On intent, & liking Mass Effect 3's ending ON INTENT, AND LIKING MASS EFFECT 3'S ENDING

Adam: I think the one thing, and you said the same thing Kevin, I didn't realize the ending was not to be liked. I so got caught up in it, and enjoyed it, that it didn't even dawn on me. The only thing that I thought at the ending, and this is I think is more me than the game design, is I was so wrapped up in what was about to happen I didn't fully realize I had three choices in front of me, and I just walked into the light. And then I did that and realized "I think there was some opportunity, some other choices there, and went back.

Fran: I do hate myself, because at the end of it, I hate myself for wanting a happy ending, you know? It broke my heart, but.

Adam: I liked this world and these characters, and my Shepard so much that it was really hard to say goodbye.

Kevin: There's so much sacrifice in the game. It's hard to imagine anybody going into the final moments thinking that sacrifice wasn't a possibility, or even almost inevitable.

Adam: There were people who really wanted to see the Star Wars ending, that massive battle, to get that satisfaction, and I think that BioWare was damned any way they were going to do it. Ending something that people have invested 150 hours in, and more than just their attention, with that level of engagement and making choices, I think to go to a quieter, more philosophical take was going to alienate a lot of people. But I think it showed a bold move and a very committed move to their product.

Arthur: I wonder if it's spoiled somewhat by the idea that players, or a certain subset of players, will try to game system no matter what. I wonder if that effects people's enjoyment of this, because they were trying to figure out the whole time how to get the "best" ending. Because I hear a lot of talk about the "best" ending.