The problem isn't explaining the ending, it's the end not connected to C&C throughout the game.
Lack of C&C-y climax is definitely a problem, maybe even the biggest one, but I don´t think there´s really a "the problem" with the ending.EXACTLY.
It´s simply a failure on a lot of levels.
Lack of clarity, lack of consistency, lack of polish, lack of diversity, lack of putting the war assets mechanics to fruition, etc., the ending has it all.
It´s close to a perfect storm of shittiness. Couple it with the fact it rests at the end of a trilogy, not one self contained game, and it´s quite easy to see why it became quite a phenomenon .
This, btw, is true only very mildly. Out of curiousity, I went through the last dialogue with TIM without picking any of the red/blue choices and once the dialogue was over I was still given a chance to save the day via renegade interrupt and got the last conversation with Anderson afterwards.Also, TIM last discussion depends on your interaction with him through all of ME3 (paragon/renegade choices). Miss one (the first one is easy to miss) and you won't have the same outcome.
Yeah, The Incompetence Theory is the correct TIT here, the ending is clearly a result of horrible storytelling + horrible planning.But Indoctrination Theory was created more out of disbelief that Bioware could have screwed up so badly rather than any clues contained in the game.
Playing Arrival is not really relevant, ME3 itself has a codex entry that touches upon it: "Although it has recently been proven that mass relays can be destroyed, a ruptured relay liberates enough energy to ruin any terrestrial world in the relay's solar system."2) The Arrival may have been a DLC but the whether or not you played the DLC the game assumes that you did by starting ME3 with Shepard in house arrest. In ME3 the Arrival DID happen so we have to go with established lore.
The likely idea behind the blasts in ME3 is that the amount of EMS determines whether The Crucible is able to channel released energy without negative externalities or not, but it certainly isn´t communicated very well (and the nonsensical Normandy escape scene surely doesn´t help).
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