I've said this before, but hey, maybe saying it again will create some interesting discussion.

The way I see it, the game wasn't ours to end. The game was Bioware's to end. Yes, I'm a fan of the idea that they released the extended footage to fill some holes, but I'm glad they didn't fill them all, and I'm glad they didn't radically alter their plot. Anyone can critcize a move after it happens, but the folks at Bioware had to come up with it before hand. They had to gamble, and they had to release it, and they had to stand by it. It was their game, their world, their story, and we were all only along for the ride. If we don't like the way it ended, well... the whole galaxy was about to come to an end. Who are we to be picky about its outcome?

I honestly think what's happened here is that they created such a great series that people put so much time and emotion into that they were taken off-guard. I didn't think Shepard was going to (possibly) die. Then again, I didn't always think Shepard was going to succeed, either. I sure didn't think Ashley would be stranded on a strange planet, but that's what happened. My heart went out to them, but... it wasn't my game to write.

Makes you wonder. The boy is the Catalyst, as far as I can tell, and I actually found it very interesting that, as it turns out, the Catalyst was interfering with Shepard's dreams. Did the Catalyst know Shepard would make it all along? Then again, when the Catalyst caught fire, what did that mean? Did the Catalyst not believe in Shepard?

It's another one of those interesting open-ended things, I think.

I honestly had no idea -- interesting.

My initial impression is that if the thing keeping you from enjoying the game is choppy combat, the game may not be ideal for you in any event. There's nothing wrong with that, but the story captivated me so quickly in ME1 that I forgot all about how awkward combat was. Just a thought, before you commit to spending hours on it!