Why the ME3 Ending Doesn't Work For Anyone
The more I think about the ending given to us by Hudson, the more I realize that it doesn't work for anyone - not fans, and - interestingly enough - not for BioWare, since they've said that they want to set future games in that universe (without Shepard). Why doesn't it work? Well:
The Mass Relays are gone. No matter which ending you picked, they all blew up. So consider: every species' fleet is now stranded around earth, with no way home. Mass starvation (and maybe renewed war, as the survivors start blaming humans for the problem). The only ones who survive that mess intact are the Geth, who can live through the long flight to somewhere else.
Now consider the ravaged homeworlds of the various species - mass destruction, and all trade outside their home systems cut off - for a long, long time. The lore has it that the relays have been around "forever" - rebuilding them will be the work of centuries (assuming that the knowledge to do so even exists). It looks like each one will have to be built in place before travel over long distances is possible, so... interstellar travel is basically gone.
So congratulations, Mr. Hudson - you made future storytelling in this universe nearly impossible. Not only did you tick off fans everywhere, but - once your management team realizes just how badly you've screwed the pooch, they won't be happy either. It takes rare talent to irritate all and sundry, but I think you've managed the trick.
This may explain why they've decided to revisit the ending - it's one thing to irritate long time fans; it's something else again to kill a franchise.
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