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. Napieracz
    Apr 20, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am not surprised that a lot of fans are dissatisfied with the last part of Mass Effect trilogy. I may be the ending, also the day 1 DLC which just isn't fair to all us gamers, supporting the game. However, all these details did not really matter for me when I started playing. I was hooked up and wanted to complete all the side quests, talk with every npc available for me. The story sucked me in and pace of action about the whole setting seem to be really good. The biggest flaw is that starting the game without a save game from the 2nd part really removes a lot of the content. I could not use paragon/renegade options when it came to curing the genophage or deciding about quarians and geth. Party members from the previous part did not appear where they should and I felt really disappointed when my Shepard did not even recognize Legion. But there you go ,I should have played with my save. /// When it comes to plot I found it really exciting and it really gives you the felling that you are fighting to save the galaxy. There are, of course, some plot holes. Just like in the beginning, when Shepard is being trialed but I did not really know why because I have not played the DLC for Mass Effect 2. Only later did I discover that most of my choices do not influence the ending. Never mind, the important thing is the matter to me during the gameplay. I do not feel cheated. Overall, the game could have been better, but it still was an excellent experience. After completing it I had the same feeling like I get when finishing a great book. I keep thinking about characters, story and I want more but sadly have to admit that it's ended.
    I will definitely return to Mass Effect universe in the future. Play it once again with the DLC (câ    … Expand
  2. kimaasen1984
    Apr 25, 2012
    7
    An all right game, but not really up to the standards we've come to expect from the Mass Effect franchise. My expectations were sky high after getting sucked into the Mass Effect-universe early 2011. I had put in well over a hundred hours in the two earlier games, but this third one turned out to be a massive anticlimax. The game itself is all right, but I was hoping for a more conclusive finish.
  3. Arrogantius
    May 15, 2012
    7
    Most of the people who've played ME3 hate it because it failed to live up to THEIR expectations. Was the game as horrendous as most users say? Not at all. It was rushed, it's buggy, the endings are stupidly presented - not stupid, just done poorly - but the Mass Effect series - ME3 included, showed a great many just what the gamer medium can do, rather than just mindless and endlessMost of the people who've played ME3 hate it because it failed to live up to THEIR expectations. Was the game as horrendous as most users say? Not at all. It was rushed, it's buggy, the endings are stupidly presented - not stupid, just done poorly - but the Mass Effect series - ME3 included, showed a great many just what the gamer medium can do, rather than just mindless and endless reiterations of the COD style of brainless gunplay. Imagine an epic movie you can actually play, can actually influence - that's Mass Effect as a series. See, people wanted ME3 badly. Really badly. So badly that they got what they wanted - ME released long before it should have been and now what could have been great has suffered for a lot of impatience, both on behalf of the fans and the creators. Too many fingers in the cookie jar. Not enough quality control - and I suspect - and ego or two in the way in Bioware's offices. The real trouble with a lot of games and movies is that the makers think the average consumer is pretty much a moron, and unfortunately, given the state of what's most popular nowadays, they're not far wrong. That's their business model: fans are stupid. So you get half-done and half-thought through and just too much wrong with it. Was the game "bad"? Nope. It was actually pretty good. Was it Mass Effect?

    That's trickier.

    We were promised many things with ME3, 99.9999999% of which we did not get. They *can* fix it. Unfortunately, by the time they do, no one will care.    … Expand
  4. Pork_chops
    Oct 10, 2013
    7
    The game was fairly rushed, that's obvious, and very little has been done in the years after to help fix that. The storyline is solid, and after a BIG DLC patch, the ending isn't as eye gougingly terrible as it was, the multiplayer is semi-ok. It can be good for a laugh if you have friends in your own country to play with, otherwise, it runs like ass covered ass with a side of ass, andThe game was fairly rushed, that's obvious, and very little has been done in the years after to help fix that. The storyline is solid, and after a BIG DLC patch, the ending isn't as eye gougingly terrible as it was, the multiplayer is semi-ok. It can be good for a laugh if you have friends in your own country to play with, otherwise, it runs like ass covered ass with a side of ass, and honestly, it's a big let down to the series as a whole.

    Still, if you played 1 and 2, play 3. If you haven't played 1 and 2, don't bother, save yourself the disappointment.    … Expand
  5. lbtaylor1984
    May 22, 2012
    7
    I'm a little late to the party, but I wished to give a unbiased view of the last instalment of one the best series in modern gaming.

    I played through ME1, ME2 and pulled my saves over before beginning ME3 Mass Effect 3 suffers from some over sights and issues surrounding its storytelling. There are now time based missions which your never informed of how long you've got, but with    I'm a little late to the party, but I wished to give a unbiased view of the last instalment of one the best series in modern gaming.

    I played through ME1, ME2 and pulled my saves over before beginning ME3

    Mass Effect 3 suffers from some over sights and issues surrounding its storytelling. There are now time based missions which your never informed of how long you've got, but with fairness to Bioware while annoying probably more accurately represents the galaxy this time round as the Reapers have returned so worlds are falling on a daily basis so missions disappear as the reapers strike, or world situations change. On the subject of worlds scanning planets has changed to a radar pulse from the ship which attracts Reaper attention, while the side missions of merc bases, crash ships etc from ME1 and ME2 have almost completely disappeared, exploration this time has been severely reduced, un fortunately this was one of the merits of Mass Effect that is was a RPG shooter with exploration, your railroaded into following the story with very little room to manoeuvre in the traditional role of exploration, while i'd like to do this with the current state of the Galaxy you'd be hard pressed to be wasting time exploring. The combat system is improved but the streamlined controls seemed to have made setup of hotbars impossible, this i found frustrating in heavy combat as the hotbar layout isn't how i'd have it setup, a minor point but another change to the series. other than that it plays better than previous games, and your loadout of weapons affects your ability cooldown timers, interesting idea as it makes you think about the weapons you need, upposed to taking everything, you also rely on squad mates taking the weapons you don't (you can take everything but your cooldown as twice as long.)

    Story wise Bioware have yet again told a interesting, compelling, and in some respects a very emotional story. My first playthrough I lost friends along the way, and the Voice acting in my opinion was some of the best in the series, those familiar with the series know of the romance options and the romance I had between Shepard and Ashley was truely believable, from the dilogue to the way it was read by the actor, when you loose friends you felt the loss rather than just seeing it, some made me question my decisions. However this brings up one of the flaws that bothered me probably the most in ME3. the dialogue options in alot of situations seemed a little short and didn't cover the questions properly while other times the options simply wouldn't be what I as shepard would have said, there is a particular area of the game, I won't mention that is quite pivotal in the plot and you can mention it to your Love Interest, but they response with one line in a dismissive response, bearing in mind it's relation to the plot it just feels rushed and not fleshed out as needed, infact it would partially explain the end.. Don't let this put you off though the gameplay is good and the commentary is excellent between you and the crew, it just feels some points weren't fully realised by Bioware, or simply pushed through by EA Games.

    Choice from previous Games DO MATTER. Regardless of what people have posted, many things you have done in previous games effect the current game, did you keep the Genophage data from Maelon in ME2? that changes things, did you Romance Ashley in ME1 but someone in ME2 as well? it changes things, does it totally rewrite the story? No. but with this game closing the story on Mass Effect and Shepard it's hard to follow all paths as the ending simply wouldn't be the ending they wrote in fact you'd need about 40 endings to cover it. and you can't really conclude Mass Effect with that regardless of how we feel, if you had 40 endings.

    The Ending;

    I'm not going to ruin it for you, play it youself make your own decision, but it is the opinion on most that when you finally get to the white light into the sky (vague enough) you should shut the game down, and just agree you won and the Reapers lost. The end gameplay is in serious question from long time fans including myself, with a few theories on what actually happened. Bioware have promised free DLC to explain the ending but that should give you a sign of how poorly put together it is. The last 5 minutes ruins probably one of the best gaming series to have been created.

    I give a 7/10 as the exploration and dialogue options has diminished the Mass Effect universe in this release, while the Story (up til the white light into the sky) and the emotional bond with your team are truly the best of the series, combat is the best of the three as is the graphics.    … Expand
  6. Darahas
    Jun 11, 2012
    7
    This game is a very good game, don't get me wrong. I'm not giving this a 7 out of 10 because of the ending, because I actually liked the ending (but that's because I believe in the Indoctrination theory; if you don't know what the Indoctrination theory is, it's a very plausible theory for the ending of the game), and I enjoyed everything else. The reason why is I'm giving this a 7 isThis game is a very good game, don't get me wrong. I'm not giving this a 7 out of 10 because of the ending, because I actually liked the ending (but that's because I believe in the Indoctrination theory; if you don't know what the Indoctrination theory is, it's a very plausible theory for the ending of the game), and I enjoyed everything else. The reason why is I'm giving this a 7 is because Mass Effect 3 didn't grip me like the others. It didn't suck me into this mass expansive world like Mass Effect 1 did, which I loved. This universe is well put together and I enjoy a good story. Like I've said before, Mass Effect 3 is a extremely well-made game, with enjoyable multiplayer and other elements that make it combine together. It just didn't grip me like the first and second. So I give this a 7 out of 10.… Expand
  7. virgilivs
    Jul 4, 2012
    7
    Ok, there are some plot holes and some strange decision were took about ending cinematics, almost identical no matter the choice you pick at the end. But I really don't get why everyone is arguing about the final: that was an epic, perfect epilogue for this marvelous saga. Almost perfect game.
  8. Dheu
    Jun 25, 2012
    7
    So, I share the same gripe that everyone else has with ME3: it only has 3 endings. And by 3 endings I mean 1 ending with 3 different color overlays. Red, green and blue. Now the 1 ending is fine, but I was expecting no less than 6 distinct endings and frankly I was hoping for more like 9 or 12 given all the hype over how our choices would impact the end. But no, all those choicesSo, I share the same gripe that everyone else has with ME3: it only has 3 endings. And by 3 endings I mean 1 ending with 3 different color overlays. Red, green and blue. Now the 1 ending is fine, but I was expecting no less than 6 distinct endings and frankly I was hoping for more like 9 or 12 given all the hype over how our choices would impact the end. But no, all those choices culminate in 1 ending with 3 color overlays...

    That said, ME3 is a great game. Graphics are great, story is great, the soundtrack is excellent. It has in depth character development and ties up all the loose ends. You will meet all the (surviving) characters from the first two episodes and help them out at least one more time. It will make you smile, laugh and cry... or at least look really solemn. The game does NOT deserve a score less than 5 from anyone. It is a shining example of the kind of games the industry should be producing and deserves your vote and purchase. How the user score on this is lower than the likes of Alan Wake or Duke Nukem Forever is beyond me. But yeah, I have to dock it some points for having no visually distinct endings.    … Expand
  9. MidnightOutlaw
    Jul 13, 2012
    7
    As an honest gamer, I will keep this short and sweet: Mass Effect 3 was an exciting start to the "beginning of the end" for the series. While a lot of problems originated mostly from the ending and a few problems upon launch, the game itself is a remarkable experience. It does what it set out to do: And that was entertain as a cover-based, third-person RPG-shooter. While I disagree withAs an honest gamer, I will keep this short and sweet: Mass Effect 3 was an exciting start to the "beginning of the end" for the series. While a lot of problems originated mostly from the ending and a few problems upon launch, the game itself is a remarkable experience. It does what it set out to do: And that was entertain as a cover-based, third-person RPG-shooter. While I disagree with some of the choices made to the story, the game itself was the ending players wanted to Shepards story. And with the multiplayer experience shaping up to be an unforgettable experience (albeit some of the weapons are being fiddled with for no reason) as more and more content is being released free of charge. And to top it off, the Extended Cut is free DLC, allowing everyone to choose which endings they liked best. All in all, I'd say Mass Effect 3 earned it's place in history.… Expand
  10. sandal53
    Jul 19, 2012
    7
    After all that build up of epic choices with people dying and the Illusive Man fighting with Shepard and Anderson and then.... no end boss.... empty promises broken.... Was this really what you wanted to do with one of the best franchises of all time? Is this really your ending to Mass Effect Bioware? And with this "extended cut" dlc is just more **** taped onto the ending... With thatAfter all that build up of epic choices with people dying and the Illusive Man fighting with Shepard and Anderson and then.... no end boss.... empty promises broken.... Was this really what you wanted to do with one of the best franchises of all time? Is this really your ending to Mass Effect Bioware? And with this "extended cut" dlc is just more **** taped onto the ending... With that said... It was an amazing game all the way up to the ending with Casper and his stupid "choices." Oh how the mighty have fallen in this game. I just hope they do something to make it different change the ending maybe? Probably not but i had such high hopes for Bioware to show us the ending of Shepard's story and how he destroyed the Reapers. A big disappointment. The game was good the ending was terrible so i give this game a 7 the music, game play and story was really good all the way up till the tile floated up into the white and you woke up in front of the so called "catalyst." A solid game that could have been a perfect 10 if they just made the ending better.… Expand
  11. thelighttheligh
    Nov 4, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a person who's played both ME and ME2, I would have to say that this is a welcome addition to the trilogy. There are certainly flaws, but overall the plot is solid, the story is immersive and Bioware has really upped the maturity level. ME3 feels like a more mature, emotional game than ME and ME2 (not saying it's better). The various cutscenes of Shepard running through her dreams after the boy (although being goddamn annoying and slow) added a certain emotional depth. The dialogue is still brillaint, the romances are fun and seem realistic. I definitely liked the reoccurring characters who appear again from ME and ME2. Overall, solid game, great continuation of the story, great graphics.… Expand
  12. Vilyn117
    Feb 7, 2013
    7
    This game rightfully earns a 7. And while I could just blabber on about the ending, the subpar game mechanics, and most of the horrendous design choices in general, I'll just sum this review up simply. Don't buy this game for a satisfying single player game, but it for co-op with your friends. Co-op is the only reason I own this game, with a whopping 500 hours played on it, it's fantastic.This game rightfully earns a 7. And while I could just blabber on about the ending, the subpar game mechanics, and most of the horrendous design choices in general, I'll just sum this review up simply. Don't buy this game for a satisfying single player game, but it for co-op with your friends. Co-op is the only reason I own this game, with a whopping 500 hours played on it, it's fantastic. And with free DLC content being added, you can't go wrong. The MP is fantastic in my opinion, and while it doesn't feel "like mass effect" because it's a 3rd person horde mode and not a story driven emotional title, it's fantastically done. Do yourself a favor and skip the campaign.… Expand
  13. Bloov
    Feb 17, 2019
    7
    Разочаровывающий финал трилогии. Это вдвойне обидно из-за наличия в целом отличных механик и отличного сетевого режима. Советую по прилёту на Землю в самом конце игры, просто перезапускать и начинать новую, не нужна вам эта концовка, не нужна.Разочаровывающий финал трилогии. Это вдвойне обидно из-за наличия в целом отличных механик и отличного сетевого режима. Советую по прилёту на Землю в самом конце игры, просто перезапускать и начинать новую, не нужна вам эта концовка, не нужна.
  14. SympathyChan
    Jan 7, 2013
    7
    My favorite color is red. I like orange too. Choices, choices, choices. Why does life have to be so complicated? Why, Lord? Why? Hristos se rodi, D
  15. BalicanBreeze
    Aug 1, 2014
    7
    The free DLC fixed the worst issues with this game, but the story remains the weakest of the series. The combat has been improved and the DLCs are excellent, especially the citadel and leviathan ones.
  16. alsec
    Feb 5, 2013
    7
    Mass Effect 3 will not force you to make tough decisions on a galactic scale. The RPG element from the first one has been taken away, and replaced with longer action packed combat. Having 3 games to tell a story, but leaving the player with an ending less desirable, greatly disappoints. If with those gripes, I give it a 7 because it is still a fun game, and the story leading up to theMass Effect 3 will not force you to make tough decisions on a galactic scale. The RPG element from the first one has been taken away, and replaced with longer action packed combat. Having 3 games to tell a story, but leaving the player with an ending less desirable, greatly disappoints. If with those gripes, I give it a 7 because it is still a fun game, and the story leading up to the ending held me with suspense. It is no means as good as the first, or second games in the series, and that does disappoint. But taking a seat back and looking at it for what it is, I enjoyed the game.… Expand
  17. Lynnux
    Jun 25, 2013
    7
    Obviously the parallel development of Star Wars: The Old Republic took a toll on both games.
    ME 3 seems to be hastily assembled to finish the series in the given time frame. The ending strongly reminds me of another game series of the Cyberpunk genre which I also like. But this ending style is imho not fitting to the ME series.
    The last two missions felt right out of place. But face it:    Obviously the parallel development of Star Wars: The Old Republic took a toll on both games.
    ME 3 seems to be hastily assembled to finish the series in the given time frame. The ending strongly reminds me of another game series of the Cyberpunk genre which I also like. But this ending style is imho not fitting to the ME series.
    The last two missions felt right out of place.
    But face it: these are the most the negative points of the third part. ME3 is still clearly above average and is never worse than a 7.0. No way Sorry, just because you've expected a happy end doesn't make the whole game bad.

    The "Galaxy at War" mechanics is simply brilliant. It allows all your deeds of the three parts and two additional games, the cooperative multiplayer (included in ME3) and the mobile app "Infiltrator" to be integrated and add to your effort to save the galaxy.
    And don't believe everything you read here. E.g. multiplayer is not necessary at all to get the best endings but you need a pretty good score which is maybe not possible if you killed everything and everyone possible in the first two parts ;-p You'll just feel the consequences of your previous actions.
    And this is clearly a benefit of this game series which also contributes to ME3.

    My advice to all players who gave a score below 5: play the ME series a second time and you'll see the game a little bit differently.    … Expand
  18. WookieChestHair
    Jul 5, 2013
    7
    I can completely understand where people are coming from when they say they hated this game because of it's ending and whatnot, but what you can't ignore is the fact that until that point, the game was incredible. Seeing the characters from that past two games and even having a couple of them join your crew again brings great feelings of nostalgia and while I admit, the 'space bar to doI can completely understand where people are coming from when they say they hated this game because of it's ending and whatnot, but what you can't ignore is the fact that until that point, the game was incredible. Seeing the characters from that past two games and even having a couple of them join your crew again brings great feelings of nostalgia and while I admit, the 'space bar to do everything' concept was quite poor, the reason I play Mass Effect was for the intricate storyline and the lovable characters, not the gameplay. The basic cover shooting mechanics and the games ending stopped this from getting a 10, but, in my opinion, it's still one of the greatest gaming series of all time, and I can't wait to see what Bioware gives us with the next instalment.… Expand
  19. kamaroff
    May 1, 2017
    7
    When i look at this game after DA: Inquisition and ME: Andromeda, i understand that it was pretty good. And even such level is now unattainable for Bioware.

    Changed my score from 5 to 7/
  20. Dyscordia
    Jun 23, 2015
    7
    I will short, the best gameplay of the three, very epic scenes between characters, customization of weapons and armor remarkable and moments in the story really incredible. Now the relationship between characters is much shallower, the role component goes unnoticed, no exploration and really very linear, the dialogues an LIMITED decayed quite often a good choice and a bad choice. and aI will short, the best gameplay of the three, very epic scenes between characters, customization of weapons and armor remarkable and moments in the story really incredible. Now the relationship between characters is much shallower, the role component goes unnoticed, no exploration and really very linear, the dialogues an LIMITED decayed quite often a good choice and a bad choice. and a disastrous end.… Expand
  21. scottymcroth
    Feb 17, 2014
    7
    Good game, letdown of an ending. The ending alone (along with the fact that some of the previous companions aren't companions in this on) is enough to knock it down a couple of points. But combine that with the Day One DLC and you have another shameful display by EA. Come on EA, stop buying good game developers and leaching money off of them and the consumers. That being said, this isGood game, letdown of an ending. The ending alone (along with the fact that some of the previous companions aren't companions in this on) is enough to knock it down a couple of points. But combine that with the Day One DLC and you have another shameful display by EA. Come on EA, stop buying good game developers and leaching money off of them and the consumers. That being said, this is still, in no shape or form, a bad game (despite the **** ending).… Expand
  22. Genezi
    Jun 10, 2017
    7
    Great game. i have spent a lot of time on this title. It has a great story with memorable characters. Good gameplay with lots of possibilities during missions and best cut scenes with good dialogs.
  23. dyspeptic
    Feb 12, 2014
    7
    Played: Jan 2014
    Pros:
    + Actually wraps up the Mass Effect story arc + Inventory compromises between simplicity (ME2) and variety (ME1) + Additional Ending content is free Cons: - Character models don’t look updated from ME2 - Some items are highly missable and a bug seems to keep some from appearing in a store if missed I was introduced to the series through Mass Effect 2, which    Played: Jan 2014
    Pros:
    + Actually wraps up the Mass Effect story arc
    + Inventory compromises between simplicity (ME2) and variety (ME1)
    + Additional Ending content is free
    Cons:
    - Character models don’t look updated from ME2
    - Some items are highly missable and a bug seems to keep some from appearing in a store if missed

    I was introduced to the series through Mass Effect 2, which offered some significant streamlining to make gameplay more fun than its predecessor. I eventually played ME1, but based on reviews I’d read I didn’t want to splash out $60 for ME3 so it was some time before the price came down to what I was comfortable paying.
    I’m glad I waited. While the story arc is completed with reasonable effectiveness, it features at least one prominent fallacy that I found somewhat insulting to my intelligence. After some public outcry, Bioware released some (free) additional content to explain the results of your end-game choice-and it’s a good thing it’s free, since it adds about 30sec of content. On the other hand, this series ending compares favorably compared with the non-endings featured in the string of Assassin’s Creed games by developer Ubisoft (up to you to decide if that comparison actually says anything).
    Gameplay mechanics are mostly solid, featuring a more flexible inventory that that presented in ME1, but still simplified enough that it doesn’t feel like a loot game: there are only about 5 options for each weapon type. The player can carry and use any type of weapon desired, however “heavy” weapons (anything not pistol or SMG) severely curtail use of powers. I played this on the default difficulty setting (apparently equivalent to the “Hard” setting on ME2) and only died a few times; even on death the checkpoint system allowed me to return to action and complete the game+90% of sidequests in about 50 hours. Relevant to gameplay is the occurance of “missable” items, which are supposed to appear in a special store if you fail to pick them up. Unfortunately, through some kind of bug or other problem, these items did not appear in store for me (I looked them up online to try to figure out how to complete the remaining quests). The rewards would have been small, but it is annoying to be missing a feature that is supposed to come with the game.
    There were a few things that I found even more disappointing. The character models feature the same faces and hairstyles as in previous games, and don’t appear to be any better rendered than previously. In the same vein, the pre-rendered cutscenes look as though they came straight from 2005 and it is something of a relief when they end and you are allowed to return to your machine's real-time rendering. In short: the graphics don’t seem to have improved at all since ME2, though why this would be the case is a mystery to me.
    IN SUMMARY:
    ME3 is a decent game to pick up if you like the idea of a shooter/RPG hybrid with a team. It is certainly worth the $15 or so EA games is currently charging, but still suffers from some pitfalls and you shouldn't pay more for it.    … Expand
  24. jcarl663
    Feb 14, 2015
    7
    This is why the user reviews section shouldn't even exist. There is no universe that this game is a raw zero. If you're just being angsty and trying to get back at the devs, you're not being fair or unbiased. You're just being an idiot and ruining the rating system.
  25. FlimsyLumber
    Feb 23, 2014
    7
    I liked the game, despite all of the hate, I still found the game very enjoyable. I know the decisions weren't as expansive which is a bit of a let down, but in regards to the over all game, I still enjoyed playing it. I still liked the endings, I do wish that they had more variance, but not to the point where I want to set the disc on fire and rage out. The multiplayer isn't the mostI liked the game, despite all of the hate, I still found the game very enjoyable. I know the decisions weren't as expansive which is a bit of a let down, but in regards to the over all game, I still enjoyed playing it. I still liked the endings, I do wish that they had more variance, but not to the point where I want to set the disc on fire and rage out. The multiplayer isn't the most polished, it needs work. It just feels clunky. I do agree that this game isn't as good as the last, but it is still worth playing.… Expand
  26. araut
    Nov 16, 2014
    7
    Although most of the reviews are negative, i must say i'm happy with the game overall. The end, tho a bit disappointing, in my opinion, fits (not perfectly) the story constructed so far. Is there a better fitting end? Yes, i believe so, but the presented alternatives are not that bad; but a surviving Shepard would be better, for sure. The major flaws of the game are not in the ending. ItAlthough most of the reviews are negative, i must say i'm happy with the game overall. The end, tho a bit disappointing, in my opinion, fits (not perfectly) the story constructed so far. Is there a better fitting end? Yes, i believe so, but the presented alternatives are not that bad; but a surviving Shepard would be better, for sure. The major flaws of the game are not in the ending. It has many bugs, some inconsistencies in story line and lore. For example, in ME2 Samara told Shepard that only 3 Ardat-Yakshi existed (her daughters), and we (usually) killed one of them in game. Now in ME3 there are so many that they need a Monastery to remain apart and isolated from society.
    There are some places to go and many side quests to do, but the only place where you do spent some decent time is the Citadel. There are not huge places with many quests to do, like in ME2 where you spent some good hours in Ilium, Tuchanka, Virmine and Omega, just to name some. The side quests also seems a bit shallow (end too fast)...and with exception of the some moments at the last part of the game, the quests are fairly easy to accomplish.
    There are some humor on the dialogues, but it seems that, through all the game, you have less options (and even less people to talk to) than you had in ME1 and ME2. The mechanics of armor and weapons and damage are also worse as they were in ME1 and ME2. You buy the upgrade of you current weapon, so shotgun 1 is bought into shotgun 2..3...4 and so on, which takes the "happiness" of finding a new upgraded version of your current weapon. Armor customization has its benefits, but it's a bit tricky to compare different armor configurations, since you lack the "all info in one screen" tab, so it is harder to see if a +10% shield shoulders do the benefits you're looking for. Mass Effect 1 did a great job in this camp.
    Here's another problem: percentages. All improvements - weapons and armor - are upgraded by percentages. This is problematic in terms that if you have a low damage weapon, and want to upgrade its damage (in a scenario where you like the other aspects of this particular weapon, like accuracy and reload speed), a 20 % dmg increase won't even show in your graphic readings of that weapon. You would get some results only if there were in game improvements around 200 or 300%. So all is in absolute terms, which in this case is not a good option. A numeric version would be better (like increases damage by 70 points or such).
    The reapers interfering on galaxy map traveling is a bit pain, and you hardly do some good deed in your travels, because exploration is in short supply here too. I miss Ilium, i miss all those colonies and random quests, but most of all i miss the heavy rpg element. There are too much cinematic sequences and fewer interaction in game. Overall i'd say you have less choices than the 2 previous titles. Bioware saw this so clearly that the next game on the franchise will feature back the old exploration of ME1 (with a better version of the vehicle Mako) and, with some luck, some good space exploration with had on ME2 (like docking on deranged space station). This surely is more an shooter with rpg elements than the otherwise. It is a good game, don' t get me wrong, but surely it was rushed into completion, and those of us who spent hundreds of hours playing the first 2 titles surely will miss a lot of the good elements presented on the past.    … Expand
  27. cigarillored
    May 16, 2014
    7
    Forget all the crap you hear about the ending; if you want to see all your favorite characters walking off into the sunset, hand-in-hand, this is not the game for you. On the other hand, if you want to play a game that engages you from start to finish, has you make some truly difficult moral decisions, and makes you care about who lives and who dies, then Mass Effect 3 it is. Honestly, IForget all the crap you hear about the ending; if you want to see all your favorite characters walking off into the sunset, hand-in-hand, this is not the game for you. On the other hand, if you want to play a game that engages you from start to finish, has you make some truly difficult moral decisions, and makes you care about who lives and who dies, then Mass Effect 3 it is. Honestly, I don't get the hate. The ending is perfectly fitting. The game mechanics are fantastic, very polished, and rarely monotonous. Enjoy it for what it is, a perfectly good way to end the series. Mass Effect 2 will always be the better game, but for me this is not the great big turd some people want it to be. Considering the amount of sub-standard fare that gets spewed out by big game companies these days, the kind of re-heated **** we see regurgitated by Activision every few months, we should be glad this is actually a decent game.… Expand
  28. mevsthevoices
    Feb 29, 2016
    7
    Considering what's sometimes said about it, I've never found it all that bad, the lack of controller support for PC is by far my largest dissapointment, but, so did 1 and 2 lack it, and like 2, there's a pretty solid mod out there to give it you back.Things I like, the combat in this is much improved over 1/2, it works smoother, there's more characters and more to do. Things I don't, theConsidering what's sometimes said about it, I've never found it all that bad, the lack of controller support for PC is by far my largest dissapointment, but, so did 1 and 2 lack it, and like 2, there's a pretty solid mod out there to give it you back.Things I like, the combat in this is much improved over 1/2, it works smoother, there's more characters and more to do. Things I don't, the characters are at times remarkably shallow, and so are their corresponding plots, the climax is, a little unclimatic to say the least. But, overall, gotta say I had alot of fun playing this, and in a world where there's slim pickings as far as RPGs are concerned, it's certainly one of the better ones… Expand
  29. Skyrar
    Nov 11, 2014
    7
    Overall a good game, but not a worthy conclusion of this epic trilogy. The ending was bad. I'm not talking about the fact, that there was "no happy-ending". I have no problem with it. The ending was poorly explained and the explanation we got from"god-child" was bad. Furthermore there is some serious bad writing in the game. Cerberus, the Illusive Man and Kai Leng for example. On the otherOverall a good game, but not a worthy conclusion of this epic trilogy. The ending was bad. I'm not talking about the fact, that there was "no happy-ending". I have no problem with it. The ending was poorly explained and the explanation we got from"god-child" was bad. Furthermore there is some serious bad writing in the game. Cerberus, the Illusive Man and Kai Leng for example. On the other hand there are some amazing storyquests like Tutchanka. Graphics looks good. Characters are interesting. Quests overall are (except for some of the side/miniquests) also interesting. Music is great.
    Overall, a decent game but worse than the previous two.    … Expand
  30. inkblowout
    Jun 24, 2015
    7
    After reading some of these comments... how can some people give this a rating of 0 because of the ending? So 20 minutes of gameplay out of 24-30 hours of gameplay is a good reason to give this a 0, 1, or even a 2. I know some have given good explanations for their ratings but some are just biased to read.

    The fact is. I had fun throughout this entry of mass effect, it is weaker than    After reading some of these comments... how can some people give this a rating of 0 because of the ending? So 20 minutes of gameplay out of 24-30 hours of gameplay is a good reason to give this a 0, 1, or even a 2. I know some have given good explanations for their ratings but some are just biased to read.

    The fact is. I had fun throughout this entry of mass effect, it is weaker than the other 2 but it was a hell of a ride for me. The problems I had from this game though were 3 things. Lack of character interaction, mission and side missions and the ending. So lack of character interaction really bothered me because in mass effect 1 or 2. You could be able to talk with your squad after every mission and you could talk about them, you would talk about their family, their personal lives and etc. and you could choose to what to say. But what mass effect 3 really does is that they give these one directional liners which does talk about what's going on with the mission. But it takes away your ability to choose conversation options which is a real letdown in my opinion. 2nd complaint is the missions and side missions. Although the priority missions make sense to the story. The side missions and journals fell like a chore to gain war assets so that you can thrive for that "prefect ending". Unlike journal/side missions in mass effect 1-2. They would either consist of exploration, fighting baddies and etc. But mass effect 3. Most journal missions are achievable by scanning which is also a let down.

    And lastly the ending is the biggest problem to the series. Ya sure the ending sucks but it is difficult to end off a kickass trilogy. (I couldn't even think of any better endings as well.) I don't know why this ending was made. The 3 choices are stupid and dumb if you think about it. It should have been. Activate the crisable and let it do it's job. There shouldn't have been those 3 endings. It felt like bioware was going toward the deus ex style of ending but failed. And the extended cut doesn't help at all... it just explains stuff in detail but doesn't change the initial ending. Starchild was also a nuisance as well... ever since I went up in that elevator and saw starchild, I knew the ending was bad.

    But honestly overall, I had a great time playing this game, the game's combat was entertaining and there was so much stuff that made the game so memorable. Bioware did let me down in a way... but I was happy I played this game. I had the chance to not to buy this game despite reading the hate reviews on this game. But I did and I don't regret any of it.    … Expand
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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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