Mass Effect 3 Review
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Brothers (and Sisters) in Arms I'd never thought I'd say it, but the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect 3 is actually quite good. BioWare, once the paragons of single-player RPGs, now giving in and making an online co-op shooter? It sounds like heresy, but as far as these sorts of things go, it's fun, well-constructed, well-balanced, features some quality level design, and the persistent progression system moves at a good pace while still making you earn the last few level-ups.
There's no competitive multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3. Gameplay consists of co-operative hold-out missions against ten waves of enemy forces which gradually become more and more powerful - those who have played any recent shooter will recognize this as, more or less, a carbon copy of the "horde" mode from Gears of War (or Unreal Tournament's "invasion" mode for the older PC gamers). Throughout the match, players will also need to complete bonus objectives, like assassinating powerful enemies or claiming an area king-of-the-hill-style before a timer runs out, which helps add some variety to the proceedings.
What makes Mass Effect 3 different from "yet another horde mode" is the number of options available. The character classes from the single-player mode are all present, as well as some additional races. The roster of special powers is tweaked to give each race and class combination a distinct advantage and play-style. Krogans, for instance, can charge enemies and do huge amounts of melee damage, but are slow, while asari have a quick biotic "blink" dodge that's faster than any other. Not all race and class combinations are available, but there's more than enough to make building characters a rewarding experience - perhaps even more so than in the single-player mode, given the increased reliance on other players and the inability to max out your soldiers stat-wise.
If there's one thing that I'm not a fan of in the multiplayer mode, it's the general pacing of progression as far as equipment goes. By playing and completing matches, you'll receive credits, which can be spent on what are effectively random loot drops - different types and levels of weapons, instant-use bonuses like Medi-Gel, and even brand-new character types. These are all appreciated, except for one thing - the rate of character advancement far outpaces that of credit gain. This means you'll probably be using substandard gear, and summarily will have difficulty playing the higher difficulties. There are two alternatives - grind the low difficulty levels, or pay real money for one of these equipment packs.
Needless to say, the whole thing comes across as somewhat manipulative and seems heavily based on freemium-style games. While I can't say I ever felt compelled to spend my own cash on in-game items, I was also irritated by the fact that the multiplayer mode seemed engineered to tempt me this way. A few other annoyances, like a lack of text chat options, and matchmaking rather than any sort of game or server browser, also make the multiplayer experience less than it could be. It's a shame, because the core online play, despite being a bit limited, is actually very fun otherwise.
Presentation
If there's one thing that Mass Effect 3 gets right, for the most part, it's the visuals and audio. While on a technical level the game's console heritage means that blurry textures make themselves known with regularity, the artistic side of things has been improved by tangible leaps over Mass Effect 2. The "hallway full of boxes" approach to design has been almost entirely eliminated in favor of levels that look much more like real places, and while sometimes that realism takes a backseat, it's always in the name of good gameplay.
A lot of jokes have been made at the expense of the game's animations and occasional use of low-resolution sprites for background effects, but truth be told, these are the exception rather than the norm. The variety and, occasionally, beauty of the visuals is very hard to overlook, and there's a clear sense that the aesthetic goals of the series have really come to a peak with Mass Effect 3. Locations generally look lived-in, with lots of clutter detail compared to the sleek and empty environments of the previous titles, and some of the lighting is impressive thanks to improvements in the Unreal tech powering things. While it doesn't always stun, and there are some obvious rough edges from time to time, Mass Effect 3 is still a very good-looking game.
The audio is even better. Though there has been yet another roster change as far as composers and voice actors go, there's little arguing with the end result. Mass Effect 3 has some very solid voice-acting that's just as good as the previous games, although Mark Meer in the role of Shepard is perhaps even more wooden then ever, while the companion characters' actors do overtime to bring in some surprisingly adept performances. The soundtrack is even better, with a good mix of electronic and orchestral music that always manags to fit the situation. I'd go so far as to say that the soundtrack is actually what holds much of the game together - when the plot fails to engage, at least there's usually a moving song to keep things going. Sound effects, from explosions to weapons fire, are all fantastically powerful and distinct; the influence of DICE, who helped with those effects, is definitely heard and felt.
