Week in gaming: Ending Mass Effect 3, starting Wasteland 2

This week, a large, vocal group of gamers took to the Internet to not only protest what they saw as an unsatisfying ending to Mass Effect 3, but to actively demand that BioWare offer alternatives. My coverage of the protest has become the most-commented piece I've written during my short tenure at Ars Technica so far, but the thread is not a place you should even consider going if you're not interested in some massive spoilers.
Readers also showed a lot of interest in my experience going inside Half-Life 2 courtesy of one of the best VR headsets I've had the pleasure to try. Many commenters were incredulous that the experience I had was 1) really that cool or 2) really commercially viable, and while I can't speak with confidence on the second point, I'll definitely loudly argue the first.
Protests over ending of Mass Effect 3 show fan investment in story control: Vocal groups of disgruntled Mass Effect 3 players are gathering online to demand that Bioware change the ending to the long-running science fiction game series, showing just how invested players can get in a series where they take an active part in writing the story.
Virtual reality that doesn't suck: my time inside Half-Life 2: Despite a troubled history for head-mounted virtual reality displays in gaming, a recent Game Developers Conference demonstration of a fully immersive Half-Life 2 has me more excited than ever about the future of virtual reality gaming.
Why linking developer bonuses to Metacritic scores should come to an end: The recent revelation that a slightly-too-low Metacritic score prevented Obsidian Entertainment from receiving a bonus for Fallout: New Vegas helps show why publishers should stop such practices.
Are we on the cusp of an era of Achievement Point hyperinflation?: Microsoft's move to double the Achievement Point limit on downloadable Xbox Live Arcade games could be the first step in an inflationary spiral for the virtual bragging rights system. Or not. But it's still fun to speculate wildly.
Dare we believe it? Blizzard locks in May 15 launch date for Diablo 3: After numerous delays, Blizzard has finally announced a May 15 launch date for Diablo 3, opening pre-orders for retail and downloadable editions of the game as well as a bonus-packed $100 special edition.
Bethesda, Mojang settle trademark dispute over Scrolls name: Mojang and Bethesda have reached a settlement allowing the indie developer to use the name Scrolls for its upcoming card/board game hybrid, though Bethesda will retain the trademark.
Papo & Yo explores abuse, fear, and poverty through... block puzzles?: Papo & Yo creator Vander Caballero talks about his unique puzzle platformer, set in the slums of Colombia and focused on capturing the feeling of growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father.
Double Fine's adventure game Kickstarter ends with over $3.2 million pledged: With just hours to go before wrapping up the most successful Kickstarter campaign in history, the team at Double Fine has raked in over $3.2 million in funding for an old-school point-and-click adventure game.
Interplay's Brian Fargo finds fan funding for Wasteland sequel: Fans have already contributed nearly $1 million to a Kickstarter aimed at funding a sequel to influential late-'80s PC RPG Wasteland in a little over two days.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition to give first two games a modern update: Enhanced editions of the first two Baldur's Gate games will update the classic, D&D-inspired gameplay with a modern game engine while staying "true to the spirit of the game," according to the developers.