Initially I had a load of things I wanted to say and analyse about Mass Effect 3′s ending, but then a week passed and I realised I’d stopped personally being bothered by what that notorious final cutscene did or didn’t answer. I’d had an adventure, and now it was time for another one. Mass Effect games have always been peculiarly adept at entirely dominating my thinking for a while, but quickly enough something else always comes along to distract me. The concluding moments of the game remain a bone of contention for many, however, and so much so that it’s taken me nearly 700 words just to document the current state of the online debate.

I’ve avoided all direct spoilers and narrative details in the below, but there are a few oblique references to the manner in which the conclusion is presented which you might want to steer clear of if you’ve not finished the game.(more…)