Compilation of promises and quotes from Bioware/EA staff pre-release. Taken from the Bioware Social Network forums.
Official Mass Effect Website
http://masseffect.com/about/story/
“Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any
other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience
and outcome.”
Interview with Mac Walters (Lead Writer)
http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/28/mass-effect-3-mac-walters/
“[The presence of the Rachni] has huge consequences in Mass
Effect 3. Even just in the final battle with the Reapers.”
Interview with Mac Walters (Lead Writer)
Q&A: Mass Effect 3 lead writer Mac Walters
“I’m always leery of saying there are ‘optimal’ endings, because I think
one of the things we do try to do is make different endings that are
optimal for different people “
Interview with Mike Gamble (Associate Producer)
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/334598/interviews/mass-effect-3-weve-brought-back-a-lot-of-what-was-missing-in-me2/
“And, to be honest, you [the fans] are crafting your Mass Effect story as
much as we are anyway.”
Interview with Mike Gamble (Associate Producer)
http://www.360magazine.co.uk/interview/mass-effect-3-has-many-different-endings/
“There are many different endings. We wouldn’t do it any other way. How
could you go through all three campaigns playing as your Shepard and
then be forced into a bespoke ending that everyone gets? But I can’t
say any more than that…”
Interview with Mike Gamble (Associate Producer)
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-02-bioware-mass-effect-3-ending-will-make-some-people-angry
“Every decision you’ve made will impact how things go. The player’s also the
architect of what happens.”
“You’ll get answers to everything. That was one of the key things. Regardless
of how we did everything, we had to say, yes, we’re going to provide
some answers to these people.”
“Because a lot of these plot threads are concluding and because it’s being
brought to a finale, since you were a part of architecting how they
got to how they were, you will definitely sense how they close was
because of the decisions you made and because of the decisions you
didn’t make”
Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/04/28/casey-hudson-interview-mass-effect-3.aspx
“For people who are invested in these characters and the back-story of the
universe and everything, all of these things come to a resolution in
Mass Effect 3. And they are resolved in a way that’s very different
based on what you would do in those situations.”
Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)
“Fans want to make sure that they see things resolved, they want to get
some closure, a great ending. I think they’re going to get that.”
“Mass Effect 3 is all about answering all the biggest questions in the
lore, learning about the mysteries and the Protheans and the Reapers,
being able to decide for yourself how all of these things come to an
end.”
Interviewer: “So are you guys the creators or the stewards of the franchise?”
Hudson: “Um… You know, at this point, I think we’re co-creators with
the fans. We use a lot of feedback.”
Interview with Casey Hudson (Director)
Interviewer: [Regarding the numerous possible endings of Mass Effect 2] “Is that
same type of complexity built into the ending of Mass Effect 3?”
Hudson: “Yeah, and I’d say much more so, because we have the ability to
build the endings out in a way that we don’t have to worry about
eventually tying them back together somewhere. This story arc is
coming to an end with this game. That means the endings can be a lot
more different. At this point we’re taking into account so many
decisions that you’ve made as a player and reflecting a lot of that
stuff. It’s not even in any way like the traditional game endings,
where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got
ending A, B, or C…..The endings have a lot more sophistication and
variety in them.”
“We have a rule in our franchise that there is no canon. You as a player
decide what your story is.”
Soulnova Alizrak 
lol
I know. The last one is *Troll Face* worthy.
Send them this, with your Mass Effect 3 Copy.
Note attached: “Not the game you were talking about”.
Most of these “promises” were true though, the game ties up each individual plot after each individual act. The entire series didnt branch out the way I hoped it would.. theres what? one, maybe two different playthroughs you can get? But they all lead to the same ending anyway. I never ever felt like I had a choice in the series with anything but I can live with that because if the story doesnt suit me, I can always re-write it in my head :)
They did kinda lie though. ME1 or 2 doesn’t matter to the series at all, they just give little nods to you in ME3 reminding you that you did this or not. And even the endings to the other two games doesnt really change anything. Choosing Anderson for the council has Udina on the council anyway.
The game was awesome, best game I’ve played, it’s just the catalyst part that kinda sucked.
I agree too. The game was awesome and I wouldn’t have minded that much if it had ended with Anderson’s scene. But then… Space Magic. Ugh.
Actually the “great” thing here is that you can’t even get 2 more playthroughs unless you really just feel like doing so. Since none of your decisions affect the actual ending, you can simply go back to your last save before making the decision, choose a different one, and see the recycled footage with a color filter applied. As long as you have high readiness and war assets, absolutely nothing will be changed by going through the game a second time. It’s just like the Deus Ex: HR ending with it’s Endingtron 5000, except it’s even worse here thanks to the promises Bioware made about the game.
For me the problem wasn’t so much the endings, the cinematics of which I enjoyed. It was the fact that almost all the plotlines were left hanging… nothing actually ended satisfactorily explained. Cerberus – so powerful for 95% of the game then just get melted in 5 minutes? Mass Effect gates and the Citadel; if Reapers built them then surely that just aids the spread of ideas and their own predictions? Why do they have to all blow up? And the whole technique the Reapers used to wipe people out… talk about long winded, and they all of a sudden are built of balsa wood, whereas in ME2 they’re nigh on invulnerable. And their entire motives make no sense. And why end on a different planet? Why not Earth… what’s wrong with Earth? So…. many…. questions…
Could have been the real Star Wars of the gaming world, but turned into an episide of Lost. Shame
Heh, I felt the Lost finale was actually more satisfactory than ME3’s. :(
I mean c’mon, Lost ending is the most epic failed ending. You waited 4-6 years for that ending and it was horrible and so poorly that even a 14 years old kid could do it better.
“We have a rule in our franchise that there is no canon. You as a player
decide what your story is.”
…I’ve had enough of your disingenuous assertions.
*punch*
http://myme3ending.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/my-me3-endingw/
[…] didn’t like about the final moments of Commander Shepard’s story. It was okay, but not nearly what was promised. Then, the Leviathan DLC came out. It was pretty good, but still lacking. Mass Effect fans wanted […]