My God, They've Done It…
I didn't think it was possible for a video game to have a good ending. Even when they're done well, they're usually still a mediocre result. Usually, the ending gets cut, either by part or completely, in the middle of development. What gets substituted or left behind is a pitiful excuse for a conclusion.
I'd always said to myself, if I were going to design a game, I'd design the ending first, and then bring everything up to it. If the beginning is weak, it's no big deal. If the ending is weak, it ruins the entire experience.
And just now, I finished playing Mass Effect.
Overcoming it's good-but-not-quite-there-yet gameplay, and atrocious graphics and loading problems, it just delivered on one of the best Act IIIs I've ever seen in a video game.
I'm just going to go bask in the credits now.