Mass Effect 3 Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on March 18th, 2012

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As I was playing Mass Effect 3, I thought I'd give this game a 10/10. I had no reason to rate it any less. There are some minor bugs, like swapping from singleplayer to multipayer and then back can cause your Shepard to look like the default one. Or sometimes my weapons would disappear in the middle of a fight for no reason so I wasn't able to switch between them. Those were rare and far in between, definitely not enough to lower my rating. Then I saw the options given for the ending and I changed my mind and I lowered the score to 8/10. To make a long story short: The game is great, shame on the ending.

It's hard to write anything bad about Mass Effect 3, a game that seemingly everyone but me loves unconditionally. But I think it is far from the perfect game too much feels recycled from previous Mass Effect games, and the difficulty at obtaining a satisfying ending is frustrating. It's a good game, even a great one, but still a disappointing end to the Mass Effect trilogy.

All in all, Mass Effect 3 is a one-of-a-kind experience that brings together the journey of an entire franchise into one title. Saying goodbye to the characters I've come to know over hours and hours in the past few years was hard in a way that it really hasn't ever been for me in a game before. I remember the moment the game asked me if I was sure I was ready for the final mission. The question rose above the game. This wasn't just the last mission in a game, this was the last time I'd ever sit down with my digital brothers and sisters and I wasn't sure I was ready to leave them yet. The game certainly isn't perfect. Some of the side missions are uninspired, the ending isn't quite what as amazing as people may have expected it to be, and the multiplayer is still largely unnecessary, but the tight combat, incredibly deep world, and connections I made that all came together in Mass Effect 3 make this a journey I won't soon forget.

I neglected to discuss much of the ending on my first review of the game, and since then, Mass Effect 3'²s ending has become an enormous point of contention for fans. I can say this without spoiler: it's weak. Many fans feel it doesn't live up to the rest of the game, and I agree with that point. Still, I personally can't subscribe to the viewpoint that a weak ending 10 minutes invalidates how much I enjoyed the previous 24 hours and 50 minutes of my Mass Effect 3 experience (to say nothing of the countless hours dropped in the first two titles).

The game is an epic achieve­ment on Bioware's behalf. The choice and game play designs are top notch and they found a great mix between ME1 and ME2. Despite what I am giv­ing this game it is not per­fect. It is receiv­ing this score because the game is a fan­tas­tic pack­age. The sin­gle player is great, while the story hic­cups towards the end, 99 per­cent of the game out­weighs the off-putting 1 per­cent. Like I stated in the open­ing para­graph, I have never been so emo­tion­ally involved in a game before. I would love to see more of these types of games in the indus­try, ones with good sto­ries and with more choice, even though there were issues with choice in this entry. Mass Effect 3 is bril­liant, and if you have had reser­va­tions about jump­ing on the hype band­wagon, now is the best time to dive in. You can get lost read­ing the universe's lore in the codex, scour­ing the uni­verse to com­plete side quest, and have a blast with friends in the mul­ti­player; with­out a doubt get this game! This maybe goodbye to Shepard and crew, but not to the Mass Effect Universe, I am excited to see what becomes of the series next.

Overall, from combat to storytelling, Mass Effect 3 is an absolute monster of a game. Despite some visual inconsistencies (clipping, Shepard talking to thin air for a few seconds), and a poor mission management that inexplicably fails to update your progress, there's little to complain about. At the end of the day, BioWare has crafted an emotionally-charged spectacle that is unlikely to be surpassed for some time. Shepard, we salute you.

Getting down to the bottom line: is Mass Effect 3 worth buying right now? Despite the conclusion and the graphical problems, Mass Effect fans will find around 20 hours of pure bliss in this package. The storyline comes rife with callbacks to big moments and characters in the series, and that sort of thing goes a long way in pleasing veteran fans. Seeing your personal Shepard's story evolve is well worth the price of admission as well, but take heed now and understand that the ending of this trilogy may leave you more disappointed than satisfied.

Mass Effect 3 is a simply outstanding game and the crowning glory of a series that has delighted and amazed in equal measure. A compelling story is complimented by stunning graphics and a stirring soundtrack to create a galaxy that has a real atmosphere that draws players in, giving them a beautifully emotive gaming experience unrivalled by any title this generation. A fitting send off for a character and a series that will live long in the memory of gamers the world over. Thanks Bioware it's been emotional, or whatever Paragon/Renegade conversation option I could have chosen.

With this game garnering a mix of cheers and jeers, it's still pretty much a success.In essence, Mass Effect 3 seems like another step in Bioware's quest for that golden formula to improve the RPG genre for the future. In this particular attempt, it wasn't without a number of missteps. But with how the game looks and feels, Bioware did nail the air of desperation in fighting a war for the whole galaxy against a seemingly unstoppable threat. In that regard, Mass Effect 3 has succeeded well enough.

Mass Effect 3 isn't just an amazing game it's a chapter in gaming culture, a Paragon of an Action RPG that other games should be measured against. Combining fluid controls, a plethora of character customization options, a deep and gripping story, and fun multiplayer content, it pleases on all fronts, and presents the final template that many other games will be compared to for years to come.

We strongly recommend Mass Effect 3 for any RPG fan. The experience will be all the more worthwhile if you take the time to play through the first two games of the series, though ME3 is a wonderful game even for first timers. Pick up a copy of this highly rated game, and enjoy the journey through space.

Mass Effect 3 offers a myriad of fun content, from satisfying combat to creating or rekindling romances. RPG fanatics will still love the customization of skills, armor, and dialogue choice and shooting freaks will enjoy taking down every last husk and Cerberus soldier in their path.

While some people just cannot be pleased, I'm very happy with Mass Effect 3. I found the conclusion to the trilogy to be satisfying on many levels (just not that final few minutes), and I had genuine emotional reactions to several of the story beats. The co-op caught me completely off-guard with how fun it is, and I'll definitely be playing it for the foreseeable future. Highly recommended.

Mass Effect is something that truly needs to be played as a whole to gain an appreciation for the subtleties in which the story was woven. There are those who argue that it is the most important sci-fi story of the current generation and it is hard to come up with any strong counter argument. Unlike previous epics in this genre you are not investing in a movie star and his story, but instead participating in the highest production of a choose-your-own-adventure yet.

Being entirely realistic about the issues the game has, deciding to not play the series through to its finale because of the ending would be an incredibly bad idea. Mass Effect 3 is an incredible journey with a terrible end, an experience that shouldn't be missed if for no other reason than to serve as a bit of a obituary on Commander Shepard as well as the series itself. Bring the fight to the Reapers, don't let them take the galaxy. Commander Shepard wouldn't approve.

While Mass Effect 2 is the best game of the series, those who've started Commander Shepard's journey should absolutely continue on to the end, even paying launch prices to do so. Players who've yet to experience this series are encouraged to start at the beginning and embark on an experience that will most likely take 300 hours to complete. I know I'm already planning my next run through the entire trilogy.

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