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. dempzeez
    Jul 20, 2020
    8
    The end leave a bit to be desired, but overall, it's an amazing experience!
  2. DaghanAbi
    Jul 3, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3's gameplay is smooth and fun. People complain about the ending and death of the beloved characters in Mass Effect 2. Well Mass Effect Trilogy always had a dark atmosphere. Mass Effect Trilogy was never a fairy tale whic everyone lives happily ever after. Mass Effect 3 does a great job to remind you that.… Expand
  3. svensenk86
    Jul 6, 2020
    10
    the end of the best Saga in gaming, nothing more to say, 1-3 is a clear 10, this equals to the Star Wars Universe, all the storys behind, this game is simply amazing
  4. nexus151196
    Nov 15, 2020
    9
    Не понимаю ненависти других игроков, шикарная rpg . От концовки не разу не пригорел, все нормально, но к сожалению - не величественно. Боевку сделали лучшей в серии. Темп повествования очень высокий и размах чувствуется. Когда играешь - понимаешь, что творится конец света. Отличная игра ,но, до второй к сожалению- не дотягивает .Не понимаю ненависти других игроков, шикарная rpg . От концовки не разу не пригорел, все нормально, но к сожалению - не величественно. Боевку сделали лучшей в серии. Темп повествования очень высокий и размах чувствуется. Когда играешь - понимаешь, что творится конец света. Отличная игра ,но, до второй к сожалению- не дотягивает .
  5. 19magathann
    Sep 28, 2020
    9
    Would've gotten a 10 if not for the horrendous tactic of Galactic Readiness that forces the player to play an inoffensively passable multiplayer experience that drags on for over 10 hours, then regresses at far too fast of a rate in order to "encourage" the player to buy microtransactions. The general plot of the game is fantastic up until the final 30 minutes, but I've forgiven thisWould've gotten a 10 if not for the horrendous tactic of Galactic Readiness that forces the player to play an inoffensively passable multiplayer experience that drags on for over 10 hours, then regresses at far too fast of a rate in order to "encourage" the player to buy microtransactions. The general plot of the game is fantastic up until the final 30 minutes, but I've forgiven this egregious error since BioWare remade the ending in order to fix up the blatant plot holes. I also hate the idea of taking out crucial story elements such as "Awakening" and "Leviathan" and selling them as Day 1 DLC, a tactic still used by AAA developers and publishers in order to promote Season Passes. It's a scumbag move to nickel and dime your fans out of the full experience. Stop it, EA. While my first and third point mostly have to do with EA being greedy, the parts of the game that BioWare was responsible for are the gold standard of gaming. If there was more time for BioWare to create the game they envisioned, maybe the game would've been better received by everyone, and it is generally a damn shame that the ending of the game is so talked about, it obscures every other strength and weakness the game has. Since I've already talked about it's weaknesses, let's talk about it's strengths. In spite of losing the main writer for the last two games, every story and character plot is satisfactorily concluded in some way or another. Depending on how you played Mass Effect 2, you can either rekindle relationships with your friends or visit new (and admittedly more dull) characters that fulfill the same role. Every side plot has a firm conclusion to it that still has dire consequences based on the choices you make, and the combat is unmatched in my opinion. Even more enemies than before, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, power weapons strategically placed to turn the tide of battle, squad controls that make the game so satisfying to play even 8 years later, and even though the spacebar is overutilized for movement, the movement itself it drastically improved from the clunky and slow paced movement in Mass Effect 2 and 1. This game is excellent if you removed the final 30 minutes, and deep down, you know it's true, too. I'll be the first to criticize BioWare for their egregious mishandling of the ending, their refusal to address the ending to anyone, and even how they botched Andromeda beyond repair, but at the source, this is EA's fault for rushing the game and being greedy pigs. 9/10; excellent game.… Expand
  6. Torgall
    Dec 12, 2020
    3
    Eh the game that ruined this series. You build up truly phenomenal plot and characters just to take a huge crap at it in the end. Even after their attempt to subdue the backlash with DLC leaves distaste.
  7. moseao
    Mar 10, 2012
    5
    As a shooter, ME3 is passable. Not amazing, but passable. The trouble is we were all told that role playing aspects would be put back in from what ME2 turned out to be. They weren't. Not really. You get binary choices that have very little bearing on anything. You won't get a different game by making different choices. You won't even get a noticeably different combat playstyle by makingAs a shooter, ME3 is passable. Not amazing, but passable. The trouble is we were all told that role playing aspects would be put back in from what ME2 turned out to be. They weren't. Not really. You get binary choices that have very little bearing on anything. You won't get a different game by making different choices. You won't even get a noticeably different combat playstyle by making different choices. Basically what happened is Bioware dumbed down the amazing Mass Effect 1 into very little more than a pure shooter. Then they figured if they just throw a couple of dialogue trees and weapon mods back in, then they can appease fans of the original. As is, there's maybe enough here to warrant a playthrough, but you shouldn't feel like you're missing much by waiting to get it used.… Expand
  8. 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.
  9. SublimeShadow
    Mar 7, 2012
    5
    The Good: Interesting (though unoriginal) story tied and linked to your previous Mass Effect excursions. Better gunplay and customization of combat features. Had a few well done story telling elements and ended in a cleverly ambiguous cliffhanger.
    The Bad: Graphics, not enough dialogue, no way to easily change or reverse decisions, on that note not enough decisions, too easy (headshot,    The Good: Interesting (though unoriginal) story tied and linked to your previous Mass Effect excursions. Better gunplay and customization of combat features. Had a few well done story telling elements and ended in a cleverly ambiguous cliffhanger.
    The Bad: Graphics, not enough dialogue, no way to easily change or reverse decisions, on that note not enough decisions, too easy (headshot, headshot, headshot, spacebar), nowhere near enough side-stories or enough gravitas to the few side-stories included (incoming dlc), generally didn't feel like there was much to do.
    The Ugly: Plot crucial day 1 dlc (played without it, regretted it a few times), deus ex machina everywhere, no way to choose what choices you made in the past if you don't have your savefiles handy, mandatory multiplayer for "readiness".    … Expand
  10. Debosy
    Mar 9, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well I finished Mass Effect 3, and also I'm very disappointed. I feel like I was reading a good book and the last page someone smeared ****

    Why?

    I do not feel rewarded for the effort I put myself in that stupid save the galaxy. Treatment **** peace between the Geth and quarians, the entire structure of the catalyst, the improvement of relations between turians and krogans, save Raknii.

    I wonder why I did it, after which the entire efforts of mine by the whole trilogy? I feel after the game that had no impact as a shepard nothing has been changed or anything not affected, everything worked out the trail went.

    I saved geths, why then it asks me to kill them otherwise he would not beat the reaper. I feel as a player by BioWare even punished and not rewarded with the end, and because of this I am very sorry.
    Unfortunately, the truth is that for me Mass Effect was over before the last battle.

    I'm not saying that the end is bad because they are ok, but after what happened in the game introduces a system of galactic ready if it does not give it an opportunity to save an existing life in the galaxy as I expected.

    If it gets such a system forces the player to many hours of gameplay in multiplayer, making the game at 100% of all secondary missions, exploration of the galaxy is clearly visible that which is to be playing it all comes from, doing absolutely everything to ensure the safety of themselves and their crew and to save what he can, and in the end the end of your story practically does not differ much from the end of someone who has been playing for so-called "hurray" is something is not right.

    As I wrote feel very cheated, because it turns out that everything I did, and as they say, "Oh your ass break down."

    Explain to me why the game at 17 Endings, there is no single "Good ending".

    I hope that BioWare is still understood and patch gets even short and simple happy ending
    Hah ... I'm even willing to pay for them ...

    Bioware give us a proper ending, or go the hell and never come back.    … Expand
  11. Andromeda05
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    This game is the ending to ME3 and the ending to the Gold streak that Bio-ware once had.

    Good The general game play is close enough to ME2 for a player to not notice much however. Bad Politics - Please let me play and leave to propaganda alone. Gay rights - Don't care stop trying to shove a Twinkie down my throat Ending Holy Crap the story was fine until the last 10 min where the writers    This game is the ending to ME3 and the ending to the Gold streak that Bio-ware once had.

    Good
    The general game play is close enough to ME2 for a player to not notice much however. Bad
    Politics - Please let me play and leave to propaganda alone. Gay rights - Don't care stop trying to shove a Twinkie down my throat Ending Holy Crap the story was fine until the last 10 min where the writers must have started doing LSD and wrote what they saw. i mean we work for 3 games total to influence the out come and it come down to 2 cookie cutter endings. - Looks like EA has ruined another great game company!!!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  12. Niroo
    Mar 15, 2012
    4
    Mass Effect 3 features a decent single player storyline that, despite the early introduction of a fanciful 'Secret Weapon of Awesomeness', is quite entertaining for about 20-25 hours. The gameplay works, even if it's rather repetitive and doesn't really expand on what ME2 had to offer. The much discossed ending of the trilogy is indeed a storytelling disaster, the only part of which thatMass Effect 3 features a decent single player storyline that, despite the early introduction of a fanciful 'Secret Weapon of Awesomeness', is quite entertaining for about 20-25 hours. The gameplay works, even if it's rather repetitive and doesn't really expand on what ME2 had to offer. The much discossed ending of the trilogy is indeed a storytelling disaster, the only part of which that speaks in BioWare's favour being the fact that they had the audacity to make their deus ex machina an actual "god out of the machine". I wasn't too impressed by the multiplayer, which, with it's 11 waves of whack-a-mole, is only mildly more interesting than the bot-servers of earlier FPS games.… Expand
  13. JohnMaynardK
    Mar 9, 2012
    2
    Well basically, I play Mass Effect games for the exceptionally deep dating and relationship mechanics. Well, OK, they're not perhaps as deep as in some other games, but there are few other mainstream games that give me quite such a wide choice of subsurfaced polygonal ass to seduce, and do so within the context of a 60 hour campaign. Some people call me a "neckbeard" or even moreWell basically, I play Mass Effect games for the exceptionally deep dating and relationship mechanics. Well, OK, they're not perhaps as deep as in some other games, but there are few other mainstream games that give me quite such a wide choice of subsurfaced polygonal ass to seduce, and do so within the context of a 60 hour campaign. Some people call me a "neckbeard" or even more insultingly and prejudicially, a "faggot" (verbatim quote), but I don't care. I have a perfectly healthy sex life, I just find games that can deal with seduction and relationships so much more mature than other games. Anyway, this is basically where ME3 falls down so hard. In the first installment of this franchise, there were only two female companions to choose from: Liara and Ashley. Now, two might be a small number for a romantic partner selection, but don't mistake ME1 for being a dumbed-down game: the two women were completely different. Ashley was a sexy space-marine (beautifully subverting genre stereotypes), and Liara was a sensitive and kind Asari. Both girls were kick-ass, and the decisions one made about about who to sleep with could be really difficult. This was further complicated by the choice of having to sacrifice either Ashley (potential waifu) or Kaidan (absolute bro). This is why I love this series: deep choices. Now, Mass Effect 2 actually extended this further: there were now not only a vastly greater selection of team-members to romance, but they now also had their own loyalty missions, conflicting with the other members of the cast in a beautiful panoply of enmeshed storylines. Want to romance character A? Well, get ready to piss off B and C in the process! In seducing Miranda, I found the game to be incredibly immersive (I felt just like I was seducing a real girl!), and I was truly brought into the game. This, kids, is good game design. Sadly, ME3 has none of this. It portrays its female, romanceable characters in a frankly sexist and stereotyped way. The whole game blatantly views these females as nothing more than sex objects, and it really shows. Just look at the Ashley redesign! Frankly, I no longer find her attractive, with her Barbie hair and boobtastic outfit. Disgusting. Worse, when I tried to bring this up on the Bioware forums, I was told to stop criticising Bioware and given a cautionary infraction. If you value the depth of romantic interaction usually found in Bioware games, steer well clear of this stinker. I give it a 2/10. Wouldn't bang.… Expand
  14. Mdhneo007
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    SPOILERS!

    As an avid Mass Effect fan, I was really looking forward to this game. I even did the Origin predownload so I could start playing at midnight exactly. I loaded it up and at 12:03am started playing. 14.5hrs and like 20 rockstars later I sat facing my computer with tears running down my face. Hey maybe I am emotional, but when 71hrs of my life (ME1 +2 +3) goes down the drain, I    SPOILERS!

    As an avid Mass Effect fan, I was really looking forward to this game. I even did the Origin predownload so I could start playing at midnight exactly. I loaded it up and at 12:03am started playing. 14.5hrs and like 20 rockstars later I sat facing my computer with tears running down my face. Hey maybe I am emotional, but when 71hrs of my life (ME1 +2 +3) goes down the drain, I have a right to cry.

    Honestly, I didn't mind the ending I got, in as much as it was an "epic conclusion to an epic MOVIE". Yep, Bioware took a great video game series and converted it into a movie blockbuster where the hero sacrifices all to save the galaxy. Well guess what, a video game isn't supposed to play like a movie! The ending should work in accordance with the actions the players have taken to ensure the final outcome while providing an emotionally (for an RPG like this) enthralling story. Not move inescapably to an inevitably gut wrenching conclusion. Additionally, the game has reduced the replay value of the entire trilogy to virtually nill. Why should I replay ME1-ME3 when I know that regardless of my "numerous and poignant choices" the end is depressingly the same? Moreover, the addition of "gameplay types" (or whatever its called) is nothing but an excuse to cover an irritating reduction of player control over dialogue, another irritating movie-like feature of the game. Furthermore, Bioware's attempt to give players more 'sexual freedom of choice' is just downright disgusting! Introducing male homosexuality this late in the series as a casual (and awkward) fling is demeaning to the community, especially when lesbian romance has been a choice since ME1! If Bioware wished to make a statement about gender homosexual equality, put it in a news release or do it with some respect at least. Finally, when the face importing issues are included in the tally, I can only give this game a 4/10. If it had been a $9 movie ticket and not an $80 game, I would have given it a 12/10.

    Oh well, maybe I should have realized the tone that was set in the opening minutes when the child Bioware didn't allow me to rescue was killed by a machine Bioware made nearly invincible while I stood upon a retreating ship listening to an irritatinally opressive score would have been carried through to the end of the game. So its my own fault for playing the game hoping that what I KNEW was going to happen wouldn't. (As a side note, didn't a thresher maw take down one of them and I took down a thresher maw on Tuchanka, right? So if A beats B and I beat A, shouldn't I beat B?) P.S. The multiplayer aspect of the game is quite enjoyable has been the redeeming aspect of the game in my opinion.    … Expand
  15. VendettaBB
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    Oh man this will be difficult to express in words as I cannot seem to make a coherent sentence when it comes to expressing the devastating amount of disappointment I was subjected to all throughout my experience with Bioware's latest game: Mass Effect 3...

    I want to start off by saying that I found the first two games incredibly exceptional (Some didn't like 2 but I loved it in terms of    Oh man this will be difficult to express in words as I cannot seem to make a coherent sentence when it comes to expressing the devastating amount of disappointment I was subjected to all throughout my experience with Bioware's latest game: Mass Effect 3...

    I want to start off by saying that I found the first two games incredibly exceptional (Some didn't like 2 but I loved it in terms of its story, characters and pacing) but the third installment is quite possibly the most disappointing game I have ever played that I can think of due to the fact that I have spent so much time and invested quite a bit of emotion into this series... The choices made from previous games are simply irrelevant and very little effort has been placed into implementing the power of choice and its consequences as the earlier games did so well.

    The story itself, from which Bioware has built its reputation, is laughable, cheesy, predictable, and just plain infantile. It seems EA perhaps has dispersed all of Bioware's writers or they simply left to companies that were offering a higher salary because the difference in the quality of the script and story between this game and the first two is seriously night and day, I mean words cannot describe how bad the story has gotten. People have compared the story to that of a Michael Bay movie and that is not far off, although Bay atleast gives some sort of conclusion to his stories, here there is none, just youtube the "perfect ending" and you will see for yourself.

    I believe the forced homosexuality and the day-one 10$ DLC (crucial to the main story btw..) as well as the horrible multiplayer crucial to achieving the optimal ending (lets kill waves of enemies like a cheap knockoff of CoD's survival mode) have all been touched on by others here but it goes without saying that these were all decisions made without any respect or care to the fanbase that made the company what it is. Those idiot doctors sold out big-time, as if they didn't have enough money, they do not care at all about their integrity, their image, or more importantly their fans - this is a complete spit in the face to all who invested their time and money in the previous games and it goes to show the absolute corruption of capitalism seeping into the gaming industry at last. Oh and the critics? lol.. if there ever was a case of them being bought out by these giants like EA or Activision, well here it is folks, do not trust the critics, if you must - pirate the game and see for yourself but I would strongly not recommend that either simply because you will come away even more disappointed than after having read this review. And I haven't even touched on the technical aspects or the gameplay or their obvious marketing ploys which have become, as others have stated, incredibly subpar.. The overall package that is Mass Effect 3 is one of the biggest dissapointments in entertainment history and is a very very bad game - do not put yourself through the pain and agony and sadness that I did by playing this game (I even re-played the first 2 before this.....)

    Bioware you have fallen far indeed - DA2 , then TOR (don't get me started), and now this... Although you will keep selling, know that you have lost all the fans that made you who you are today and that you will never be releasing a quality game ever again with executives like this.    … Expand
  16. DTG321992
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am a gay gamer. So this is not a 0 for them including the gay romance. I am happy they did. It made sense considering the game is supposed to be based on our choices.

    Speaking of which. Our choices didn't matter in the last five minutes. And I am so entirely pissed off. It didn't matter what we did over three games, there were three endings. They were all the same. Just with slightly different colors. There is no reason why the Normandy was going through a mass relay. It just made no sense.

    And the fact that the synthetics were created to kill the organics to prevent the organics from creating synthetics that would kill them was just so entirely stupid I don't even know what to say.    … Expand
  17. New_Order
    Mar 17, 2012
    4
    the game exciting, interesting and amazing, exactly to the last mission! The ending is just disgusting! No epic battles, the last mission is ugly boring, the ending totally illogical and senseless. What happened to the rest of the team is unknown. I was very disappointed BioWare, which I did not expect from them.
  18. Aldeide
    Mar 9, 2012
    1
    I'll pass on the utterly disgusting textures because that's not why I'm playing Mass Effect for. I couldn't care less. I play it for the choices you can make. I replay it because I'm curious as how my choices change the events. I took the time to have a savegame prepared for ME3. The game had its moment and I actually enjoyed it until the last 15 minutes that wasted countless hours on theI'll pass on the utterly disgusting textures because that's not why I'm playing Mass Effect for. I couldn't care less. I play it for the choices you can make. I replay it because I'm curious as how my choices change the events. I took the time to have a savegame prepared for ME3. The game had its moment and I actually enjoyed it until the last 15 minutes that wasted countless hours on the previous instalments. I did take the time to look at the different endings and felt like looking at some sort of freaky mix between Deus Ex:HR and Battlestar Galactica endings'. Now go and make some more money with an alternate ending DLC that will actually deserve the name of a "choice-driven" game.… Expand
  19. Manuelexar
    Mar 14, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A really good game, Initially I gave it a TEN, because I thought that people were just bashing the game for the same sex scene, now after seeing the endings I can say that It's a GREAT GAME, It would score 10/10 'til the "conduit" scene, It's full of citation from the other games and for someone like me that finished the other titles 10 times each IT'S GREAT! The final scene (and the last battle itself) it's REALLY BAD WRITTEN, -The fact that the citadel moves? WTF? All mass effect 1 and the Sovreign thing is USELESS if the reapers can move the citadel. GUYS COME ON!! WTF????? Did the guy that wrote this thing ever played me1? Does he know the story?
    -WTF? Where does TIM come from? Did the reapers let him in?
    - THE CHOICES? 3 ray of different colours? Man, It could have been the best game ever. I'm really sorry.
    I'm giving it a 6. The Game deserve a 10/10, the ending a 1/10.    … Expand
  20. Avadon
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    Finished this yesterday. So we went from really cool, immersive, slightly too fiddly RPG where I spent hours upon hours absorbing the lore and marvelling at what Bioware created (ME1) to quite enjoyable pop-corn shooter-RPG with a passive story (ME2) to retarded Michael Bay movie with ham-fisted drama, frame rate issues, horrendous ending and day 1 DLC. Please, Bioware, do NOT make a newFinished this yesterday. So we went from really cool, immersive, slightly too fiddly RPG where I spent hours upon hours absorbing the lore and marvelling at what Bioware created (ME1) to quite enjoyable pop-corn shooter-RPG with a passive story (ME2) to retarded Michael Bay movie with ham-fisted drama, frame rate issues, horrendous ending and day 1 DLC. Please, Bioware, do NOT make a new Baldur's Gate game. Let it be.… Expand
  21. jollysteve
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    This one is really annoying! There is too much video and too little game in it. The battles are very irritating, especially the grenades and the cover system sucks.
  22. Understated
    Apr 12, 2012
    6
    I have just completed a complete play-through of the Mass Effect series. This following plays of the individual games numerous times including two play-throughs of ME 3. In the complete play-through I migrated a save to each game utilizing the same developing character and important plot points in order to experience story continuity and empathy so highly lauded and promoted by the makerI have just completed a complete play-through of the Mass Effect series. This following plays of the individual games numerous times including two play-throughs of ME 3. In the complete play-through I migrated a save to each game utilizing the same developing character and important plot points in order to experience story continuity and empathy so highly lauded and promoted by the maker Bioware. I found too much disparity comparatively to call this a true trilogy in the better sense of trilogies. Most importantly the writing for this never achieves more than just beyond comic book level writing and they at Bioware could certainly use some people on their team that have more understanding of human behavioral dynamics and interaction. Shepards gestures within the framework of very important decisions was painful and embarrassing to watch! The knuckle breaking just before the choice to perform a levering action was childish and insensitive. His sudden shifts of behavior in dialogue choices and actions was heavy/ham handed. There is the invitation to get more involved with characters along the way only to have that short-shrifted terribly in ME 3. At one point I felt as if Bioware wasn't really capable of handling what they had designed in concept, fully realizing it and fleshing it out. It isn't to my mind and could have been so much more. At this particular juncture I have no real interest in further participation in this series. The bottom has fallen out . I have no interest in any future dlc or ending changes. I am a painter/artist and I wouldn't change the colors, patterns, designs to suit someones taste or to coordinate it with someones sofa. The potential patron can see the results up front and choose. I have no backers I am in collaboration with that would influence quality or choices. But Bioware's efforts, admittedly, do include the players, their hard earned money, time, and energy. Their advertisements are replete with participation rhetoric. ME 3's multi-player for example. So there is a different context and responsibility. I will say lastly, that the way the "Return from Ashes" dlc was presented was a hurtful thing to do! The very important information given up by Javic in various conversations throughout the game, especially during the Thessea mission with Liara, betrays, to my mind, underhanded marketing behavior on the developers/publishers part. Javic's participation seemed crucial to better understanding and meaning in the storytelling. Yes I got the synthetic(order), organic(chaos) dynamic, which has been around and argued about for some time now, nothing new, which is this series's ending note and the other various models of philosophic thought concerning self-awareness and perception. But in the end it all isn't pulled together very convincingly and the end sort of 'hangs' there by itself. For myself I really thought that the Geth involvement and the partial integration of the Geth faction, the Heretics, was going to be the galaxies 'back door' to the Reaper demise. Something a little more classical and redemptive in grand fashion as the end of ME 2 seemed to be heralding. Awe, that would be too simplistic, but more achievable. This also was my last involvement in anything EA. I know that Biowares top generals are also on the board of EA, and I question the future of fairness and consideration for the consumer at this point. Does the proposal for a changed ending to ME 3 have to do with the players opinion of the story or their pocketbooks and falling out of favor?… Expand
  23. RPGMaestro
    Mar 9, 2012
    1
    Very poor dialogue, and is a clear move towards FPS arena. Safe to say, I will not be purchasing any of the DLC packs, nor buying any more in this franchise, game was trying to be politically correct with gay lord scenes, on top of the poor RPG elements.
  24. MMAx001
    Mar 10, 2012
    5
    Mass Effect 3 is a good game which sadly lost what made it great, where you might have felt the outcome of your choices matter and you were shaping the story to what you want, in the end it leaves a lot of question and a feeling of unsatisfaction as your choices in the series are disregarded or marginalized for plot convenience to coincide with the materials they published regardless ofMass Effect 3 is a good game which sadly lost what made it great, where you might have felt the outcome of your choices matter and you were shaping the story to what you want, in the end it leaves a lot of question and a feeling of unsatisfaction as your choices in the series are disregarded or marginalized for plot convenience to coincide with the materials they published regardless of plot holes and not the story you shaped for yourself.… Expand
  25. worstendingever
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect was my favorite series of all time. Because of this game's ending, I now regret ever having played at all. I have looked forward to a climatic conclusion to this series for years and have only received disappointment. Ultimately, the story I built, I choose, and I experienced meant nothing. Three incorrect choices are presented with no satisfaction of a job well done or that I made a difference.… Expand
  26. Sun_Tzu
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    Most of the main missions are well done, you can generally get the resolutions you want, with some consequences sprinkled in. For this, the game gets about a 9. I truly enjoyed myself.

    Side quests are weak, they mostly consist of mindless grinding, which is never a good thing in a game. I wanted more on-site side quests as in ME1 and ME2, but was sorely disappointed. For this the game    Most of the main missions are well done, you can generally get the resolutions you want, with some consequences sprinkled in. For this, the game gets about a 9. I truly enjoyed myself.

    Side quests are weak, they mostly consist of mindless grinding, which is never a good thing in a game. I wanted more on-site side quests as in ME1 and ME2, but was sorely disappointed. For this the game gets maybe a 3.

    And then there's the ending. In fact, the entire final mission was a huge letdown for me. It's the greatest betrayal of a gaming franchise I've ever experienced, and I've been around since the Commodore-64 days. It makes no sense, it spits in the face of the loyal fan, and it has ruined not only this game, but every preceding game for me. The ending is so bad that it eclipses every positive thing you could ever say about the game. It's a -10 experience. So we end up with a final score of 2. Until Bioware fixes the ending, I'm warning every friend of the franchise and friend in general not to play/buy me3. This was not an experience I'd wish upon my worst enemy.    … Expand
  27. franktillo
    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.
  28. woodbyte
    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.    … Expand
  29. Pyrotechnik
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    Terrible ending that utterly destroyed the series. I feel cheated, cheated out of the money I have spend on ME1, ME2, and ME3. Bioware will not receive a dime from me until they fix this mess. If they fail to acknowledge the fans then I will never purchase another Bioware product again.

    The only reason why I gave this a 2 is because of the solid gameplay, otherwise it would have gotten a    Terrible ending that utterly destroyed the series. I feel cheated, cheated out of the money I have spend on ME1, ME2, and ME3. Bioware will not receive a dime from me until they fix this mess. If they fail to acknowledge the fans then I will never purchase another Bioware product again.

    The only reason why I gave this a 2 is because of the solid gameplay, otherwise it would have gotten a 0 from me.    … Expand
  30. PasKarma
    Mar 15, 2012
    5
    I loved the ME series. This final game was supposed to bring all the previous choices of the games together, adding replay value, and creating one of the greatest rpg/shooter hybrids to date. Instead, the final moments of ME3 throw all your previous decisions out the window and each of the 3 ending choices are nearly identical, all vague explosions with little to no closure as to whatI loved the ME series. This final game was supposed to bring all the previous choices of the games together, adding replay value, and creating one of the greatest rpg/shooter hybrids to date. Instead, the final moments of ME3 throw all your previous decisions out the window and each of the 3 ending choices are nearly identical, all vague explosions with little to no closure as to what happens afterwords, none of your choices matter. They messed up, bad. Other than those final moments, the game was extremely enjoyable, it was just such a bad ending I can't give it a positive review (it destroys any replay value of the previous games as well, since none of those choices matter). Combat mechanics wise, they mad improvements and complexity to ME2 without making it overly redundant like ME1. As for multiplayer, it's repetitive and not what anyone really asked for, but still fun, mainly since I'm a ME fan though, not because it's anything groundbreaking with lasting value. I would have rather seen that effort put into making real endings based on player choices so I could enjoy replaying all the Mass Effects.… Expand
  31. UniTroop
    Mar 16, 2012
    5
    It's very difficult to rate this game, as player experience will depend a lot on how "in to" Mass Effect they are. In all fairness, 98% of the game is great. Unfortunately, the abysmal conclusion to the story will ruin a lot for players who are even moderately hooked on the Mass Effect story.

    I can't believe Bioware made a trilogy of astonishing quality, and then dropped the ball on the    It's very difficult to rate this game, as player experience will depend a lot on how "in to" Mass Effect they are. In all fairness, 98% of the game is great. Unfortunately, the abysmal conclusion to the story will ruin a lot for players who are even moderately hooked on the Mass Effect story.

    I can't believe Bioware made a trilogy of astonishing quality, and then dropped the ball on the last yard.    … Expand
  32. ninjamanppp
    Mar 21, 2012
    0
    Before ending 95/100 After ending 0/100 No replay value whatsoever since I played these games for the actual story. I would have been willing to wait longer and pay extra for a garanteed gem. Right now i feel like i wasted both money and time.
  33. BiN4RY
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    "We purposely made the ending awful so we can make up for it in the DLCs"

    Go kill yourselves Bioware. A perfectly good game ruined by a garbage and cliche ending. It's quite literally like they're trying to ruin the game.
  34. killer3000ad
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    99% of the game is brilliant but the last 5 minutes just destroys the entire franchise and removes any replay value. I was so disappointed that I could not do another playthrough. It's sad that an otherwise superb game was ruined by it's absolute rubbish of an ending. Some may think that giving it a 1/10 because of just the ending is harsh, but the fact is I judge games/movies/books based99% of the game is brilliant but the last 5 minutes just destroys the entire franchise and removes any replay value. I was so disappointed that I could not do another playthrough. It's sad that an otherwise superb game was ruined by it's absolute rubbish of an ending. Some may think that giving it a 1/10 because of just the ending is harsh, but the fact is I judge games/movies/books based on the whole. I do not cut out bits and rate them individually. That the rest of the game is so good makes the ending even worse as it ruins it all.… Expand
  35. daveyy12
    Mar 17, 2012
    5
    I agree with several of the other reviewers...This game is a let down, compared with ME2. The plot was weake and there were less challenges/puzzles. I played the "traditional" game and found two major irritations: (1) cut scenes were way too long and there was no way to pause the game (2) weapons available for players' use were positively wimpy. The game is ok, but didn't live up to the hype.
  36. LieuRob
    Apr 23, 2012
    3
    As a game, Mass Effect 3 was both a disappointment and a decent game.

    Straight off the bat, none of the decisions made in the previous titles matter any more. Someone died? They dont show up. They lived? You get 10 minutes of facetime. Or they die. Bioware realised that the amount of binary decisions given to the player made such a complex game that they could not create it, and cut most    As a game, Mass Effect 3 was both a disappointment and a decent game.

    Straight off the bat, none of the decisions made in the previous titles matter any more. Someone died? They dont show up. They lived? You get 10 minutes of facetime. Or they die. Bioware realised that the amount of binary decisions given to the player made such a complex game that they could not create it, and cut most of them out. The main decisions of the previous games matter little. You get a line of dialogue, it dosent matter what you chose, the outcome will always be the same. 1/10
    GRAPHICS
    Graphically the game is worse. Lots of low-resolution textures because of the move to consoles. Thats ok, we can live with that, as its most likely that they will have post-release texture packs, etc. Noticeable, load times are much better; the game runs smoother, polished, and mostly bug free. Overall, it shelved up as a acceptable package, but nothing innovative here. Animations were a bit jarred as well, but its not game breaking - yet. 8/10
    CONTENT
    Mass Effect 3 has the same content as Mass effect 2. Its good, kept me going for a good 20 hours with a bunch of side stuff. Day 1 DLC is a crime; paying 80 dollars isnt enough to give you all the content they made, they want you to give them 20 more. THAT is terrible. Either way, it doesnt dissapoint in that sense. Voice actors and environments are good; no reuse of areas, exotic worlds and planets - its all good in this sense. 8/10
    STORY
    The story started off solid. The lack of previous characters was unsettling, and downright annoying. You spend hours upon hours scouring the galaxy for them, and you barely see them again, or they die. The writers wrest them away from you, killing them off for superficial drama. Its hard to watch. It also felt dumbed down, as if they were trying to simplify it to the point were all the political dealings are gone, and you just shoot things. 3/10
    THE ENDING
    Most dissapointing ending EVER CREATED. I spent weeks under a rock so I could play it spoiler free (I already had the game, but went away for a while), and it just hurt when I played it. !!! SPOILERS !!!; The ending is terrible; I always play paragon, I actually cant do anything else, its just the way I play. I thought I did everything right, did the hero's job, but EVERYONE DIED FOR ME IN THE END. Damn, it was the most heart breaking thing, purely because in a game you should have SOME power to choose your ending in an RPG, not have the developer just decide that for you. I went out of my way to get paragon points, but found those options greyed out at every turn, even at the maximum. You dont get any control over the direction and end of the story. I didnt use any walkthrough but you shouldnt have to read Biowares mind to get a decent ending. Its not worth playing again. 0/10
    Bioware has promised to make a extension to the end of the game, but youll probably have to pay for it. Because its corporates focus has ruined their games (see Dragon Age 2), its just a waste of money. VERDICT
    Skip this entry, just watch the endings on youtube for "closure". But, if you didnt play any of the previous games/ dont care for the story/rpg elements, its not bad, an average entry into the series.    … Expand
  37. kizzle
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    You probably think that most of the people on here are just bombing the score, or tolling. But, go play Mass Effect 1 and 2 and then play 3 and I try to come back here and give this a good review. The endings alone are enough of a complaint to warrant outrage
  38. john-117
    Apr 8, 2012
    2
    Bad graphics for the PC, maybe worse than ME2, but that didn't bother me. You all know what's really wrong... the ending. Great game until the end, but then, like a friend of mine said, WTF?
    Seriously, fix the ending Bioware or else you are never, ever going to get a dime from me again.
  39. shinran
    Nov 12, 2012
    2
    Felt really unfair that I don't get all dialog/story options because I didn't import a character from ME2. This is a very poor game design because I actually played both ME and ME2, but I didn't keep the game saves. Without the saves, ME3 makes many assumptions that didn't match with my personal experience from previous games. It gives me limited dialog choices and event outcomes. IFelt really unfair that I don't get all dialog/story options because I didn't import a character from ME2. This is a very poor game design because I actually played both ME and ME2, but I didn't keep the game saves. Without the saves, ME3 makes many assumptions that didn't match with my personal experience from previous games. It gives me limited dialog choices and event outcomes. I had to act out of characters in several occasions. It's one thing to enhance experience using previous game saves, but to require it to unlock main event outcomes is a very very very poor game design. Could just prompt for more background info if the player didn't have a game save.… Expand
  40. PosMatic
    Mar 23, 2012
    6
    Let's start by saying that Mass Effect is an amazing franchise! A game that TRULY let you feel that you are a part of it. that you decide who and what you will be. And here it is, the so-called the "end" of it... I've finished every game in the series more then 5 times , making sure that every decision stands to my needs and was hoping that normally, the third part of this amazing gameLet's start by saying that Mass Effect is an amazing franchise! A game that TRULY let you feel that you are a part of it. that you decide who and what you will be. And here it is, the so-called the "end" of it... I've finished every game in the series more then 5 times , making sure that every decision stands to my needs and was hoping that normally, the third part of this amazing game will give me peace as a TRUE dedicated ME played, a closure no matter what will happen - And now, That i've finished the game, i feel nausea. i stared at the screen for 5 minutes, while the credits were rolling, and i kept asking myself "But why? why to end like that?" Well, just look at all this hatred for the third game... It is not just a coincidence that so many people hate it. And don't even look at the critics, i personally could smell the BS even before i bought the game. Beside the ending, the game offers a lot. The fighting in game are really fun, dodging attacks by jumping from side to side, forward and backwards, adjusting your weapon by adding 2 attachments to it that will have a certain effect. improving the weapon itself in a certain terminal in the ship. Character improvements that reminds me of ME 1. Cut scenes and plot development are REALLY good during the game. Lots of emotions that touched me. really. I find the side missions pretty fun, they are not that complicated - "Search this planet, look at this planet. check this planet", But still, i this that BioWare could do better. The weapons and the gear in game had lots of improvements! You have a lot of armors to chose so you can make adjustments just to fill your needs, and so do weapons. And all this REALLY fun, i am not going to "Kill" a game because its last 10 minutes BUT, you prepare ~30 hours, making the right adjustments, the right gear, decisions that you feel whole with them, and then, nothing. That is right, nothing. You need to understand that i am not some FanBoy that hate right away because a little thing in-game did not satisfy me, i try to be mature and make a sence out of things, but this is not case in the ending of Mass Effect 3. From one side, though, i can understand WHY to make this ending, But from other side, i feel nausea. Betrayed. Even though i understand and try to accept.… Expand
  41. Heather11
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You know I've been a huge fan of Bioware and Mass Effect for a long time. I even defended Dragon Age 2 with all it's bugs and rush job. But this... I can't defend this game. There are plot holes, there is killing of characters that didn't need to die. Miranda dies if you didn't play as Male Shepard and romanced her. Even Female Shepard can't save her. The endings were crap. There is auto dialogue instead of the dialogue wheel that was in ME1 and ME2. In place of dialogue wheel there is the interrupt system that was introduced in ME2. In fact in ME2 if you skipped the interrupts you could get a dialogue wheel. Not this time. This doesn't even feel like it's my Shepard, it feels like Bioware's Shepard. The endings. 7 in total. Many say there is 17 but the official game guide says there is only 7 and one secret ending. 4 of the endings are how screwed the earth is when forced to take the destroy ending. 2 of the endings are the paragon ending where you take control of the reapers and send them away leaving the relays intact. The other ending is the synergist ending where you merge synthetics and organics into a new framework or DNA again bad ending. Shepard dies in all of those endings just listed. The only ending Shepard survives in is the seventh ending where you got 5100 galaxy readiness points by playing the Co-op and saving Anderson. Then you need to select the destroy option. By doing this the mass relays are destroyed. Earth survives, and Shepard survives. What also makes no sense is how your companions like Liara, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, The Prothean, and Vega who are on earth magically appear on the Normandy and also the normandy being in a hyperspace jump when it was at the final battle. Again plot holes in the game which make no sense. Then there is the ending with the AI that controls all the reapers, referred to as the cybergod boy or whatever have you. It tells Shepard some convoluted story of how it created the reapers to stop synthetics from obliterating the organics in the first place by harvesting organics. This circular reasoning has no basis in the game at all. They pretty much ripped this off from Deus Ex and from Battlestar Galactica. Shepard just gives up and goes with what the freaking AI child tells her/him and it makes no sense. Especially since Shepard has been fighting since day one to stop the reapers and defying the odds. Beat Saren and Sovereign in ME1 and survived. ME2 killed by the collectors and comes back to kick ass and survives the suicide mission. ME3... Choose one of 3 options and get 7 different endings only 1 where Shepard survives, 3 where the earth isn't irrevocably screwed. Then there are the romance scenes for the female/female. Now I know many people hate the gay romance scenes but they were supposed to be in ME1 they just removed the male/male ones in ME1 and then completely removed the same sex romance options in ME2 due to Fox Network being complete **** and scaring Bioware into being cautious. Anyways in all the same sex romance scenes. The one with Traynor in the shower she's in her bra and panties. No one showers in their bra and panties unless drunk or something. Shepard entering the shower in clothing makes no sense either. Then there is the one with Liara where Liara has no undergarments on but Femshep does. It makes no sense and reeks of poor work. They could have done a tasteful shower scene without clothing hiding the naughty bits and could have done the same for the Liara/Femshep love scene. They kept Liara's naughty bits hidden they could have done the same to FemShep. Again... this game was horribly executed. Yes there are a lot of good things in the game, but the endings and the overall execution was crappy. To those of you who hate gay romances, stop being homophobics and just deal with it. For years you've been catered to specifically as in all games the main protagonist was a straight heterosexual male who always got the girl. At least Bioware is doing something about that and allowing gay and lesbian gamers to have the one thing they've always wanted, a gay hero getting their guy or girl depending on gender. Beyond that I think Bioware just shot themselves in the foot.… Expand
  42. Patches
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yeah, it may be childish to give a 0 to a game that obviously is better than that. But it's the only way I've found to gives a slap in the face of Designers & Publishers that could actually hurt them...

    As you may have guessed by now, the ending is the main reason of my discontent... The ending of Mass Effect 2 was better by far... As soon as I saw Shepard bloody and crawling with only a pistol, I had a bad feeling about the ending...

    Also, the linearity of the story and the galaxy exploration is another let down. And he Normandy-Alliance crew? Been there, done that... The Cerberus crew has more interaction and 'life'... The sides quest are usually hollow, if not buggy. Do it as soon as you get them or risk not being able to finish them. They're also a lot confusing. Often, I didn't know what or where to go to complete them...

    Almost every decisions you made since ME1 result in a few more or less troops and/or ships for the final battle. Correct, but a bit dissapointing... And the multiplayer needed to have a better readiness in single player?... Bad idea... On a side note, the multiplayer is correct, but the 'Magic-the-Gathering-booster-pack' upgrading mechanic that forces you to grind XP or drop REAL cash to get is quite greedy, and another sign that money is more important that creating and satisfying people who bought the game...

    On a more personal note, I hated the 'kid-nightmare-walk slowly' parts... Hated that kind of stuff since the 1st Max Payne...

    Honestly, not everything is dark though:
    - The Action/RPG/Story experience choice can make the game more appealing to different kind of players. (Although I have to try each one to see if it makes a real difference... I don't have the heart to try right now)...
    - The scanning for ressource is now perfect: You scan a region, and if you found something interesting, then you grab or scan the planet (like finding a mission site in ME2)...
    - Ending put aside, most of the story is quite good and interesting, with great moments and surprises...

    Thats 3 huge dissapointments for me from thus far: C&C4, Dragon Age 2 and now ME3... No more preorder, EA... Ever... You can bet I'll wait for reviews & Metacritic before thinking of buying General 2!...    … Expand
  43. GB86
    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.    … Expand
  44. BiowareLied
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    Bioware said that the choices we made throughout the series would shape the ending. It turns out the only choice we have is: "red, blue, or green?" I don't know what kind of drugs the developers were on when they made that decision, but they can shove em.
  45. trouble1019
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    EA should be ashamed of them selves. The Day 1 DLC was built into the through line of the story and then removed. This is what I would call taking advantage of my loyalty and insulting my intelligence. It's hard to believe that the folks over at EA are clever enough to fully integrate a complete story arc and then remove it before the game is finalized, and then sell the part they removedEA should be ashamed of them selves. The Day 1 DLC was built into the through line of the story and then removed. This is what I would call taking advantage of my loyalty and insulting my intelligence. It's hard to believe that the folks over at EA are clever enough to fully integrate a complete story arc and then remove it before the game is finalized, and then sell the part they removed back to the people who paid a premium price for the game on the same day that the game hits the street, BUT they were unable to keep the BIOWARE team focused enough to create an appropriate ending for an EPIC piece of popular culture. This defines FAILURE in my humble opinion.… Expand
  46. Lucubration
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    As a player who has spend hundreds of hours replaying different possible paths in previous Mass Effect games, I can attest that the 'choice' of endings in this game have basically both killed my desire to further pursue Mass Effect titles and to seriously call into question the judgement of Bioware as a game development studio.

    The ending sequence to this title must have passed before    As a player who has spend hundreds of hours replaying different possible paths in previous Mass Effect games, I can attest that the 'choice' of endings in this game have basically both killed my desire to further pursue Mass Effect titles and to seriously call into question the judgement of Bioware as a game development studio.

    The ending sequence to this title must have passed before hundreds of pairs of eyes within the company before going live; the fact that it made it out the door in this state is... largely unforgivable. Plot holes the size of Texas, a nonsensical story twist that just leaves players confused at the end, and an utter lack of closure for the trilogy, the characters, the galaxy, etc, with any 'choice' of ending.

    I WANTED to love this game; instead it leaves me feeling ill and abused.    … Expand
  47. THESTANKYLEG
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    Do not waste your money. Bioware has gone the way of most developers and are only in it for the money now. They have established a fan base and exploited them in every possible way. The more hardcore fans will defend Bioware but will lose faith over time to the lack of respect Bioware has for them. EA was the worst thing to happen to Bioware and this game is the nail in the coffin. TakeDo not waste your money. Bioware has gone the way of most developers and are only in it for the money now. They have established a fan base and exploited them in every possible way. The more hardcore fans will defend Bioware but will lose faith over time to the lack of respect Bioware has for them. EA was the worst thing to happen to Bioware and this game is the nail in the coffin. Take your money somewhere else to a company that values its relationship to its customers. Tanking this score is the best thing you can do for this company now. DO NOT BUY… Expand
  48. tausra
    Mar 12, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The capstone to the Mass Effect trilogy does not end with a bang, but rather a whimper. You chase the impossible, beating every enemy in your path, you save (or condemn) entire civilizations, but in the end none of it matters. With a beam of light (you choose the color) the galaxy dies, the saga ends and your every hope comes to naught. Save the Geth, kill the krogan, renegade or Paragon, you will see the same choices as any other permutation of Shepard. What happens after the finale is anyone's guess as the game ends with a subtle command to "Buy the DLC!". There is no closure, there is only shiny lights and a ghostly child… Expand
  49. Tilehero
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    Full of glitches, the PC version is slightly better than the console one, which is nearly unplayable. For those that play Mass Effect for the rpg elements I recommend playing something with more storytelling like Pac-Man or Tetris. Also, your "choice has consequence" thing is not really true, as you can see when you reach the ending. An unfortunate ending for an once great game.
  50. ecarden
    Mar 12, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ahoy, Here there be Spoilers:

    Pirate voice off, review voice on:

    Unlike many others, I had no complaints about the day one DLC, or the autodialogue (which mostly consisted of straightforward conversations that would have been difficult to come up with multiple options for). In fact, I really enjoyed the increased ambient dialogue. The character development was top notch and the story did a fairly good job of reconstructing the Macguffin [...] trope. The first (for me as a completionist) 37 hours were really excellent, even if many of my favorite characters from ME2 only had cameos (Though several of those were outstanding: Jack, Thane and Kasumi's for instance). The new characters were quite fun as well. Cortez, Vega and Traynor all had their strong points and none of them bugged me, though I preferred to talk with the old squadmates.

    The reason I'm giving it such a low rating therefore is the ending. Besides coming out of left field (No, broadcasting that something exists doesn't give you license to make it into anything at all) it was massively inappropriate for the genre. It's like if the last Winnie the Pooh book ended with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and Owl murdered, only for the Criminal Minds team to come in and solve it, dragging away Piglet for the crime (Why Piglet? Because the writers say so!).

    A larger problem than the many logical flaws in the Catalyst's stated argument (and why anyone, let alone Shepard would believe anything that comes out of that holographic punk's mouth is another question) is that your character, who you've spent (assuming you played ME1 and ME2 as I did) more than a hundred hours turning into the ultimate badass, facing down the Council, Wrex, Saren, Sovereign, Harbinger, the Collectors, etfc. is unable to give any response but: sure, I'll choose from among the options you give me, because I'm too stupid to point out that your logic is obviously flawed and that even if it was correct, it wouldn't justify your actions.

    In short, even just cutting off everything after the elevator activates would be a superior ending, one that didn't feel like you climbed a mountain just to get booted off when you reached the top. Speaking only for myself, I won't be bothering to replay with any of my (5!) other Shepards until I'm at least given the option to kick back.    … Expand
  51. MicMaky
    Mar 14, 2012
    5
    Before completing the game I was confused at the massive difference between user and critic reviews. However, since finishing the game I now understand why, either the critics have been bribed or they have no seen the absolute mess of an ending. The only reason I give this a 5 and not a 1 is because up until the end the game is all I imagined it would be; it contained rich flowing storyBefore completing the game I was confused at the massive difference between user and critic reviews. However, since finishing the game I now understand why, either the critics have been bribed or they have no seen the absolute mess of an ending. The only reason I give this a 5 and not a 1 is because up until the end the game is all I imagined it would be; it contained rich flowing story and dialog with a very sound game engine. Some people complain about the poor textures and some of the animations but I am fine with that, I don't play the mass effect trilogy for the graphical detail, I play it for the in depth interactive story.
    The negativity of this review is based solely on the ending, which is very vague, full of plot holes and just generally not a "mass effect" ending.
    If it weren't for the ending I would be scoring this far higher, in the range the have critics scored it.    … Expand
  52. Hurzt
    Mar 25, 2012
    6
    Looking back, I enjoyed playing Mass Effect 2 the most; to me the story, gameplay and atmosphere rocked big time, giving me a cineastic experience and a feeling of immersion only few games have given me so far. Although ME2 was mostly linear, the sheer variety of satisfying setpieces and well-done scripts/dialogues made "collecting" character for character (your team/allies) and theLooking back, I enjoyed playing Mass Effect 2 the most; to me the story, gameplay and atmosphere rocked big time, giving me a cineastic experience and a feeling of immersion only few games have given me so far. Although ME2 was mostly linear, the sheer variety of satisfying setpieces and well-done scripts/dialogues made "collecting" character for character (your team/allies) and the over-arcing story much fun. I went to every location and even scanned most of the planets for resources, although it was quite tedious. After a few hours in Mass Effect 3 and some satisfying hours in the multiplayer mode (never played 'Gears') I began to realize there was "something missing". And then I started to feel like "please let me just get through this and don't annoy me too much". Kudos to Bioware for creating a great SF-lore/galaxy with many great characters, but in ME3, the whole recipe felt sooo "been there, done that". I went to earth (in order to finish the game) as soon as I could. There were some great moments and some sparks flying on the way to the ending, too, but most of them had to do with already well established characters. "On the way to the ending" kind of expresses it, too. It should feel like "the end is closing in, but I don't want it to end!". All in all, I enjoyed this game but can only repeat there's "something missing". It could have been so much more... Oh, and all the military stuff with Hackett, war map, soldier talk etc.? Boooooooring -.- Of course it's also difficult so begin a story with an invasion which seems to erase a whole planet's population within hours, just to then start flying through a whole galaxy for weeks(?) in order to be able to "fight back"...… Expand
  53. StMichael
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    I reserve a score of 0 for games that are either non-functional, incomplete or grossly incompetently made. Mass Effect 3 fits squarely in the 2nd category. Rather than bring a conclusion to the Reaper threat, the game introduces a Deus Ex Machina ending (in the traditional greek sense). There's no final confrontation, no closure given, just 1 poorly made ending with 3 different colorI reserve a score of 0 for games that are either non-functional, incomplete or grossly incompetently made. Mass Effect 3 fits squarely in the 2nd category. Rather than bring a conclusion to the Reaper threat, the game introduces a Deus Ex Machina ending (in the traditional greek sense). There's no final confrontation, no closure given, just 1 poorly made ending with 3 different color explosions (Literally, I'm not exaggerating here). It really does feel incomplete, and as a result does not deserve a formal review until the finished product is released.… Expand
  54. NaTeRiv3r
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 - perhaps, greatest disappointment in my playing life. There are good moments in him, but them criminally small. On all basic elections from previous parts a scenario writer spit(Did you set about in slivers the base of Collectors? And in headquarters of Cerberus however use works "from that remained". Did you kill queen Rachny in the first part? Reapers-Rachny however will appear in the third.) From an ideal command from the second part there is nothing - her members appear pair of one times for a game, are a how hardly not parody on itself and thank God if fervor in a shot does not die. Be kind to love the personages of ME1 dull tossing of as if parodying casual personage Gears of War and AI....but now in the body of robot! Reapers from a galactic threat goes to the quite stupid bosses, maintaining the pair of rockets. (Teleport on Citadel, one place from where they can be destroyed one only ordinary Reaper guards) But all of it grows dim as compared to the monstrous ending, that turns all clock conducted after three parts in puke, the choice of color of this puke is only given you. All game you collected troops for a battle that so not happened, the final amount of these troops influences only on the insignificant differences of finishing roller. Explaining nothing, entering some idiotic God-child, Bioware allow titles and suggest to buy DLC.Here thank you! Good moments like permission of conflicts between different races and pair of deaths of especially favourite personages only show what could be ME3 if it were not for replacement of scenario writer and desire to do quickly continuation of successful series, instead of that to do a really good game. Sadly, that to say.… Expand
  55. AverageJIm
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    What disappointing in this game is what simple actions that can make this game atleast 50% better or more,such a good series like this should not be rushed and should be a lesson to bioware about the effects of rushing good games (cough dragon age ii)
  56. badkins1102
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    I just do not understand how they can write such amazing dialog for this one, and then completely botch the ending. The other two games didn't feel nearly as alive and real as this one and it was a lot of fun to play... but the ending was just horrid. Shame on you Bioware.
  57. Tristaaz
    Mar 21, 2012
    5
    Boring side-quests, to much repeating. Did not feel the characters, to little time with the ME2 characters. Bugging cut-scenes were heads are turned to the side when having conversations and sometimes just see a wall. Allot of the voice-sounds are gone, use subtitles! Wrong textures., supposed to come on different act. Sometimes strange conversations, were you dont know what they areBoring side-quests, to much repeating. Did not feel the characters, to little time with the ME2 characters. Bugging cut-scenes were heads are turned to the side when having conversations and sometimes just see a wall. Allot of the voice-sounds are gone, use subtitles! Wrong textures., supposed to come on different act. Sometimes strange conversations, were you dont know what they are talking about, like you talking with a different guy. These little mistakes destroys the total experience. Going from ME1 and ME2 to this is a scandal! Seems like Bioware are tired of Mass Effect and now so am I. Not interested in DLCs after this shaite.… Expand
  58. elgrinch
    Apr 8, 2012
    5
    i WAS a devoted fan of this saga so i can't say i hated ME3 but...i CAN genuinely say i was very disappointed. Bioware made a few improvements to combat whilst killing ALL the other features that made mass effect what it was... The choices and repercussions from ME1-->ME2 are now worth a **** so the story we had built basically died. Most of the caracters we came to love are no longer withi WAS a devoted fan of this saga so i can't say i hated ME3 but...i CAN genuinely say i was very disappointed. Bioware made a few improvements to combat whilst killing ALL the other features that made mass effect what it was... The choices and repercussions from ME1-->ME2 are now worth a **** so the story we had built basically died. Most of the caracters we came to love are no longer with us cause they were replaced by either gay or pretty looking people...none of which ever really have an edifying conversation with shepard cause roleplay is nonexistent in this release... Even little things like the music in shepards quarters went from epic space tunes to half-assed amature fiddling with keyboard. Now.. the fighting and some of the scenes were actually pretty great but, this little approval suddenly finds itself punched, kicked and spitt on by THE END....
    ... Oh God, the end.... could it suck more?... anyways, mass effect 3 is fun to play for any person that doesn't give a damn about the trilogy nor spent time and money on the prior titles. But for us fans... we got screwed. P.S ---those cash mongering tactics like the day one DLC crap.... results in more loss than gain.    … Expand
  59. mycccroft
    Apr 2, 2012
    1
    The Good: Some of the character writing is the best I've seen in a video game. The Bad: Frequent bugs (I started saving before I stepped foot on the bridge). With the exception of a few superb missions, the story writing falls apart in this game (especially in the second half). The overall plot is weak and the ending is as bad as advertised. The entire last mission (London) feels like itThe Good: Some of the character writing is the best I've seen in a video game. The Bad: Frequent bugs (I started saving before I stepped foot on the bridge). With the exception of a few superb missions, the story writing falls apart in this game (especially in the second half). The overall plot is weak and the ending is as bad as advertised. The entire last mission (London) feels like it was done by a different team. I don't know whether this game was rushed, a victim of corporate politics, or had some massive turnover in the writing staff, but this was a massive disappointment. What makes it transcend the average failure are the moments of brilliance. The game keeps sucking you back in and then smacking you every time you engage in it. A bad game is just dull. This one is painful. If you haven't played ME1 and ME2, avoid this series at all costs.… Expand
  60. Daruwind
    Apr 24, 2012
    1
    Well we were promised many things by devs of that game. And because od ME1+2 we believed. The big majority of the game is a damn good ride but still you have the feeling that development needed like one more year. Game is rushed and many corners are cut off not polish into the gold. (Maybe they were intentions for future DLCs). But the most major problem is,that the fate of universe isWell we were promised many things by devs of that game. And because od ME1+2 we believed. The big majority of the game is a damn good ride but still you have the feeling that development needed like one more year. Game is rushed and many corners are cut off not polish into the gold. (Maybe they were intentions for future DLCs). But the most major problem is,that the fate of universe is decided in the last 10 minutes which completely negate all our choices so far. (Why import our choices, why all the hype about importance of our deeds,why ......) Now we are stuck with "artistic integrity" which is completely without logic with so many plot holes that even planets could fall through. Simply the end feels like completely from different world/space/time/hell...I enjoy re-playing of ME1+2 but now I don´t have will nor taste to try ME3 once more. And that´s really sad. Another issue and false ad is about multiplayer which is effectively necessary for "the best" ending. Singleplayer itself cannot provide you that ending there is not enough in-game point for it. (BW is looking into the matter, maybe future DLC which will allow it...) Disappointment is simply too strong.… Expand
  61. Burnsidhe
    May 7, 2012
    6
    Decent game play, carrying forward the tradition of ME 2. Adding options for powers, weapons, a good step in the direction of RPGs. However, only one hub location hurts, as does the feeling of a small universe. It's understandable in terms of the story, and I don't miss endless exploration, but having more places to stop and look around would be nice. The characterization is excellent,Decent game play, carrying forward the tradition of ME 2. Adding options for powers, weapons, a good step in the direction of RPGs. However, only one hub location hurts, as does the feeling of a small universe. It's understandable in terms of the story, and I don't miss endless exploration, but having more places to stop and look around would be nice. The characterization is excellent, except for things like pandering to IGN in the form of Jessica Chobot being included in the game. Characters do react well, and appropriately to their established personalities. Shepard even shows signs of the strain of forming alliances between groups that don't want to work together. The downside is that some Renegade choices are more "puppy-kicking evil" than ruthless pragmatism. However, choices ultimately don't matter. Everything boils down to a single number. The ending is horrible, not coherent with the story of the trilogy to this point, and actually invalidates previous game plots entirely. It puts the player into an emotionally numb free fall after some very powerful scenes. The final splash-screen message that ends with "Purchase future DLC!" is exceptionally insulting. Rumor has it that Casey Hudson and Mac Walters wrote the endings in isolation, and that the rest of the writing team was not allowed to review and critique it. If this is true, they should be ashamed and apologize for failing to understand basic storytelling. I'm giving it a 6. The game play was good without being frenetic or relying on enemies dancing around like crickets on a hot steel plate for difficulty. The story, up until a certain point at the end, was exceptionally good. But the ending (singular, there's just one that's been palette swapped) is depressing and inconclusive; the story stops but it doesn't *end*.… Expand
  62. Lulgrim
    May 22, 2012
    3
    A good action title with gameplay massively polished since ME and ME2 and similar cheesy epicness, this time the scale is a bit larger so even more epic, really. Until you reach the ending, which leaves a sour taste in your mouth and basically makes you never touch a ME title again. Not the new one with the smoother gameplay and not even the previous ones, since they are now also ruinedA good action title with gameplay massively polished since ME and ME2 and similar cheesy epicness, this time the scale is a bit larger so even more epic, really. Until you reach the ending, which leaves a sour taste in your mouth and basically makes you never touch a ME title again. Not the new one with the smoother gameplay and not even the previous ones, since they are now also ruined for you story-wise. Replay value is actually *negative* since there is no reason to replay ME3 but you won't replay 1 or 2 anymore either. Yes, I also didn't believe it can be so bad as people complain but it IS. What utter garbage.… Expand
  63. drSpockwa
    Jul 28, 2012
    4
    This has been a love hate purchase for me.
    * The story is good, although not the Epic everyone raves about.
    * The controversial ending is not as good as it could have been, but not as terrible as hyped * The combat experience is great! Leveling character kits from experience is a fun mechanic * Graphics aren't that great for this day and age * Lip syncing with dialog is horrible.    This has been a love hate purchase for me.
    * The story is good, although not the Epic everyone raves about.
    * The controversial ending is not as good as it could have been, but not as terrible as hyped
    * The combat experience is great! Leveling character kits from experience is a fun mechanic
    * Graphics aren't that great for this day and age
    * Lip syncing with dialog is horrible. They shouldn't have even bothered if this is what they came up with.

    My primary problems are around game stability:
    * I played this on the PC. I suspect console gaming is more stable.
    * The cover system is awful. They chose to use the same button for running and going into cover which means you spend about 10% of combat fighting the game itself to get into cover when you want to, or out of cover when you didn't want to, because you ran too close to a corner and it thought you wanted to go into cover.
    * If an enemy comes up behind you while in cover, good luck getting out of cover to run/melee. You can't melee from cover.
    * Waiting - You get to wait at least 30 seconds after pressing any key for the intro when the game starts, till you get the main menu, because the game insists on connecting to EA's servers then validating your DLC. Why couldn't this happen either quicker, or start during the intro? And why is this even necessary if I'm playing single player campaign.
    * Multi-player - This is really the part I like most of the game because it is pure combat. However:
    * The match making system is SLOW and flaky. You spend a lot of time waiting for the servers to place you with a group of other people. Very often I cancel and retry and it gets right in.
    * If you get sick of waiting for the Quick match to add you to an existing lobby/game, you can create your own, but plan on waiting at least 5 minutes for anyone to appear in your lobby. More waiting.
    * Once you get into a multi-player game About 1 in 10 games will have some type of syncing issue with the servers or peers. You'll shoot at enemies that are stuck pumping ammo int an enemy with out it's health meter changing, and then they magically appear next to you and kill you.
    * About 1 in 10 games ends with an enemy stuck in a wall or 20 feet off a ledge off the edge of the map, so you better hope someone has an area of effect weapon like a grenade to kill it or your stuck ending the match. * Experience and game $ is only awarded at the end of an 11 wave match. This makes some sense because you don't want people being flaky and jumping in and out and messing with the team continuity. But when the game goes nuts, and you get dropped or quit because there is no other option, you get nothing.
    * You get to the end of a multi-player game and there is an awesome stats screen to see how you did. But the guy that hosted the game decided he is done and leaves, so you don't get to review your stats anymore.
    * About 1 in 20 in game purchases will lock up during the transaction. Purchases are made from either real cash through bio ware points( I've never done it, and won't) or game $ you earn from matches. About 50% of the time, after you restart the game from the lock up, you see the pack that you purchased during the previous crash.
    * For a while, I couldn't launch the game till online research uncovered that I had to start Origin (EA's required digital distribution system) in Admin mode.

    I really wish this game were more stable, so I could enjoy it more Fortunately, I got it on sale 50% off, so I don't feel too hosed by EA and BioWare.    … Expand
  64. Squirrel_Empire
    Aug 26, 2012
    8
    The ending isn't perfect. In fact, it had me in a rage where it made me feel as though the rest of the series was no longer relevant. The extended cut gave me a slightly better ending, but I still feel as though the ending doesn't live up to the standard of the series. That said, it's actually still a fantastic game, and I felt as though I was going to give it a perfect 10 throughout allThe ending isn't perfect. In fact, it had me in a rage where it made me feel as though the rest of the series was no longer relevant. The extended cut gave me a slightly better ending, but I still feel as though the ending doesn't live up to the standard of the series. That said, it's actually still a fantastic game, and I felt as though I was going to give it a perfect 10 throughout all of it, until I hit the ending. It's not a great ending, and I have many reasons why I don't like it. It does seem to mar the overall experience, but after some consideration, I did remember that there was a genuinely great game before that. Was it a satisfactory end to my Shepherds journey? Hell no. But it was one hell of a ride until I got there.… Expand
  65. sisco900
    Jan 17, 2015
    0
    A huge disappointment compared to Mass Effect 1. Just as bad as Mass Effect 2. No RPG elements, **** upgrading, awful main story, **** dialogue and characters...
  66. Humboldt1337
    Mar 26, 2018
    10
    Edit:
    They have fixed the ending with exceptional free DLC. Hooray! Now a 10/10 game.

    Worst. Ending. In. Video. Gaming. History.
    Exactly what the **** were you thinking Bioware?
    It is hard to imagine that this game was not just a massive troll on everyone who has played these games.
  67. musique
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I remember the very first time I played through mass effect. It was an enthralling experience. Never before had a game allowed you to explore unknown worlds in your awesome tank and fly across the galaxy in a state of the art super-ship. The game had an excellent upgrades system with hundreds of different types of armor and customizations that could be implemented. The storyline was exciting and original. Something that would have made gene Roddenberry proud and the ending to the game was satisfying yet left you begging for more. Mass Effect 2 was a shell of the 1st game. Gutting the original of all its great customizations and removing the ability to drive across the vast terrains of uncharted planets. Instead the game allows you to 'scan' planets (an extremely irritating and dull task) for their minerals. No longer did you have the amount of customization that was present in Mass Effect 1. The game was now more of a 3rd person shooter, like gears of war. I enjoyed Mass Effect because I felt it was the anti-gears. Focusing on storyline and character interactions instead of violent battles and never ending waves of enemies. The combat in Mass Effect was elegant and sleek, and because of all the upgrades you could become very powerful with nearly unbreakable shields and weapons that should kill your foes in 1 shot. Mass Effect 2 does away with all those powerful upgrades and instead gives you **** in its place. The same goes for mass effect 3, but I'll get to that in a moment. Mass Effect 2 has a rather stupid storyline. When Mass Effect 2's first trailer came out it was for nothing more than shock value. Shepard 'dies' in the 1st few moments of the game only to brought back immediately and you are swept into working for Cerberus (so much for the free will we were given in Mass Effect). Overall the storyline in the second game felt like nothing more than filler material. Continuing on to Mass Effect 3, Bioware has completely cut ties with any similarities from Mass Effect 1. The game features combat along the same lines as Gears of War. It almost feels as though Bioware was trying to copy gears of wars combat. Another major complaint that I have about the game is the addition of politically correct homosexual relationships added into the story. Shepard was a very straight military man in the first two games. However now he now has the so called 'choice' to become a homosexual. The choice to become a homosexual is forced upon you. If you speak to the homosexual character and do not choose to use your paragon influence on him/her the game gives you renegade points instead. I decided not to talk to the homosexual character at all because every time I did he/she was trying to hit on me. There are also numerous homosexual references in the game and at one point if you are the male Shepard you will even hit on Vega (who is straight) when he comes up to your quarters for a chat. These politically correct homosexual references are just another way to force homosexuality on the masses and I personally disprove of Bio waresâ… Expand
  68. lyt2210
    Mar 8, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Beautiful scenery, wonderful music, and bad endings this pretty much sums up my ME3 experience. No matter what you do, no matter the choices you have made along this road EA has you dying, there is no ending where you see your lover ever again(unless you play mp get +5k EMS then you will get a 1 second clip of someone taking a breath). At the end of the game post credits they a have a grandpa and grandson on what looks like the moon with trees staring at earth. The ending has the mass relays being destroyed so why bother helping the quarians retake the home world they'll never see it. Basically everyone is pretty much stuck in the sol system until somebody figures out FTL without mass effect. To put it simply I emotionally invested myself in this game, in my character, in this mission only to be letdown. I remember when I first made my character Emily, an infiltrator I spent literally an hour just turning her head side to front just so I would have the perfect face. I would redo entire missions in ME2 if I failed the first time to get a crew member's loyalty, I played tedious mining mini-games so I could outfit my ship, I stayed true to my lover from ME1 in hopes of finally having a good ending in ME3 after the disaster called, Horizon. All these choices are moot now thanks to the really rushed ending. The ending was pick the ending you hate the least, not a reward for doing all you could to get a high enough EMS score. No the "3" choices (if you can call them that) are a letdown, just a punishment, no reward. I suggest to those who have not bought it yet wait for it to go down in price, because the bulk of the story is good and some of the scenes will make you a little teary eyed. It is an amazing game right up to the last 30 minutes. Remember peoples the saying goes the only thing that people will remember is what you did...well Bioware what do you have to say for yourself about this atrocious end to a otherwise magical series.… Expand
  69. gvision
    Mar 9, 2012
    0
    Until now, I really wouldn't have thought any game would ever deserve a 0. Bioware spent a series built on personal decisions endearing us to our characters as the Mass Effect universe only to destroy it with a Deus Ex ending and the destruction of everything we cared about. I can't go into specifics because of spoilers, but there is absolutely NO CLOSURE of anything in the game. TheUntil now, I really wouldn't have thought any game would ever deserve a 0. Bioware spent a series built on personal decisions endearing us to our characters as the Mass Effect universe only to destroy it with a Deus Ex ending and the destruction of everything we cared about. I can't go into specifics because of spoilers, but there is absolutely NO CLOSURE of anything in the game. The entire series lost it's replayability because the ending will always be the same 3 choices (none of which have much variation) that do not take into account anything you've done in the series up to that point. It was all a waste of time, you may as well have let everyone die, been a total prick the whole time and not given a damn about anyone but yourself and you would still have the exact same outcome as someone who did the exact opposite.

    Couple that with the increasingly simplified gameplay, the jittery animations, the complete removal of exploration and dimming RPG features, the tacked on Multiplayer, etc., etc., etc...I will never play another Bioware game again. I'm even going a step further, and will be warning any gamer I meet that playing Bioware's games are not worth the price of admission.

    I have no doubt the obviously rushed ending is due to EA pushing Bioware to release ME3 long before it was ready, in effort to recoup losses over the tragedy that was Dragon Age 2 and the ridiculous amount of money spent on that Wow-clone SWTOR. Someone PLEASE save Bioware, buy them out, hire them away from EA, SOMETHING. I fear my once favorite game developer will never be even a fraction of what it used to be until they're pulled away from the EA turds.    … Expand
  70. howlincroft
    Mar 9, 2012
    6
    I think I get it now. Freedom of choice in the end of ME3 is almost like elections in Russia. I mean, this guys telling you 'Feel free to build your own game! Your choice is important and all, but in the end we show you how it must be, regardless of your opinion'. Btw, the whole series is just superb, I never had such a nice gaming experience since old good Arcanum back in the days. ButI think I get it now. Freedom of choice in the end of ME3 is almost like elections in Russia. I mean, this guys telling you 'Feel free to build your own game! Your choice is important and all, but in the end we show you how it must be, regardless of your opinion'. Btw, the whole series is just superb, I never had such a nice gaming experience since old good Arcanum back in the days. But see it crash like this... And because I love BioWare so much made it even worse.… Expand
  71. Mommaandrea
    Mar 11, 2012
    2
    I finished ME3 this morning at 6:30, staying up all night to finish it. I am a huge fan of the series. Played both ME1 and ME2 multiple times. I love the story and relationships and it makes me laugh and sometimes cry (Talitha "I remember me")
    the Ending utterly SUCKED. The end Ending.was so...anti climactic and stupid. It's the only way I can describe it. I'm fighting with giving    I finished ME3 this morning at 6:30, staying up all night to finish it. I am a huge fan of the series. Played both ME1 and ME2 multiple times. I love the story and relationships and it makes me laugh and sometimes cry (Talitha "I remember me")
    the Ending utterly SUCKED. The end Ending.was so...anti climactic and stupid. It's the only way I can describe it. I'm fighting with giving details because I don't want to spoil it for someone. But for me those last few moments of the game didn't answer any questions or make anything clearer. Honestly, it looked like they had no idea and slapped an ending on. All the sappyness and good byes isn't even my problem, I expected that and in a way wanted it. It is the final choice and the lack of explanation by this supposed higher being, whom I wanted to shoot. Stupid ending to a much anticipated game.    … Expand
  72. Dieuos
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have never written a review about a game before, but I felt very compelled to do this to vent my frustrations.

    Throughout my time playing Mass Effect 3, I was hooked. I enjoyed every minute I played, and I felt that it was the best in the series. The combat system was impressive, and the story seemed to fit the perfect role that it needed to be for the conclusion of the Mass Effect series. However, as I kept playing, I kept noticing more and more that the choices I made previously didn't really matter at all. For example, I worked to keep all of my squadmates alive in Mass Effect 2, but in Mass Effect 3, they were reduced to minor characters who mattered little more than a few points of War Assets and some whimsical reminiscence. However I pushed through, because I believed that this was the culmination of my choices, and if I just kept playing, I would eventually see what impact my Shepard had on the galaxy. I was wrong. Instead of seeing the ramifications of ALL of the choices I had made, I got a cookie cutter "Choose which ending that has nothing to do with the rest of the plot" ending. Maybe I'll max out my galactic readiness score to try and attain this "best ending possible" ending, but for now, destroying/controlling/combining with the reapers all seem effectively the same.
    TLDR:
    Mass Effect 3 was supposed to be the epic conclusion to an epic story, that many gamers had been waiting 5 years for. While this game did conclude the story of Commander Shepard, it did not give closure to those people who had invested playthrough after playthrough, meticulously choosing options that they believed would make a difference in the end. Instead, gamers were treated to a sloppy, cop-out of an ending that effectively negates any choice made previously.    … Expand
  73. jeep232
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    Not a very good game, I was expecting more from a highly anticipated rpg. The ending totally destroyed it and made it unworthy for what the game was expected to be. Overall I would say the graphics and game play cannot make up for the story and ending for any rps. Also the fact of day one dlc was a major turn off and didn't seem like it should have been dlc. This is more evident when theNot a very good game, I was expecting more from a highly anticipated rpg. The ending totally destroyed it and made it unworthy for what the game was expected to be. Overall I would say the graphics and game play cannot make up for the story and ending for any rps. Also the fact of day one dlc was a major turn off and didn't seem like it should have been dlc. This is more evident when the game files for the dlc were in the game itself and not even a download.… Expand
  74. kinraze
    May 4, 2012
    2
    It's BAIT and SWITCH at its lowest, a fun game at its highest. Unfortunately the more invested you are into the story and the universe, the worse off you are for it. If its your first Mass Effect game, you don't read the codex, you don't really care about anything other than how it plays and if its fun, your in for a treat. If you got all the merchandise, books, dlc, and get thoroughlyIt's BAIT and SWITCH at its lowest, a fun game at its highest. Unfortunately the more invested you are into the story and the universe, the worse off you are for it. If its your first Mass Effect game, you don't read the codex, you don't really care about anything other than how it plays and if its fun, your in for a treat. If you got all the merchandise, books, dlc, and get thoroughly into a game for its world, you may find the ending very off-putting. Its not as bad as MetalGear switching out the main character a quarter of the way, but its 3 quarters of rad-ness followed by an 8th of ferocity, and an 8th of WTF?!!!!!! The gameplay is the same as ME2 but polished, duck-cover shooter but weapons are now far more powerful to the point that you don't require combinations within your team to pass levels (again, power you probably don't have if you haven't xferred experience over from previous games, so more fun if you haven't played before). Spawning mobs comes from dark walled patches like every other game. Side games like hacking consoles, and scouring each planet for resources are gone. Choices don't even offer alternate combat paths like cookie-cutter FPS's do in their single player mode. As a full priced expansion, this would be an 8 in my mind, but as a solid sequel, this game falls far from expanding on its engine and system other than technical mechanics that i'm sure developers and critics are hailing it for. If i were rating a movie where i got to shoot stuff every now and choose which rad decisions the hero made, then the medium itself would warrant a 10. But as a video game this is a 3. Let's save polished remakes for programming school shall we?… Expand
  75. Almin
    Mar 8, 2012
    5
    The games doesn't make much difference of the choices made in the previous games, and plot holes are there, gaped with duct tape writing.
    There is some minor bugs (like getting stuck in the Normandy **** near joker), a useless quest journal (seriously).
    The endings are disappointing, same animations, different colors. Having a high galactic readiness score barely changes the endings    The games doesn't make much difference of the choices made in the previous games, and plot holes are there, gaped with duct tape writing.
    There is some minor bugs (like getting stuck in the Normandy **** near joker), a useless quest journal (seriously).
    The endings are disappointing, same animations, different colors. Having a high galactic readiness score barely changes the endings (actually, just one).
    Overall it's not a bad game, it has some enjoyable moment and dialogues, but it could have been much better.
    PS: I personally find that the DLC character to be pretty important, give really nice insight of the protean and all, and I really feel that he has been cut from the game (were he blends a little to well for a DLC) to be a juicy $$$ DLC.    … Expand
  76. Beanbag
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When Mass Effect 3 was first released, it truly deserved the poor scores it was getting. Not because of the game technology or graphics. Both of those had improved over ME2 (except the conversations, those still feel terribly clunky). What really earned it such terrible scores was the horrible slap in the face issued to long-time fans by in (my opinion) EA. In what felt very much like a rush job to avoid a launch delay, ME3 was released with an ending sequence that went against every promise that was made to fans since day one, which obviously upset the fans. Now I do understand that newcomers to the franchise have a hard time accepting this concept, but if you hadn't supported BioWare from very early on, and become a fan of this particular story during Mass Effect 1, you likely wouldn't understand. Personally, the original ending left me feeling a little bit empty. Having expected so much and gotten essentially nothing, it felt as if the machines were correct all along. In the end, all the struggles accounted for nothing. However, in a truly groundbreaking move, BioWare listened to it's fans and supporters. As they always had before EA gobbled them up, BioWare cared what we all felt about their creation, understanding our investment in it. In a move that shocked the industry, a new ending sequence was released. It did not solve every problem, nor could anything be expected to do so, but it did answer many, if not all, of the questions left by the original. It seems that this incident has been so quickly forgotten by everyone, but BioWare deserves the proper recognitiion for what they have done. Original review:

    "Having played all three mass effect games, I waited with great hopes for this final installment. We were promised a final conclusion to the story that would leave no loose ends. Instead, we were given the exact opposite. While the gameplay and graphics show minimal improvements over ME2, the storytelling, conversation, and squad relationship systems have all suffered. Mass Effect 3 was truly an epic disappointment, one which concluded with a slap in the face for long time fans and players"    … Expand
  77. Rubato
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    For myself at least, Mass Effect 3 has been *the* greatest disappointment in gaming history.

    Bioware was previously one of my favorite developers.

    This game is utter trash.
  78. Em-Man
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    The game featured a promising start. It was exciting to finally see everything you did in the last 2 games make a difference in Mass Effect 3... Only that it didn't. Nothing you did in the game has a result or consequence in this game, not even the stuff you do in Mass Effect 3. You can't do any major choices during the game. The combat feels like a bad version of Gears of War. The endingThe game featured a promising start. It was exciting to finally see everything you did in the last 2 games make a difference in Mass Effect 3... Only that it didn't. Nothing you did in the game has a result or consequence in this game, not even the stuff you do in Mass Effect 3. You can't do any major choices during the game. The combat feels like a bad version of Gears of War. The ending is horrible and makes the whole story of Shepard from the first game to the third feel irrelevant. The games has lots of glitches and feels rushed and unpolished.… Expand
  79. Roccius
    Mar 10, 2012
    1
    Just ****
    -Worst ending ever for a game saga based on choices and good narration
    -Plotholes
    -Fugly animations
    -Useless multiplayer
    -EA

    The only reason to buy that crap is to give it to someone you hate with burning passion
  80. FS3D_Pete
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I rarely play games these days... I prefer to create content than to view it, from writing to 3D modelling... Mass Effect was the 1st game I put any real time into since my days as a teenager. It had a story that could be altered based on your choices, and those choices had the potential to alter plot points further down the line... A novel idea and a welcome change to the linearity of other games I had seen in the past. This alone got me hooked on the franchise. I couldn't care less about the 3rd person shooter aspects, although the RPG elements were better than I had expected from a game of this sort.

    Mass Effect 2 continued the storyline. I wasn't sure if I liked the direction they took the story in that game, and the mechanics of the game itself took a nose-dive. If I wanted to play Gears of War, I would have done so. However, I stuck with it because of the promise of finishing the story... And I am a big fan of story-driven content in a game, especially if that story can have different outcomes based on your choices.

    Mass Effect 3 is the culmination of this effort... And given that it was the final game in Shepard's story, it should have allowed for a total divergence of the story, decent closure to all the story threads, and for hard-core players who had put a LOT of effort into their profiles (as I had done), a satisfying outcome for the characters involved, with the protagonist surviving AND getting some form of reward for his effort, for players who worked for it.

    But what did Bioware do?

    They ruined it all in the last 30 minutes.

    Apparently, they decided in the development of the game, that all of your choices from the previous two games, and from the majority of the third game, would make no difference whatsoever to the outcome. They present you with two choices (three, if you have a high enough readiness score at the end), to either destroy the Reapers, or control them (and the third is to undergo synergy, a melding of synthetic and organic technology).

    None of the available choices made any logical sense, and the justification given by the entity within the Citadel at the end of the game was the weakest I had ever seen, especially as it's refutation was in the game itself... Remember when I referred to those who had worked hard? One of the plot points that could be achieved was a cease-fire between the Geth and the Quarians... Refuting the insinuation that synthetics and organics would always war with each other... But BioWare decided to ignore it.

    Not only that, but every side-mission you complete, every decision you make in conversation, amounted to nothing whatsoever. Sure, critics of this review might point out that your readiness score is increased by completing side missions, but the only difference this makes is to make it easier to achieve the required score for the third ending.

    There's no epilogue to the stories of all the races you decided to help along the way, and the decision to collapse the Mass Relay network achieved the very thing that the Reapers wanted in the first place... To ensure the collapse of galactic civilization. Think of the Quarians and the Turians in Earth orbit... How are they going to survive on a planet where Dextro-Amino acid-based nutrition is unavailable? And having managed in my save game to achieve peace between the Quarians and the Geth, now both of them are stranded in the Local Cluster of the galaxy, where the Sol system is.

    The worst part of it is in how there is absolutely no satisfying conclusion for the characters you have in your squad, or on your ship. One of the most unforgivable bugs in the game is that, no matter who you have in your squad in the final mission, you will find them aboard the Normandy, crash-landed on a planet in the final scene.

    How did they get there? Teleportation? No... This was an oversight on the part of the developers.

    My only conclusion is lazy story-telling. It's as though they gave up at the end and decided to just make up a weak plot. I've seen better fan-fiction from a child than what I saw at the end of the game. Rather than give us the option of a large and diverging story-line and a choice based upon all of the hard work you put into the game since Mass Effect, you instead end up with a choice from three possible outcomes, all of them a shade different, yet strikingly similar to each of the others.

    The only real difference your War Readiness gives you is in whether some of Earth survives, even less of Earth survives, or if Earth is completely wiped out. None of the other plot points, decisions, or side-quests make a damned bit of difference in the end, and that's a big problem for a game that was promised to account for your actions across the franchise.


    This ruined a story that had excellent promise... And has truly killed a franchise I previously enjoyed for its' story-telling.    … Expand
  81. agotmanov
    Apr 30, 2012
    3
    I have but one issue with this game - the writing. I mean really, how hard can it be? ME2 was no freaking masterpiece, but the story was compelling enough to make action meaningful, and occasional stupidities were just something to laugh about and forget. In short, it was fun. I think in general RPG fans (including me) have relatively low standards when it comes to writing, and it's ok. ItI have but one issue with this game - the writing. I mean really, how hard can it be? ME2 was no freaking masterpiece, but the story was compelling enough to make action meaningful, and occasional stupidities were just something to laugh about and forget. In short, it was fun. I think in general RPG fans (including me) have relatively low standards when it comes to writing, and it's ok. It should be just solid enough so that it doesn't spoil the game.

    Somehow (miraculously) ME3 fails to deliver. Writing-wise it's a non-stop *facepalm*. How hard is it to come up with a response that wouldn't sound dumb or out of place? After first 30min I started to suspect that somewhere between the end of ME2 and the beginning of ME3 commander Sheppard got a lobotomy. Or maybe he is a husk? Or secretly mind-controlled by Cerberus and they *make him* say all these things? That would be a cool plot. I'd play that game. Apparently, ME3 is a different one, and it stinks. Bioware, what the hell!?    … Expand
  82. Mrsoandso
    Mar 9, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass effect 3 was fine through the whole game as game play went but the ending was awful to say the least, i was a big fan of the other mass effects this one was ruined by the poor ending being too abstract and poorly executed. the game play was overall fun but the ending...… Expand
  83. Cell1e
    Apr 7, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Im changing my score for this game as after playing the Mass Effect Andromeda I realised there have been enough improvements to ME3 to warrant a better score. I am glad they put out the extended cut and that the modders put out a great mod with a better ending. Now I can play this game more. Thanks Bioware and modders!… Expand
  84. nilaihah
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'd feel guilty about rating the game a 0 when it is such a good game, if it wasn't for the fact that the ending was purposefully a complete and absolute disaster and the aftermath is just worse. Add to this the reused generic assets (for things like Tali's portrait from Getty pictures and the ending slide with the stargazer from the cover of some power metal band's album) that are just inexcusable for a AAA title.… Expand
  85. smoothietime
    Mar 11, 2012
    1
    This is by far some of the worst story telling I've experienced. This is EXACTLY on the level of the writing of The Phantom Menace. Except with an added bonus: Massive amounts of sexual frustration from the writers.
    This game (NOT JUST THE ENDING, YOU ARE DRONES IF YOU THINK JUST THE ENDING IS FLAWED) is the epitome of lazy writing, and a lack of critical thinking.
  86. AcacianLeaves
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    How do you review a great game with a terrible ending? Ultimately, I think you review it the same way you would review a great movie with a terrible ending. The climax shapes the experience, and in this case the climax shapes how you experience and remember the previous hundred or so hours you may have invested in this series. I will not spoil anything, but after finishing Mass Effect 3 IHow do you review a great game with a terrible ending? Ultimately, I think you review it the same way you would review a great movie with a terrible ending. The climax shapes the experience, and in this case the climax shapes how you experience and remember the previous hundred or so hours you may have invested in this series. I will not spoil anything, but after finishing Mass Effect 3 I have no desire to play it a second time. I have no desire to play any DLC. I don't even want to go back and play Mass Effect 1 or Mass Effect 2 again. The ending (there's really only one!) is just that bad. It has soured how I experience what was previously my favorite series of games in the last 10 years. In a little under 10 minutes, EA BioWare has taken all the joy out of the Mass Effect setting. I did not think that would be possible.

    I don't think we "deserve" a better ending. Even if we get one, the damage is done. This is the story they shipped. This is what they felt was a good end to the series. They have failed as writers, developers, and storytellers and their review score should reflect that. I can't, in good conscience, give this a 0/10 or a 1/10 - because there are moments in the game that I will remember fondly. But I will still always think of this as a "below average" game due to the ending.    … Expand
  87. Berendas
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. *minor spoilers*

    The choice of endings we get is completely unacceptable. Bioware PROMISED varied and unique endings based on what choices you made throughout the series. Instead we got some illogical deus ex machina garbage that, for a lot of people, utterly ruins the whole trilogy. All the cutscense are identical and after the credits there is no closure or epilogue. We just get a Photoshoped stock image and some old grandpa way out of left field. It takes some serious effort to make an ending that bad.    … Expand
  88. ZawiszaTheBlack
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    Worst ending ever. 99% of good game and 1% of destructive and wasting fans minds stupidending...
    Few years of my love for universe was destroyed by few last minutes of Mass Effect 3. BioWare... I'm dissapointed and very sad. It's incomprehensible impact!
  89. Hoplomachii
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    Thanks Bioware , for providing me a great gaming experience through these 5 years only to screw up the last 5 - 10 minutes of Mass Effect 3.

    Now I know how it feels like to live in denial. =(
  90. IAmSovereign
    Mar 21, 2012
    0
  91. Brumbek
    Dec 28, 2012
    5
    What an annoying game to review...the gameplay is solid. The combat is fairly fun and some of the side quest stories are really great. Plus reuniting with old friends is VERY fun. You do feel like you are making a difference as you play to save the galaxy. This game easily packs 50 hours of content. ********** But then there's the ending. No spoilers here, but it is COMPLETELY MORONIC. ItWhat an annoying game to review...the gameplay is solid. The combat is fairly fun and some of the side quest stories are really great. Plus reuniting with old friends is VERY fun. You do feel like you are making a difference as you play to save the galaxy. This game easily packs 50 hours of content. ********** But then there's the ending. No spoilers here, but it is COMPLETELY MORONIC. It pulls a Deus Ex Machina and violates its own lore. If you hated the Matrix 2 & 3's lunatic (Architect) storytelling, you will utterly despise ME3's storytelling. ********** So yeah...the game is great until the end...and the ending is so bad, so utterly insulting to all intelligent beings that I cannot, CANNOT recommend ME3. Like Jar Jar Binks, we wish it never happened.… Expand
  92. TmDevice
    Mar 31, 2012
    0
    I loved this game and couldn't find anything wrong with the ending but every nerd here says it's horrible so I'll just vote 0 so the Internet won't think I'm stupid or anything
  93. DigitalVeil
    Mar 30, 2012
    2
    This game is a major disappointment. Incredibly repetitive combat and missions. Go from point A to point B, taking wave after wave of enemies on. Missions do not stray from this formula. Dialogue is simplified with less options and less renegade/paragon actions. Game is also more linear with less side missions and exploration. Also has one of the worst quest tracking systems I have everThis game is a major disappointment. Incredibly repetitive combat and missions. Go from point A to point B, taking wave after wave of enemies on. Missions do not stray from this formula. Dialogue is simplified with less options and less renegade/paragon actions. Game is also more linear with less side missions and exploration. Also has one of the worst quest tracking systems I have ever experienced in any game. Dialogue and combat animations are horrible as well. Multi-player is awful, just a horde mode tacked on to the game. Gets tiresome after a couple matches. Entire game feels like it was rushed and the ending is absolutely trash. Such a shame what has happened to Bioware. Will be the last dime I spend on their games, as they've fallen victim to the almighty EA… Expand
  94. Rennn
    Jun 27, 2013
    10
    Another masterpiece from Bioware.

    First, I've never played the game without the free Extended Cut DLC, which alters the endings. Keep that it in mind. From what I'm told, the original endings were horrible, but they're not bad with the EC DLC. Many of the complaints are just NOT true. Characters do not randomly die. I imported a save which I'd used in both ME1 and ME2, and all of my    Another masterpiece from Bioware.

    First, I've never played the game without the free Extended Cut DLC, which alters the endings. Keep that it in mind. From what I'm told, the original endings were horrible, but they're not bad with the EC DLC.

    Many of the complaints are just NOT true. Characters do not randomly die. I imported a save which I'd used in both ME1 and ME2, and all of my choices mattered. Mordin lived, Tali lived, Garrus lived. Liara lived, and I was ecstatic to notice that she's back as a permanent companion in ME3, because she was my romance interest in ME1 and ME2. Everyone relevant lived. I even got the Geth and Quarians working together...

    I guess I don't understand the negative reviews for ME3. If you make too many mistakes you'll get everyone killed and be a sad kitty, but if you put some time into the series (all 3 games) your choices really accumulate and you can save virtually everyone.

    The reapers are a galaxy-destroying terror. Yes, it's hard to get the good ending and requires a lot of effort on the players part. You will need to play all three games and get everyone working together. You'll need to mediate disputes between your companions, and you'll need to earn massive amounts of loyalty if you want to survive the reaper onslaught. It wouldn't make sense any other way.

    Maybe modern gamers don't typically understand this, but an epic victory means way more if it's difficult to achieve. The reapers are powerful... It takes a very skilled and diplomatic player to defeat them without your friends dying in the process.

    it's sad to see an amazing game like Mass Effect 3 get bashed simply because players weren't willing to put in the effort to save their favorite companions.    … Expand
  95. Knyte
    Dec 10, 2012
    0
    Well... You can really see the difference that EA taking over Bioware has made in this game. Essentially, they improved the visuals, and left everything else by the wayside, making what should have been an outstanding final title in a great series just another mediocre sci-fi shooter. The cutscenes and voice acting are weak compared to ME1 and 2, the storyline, while interesting is notWell... You can really see the difference that EA taking over Bioware has made in this game. Essentially, they improved the visuals, and left everything else by the wayside, making what should have been an outstanding final title in a great series just another mediocre sci-fi shooter. The cutscenes and voice acting are weak compared to ME1 and 2, the storyline, while interesting is not very innovative, especially when they had so much to work with from the previous games. One thing that really annoys me is the combat; it is more twitchy and the controls are not as intuitive as the previous games. Add the ridiculous FPS style hit counters and you get a sub-par combat experience. The game does have some nice visuals and the scale of the combat/war is cool at various points throughout the game, however that isn't nearly enough to redeem this.

    What EA did to this series is a travesty... It could have been so much more, and I have never been so dissapointed with a game. It's really too bad Bioware sold out to the big kids before finishing off one of their signature series.    … Expand
  96. MrsMod
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have never been a huge gamer, that is my husband, but when I discovered the Mass Effect series I fell in love. I loved everything about it, I felt like I was part of the story and that my choices mattered in the larger picture. I have never played a game where I felt so connected to my characters and emotionally involved with the entire game. I have played the series faithfully and waited anxiously for the final chapter of Shepard's story. Sadly I felt like there was not enough interaction with my crew, just standing there listening to a dialogue that was I had no say in. I didn't feel like there were enough side quests and I was disappointed when it felt that I spent more time fighting Cerberus than the Reapers. For the most part though I enjoyed the the game. It just felt to short to, this is a story that people love and they could have gone so much farther than they. I could have also lived with that. But the end of the game was the biggest disappointment that I could have ever imagined. I was expecting my choices to matter, to have a say in what my Shepard chose, but I was given 3 choices that my Shepard would have never made. There were gaping plot holes and all of the choices that I made in the previous games were thrown out the window. Ex. I made Anderson councilor but now Udina is councilor. My ending choices should not have been made up of choosing what color I want my ending to be.… Expand
  97. Thepeak12
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    The only thing that was good in this third installment was the combat. Most dialogues were automatic and not to mention the LACK of it. Every choice you had to make in the series amounts to absolutely NOTHING in the end. The ending sucked so much that I wish I never got to the ending, it really kills replayability and the series as a whole. I do NOT recommend buying this game, you willThe only thing that was good in this third installment was the combat. Most dialogues were automatic and not to mention the LACK of it. Every choice you had to make in the series amounts to absolutely NOTHING in the end. The ending sucked so much that I wish I never got to the ending, it really kills replayability and the series as a whole. I do NOT recommend buying this game, you will just be disappointed. Stick with ME1 and 2, because this third game will ruin everything.… Expand
  98. aznassassin
    Oct 20, 2012
    5
    First of I have to say, this score is not only indicative of the horrible, degrading and absolutely cheating of an ending that Bioware has cooked up. Its also of the main game also. The main gameplay mechanics have been dumbed down, this time being squad combat. There are less squad members, the new members are generic, unecessary and just plain boring, you cant see squad member health inFirst of I have to say, this score is not only indicative of the horrible, degrading and absolutely cheating of an ending that Bioware has cooked up. Its also of the main game also. The main gameplay mechanics have been dumbed down, this time being squad combat. There are less squad members, the new members are generic, unecessary and just plain boring, you cant see squad member health in the UI AND dialogue options have been reduced to nothing more than a simple response for every longass conversation instead of choosing an option for replying to every segment of these conversations. The gun modification/upgrade element is gimmicky and dont reflect the sophistication of the original game's upgrade system nor the simplicity and accessibility of the 2nd game. Its basically been made into an ugly customization window with boring weapon add-ons. Tho the one thing cool about this finale is the addition of MP AND the Omi-Blade melee attack… Expand
  99. jvward
    Mar 28, 2012
    0
    Mass effect 3 is a pretty nice looking game, and the mechanics are great. That being said this game has to be reviewed also on its overall story as a culmination of a trilogy which thus far had received critical acclaim for its story telling assisted through player choice. Keeping this in mind, the game can be compared to "getting a hand job from a supermodel who just before your aboutMass effect 3 is a pretty nice looking game, and the mechanics are great. That being said this game has to be reviewed also on its overall story as a culmination of a trilogy which thus far had received critical acclaim for its story telling assisted through player choice. Keeping this in mind, the game can be compared to "getting a hand job from a supermodel who just before your about to finish gets up walks in the other room, leaves you hanging there, grabs lighter fluid tosses it on you and then sets you a blaze". Not the ended you expected or were the least bit satisfied with.

    Whats most upsetting is that Bioware and EA most likely intended this hoping to corner game owners into purchasing some sort of DLC to give them the satisfying ending they wanted. When this happens I will buy it, however I will never buy another Bioware game again.

    Oh besides the utterly horrible main story ending the multilayer is pretty fun.    … Expand
  100. heinz
    Apr 4, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game was good up until Priority:Earth. Felt very rushed then.
    Engaging combat.
    Well written and acted story arcs.
    Citadel as a hub was well done.
    Bottle shooting with Garrus was incredible.
    Emotionally engaging.

    Cerberus missions felt repetitive.
    Character interaction was sub par to ME2 and ME1;
    Tali's face reveal was very poorly handled,
    Romancing Liara felt forced and is also bugged.
    Fetch quests and war asset gathering was a chore.
    Gaping plot holes and no closure.
    Shortest game of the trilogy.

    Conclusion:
    Scrapping elements which made both previous game truly great in favor of targeting a broader audience wasted the potential of being a worthy ending to a great trilogy.
    The gaping plot holes, nonsensical ending and butchered role playing system transformed a once great action-RPG into a mere TPS with remnants of its former franchise.

    Rating: 6/10    … 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

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

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