Mass Effect 3 Review
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... But Still Stumbles Despite the fact that the combat sequences of Mass Effect 3 are far more interesting and enjoyable than those in the previous two games, there are still quite a few issues that creep into the rest of the gameplay. Quest design, the Reputation (Paragon/Renegade) mechanic, and general choice and consequence have all been pared back significantly, most likely to accommodate the sheer size and high production values of the rest of the game.
The most damaging of it, to me, is the way that exploration, once a staple of Mass Effect, has been almost entirely eliminated. While this makes some sense considering BioWare were never really able to figure out how to ideally use the Galaxy Map (mini-games, anyone?), the void left behind is noticeable to say the least. There are no side-missions to find out in the cosmos, planet-scanning has been simplified but also reduced in significance (with a new Reaper-dodging mini-game that's both tacked-on and very silly canon-wise), and there aren't any vehicles to pilot either.
The side-quests in Mass Effect 3 have also taken a big blow. Most of them take the FedEx format, and are often built to maximize the travel time between A and B. These are most commonly found on the Citadel, and despite offering little fun or variety, eat up several hours of game time and are generally necessary for players who want to get the best ending or who want to afford as many upgrades as possible. Because many of them can only be obtained after completing a certain number of other side-missions, this also leads to constantly re-treading the same areas of the Citadel over and over in order to find NPCs who have quests to offer, or to trade completed ones in. Those side-quests that feature actual gameplay are almost always given during the main plot at set intervals, and generally take the form of shooting galleries in the game's multiplayer maps, with little narrative content or context.
Players who were frustrated at Dragon Age 2's "find an item in a box and bring it back to someone" quests will find that these make up the vast majority of Mass Effect 3's optional content - not only is it obviously a way to pad out the game without providing any "real" content, it's also colossally disappointing to players who were drawn into Mass Effect by its promise of a near-infinite galaxy to explore, or even RPG fans who just want to have fun outside of the main plot. While creating meaningful optional content is difficult, BioWare didn't even try here. The main sequences of the game are more polished than ever, but all this does is draw attention to how anemic the rest of the experience is.
Finally, there are sacrifices that have been made to dialogue, most likely to accommodate the sheer number of possibilities that come with importing previous games' save files. Even the most minor characters from the first two games can and will show up, and feature varying lines based on prior actions. There are entire missions featuring companions from the first two games, like Grunt and Mordin Solus, and everything from whether they were made loyal in the previous games, to individual dialogue choices are reflected, although sometimes in some pretty inconsistent or illogical ways. Mass Effect 3 represents by far the most ambitious use of a save import feature ever, and BioWare put it to very good use. While some players will be disappointed to learn many decisions have little story impact, the general "feel" of having a personalized story is still well preserved.
This also means, however, that the amount of content for the game has drastically increased, and consequently dialogue options have been largely reduced to help balance the workload out. Whereas the previous two games typically provided a selection of choices for every line Shepard voiced, in Mass Effect 3, dialogue choices are the exception rather than the norm - sometimes cutscenes go on as long as five minutes without a single dialogue choice, and you'll occasionally witness your Shepard say things you yourself never would have selected. Even the ability to choose Paragon or Renegade tone has been reduced, interrupts and morality-restricted options are few and far between, and the ability to ask questions is often denied in order to keep the action moving. It's jarring, considering BioWare have traditionally been so intent on providing a sense of role-playing in their games.
More frustrating for me is the way in which gameplay and story have been so obviously segregated in places. There are many, many situations where Shepard will stand idly by while some character is brutalized by a random low-level enemy, or where a fleeing villain escapes because of a sudden onset case of cutscene incompetence, and they are as offensive as they ever are in RPGs, especially as so many of these situations are things players expect to easily deal with in actual gameplay. At the worst of times, it can feel like lazy writing that just couldn't figure out how to get the plot from A to B without forcing Shepard to behave like a moron. This was a big issue in Deus Ex: Human Revolution last year, and you can expect to see the same problems in Mass Effect 3.
