Mass Effect 3 Review
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What's worse is that the main narrative that's propping up all of these neat little situations is just isn't up for the task. In fact, whenever the main story comes into play, the game generally takes a nosedive - both as far as the quality of writing and dialogue goes, and in terms of coherence and consistency plot-wise. Centering around an ancient prothean super-weapon, the Crucible, and its mysterious method of activation, the Catalyst, the story simply isn't convincing because none of its ideas were ever hinted at in the previous games, and in sitting it in the background rather than at the forefront of the narrative, it's hard to get too invested in it. Mass Effect 3 is full of fan service and tries its best to resolve all it can, but in doing so reduces the struggle against the Reapers to a footnote. If there is one thing Mass Effect 3 does do well narratively, though, it's in establishing mood and atmosphere, whether that's through dialogue or visuals. Seeing refugees packed into the Citadel's docking bays, or hearing the stories of a PTSD soldier going through therapy, or witnessing the poignant end of a former companion, are all effective moments of storytelling. While Mass Effect 3's gameplay doesn't do much to convey any desperation, there are some genuinely touching scenes, whether they're bombastic and brutal or quiet and contemplative - the game isn't afraid to engage the many human dimensions and effects of war, and it's these moments more than any that make Mass Effect 3 worth playing.
Faster, Stronger, Better...
So, thematically and narratively, Mass Effect 3 is, and there's no nice way to put this, a bit of a mess. The fortunate part is that, for fans who are willing to overlook or tolerate the story's flaws, the third-person shooting that makes up the bulk of the game has been improved dramatically due to a number of smart gameplay additions both in terms of player customization and advancement, as well as better enemy intelligence, level layouts and encounter design.
Fans who felt Mass Effect 2 took away too much of the RPG character building will be happy to learn that this aspect of Mass Effect 3 has been improved, although with a few caveats. Although experience points, discrete hit points, shields, and even encumbrance have all been added back in (all the classes and most of the powers remain the same since the last game), their inclusion doesn't exactly turn Mass Effect 3 into a traditional role-playing game either, as many of these changes are aesthetic more than functional. The biggest improvement comes in the ability to choose special bonuses for powers as they level up, rather than simply as a final bonus once fully upgraded, and this is welcome (do you want, say, squad benefits or solo benefits? power effect radius or damage?), but at the end of the day Mass Effect 3 is still very accessible and streamlined even for players who have never touched an RPG-like game before.
The real difference, in my mind, comes in the changes to enemy behavior. No longer do foes simply duck behind walls and take pot-shots at Shepard and friends - they will constantly attempt to flank, use covering fire, and throw grenades to flush you out of hiding. Many enemies also have access to special abilities, from smoke grenades that make it hard to target them, to placing powerful sentry turrets, to even instantly lethal melee attacks if they catch you with your back turned. What's more, two powerful new enemies, the Brute and Banshee, require huge amounts of firepower to take down, and the presence of one or two is enough to completely change the tactics necessary for a fight, whether it's dodging the massive Brute's powerful charge attacks, or quickly ducking out of the way of the Banshee's biotic blasts. Simply put, combat is faster and more dynamic, and sticking to the old strategies will get you killed quickly.
While Mass Effect 3 won't win any awards for its amazing level design or its creative encounters, it still improves drastically over the endless corridors that made up much of the prior two games. Dramatic set-pieces are frequent, and while many of these are scripted, or more flash than substance, they do a tremendous job at breaking up the action. Little sequences, like having to dodge the shield-draining shockwaves of a dreadnaught's cannon fire, or chasing down a Cerberus operative, or using a flashlight and flamethrower to illuminate a dark cavern, do a lot to make each portion stand out from the last in a way that Mass Effect has never really managed. Granted, other third-person shooters like Gears of War have been doing this stuff for years, but it's impossible to deny the improvement this makes, even if it has little to do with the RPG mechanics underneath.
There are also quite a few new options for dealing with enemies added in. While heavy weapons have been largely relegated to a few stand-out moments rather than a permanent addition to one's arsenal, there are more guns than ever before. While most are variations on themes (burst fire vs. sustained, etc.), most of them feel distinct from one another and most players will develop a different set of favorites, but just about all guns are useful. In addition to flat upgrades that can be purchased for all guns, weapon modifications make a return, although unlike the first game's, these ones are pretty powerful and have major effects on how weapons work, from optical scopes to lighter materials that reduce power cooldowns. I wouldn't have thought to associate Mass Effect with "gun porn", but I'm actually pretty happy with the amount of variety and depth on display - it might not be quite RPG-like, but it's definitely enough to allow for a nice degree of customization that, importantly, gives credence to different play-styles.
