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
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  1. MusAddict
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm rating this a steady 4. Aesthetics are amazing compared to the first 2 games, but that's pretty much where the pros end. Paragon/Renegade are useless now (they are joined together into "Reputation"), the spacebar for everything got me killed a few times, diplomacy between the Geth and Quarians is not possible, etc. I could handle misc team members from ME2 dying if you didn't help them in time, I could handle that you only have 6 squad members, but the thing that turned me off to the whole series is the lack of effort given in the final ultimatum... Such terrible, non-redeeming options. It makes me not want to replay the series because I know the end is not worth it.… Expand
  2. coldchaos
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    Overall I've been impressed with the game, despite what some ignoramuses say below your choices DO matter; In the first two hours of the campaign there was no less then 20 references or games changes related to the DLC or choices I made in previous games, I was counting. The game handles well(albeit the cover system is a bit 'sticky'). The combat system is very similar to Mass Effect 2;Overall I've been impressed with the game, despite what some ignoramuses say below your choices DO matter; In the first two hours of the campaign there was no less then 20 references or games changes related to the DLC or choices I made in previous games, I was counting. The game handles well(albeit the cover system is a bit 'sticky'). The combat system is very similar to Mass Effect 2; load times are drastically shorter then the others, which was one of my biggest peeves about the previous games is you spent more time in a loading screen then playing half the time. Also the annoying(and pretty much required) mineral/element probe mining has been removed and replaced with something more relevant. The multiplayer is fun and seems to be coded fairly well and gives a decent advantage to the single player. Allowing a co-operative play-through of the campaign would be great for a future update.

    User submitted scores shouldn't even be allowed until one week after release. It's obvious most of the 0's and 1's haven't even played the game and are just complaining to complain. Frankly if you read this, you should be ashamed, even if you didn't like the game it's not '0' or '1' material. 'Super Columbine Massacre' got a 5.8 and you think this game is worse?    … Expand
  3. Votan
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect 3 is just a terrible game. This game is the embodiment of everything wrong with gaming today. Bioware took one of my favorite all time games and turned it into steaming pile. Mass Effect 3 is poorly designed, poorly animated, poorly written, and is an obvious attempt just to cash with the fanbase with a terrible sequel with none of the effort of the original. The game alsoMass Effect 3 is just a terrible game. This game is the embodiment of everything wrong with gaming today. Bioware took one of my favorite all time games and turned it into steaming pile. Mass Effect 3 is poorly designed, poorly animated, poorly written, and is an obvious attempt just to cash with the fanbase with a terrible sequel with none of the effort of the original. The game also features downloadable content that costs extra money that fundamentally influences the story, in an attempt to milk more money out of the the player base which shows no respect for the storyline at all. I will never purchase another game from Bioware.… Expand
  4. Anya
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 0, zero, cero, nada. It's an utter failure of a game and a disgrace for the franchise that had already went down with the second game.

    That's what this game deserves. Why? Because it's a scam provided by EA and Bioware, they promised something, closure, an ending that would wrap up everything and they delivered nothing. This is simply put another Dragon Age 2 scam. Do not waste your money in this piece of crap, save it for companies that actually deliver what they promise and that have good policies towards their customers.

    The animations are exceptionally terrible. The story is obviously developed by a game company, which is why it's so very badly written. They repeated the same mistake from Dragon age 2, they firmly believe that killing important characters creates a good story, which is what awful writers do in a pathetic attempt to cause an emotion. What they won't understand is that the emotion is negative and people don't pay money to feel bad.

    The endings discourages the player from even finishing the game, they're so bad and makes so little sense that my friends simply stopped playing the game.

    Two critical issues on their writing and design is that they seem to think that Godmodding and metagaming are valid tools for crafting a story, just like the huge amount of clichés that are present.

    They also blatantly copied the ending from Deus ex, itâ    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. RyuseiDate
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    Let's divide this in 2 categories Gameplay and Story

    Gameplay: I find myself in an amazingly dumbed down game. Mass Effect 1 was a great piece of Action Role Playing game, developing your own Sheppard was basicly the purpose of the game and your decitions would mean everything at any point of the game... ME2 ... dumbed things down but we still retained that feeling of control over the    Let's divide this in 2 categories Gameplay and Story

    Gameplay: I find myself in an amazingly dumbed down game. Mass Effect 1 was a great piece of Action Role Playing game, developing your own Sheppard was basicly the purpose of the game and your decitions would mean everything at any point of the game... ME2 ... dumbed things down but we still retained that feeling of control over the situations... ME3 simply disposed of this. Absurdly limited options at all times, guided responses and quite a lacking 'Action' feeling with dificult to track camera angles and constant shaking (that tries to emulate some sort of movie but instead just blocks your actions) tend to present themselves as a turnoff. The game is not Graphically impressive as it has shown, expressions are lacking and the overall presentation seems that relies too heavy on some sort of grain filter that bothers the eye.

    the multiplayer is clunky and proof that trying to convert your Action RPG into a TPS RPG is not a good idea.

    Story: After all this is an RPG, but let's leave aside that mostof your options don't matter, if the story is good one can forgive that... but we meet a pale shadow of what Sheppard was, that barelly keeps track of his recent disgraces only to form an alliance that may go nowhere (and that at the end serves little purpose) the crew of the Normandy presents itself as a cardboard version of their ME1 and 2 selves and the new characters are equally plain. I decided to see how the multiple companion options were but when I noticed that most of the effects meant "Sheppard gets laid, forgets the issue and then continues his quest" with no repercutions whatsoever simply... well, it shows how "important" relationships are in this game...

    The endings are dissapointing and likelly copied from other sources, predictable options that serve no other pupose than forcing the player to play a few more times a few scenes... A Mediocre ending for a series that started greatly as a way to show hard science fiction... dumbed down into a mediocre soap opera about a crew that wishes to get laid during an open war.    … Expand
  7. ReDDoTNeckbeard
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    I loved the first and the second ME for what they were. The third mass effect seems to improve on most of things and the story/characters is what makes me give it a 10/10. I absolutely love this game and I hope that BW will continue the ME universe in some other form!

    For the PC version - I would love if BioWare would add an ultra-high res texture pack as I believe the modern hardware can    I loved the first and the second ME for what they were. The third mass effect seems to improve on most of things and the story/characters is what makes me give it a 10/10. I absolutely love this game and I hope that BW will continue the ME universe in some other form!

    For the PC version - I would love if BioWare would add an ultra-high res texture pack as I believe the modern hardware can easily handle it!    … Expand
  8. ruggly
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I found it to be a really engaging game, until the end. Yeah, I came across a few bugs and glitches here and there, but the dialogue did not bother me much. I found the voice acting to be quite good. But the ending...it just does not sit well with me...So the Reapers are synthetics that were created to kill organics to prevent them from building synthetics that would kill organics? From what I remember, the only other synthetics in the game were the Geth, which are only a few centuries old, and they were being controlled by the Reapers in the first two games. I would also like to know what happened to my old ME2 squad members, such as Miranda or Grunt, did they survive the events of ME3? The fact that they made no mention of any other squad members, other than those that get off the Normandy after it crashes on some random planet, at the end really, really bothers me. And the final scene after the credits, was this all just a story being told by some grandparent? As well, it did seem like my choices in the previous games got disregarded, though it could be I was just not paying that much attention. I also wanted to make little blue children...Other than that, I did enjoy the game.… Expand
  9. mrcoolman
    Mar 7, 2012
    6
    Mass Effect 3 is a game science fiction game about Star Wars. You play as Captain John Luke Pircard but everybody calls you shepherd for some reason, and you have to kill the grim repars who want to kill everyone in the galaxy. you travel in your spaceship so you can shoot the reaper with your laser guns. One thing i didnt like is that you have to reload your gun because why would you haveMass Effect 3 is a game science fiction game about Star Wars. You play as Captain John Luke Pircard but everybody calls you shepherd for some reason, and you have to kill the grim repars who want to kill everyone in the galaxy. you travel in your spaceship so you can shoot the reaper with your laser guns. One thing i didnt like is that you have to reload your gun because why would you have to reload a laser gun? Overall this game was fun but I give it 6/10 because there are no lightsabers and the klingons look funny… Expand
  10. RPGFan2
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Everyone at this points knows the general concept of what Mass Effect is at this point, so I don't need to spend time covering that. In fact, the core audience of this game has probably played the two games leading into this, and have a good feel for the game represents. So let us start there and talk about what has changed. There was significantly less development time this iteration, andEveryone at this points knows the general concept of what Mass Effect is at this point, so I don't need to spend time covering that. In fact, the core audience of this game has probably played the two games leading into this, and have a good feel for the game represents. So let us start there and talk about what has changed. There was significantly less development time this iteration, and it shows. Mass Effect 2 had an incredible prologue, that was polished to a mirror. Doing the space walk and having the sound mute, etc...it was a cinematic work of art. Mass Effect 3 shows it's rushed development immediately. You are cast straight into the game, given a short cutscene for the long awaited arrival of the Reapers. That's right, it isn't a big moment at all. Mass Effect 1 had more suspense going into the first mission, and that was just supposed to be a routine scout mission. The Reapers just show up in the back ground and start shooting stuff. Mundane and unimaginative. The dialogue and writing are atrocious, with the whole game feeling like it was written as a poorly made fan-fic. Inexplicably, actoresses like Jessica Chobot are cast in major roles in the game-despite being wholly inexperienced, and frankly, bad. The graphics are several notches down from what you'd expect in a 2012 game. Games like The Witcher 2, which don't even have a fraction of this games budget, and able to produce better visuals. The combat sections are keep distinct from the story, to a degree that you are either watching or playing, never both. The combat is repetitive and formulaic, often consisting of shooting down a corridor until a time limit expires. The cover mechanic is generic, and the game falls back on this gimmick too much, to cover for its linear, uninspired level design. Ontop of all this, the game has had its content sharded, to be sold back to you at a higher price. To get the full experience, with all additional content available on day 1, you will be paying in the hundreds of dollars.… Expand
  11. JesusHKriest
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't think I've been more disappointed in a game in a long, long time... The combat is just all around boring, in fact I would say it's even worse than the second games combat (which was bad). The storyline is borderline bad fan-fiction, but the worst part is the choices. The choices in this game are pretty much non-existent, with the dialogue wheel being further gutted to make it appeal to a wider audience. There are usually only two choices for any given conversation, and they always do the exact same thing no matter what. And speaking of choices, pretty much everything you did in the first two games is completely irrelevant in the third. If Wrex died in Mass Effect 1, he's replaced by someone who looks, sounds like, and acts like Wrex. Oh yeah, and they have the same clan so there's zero story difference. The Rachni are back no matter what you did with the last remaining queen in Mass Effect 1. You might as well not even bother importing a save, nothing will change and you will have to re-make the face anyway.… Expand
  12. kingofparades
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    I loved mass effect. It had it's flaws, but it seemed like the start to a promising series. And yet somehow, bioware managed to make each game a parody of the previous one. The gameplay is weak, the writing is atrocious. The game pretends that it's trying to be progressive with it's same-sex relationships, but more than anything it just seems like it's fetishistic gays, which is franklyI loved mass effect. It had it's flaws, but it seemed like the start to a promising series. And yet somehow, bioware managed to make each game a parody of the previous one. The gameplay is weak, the writing is atrocious. The game pretends that it's trying to be progressive with it's same-sex relationships, but more than anything it just seems like it's fetishistic gays, which is frankly offensive. Worst of all, it feels like previous choices didn't actually make any difference. Mass Effect 2 disappointed me: Mass Effect 3 makes me feel WRONGED.… Expand
  13. Redscare89
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Garbage game. I'd return it but unfortunately I'm a PC gamer. Steer clear if you enjoy not wasting 60 bucks. Game itself doesn't really deserve a 0 but Bioware and EA just prove time and time again they are just greedy money grabbers who don't give two **** about their fans.
  14. McLOVIN
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    As a proud passive gay of African-American origin, I am deeply disturbed and offended by this ridiculous "game". What's wrong with you, Bioware? Did you seriously expected to fool many thousands of young gay and transgender gamers? Censored interspecies "sex" does not make your inferior product neither good nor appealing. OH MY GOD I think it's the absolutely worst game I've ever played inAs a proud passive gay of African-American origin, I am deeply disturbed and offended by this ridiculous "game". What's wrong with you, Bioware? Did you seriously expected to fool many thousands of young gay and transgender gamers? Censored interspecies "sex" does not make your inferior product neither good nor appealing. OH MY GOD I think it's the absolutely worst game I've ever played in my entire life. I can't believe I'm saying that. It is so ugly, primitive, outright boring. And what's up with the "critics" and their scores, huh?… Expand
  15. KidDeath10k
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The overall game was good up until the ending. Each of the ending, Shepard dies and the Mass Effect relays are destroyed. What really ruined it was half-way through the game on the Citadel someone asked that if the Mass Effect relays were destroyed if it would stop the Reaper attacks.

    The ending was not original by any means. Your good ending is GREEN, the Reapers leave (but are not destroyed) because they had a change of heart. The bad ending is RED and literally, synthetic life is destroyed (Reapers, Geth, EDI, etc). The neutral/Illusive Man ending is BLUE and Shepard becomes the God of the Reapers, humans becoming the dominant race in the galaxy. I have decided at this point that I will never by another Bioware game. SWTOR was a letdown, so I unsubbed. Mass Effect 3 was watered down and unoriginal, so I am disappointed. Dragon Age 2 was disgusting and watered down, which disappointed me. Bioware went from telling amazing stories to just another EA company banking on a collective interest. Also, the Day 1 DLC was *essential* to the story and without it you're missing a huge chunk of information. $10 for content that should have been included with the game.

    Bioware, this has already been done by the Deus Ex franchise. This is not original and I was very very disappointed.    … Expand
  16. LLB
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After buying Mass Effect 1 recently with the full intention of going through the full Mass Effect trilogy, I really got captivated and engaged by the series' gripping plot, well-written characters and fluent, pseudo-realistic story. The controls on the PC were brilliantly tailor-made (this goes for both 1 and 2) and I really enjoyed my time with them.

    Then this comes along.

    After the disappointments of Dragon Age 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic, I got some worrying thoughts about this game from the start, and this was admittedly down to the completely negative effect EA have had on Bioware. This is to an extent that EA's CoD-centred demographic has affected Bioware to an extent that Baldur's Gate 2 is 10x more in depth than this game.

    Baldur's Gate 2 was released 12 years ago.

    That's unacceptable.

    Horrendous controls, frankly stupid mechanics and omissions courtesy of Bioware, catastrophic textures which are clearly ported over from the Xbox, sub-par voice acting, torrid animations (Anderson's running animation is a particular highlight), almost complete lack of RPG elements which aren't backed up by the porrly orchestrated action sequences and an absolutely APPALLING storyline and script.

    Here's a particular example.

    My particular hand crafted Shepard character is a hardened war-hero. He's seen some **** to put it informally, he's seen countless squadmates...

    But ONE death. Of a child (of which there already would've been many during this Reaper fight) who has no relation to him. THIS, forms the stimulus for the plot. It's unbelievable storytelling from Bioware, in that they would obviously try to be edgy whilst forgetting that their plot in the previous games was already gritty and edgy- in a good way.

    Overall this has left me incredibly disappointed at what could have been, and also that the Bioware of old is gone. This is the future of their development, but they are guaranteed perfect scores from most media outlets because they're Bioware. They're famous. Regardless of quality they are who they are and apparently that makes them more worthy of other masterpieces which are much more worthy of people's time- The Witcher 2 is a perfect example of a beautifully crafted RPG.

    This doesn't come close. Absolutely appalling game.    … Expand
  17. Shommy
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    So far this game is everything I always wanted... Although it feels more like a shooter/action game than an RPG, that is OK with me. I always wanted a great shooter with RPG elements and ME3 perfected this. They brought back more of the RPG elements from ME1 that they took out in ME2 back into ME3. I don't know what everyone is talking about stuff being dumbed down. I thought they made theSo far this game is everything I always wanted... Although it feels more like a shooter/action game than an RPG, that is OK with me. I always wanted a great shooter with RPG elements and ME3 perfected this. They brought back more of the RPG elements from ME1 that they took out in ME2 back into ME3. I don't know what everyone is talking about stuff being dumbed down. I thought they made the character development system much better, if anything all they did was give you slightly less conversational options, but that is not biggie in my book. They did take out the mining that was in ME1 and ME2, which I thought was a great idea I hated mining for ore in the first two games. ME3 is all story and combat none of that crap where you waste your time getting ore. The graphics in this game are improved from the last two games and the map IMO are better they are much more open and have a great feel to them because a lot of them are big war zones which gives the environments a great immersion feeling. They made it easier to purchase upgrades too and it makes sense the way they did it. Being that everyone is being attack by the reapers there aren't really any stores except for the one on the Normandy so you don't have to go searching for upgrades all the time.… Expand
  18. Humprt
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    So naive, so boring, and with such bad graphics and funny animation... I really don´t understand the critics at all. Are you guys crazy? Have you actually played the game? Or at least tried?
  19. EHuntington
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    Mass Effect 3 is, at best, a disappointing game. At its worst, it's a cliched mess of nonsense dialogue and forced decisions. What's most disappointing for me, is the separated structure of the game. Dialogue happens, then gameplay, then dialogue, then gameplay. There's no fusion. Mass Effect 3 has lengthy fighting sequences and lengthy dialogue and story sequences, but the two never mix.Mass Effect 3 is, at best, a disappointing game. At its worst, it's a cliched mess of nonsense dialogue and forced decisions. What's most disappointing for me, is the separated structure of the game. Dialogue happens, then gameplay, then dialogue, then gameplay. There's no fusion. Mass Effect 3 has lengthy fighting sequences and lengthy dialogue and story sequences, but the two never mix. There's no story in the fight, something happens then something else happens. It's depressing. This game has turned me off to Bioware. I won't be getting their next game.… Expand
  20. 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!
  21. scotius
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Did you like mass effect 1 with its far reaching decisions or building the ultimate team of badasses in mass effect 2? I did, and was led to believe that my decisions in mass effect 1 and 2 would have implications in mass effect 3. Guess what? They dont. Have you ever wondered what would happen if an excellent cover shooter like Uncharted or Gears of War had been developed by a bunch ofDid you like mass effect 1 with its far reaching decisions or building the ultimate team of badasses in mass effect 2? I did, and was led to believe that my decisions in mass effect 1 and 2 would have implications in mass effect 3. Guess what? They dont. Have you ever wondered what would happen if an excellent cover shooter like Uncharted or Gears of War had been developed by a bunch of retards? If so, this is the game for you. The gameplay is absolutely effing atrocious. For all the money that went into this game, it feels like it was programmed by Andre the Giant slamming his spastic head on the keyboard. One button serves about 18 different purposes meaning you will die a lot. The hardest difficulty setting is too easy. The gameplay also applies to the multiplayer. Bioware decided that you can only get the best ending if you sink A LOT of hours into the multiplayer. This is them really taking the piss because the cover shooting (gone is the RPG elements, meaningful conversations and minigames from the first two games) is crap. The graphics... Everything has been purposefully darkened to hide the fuzzy details on a visual engine that is now aging very badly. The graphics will not blow you away but neither will they disgust you. They are very average. Nothing special. Remember how you could be a paragon or a renegade? That was good, wasnt it? Bioware got rid of them both now to the point where they are utterly indivisible from each other. This game is disgusting. I am very glad I rented it. Make sure you buy it used. Notice how all the professional reviewers are giving it 10/10? Also note that EA and Bioware are advertising heavily on their front pages. These reviewers are all bought and paid for. The one thing in this game I thought might be cool was that Jessica Chobot was in it. I was hoping I would be able to gun her down like the **** mutt she is but you cant even do that either. I hope Jessica Chobot gets eye cancer, aids or both. She is a talentless hack with a push up bra. Her being in this is a gimmick and that sums up this game. A bunch of failed gimmicks. Because this game has no redeeming features whatsoever, I am voting it a zero.… Expand
  22. ancient_serpent
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Hey Eric Kain, believe it or not, my negative review has nothing to do with any gay or lesbian choices. It has to do with the terrible endings that absolutely negate any choices I made in the previous two games. hours getting those exactly the way I wanted. You know why? Because I cared about the characters and the results of my characters decisions. The ending choices are a non-choice. IHey Eric Kain, believe it or not, my negative review has nothing to do with any gay or lesbian choices. It has to do with the terrible endings that absolutely negate any choices I made in the previous two games. hours getting those exactly the way I wanted. You know why? Because I cared about the characters and the results of my characters decisions. The ending choices are a non-choice. I will never support Bioware or the freaking retard Helper that wrote this abominations with my money again. To everyone saying "Oh, they're just mad at the gay sex": Grow up. This has nothign to do with you wanting to be a victim, it has everything to do with poor writing, crappy endings and the disloyalty Bioware has shown ME fans.… Expand
  23. jonasion
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    I haven't played the game, [nahhh, dont stop reading, go on:...] and probably wont.[just a bit more...] Having read what other fans of the series ME1+2 have had to say I will keep my money in my pocket and just comment on this: Why is it that game review magazines seem to have completely gone 'corporate'? Look at the difference between the review and the gamers perspective:I haven't played the game, [nahhh, dont stop reading, go on:...] and probably wont.[just a bit more...] Having read what other fans of the series ME1+2 have had to say I will keep my money in my pocket and just comment on this: Why is it that game review magazines seem to have completely gone 'corporate'? Look at the difference between the review and the gamers perspective: "http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/reviews/mass-effect-3-review-6363906/" Gamespot, which I has always been my guiding star has of late begun completely not focusing on the essentials: Will the gamers actually like what they see? Battlefield 3 was so riddle with bugs it was unplayable. ME3 is so riddled with messy dialogue and bad story line that it seems a travesty to try it out, especially with this DLC being thrown in your face early on. A game is not only good if it has great graphics, sound track and is playable without a patch on day 3. Time to try some Indie games perhaps?

    My point is this: If we can't trust the game reviews we read, then we cant trust MetaCritic's scoring either. Thus, MetaCritic needs to exercise some journalistic control on these review sites.    … Expand
  24. TwsitedComplex
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    Very sad for a once great company.
    Bad dialog
    Using sprites for background characters
    Can't import faces from ME1
    The ending is literally copy/paste from Deus Ex
    Tali's face is a bad photoshop from a models website
    The vast majority of the time there are only 2 dialog options
    The list goes on

    It really is quite pathetic
  25. Vakarians
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well, being a Yorkshire lass i canâ… Expand
  26. 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
  27. Rockstorm
    Mar 7, 2012
    5
    After finishing the game I feel conflicted. On one hand I enjoyed the action and the storyline in this game a lot, even though the baddies seemed to have been de-clawed in this game. The choices I had to make also felt difficult at times, which is always a sign of a good role playing game. On the other hand I also had many issues with this game as well. The animation is sub-par at bestAfter finishing the game I feel conflicted. On one hand I enjoyed the action and the storyline in this game a lot, even though the baddies seemed to have been de-clawed in this game. The choices I had to make also felt difficult at times, which is always a sign of a good role playing game. On the other hand I also had many issues with this game as well. The animation is sub-par at best with many weird glitches, the textures are low-res and the ridiculously poorly executed and failed attempt at a Tear Jerker during the opening moments of the game felt way too forced. All this I can overlook...However, the number 1 reason I rate this game as a 5 instead of a 9 is how the game's ending(s) pretty much invalidates every choice you've made during the course of the series. There is no resolution for Shepard, not for his team, no answers for minor details like "WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT RACE BECAUSE OF MY GALAXY ALTERING DECISION?" and absolutely no sense of accomplishment after the ending but rather a dumbfounded feeling of "That's it?". Lackluster, Bioware.… Expand
  28. ki-orz
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Contrains minor spoiler

    I played mass effect 1 week before ME3, and re-played ME2 two days before ME3 came out (lost saves after switching to windows 7) i was really disappointed in simplicity of the game, side missions just felt like quickly made DLC
  29. kalv
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    The main issue with this game is the story and dialogue has been simplified and it looks exactly like ME2. The choices you make have little to no impact in the future. Although still a solid game and multiplayer is a fun addition.
  30. Bombingburrito
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This is one of the most disappointing games I've had the misfortune of looking forward to, and the end of a trilogy I regret falling in love with. The creators of the game have cut almost every corner they possibly could have to push this game out as soon as they could. The A.I group up in a single file line in front of my gun, the enemies will randomly break cover for no discernibleThis is one of the most disappointing games I've had the misfortune of looking forward to, and the end of a trilogy I regret falling in love with. The creators of the game have cut almost every corner they possibly could have to push this game out as soon as they could. The A.I group up in a single file line in front of my gun, the enemies will randomly break cover for no discernible reason, when behind cover my camera sometimes starts shacking and falling through the floor, the reduced amount of dialogue choices we get are extremely lacking, interaction with the crew has been reduced, the story is terribly written, much of the lore from the original Mass Effect has been retconned, choices don't change as much as I and many others had hoped for, and all the endings are basically the same with minimal details and colors changed, and no were near as much diversity as you would expect from the ending of a trilogy where choices had initially been used as a selling point. Even the few things they did do better, an example being the much more detailed faces and facial expressions, are wasted by what I assume must be inexperience or lack of care by the developers when used out of context with the situation, or used to so much of an extreme that what little immersion I have is ruined. To add insult to the injury of finding out the game I had been looking forward to for so long had been half assed, they cut out entire parts of the game and attempted to sell them back to me as DLC. This is the last time I make the mistake of putting faith into an Electronic arts or Bioware game, and I would be very concerned about the direction the companies are taking if I was an investor. Screwing over the customer like this will work in the short-term, but the customer base will eventually catch on to the nickle and dimming tactics, and move on to friendlier companies that put out better products. In short, this game deserves a 0 for the price that it is being sold at because of bad developers, greedy publishers, and an overall poor ending to an otherwise great series.… Expand
  31. Kelemvor
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    This game is not a surprise at all. The second installment was a real disappointment, but the direction for the third game was clear. Dialog is limited to 2 answers, one is nice, the other is more of the harsh kind. You have to play the boring MP to actually increase your odds collecting fleetstrength, a lot of the dialog is uninspired and boring, the animations are clumsy, the combat isThis game is not a surprise at all. The second installment was a real disappointment, but the direction for the third game was clear. Dialog is limited to 2 answers, one is nice, the other is more of the harsh kind. You have to play the boring MP to actually increase your odds collecting fleetstrength, a lot of the dialog is uninspired and boring, the animations are clumsy, the combat is repetetiv and forgettable, and the rest is just an interactive movie with game elements. Its not a good game and not a good sf-movie. It is something in between unable to satisfy even the lowest expectations. To be blunt: ME3 is a weak last installment. The shooter part is not up to par compared to a full fledged shooter, while the the weak rpg-elements are hardly worth mentioning. It's a dumbed down interactive movie with very little gameplay and an unsatisfactory story which ends with a huge letdown.… Expand
  32. PrayingForRain
    Mar 7, 2012
    6
    As an addendum to my review, due to writing, the game is riddled with plot holes so enormous, they have become event horizons that suck in the other games in the series.
  33. Rakka
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I loved Mass Effect
    I adored Mass Effect 2
    I truly and utterly despise Mass Effect 3. EA and Bioware basically killed one of the best gaming title of the past 10 years with this last installment. It's boring and blatant, it tries to act like an FPS game, it's overly simplified, it's ugly, it's story is nowhere comperable to the previous ones, it forces gay romances down your throat, it's    I loved Mass Effect
    I adored Mass Effect 2
    I truly and utterly despise Mass Effect 3. EA and Bioware basically killed one of the best gaming title of the past 10 years with this last installment. It's boring and blatant, it tries to act like an FPS game, it's overly simplified, it's ugly, it's story is nowhere comperable to the previous ones, it forces gay romances down your throat, it's too easy even on insanity, it's...it's just BAD. And this comes from a gamer who even bought ME2 Collectors Edition because of how much I loved these games.

    I strongly suggest not buying this game, Boycott Bioware, BOYCOTT EA, do anything that you can to make them realize this is not what we wanted.

    This is a sad time for gaming.    … Expand
  34. Guildenstern
    Mar 7, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a great shame that the fanbase is being painted as uninformed, unreasonable and even homophobic. There are a few idiots letting us down, but the vast majority of disappointed fans are unhappy with this game simply because it does not nearly deliver on the promises made by Bioware since the franchise's inception.The endings are particularly poor, not only because the twists are illogical and the tone is so depressing, but because your choices barely make any difference to the final outcome. Favourite characters are reduced to cameos. Long-awaited moments are handled with complacency (for example, the reveal of a particularly beloved character's face, for which a Getty stock photo was used with only the most minor of Photoshop edits). It's a very good game in many ways, but it could have been so much more. We didn't want this to happen. We wanted it to be everything Bioware promised that it would be.… Expand
  35. 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
  36. Magebear
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    About 6hrs in I'm enjoying this game. I'm even using a laptop at lower graphic settings and think the graphics are nice. I went for 9-or 10 because the damned spacebar is used for EVERYTHING. On a PC we have a whole keyboard... Couldn't we have different key bindings for cover and jump?

    As to all the user panning: Shooter fans won't like it because it's too RPG, RPG fans will **** because    About 6hrs in I'm enjoying this game. I'm even using a laptop at lower graphic settings and think the graphics are nice. I went for 9-or 10 because the damned spacebar is used for EVERYTHING. On a PC we have a whole keyboard... Couldn't we have different key bindings for cover and jump?

    As to all the user panning: Shooter fans won't like it because it's too RPG, RPG fans will **** because it's too shooter and all those with closet issues will balk at the options for gay/lesbian relationships. It's a hybrid so the first two are unavoidable, but with regards to the last one, unless you're twelve, it's time to grow up.    … Expand
  37. 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
  38. colliterz
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Not having read any of the spoilers that leaked in the days before the release, I was excited to finally complete my Shepard's story only the feel like I've been slapped in the face by BioWare. I think they tried to make this whole game as if they were directing a sci-fi movie...And when I read earlier about BioWare not intending to make post-ending DLC, it only added to myNot having read any of the spoilers that leaked in the days before the release, I was excited to finally complete my Shepard's story only the feel like I've been slapped in the face by BioWare. I think they tried to make this whole game as if they were directing a sci-fi movie...And when I read earlier about BioWare not intending to make post-ending DLC, it only added to my dissapointment...oh well, enough of BioWare is my opinion… Expand
  39. BobTheSpy
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    Quality game. I don't know what these other reviews are talking about - it hasn't been "dumbed down" - if anything, the game has gotten more complicated! Leveling has more branches, and you can now upgrade your weapons with a wide variety of attachments. Armor has statistics - there's numbers everywhere.

    The graphics are definitely improved, and the gameplay has as well. Combat is    Quality game. I don't know what these other reviews are talking about - it hasn't been "dumbed down" - if anything, the game has gotten more complicated! Leveling has more branches, and you can now upgrade your weapons with a wide variety of attachments. Armor has statistics - there's numbers everywhere.

    The graphics are definitely improved, and the gameplay has as well. Combat is intense, the controls are smooth, and the powers actually feel *powerful* - it's a lot of fun. The multiplayer only adds to the experience and is a ton of fun with friends.

    Ignore all the 1's and 0's reviews - 90% of them haven't even played the game. From someone who HAS played the game, let me tell you - ME3 is a quality game.    … Expand
  40. IDontknowwhy88
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    This game, and the second one, is a result of poor standards for the gaming industry. A bad plot, and shoehorned in character development. There is no more exploration, no more mystery-it's hallways and FPS action sequences, chased down with unwarrented romance options. This is the same "quality" of work from DA2, and it's not just dissapointing, it is downright insulting to the playersThis game, and the second one, is a result of poor standards for the gaming industry. A bad plot, and shoehorned in character development. There is no more exploration, no more mystery-it's hallways and FPS action sequences, chased down with unwarrented romance options. This is the same "quality" of work from DA2, and it's not just dissapointing, it is downright insulting to the players who've waited for these games.… Expand
  41. JamesX
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My previews review after 30 minutes I gave it a 4, now I am revising it to give it a 3.

    All the holes in the plot just gets bigger and bigger. They sacrifice character consistency for cheap cinematic moments that felt as empty as it is cliche.

    Sad moment where refugee gets wiped out by the Invaders? Would be sad if you don't realize that the main character is standing there dumbfounded on top of a WAR SHIP with GUNS that can easily take out the enemy or at the very lease get the transports time to get away.

    A moment of polarization that set you against Cerebus? Would be motivational if you realize that Shepard (which mine did) had Singularity (or that Liara could do the same). The whole thing with Ashley being disabled is a dumb founding moment as Shepard is once again, yep, stand there mouth gaping dumbfounded, as the opponent RADIOS IN and WAITS for conformation from Elusive Man.

    This pattern repeats through out the whole movie and VASTLY distracts from the plausibility of the story, and is expanded upon things like

    The World is being destroyed, and what does your companions say in the Lift while Alliance Personnel are being slaughtered... "Well.. Shepard... I am not sure I can trust you.... can you comfort me and make me feel better?" all this is within the first 30-60 minute of the game.

    The dialogue is so horrendous, the plot so forced, it is a WORSE attempt at Action RPG than the Dragon Age 2 fiasco. At least Dragon Age 2 isn't a patch work of one liners that can be used on advertising posters.

    Going to struggle through to the end like I did with Dragon Age 2, but so far it does not bode well.    … Expand
  42. Nadisaint
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is good, really good. The combat system is the best one yet, and the emotions the characters makes you feel- you will get teary eyes for sure. The things that bugs me are the endings. The choices you got brainburn thinking about the previous games barely even matters here. I wanted an ending that actually offers some kind of closure, this ones feels rushed, like a last minute change. There are many unfilled holes. Fans of the saga deserved better than that. Still, good experience.… Expand
  43. Fanton
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Second time that a sequel to Bioware ruins the game! Dragon Age 2 ended up with everything I would expect from a sequel to Origins and Mass Effect 3 now takes all the epic trilogy in a way ridiculous in every way (graphics, story and game play). Bioware from today I'll never buy anything produced by you!
  44. bobdole
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I sincerely hope this is a joke. Come on, Bioware. Come on. This isn't even funny anymore, what happened. I miss great games like Baldur's Gate II, please stop doing this to me.
  45. Eman
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I won't buy it because it's on Origin. Plain and simple.

    EAs' CEOs want to throw their weight around and basically force people to use their second-rate platform and indifferent customer service. It's strange that they would rather destroy game after game in a effort to grow their digital distribution platform than spend that cash on just making a compelling product and selling it through    I won't buy it because it's on Origin. Plain and simple.

    EAs' CEOs want to throw their weight around and basically force people to use their second-rate platform and indifferent customer service. It's strange that they would rather destroy game after game in a effort to grow their digital distribution platform than spend that cash on just making a compelling product and selling it through established and trusted platforms like Steam or Impulse. EA must really be convinced that the millions of dollars their losing and customers their aggravating will eventually start buying game from them again once their "platform" is established. It'd be one thing if EA sold these games through it's own platform as well as others, but since it's made it "exclusive" to Origin, it appears EA would rather flex it's monopoly muscle then play fair with the other kids. Here's a simple analogy: if the consumers were the cops, EA is the robbers, and the games are the hostages, ever movie hostage negotiation movie I've ever seen has taught me to never give in to the robbers demands, regardless of how many hostages they're willing to kill in the process. I will not give in to terrorist threats.

    Don't give in. Vote with your dollar.    … Expand
  46. femshepka
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I'am a big fan of Mass Effect and my femshep specifically. But... I HATE THIS GAME. Femshep can not die! Can not! I love her. Femshep is meaning of my life. Bioware kills her... Time to die. Goodbye everyone. I always hate my life and love femshep. Please remember that.
  47. ExSa
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect is the dying spasm of Bioware. A company once known for greatness, now more known for fascination with Twilight, reducing choices for gamers and creating games that look more like clones of Call of Duty and dating sims than RPG's we used to love. Make no mistake. Mass Effect 1 and DAO were great games. But the loss of authors and imagination is painfully evident in thisMass Effect is the dying spasm of Bioware. A company once known for greatness, now more known for fascination with Twilight, reducing choices for gamers and creating games that look more like clones of Call of Duty and dating sims than RPG's we used to love. Make no mistake. Mass Effect 1 and DAO were great games. But the loss of authors and imagination is painfully evident in this production. We have a deus ex machina plot, shallow characters, terrible ignorance of universe lore established in previous production. In exchange we have dialogues like from some cheap remake of Jersey Shore(Vega I am looking at you), hallow romances that make normal cringe at the dialogue and nothing resembling the mystery atmosphere of cold but fascinating cosmos we knew from previous games....
    Don't buy it. Huge disappointment.    … Expand
  48. Magnus
    Mar 7, 2012
    6
    I'm speechless. Why ? I did something stupid, played the first game imported my character in to the second game,imported to ME3.
    Why the rant? When did the gaming industry decided that a person able to enjoy a adult movie is unable to comprehend Schindler's List?
    It didn't start well , the intro mission is railroaded, Shepard is a lost minion , irritating for every player that shaped    I'm speechless. Why ? I did something stupid, played the first game imported my character in to the second game,imported to ME3.
    Why the rant? When did the gaming industry decided that a person able to enjoy a adult movie is unable to comprehend Schindler's List?
    It didn't start well , the intro mission is railroaded, Shepard is a lost minion , irritating for every player that shaped his character thru countless hours of the two previous games, pondering the outcomes of hers/his decisions. I seriously have no idea why I did what I did in the previous games.
    It's a clone of so many movie/game decisions where the Hero does the ultimate spoiler thing, and everyone is aware that the morally grey , isn't really grey it's just trying to create the illusion by pressing on the tear duct by removing the few things a RPG player cares about-the characters and interactions with them , one by one .

    The game has one of the worst endings in history, all of them and the idea that the player is not worthy to get some closure is strange, feel's like subconsciousness marketing for DLC.
    The characters from the previous game suffer at times cringe worthy writing , and lack of screen time.
    Simply there isn't enough time for anything, and the dialogues took a major hit, feels completely rushed. New players probably will not care, the game doesn't even introduce them in a proper manner, they can run and gun without consequences and even enjoy the game.
    MP is very well done,interesting and addictive , so nothing to criticize except the Origin client.
    Rated DA2 with a 1 rating this game with a 6 to reflect the technical superiority, but only the technical , the disappointment is identical like DAO vs DA2 despite never seeing the ME games as RPG's , and wondering why the "Jack of all trades, master of none" figure somehow became the most defining aspect of Bioware's recent titles.    … Expand
  49. 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
  50. Mr_Chow
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm terribly disappointed and dissatisfied by this "game". To tell the truth, I never thought about Mass Effect as an "shooter", but merely as an "Visual Novel" in its classical meaning - a book with CGI pictures, music and voice acting.

    I never cared about the graphics or shooter/pseudo-rpg aspect of the game. The only strong point of Mass Effect 1/2 were the characters we, the players, interacted with.

    Not only BioWare has crippled every single character's personality, but altered them in a truly terrible ways. Ashley being transgender?! Male Shepard being gay for random crew member?!! Tali's face being a photoshopped human photo?!?! Humanized EDI with clearly visible female part?!?!?! The player no longer being able to save everybody and live happy ever after?!?!?!?!

    Even literally stolen illustrations and the game being crippled to multiple DLCs are nothing compared to what BioWare/EA did to the plot and the characters, which were the only strong points of the series.

    I've got a refund in the shop where I bought my collector's edition and going to buy a bucket of strawberry shaved ice instead - at least that will be more enjoyable.

    P.S. Sorry for bad Engrish.    … Expand
  51. Dokhera
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    1 - Orgin is ....
    2 - The end ... what ?

    Seriously Bioware. You had no other idea ? The development of SWTOR monopolize all your dev teams ? Very good SF series with bad ending.
  52. Dreskar
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is good, very good and yet... that ending, oh yes I do mean one ending, they are all the same sadly. [Its a made up story from a man to his son/grandson.] Though you also get to chose one of three endings at the very end that completely invalidates the other two games within the series and is very insulting. It is in essence a Deus Ex Machina moment, and I kid you not it is literally a God Child that created the reapers that shows up at the end and gives you one of three choices, your galactic readiness, your war supplies, and weather you were paragon or renegade means nothing, absolutely nothing to the story. Though if your readiness and supplies are high people survive which is confusing since I thought it would have an impact on the actual fight but it doesn't at all. Ah if you want to play Mass Effect 3, by all means knock yourself out, just stop before you play the final mission if you want to have a great game experience, otherwise play Mass Effect 1 and 2 which are far superior games.… Expand
  53. Nomus
    Mar 7, 2012
    8
    Game is good. Ofcourse it has bad grapics and animations because Bioware didn't give a single **** about it but it's interesting. I don'r remember the last time i was so interested in the game. Plot is **** but good enough to justify it. Characters are neat even if they have so much drama. I liked the game but i don't think it was the best one. ME2 is still the best in the series.
  54. Player
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Well... I buy this game today.. ME2 was better... Give me my money back! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad!!!!!!!!!
  55. MattC
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    It is day two and there are already 560 negative reviews. Agreed that this game has its flaws, but at LEAST play the game all the way through ONCE before completely trashing it. I have a feeling that 90% of these reviewers never even finished the game, or even got through the first act. I haven't finished either, but from I've played it deserves at least an 8. Oh and btw for youIt is day two and there are already 560 negative reviews. Agreed that this game has its flaws, but at LEAST play the game all the way through ONCE before completely trashing it. I have a feeling that 90% of these reviewers never even finished the game, or even got through the first act. I haven't finished either, but from I've played it deserves at least an 8. Oh and btw for you homophobes, bioware had homosexual relationships back in ME1, remember? So I don't know what the big deal is with this game. Next time you go to post here, please at least beat the game ONCE before destroying, because all you're doing by posting "reviews" on DAY 1 is making yourself look like a tool.… Expand
  56. mrrip
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Then ideas of things that you love changing into something really bad, you at first trying not to notice that or avoid it with hope that things will be better. Then I played ME 2 I thought that things will change and after developers review criticism of game develop a true masterpiece of game world. But then we saw a total failure of DA2 that become a fantasy clone of ME2. After that weThen ideas of things that you love changing into something really bad, you at first trying not to notice that or avoid it with hope that things will be better. Then I played ME 2 I thought that things will change and after developers review criticism of game develop a true masterpiece of game world. But then we saw a total failure of DA2 that become a fantasy clone of ME2. After that we got a clone of WoW in space (KoTOR) that is failure 2. And now ME3â… Expand
  57. oatzsquatz
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    PROS: - Shiny new cutscenes - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers - Smarter enemy AIs CONS: - One button does everything in combat - Ridiculously **** dialogue - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will sayPROS: - Shiny new cutscenes - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers - Smarter enemy AIs CONS: - One button does everything in combat - Ridiculously **** dialogue - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will say this much: EDI, and, this small segment of dialogue: Shepherd: I hope you're alright, Kaiden Kaiden: Are you flirting with me, Commander? This is literal dialogue and not a joke - Rubbish, rubbish, dialogue. Cringe worthy. Nearly all the time. Some characters do save the ****show, like Garrus. - They actually used a voice changer (blatantly obvious) to use less voice actors (if you don't believe me, once you get to the Citadel you will be able to hear it) - Rehashed animations from the last game (lack of innovation) -Filters, filters everywhere -Cheap emotional pulls and attempts at emotional manipulation EVERYWHERE. It's like they used this to replace bad writing. - SEVERELY LIMITED DIALOGUE OPTIONS. If I wanted to play a shooter, I would have. Two dialogue options? Most dialogues with no options whatsoever? Poor show. -Totally retconns the lore established in the previous games Overall this game shows a shocking lack of attention to detail and blatantly ignores what the fans wanted (contrary to what the developers claim all the time. No one wanted this). The voice acting is stiff and so is the animation. Complete lack of innovation and the only thing they improved was the fighting - to add to this, they even used well-known stock images as some of their sources and the copies are glaring - look up "winter on mars" and you should see what I mean, if you've beaten the game. They force sexuality on the player, and if you reject it then the characters hate yours. This series has ended on a bad note. For fans of the series, it sucks majorly. For people who want a shooter, play Call of Duty or Gears of War instead… Expand
  58. Wynnyelle
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Can you say paid reviews? This game is a massive disappointment. I won't even get started on the ridiculous day-one DLC, but let me say that that alone is a reason to not support this company. When it comes to the actual game though, there is nothing new with this game. The game is dumbed down along the likes of Dragon Age 2, and I can't say that there are any redeeming qualities aboutCan you say paid reviews? This game is a massive disappointment. I won't even get started on the ridiculous day-one DLC, but let me say that that alone is a reason to not support this company. When it comes to the actual game though, there is nothing new with this game. The game is dumbed down along the likes of Dragon Age 2, and I can't say that there are any redeeming qualities about it. The dialogue and story is sub par. What happened to the customization that was available in the first Mass Effect? Because I sure don't see it here. It's obvious that they didn't put any effort into any part of this game. They only wanted to milk their cash cow even more. Not worth the buy.… Expand
  59. JamieLee
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Now we all have good reason to buy Used Games again. I'll wait until the price drops to compensate for the DLC. I mean really....A Prothean Member which for some of us long time players is almost a must have and slap in the face at the same time, and Eden Prime return for 10$?!?!? Really!?!?! Really?!?!
  60. Arona
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    All these comments seem like a bad flash-mob and nothing more.
    I've played about 10 hours so far, but I've shed tears twice already. No other game affected me so much. Awful animations? Bad plot? Oh come on!!!
  61. Golem25
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Strike 1: Adding multiplayer (oh come on really?) to a beloved SINGLE player series of games. If I wanted a multiplayer shoot em up I would play Counterstrike (don't even get me started on MW3). Strike 2: From Ashes DLC fiasco . Seriously? you're charging for DAY 1 DLC because you gave us multiplayer that we didn't even want in the first place? Strike 3: Boy am I glad I saw the leakedStrike 1: Adding multiplayer (oh come on really?) to a beloved SINGLE player series of games. If I wanted a multiplayer shoot em up I would play Counterstrike (don't even get me started on MW3). Strike 2: From Ashes DLC fiasco . Seriously? you're charging for DAY 1 DLC because you gave us multiplayer that we didn't even want in the first place? Strike 3: Boy am I glad I saw the leaked script and videos. "Yo dawg we made synthetics to kill organics, so organics wouldn't create synthetics to kill organics!" It's painfully obvious that the writing talent that made the first game so compelling is no longer involved. Maybe Bioware should think about hiring writers who, ya know, actually enjoy playing the games too. EA/Bioware, you have broken my heart for the last time. Multiplayer and Day 1 DLC I could *just* about have lived with, but the lack of choices carried over, and the contrived, lazy endings are a step too far. I will not be giving my hard earned money to you ever again. Fortunately I played a friend's copy of ME3 and can get my online version refunded (thanks Origin 14 day return policy!). Oh yeah, don't even bother pirating.… Expand
  62. denilend
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    My favourite francise is Mass Effect. This is a very good game, but pulled off a lot of trolls. The story is great, the graphics is nice, the sounds are good and the best thing is gameplay is fantastic
  63. Biowarelol
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This is a terrible letdown. One of the greatest dissapointments in my history with video games. Gameplay is solid, but for ruining the game with plot holes and idiotic ending, I give it a zero. Not to mention the Day 1 DLC. This is the last thing I bought coming from Bioware.
  64. Dodo22
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    It is impossible to import your Shepard from the previous games as the new face creation mechanism will not identify the elements from the save file. Importing your save is what has made Mass Effect as prolific as it is. Unplayable until a patch for an issue that should have been resolved during the testing phase. They apparently had the time to make $10 day one DLC but not enough timeIt is impossible to import your Shepard from the previous games as the new face creation mechanism will not identify the elements from the save file. Importing your save is what has made Mass Effect as prolific as it is. Unplayable until a patch for an issue that should have been resolved during the testing phase. They apparently had the time to make $10 day one DLC but not enough time to ensure that a critical component of the main game is functioning properly?

    Aside from this I have played through the first segment with the base Shepard, and it appears to have restored mass effect to initial appeal from the boring outing that was ME2.

    Still I'll go no farther without my Shepard character. Product is in a condition that I reasonably should not have expected. Any other industrial sector and they'd be compelled by law to restore my money, however, software laws let them off the hook. Fix it.    … Expand
  65. Liquid_Wolf
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    It is on par with the rest of the series, and I'm finding that it appears to have quite a bit more in common in 1.

    Definitely a good game, and in no way a 0 or a 1. Hell, even at it's worst, this game would at least rate a 7 or 8. It might be a homophobia issue, or perhaps people just want to get after EA... but ME 3 is a solid game if you liked the first two.
  66. FACLONS
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    as someone who enjoyed 1 2 this is a disgrace to the franchise what a terrible way to end it the graphics where awful the game play was so dumbed down it felt like gears of war and the lack of almost everything RPG related was unacceptable.
  67. Aldos
    Mar 7, 2012
    5
    So far i've played 10 hours, and i'm really into the game. The battle system is good, a mix from ME1 and 2, graphics and sounds are lacking though.
    Romances are ok, i like the fact that Bioware has tried to reach a bigger audience and let everyone go according to their taste.
    The story so far is ok, but from what i've heard the ending is not original at all, which is kind of sad, because    So far i've played 10 hours, and i'm really into the game. The battle system is good, a mix from ME1 and 2, graphics and sounds are lacking though.
    Romances are ok, i like the fact that Bioware has tried to reach a bigger audience and let everyone go according to their taste.
    The story so far is ok, but from what i've heard the ending is not original at all, which is kind of sad, because this series had a lot of potential.    … Expand
  68. maiv
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    Bioware dropped the ball on this one. The execution of the story is pretty terrible. I stood by them when they strip down the gameplay from ME1 to ME2 but now they've stripped down even the story and dialogue that it's actually quite disappointing.
  69. Naith
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Contains spoilers. Don't open if you want to buy the game. I'm sorry, but I'll be adding to really bad score part of players. To start, I have to say that I'm a 22 year old man and played ME 1,2 and 3 with Female Shepard. This review is written after 5 hours of gametime. Even when the demo was released, I looked at it and said, hey, this is just way too easy. Another thing that pissed me off was when even though I was playing as an infiltrator, I didn't get my sniper rifle!! Why?! It's demoverzion! Yesterday, after I finished ME2 after 14 straight hours of playing - for the knitpickers, the game was nearly over, I was just finishing side missions, the first thing that pissed me off was that ME3 couldn't import my beautiful FemShep face! That was just the beginning. Why, why in the seven hells is she whining about Kaidan? Yep, I dated him in ME1, but than I spent 2 years dead, he behaved like an idiot and the character shouldn't give a damn about him. But no, even though I romanced Garrus - hell yeah, I', the pioneer of the interracial sex - he doesn't give a flying **** that he sees me. And this only goes on an on. They took a lot of time to finish this game, and indeed, they screwed the game and the players both kingly and thoroughly. The Mass effect trilogy for me is ME 1+DLC/ ME2/ME2 DLC. Then Shepard with her crew went to the Reaper' part of the universe and kicked the **** out of Reapers. Too bad than someone didn't do a decent game about it - It would have been amazing.… Expand
  70. tdij
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Full console crap. Crappy textures, crappy animation, crappy story, **** Controls, dominance of homosexuals, DLC DLC DLC, oh yeah. Bioware, are you serious?
  71. OJFeynman
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    I bought this on release because I liked Mass Effect 2. The game is broken in that if you use custom keybindings, you are no longer able to scan planets for minerals/artifacts. This is a huge QA failure. I am unable to progress without a severe handicap. There are other serious problems with this game, too. The graphics have taken a step back from ME2 technically, though they have addedI bought this on release because I liked Mass Effect 2. The game is broken in that if you use custom keybindings, you are no longer able to scan planets for minerals/artifacts. This is a huge QA failure. I am unable to progress without a severe handicap. There are other serious problems with this game, too. The graphics have taken a step back from ME2 technically, though they have added improved graphical filters. The game world is static, full of people who don't react to your presence and objects that you can't manipulate. For example, you visit the Citadel, which is supposed to be a bustling population center, but you can only interact with three or four characters there--I mean the others don't look at you, tell you they took an arrow in the knee, or even move, aside from simple idle animations. Incidentally, this is the same level design from ME2, minus interacting with citizens, stores, lifts, etc. On the Normandy, there are lots of crew members, but they do not acknowledge you. It all feels lifeless. The Normandy is the same as the one in ME2, except you can't talk with crew members or interact with many objects on the ship. For example, the only toilet that flushes is the one in the Captain's room. The ship is just utterly dead, which is too bad because walking around the ship was my favorite part. The combat is pretty much the same. It's not very strong, but combat is the last reason anyone would buy a Mass Effect game. The story looks to be serviceable, albeit generic. The writers had elementary problems with exposition that was fairly amateurish, "As you know, Shepard..." Anyway, my main gripe is key bindings. I am not sure why companies refuse to pay attention to inputs. It is truly mystifying. Is is so unfair that I can't get my money back for this. It is broken and I feel cheated.… Expand
  72. notyourproblem
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    EA and their Origin service have raped the good name of Bioware. Not only they pumping money with their **** websites, their customer service suck. With their so-called piracy protections, normal customers have problems playing the game they used money on. Prepare to pay up and get nothing in return when you're dealing with these guys.
  73. 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.
  74. Pareus
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    If this was a new IP this game would be fine, but it is not a worthy successor to ME1/2. The game makes it very clear that you are playing Bioware's Shepard not your own. Whereas previous games allowed you to choose almost everything Shepard said, here you are railroaded with autodialog and few conversations options through the entire game. The dialogue itself is much worse than previousIf this was a new IP this game would be fine, but it is not a worthy successor to ME1/2. The game makes it very clear that you are playing Bioware's Shepard not your own. Whereas previous games allowed you to choose almost everything Shepard said, here you are railroaded with autodialog and few conversations options through the entire game. The dialogue itself is much worse than previous games as well.
    he game assumes you have read the novels and makes them canon for your Shepard, there is not even a expository line about Anderson stepping down. If you havent played arrival you are similarly left without adequate explanation for the events leading up to ME3. As well, the game is buggy as hell. Expect random freezing/crashes at some missions, missions that wont update, and numerous graphical bugs. You cant even import your ME1 face, I cannot even understand how they thought it was ok to release the game without fixing that one.
    While ME's story has always had a lot of problems with logic and plot holes, the ending to ME3 goes off the deep end. I have no problems with a grim ending, if it is done well, but the ending here, the ending to your Shepard's story now and forever is illogical as hell and poorly written. Nothing you have done throughout the entire series makes a difference in the end, you will be forced into one of three stupid choices, none of which make a damn bit of sense.    … Expand
  75. JGIJOQIGPQGIOEG
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Why the hell in gamespot showing only critics review first ? and don't show score by gamers? because waiting when all buy EA **** game and then show real score by gamers, don't be fooled by this trick, because its easy to buy critics, with money you can buy almost everything and you think you can't buy some nerd who write review ? the only true score you wil see from Gamers we know if youWhy the hell in gamespot showing only critics review first ? and don't show score by gamers? because waiting when all buy EA **** game and then show real score by gamers, don't be fooled by this trick, because its easy to buy critics, with money you can buy almost everything and you think you can't buy some nerd who write review ? the only true score you wil see from Gamers we know if you want good game need to have good reviews these days, the only company who respect now is Valve, i think all DLC for free and free best their games, amazing games like Portal 2 for half normal EA Prices, and THIS ? 60$ for unfinished game ? EA just want your money they don't give a **** about good games and fans, look at the Sims 3 eating money from kids, release half game for 50$ and eating money from rest half game in DLCS who worth 500$ **** ****… Expand
  76. euu
    Mar 7, 2012
    6
    This game is just okay. It's not going to blow your mind , it's not going to revolutionize gaming; it's just a decent third person shooter with RPG elements that concludes a very overrated series. I don't understand how people who were drooling over Mass Effect 2 a while ago are giving this game so many negative scores. It's almost the same game, in fact I think Mass Effect 3 is a littleThis game is just okay. It's not going to blow your mind , it's not going to revolutionize gaming; it's just a decent third person shooter with RPG elements that concludes a very overrated series. I don't understand how people who were drooling over Mass Effect 2 a while ago are giving this game so many negative scores. It's almost the same game, in fact I think Mass Effect 3 is a little better than its predecessor. More customization options have been added in the game, there is a main story this time, you are not just doing boring tasks for your team members and the amount of time you spend scanning planets has been reduced. Compared to other games released this year, Mass Effect 3 is not bad, but as a story driven action RPG it doesn't hold a candle to games like The Witcher 2 and Deus Ex:Human Revolutions.… Expand
  77. TheChecker
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    So, there's a lot of problems, like Day 1 DLC of content that Bioware blatantly removed from the game to sell as DLC, trying to make us feel sorry for a kid when our Shepherd have probably encountered worse tragedies, the incredibly lazy photo of unmasked, which is pretty much just a stock photo of a woman that had twenty minutes max in photoshop, the depressingly disappointing endings,So, there's a lot of problems, like Day 1 DLC of content that Bioware blatantly removed from the game to sell as DLC, trying to make us feel sorry for a kid when our Shepherd have probably encountered worse tragedies, the incredibly lazy photo of unmasked, which is pretty much just a stock photo of a woman that had twenty minutes max in photoshop, the depressingly disappointing endings, when Bioware told us that there would be a happy ending that we would have to fight hard for, and so many more. Not to mention being exclusive to Origin, which is a massive sin in itself.

    I would have given this game just a five, as it's just that, an average game. However, since it's clear that Bioware bribed journalists and reviewers to give their game a good review, I decided to counter the inflated reviewer scores and give this game a zero.

    Criticism and feedback is one of the most important things for a game developer. Unfortunately, it seems fanboys nowadays views criticism as a direct attack at them or the developers. Fanboys. Understand that criticism is the only way for a game developer to get better. Bioware probably suffered a overblown ego from the fanboys, which results in declining quality for their games. From a fan who enjoyed Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect and even Dragon Age: Origins, it's just depressing to see all of this unfold. I can only hope that Bioware will return to their senses and start making quality games without Day 1 DLC. Also, DLC is a horrendous blight on the gaming industry and should never be supported ever unless it's purely cosmetic. Sincerely, The Checker.    … Expand
  78. kyttajuttu
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Literally the worst game ever made. If you bought this you are the cancer killing the games industry and you should probably kill you are self.
    Also hampurger helper.
  79. 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
  80. altair4
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    The failures from Bioware just keep stacking up after they got bought by EA. First Dragon Age 2, then Swtor and now Mass Effect 3. Big shame for what used to be such a great developer.
  81. MerpanDerp
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Day 1 DLC aside, this game was quite possibly the biggest disappointment so far. The story and especially its end was an incredible let-down, driven by boring, static dialogue. All of the 'new' characters lack depth and character or end up being completely irritating due to bad writing. Gameplay is lacking, RPG elements almost completely removed and the oh so praised 'Cinematic Experience'Day 1 DLC aside, this game was quite possibly the biggest disappointment so far. The story and especially its end was an incredible let-down, driven by boring, static dialogue. All of the 'new' characters lack depth and character or end up being completely irritating due to bad writing. Gameplay is lacking, RPG elements almost completely removed and the oh so praised 'Cinematic Experience' destroyed by awkward animations.

    0/10
    Try again without EA, Bioware.    … Expand
  82. Egidijus
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You can see two sides to this game. First, its a sequel to the Mass effect series, in witch if youre a fan played Mass effect 1 and 2. The second, that this game is trying to be marketed to a wider player market. while that is not the main concern here, it did lead to some design views,
    There is a lot of things to say about this game, some are good, most are bad. Fistly the thing that will put off fans of the series is the side quest structure, its seems that most of them you get from lisening to conversations, with no animated conversations scenes with the player. This makes the side quest just a fetch chores, without giving any emotional meaning to the player. Then theres the "support" task, witch is basicly suport one of the two views of the arguing characters. This is again done without a scene with coversation, you just come over, press space and then give a one liner, witch covinces them. It is impersonal, it doenst give any emotional tension or even feeling like a real choise. What I liked is the reapearance of the older side quest characters of the series. While they feel a bit overused. Almost in every side quest dialogue sene you can meet them, sometimes it works, sometimes its more like: oh its me, you helped me with that thing remember?. This is sometimes more like an anoyance, and i woudnt have mind if there where other new characters.
    The more well crafted characters are worth the time. Some again strike a more personal note, others are just there, and you dont much care for them. A little thing that bugged me was the dialogues of the main characters and squad mates, theyre timing seemed to be off. I really cant explained it but it felt like the actors wherent the with one another or didint get the sense of the scene or the suspence wich woud have created emotional, scared, angry reactions. The pauses between dialoged semed to long, as if it wanted to give dramatic tension, but only felt like the voiceover actors forgot the line. The fell of the citadel and the spaceship (Noramdy) are off. I did like the progresion of Citadel spaces. as the war progresed, they got damaged and more full of refuges and so on. The think that felt off is the design of the areas. They are quite small, combine that with the broken sidequest and you have an area that you go not to explore or get the feel of the game world, but get it get out, nothing more there. The Normandy itself was made in a line of checks. Finish a mission, get a dialogue witch a holovid character, leave to teh war room, go true a conference table witch was used only once, get true a chech of security withc was pointles, and let the personal assisance tell there more mesages. I this you feel boxed in as if these things had to be done that the player woudn miss anything (the expliration hating player forced walk ? ). While the ship is stocked with a new crew theres nothing much to do with these generic npcs. The dialogue isnt rememberable and i didnt care much for them, they are just there. Combat: the shooting mechanics are similar to the Mass effect 2 game. While in the last game the combat was overal a pleasant experience, here we have a cover porblem, enemys feeling very generic after a while, no heavy weapons. The fought enemies also left much to be desired, we get cerberus units (heavys, engineers, a few snipers, ninjas with swords) , and reaper indoctrinated species (human-melee, turian- ranged, canibal-heavy? then assary biotic power user and another heavy charger). We do get to fight some geth in the quarian missions. The main storyline: Mixed feelings about it too. the sotryline seems a lot more linear. You cant really choose what to do first. You go to mars, the turians, then the krogans. This felt a break from the past game freedom experiences, witch to me meant a lot. Parts of it was great, the quarian missions, getting the artifact from the assari home world. Coincidently these too missions are put on the table at the same time, and you coud choose witch to do first witch was a nice free feel to the exploration and getting support. So mostly youll spend youre time helping races, for theyre support in the war and this works for the story. It all goes to hell in the ending. It woud take a seperate article if we where to discus whats wrong with it. A few quick points: The plan doesnt make sense, you dont get any feeling that youre in a larger battle, the radio conversations that the other units have are emotionless, doenst contribute at all. the whole battle culmination is you with 2 other squad memebers just surviving an atack then launching misisles, after that a desperate run to the citadel by the tranportation beam (dont ask). the whole last part is emty of any feeling or emotion, and the bets parts are shown in cinamit moevies, witch you dont feel a part off. Characters ending. Last question: is it worth youre money? 50 euros? NO. You will play it if youre a fan, but it is not worth it...    … Expand
  83. 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
  84. perfect
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I registered to metacritic just to rate this piece of trash. Bioware is officially dead and buried to me and I am not buying anything from that company ever again. Signs of Bioware going down the drain were there but I refused to believe it, wanted to give them a chance after massive failure that was DA2. People can't even inform themselves about the game, is it any good or what becauseI registered to metacritic just to rate this piece of trash. Bioware is officially dead and buried to me and I am not buying anything from that company ever again. Signs of Bioware going down the drain were there but I refused to believe it, wanted to give them a chance after massive failure that was DA2. People can't even inform themselves about the game, is it any good or what because the internet is full of paid off reviews. In short, the game story is terrible and full of holes. Animations are ridiculous and dialogues are dumber than in DA2, complete travesty compared to ME1.… Expand
  85. Pandafuhrer
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    From the entertaining first game to the "okay" sequel, it sank deep into "Terrible". Lazy Modeling, bugs everywhere, dumbed down just like dragon age 2, appealing for a wider audience and alienating fans, disappointed disconnected dialogue, piss-poor writing. I could go on. Not to mention removing in-game content and forcing people to pay for it as "downloadable content", which is givenFrom the entertaining first game to the "okay" sequel, it sank deep into "Terrible". Lazy Modeling, bugs everywhere, dumbed down just like dragon age 2, appealing for a wider audience and alienating fans, disappointed disconnected dialogue, piss-poor writing. I could go on. Not to mention removing in-game content and forcing people to pay for it as "downloadable content", which is given to you day 1 instead of with the game, to extract more money from people.
    Sadly, the blind fans will continue to support it, but as a refined gamer, I warn all others to not even touch this sinful shadow of a videogame.    … Expand
  86. DoubleCore
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    The game is very disappointing. They removed the planet and resources exploration, almost no dynamic dialogs (most of the game if cut scene dialogue), removed completely the RPG from the game..
    A bad way to end a trilogy. Mass Effect 2 was the best in the series because it mixed RPG and action TPS but now with Mass Effect 3, it remains only Action TPS and that's sucks!!
  87. Thyriel
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    Jesus, this game is such a total letdown. Glad me and my friends bought only one copy to try it out. The graphics is dated and badly made. Low res textures. Bad animations. Music - I guess it depends on your style, but for me it was below average. The gameplay was retarded at best. Press space to do this, press space to do that. God I have more then one button on my keyboard for christsJesus, this game is such a total letdown. Glad me and my friends bought only one copy to try it out. The graphics is dated and badly made. Low res textures. Bad animations. Music - I guess it depends on your style, but for me it was below average. The gameplay was retarded at best. Press space to do this, press space to do that. God I have more then one button on my keyboard for christs sake. You can only do things in specific moments and then you have to press space, so no reason to press space otherwise. It is more of an interactive movie then a game. Story - Jeebez how retarded incapable and completely fantasy-retarded do you have to be to write this drivel. Every self respecting author would jump off the bridge before he would write something like this. Generally, the only thing you see is that if you pay the official reviewers, they will give you a high score. That is it. I am so so extremely sorry this game I awaited with such high expectations underperformed in every possible way. Please save yourselves the trouble and do not buy it. There are better games, Deus Ex for one or even the previous MEs.… Expand
  88. DrGulag
    Mar 7, 2012
    8
    This is to all those people who have major concerns regarding Mass Effect 3, especially after Dragon Age 2 since that abomination basically killed the whole series for me. So yes, I was also worried about auto-dialogue and lack of quality textures/animations. When you begin ME3 it's hard not to cringe when Anderson is running in Vancouver.

    +-But at the same time the storytelling feels    This is to all those people who have major concerns regarding Mass Effect 3, especially after Dragon Age 2 since that abomination basically killed the whole series for me. So yes, I was also worried about auto-dialogue and lack of quality textures/animations. When you begin ME3 it's hard not to cringe when Anderson is running in Vancouver.

    +-But at the same time the storytelling feels more fluid and immersive. I have to admit that I'm only in the Citadel at this point but no "mission completed" screens so far. Yes, there are less dialogue options but it doesn't really take away from the experience during the opening act. Conversation wheel isn't the most important thing when things are exploding and you are trying to take down enemies but if it continues like this inside hubs...well then it will be really annoying.

    ++I also have to say that ME3 is by no means a cakewalk. I'm playing on insanity at the moment and so far the fights have been more challenging than in ME2. The AI has clearly improved.

    ++You also have weapon customization so that's an improvement from ME2.

    -I do dislike how you perform so many actions with only one button (spacebar). Sometimes I'm accidently rolling around like an idiot eventhough I just want to perform a simple action.

    In a nutshell : Gameplay is better and visuals are not great by todays standards (I miss the film grain effect).

    At this point it's a solid 7.5-8 and definitely worth a buy. :)    … Expand
  89. Shep260982
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Total disappointment. Mass Effect 3 universe is dead. I spent more time in ME/ME2 reading the Codex and discovering the well-built sci-fi world. But here... This is some sort of B-rated movie, CoD from BW
  90. 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
  91. Electro-Delic
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    EA treats players like retards, while they are the biggest one, and should be taken care of. They may be thinking that they are in such comfortable and stable position that no matter what they say wont have any effect on whatever they do. Wrong! Players remember and don't forget.
  92. Mynter
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    The day-one DLC makes this a 0/10 title. Under NO circumstances should it be okay for developers to release day-one DLC unless itâ
  93. Haelium
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    From the hamfisted forced drama to the endings taken straight from Deus Ex and re-branded, Mass Effect 3 is evidence that Bioware is finished. Between The Old Republic and Dragon Age 2, Bioware have either forgotten what made their games great, or they are being forced to make bad decisions by EA.

    The animations are an embarrassment to say the least, the sprinting animation in    From the hamfisted forced drama to the endings taken straight from Deus Ex and re-branded, Mass Effect 3 is evidence that Bioware is finished. Between The Old Republic and Dragon Age 2, Bioware have either forgotten what made their games great, or they are being forced to make bad decisions by EA.

    The animations are an embarrassment to say the least, the sprinting animation in particular.
    Gameplay is a carbon copy of Mass Effect 2, but with an inferior level design.
    Choices made in Mass Effect 1 and 2 are barely noticeable, which was a major selling point for this game.    … Expand
  94. 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
  95. Vigil
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    To me, the Mass Effect franchise was something that symbolised and epitomised what a sci-fi video game could be. The only other francise to have captured my mind in the Science Fiction videogame genre like this was Homeworld. I have fond memories of the original Mass Effect; ones that I'll likely never forget, like meeting Vigil on Ilos the first time and hearing the fate of theTo me, the Mass Effect franchise was something that symbolised and epitomised what a sci-fi video game could be. The only other francise to have captured my mind in the Science Fiction videogame genre like this was Homeworld. I have fond memories of the original Mass Effect; ones that I'll likely never forget, like meeting Vigil on Ilos the first time and hearing the fate of the Protheans.

    ...and now we have a Prothean as a squad member. Drew Karpyshyn must be able to taste the bile in the back of his throat.

    Where to begin with Mass Effect 3? Origin? Sexualisation of characters that don't need sexualisation? The Jersey Shore effect? Day 1 story integral paid DLC? Dumbing down of gameplay mechanics? Two choice conversations? Your decisions mean nothing? When in doubt, retcon earlier games? Cerberus? Mac Walters? Forced emotional engagement? Shepard having post traumatic stress disorder about things that should be water of a ducks back? The list goes on, and on, and on.

    There is a lot wrong with Mass Effect 3. A lot. It's the whore direction the francise has taken. Bioware, I am disappoint. I'm giving ME3 a 1/10. It's the best I can do.    … Expand
  96. Hurgan
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    A sad confirmation that the company that gave us Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age Origins is gone. People responsible for those excellent RPG's are no longer there, and those left are no longer of the same spirit. Instead of a inspiring, imaginative space-opera RPG, we received a clone of CoD with some SF imagery. We no longer have interesting plots, mysterious enemies, aliens.A sad confirmation that the company that gave us Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age Origins is gone. People responsible for those excellent RPG's are no longer there, and those left are no longer of the same spirit. Instead of a inspiring, imaginative space-opera RPG, we received a clone of CoD with some SF imagery. We no longer have interesting plots, mysterious enemies, aliens. Instead we have cheap romance that is difficult to watch due to its corny lines, and FPS action. This is not the experience I am looking for. All the imaginative, creative elements are gone and what we have is not a fine meal by a renowned chief, but mass produced burger for mass consumption. Thanks but no thanks.… Expand
  97. 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
  98. Lucrious
    Mar 7, 2012
    8
    For longtime fans of the series the story doesn't disappoint, regardless of how 'dumbed down' the combat and user-interface has become since Mass Effect 1, for those invested in how there Commander Shepard's story ends, they will not be disappointed!
  99. v-The_Vidya
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    Absolutely horrible, the first Mass Effect was good, I actually enjoyed it. The second one was a sinking ship. Now look what we have. Some space dating sim with shooting abilities. Is this the future of modern RPG's? (it's a rhetorical question, don't answer that). It's linear and the conversations are dull and boring . Can you imagine this game had a multimillion dollar budget? Look whatAbsolutely horrible, the first Mass Effect was good, I actually enjoyed it. The second one was a sinking ship. Now look what we have. Some space dating sim with shooting abilities. Is this the future of modern RPG's? (it's a rhetorical question, don't answer that). It's linear and the conversations are dull and boring . Can you imagine this game had a multimillion dollar budget? Look what they made. It's a disgrace and it makes me sad. And what about the first day DLC? What is this **** If you pay 60 dollars for a game you pay for a complete version of the game! I don't want to pay for a 56kb file to enable content in a game. At least the graphics are nice… Expand
  100. donkeygames
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    WOW,after dragon age 2 i didnt think bioware could go any lower than that...day one DLC's,even worse animation than bethesda.2D SPRITES IN 2012,talis face is just bioware at their prime,lazy as hell and trying to milk buyers like...jesus christ,an important character is in the dlc
    this game doesnt deserve the 3 i'm giving it
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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

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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.
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  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]
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  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.
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