8 Times YOU Changed Video Games

Off of the back of the incredible, intense and viscerally engaging Mass Effect 2, the final entry into the original trilogy Mass Effect 3 had both a jet fuel level of hype in the tanks but also a crushing weight of expectation hanging over its head, and so fans were equally excited and nervous about how Shepards third act would close out the show.

Well for about 99% of the game things appeared to be on track to smash through the sun and burn even brighter. The combat had been doubled down on and arcade sensibilities had made it so anyone could hold their own in a fight, the scope of the game was even bigger, and while your squad might not have felt as tight-knit as in ME2, they were still the breakout stars.

However, it seemed that the hype train was totally derailed come the close of the game, as in a manner that would later reveal itself to be the product of publisher pressures and harsh deadlines, Shepard's hard work all boiled down to "pick one of these primary colors and get out of my house". Fans were fuming, and it was a lingering hate, that achieved such a peak heat that it risked burning EA to the ground had it not been addressed.

The backlash was so intense that both the studio and publisher were forced into action, expanding on the ending of the game via explanatory stills to address many questions fans had for the fates of characters and the outcome of the galaxy at large.

Without this sort of immediate, vitriolic response some of our favorite gaming characters ever would have just been left floating in the cold vacuum of space.