@okassar I'm assuming you only saw the extended versions of ME 3's ending(s), since you mentioned you never touched the series until this last summer. I'm only speaking for myself here, but I found the original endings to be severely lacking. The EC did fix things to some extent, but I still disagree with the direction the developers went with the ending.
I do agree, though, that people shouldn't let the haters on forums directly influence their opinion of the entire series. I personally hate the ending, but I love this series.
Ciphas' comments