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6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7228 Ratings

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  1. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    The gameplay: Pretty decent. Makes some much needed improvements to weapon and armor customization. The need for a workbench was a little stifling, and you couldn't customize your armor pieces-- only which pieces you wear. Dialogue was decent, but there was almost NEVER a middle "neutral option". Too much auto-dialogue as well. Paragon/Renegade choices didn't really come into playThe gameplay: Pretty decent. Makes some much needed improvements to weapon and armor customization. The need for a workbench was a little stifling, and you couldn't customize your armor pieces-- only which pieces you wear. Dialogue was decent, but there was almost NEVER a middle "neutral option". Too much auto-dialogue as well. Paragon/Renegade choices didn't really come into play until well past the middle of the game.

    The graphics: Good looking game. Animations, however, seemed robotic at times and lip synch was often painfully maligned. I'd say this was a step backward from ME2.

    The story: This is where things get really dicey. Older characters from ME2 only make quasi-cameo appearances, which irked a lot of people. The choices you made in the past two games mattered to some extent-- some more than others. For instance, I know that your choice on whether or not to save the Rachni queen or not was supposed to have a decently large impact on the game. As it turned out, it really doesn't. The Rachni under her control simply contribute to your military strength score and are never seen again. Okayyyy.....

    Character development is decently well done. There are some gut-wrenching choices you can make that can result in characters dying in very emotionally striking ways.

    So what's wrong? It's hard to explain just how sour things turn around the last hour of the game. Imagine if at the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke woke up in his bed on Tattoine only to realize the entire series had been a dream. Granted, that's not exactly what happens in ME3-- but it's the same sort of self-destructive ending. The ending is so nihilistic that it essentially invalidates everything that you've done in ME1 and ME2. It does this while creating EGREGIOUS plot holes and trampling over everything that had been established in the prior games and even lolBooks.

    Bioware claims that there are 16 endings, including several hidden ones. This is fallacious. All of the endings are based on the same 3 main "endings", which are all VERY similar in the first place. I could rant for hours about just how poorly this ending was carried out, but I digress.

    Check out this poll to see the general consensus regarding the endings and take solace in knowing you are NOT alone:

    http://social.bioware.com/633606/polls/28989

    Overall, the game was probably a 7/10 overall until the ending. The carelessness of the ending, the way that it comes out of left field and creates massive plot holes, and the complete and unavoidable destruction of the ME universe's unique attributes essentially invalidate the entire series. With no point in resisting, why replay the game at all? With that in mind, the game earns a 0/10 for me.
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  2. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    Decent all-around game, multi-player is a plus, but the ending leaves a lot to be desired.

    If you liked ME1 and 2, you'll love ME3 until you reach the ending. Then, you'll be curious if you just screwed up and there's a better ending that you didn't know about. Then you find out there isn't, that Bioware just took a dump on your chest and your all out of soap.
  3. Mar 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 starts out as a dark thriller of resolutions, where every choice you made up throughout the game series either comes back to bite you in the rear, or leads to one little gleam of triumphant hope in the middle of a race to save the galaxy.
    It ends, however, with a literal knife in the back of not only your choices throughout three games, but also for many in the very character of Shepard. No matter how successful you have been - no matter if you went back to the very beginning of Mass Effect 1 for a replay to 'fix your mistakes' and truly work towards your impression of a perfect ending, the single-lane locking towards a conclusion at the very end defies logic and leaves only a sour taste in my mouth. There's really no way to describe the intense let-down this is, and only the game's excellent progress through the other forty hours I spent playing it before the last fifteen minutes saves it from a resounding "1" on the rating scale.
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  4. Mar 12, 2012
    3
    Despite is technical/narrative issues as a long time ME fan it was a blast to play right to near the endgame, and then it choked and undermined the entire series forever. Ultimately this game has reduced the franchise to a bad joke in only 20mins. Rent, sell, and boycott any DLC for this game, bioware should not be rewarded for this.
  5. Mar 12, 2012
    10
    O jogo é sensacional. História original e interessante. Não é para qualquer um gostar e entender Mass Effect. Apenas para os fortes. Indico. podem comprar que vale a pena
  6. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    i am sorry, but this was very disappointing. i am not one of those guys bashing bioware alltogether, cause actually da2 was in a lot of regards superior to da1 in my opinion and i loved it for what it was (not the typical rpg). me3 was quite different. the series was never the best ever, but very good executed and satisfying in the other parts also knowing that there will be a finale ini am sorry, but this was very disappointing. i am not one of those guys bashing bioware alltogether, cause actually da2 was in a lot of regards superior to da1 in my opinion and i loved it for what it was (not the typical rpg). me3 was quite different. the series was never the best ever, but very good executed and satisfying in the other parts also knowing that there will be a finale in part 3. now this finale really was one of the worst i ever encountered and this is really a shame. it made me instantly close the game and look for alternate endings just to find out that they are not better at all, all "4" of them. i have to say, the game was nice up until the end and it had so much potential for multiple endings, for closure, for so much. dont get me wrong, from a technical point of view those endings make sense, but we are not machines and as such deserve something more personal and emotional. just putting sad music over the ending doesnt make it nice. i dont mind if everything blows up in all of them, but please give a little closure to what happened to the friends, not to the future - leave it open at will, but there is no closure at all. it feels like money went out and someone did not care about the ones playing it and for what its worth, i will seriously consider not buying bioware games anymore when this is how players are treated. its a shame. a lot of games dont have the potential but can go for nice endings. this one had so much - but epic failure would still be nice to say. :( Expand
  7. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What happened?! The ending of this game was a disaster and completely ruined the entire trilogy. I no longer want to play ME1, ME2, or ME3 ever again because of this. At this point, it would have been preferable to never begin playing the series at all.

    All 3 endings were practically the same. The only real difference was the color of the shockwave. And what happens to Garrus on that planet? Given that his diet is not that of humans, it would obvious to conclude that he would die from starvation.

    Bioware spit on their loyal audience by producing this. They didn't, for a single moment, take into account the feelings of those who have been playing this series since the beginning.

    If this isn't resolved, even through some sort of PAID DLC, it will be the last title i EVER purchase from Bioware.
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  8. Mar 12, 2012
    2
    This game can barely be called an RPG, it is much more of a rail FPS than anything. If you enjoyed ME2 but were hoping they'd deliver on their promise of adding more RPG elements... well too bad they lied. You get way less dialog choices, can only roam around on the Normandy and the citadel because every other place you just land, kill the bad guys, then leave - and not by choice, theThis game can barely be called an RPG, it is much more of a rail FPS than anything. If you enjoyed ME2 but were hoping they'd deliver on their promise of adding more RPG elements... well too bad they lied. You get way less dialog choices, can only roam around on the Normandy and the citadel because every other place you just land, kill the bad guys, then leave - and not by choice, the screen just fades to black and your back on the Normandy. Then came the ending. What a giant obscene piece of garbage. No closure at all, most of it doesn't make much sense and feels very contrived. This was more than just a slap in the face, this was like BioWare came up with a big stinky rotten mackerel, beat me unconscious with it, pulled down their pants and dropped a deuce right on the back of my head. Expand
  9. Mar 12, 2012
    8
    ...Every day, with every post i see on BSN, I'm starting to be more and more certain: bioware planned everything. They are geniuses, and the knew how fans are going to react. They hid the clues, they knew we are going to unravel the thing, piece everything together. I pity people who are going to finish the game in the future, because they'll not experience the evolution that is happening...Every day, with every post i see on BSN, I'm starting to be more and more certain: bioware planned everything. They are geniuses, and the knew how fans are going to react. They hid the clues, they knew we are going to unravel the thing, piece everything together. I pity people who are going to finish the game in the future, because they'll not experience the evolution that is happening on the forums, and in everones mind. I recommend every single person who finished the game to join Bioware Social Network in 'Story and Camaign discussion'.
    I'm raising my rating from 1 to 6 now, and when everything people think is confirmed, I'm going to give the game 10 out of 10. BW, you are amazing.
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  10. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    They did it again, they mad an awesome game with Mass Effect 1, a little while later they made a good game, a little dumped down but still a game that was true to its roots in the RPG genre. And now they made this.... It was, for me, the only game i have been looking insanely forward to, iv have spent so many hours with my 2 characters that they feel like a part of me. But in this game,They did it again, they mad an awesome game with Mass Effect 1, a little while later they made a good game, a little dumped down but still a game that was true to its roots in the RPG genre. And now they made this.... It was, for me, the only game i have been looking insanely forward to, iv have spent so many hours with my 2 characters that they feel like a part of me. But in this game, they don't!!!
    The RP elements is all gone, this is more off elaborate cut-scenes that feels like any time a quirk time event could pop up.... And don't even get me started on the endings, I just don't feel "involved" in every 8 off them....
    The multi-player system is ok, but feels "detached", you cant even text chat with the other players?!?!?
    The companion ai is soo bad... default: they will run off and get them self killed, and if you try to control them they just stand around and can't find the way... or ignores the order... The animations and sound feels rushed, the side quest tracking system simply don't exists, you have next to none communication with the quest giver (they have no idea you are about to go around the galaxy to find something) These are for me just the top off the iceberg. All in all, Bioware has ruined the Mass Effect ending for me.
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  11. Mar 12, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think most of the reviews other people are giving this game are unfair.
    I don't think any game is fitting of a 0, and 10s are extremely difficult to achieve as well.

    I am just as angry about the ending as a lot of people are, but if you think about it, it was an extremely well crafted game up until that point. Tuchanka and Thessia were both amazing moments in the game. (Not to say the rest of the game wasn't good)
    I'm not going to rate 3 based on the entire trilogy, but they did an amazing job of making me feel attached emotionally to the characters.
    It's easy to give a game a poor rating based on the ending, because it's the most fresh memory in your mind. But in all truth, the game deserves so much more than that.
    However, the ending of a trilogy (ESPECIALLY one of my favourite games) should have went out with a bang, not with a whimper.
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  12. Mar 12, 2012
    1
    If you have been playing these games since the first and expect to be able to import your custom made Shepard, then stay away from this one, at least for now.

    There is a bug preventing face importing of characters created in ME1 and carried over to ME2, and despite what Bioware has said, no amount of tweaking in the character creator or with fanmade tools will get you your Shepard back.
    If you have been playing these games since the first and expect to be able to import your custom made Shepard, then stay away from this one, at least for now.

    There is a bug preventing face importing of characters created in ME1 and carried over to ME2, and despite what Bioware has said, no amount of tweaking in the character creator or with fanmade tools will get you your Shepard back.

    So you will be left with a useless pile of computer bits in your harddrive collecing cyber dust, hoping for a patch that seems more unlikely with each day, just so you can finally start playing the game you've paid for so long ago.

    The menus did look nice so I'm giving it a 1.
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  13. Mar 12, 2012
    1
    Beautifully written game up until the last 5 minutes. If you do decide to play, just stop playing before the final cutscene. The ending completely ruined the game for me.
  14. Mar 12, 2012
    2
    The Good: * The game has the classic Mass Effect play style and combat.

    The Bad: * They shoe horned multiplayer in and created a reason to make it pertinent. * The equipment (and hair) of the player models is constantly poking through. * 90% of the conversations you have do not offer choices of replies - they don't even bring up the conversation wheel. * Day one DLC which requires one
    The Good: * The game has the classic Mass Effect play style and combat.

    The Bad: * They shoe horned multiplayer in and created a reason to make it pertinent.
    * The equipment (and hair) of the player models is constantly poking through.
    * 90% of the conversations you have do not offer choices of replies - they don't even bring up the conversation wheel.
    * Day one DLC which requires one line of code change in order to make it appear and which should have been part of the overall game as it was the one thing that managed to add some depth.
    * Failure to take into account player choices (from ME1, ME2, or ME3) with the ending.
    * Endings which appear to provide a choice, but don't. (What color would you like your universe destroying beam to be in?)
    * No sex scenes, demonstrating EA's editorial control over Bioware productions despite Bioware's claims to the contrary.
    * None of the side quests you complete appears to have any impact other than increasing your forces' strength for the final battle. The narrative that one might expect from Mass Effect for the individual units brought into play is not there.

    As a single game, it's a shallow and fun romp until the very last portion of the game. When you and Anderson are side by side with each other, chatting, stop. Right there is the best ending you can hope for - do NOT continue. Walk away and imagine your ending. You will be happier.

    As a series finale this game does NOT suffice. I don't care what theory you take to - that they wanted to show predestination, that Shepard was indoctrinated, that they're holding the series open for DLC. None of that matters. What matters is that the ending to the game - and the series - brings no closure for the player. NONE.

    People are claiming that those of us who are complaining about the ending are overreacting. I don't think we can overreact. I have spent hundreds of hours of my life playing this game, I overrode my ban on EA games in order to purchase it, I hoped as a property of Bioware that they would treat the series finale properly. All of those hopes were dashed, destroyed, thrown down, stepped on, and ground into tiny pieces.

    Don't buy this game. It's not worth your money. When it's a $5.00 special, it might be worth it. If Bioware rewrites the ending, it might be worth it. Right now? I spent $80.00 on the collector's edition and I wish I could get a refund - of my money, and my play time.

    Between this and Dragon Age 2... well, I'm glad the indie games are ramping up because it's obvious I need to find my Western RPG fix somewhere else.
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  15. Mar 12, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having done over 5 playthroughs of Mass Effect 1, 2 of Mass Effect 2 I have to say that gameplay presented in Mass Effect 3 is refined, lives up to the hype advertised by EA & BioWare and should prove to be fun for a lot of players, both RPG and TPS lovers.
    Story-wise - while not presenting many choices to alter any major elements of it, still manages to provide a good impression, thanks to several quests taking place on Tuchanka and Rannoch, along with some other, less meaningful ones.
    Everything however is ruined by the abysmal choice of ending for the trilogy of Commander Shepard, my advice to anyone wanting to pick this up:
    If you have any emotional attachment to characters of Mass Effect universe, or you are simply fascinated by all the possibilities that can happen in Mass Effect universe- Play until the part where you get to London, pretend you killed off the reapers and had babies with you LI.
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  16. Mar 12, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well let me start by saying the game feels rushed out in every aspect of the game.

    Now moving on with the story portion, there are so many things that just kick you out of the immersion, like for instance when you see legion in the battle for earth even tho he "died" back in the Quarian home world , then there is the Rachni queen lol she is so angry at the Reapers and tell you shes gonna beat em up or w/e and then you find out she just helps with the Device, etc... To be honest i think the director had to cut corners to put the game out faster, i mean it just feels so cramped, so much story for potentially 1 or 2 more ME games put into 1, I got to say though i enjoyed interaction among the characters and with Shepard.

    Now something about the combat well first off yes its buggy but nothing game breaking although i gotta say even since ME1 the squad commands and its AI are just plain bad yes in ME3 is better than ME1 but almost the same as in ME2, i really never liked controlling where to position the team members the only control i want is tell them what to focus and what power to use and when i tell them to use a Flipping shotgun i want them to go up close and make use of it cuz shotguns ain't snipers and vice verse and also there is so little combat for my liking i mean its supposed to be the huge frigging war and i barely see any of it, also fights with the reapers are a joke to say the least and i won't bother with that. So all in all the combat should have been present a but more considering the scale of the war, squad commands are painful and not needed.

    Some words about the graphics, Well let me start by saying that consoles have ruined PC gaming and i really would appreciate if developers would try and separate PC games and treat it a tad differently from their Console counterpart because i think PC gamers would be grateful because pc games have different requirements to be enjoyable. Anyway the graphics in the game are very good, animations are just ok one that i really hate is the running animation on Sheppard its just plain stupid and i hate it wish they did a better job on it but hell its nothing game breaking....
    About the sound, well can't say anything bad because since the first ME voice acting , sound effects and the music are just amazing, The only thing bad about the sound is in ME games in general is the balance between all those 3 things, i tried tinkering a bit with dialogue/sound effect/music but its always screwed up its either to laud or to low, in the Overlord mission in ME2 my ears bleed and i had to turn on the subs so i wouldn't be deaf for the rest of my life.
    Ok now let me finish by saying its not a bad game at all i really had fun with it but i got to say that I'm really disappointed how could BioWare screw up such a amazing Game, i don't know if EA pushed them so hard to finish this game that they did so much wrong that it made me sad, i really think ME3 should have been just the preparation faze and gathering allies and all that other cool stuff between the races and then on ME4 a full on plain combat 90% and story 10% for an epic end game and not some half ass ending that we got in ME3, i mean I cured the Krogan from the genophage and made them help the Turians, also brought peace between The Geth and Quarians after 3000 years of war between them and all i get is 3-5 min vid vid when they enter earth's orbit telling you who arrived rofl. And don't get me started on the ending god dammit 3 different choices that apparently only change the color of the beam. I really don't know if EA is to blame for this or what but screw you whoever did it for ruining a beautiful game that has an amazing universe, to bad it was in the hands of the wrong people it seems, I really admired you BioWare but not anymore.


    Off topic a bit, The thing i never understood why BioWare made me choose just 2 team members for each mission is beyond me. I'm pretty sure technology allows more than 10 characters onscreen, i kinda loved what they did in the ME2's final mission but still it makes no sense to make me find those ppl and doing so much so i can gain their trust and then when i go to a mission only 2 come with me the rest jerks off in the Normandy rofl. just saying
    So ye i could write the whole day about the game because it really pisses me off seeing such an amazing game being torn to peaces by EA.
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  17. Mar 12, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 is not what it could have been. In all reality I was disappointed at some aspects of the game but overall the game is far from being horrible. Lack luster story and failure to really give a connection to previous companions was a major downfall for me. The story isn't as epic as expected for the finale, some lines seem very forced and non committed and the chat wheel got stripped down where you have two dialog choices that are basically nice and mean response. The paragon and renegade choices that you get at key points follow the same style, paragon is super nice and renegade is a worse version of the normal conversation choice. Overall the chat system and voice acting is simply adequate.

    Graphics are a slight improvement with an emphasis on slight with problems with many facial animations, especially a problem with eyes rolling back into characters head all the time. Combat is a exact clone of Mass Effect 2 with some minor change ups such as a few turret sequences and Shepard solo missions. As for squad mates this was the glaring problem in my opinion, going from 12 choices (with DLC) in Mass Effect 2 back down to 6 (7 with DLC). I get this is supposed to have a vague focus on the "human story" and having a new human companion is nice but the lack of "new" unique squad mates is somewhat disappointing. Human James Vega, Robotic EDI and DLC Prothean Javik are the new comers with Garrus, Tali , Liara and Kaiden/Ashley are the returning squad mates. EDI nor Javik made me say to myself "I can't go without these people" I ended up connecting with James Vega but ran with my standard Garrus/Liara squad a majority of the game. Maybe it's me just going with the known hand or maybe the new squad mates aren't that interesting. Multiplayer for me was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. For those that don't know the multiplayer rip off "horde mode" effects your story modes "Galactic Readiness". Basically it is a great incentive to get people into the online aspect of the game by basically making it so your chances are slow bad without a high galactic readiness that you need to do at least some of it to achieve the best possible endings for the Mass Effect 3 story. Now for combat, it is basically a 4 player horde mode with some random objectives thrown in so you simply can't fortify a spot and sit there. Your main goal is to survive 11 waves of every increasing enemies, not just their numbers but strengths, each map has 3 possible enemy factions you can choose or be completely random. Reapers, Geth and Cereberus are your teams adversaries. You start out as a basic human that can be any of the games classses and as you beat waves and eventually all 11 waves you get credits and experience. Experience will let you unlock skills just like in story mode and credits can be used to buy varying equipment chests. The basic chest has common but useful items such as medi gel to heal and ammo enhancements. The mid range chest costs more but contains at least 1 uncommon item which varies from weapons to new races to play in multiplayer, along with common items like the first chest. Finally the top end chest is very expensive and requires multiple map completions to be able to afford but it guarantees a uncommon item with the decent chance of another uncommon with some common items. This mode also has a difficulty modifier, you can choose between bronze, silver and gold difficulty. The only difference is the very increased difficulty between them and the exp and credit rewards are substantially better. A side note about galactic readiness is that it will decay about 3% a day so it will need to do some multiplayer if you wish to have 100% readiness for future story play through if you wish.

    Overall Mass Effect 3 is solid, it isn't the epic ending we expected from BioWare. The story we expected to be amazing came off as somewhat dull and predictable at points. The graphics had a slight improvement with unexpectedly odd facial animations but the cinematics and sound track are amazing. Your new squad mates aren't very interesting but the return of old friends that make it acceptable with enough variation. The endings aren't what I expected but the piano soundtrack during the ending mission and cinematic gave me the feeling of suspenseful hope followed by what felt as a shallow victory. The big surprise for me with Mass Effect 3 was the multiplayer, while I doubt it has the staying power needed to be super active for more then a few months, possible DLC can give a fun and usually rewarding multiplayer experience more life then it should.
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  18. Mar 12, 2012
    1
    This game left the series in rubble. The action was great, the story was great, until the end of the game. The end of the game left me feeling cheated on not just mass effect 3, but the entire series. Would have been a solid 9, but the ending was so bad, it gets a 1.
  19. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game was a travesty on the series. The heroes journey that the game should have been was ruined by a convoluted plot and too much sci-fi trying to be shoved in what should have been an epic battle for the galaxy, sector by sector and relay by relay. We should have seen our choices and decisions we made through all three games bear fruit, for good or ill, and we should have seen epic conclusions to all of the character's stories. We also should not have gotten screwed over with Tali's face, the DLC debacle, and multiple save game issues to list a few of the major complaints. Bioware was supposed to be better than this, but this is just a blight, and I will never trust anything from them again. Expand
  20. Mar 12, 2012
    10
    Ignore the 1's and 0's on here. There is no possible way you could have played the other two mass effect games and give this a bad score. Bioware did a great job on this. They have improved every single aspect of the game and made it even better. The acting and the story are rich. The characters are believable. I spend a half hour walking through the ship after almost every mission,Ignore the 1's and 0's on here. There is no possible way you could have played the other two mass effect games and give this a bad score. Bioware did a great job on this. They have improved every single aspect of the game and made it even better. The acting and the story are rich. The characters are believable. I spend a half hour walking through the ship after almost every mission, because there are so many things to do. The amount of dialogue and ways the story can change based on your decisions is astounding. I found decisions I made all the way back on Mass Effect 1 coming back to haunt me. The graphics are much impoved. Amazing. The powers feel like they have a lot more meat behind them and the weapons now sound realistic instead of some cheap toy. The areas you fight have the feel of a war instead some stiff wallpaper of mountains. The multiplayer is pretty cool. It's like horde mode for Gears of War, but with powers and items to unlock. I like how it directly impacts the single player campaign. Melding those together is something few games do.

    If you liked the first two games you will love this game. Do not listen to the bad reviews on here of 1 and 0. They obviously can't be taken seriously. I don't even like Call of Duty and I wouldn't give it that score. This game is a masterpiece and one of the best series I have played in all my gaming and I have been gaming since the 80's with the commodore 64.
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  21. Mar 12, 2012
    4
    Mass Effect 3 does not live up to the hype, at all. First of all, almost no graphics options. I mean what the hell? Just porting from console is so frigging lazy it makes me sick. Look at Remedy, they did it right with Alan Wake. The textures on some stuff in this game is absolutely hideous. The animations are bad (males walk really weird in this game ++). Some of the explosions and gunMass Effect 3 does not live up to the hype, at all. First of all, almost no graphics options. I mean what the hell? Just porting from console is so frigging lazy it makes me sick. Look at Remedy, they did it right with Alan Wake. The textures on some stuff in this game is absolutely hideous. The animations are bad (males walk really weird in this game ++). Some of the explosions and gun effects are really low quality. Then there is the FOV in this game, it reminds me of Resident Evil 5. Why can't you adjust ANYTHING in this game? Oh yeah, I forgot... it's a really bad console port. Also you have to use the space bar for absolutely EVERYTHING. On the plus side it has some great voice acting, interesting characters and locations. Not enough to make it worth my money though. Sadly. The last Bioware game I bought was Dragon Age 2, and yeah, I was very disappointed then as well. I hoped they would redeem themselves with this game, but I was unfortunately wrong. This is the last game I will buy from Bioware, and I can't recommend buying this game to others. If you want to play it, rent it, or buy it used on console. Expand
  22. Mar 12, 2012
    10
    This is by far the best Mass Effect game so far. The combat is better and more refined than in the previous games. The scenery is vastly improved, even though it was already very good in the previous games. The story is mostly as good as in the other ME games, however, there are some anoyances. Especially the beginning, it just seems to spout this idea of "soldiers are badass, HOAH!", asThis is by far the best Mass Effect game so far. The combat is better and more refined than in the previous games. The scenery is vastly improved, even though it was already very good in the previous games. The story is mostly as good as in the other ME games, however, there are some anoyances. Especially the beginning, it just seems to spout this idea of "soldiers are badass, HOAH!", as if the marketing department wanted to make the game appeal more to the Modern Warfare crowd. It doesn't last past the first mission or two though so it's not a big issue. Then of course there's the ending... which is unusual. I didn't mind it, honestly I found it refreshing. I encourage people to play this game, if nothing else then to experience the ending, the likes of which I seriously doubt has ever been seen in video games before. Expand
  23. Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I honestly don't know why this game is getting so much hate. I absolutely LOVED this game and I'm extremely sad that the series is over. The game was emotionally exhausting. Especially if you carry over all your saves and play the game for its story and not the gameplay. I cared for every character in the game, even the villains were just amazingly done. The ending has been given a lot ofI honestly don't know why this game is getting so much hate. I absolutely LOVED this game and I'm extremely sad that the series is over. The game was emotionally exhausting. Especially if you carry over all your saves and play the game for its story and not the gameplay. I cared for every character in the game, even the villains were just amazingly done. The ending has been given a lot of hate too. I enjoyed the ending. It wasn't what I expected and I suppose that's why I liked it so much. Without spoiling anything. I did wish there was an alternative...BUT, I still thought it was a very well way to wrap everything up. Simply put. I enjoyed the game. I will admit that the "Rises From Ashes" DLC should of been included into the game, I couldn't see how it shouldn't have been included, it contained a very, very important piece of the story. I wished it was a bit longer. I finished it and ALL side quest in about 35 hours. (Yes that may seem alot but time passes by when your having fun) Overall, I gotta give this a perfect score. I would rate the whole damn Series a perfect 10. Expand
  24. Mar 12, 2012
    9
    Mass Effect 3 had me laughing, crying and truly entertained for 35 hours. It deserves recognition for pulling all those emotions out of a player, and to do it so consistently. The action and continuing romance of the series blew my mind. The developers listened to its fans when improving these two aspects of the game. My Love Interest (Liara) was so well written, and the time that herMass Effect 3 had me laughing, crying and truly entertained for 35 hours. It deserves recognition for pulling all those emotions out of a player, and to do it so consistently. The action and continuing romance of the series blew my mind. The developers listened to its fans when improving these two aspects of the game. My Love Interest (Liara) was so well written, and the time that her and Shepard did have together was meaningful. Playing this trilogy has been an honour and I hope Bioware continues creating titles that span numerous games like they did with Shep because after a span of 3 games, I felt like I really knew those NPCs and I was emotionally invested.

    Bioware also has a special place in my heart for creating same-sex characters and they will always have my respect for making that happen with a high-quality story.

    Day 1 DLC? I don't care. Bioware makes the kind of games that I want to play, and if they create more content, I will gladly pay for that content.
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  25. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    I love Mass Effect. I loved Mass Effect 2. Arguably some of the best games I've ever played in my life. I won't go into detail.

    I even loved Mass Effect 3. It was an epic tale that even made me choke up at certain points. I've never had such an emotional response from a game. Then there was the ending. It wasn't because Shepard dies (although it would be nice if he lived). It was because
    I love Mass Effect. I loved Mass Effect 2. Arguably some of the best games I've ever played in my life. I won't go into detail.

    I even loved Mass Effect 3. It was an epic tale that even made me choke up at certain points. I've never had such an emotional response from a game.

    Then there was the ending. It wasn't because Shepard dies (although it would be nice if he lived). It was because it made no sense. The game feels dumbed down. Deus Ex Machina stolen crappy ending that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. No thought from the developers and writers. I can't even restart the series again because of this. I'll never play a Bioware game again. Mass Effect died with the release of ME3. Bioware sold out to EA. If you played Mass Effect 1 and 2, stay away from this game. You'll regret playing it.
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  26. Mar 12, 2012
    10
    This game is fantastic from start to finish. The graphics are much better then Mass Effect 2. And don't believe reviews that say the game has been dumbed down from the first one. The first one was terrible. You have full control in this one and they give you those options to play with a more RPG style. It may not be the most traditional RPG but who wants to play Final Fantasy anymore?This game is fantastic from start to finish. The graphics are much better then Mass Effect 2. And don't believe reviews that say the game has been dumbed down from the first one. The first one was terrible. You have full control in this one and they give you those options to play with a more RPG style. It may not be the most traditional RPG but who wants to play Final Fantasy anymore? I mean really. This game is innovative, new, different. I have not found any plot holes. Please explain your self people. The plot is very straight forward if you don't understand it there is a good chance you are dumb. Just buy the game and don't listen to the haters on this forum. Angry nerds. OMG gay people in my game. Who cares? OMG I have to pay 10 bucks for an extra mission... Again who cares? Pay 10 bucks if you want it. If not don't the mission is not essential to the story like all these reviews are saying. Expand
  27. Mar 12, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Worst game of the trilogy. Poor graphics, FOV doesn't usually annoy me, but I think I was just getting irritated by the game. I liked the Mordin Solus and Krogan stories, but the whole thing feels like it was rushed out just to get it done. Oh well, at least I can uninstall "Origin" now. A sad end to a once great game. Expand
  28. Mar 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a huge fan of the other 2 games in the series I think that ME3 was a huge let down at the end. I can't deny that the game leading up to it was fun and full of good choices. I think that getting the Quariens and the Geth to work together was the best moment in the series. However that only made the ending more of a let down for a game all about choice and being able to change peoples minds the game does not give you that chance when it is most important. Not only can you not make the 3rd paragon choice with the illusive man on the first play through it is also not based at all on your actual paragon status that I could have let slide actually if not for the whole uninteractive conversation with the star child. Why couldn't I point out to him that the Geth and Quariens are making it work!? This was supposed to be a game that honored player choices but instead just gave you a big middle finger to the one choice you actually wanted to make the most. Expand
  29. Mar 12, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When I first read of the low scores on MetaCritic, I assumed that the fuss was over the Day One DLC, and that gamers were venting (wrongfully, imo) by bombing the site with low scores. While the Day One DLC still has a lot of people steamed, it's clear now that the real problem is the ending(s) of the game. The problem is not that it's negative/sad/depressing/somber/etc., but that it was really poorly implemented (almost identical video for three endings? WTF?), that it really doesn't offer Shepard a choice that's in character, it doesn't give players closure on what happens to everyone (NPCs, the rest of the galaxy, Earth itself...), it dismisses almost all of the choices the player made in the game and in fact is so brief that it feels like it was just tacked on at the 11th hour. Don't even get me started on how multiplayer is shoved down the player's throat if they want to achieve the "best" possible ending--I could be wrong on that, but my bar was green all the way and Shep still went down hard. Anyway, I'm giving a good score (not great, but good) because the other 95% or so is simply some of the best storytelling Bioware has done, and the voice over work and characters are employed to tell this last part of the tale so well. To have a single game generate such a strong emotional reaction from its fanbase speaks very well of how well it was crafted--which is all the more reason why so many are angry at the final ten minutes or so. Anyway, hope Metacritic doesn't cut out all of the negative reviews here, because they're passing a message loud and clear to the developer and publisher about what the fanbase/formerly loyal customers consider to be really half-assed work. Want to sell some DLC? Fix it. Expand
  30. Mar 12, 2012
    7
    I loved mass effect from day one and waited 4 years for this part. I haye to say this game will be a very big disappointment for anyone who was a fan from day one. 99% of the game is 10/10 but if you ask me a story with a bad ending makes the hole series pointless and the biggest letdown in gaming history. Giving it a 7 out of 10 is very hard but honest and to everyone out there giving itI loved mass effect from day one and waited 4 years for this part. I haye to say this game will be a very big disappointment for anyone who was a fan from day one. 99% of the game is 10/10 but if you ask me a story with a bad ending makes the hole series pointless and the biggest letdown in gaming history. Giving it a 7 out of 10 is very hard but honest and to everyone out there giving it a 0 I understand you but to give a game a 0 because of the day one dlc and ending is not justified. Expand
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. 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.
  2. 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]
  3. 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.