Have finished the game and I have to say the ending is awful. So, after making huge decisions all the way through it boils down to two options: A.Die and let the Reapers win, i.e. taking everyone else with me or B.Die and destroy the mass-portals while basically saving everyone else that's still alive? Wow, that's a tough one... If your second name is Hitler. I mean seriously? What were they thinking? A tough choice would have been saving everyone, but dying yourself (not that Shepard's really alive in the end) or saving everyone but having to do slave labour for the Reapers for the rest of your live (yeah, stupid example, but you know what I mean).
And is there a rule that kids in a computer-game have to be utter twats? I wanted to shoot the little bastard right after he opened his fucking gob for the first time...
I think, the thing with the ending is that it would have been an awful lot of work to include several endings depending on what choices the player has made in all three games. So, I can see why they have taken that route. What I don't understand is why they've made it so bloody awful. If I had stopped playing right after Shepard is on that glowing platform going up, imagining what would happen, it would have been miles better...
And am I getting this wrong or does it basically have no influence at all how many allies you pick up before the final battle? Or does it become easier? I had 4000 or so with 50% readiness or whatever it is called, because I didn't really know what the stuff means and I just did some of the side-quests without knowing that at one point you wouldn't be able to finish them.