Mass Effect 3

 PC
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7228 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,703 out of 7228
  2. Mixed: 1,119 out of 7228
  3. Negative: 2,406 out of 7228
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. F_U_Wannabes
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    since when its a reason to give bad score for dlc or origin? well Trolls thinks so, so ignore them.

    sure isn't mass effect 1 but if you liked mass effect 2 you'll like this one too, same mechanics if not even better, story isn't bad and since its triology we true ME fans we already knew how this triology would end and now this is the last chapter. mass effect 2 in a short version this was    since when its a reason to give bad score for dlc or origin? well Trolls thinks so, so ignore them.

    sure isn't mass effect 1 but if you liked mass effect 2 you'll like this one too, same mechanics if not even better, story isn't bad and since its triology we true ME fans we already knew how this triology would end and now this is the last chapter. mass effect 2 in a short version this was more a scounting mission and at end preemptive strike, but now this gets more weight and tension then ever before, its WAR .

    game is fluid, animations too, more weapons and costumization too (also weapon mods). story is good but it feels like you're racing against time (obviously its war of survival), fight on earth, mars and everywhere this is great. decisions more then ever effects the outcome on a much bigger scale, no longer they stay with you if you take the worst decisions or act like jackass-selffish human.

    multiplayer is great and very fluid and various classes, characters and weapon mods and unlocks and its co-op featurings 6 maps (for now). i reccomend this game and i give 10, sadly majority here gives 1 and 0's but based on something wich isn't the game itself "dlc, EA, origin, no sense" ........    … Expand
  2. internett
    Mar 8, 2012
    10
    This is not BAD, i vas writed negative review but when i play more then 2 hours is acualy briliant game, dont judge when you just started game ! just finish game and you wil change your mind you wil see
  3. Abisco79
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    So first off I would like to state my score is more of a 9.8/10, but since I can't do that, I guess I'll stick with a 10.

    So, let me also get out of the way that I am an avid mass effect fan... I've played mass effect 1 and 2 countless times, and love the games to death. They definitely had their flaws, but each had a gripping story and powerful characters. The biggest flaws for me was    So first off I would like to state my score is more of a 9.8/10, but since I can't do that, I guess I'll stick with a 10.

    So, let me also get out of the way that I am an avid mass effect fan... I've played mass effect 1 and 2 countless times, and love the games to death. They definitely had their flaws, but each had a gripping story and powerful characters. The biggest flaws for me was that ME1 had poor shooting mechanics, and ME2 had poor RPG mechanics.

    Mass effect 3 fixed both these issues.
    Now, please disregard all the 1 reviews, and many of the 10 reviews. These people are either trolling or have no idea what they are talking about. The game is NOT a 1/10 (which is the equivalent to a game you cannot play due to bugs such as the DS games that comes out for children based around barbie dolls). If anything, the shooting and RPG mechanics are at their finest, demonstrating a true synergy between the two. It's great fun, but you can definitely choose to focus on not shooting as much, or using abilities as much. The options are readily available to you.

    For me, the game really does ALMOST everything right. All the characters from the past are back, if you import your character choices do matter. Things get very exciting and there are loads of deaths. The soundtrack is awesome, same with the voice acting.

    Now for my two problems with the games (you can assume that everything else other then these points were so irrelevant to me that they fit in to the game well):
    - Auto dialogue: Now I have to say, at the beginning I was really annoyed, and am still kind of SLIGHTLY bummed about it, but when you get 3-5 hours into the game, the choices open up. You don't have as many choices as ME2, but that's because they cut the fat out. No longer do you have 2 choices that are basically the same thing. The illusion of choice has been removed. Maybe that annoys people, but its something you can get over quickly.

    -The endings: Now I won't ruin anything, but I just expected a bit more. I was ready to give the game 10/10 (rather then a 9.8/10), but the ending really detached me from the game... It made me stare at the screen for a bit and think... well... is that it? It slightly ruins the entire experience for me, though the journey was with it, my mind is still getting over whether the destination was worth it.

    Facts for reference:
    22 Hours
    Adept, Hardcore, Imported from ME1. Overall, I loved the game. If you can get past the fact that you don't have a choice about EVERYTHING shepard says, and are ready for endings that may leave something to be desired, then go ahead and buy the game. Its totally worth it and I loved every minute of it. Score: 9.8/10 (Rounded to a 10 for metacritic)    … Expand
  4. cndblank
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    So far this game has hit every mark at least on the PC side. The multi-player is surprising good and I like how they worked it in to the story without making it mandatory. Combat is much better. And the game pays real respect to the first two. About the only thing I really would like to have seen is for Bioware to open this up the modders.

    I see all these Zero review scores and I'm    So far this game has hit every mark at least on the PC side. The multi-player is surprising good and I like how they worked it in to the story without making it mandatory. Combat is much better. And the game pays real respect to the first two. About the only thing I really would like to have seen is for Bioware to open this up the modders.

    I see all these Zero review scores and I'm thinking a Zero? Get real.
    Compared to WHAT?    … Expand
  5. OrbD
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    I have not played this game, but I have read the user reviews posted over the past day and I am disgusted by them. Having only played the content found on the demo of this game I can comfortably say that it is an expertly crafted gameplay experience and that that alone deserves a 7, at the least, but aforementioned reviews do not care for the quality of gameplay, fantastic story, deeplyI have not played this game, but I have read the user reviews posted over the past day and I am disgusted by them. Having only played the content found on the demo of this game I can comfortably say that it is an expertly crafted gameplay experience and that that alone deserves a 7, at the least, but aforementioned reviews do not care for the quality of gameplay, fantastic story, deeply crafted world or fabulous musical score, no; they only care for the fact that it is not the same game as previous instalments.

    Not to mention they wrote reviews within 16 hours of the release of a game easily requiring at least 50+ hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  6. Arx0s
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    A proper finale to one of the greatest scifi trilogies of modern times, Mass Effect 3 is incredible. Bioware's incredible story telling propels Mass Effect 3 to greatness. The action is abundant, the environments are as diverse as they are beautiful. Combat is smoother, faster, and incredibly fun. Unfortunately, many players are unfairly rating this game solely on EA/Bioware's decision toA proper finale to one of the greatest scifi trilogies of modern times, Mass Effect 3 is incredible. Bioware's incredible story telling propels Mass Effect 3 to greatness. The action is abundant, the environments are as diverse as they are beautiful. Combat is smoother, faster, and incredibly fun. Unfortunately, many players are unfairly rating this game solely on EA/Bioware's decision to release a DLC on launch day (The Prothean squadmate). It's a shame players (and even non-players) decide that a simple DLC warrants rage and hatred for an otherwise unquestionably well-made game. Whatever other people think, I know that I greatly enjoy Mass Effect 3, and will continue to do so for a long time to come.… Expand
  7. fernando851
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    I just bought mass effect 3 today, i played it, and i think it was great, i havent finished it yet, but after seeing the lack of criticism the users have, i thought it would be nice to compensate it and give my review, mass effect 3 has respectable graphics that can easily compete with game of this generation, in the sound i found it amazing the songs and the voice actors really transmitI just bought mass effect 3 today, i played it, and i think it was great, i havent finished it yet, but after seeing the lack of criticism the users have, i thought it would be nice to compensate it and give my review, mass effect 3 has respectable graphics that can easily compete with game of this generation, in the sound i found it amazing the songs and the voice actors really transmit feelings and also the incredible history that mass effect has to tell, the gameplay was upgraded from past mass effects, now the combat is more fluid, the biggest part that i would like to stood out is the history, i think that the best think about this game is that it really gets you deeply into the history, it feels like a movie, the contraparts about the game is that it has some bugs, although it doesent low the game quality.… Expand
  8. happycakes
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm writing this review due to the overwhelming amount of people saying it's the worst thing ever.. What is wrong with gamers today? I've played the first 2 Mass Effects and this one is pretty much exactly the same.. The story is still typical lame sci-fi story, same okayish voice acting (pretty good when it comes to video games). I haven't finished yet but from what I've seen Bioware have really done well to capture the atmosphere of what it would be like at a time like that.. The world just seems so void of hope and anyone that is hope seems like they're just lying to keep face. Some of the vista's are just beautiful, as well as some of the cut-scenes.. Spoilers: I was quite taken by the raid on Earth and the giant worm vs giant stalker on Tachunka. I like the way they've changed the scan/resource gathering system, even the mission system. They're both much more fluent and the risk/reward system of scanning is a much better idea.

    The combat is pretty much the same damn thing; hide in cover, spam abilities and shoot till everything's dead. Same as ME2. The abilities have some cool upgrades. The weapons have some cool mods, there are some cool weapons. I just got the stinger. It rapes (exploding dart gun).

    I don't care how it ends, I am enjoying the experience, the scenes/acting alone is better than 90% of the movies coming out these days so I don't know what the **** people are whinging about. Is it just nostalgia? Have you kids finally grown up and realised that all video games are **** and not world changing life defining experiences? This game deserves more than 5, no more than 9.5. It's subjective.    … Expand
  9. Jadekiller89
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Okay, first off this is a great game. Enough said. Sure you had to pay ten dollars and yes its a marketing thing for EA, but if you think about it, its EA who did not Bioware. Bioware made the game, had an amazing story from the first to the end and the game play is also amazing, but other than that quit your whining about the dlc being another ten dollars and it being on release date, ItsOkay, first off this is a great game. Enough said. Sure you had to pay ten dollars and yes its a marketing thing for EA, but if you think about it, its EA who did not Bioware. Bioware made the game, had an amazing story from the first to the end and the game play is also amazing, but other than that quit your whining about the dlc being another ten dollars and it being on release date, Its not like they are forcing to you to go out and get it. And to the people who gave this a bad review look at all the other rpg-fps out there they are mostly the same and you cant choose most dialogue they just have it out there preset and whatnot, bioware is known for there story and there choice of dialogue. Other than that this game is satisfying but not perfect like every other game.… Expand
  10. Relian
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    It looks to me like someone is waging a campaign against Bioware. It's fairly easy for someone to create a zillion accounts on Metacritic and rate something as a 0 on all of them. Just write some blurb text or how you "hate the ammo system" or the "ending" etc.

    This is why user reviews can never be trusted, especially on places like Metacritic where you don't have to have a registered    It looks to me like someone is waging a campaign against Bioware. It's fairly easy for someone to create a zillion accounts on Metacritic and rate something as a 0 on all of them. Just write some blurb text or how you "hate the ammo system" or the "ending" etc.

    This is why user reviews can never be trusted, especially on places like Metacritic where you don't have to have a registered copy of the game to vote. Nobody in their right mind would give this game a 0, and yet hundreds of people have. These people are either deeply biased against Bioware or they are insane. I mean giving this wonderful game a 0 because you didn't like the ending? The combat isn't quite as fun as the previous ones? Seriously? 6 or 7 maybe, but 0? ...

    My oppinion on the game so far is that it's just as awesome as the previous two. If you enjoyed ME 1 or 2, you'll probably enjoy this one.    … Expand
  11. jhass28
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Holy onslaught of negative comments, batman.
    Perhaps due to my lack of the time-warping abilities that you all seem to possess that allowed you to complete a 50-odd hour game on the day of its release, I have not yet finished Mass Effect 3, and therefore cannot provide much insight concerning the overall strength of its plot. It's taken me a while to adjust to the game play, squad, etc (I    Holy onslaught of negative comments, batman.
    Perhaps due to my lack of the time-warping abilities that you all seem to possess that allowed you to complete a 50-odd hour game on the day of its release, I have not yet finished Mass Effect 3, and therefore cannot provide much insight concerning the overall strength of its plot. It's taken me a while to adjust to the game play, squad, etc (I went through an almost identical stage with the transition from ME1 to ME2, which went on to be my favourite out of the two), but hey, you know what? I'm enjoying myself. Quite thoroughly. I'm sensing a lot of Bioware/EA hatred in these comments, which, while you are entitled to, has no place in describing the quality of the game itself. So please. Do us all a favour, and attempt to provide insightful reviews that other people can actually use. No game deserves a '0' unless it makes your computer explode. Not because you find Liara's eye-shadow unsatisfactory.    … Expand
  12. andvaree
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    ME3 took 36 hours of my life to complete, but it was well worth it. One of the best, most heart wrenching, sci-fi storytelling experiences of my life - video game, movie, book or otherwise. ...and - for me - the best video game ever!
  13. AngelsNecros
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    All the players rating this game anything below a 5 is utter nonsense. I can understand their frustration with milking the buyer by Day 1 DLC but that in no way constitutes a 0. I have noticed some bugginess in the animation. Minor annoyances but still an annoyance. ME2 seemed more polished than ME3. And ME3 does have a higher use of combat than RPG elements. But it is still a great gameAll the players rating this game anything below a 5 is utter nonsense. I can understand their frustration with milking the buyer by Day 1 DLC but that in no way constitutes a 0. I have noticed some bugginess in the animation. Minor annoyances but still an annoyance. ME2 seemed more polished than ME3. And ME3 does have a higher use of combat than RPG elements. But it is still a great game overall. I would give it an 8/10 but I'm giving it a 10 to try and offset some of the pricks.… Expand
  14. MikeyRu
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 is an epic adventure from start to finish. It'll get your heart pumping, and probably get you teary eyed. The level of customization is perfect (I made my armor black with pink stripes and pink lights, haha). The dialogue options aren't black and white, which is really refreshing. I LOVE the ability to use Kinect with the game, calling out orders to my party members insteadMass Effect 3 is an epic adventure from start to finish. It'll get your heart pumping, and probably get you teary eyed. The level of customization is perfect (I made my armor black with pink stripes and pink lights, haha). The dialogue options aren't black and white, which is really refreshing. I LOVE the ability to use Kinect with the game, calling out orders to my party members instead of having to pause the action. Also, kudos to BioWare for being brave and standing up against ignorance and bigotry, and supporting the LGBT gaming community! I got choked up when Cortez casually mentioned he had a husband. That little moment was actually a huge step in the fight for equality. And by the way, if you don't want to be gay in Mass Effect 3, then don't be gay in Mass Effect 3. Unlike in real life, you actually have a choice in this game. Grow up, people. Stop trying to sabotage a game's release just because you're sexually insecure. Years from now, people with your stance will be looked upon like the racists of the last century. Don't be on the wrong side of history. Peace.… Expand
  15. Oliverbr
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 as the other games of the series is amazing in many ways, the soundtrack is good, the gameplay is very fluid,the graphics are great, and the game's storyline is not just good is huge.

    The aspect of RPG in Mass Effect is amazing, can not help but remember the classic RPG that you playd with your friends using books, you can develop the character as you want and your actions    Mass Effect 3 as the other games of the series is amazing in many ways, the soundtrack is good, the gameplay is very fluid,the graphics are great, and the game's storyline is not just good is huge.

    The aspect of RPG in Mass Effect is amazing, can not help but remember the classic RPG that you playd with your friends using books, you can develop the character as you want and your actions have a real effect in the game.
    Mass Effect not only brings an FPS game, but brings an RPG game where you have to make your own decisions, decisions that affect your character and the history of the game.    … Expand
  16. ijyt
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    An excellent conclusion to one of the best game series in ages, the use of multiple endings depending on your in-game choices is a highly pleasing feature, increasing the replay value. BioWare shines with Mass Effect 3.
  17. raeting
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 is a great game. I'm 25 hours in.

    The negative reviews: I cannot reconcile my own playtime with what's written here. Mostly seems like people are sore over the Day 1 DLC, not getting what they wanted out of the narrative, or giving the game a 1 or 0 because it is 'dumbed down' or some other similarly vague reason. With a smattering of balance issues intermixed. DLC is just    Mass Effect 3 is a great game. I'm 25 hours in.

    The negative reviews:

    I cannot reconcile my own playtime with what's written here. Mostly seems like people are sore over the Day 1 DLC, not getting what they wanted out of the narrative, or giving the game a 1 or 0 because it is 'dumbed down' or some other similarly vague reason. With a smattering of balance issues intermixed.

    DLC is just how it is going to be going forward. I understand the anger, but a game isn't poor or unenjoyable because it has DLC. ME2 had a huge amount of DLC packs, of varying usefulness, many of which were far, far more important to the plot than From Ashes. It was generally regarded as a great game.

    The game isn't dumbed down. Combat is essentially on terms with ME2 in terms of complexity. Equipment is more complex (in a good way). The narrative is more mature, both in content and writing style.

    Finally, there is no major balance issue. In the many hours of multiplayer I've seen every class be a real asset to the team. Can things be improved? Yes. Is the game devoid of value because of the imperfect balancing? No.

    It is dishonest to give the game a 0 or 1 review. There's not enough different between ME1, 2, and 3 to justify such low scores.

    Story:

    Story is better than both of the sequels. There's nothing 'dumbed down' here, from how the squad mates interact to how Shepard changes as a character. It works. There are a fewer long, drawn out, conversations with your squad mates while on the Normandy, but that falls under less is more. There is a /lot/ more realism and casual banter. Everyone feels more like a real person.

    For the first 1/3 of the game, there is a bit of a sense that the galaxy isn't paying attention to what's going on. Earth has fallen, but the citadel is, well, the citadel. The reapers, however, continue their advance and everything changes. It is certainly one of the more dynamic single-player worlds I've seen.

    Your former squad mates return in varying capacities. Many have changed, mostly for the better, since you last saw them. Not all can join you, but that's ok. The choices in ME3 are galactic scale. Several times I've had to walk away at a fork in the road to think about it a bit.

    If I were to point out any big change in the way the game feels, it is a lack of formality. In ME1 and 2, both, there was a bit more of a sense of the ship being run military, so to speak. In ME3, everyone is more comfortable with each other. Shepard doesn't lay down the law quite so often -- it just isn't as frequently necessary. That's not to say there are not strong interpersonal conflicts, there are. Shepard, as well, needs more help this time. They are less of an unbreakable rock this go around, the fractures start to show, and the friendships Shepard has (presumably) cultivated helps take off some of the pressure.

    I'd like to gush more about the narrative, but I'll leave it at: if you enjoyed ME1 and 2's story, this will be a pleasant experience. You can't always get what you want, but that's the point. The reaper invasion isn't a picnic. People are going to die.

    Just as an aside, though, if you judge the narrative by the first few hours you are missing out. Gameplay: It is far improved from ME1 and 2. More of an evolution on what ME2 was, if anything. Combat is focused, fast, intense. Battles can turn on a dime if you aren't careful. Easier than ME2 on normal difficulty, I recommend turning it up if you want a challenge. The enemies and settings are far, far, faaar more varied in ME3. I have noticed that squad mates are a bit less useful without direction, though. Which can be an issue in the more difficult fights. Given orders, though, they are just fine.

    I played somewhere around 50 hours of the demo multiplayer in the couple weeks I could. So combat is fun for sure.

    Technical:

    Load times seem improved. No major technical issues I've run into on the PC. Textures are on par with ME2.

    Overall:

    Great game. I'm positive I'll end up replaying it 3-4 times.    … Expand
  18. TwoGamingFellas
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    So far, Mass Effect was the ONLY franchise that grabbed me. I love its story and how it evolved through the trilogy. The visuals are stellar, with a few minor graphical glitches. Its controls could've been better. Middle-mouse button is a real awkward control because of the way my mouse is set up. Its day one DLC deal was unfortunate, but won't stop me from enjoying the game.

    (Pro tip for    So far, Mass Effect was the ONLY franchise that grabbed me. I love its story and how it evolved through the trilogy. The visuals are stellar, with a few minor graphical glitches. Its controls could've been better. Middle-mouse button is a real awkward control because of the way my mouse is set up. Its day one DLC deal was unfortunate, but won't stop me from enjoying the game.

    (Pro tip for all the haters: Its nice to stand up for your principles, and I encourage to continue doing so, but don't shove it into other people's faces)    … Expand
  19. Petator
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Wow, there are so many low reviews here that I'm pretty sure some group is doing a troll raid.

    There are enough genuinely angry looking reviews here, though, that I registered just to give my opinion The Prothean has as much story involvement as Zaeed in ME2, no more. It's day 1 dlc, but it's got no involvement with the main story, just a little bit of interesting character banter. I    Wow, there are so many low reviews here that I'm pretty sure some group is doing a troll raid.

    There are enough genuinely angry looking reviews here, though, that I registered just to give my opinion

    The Prothean has as much story involvement as Zaeed in ME2, no more. It's day 1 dlc, but it's got no involvement with the main story, just a little bit of interesting character banter.

    I feel that this is the best game in the series. It's simplified, but not cut down to the point of ME2. The characters and story are really well done as always, and the combat and level design is better than it's ever been. My favorite thing, however, is how tough some of the choices are. Don't let the trolls here fool you, this is the best game I've played in a long time.    … Expand
  20. Vakarians
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, being a Yorkshire lass i canâ… Expand
  21. Mrooo
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    I'd like to review it, but since it came out 24 hours ago there's no way I could really do it.

    I'm actually writing this review to show how stupid it is to have user reviews open on MetaCritic the day the game is released. Not a single user review on this website, for or against the game, have played it all the way through. The legitimate critics obviously had copies ahead of time. The    I'd like to review it, but since it came out 24 hours ago there's no way I could really do it.

    I'm actually writing this review to show how stupid it is to have user reviews open on MetaCritic the day the game is released.

    Not a single user review on this website, for or against the game, have played it all the way through. The legitimate critics obviously had copies ahead of time. The users? Either people who are currently enjoying wherever they are in the game and trying to defend it from the people who are trolling this website so bad that it's lost its credibility. Neither of those camps have played this game through enough to give a solid review.

    With that said, I've played about 6 hours and I think it's a big-scale, epic adventure. Not perfect, but definitely groundbreaking. Animations are a bit shoddy, to be honest, but textures and shaders are very impressive as are the effects. Voice acting is good, not as good as SWTOR sadly, but still top-notch. The combat is the same as ME2 with some improved melee mechanics, which is entirely a good thing. The multiple playstyles (Action, RPG, Story) are a nice addition to give people a streamlined or drawn out way of playing the game - which is another example of how messed up the reviews are here, simply visiting all three options for a few hours of playtime each would have taken too long for these reviews we are seeing here.

    The lack of support for gamepads is definitely off-putting, but the controls for the KB/M are solid as expected.

    The story so far is compelling and emotional, even if it is rather cliche. Some people could be offended by being expected to have compassion for those getting slaughtered on earth but it's not surprising in the least, some people just want to play video games for superficial entertainment, whereas ME3 is more like playing a movie. If you don't want any story or emotional attachment, then this game is not for you.    … Expand
  22. Afrolicious
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    This is one of the greatest games I have ever played, all the "0" reviews are obviously trolls who have nothing better to do with their time. To give some reasons to why this games is greats is that not only is the game well written but it's fun to play as well!
  23. Frisbiek
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    It's really hard to take Metacritic seriously when so many "gamers" are allowed to write whatever they want. I seriously hope nobody reads all these negative comments. Am I dissapointed with the first day paid DLC that should have been included in the game? Absolutely. It was an obvious attempt at getting more money. It's greed, no matter how EA tries to spin it. They knew theIt's really hard to take Metacritic seriously when so many "gamers" are allowed to write whatever they want. I seriously hope nobody reads all these negative comments. Am I dissapointed with the first day paid DLC that should have been included in the game? Absolutely. It was an obvious attempt at getting more money. It's greed, no matter how EA tries to spin it. They knew the prothean character would be well recieved, and exploited it. Am I disturbed with the gay love scenes? ya... it's pretty corny and disturbing, but I'm not ever going to watch it. If nobody ever talked about it, this wouldn't even be a big deal; the majority of players wouldn't even know it's in there.

    Anyone that is a fan of Mass effect needs to play this game. It is straight up AWESOME. I love the graphics... I love the story. Everything feels very epic. The battles are more involving and open; large scale battlefields!! And there are some surprising characters that got me excited to play with. Despite the details I mentioned, this game is still worth every penny. So much work was put in to this game by Bioware. I'm frustrated that EA has their greedy paws wrapped around it, but even they will eventually realize their mistakes.    … Expand
  24. Spaceguy5
    Mar 8, 2012
    10
    (1) Yes the game has day 1 DLC, which sucks. Does that detract from it? Heck no.
    (2) Yes, the game requires Origin to play. Does that detract from it? Heck no.
    (3) Yes, some of the animations in the game aren't perfect. But overall, they're very good. It's no worse than the other games in the serious, I don't understand why people are whining about this so much. (4) The graphics and sound    (1) Yes the game has day 1 DLC, which sucks. Does that detract from it? Heck no.
    (2) Yes, the game requires Origin to play. Does that detract from it? Heck no.
    (3) Yes, some of the animations in the game aren't perfect. But overall, they're very good. It's no worse than the other games in the serious, I don't understand why people are whining about this so much.
    (4) The graphics and sound quality are very good, especially considering this is made on the Unreal 3 engine, which is ancient.
    (5) Yes, the ending is total crap. But that's only 10 minutes out of a muuch longer game. As much as I and a lot of people loathe the ending, it's still just a small part of the game.

    Overall, I loved it. Very enjoyable story, good graphics and sound quality, new gameplay mechanics (thank you for getting rid of that stupid hacking minigame, and for finally replacing the resource gathering minigame with something that isn't a total waste of time) and better weapon/character appearance customization and variety. I truly think it deserves a 10/10. It was pretty bug-free too, I encountered very very few bugs, I had worse bug trouble in ME and ME2.

    Ignore all the moronic trolls spamming extremely low scores. They're just butthurt sheep (I really wonder how many have even played the game) who don't like the Day 1 DLC and/or the ending (heck, I saw some complaining that BioWare used stock photos--a great deal of games/movies/books/ads/everything uses stock material. That's what stock material is made for, to be used in a big variety of projects.)    … Expand
  25. elterifico
    Mar 8, 2012
    10
    I think it's a very great game, I enjoyed the story line of every mass effect game. I love how the choices we made inflict on the experience we have. But when I put the story apart, I find it is still a good game, but average. I would give 7.5 for the gameplay. And 5 for the graphics and the AI. Problem is that it's made on over 5 years old hardware...
    I still hate what they done to    I think it's a very great game, I enjoyed the story line of every mass effect game. I love how the choices we made inflict on the experience we have. But when I put the story apart, I find it is still a good game, but average. I would give 7.5 for the gameplay. And 5 for the graphics and the AI. Problem is that it's made on over 5 years old hardware...
    I still hate what they done to Crysis 2, and Dragon age 2 (even though I loved DA2, it's not a PC game anymore like DA that was, much more deeper), but I think all the bashing I see here about ME3 is not justified. They did what they could with what they had... Problem is Sony and Microsoft for delaying video game evolution. PC market is to small to sustain mass blockbuster productions like mass effect.

    And now we learn that the next XBOX will grant us the pleasure of playing with the fantastic radeon 6670, hell my 2 years old 5770 is twice as fast.
    Guess we will wait a long time to see a real AI and graphics evolution for our game. But I rather enjoy what we have, like the awesome story of the Reapers angainst all living things!

    In that perspective Bioware made a terrific game whit a story that made me forgot I was playing a game optimised for such crappy hardware.    … Expand
  26. Haartian
    Mar 8, 2012
    10
    The game itself - in terms of graphics, narrative, combat, general atmosphere and gameplay - is close to perfect. There are incredible moments in the story arc, and the game delivers a truly cinematic experience.

    I'd risk saying it's the best space opera cRPG ever, beating even the previous two to the title. Well, there's just one 'but'. ME3 *would* be the best space opera cRPG ever, if    The game itself - in terms of graphics, narrative, combat, general atmosphere and gameplay - is close to perfect. There are incredible moments in the story arc, and the game delivers a truly cinematic experience.

    I'd risk saying it's the best space opera cRPG ever, beating even the previous two to the title. Well, there's just one 'but'.

    ME3 *would* be the best space opera cRPG ever, if not for its ending.
    WIthout spoiling too much - the three possible endings of Mass Effect 3 are more than just bad. They are atrocious. Even though Bioware claims that there are 16 possible endgame options, the difference between them comes down to... colour change. That's it.

    The ending of ME3 ruins the whole saga experience. It will leave you dry and dispassionate, and drain all joy from re-playing ME 1&2 and ME3 itself.

    If you're a fan of the series, DON'T BUY THIS. At least until Bioware changes the endings.    … Expand
  27. timriley
    Mar 8, 2012
    10
    Just awesome. Fantastic story line, characters. Graphics are top notch. That BioWare gives players the option to choose the sexual orientation of their character is both refreshing and open-minded.
  28. drivard
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    A well done conclusion to an excellent series. The ending was clearly not something thought up at the last minute but planned for a long time in advance.
  29. Nakano37
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    The best parts of the gameplay from the 1st and 2nd combined with a gripping story. The galaxy at war stuff is awesome and Jennifer Hale's voice acting is top notch. Even the multiplayer is far better than I expected.
  30. WhyRat
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    â
  31. Stoneboy
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    Well, what can I say? I´ve finished the game yesterday (endings are ok, btw, romantic in me would have loved to have some blue children with Liara,I´m not angry about them).
    The game itself is almost perfect (some technical bugs, badly written quest log entries...), but that almost there won´t stop me from giving it a 10. Because it´s    Well, what can I say? I´ve finished the game yesterday (endings are ok, btw, romantic in me would have loved to have some blue children with Liara,I´m not angry about them).
    The game itself is almost perfect (some technical bugs, badly written quest log entries...), but that almost there won´t stop me from giving it a 10. Because it´s beautifully written, characters are alive and I felt (with my ME1->ME2 imported Shepard) like I was with my best friends. Garrus mission on the Citadel for example is something I will probably never forget. It was... simply brilliant. And don´t listen to some people, who are trying to tell you, that the ME3 is not an RPG. It is, and it´s more an RPG that ME2 was. It has weapon customization, branching skill trees and you´ll be able to DECIDE the fate of the entire species at one point. Role playing is IMHO not about points or stats. It´s about making choices, and interacting with the world. All this all day 1 DLC crap is just that. I wonder what the reaction would have been if the DLC never got released and the content remained a CE exclusive.
    And "autodialog"? There were one or two conversations where the extra wheel wouldn't hurt, but I suspect, that some of the dialog changes based on paragon/renegade points you get along the way. And you still make decisions, interrupts are still there... Conversations were excellent overall. So, to sum up, If you love ME, you already have ME3 and playing it. There is nothing new in it, that would stop you. However, if you don´t know ME, I honestly wouldn't recommend buying ME3. Try to play the entire trilogy on the PC or X360. You´ll experience something truly special.

    And as I said before, my final score: 10 (or 9.75, because it´s the last game, and I won´t see my friends again).    … Expand
  32. osimandias
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    DONT LISTEN TO THE USERS SAYING THAT YOUR EARLIER CHOICES DONT MATTER! Its just not true, depending on who survived the suicide mission and dozens, if not hundreds of other choices, this chapter will unfold in surpriningly, and yes, satisfying ways. I think most people judged this depending on their first playthrough, and you just cant do that. Its amazing and its a work of genius worthDONT LISTEN TO THE USERS SAYING THAT YOUR EARLIER CHOICES DONT MATTER! Its just not true, depending on who survived the suicide mission and dozens, if not hundreds of other choices, this chapter will unfold in surpriningly, and yes, satisfying ways. I think most people judged this depending on their first playthrough, and you just cant do that. Its amazing and its a work of genius worth defending. End of story.… Expand
  33. THEKeeper_71
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    It is AMAZING GAME 10/10 good work boware, nice multiplayer very epic end of trilogy.And two firts parts of this game amazin too you must play in this game.
  34. olimpN7
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    RPG-side is better than mass effect 2, but worse tham ME1, shooter-side best in the series.
    Very good story and epic ending, but in the middle seems boring
    Graphics 8/10, bad textures and lightmaps, however good art and detaled sharacters
  35. polyak953
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the most incredible game that ever I saw. After the final mission, I sh*t bricks. And the saddest thing that Mass Effect has officially completed.… Expand
  36. rastaputin
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was looking forward to this game more than I have for any other. Sure, some of the new characters looked terrible and the day 1 DLC thing was ridiculous, but I was sure Bioware would end this saga in style.

    Unfortunately, I was wrong.

    But first, the good parts. Combat is good. Characters are not quite as good as the previous games, and not as fleshed out, but still decent. Graphics are well improved. Unfortunately, these positive points are not enough to outweigh the negatives - choices you made in ME1 and ME2 have absolutely no bearing on the gameplay. Despite "Take Earth Back" being this game's main marketing slogan, doing so is impossible as Bioware has decide to ignore player choice and force everyone to have a near-identical and utterly dire ending. You might think that I'm being unfair with this review, but wait until you play the final part of this game. Trust me, you will not disagree. 97% of players on BSN were unhappy with it.

    I'm not an angry fanboy, really I'm not. Just a disappointed one.    … Expand
  37. Nahilas
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    Thank you BioWare for creating one of the best games I've ever played! Don't listen to the haters, the Mass Effect trilogy is truely something special and something I'll keep coming back to over the years. BRILLIANT WORK!

    If anyone hasn't played any of the Mass Effect games. DO. IT. NOW.
  38. HVB
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    I actually would only give it 9.5/10 (on account of the somewhat unsatisfactory ending.) This game was as close to a work of art as I've seen thus far, the writing is amazing, and I felt the most important thing- your Shepards relationship with the characters and world- is handled brilliantly and comprehensively. So much focus and attentionw as payed to the conversations.

    It is a shame,    I actually would only give it 9.5/10 (on account of the somewhat unsatisfactory ending.) This game was as close to a work of art as I've seen thus far, the writing is amazing, and I felt the most important thing- your Shepards relationship with the characters and world- is handled brilliantly and comprehensively. So much focus and attentionw as payed to the conversations.

    It is a shame, though hopelessly obvious, to see such numerous low marks are on account of a single gay male sex scene. A scene I might add, that was handled very well, was completely optional and had very obvious leads, and above all- was very romantic and well written, not a porno or anything distasteful. Mass Effect 3 is a brilliant game in all acounts, especially if you are in it for the story as I am. My only criticism would be the ending, which I have a feeling may be resolved entirely in this Mass Effect 4 I keep hearing about.

    This game is a strong contender for game of the year, and should win it for such bold story choices despite raising the ire of the sadly substantial homophobic community.    … Expand
  39. Xolis
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    I love playing a story...and that's what I got. AMAZING! All these haters are crying about stats this and that. The game is FUN and that's all there is to it!
  40. Heide
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    I had to do an account for posting here to do some justice. Best from the series and and top 3 best games ever played. Took a lot of guts for Bioware to end it like this. It is a masterpiece. I can remotely understand why it got this score so far, users from US couldn't grasp the poetic approach in the end. Probably the fact that last stand is in London didn't help as the game wasI had to do an account for posting here to do some justice. Best from the series and and top 3 best games ever played. Took a lot of guts for Bioware to end it like this. It is a masterpiece. I can remotely understand why it got this score so far, users from US couldn't grasp the poetic approach in the end. Probably the fact that last stand is in London didn't help as the game was launched first in the US and the regular end US user may be used more with "Independence day" movie approach than something like this. Where the american hero saves the day, the earth and the galaxy. Didn't seen any "terrible animation and graphic issues" though but you gotta whine about something no ? Should have give it 9.8 because for some lack of polish in the dreams and because i am disappointed they cut it off so clearly at the end - no mass effect 4 folks - be happy about it - your winnings will be "rewarded" - you will not have to support another "bad" game from Bioware in mass effect universe. Lets hope that once Europe will start reviewing the score will go up as it deserves. We are too spoiled. Hat off, thumbs up for Bioware.… Expand
  41. enworbo
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off, i don't really think this game deserves 10/10, but nor does it deserve 3.4, where it's currently at.
    It's also hardly a role playing game, ultimately, the decisions you made count for nothing, apart from a few of them being literally converted into numbers, and the plot is almost completely linear.
    But, I was OK with this. I was ready to just assume all of these low scores were the EA hate. But then, I met the catalyst. Here I was, looking forward to see exactly how my decisions shaped the war, like in ME2 where I watched my squad-mates live or die based solely on my decisions (whether i'd picked the right person for the job, or whether i'd bought the right ship upgrade). Instead, I'm presented with 3 choices.
    My Shepard, was just expected to trust this catalyst? Regardless, I chose to control the reapers. Arguably the biggest decision of the entire series. And what do I get? A prerendered cutscene of reapers retreating after a blue flash, and the normandy crash landing on a planet, and a moongazer telling a story about "The Shepard" (honestly, we'd gone almost 3 games without that pun being used, why use it now?).
    I was left completely speechless. A game about decisions and consequence, without being shown any of the consequence. I talked to friends who had chosen different options, for which the only differences were the colours of the bangs, and where the reapers went. I'm mostly fine with the depressing endings themselves, but the presentation just felt lazy, and rushed, and I can't bring myself to play through it again (I played through me2 at least 4 times).    … Expand
  42. Acsmix
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Bioware promised a lot with the game, and in fact, they did acquire their objective, that was to make the people think it was the better game bioware ever designed, which is not. the game is ful of graphic glitches or issues, call them as you want, and the story isn't pretty good, not at all as the trailers were promising. a mafia man appears from nowhere? dude i taught mafias would be aBioware promised a lot with the game, and in fact, they did acquire their objective, that was to make the people think it was the better game bioware ever designed, which is not. the game is ful of graphic glitches or issues, call them as you want, and the story isn't pretty good, not at all as the trailers were promising. a mafia man appears from nowhere? dude i taught mafias would be a little different in the future! well, the gameplay hasn't changed a lot, and that's good. Also about graphics i wanted to say that they're extrEmely good in the cutscenes and aliens but extremely careless in humans ans suits. I hate so much the fact that EA was giving a **** to swtor, the best game i've seen since kotor1 and 2, and millions to me3, but the user opinion is the one that is important. This game deserves the worse just for being the most competitive game with swtor. SWTOR ROCKS! ME3 SUCKS!… Expand
  43. mr_fails
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    There are so many people who claim that this game was a huge letdown from two because the RPG elements are even further gone. After playing this game for about 10 hours, i can say that in my opinion, that is a gigantic load of crap. The choices for equip-able armor are more true to the ones of mass effect with their brand names, the weapon upgrade system is much better now, seeing as theyThere are so many people who claim that this game was a huge letdown from two because the RPG elements are even further gone. After playing this game for about 10 hours, i can say that in my opinion, that is a gigantic load of crap. The choices for equip-able armor are more true to the ones of mass effect with their brand names, the weapon upgrade system is much better now, seeing as they actually have upgrades instead of some **** computer and the need to scan planets to gather resources. Some of the characters, like James , are undeveloped but can you really blame the guy? He came in on the last game of a fully established trilogy. As for the story, yes, compared to mass effect 1 it is dumbed down but compared to mass effect 2 it is much better. I enjoyed mass effect 2 because of the game-play, not because of the story. In ME 3 you are tasked with journeying around the galaxy and creating a united banner under which to combat the reapers in the final showdown. Compared to the ME2 plot line of get some random mother **** to travel to their possible death with you, its a lot better.

    As for other elements, i love the challenge ME3 brings. in ME2 you could stand behind cover and trow warp at people and never get hurt. ME3 brings a much greater challenge. It requires players to actually use strategy rather than sit behind an impenetrable wall for years. The combat mechanics are much more refined than 2 and the return of grenades is a very welcome mechanic. Overall, ME3 deserves around an 8.5 where ME1 would receive a 9.75 and ME2 would receive an 8 just to give you an idea of where i stand. Its not GOTY material but ME3 is a good game that deserves at least one play-through. As for its shortcomings, which are by no means non-existent, blame the EA devil that is turning the gaming industry into a corporate machine rather than a place where creative developers meet to make something amazing and unique, not BioWare.    … Expand
  44. cerberusd
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    When all is said and done, this is the first game since Half Life 2 where every second I felt the blood sweat and tears of those who toiled to engineer this titan of a game. That hard effort doesn't quite manifest itself in the same awe-inspiring perfection the way it did in Half Life 2, but Mass Effect 3 comes pretty damn close. Every aspect of gameplay, from the pacing, variety, balance,When all is said and done, this is the first game since Half Life 2 where every second I felt the blood sweat and tears of those who toiled to engineer this titan of a game. That hard effort doesn't quite manifest itself in the same awe-inspiring perfection the way it did in Half Life 2, but Mass Effect 3 comes pretty damn close. Every aspect of gameplay, from the pacing, variety, balance, story, and art design, sets industry standards. The only place where ME3 falls flat is in its format, the third person shooter. It simply doesn't lend itself to a immersive, cohesive experience that the FPS format did for Half Life 2. The other weakness is that it doesn't utilize any revolutionary technology. The game looks nearly identical to Mass Effect 2 -not that that's necessarily bad- but a complete revamp of the engine would have been better for a game of this magnitude. These are pretty big negatives I know, and the critic in me wants to give the game a 9.3 or 9.4. But given the current state of gaming development, where designers opt for security rather than ambition, and truly epic, monumental gaming experiences exist only in our memories, this game truly 'deserves' a 10/10. I am writing this review of any true gaming fan who is having doubts about whether to spend his or her hard earned money on this game. If you felt that gaming changed in the last several years, that developers lost that ambition to achieve in a game the human mind's greatest, most powerful imaginations and desires, then this game is your answer and cure. This is undoubtedly Bioware's Magnum Opus, and a testament of the highest order to what games can achieves as an art form.… Expand
  45. abcccccccc
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    One of the best games ever made. Endings is awesom. Other people who think that endings is bad just not clever kids.
    1) Bad only one thing and this is that i cannot drive car there.
  46. grahamsccs
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Absolutely stunning game. Best of the trilogy. I started off not liking the first Mass Effect, but really enjoyed the second. The third is even better still, with extremely high production values.
  47. clivemax
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I downloaded my copy of Mass Effect 3 onto my computer with some apprehension, the critic reviews all praised the game, while a majority of the users seemed to hate it. As I played Mass Effect 3 my apprehension left me, and I realized that the game I was playing was astounding. The game still seemed to be Mass Effect even though a little toned down in the choices department.
    The gameplay was far above the previous two entries in the series and this made me enjoy my experience all the more.
    My trip through this game was amazing and as I'm running towards the beam(I've forgotten what it is called) and harbinger is firing lasers at all of us running my adrenaline is pumping and it cuts to black.
    My first thought, "HOLY **** DID SHEPARD JUST DIE?!" As Shepard wakes up, I reevaluate my situation and think I'm alive, but what about my squadmates? I realize that I must go forward. Liara and Garrus are probably dead. Their sacrifices must mean something. I enter the light.
    The sight of the bodies sickens me, but I hear Anderson's voice and I walk forward looking for him and a way to open the citadel. Upon finding Anderson I didn't really question it beyond the fact that something was wrong. **** Illusive man.
    After talking to the Illusive man, he makes me shoot Anderson. Why the hell didn't I get the chance to fight that compulsion?! Dammit. My next what the hell moment was when I didn't have enough paragon to convince the Illusive man, "How the hell do I not have enough paragon?!" Dammit.
    Illusive man. Anderson on his knees gun to his head. Renegade interrupt. Do i hit it? Hell yeah I hit it. After Anderson collapses, my first thought, "He still died?!", but I head off to open the arms. They open and he's still alive and I'm elated. We sit down just like two old pals would and talk. After Anderson tell me how proud he is of me and dies, I cry my eyes out.
    The crucible isn't working though and as Shepard is crawling my only thought is you can make it, but he doesn't.
    After Shepard gets taken up by the platform, my initial reaction is hmmmm.
    After I see the catalyst ghost child I think, "What. The. **** but I'm willing to see where it goes.
    As the conversation procedes and all I do is agree I'm screaming in my head, "Why can't I disagree and ask him some **** questions?!"
    As he gives me my final options and the three paths are open to me I am dumbfounded.
    Destroy all synthetics? I like the geth. They and the quarians just obtained peace....wait ghost child your logic is flawed this is a prime example of synthetics and organics coexisting....WAIT this would destroy EDI and the normandy along with her, there is no **** way I'm killing joker.
    Organic and synthetic symbiosis evolution? Uhhhh.....wouldn't that change everyone in the galaxy to something their not and completely destroy who they are? Looks like a no.
    Control of reapers? Doesn't sound like a great idea, but doesn't seem to completely ruin the things I love about the universe, so I guess I'll go with that.
    WAIT, all of these will destroy the relays? Why? What about all the different races on Earth that will never make it back to their homeworld? God dammit, the quarians just got their homeworld back. Fine, I'll deal with it. I'll even deal with the fact that the destruction of the relays should destroy each solar system it's next to. It's all **** depressing, but I'll deal with it.
    Joker? Why are you running away? Ship blows up. What. The. ****.
    The normandy is still alive. Thank god, but they're stranded on an unknown planet without any relays...****.
    WAIT A **** MOMENT. Why are you on the normandy, liara? You were in my squad. I thought you were dead. What the balls.
    In the end, it's not the ending I wanted with a bunch of blue babies and the reapers destroyed, but without the plotholes or lack of interactions with the catalyst ghost child it would have been a depressing, but good ending.
    My final analysis is that while the ending sucked and had no respect to the Mass Effect universe which I believe is focused on the galactic races and your crew mates, NOT the philosophical discussion of order and chaos and whether or not what the reapers are doing makes any sense at all, the overall game deserves a ten.
    One of the best games of all time that is marred by an ending that doesn't do the series justice.    … Expand
  48. DatAsianGuy
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Look, I know everyone is butt hurt about the ending and many fans are angry at bioware, but i dont agree with many of the reviews and I have been a DIE HARD Bioware fan since Baldurs Gate I have bought and played hundreds and hundreds of hours playing their games and I believe Mass Effect 3 was perfect. (here comes the flaming). But, ask yourself how else would it end? they have said thatLook, I know everyone is butt hurt about the ending and many fans are angry at bioware, but i dont agree with many of the reviews and I have been a DIE HARD Bioware fan since Baldurs Gate I have bought and played hundreds and hundreds of hours playing their games and I believe Mass Effect 3 was perfect. (here comes the flaming). But, ask yourself how else would it end? they have said that this game is the end of Commander Shepards Story and that he will not appear in future games, but does that mean its a bad game? No, it doesn't and the story writing was impressive and voice acting was done well. I had several moments where I had to put down my controller and think about what I was about to do. The thing is I love this game, the universe, the good AND the bad although i dont consider multiplayer bad based on how much fun I have and the challenge of gold and the AI for insanity mode in the story. Sure the ending isn't what you had expected or wanted it was still a great experience. Also, Lord Mandalore terrible animation and graphic issues? seriously? what are you playing on? and the story wasn't dumbed down at all, have you even looked at the scripting an storylines of other games?

    Also, about the Day 1 DLC they finished it after the game was completed and shipped, SO WHAT? It took considerable amount of time to create the DLC if any of you have EVER tried to script, voice over, integrate and even add more lore into a game already developed I personally would like you to do it in 2 months and then give it away for free to EVERYONE. Then and ONLY then can you **** about the DLC release. Seriously if it came out 2 weeks later everyone and their mothers would whore themselves out for it but just because its out the same day people **** and moan.

    TL:DR Everyone is mad at the ending and giving a way too biased review about the game.

    If you read this and have a problem with me come email me your "OMG YOU ARE SO WRONG STFU (insert more flame)" rebuttle to A.Chekers@hotmail.com    … Expand
  49. Narath
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Truely an amazing, if you ignore the end this game is the best in the series. The main strength bioware has always had has been the companions you travel with and they went to the next level on ME3, i was so shocked when I found my companions moving around the ship and some of the dialog had me rolling on the floor with laughter. They also did some amazing truely sad moments with theTruely an amazing, if you ignore the end this game is the best in the series. The main strength bioware has always had has been the companions you travel with and they went to the next level on ME3, i was so shocked when I found my companions moving around the ship and some of the dialog had me rolling on the floor with laughter. They also did some amazing truely sad moments with the deaths of long time characters which were done beautifuly. Possible spoilers
    On the issue with the end, when I first played it I was in a black rage and felt depressed for days, but I got over it and for me the series ended with shepard sitting next to anderson on the citadel. No reason for 5minutes of gameplay to ruin a 36 hour game.    … Expand
  50. Mugumaster
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I'm glad I didn't buy this game and listened to my gut feeling. I downloaded it and thought "if it can stand up to the rest of the series I will buy it afterwards...." No money from me here! This game is a total letdown! And what dissapoints me the most is that EVERY gamemagazine gives it a rating of 90+. This clearly shows that those game magazines just write what they are told from theI'm glad I didn't buy this game and listened to my gut feeling. I downloaded it and thought "if it can stand up to the rest of the series I will buy it afterwards...." No money from me here! This game is a total letdown! And what dissapoints me the most is that EVERY gamemagazine gives it a rating of 90+. This clearly shows that those game magazines just write what they are told from the gamecompanys .... very sad indeed.

    Now for Mass Effect 3:
    - Horrible long cutscenes with uneeded explosions everywhere to beef it up
    - Most of the time you had only 2 dialogue choices (Paragon, Renegade) and it was obvious which was what since paragon was always the upper choice and renegade the bottom choice
    - Missions were at first interesting but after 1-2 hours you get the feeling that there is no more innovation. Either you fight enemy waves, defend a point and fight off enemy waves, reach a checkpoint and survive while fighting enemy waves or fight enemy waves to push a button to fight more enemy waves ....
    - Combat system was a total letdown, I played as a biotic but most of the time i just used a sniperrifle or a slow firing rifle because it just owns everything else.
    - Biotic skills were totaly useless, I ended up reskilling and learn the talents my teammates gave me like infernogrenade or carnage
    - Flying around searching for stuff to beef up the army while avoiding the reapers got VERY boring VERY fast
    - The dialogue choices you had with your squadmates were too dull and you weren't able to bond a connection to them like in the previous games
    - Storywriting was bad, tried to skip all the time after a while since it just was plain bad
    - No matter which choices you made (like fake cure or real cure for krogans, save geth or quarians, save the arachniqueen, recruit alien races etc.) nothing did matter at the end. There was nothing that said what happened afterwards and the only reason to gather allied forces is only to make the end a little less bad than it already is.
    - The endings were a complete rippoff from deus ex
    - The endings were ALL bad, basicly you watched the same clip with a different coloured explosion and small changes but basicly all the ends lead to the same result without explaining ANYTHING

    I could go on with this list but I guess you get the point I'm trying to make clear ..    … Expand
  51. csomerville
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I have very much been enjoying Mass Effect 3. It is odd that there are so many negative reviews on here. The Mass Effect trilogy is epic and although I'm sad to see this final instalment arrive I'm glad to have gone for the ride.
  52. SHr1KeD
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I honestly don't know why this game is getting so much hate. I absolutely LOVED this game and I'm extremely sad that the series is over. The game was emotionally exhausting. Especially if you carry over all your saves and play the game for its story and not the gameplay. I cared for every character in the game, even the villains were just amazingly done. The ending has been given a lot ofI honestly don't know why this game is getting so much hate. I absolutely LOVED this game and I'm extremely sad that the series is over. The game was emotionally exhausting. Especially if you carry over all your saves and play the game for its story and not the gameplay. I cared for every character in the game, even the villains were just amazingly done. The ending has been given a lot of hate too. I enjoyed the ending. It wasn't what I expected and I suppose that's why I liked it so much. Without spoiling anything. I did wish there was an alternative...BUT, I still thought it was a very well way to wrap everything up. Simply put. I enjoyed the game. I will admit that the "Rises From Ashes" DLC should of been included into the game, I couldn't see how it shouldn't have been included, it contained a very, very important piece of the story. I wished it was a bit longer. I finished it and ALL side quest in about 35 hours. (Yes that may seem alot but time passes by when your having fun) Overall, I gotta give this a perfect score. I would rate the whole damn Series a perfect 10.… Expand
  53. Redzin
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    This is by far the best Mass Effect game so far. The combat is better and more refined than in the previous games. The scenery is vastly improved, even though it was already very good in the previous games. The story is mostly as good as in the other ME games, however, there are some anoyances. Especially the beginning, it just seems to spout this idea of "soldiers are badass, HOAH!", asThis is by far the best Mass Effect game so far. The combat is better and more refined than in the previous games. The scenery is vastly improved, even though it was already very good in the previous games. The story is mostly as good as in the other ME games, however, there are some anoyances. Especially the beginning, it just seems to spout this idea of "soldiers are badass, HOAH!", as if the marketing department wanted to make the game appeal more to the Modern Warfare crowd. It doesn't last past the first mission or two though so it's not a big issue. Then of course there's the ending... which is unusual. I didn't mind it, honestly I found it refreshing. I encourage people to play this game, if nothing else then to experience the ending, the likes of which I seriously doubt has ever been seen in video games before.… Expand
  54. Pager
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    Ignore the 1's and 0's on here. There is no possible way you could have played the other two mass effect games and give this a bad score. Bioware did a great job on this. They have improved every single aspect of the game and made it even better. The acting and the story are rich. The characters are believable. I spend a half hour walking through the ship after almost every mission,Ignore the 1's and 0's on here. There is no possible way you could have played the other two mass effect games and give this a bad score. Bioware did a great job on this. They have improved every single aspect of the game and made it even better. The acting and the story are rich. The characters are believable. I spend a half hour walking through the ship after almost every mission, because there are so many things to do. The amount of dialogue and ways the story can change based on your decisions is astounding. I found decisions I made all the way back on Mass Effect 1 coming back to haunt me. The graphics are much impoved. Amazing. The powers feel like they have a lot more meat behind them and the weapons now sound realistic instead of some cheap toy. The areas you fight have the feel of a war instead some stiff wallpaper of mountains. The multiplayer is pretty cool. It's like horde mode for Gears of War, but with powers and items to unlock. I like how it directly impacts the single player campaign. Melding those together is something few games do.

    If you liked the first two games you will love this game. Do not listen to the bad reviews on here of 1 and 0. They obviously can't be taken seriously. I don't even like Call of Duty and I wouldn't give it that score. This game is a masterpiece and one of the best series I have played in all my gaming and I have been gaming since the 80's with the commodore 64.    … Expand
  55. Omega4
    Apr 5, 2012
    10
    Thanks to EA's announcement that a clarification to the ending will be made, I can finally give the score this game deserves. My playthrough was an absolute blast. Meeting my old squadmates again, meeting new ones, travelling to new places... I've never been so emotionally invested in a game. It was an absolute blast to play, and I can't wait to see the ending.
  56. F-The-Bandwagon
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    Read the reviews and take notice. They all share the stereotype of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons universe. Its a great game with an emotional ending. Not playing it is doing yourself a disservice.
  57. svladimir
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    My first rating was 2. It's almost 6am now, I've just finished the game and changing rating to 10. Why it was 2 in the first place ? 1) the game mechanics is different from the first and second games, I was just expected it to be the same 2) the game was really slow, a bit frustrating, in the beginning 3) clumsy animation sometimes 4) reduced dialog options 5) quite often it's somewhatMy first rating was 2. It's almost 6am now, I've just finished the game and changing rating to 10. Why it was 2 in the first place ? 1) the game mechanics is different from the first and second games, I was just expected it to be the same 2) the game was really slow, a bit frustrating, in the beginning 3) clumsy animation sometimes 4) reduced dialog options 5) quite often it's somewhat hard to draw the parallel between a dialog option and what a personage actually says 6) the game is much less RPG than the first 2 games. And why I am changing it to 9 ? 1) it's another game and if to decide for yourself that it's not a true RPG and rather an amazing huge sci-fi story you can be a part of - it plays so well ! 2) while a bit slow in the beginning the game starts rolling towards the end, during last 10 hours (yes, non stop) of the game I could hardly find time to go to toilet :) 3) I TOTALLY love the ending. This is how a BIG saga shall end. Yes it's not truly RPG when all your heroes count etc... but again, the game itself is not a true RPG game. And I really like the story ! It's all explained so well, I didn't hesitate making my last choice and very satisfied with it, this is the only way how it should be, I think. 10 out of 10, easy. Thanks BioWare for an amazing experience.… Expand
  58. Peturd
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I actually waited to play the game before commenting on it. I thought it was outstanding. I tried not to look at it as the game it could have been if they had of stuck with and refined the RPG elements. I would have liked that. The squeaky wheel got the grease though, and ME2 was more of a shooter. ME3 brought back a bit more RPG depth. So I'm not sure why the hate. It was an improvementI actually waited to play the game before commenting on it. I thought it was outstanding. I tried not to look at it as the game it could have been if they had of stuck with and refined the RPG elements. I would have liked that. The squeaky wheel got the grease though, and ME2 was more of a shooter. ME3 brought back a bit more RPG depth. So I'm not sure why the hate. It was an improvement as a shooter from ME1 and an improvement as an RPG from ME2. The experience was greater then the sum of it's parts.

    The story, individual plots within the story, the music, sound effects and voice acting were all great. The graphics weren't top notch on my PC, but it's limited by the consoles, and lower end machines. This was countered greatly by the overall aesthetic choices I've loved from the start. Some animations were a little weird. Sometimes it seems a characters hands or other things are moving just for the sake of having animation to make them seem more life like, ironically making them dip down in the uncanny valley. Overall the animations were very good though. Very visceral, and gave a great sense of impact. The animations of the powers make the game much more splashy. Others might find it a bit less boring to watch you play as compared to ME1 and ME2.

    Finally, the changes we have seen are a direct result of YOU, the consumer. Game makers make games. They then sell them to make money, so they can go on to make more games. Without money they have to get other jobs, and can't make the games they want. So they compromise on what they want to do with what the consumer wants to buy. This way they have money to get to make things that are 70% of their vision, and 30% what the market wants. If people had of supported Mass Effect 1 better, and bought it, they would have stayed true to it. It's not like traditional art with little monetary input needed to produce a final product.

    TL;DR:
    Haters are ridiculous. This is by far the best Mass Effect game of the three. Refined, improved, and well executed in almost all regards. Deserving of the critical acclaim it is receiving, not the petty down votes from spoiled kids.    … Expand
  59. Jdund117
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I preordered this game. I got it, started playing it, and within about an 2 hours of playing it I was satisfied. Bioware streamlined and improved every system, including missions (although some were hard to do because they weren't on the galaxy map), and they brought back the Citadel with a number of new really cool areas to check out. Dialogue seemed so much more casual than it hadI preordered this game. I got it, started playing it, and within about an 2 hours of playing it I was satisfied. Bioware streamlined and improved every system, including missions (although some were hard to do because they weren't on the galaxy map), and they brought back the Citadel with a number of new really cool areas to check out. Dialogue seemed so much more casual than it had been in the first two games, and in my opinion it was acted and animated better. Any character that was still two-dimensional after ME2 was made three-dimensional, and every character that was three-dimensional after ME2 was so multifaceted you could believe that they were real. For example, the whole interaction between Shepard and Garrus was just priceless. Garrus used to be just another companion in the first two games, but in Mass Effect 3 he became something like Shepard's best friend. The rest of the characters, like Tali, Ashley, and James were very well-developed. Even the Prothean squadmate had his moments. I felt like the romances in this series were also so much more real. I kept Liara as my love interest from the first game, and there was a lot more emotional talking going on than just plain sexy time at the end (that happened too, aw yeah). The plot was pretty freakin sweet, I loved the Tuchanka mission and the Rannoch mission... but man those decisions can be hard. Conversely, the end of the game was disappointing. The game led the player to believe that every choice would have its unique conclusion to the story, but that never happened. It's really sad to see something that could have been one of the greatest RPG's ever made kind of flop because the ending was lackluster. The multiplayer can be tough getting into it, especially if you fight reapers or something (don't do it, just don't) but it pays off (headshots **** yeah) and makes for a generally fun experience. This game is pretty freaking cool. The ending sucked, but it's definitely worth playing again with a different experience. I don't know why people posted reviews on here the day that the game came out, because you obviously couldn't have finished the game in a single day, and if you did, you didn't pay attention and subsequently the game sucked for you. So boo hoo, go play COD and keep the tissues and vaseline nearby.… Expand
  60. Anferny159
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I registered simply to put perspective on the rampant INTJ and pseudo-nerd-computer-hugging personalities that have absolutely infected this review page.

    Mass Effect 3 is not only the strongest game in the series, but also the most thoroughly put together. It, unlike 1 and to a lesser extent 2, is incredibly streamlined and much deeper as a result. The vast majority of negative opinion    I registered simply to put perspective on the rampant INTJ and pseudo-nerd-computer-hugging personalities that have absolutely infected this review page.

    Mass Effect 3 is not only the strongest game in the series, but also the most thoroughly put together. It, unlike 1 and to a lesser extent 2, is incredibly streamlined and much deeper as a result. The vast majority of negative opinion seems to revolve around the ending of the series. That being said, anyone with a brain can assume that hours 1-25+ of Mass Effect 3 will enjoy one of the most incredible experiences a video game can offer.

    Now, ignoring spoilers, the ending is fantastic. It's reception has, so far, been very similar to that of the TV series Lost. A show which drew people in with it's cool Sci-Fi mysteries, but actually MATTERED because of it's human content and ambiguous sense of good and evil. Mass Effect ends in much the same way. If you truly think about it all, the series could not have ended effectively otherwise. The whole series wasn't about choice, but the implications of fate versus freedom and consequences of our decisions. These are HUGE existential question for a video game to approach.

    I CAN and will say, with almost 100 percent certainty, that the backlash originates from a socially inept and ridiculously over invested group of computer geeks. There simply is no other way to put it. If the kids/ gamers that rated this game anything less than a 7 would have written the ending, be it collaboratively or otherwise, it would have been a **** technical-filled-SciFi-Channel-Uber-Geek nightmare with no sense of poetic understanding. I seriously called this sort of ending from game 1. The tone for it has always been there, but unfortunately the personality types of most scifi-douche-bag-couldn't-talk-to-you-about-anything-but-manufacturing-procedures from-the"mars"-series-of-books prevent any sort of large scale understanding of what the game is about.

    Don't deprive yourself. Play the finale and enjoy this great game.    … Expand
  61. beltan
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I loved this game. It was a great closing to the story, a great send off of the characters I grew to care about. Despite what is said in the vile meanderings of people on here, the game had a great story. I really wish that we had more time with each of the characters. I loved the Loyalty missions in the 2nd one, but this one allowed me to wrap up with each person.
    There are so many    I loved this game. It was a great closing to the story, a great send off of the characters I grew to care about. Despite what is said in the vile meanderings of people on here, the game had a great story. I really wish that we had more time with each of the characters. I loved the Loyalty missions in the 2nd one, but this one allowed me to wrap up with each person.
    There are so many emotionally-engaging parts to ME3. The revelations about what is happening (ie Cerberus) and the Protheans is amazing. I enjoyed almost all the parts of this game. Its great to experience an amazing chapter in the sci fi history the bioware created. Good work!    … Expand
  62. Gonzi
    Jun 27, 2012
    10
    I loved almost everything about Mass Effect 2 and yet Mass Effect 3 delivers even better game. Action parts are perfect, flanking works flawlessly and I really like different types of enemies. I like the plotline and while I must say, that potential from previous saves is rather underused, it still feels like "mine" universe and whole story of all three games works with it rather nicely.I loved almost everything about Mass Effect 2 and yet Mass Effect 3 delivers even better game. Action parts are perfect, flanking works flawlessly and I really like different types of enemies. I like the plotline and while I must say, that potential from previous saves is rather underused, it still feels like "mine" universe and whole story of all three games works with it rather nicely.
    PS: DON'T PLAY IT WITHOUT EXTENDED ENDING DLC    … Expand
  63. CursedFeanor
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    Be very careful about trusting the reviews of most users here, you might otherwise pass up on one of the best game of all time in Mass Effect 3. For the record, I have just completed the whole game (in about 42 hours of gameplay to do all the side-quests and something like 5 hours of multiplayer). I have played countless games in my life, but very few, if any, have made me actually "feel"Be very careful about trusting the reviews of most users here, you might otherwise pass up on one of the best game of all time in Mass Effect 3. For the record, I have just completed the whole game (in about 42 hours of gameplay to do all the side-quests and something like 5 hours of multiplayer). I have played countless games in my life, but very few, if any, have made me actually "feel" more intense and diverse emotions than the Mass Effect series (I've played all 3, passing along my save file all the way, no problem). You get attached to basically every of the characters and care about what's going to happen to them and their respective races and civilizations. You still get presented with incredibly hard decisions to make if you let yourself get immersed as you should. The combat system is awesome, balanced and fun! The music is gorgeous throughout and so are all the sound-effects and dialogs. I have not encountered any significant bug that would be noteworthy (don't trust the haters). Honestly, I would be hard-pressed to find any negative points about this game, hence the 10/10. I usually hate using that word, but this game actually is an epic masterpiece that you should not miss!… Expand
  64. BlackMattDamon
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. With the end of the series Bioware wanted to go all out with their final Mass Effect game. This succeeded making you feel a real part of the war with the Reapers. By far this game is the most user friendly finding a cozy spot in between people's frustration with the complicated UI in the first one (I am not one of them) and the simplicity of the second one. Choosing the gun that fits you best, the armor you like most and the skills you like most are now simplified without taking away from the rpg feel. Game play has been sped up with a more emphasis that you are a weapon on the battlefield. Using cover and jumping between has been made much easier but not at all perfect. Shepard will sometimes climb cover head on into battle getting himself killed when clearly you are pressing to the left or right. As usual squad mates are almost useless unless they have powers. The problem that has plagued the game since the beginning is back and worse as ever. In almost all of the cut scenes characters look stiff and awkward. With great voice comes disappointing visual delivery. On the subject of characters I was also disappointed with the number of squad mates and how many of the former squad mates rejected your offer. Having less variety and not a Krogan I found myself not caring who came with me. In Mass Effect 2 you feel more connect to the characters due to the loyalty missions and the ability to talk to them. In Mass Effect 3 you can talk to some of the characters but I feel they only want to talk to you when they approach you, no you approaching them. Other than those minor annoyances the story goes out with a bang and overall worth your money!… Expand
  65. icedemonofozz
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    This game presents ideas about the singularity and a post human future in an approachable way. The story is affecting if you have bothered to invest time in the personal relationships. Playing this game was personally affecting. The ending which so many are complaining about was philosophically and intellectually satisfying. The lack of choice in this game is not a negative because withoutThis game presents ideas about the singularity and a post human future in an approachable way. The story is affecting if you have bothered to invest time in the personal relationships. Playing this game was personally affecting. The ending which so many are complaining about was philosophically and intellectually satisfying. The lack of choice in this game is not a negative because without the restrictions that brings there can be no meaningful narrative. I like this game.… Expand
  66. RegularNoodle
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    While I do want to buff this games score up as much as possible I actually believe this game is a 10. I've not played a better game than this, making it the new high bar for me. Somehow this game was rated by hundreds of players within hours of release despite the fact that it's a 20 to 30 hour game. A note to Metacritic: please shut down abused user scores.
  67. Slva911
    Mar 22, 2012
    10
    Nothing less then perfection. I managed to get a copy a few days early and I never thought the story and game could top what the last two games have delivered, but this keeps getting better and better! You really do feel the weight of those decisions you made. Its great to finally see the outcome of these shaping after waiting for 5 years in curiosity as to what would happen.
  68. coloradosarge
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    I thought the game was awesome up until the end. I hating the ending and I think BW can do much better. That said, the triology was still one of the most awesome gaming experiences that I've ever had and will be much better if they change the ending. While I think the real score I would rate this is about a 7 or 8 I am giving it a 10 based on the rest of the game and previous games andI thought the game was awesome up until the end. I hating the ending and I think BW can do much better. That said, the triology was still one of the most awesome gaming experiences that I've ever had and will be much better if they change the ending. While I think the real score I would rate this is about a 7 or 8 I am giving it a 10 based on the rest of the game and previous games and to try and offset the other people trolling on here that are obviously marking the score low because of the ending. I think BW deserves a fair score.… Expand
  69. spitfiremk87
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    Spoilers below.

    I have played all 3 of the series over the span of 5 years. I have invested countless time and effort into my character and the universe. I really enjoyed this last game in the series. It brought elements from the first and second games together nicely. It also had some of the best storytelling in just about any game I've seen. BUT As you may heard about the endings.    Spoilers below.

    I have played all 3 of the series over the span of 5 years. I have invested countless time and effort into my character and the universe. I really enjoyed this last game in the series. It brought elements from the first and second games together nicely. It also had some of the best storytelling in just about any game I've seen.

    BUT

    As you may heard about the endings. They are HORRIBLE. Plot holes galore, your choices never mattered and they literally detract from the series after you've played them. Nothing is ever explained in the endings at all. As far as multiple endings are concerned, there are basically three choices that coincide with almost the exact same CG sequence at the end, with the only difference being the color of explosions you get. I hope that Bioware will show their fans some respect and fix the endings or add to them in some way. The Mass Effect series did not deserve this ending.    … Expand
  70. Daedr
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    One of the best games I ever played.
  71. GrandMasterJR
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. Don't listen to the poor reviews, the reason people are responding so critically is because this was a fantastic game, that had a deep emotional impact on them. The mass effect series has created a world that really made me care about what my character did.
  72. zazen27
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. **(Possible Spoilers)**

    So like many other here on Metacritic, I am a huge fan of this series from the get-go. I found this game to very engrossing and live up to the exceptions we've come to expect in a Mass Effect game. I really did enjoy the over-arching narrative that gives conclusion to many of the characters in the game. I was also pleased with the level system and the weapons upgrade and customization system. They both feel balanced, but flexible at the same time giving the player plenty of room to try out new powers and weapons without a lot of hassle. The graphics are clean and crisp although there is some rendering problems from time to time, but it's so short it's barely noticeable. I was please overall with the game, the story, and the class system, but I should touch on the subject that has polarized every ME fan: the Ending.

    No spoilers here, but I just want to put on record that I think the execution of the ending is what was a major let down for me, and not the actual ending itself. If you had done the game through 100% you get some interesting extras at the end credits. The ending of this series feels like the end of "2001: A Space Odyssey" both the film and the book. There is this interesting technological philosophical idea that Bioware is attempting to play with at the end that they have been trying to get at for the past few games. Bioware is trying this idea out in an interesting form, but the execution falls flat for me, but this is a little glimpse of hope out there for Shepard's end that may come in the form of more DLC. Aside from the ending of the game, I couldn't have asked for anything more out of this game. Given all of the hype and build-up for the last 2 years this game wasn't going to live up to everyone's exceptions and this wasn't going to be a perfect game by any means. I enjoyed my play-through of the game and it makes me pine to go back and relive all of Shepard's adventures again from the start. For those that have decided to abandon the series entirely just for the last 15 minutes of a 100+ hour series is completely ludicrous.The simple fact that the game ends on a much different note that it has created so much talk is something I find inspiring and exhilarating. I was more interesting in the story or the process than the end. I'll remember my Shepard through all narratives and friendships build up and lost. I get great joy knowing that my Shepard said "I love you" to Liara. i take comfort in knowing that Wrex is leader of the Krogans and is having a child. I also am delightfully surprised to see Tali and Garrus and EDI and Joker together. I am happy with MY STORY of Shepard. We were so focused on the destination, we completely forgot about the journey we had taken to get there. I am happy with the Mass Effect series ending, while the final credits rolled in the late hours of the night. The journey felt complete...that is until so DLC comes out and I start all over again.    … Expand
  73. WaneY
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    Firstly I am really annoyed that an 'essential Priority Mission' has been charged extra and packaged as a Day 1 DLC. If it was cheap then it would have been acceptable, but it is way over priced for what is something that improves the (back)story. Squad mate AI seems worse then in ME2 and makes the game harder then it could have been.

    There are a few other small issues such as the odd    Firstly I am really annoyed that an 'essential Priority Mission' has been charged extra and packaged as a Day 1 DLC. If it was cheap then it would have been acceptable, but it is way over priced for what is something that improves the (back)story. Squad mate AI seems worse then in ME2 and makes the game harder then it could have been.

    There are a few other small issues such as the odd bug, game crash and game stalling upon Exiting.

    But such is the quality of the game, I still give ME3 10 out of 10. Totally refined and a joy to play    … Expand
  74. HendelMasad
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    This is a powerful and moving story about sacrifice and selflessness. I highly recommend it. The complaints that your choices in this or previous games don't matter, ring hollow with me. Would I welcome a follow up where the character's fates are resolved? Sure thing, but its lack did not diminish my enjoyment of the game.
  75. Aemulus
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    One of the best games I've ever played to date. No other game has made me feel this much emotion, or had me invest SO much into the game.

    There are two kinds of people. The first believes in the end justifying all the means, and they're the ones giving this game a bad review. The other believes that the journey is more important than the destination. And WHAT a journey it was. If you're    One of the best games I've ever played to date. No other game has made me feel this much emotion, or had me invest SO much into the game.

    There are two kinds of people. The first believes in the end justifying all the means, and they're the ones giving this game a bad review. The other believes that the journey is more important than the destination. And WHAT a journey it was. If you're the latter, you'll love it.    … Expand
  76. charlie45690
    Mar 16, 2012
    10
    What a fantastic game just finished it enjoyed all of it. Now playing multilayer which is just as good. The game is definitely worth buying it has a good solid story and strong game play, as far as the ending goes for me I didn't mind it at all it was definitely unexpected. Anyway a message to all the haters and trollers who rate this game 0,1 out of 10 get a life. You dont know how toWhat a fantastic game just finished it enjoyed all of it. Now playing multilayer which is just as good. The game is definitely worth buying it has a good solid story and strong game play, as far as the ending goes for me I didn't mind it at all it was definitely unexpected. Anyway a message to all the haters and trollers who rate this game 0,1 out of 10 get a life. You dont know how to write a review. Pathetic minority of people.
    Fantastic game :)    … Expand
  77. conlaw
    Mar 17, 2012
    10
    This game was awesome. All these people can complaining about the plot but nI felt thoroughly satisfied with the game. Probably the best trilogy ever made!
  78. Skyhawk02
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    This game totally blew me away. Mass Effect 1 was a pretty good start for the series. Mass Effect 2 streamlined the experience so you could focus more on the story and dialogue. Mass Effect 3 has taken the entire experience to another level. I have never experienced such strong emotions playing a video game. I cried a lot during the whole thing, I was so sad when it was over. This isThis game totally blew me away. Mass Effect 1 was a pretty good start for the series. Mass Effect 2 streamlined the experience so you could focus more on the story and dialogue. Mass Effect 3 has taken the entire experience to another level. I have never experienced such strong emotions playing a video game. I cried a lot during the whole thing, I was so sad when it was over. This is probably the most theatrical video game ever made, it is still very much a video game Not a movie, but the voice overs, writing, animations, etc. all come together to create something unlike any other game out there. Don't trust all the negative reviews out there, most of those people are fans of old school RPG's who don't like Bioware's new direction. They care more about choosing stats than interacting with great characters.… Expand
  79. jamielikesyou
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    I have a hard time believing this game is scoring so low just out of spite for the last 10 mins of an epic three game opera. Battlestar Galactica (2003) scores 9.5 here despite similarities between its story progression and Mass Effect. This is a polished, well written, produced, directed and acted game. The pacing is fantastic with more frequent, desperate combat sequences interspersedI have a hard time believing this game is scoring so low just out of spite for the last 10 mins of an epic three game opera. Battlestar Galactica (2003) scores 9.5 here despite similarities between its story progression and Mass Effect. This is a polished, well written, produced, directed and acted game. The pacing is fantastic with more frequent, desperate combat sequences interspersed with meaningful interactive story segments. Major plotlines are wrapped up, sometimes joyfully and sometimes heart wrenchingly. Game performance on PC is tight with few bugs (I only had to restart a mission once due to a bug.) Graphically little has changed between 2 and 3 (on a bargain-mid system.) The sound effects are consistent from previous episodes. The tedious hacking/bypassing minigames are gone but another dreary scanning minigame (sorta) replaces ME:2's equally dull scanning game. There are few 'boss fights' and more scenarios forcing the player to outlast waves of enemies (i ddin't mind this but some may prefer more traditional game bosses.) Other negatives include the shoe-horned additions of Jessica Chobot and Freddy Prinze Jr. Their voice acting does not come close to matching the quality of the other cast like Jessica Hale, Brandon Keener, Seth Green or Carrie-Ann Moss.

    Overall, this franchise succeeds at what Bioware do best, write stories about characters that endear well beyond the games themselves. Sheppard, Tali, Liara, Mordin, Garrus, Joker now join with Revan, Bastila, Morrigan, Duncan, Minsk and Boo.    … Expand
  80. robotrevolution
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SPOILERS

    SPOILERS

    I love the Mass Effect series. The gameplay in ME3 far outshines ME1 and even ME2, providing a vast improvement in the tactics, inventory, and general aesthetic of nearly every aspect of the user experience. The storytelling is grand and vast, the dialogue is great, the sound is among the best I've ever heard in any video game period. I'd go so far as to say ME3 has the best sound of any game ever.

    There are points to nitpick. Ashley's outfit is boobtastic and unnecessarily so. Other gratuitous T&A moments distract from the narrative flow. At least the Mass Effect universe gives women (semi-)realistic armor, unlike most comic books.

    Perhaps Mass Effect 3's only downfall is the ending. Many, many fans of the game are disappointed with how lousy it is and, for the most part, they're right. It's important to understand that fans aren't just jonesing for a happy ending where Shepard gets to ride off into the sunset. Fans don't want that - they want an ending that makes sense, doesn't break with the lore established in the previous games (and even in the third game itself), and provides the same sense of catharsis we achieved at the ends of the first two games.

    ME3's ending doesn't even involve an end boss. There is an end boss, of sorts, about an hour earlier in the game, but at the time, the thought that "oh, I'm fighting the end boss now" doesn't even cross your mind.

    Overall, I love ME3. I think it's a brilliant game. I would recommend it to anyone. It's only flaw, it's only crucial error, was the horrible no-good lore-destroying closed-off decision-less ending that invalidates pretty much every major decision made across the previous three games.

    Finally, it's amusing the Reapers believed it necessary to kill highly developed organic life every fifty thousand years to prevent organics from creating races of synthetic life forms that would eventually turn on them and wipe them out, when the Salarians did nearly the same exact thing WITH ORGANIC LIFE FORMS. The Krogan are organics and would, in the Reapers' world view, hold the same sort of threat viability as the Geth.

    WHICH IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS AARRRRGGGGHHHH MY BRAIN ASPLODED    … Expand
  81. j0kup4sk4n1m1
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Okay just finished the game. And I really feared for bad ending noticing all the negative reviews and all, but now that I have finished this...
    What's wrong with people these days? It seems that every game that has come out lately has been flooded with criticism and called ****.
    I played ME1,ME2 and now ME3 and I REALLY think this actually was the best of the series. At first I thought    Okay just finished the game. And I really feared for bad ending noticing all the negative reviews and all, but now that I have finished this...
    What's wrong with people these days? It seems that every game that has come out lately has been flooded with criticism and called ****.
    I played ME1,ME2 and now ME3 and I REALLY think this actually was the best of the series.
    At first I thought this is going to be bad game,but closer to the end the more I enjoyed.
    Maybe I didn't some characters in my team I would have wanted,but so what? They still were connected to story well enough for me and the side-quests were linked to main story very good (buggy quests and quest list was somehow hard to look at but meh).
    Oh and the day 1 DLC,yea smells like cashing on fans.BUT I actually bought it, and its not in anyway "must have dlc" story doesn't change and all that one team member does is insult everyone and tell how salarians licked they'r eyes and catched flies in his time.
    I loved the ending, haters can hate and if you got the "wrong ending" sucks to be you.
    I'm giving this game 10 because all of you sad haters out there, really I would give this game 9/10 and this was great ending for great series.

    Thank you.    … Expand
  82. marv418
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    Totaly awesome game and perfect ending of epic trilogy. I really like the this game of the partially returned to the first games RPG elements and the impact of all decisions of the previous games.
  83. Shaksie
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    Firstly I must dismiss the cretinous reviews from most of the people that I've seen.
    Yes this game's dialogue isn't as good as the others but it still vastly surpasses that of other games, RPGs and shooters alike.
    The day one DLC was also a little annoying but it doesn't diminish the game at all, it makes the content included feel more exclusive thus important. Terrible graphics? What are    Firstly I must dismiss the cretinous reviews from most of the people that I've seen.
    Yes this game's dialogue isn't as good as the others but it still vastly surpasses that of other games, RPGs and shooters alike.
    The day one DLC was also a little annoying but it doesn't diminish the game at all, it makes the content included feel more exclusive thus important.
    Terrible graphics? What are you talking about, the graphics was vastly overhauled from it's predecessor, Mass Effect 2. The combat element has also been vastly improved to cater for the FPS junkies, don't get me wrong I did not appreciate this but it didn't diminish the RPG element in any way.
    The choices in Mass Effects 1 and 2 have a very profound impact on this game, I don't know what you people are talking about. Have you even played the game?
    The only reason this game is not one of the best trilogy climax games is because of the less sophisticated RPG element and dialogue in relation to the first and second, however it is still better than most games'.
    The multiplayer greatly adds to the feel of the game and with a little bit of work (especially on the connection and playable race/class/gender combinations) it could be extremely enjoyable and have a very positive impact on the game.
    However I was a little disappointed with the lack of dialogue sophistication and the choices were slightly less prudent than the predecessors, good effort Bioware but please don't diminish the RPG element if you want to increase the combat quality.
    Thanks, Shaksie.    … Expand
  84. Robbie1982
    Mar 21, 2012
    10
    I gave this game 10/10 on the Xbox review, and reading some comments. The galactic readiness meter needs to be patched. I have realised it is pointless. U work really hard to get everyone into the fight, making important decisions and completing sidequests. And the readiness meter stays at 50% !! Till u go kill some stuff in multiplayer, where u can conviiently spend lots of Bioware (EAI gave this game 10/10 on the Xbox review, and reading some comments. The galactic readiness meter needs to be patched. I have realised it is pointless. U work really hard to get everyone into the fight, making important decisions and completing sidequests. And the readiness meter stays at 50% !! Till u go kill some stuff in multiplayer, where u can conviiently spend lots of Bioware (EA Points) on weapons packs. That is a huge fault with this game. That can be patched tomorrow in a flash (although I ran into a few bugs so maybe that is this ?)Despite this, and my last mission having a depressing casualty count. I Would still score this game 8. The more I think about it - what a huge flaw. But it is so incredibly easy to patch. Just make it possible to get single player readiness to 90% and politely tell us when that is reached to go play some multiplayer.… Expand
  85. Mcmod
    Mar 21, 2012
    10
    I really enjoyed this game! Nice graphic Awesome Effects and wonderful soundtrack! This is a very good game but it has got some bugs... But the gameplay is better than Mass Effect 2...
  86. DaneMetchnikov
    Mar 23, 2012
    10
    Simply the one best sci-fi games I've ever played (I can only think of HL2 as better one), I must give it a 10. Great, emotionally involving conclusion, with lots of heroic moments. The interactions/relationships between the main characters are even better than those designed for the previous game (including the same sex romance option, which I think adds even more realism to the universeSimply the one best sci-fi games I've ever played (I can only think of HL2 as better one), I must give it a 10. Great, emotionally involving conclusion, with lots of heroic moments. The interactions/relationships between the main characters are even better than those designed for the previous game (including the same sex romance option, which I think adds even more realism to the universe created here). The combat system was simply great: fast, easy to use, effective. The graphics were amazing, from the scenarios to the facial expressions. The moral options really forced me to think carefully what I was doing and most of them were in a grey area that was difficult to sort out. I cannot believe how many people are giving this amazing game a 0, just because they didn't like one aspect of it (even if it's the story's conclusion); especially considering they claim to be huge fans of ME1 and ME2. How can they not see that ME3 is better than its predecessors almost in every aspect (RPG, combat system, graphics, relationships, moral options, action). I'm really glad that critics reviews are so favorable and I really hope that user score and reviews improve over the weeks.… Expand
  87. Nerfrose
    Mar 22, 2012
    10
    i love game because Mass Effect 3 is a good romance and game, sometime it made you feel bad because ur a loyal characters die, ur a loyal friends die.. i hate it, i miss tali/legion but yeah good game
  88. ThePalacePlayer
    Mar 29, 2012
    10
    I do not understand why everybody apparently hate this game. Apart from Journey, this is without a doubt the best game of 2012 so far, and I don't see any game in the horizon to top it (maybe Bioshock Infinite). The story is great, the gameplay mechanics is improved from ME 2, and the voice acting is just as great as you would expect from a BioWare game. Even though I doesn't playI do not understand why everybody apparently hate this game. Apart from Journey, this is without a doubt the best game of 2012 so far, and I don't see any game in the horizon to top it (maybe Bioshock Infinite). The story is great, the gameplay mechanics is improved from ME 2, and the voice acting is just as great as you would expect from a BioWare game. Even though I doesn't play multiplayer and had really low expectations to the multiplayer in a ME title, the multiplayer is actually great and something that will make me come back to the game every so often. A worthy conclusion to the best game trilogy ever made. Ever!!… Expand
  89. andraip
    Mar 23, 2012
    10
    It's a good game, the endings suck but I don't understand how people can give a game a 0 if they love it but just hate one thing... sad.

    And it did many things better then ME and ME2
  90. Zoso
    Mar 23, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The MISSING ending(!) is definitly the greatest story-telling/marketing/... twist in the history of gaming. I think Indocrination Theory nails it, and the negative fan feedback has been anticipated by BioWare in order to gain general media attention. Marlk my words, I'm 100% sure the ending DLC is ready and is soon going to be released.

    That alone would be worth 10+, even hough there are some minor issues with the game like: * the cover/run/look-aound-the-corner functionality getting mixed up at times * coop matches where you suddenly can't reload or do damage any more
    * some formerm team mates just being ticked off (i.e. there's no real story for some of them)
    * combat is too easy even on insanity * most of the missions are too short (shorter than ME2 missions)

    But ME3 is also the first game ever to make me cry (Mordin humming his song...), and all the bigger parts of the story (Tuchanka, Geth/Quarians, AND THE ENDING) work really really well.    … Expand
  91. backfromearth
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    You like Doom Unreal or similar FPS shooter games merged with Hollywood Sci-Fi films ? Then this game is for you.But if you like real RPG games with encounters making sense and lot of planets to explore, and the feeling that YOU decide where you want to go and what place to explorer, then go back playing Mass effect 1
    I suppose you get sci-fi like scenes after each combat episode because    You like Doom Unreal or similar FPS shooter games merged with Hollywood Sci-Fi films ? Then this game is for you.But if you like real RPG games with encounters making sense and lot of planets to explore, and the feeling that YOU decide where you want to go and what place to explorer, then go back playing Mass effect 1
    I suppose you get sci-fi like scenes after each combat episode because it's too boring spending your time only on killing monsters ?    … Expand
  92. Simpatico
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    I highly enjoyed all the games in this series and Mass Effect 3 is no different. The ending may not bring closure for some, but for me, the ending provided satisfaction on a galactic scale. I love this series, I love BioWare, and I love this game. I'm eager to play the altered ending, and anywhere else BioWare chooses to go in the Mass Effect universe.
  93. FallJono
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This opinion is mine and does contain spoilers. Mass effect 3 is one of the best games I have played start to finish, they took what they learned in mass effect 1 and 2 meshed it together into an awesome game. It will be hard for any game to live up to it. everything from the last DLC for ME 2 "arrival" where you have to make the hard choice of whether or not to destroy the Batarian colony to buy time for everyone on the reaper invasion. To the first hard choice let Wrex know the plan to sabotage the cure for genophage and letting Moridin the Salarina scientist who developed the modified version for the plague. Now the most debated part the ending. Some people absolutely hated it. I loved it, they teased that this choice was coming up 3 times during the game the debate of sacrifice 10 million to save 20 million. The choice sacrifice 1 to save trillions some find this choice hard me the math adds up it is for the greater good 1 person must die but will save the galaxy. Some people want the game to play a certain way but I like those endings that you know is the only way it will end. The only debate I have is to start a second play through right away or wait till the DLC comes out and see what changes… Expand
  94. AlexanderVallin
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    Aside from the endings, I found this to be a great experience. I really love the storyline, the voice acting, the graphics. I appreciated the romance / friendship development with the cast. This is presently my favorite game and I am generally not a fan of Sci Fi or Shooters.
  95. Windswept7
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. Voice acting superb. Fairly realistic depiction of what the future may hold. The game play is heaps of fun. Choice between different game modes offers a tailored experience for every taste and the diversity of character customization offered by Bioware is commendable. You will want to replay this game after completion.
  96. deamonhunter
    Mar 29, 2012
    10
    Love this game the biggest problem with the pc-version is that if you use mouse and keyboard than the gameplay will lose some of its greatness but still awesome. Its maybe a little underscoring than the first two but its done a great job as the third part.
  97. sundog005
    Sep 10, 2012
    10
    i have NO idea why this got so many negative player reviews, from readind some of them you were all playing a differant game, i'm glad i didn't listen to the incessant whining and went ahead and bought this game anyway. From between the ranting and inexplicable rage i gleaned that most of the complaints are unfounded or just unfair and i think that these people wouldn't of been happy withi have NO idea why this got so many negative player reviews, from readind some of them you were all playing a differant game, i'm glad i didn't listen to the incessant whining and went ahead and bought this game anyway. From between the ranting and inexplicable rage i gleaned that most of the complaints are unfounded or just unfair and i think that these people wouldn't of been happy with ANYTHING Bioware did.

    Great effing game a classic and worthy as a finale its better than a damn movie guys...eat your heart out B5 and Star Trek...even Star Wars, Mass Effect once the movies are released will be up there with them mark my words. (I didn't say better i said *up there with them* btw)    … Expand
  98. Khaos25
    Mar 29, 2012
    10
    Unlike most people here, I took my time with the game. I have only just finished my first play-through of the game and have thought really long and hard before writing this review. Mass Effect 3 is brilliant, I'll say. The scale is massive and I really felt the pressure of having to save the galaxy being overrun by the Reapers. It was a blast to see old characters again and the storyUnlike most people here, I took my time with the game. I have only just finished my first play-through of the game and have thought really long and hard before writing this review. Mass Effect 3 is brilliant, I'll say. The scale is massive and I really felt the pressure of having to save the galaxy being overrun by the Reapers. It was a blast to see old characters again and the story is very well written even though I'll admit the dialogue is rather cheesy in most parts. Combat in the game is fun, a little bit repetitive but fun. Nothing better than pulling out the omni-blade and jamming it into an enemy (very satisfying). But the heavy melee could have been implemented better, it looked cheap and lame if compared to other games like Deus Ex Human Revolution. Not only that, the sidequests in this game was horrible!!! Not only are they vague, they are more a pain than actual reasons to explore the galaxy. You just go around scanning for lost items and such. Only good thing, no more tedious scanning like in the second game. Multiplayer is fun but it gets old after a while, Mass Effect is not really meant to be a multiplayer game and the controls obviously show that. And yes, the endings. The endings are exactly what everyone is complaining about. Not only is it inconsistent to the plot, its abrupt!!! Its like: BOOM, finish, thank you, goodbye. Feels like all your time you put out out into all three games was wasted the effort. Outside the game, the **** Origin client system was also a pain for me, took me 4 hours just to get the game up and running although I have not had any problems for the past few weeks. So, why give an 8? ME3 is not going to win Game of the Year nor will it gain legacy as one of the best sequels ever. It is however, just plain fun to play ME3. Its fun to be on one last adventure with your favourite characters even though by now you know, it will end in huge disappointment. But, now Bioware is making an attempt to address the issue and as for me, I will be replaying the game with a vastly different Shepard of mine. Did I waste my money buying this game? I don't think so, I am keeping this game. As for you guys, I say either you take a chance buying this game or you find somewhere willing to give you a refund or exchange in case you really don't like the game. This game is one I think all ME fans should get regardless of the ending, just steel your hearts when you see the ending, that is all.… Expand
  99. MemoryCrow
    Mar 31, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3: A truly wonderful and terrible game.

    "Why?" you may ask me. Now before you jump to the conclusion that this is a rant about the fiasco concerning ME 3's (Mass Effect 3's) ending i would like to tell you it isn't, not entirely. this is actually a rant (yes... a rant) partly concerning ME 3, Bioware and EA. So, with that said, lets continue.

    Why do i dislike this amazing game? was it because the ending was terrible? that you need an online pass to even touch the multiplayer? that the multiplayer has the potential to be (so far beyond) astronomically better than it actually is? or perhaps you may guess that it's because i'm just generally PO'd at this game. All of these are correct.

    But lets get a little more into the details, shall we?

    Reason #1 "YES, we know! the ending was awful!" okay, okay, i'll keep this one short. yeah, it's pretty bad, horrible actually. it's just there, in your face like pile of elephant crap in your livingroom. you simply can't ignore it because no one else will let you and it gnaws at the back of your mind after you see it, like some kind of parasitic insect.

    Reason #2 the online pass... Really? Seriously? Bioware isn't trying to win a popularity contest, that's for damn sure. maybe you guys are okay with this but Bioware isn't wining points in my book for this one. but who does the blame really go to here? shall i blame Bioware for this? for cowing down to EA or should i blame EA themselves and their disgusting lust for profit at the expense of all else? i choose both. why? because i can. AND before you say i'm angry because i had to pay for the online pass, you are wrong sir/madam. i bought an unused copy of ME3 and had to pay for no such thing. this pisses me off purely out of principle. it's simply >wrong    … Expand
  100. Sirithariel
    Mar 31, 2012
    10
    The haters are idiots, if the indoctrination theory is true then the ending is pure genius and not just rubbish, everyone buy this game! Don't believe the stupid 0 and 1 star ratings people who don't understand the ending are giving it.
Page:

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. CPUGamer
    Apr 11, 2012
    90
    BioWare captures the scale of the conflict well, but always focuses on the people involved in it. It's pretty amazing just how badly EA disregarded the heart of the game – the characters and the world – when they began their marking blitzkrieg, but don't worry, it's oh so definitely there – Day 1 DLC, controversial endings, and questionable use of resources be damned. This is a fine, lovingly crafted game with a clear vision despite the realities of corporations and damning business practices.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    80
    A game that's more shooter than role-playing, and a conclusion that's more spectacular than dramatic. [Apr 2012, p.47]
    Read full review
  3. Absolute Games
    Mar 31, 2012
    85
    Finishing a trilogy is always difficult. Tying off dozens of story threads which had been woven by players into many different tapestries is a daunting task. Mass Effect 3 is the first game that succeeded at this colossal undertaking.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »