*Hasn't played ME3 yet, but is a massive fan of the series, and will be playing ME3 soon, once I'm done with Xenoblade. PLZ no spoilers if you reply to me.*
...I think he just doesn't understand the problem here.
Gamers generally have no problem with downer endings. I mean, there was a certain game that came out last summer with a SERIOUS downer ending (two of them, actually), and almost everyone loved them. Personally, I think it was the best game ending I've ever seen.
It's not even about a lame ending. I mean, Deus Ex human revolution had 4 pretty good endings...but the delivery method for these endings felt very lacking and disappointing. And while a lot of people were annoyed, the fuss wasn't all that big, nor did it last very long.
So no, this is not about downer endings, or mere disappointment. The anger over the ending is about....Well, let me break it down.
The Mass Effect series has always been about making choices, and facing the consequences of them. The series was based on the principle that choices made in the first two games would have an impact on the ending. And we made each choice seriously, weighing the consequences...
And then ME3's ending apparently doesn't even really take your choices into account? It's just a lame "choose ending now" deal with little closure?! AFTER 3 GAMES OF TELLING US HOW EVERY CHOICE MATTERS IN THE END?!
Yeah, I can definitely understand why people are upset. It feels like a slap in the face to promise us over 3 games that every choice matters...Only for them not to matter.
And no, I don't think that "caving" to the fan outcry sets the medium back. What it does is show developers "Hey, make sure that you take your ending seriously. Don't do something that will spit in the face of your previously established ideas.". It's like how everyone got pissed at Other M, for how it changed Samus from an independent badass to a subservient wuss (despite that conflicting with the gameplay and ALL the previous games).
....Oh wait. Bob liked Other M, didn't he? -_-
I mean...bob makes good points occasionally, but still...Recently, I feel he's been missing the point more and more often these days.