Also, the Assassin's Creed games will occasionally do that - pull you out of the reconstructed memories of an assassin who lived in the past to let you play as the modern-age person who is in the Animus and living those memories. So it was kind of an homage to that as well.
I don't have the context to have connected it to the game. I've heard of Assassin's Creed and the premise, but that's about it. I think you explained enough of what was going on that it makes sense, except that I wondered how they got Clark's memories in the first place.
Clark had to die. I never considered a different fate for him. His past would have weighed on him too much - he never would have been free of the guilt and bloodshed. Of course, damaged as he was, I think Lois would have been amazing at helping him heal, but it only made sense for the story that he give his life trying to right the wrongs he'd help bring about.
Another thing is that Clark's relationship with Lois is very unequal. A lot of it is based on Lois helping him get through his trauma and her suppressing (or repressing) her trauma in order to make him feel better about what he has done. It works in the short term, but they would need to adjust the dynamic over time to really work long-term. Maybe they would have done that naturally if given the chance, but there's a lot of emotional baggage that Clark has dumped on Lois that would get emotionally draining and exhausting.
There's also the point that, even though Clark has had a lot of exposure to culture through books and TV, he has very little experience in inter-personal relationships and interactions. Lois is the first real friend he has had, let alone the first woman he has really gotten to know. When your social circle is Lex, Nigel, and Mrs. Cox, that doesn't leave a lot of room for learning how to deal with friends nor a girlfriend.
