When was the last time you actually heard anyone complain about Mass Effect 3's ending? A month ago? Two months ago? While the rage from various segments of the Internet over what was perceived to be everything from a mere cop-out to an out-and-out slaughtering of a fiction some people were apparently extremely invested in was hot and heavy at the outset, it's not a subject people have talked too much about in recent weeks. It almost makes you wonder if BioWare might have been better suited just, I don't know, maybe riding the heat wave out before eventually, quietly just moving onto something else?

Instead, BioWare decided to go with this "extended cut" DLC, which will launch for free on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this Tuesday. This is the new-ish ending that will "expand upon the events at the end of Mass Effect 3" through "additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes." It will also "rekindle the burning fires of hatred throughout the Internet anew, as message board posters scramble to debate whether or not the new ending solves any of the perceived problems with the original, or just cocks up the works even worse than before." Okay, so BioWare didn't say that last part, but the subtext was there.

Not being too terribly invested in the adventures of Commander Shepard myself beyond a basic, casual enjoyment of the series, I've never quite understood the uproar over the ending. I mean, was it a great one? No, not really. Was it a bit careless, all things considered? Yeah, probably. Did it ruin any and all enjoyment I had of the series to date? Not really. But I'm not the sort to generally get too up-in-arms over these sorts of things, so I realize that my viewpoint may be skewed.

Still, I can't help but wonder exactly how much good this new ending will do. It's not a new ending, as many wanted, which basically just assures that the conversation which all but died a month or two ago is just going to get heated all over again. I guess we'll all see come this Tuesday.