only have the dialogue wheel once with a squadmate, and after that, they all are given the Zaeed and Kasumi treatment, where they just say a line or 2, without your input.
Another huge disappointment is the squad. Remember at the end of Mass Effect 2, it showed everyone motivated to follow you into hell and back, prepping their weapons? Well guess what, not one ME2 exclusive squadmate returns on the squad, not even a temporary squadmates, which they kept talking about having. So basically, this makes gaining loyalty from everyone in ME2 totally pointless. Why spend a whole game creating and developing these characters if they are not going to return fulltime to the squad? Oh they do appear, but most of them appear in a 5 minute cameo in a sidequest.
Speaking of sidequests, remember in ME1 we can land on planets, explore, and have different outcomes? How about in ME2, where we land in certain parts of a planet, and do objectives? You liked one or both of these? Well too bad because they do not return. A huge chunk of sidequests in this game are just fetch quests. So, talk to someone or eavesdrop, scan a planet, return to quest giver. Rinse and repeat. Pathetic. It would have been understandable if it was ME1, but this is the third game, and they managed to take several steps backwards.
The final mission is boring. It just felt like any other mission in the game. In ME1, we went from the prothean planet Ilos to the Citadel where we felt the need to hurry and chase after Saren before it is too late. In ME2, we had to give key squadmates skill concentrated tasks, and their success lies in their loyalty. Why couldn't we get another Suicide Mission for ME3?
Choices from the previous 2 games do carry over, but barely make a difference. Monumental ones are either reduced to a sidequest, mentioned once, or are just ignored. Disappointing to say the least.
This game is by no means a horrid game, but it just pales in comparison with the previous titles. There is no replay value to speak of. I have played 1 and 2 at least 7 times, where as in 3 I played through 2 and a half. The only part that you will be playing the most is the secondary tacked on multiplayer mode. It is basically hordemode, but it is a great first start that exceeded my expectations.