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. VergilAF
    Mar 15, 2012
    1
    Five years! For five years we have been waiting this game. All this time everyone has spent dozens of hours of play to build a character in detail, to get to the final battle and discover that everything we had is not worth anything. The game over all is full of bugs charts, something that his predecessors had not. Pultroppo, we are faced with a great truth: "A wonderful saga begins forFive years! For five years we have been waiting this game. All this time everyone has spent dozens of hours of play to build a character in detail, to get to the final battle and discover that everything we had is not worth anything. The game over all is full of bugs charts, something that his predecessors had not. Pultroppo, we are faced with a great truth: "A wonderful saga begins for passion and ends for the money." When a title is a highly successful publishing house will always tend to derive much money as possible and this leads us to make a game designed with speed and distraction. For me, Mass Effect is the saga of the most beautiful ever created in gaming history, but with this latest chapter in an era ruined. The ending, which I will not tell, it was so absurd as to anger the world for the first time in history.
    The dream is gone, the waiting futile, what remains is the DISAPPOINTMENT    … Expand
  2. shnelle
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    I very much enjoyed playing Mass Effect 3. The story was was well fleshed out. I had a good amount of time spent with my teammates and mostly everyone I knew from the last two games. The gameplay was stellar. I have loved the Multiplayer and I'm one of the ones who thought "Bioware is on Crack" when I first heard about it. My LI (who was Garrus) had a great story. I'm very happy withI very much enjoyed playing Mass Effect 3. The story was was well fleshed out. I had a good amount of time spent with my teammates and mostly everyone I knew from the last two games. The gameplay was stellar. I have loved the Multiplayer and I'm one of the ones who thought "Bioware is on Crack" when I first heard about it. My LI (who was Garrus) had a great story. I'm very happy with the romance, it was so much more then I was expecting. The Narrative gave you a great feeling of "OMG can I do this" which is what I think they were going for. I did feel closer to my Shepard then in the first two games. I loved the updated character models compared to the last two games. I loved the new Default Femshep. Not including the ending I cried when my old teammates died. But they died in a way that their death was worth it, they had closure and I was proud of them. I thought the game was made so much more Epic this time around. I really did enjoy every facet of the game, until the end of course.

    No matter how much I enjoyed it and how good it was the endings completely ruined my Mass Effecet 3 experience. The rest of the game was awesome. If the endings had made me feel just a little like a hero/savior, something to make me smile at the end then this would probably have been one of the best games I've ever played. If you ignore the endings ME3 really is a great accomplishment. When I finish a game I should have a great feeling of acomplishment. I should feel on top of the world. Even if there is a tragic ending with sacrifice I should feel that everything is going to be better. When I was finished with Mass Effect 3 I was hit with such a huge whammy of depression and unhappy that I still haven't recovered from it hours later. A game should never make you feel this way. I don't mind crying because something is sad. But if I cry it should be with the feeling of hope or "they did good". There was none of that when I finished Mass Effect 3.

    1) I would have exposition explaining what happens with the citadel, relays, crew galaxy, races, etc. If Shep lives I would show he gets reunited with his/her LI. If he doesn't I would show Shep getting mourned. I would show the Normandy getting repaired and being picked up by the Alliance and Shep reuniting with his/her crew and LI.

    2) I would have the Blue Ending be destorying the reapers ONLY along with the Citadel and the relays because a main paragon theme of Mass Effect series has been not using the reaper tech as a short cut. The galaxy has to develop on its own.

    3) I would have the Red ending being controlling the reapers. Because one of the main renegade themes of the Mass Effect series has been about gaining power you cannot control. I would show that Shep becomes either the catalist, or some kind of Reaper AI. The Citadel and relays are damaged but they are still around. Maybe he uses the reapers to help the galaxy or mankind only

    4) I like the idea of the green ending, its imaginative. I would like to keep it. I would still blow up the citadel and the relays with the green ending

    5) I would give Shep a chance to live on each ending depending on your assets and reputation.

    I think the endings are imaginative. I also think they go against the main themes of Mass Effect (controlling Reapers gaining unlimited power with the Reaper tech is a Renegade theme) (Destroying Reapers only and all their Tech to allow the galaxy to live on its own and develop on its own is a Paragon theme) and suddenly its switched at the end. I like the synthesis theme.

    I can't stand the feeling that my crew, all the people I was fighting for that are still alive are doomed. Thats what I don't like. Yes the galaxy will recover in thousands of years, thats a given. But I want to know that the people, my crew, people I fought for that survived have hope of making a better life. The lack of exposition and the way things were presented leaves you with a sour feeling of despair. It is the lack of exposition for me. Also the stand off against TIM is so Saren 2.0. Please give us something different.

    I would rather have the choice (since choice has always been a serious theme of Bioware) that if I work hard enough to make a perfect perfect ending then my Shepard gets a happy ending with their LI. Cause they have put some awesome work into making us fall in love with these characters. It gives me a reason to play a new game+.    … Expand
  3. Taliesyn
    Mar 9, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect 3 started out heads and shoulders above Mass Effect, and even better than Mass Effect 2, and threw it all away in the final five minutes. Bioware removed the parts that people really hated - specifically, probing planets - and 'exploration' in a much less tedious way. The writing for the majority of the game was exceptional, they created a real sense of desperation, and theyMass Effect 3 started out heads and shoulders above Mass Effect, and even better than Mass Effect 2, and threw it all away in the final five minutes. Bioware removed the parts that people really hated - specifically, probing planets - and 'exploration' in a much less tedious way. The writing for the majority of the game was exceptional, they created a real sense of desperation, and they even made a lot of people cry in a few places. Unfortunately, it turns out that not only is multiplayer play REQUIRED in order to get the best ending, despite Bioware's promises, but the possible endings are all absolutely terrible, both in the the choices available and in the dialogue in the very final scene before you make that choice. Unfortunately, it really comes down to a deus ex machina, which is never acceptable in modern stories. If I could ignore the ending, i'd give the game 10/10, but the ending is SO terrible and disjointed that it utterly ruins the experience.… Expand
  4. Jirki88
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all: the actual game isn't too bad, a bit too not-involving compared to ME1 and ME2, and the story generally is good (the Quarian-Geth story was great). The very limited options in conversations, the endless overhear-a-conversation-and-fetch-whatever quests, the squadmates uselessness in combat... It's somewhat annoying but not gamebreaking. The fact that Cerberus by defualt is the corrupted-bad-guys-beyond-salvation just feels forced... Even if you actually help Cerberus at every point in ME2, you have no influence over them in ME3. That's pretty crap.

    And then cometh the endings. Honestly, what the actual **** I feel violated. Badly. That the game would end like this, some pathetically copied Deus Ex-style endings? It doesn't work. Not to mention that the endings also makes it feel that every decision you made in ME1 and ME2... Didn't matter. At all. Complete waste.

    I don't know what exactly they were thinking with those endings, and I'll probably never know, but up until the endings I would've rated the game 7.5/10 or so... But after the endings? They lose more than 5 points only at that. The **** forced endings completely destroys the game experience.

    We can also add that with the absence of any loyalty missions and the utter lack of conversation with conversation options makes the game feel very short. It could been done better, and especially, it could have been done to be longer. I feel pretty sad to have to write a review like this, but... Bioware screwed completely here.    … Expand
  5. animaniac
    Mar 10, 2012
    1
    What was there of the game to "play" was comparable to ME2, but the actual play time seemed few and far between and the endings were the worst thing I have ever seen. Really and truly awful. I was already unhappy about requiring Origin, but those endings have finished any good will I had for Bioware or EA. Whoever wrote or approved that crap should be ashamed. Ruined what was otherwiseWhat was there of the game to "play" was comparable to ME2, but the actual play time seemed few and far between and the endings were the worst thing I have ever seen. Really and truly awful. I was already unhappy about requiring Origin, but those endings have finished any good will I had for Bioware or EA. Whoever wrote or approved that crap should be ashamed. Ruined what was otherwise one of my favorite sci-fi game series of all time.… Expand
  6. Peterski
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    ME3... Gears of War in Mass Effect universe. I did love Mass Effect 2, played it so many times. ME3, I do not even want to finish it once. Disappointment on all the levels - quite shocking how can one mess such a great title.
  7. jackie_chan
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    The **** part in all trilogy, with pathetic cutscenes, completely idiotic story and the worst ending in the history of vidya. I ll beat the **** out of all this 10/10 morons, who were paid by EA, as soon as i ll be released from jail. Burn in hell, bioware, burn in hell, EA.
  8. Aaron5367
    Mar 11, 2012
    2
    Overall very disappointing. Fails to combine FPS and RPG as well as previous titles and I feel while playing that there is no true direction or motivation. Most of the chat options provide a false sense of choice as the options have little to do with what Shepard will say. Generally any "oh I can do something here" options tend to have Shepard back off and remain on the linear story lineOverall very disappointing. Fails to combine FPS and RPG as well as previous titles and I feel while playing that there is no true direction or motivation. Most of the chat options provide a false sense of choice as the options have little to do with what Shepard will say. Generally any "oh I can do something here" options tend to have Shepard back off and remain on the linear story line laid forth by the developers. Graphics are subpar and look reminiscent of Mass Effect 2. Bugs out the ass with regards to graphics and in some aspects of gameplay. Lots of upgrades and other things to waste player time and seem to take from the gameplay experience rather than give to it. I got about 30% through the game and lost all interest in it.… Expand
  9. jclark123
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    I love Mass Effect. I loved Mass Effect 2. Arguably some of the best games I've ever played in my life. I won't go into detail.

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

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

    Then there was the ending. It wasn't because Shepard dies (although it would be nice if he lived). It was because it made no sense. The game feels dumbed down. Deus Ex Machina stolen crappy ending that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. No thought from the developers and writers. I can't even restart the series again because of this. I'll never play a Bioware game again. Mass Effect died with the release of ME3. Bioware sold out to EA. If you played Mass Effect 1 and 2, stay away from this game. You'll regret playing it.    … Expand
  10. Katzy85
    Mar 12, 2012
    1
    Beautifully written game up until the last 5 minutes. If you do decide to play, just stop playing before the final cutscene. The ending completely ruined the game for me.
  11. Kor-Skarn
    Mar 12, 2012
    1
    What can i say that it was not already been said ?
    I was disappointed with so many things in that game : the Beginning how did they arrest me ? i was able to destroy the Collector base and survive but been caught by these incompetents that didn't not even care to listen and help ?, not able to recruit again my last crew for some lazy excuses, quest journal so incomplete, the various    What can i say that it was not already been said ?
    I was disappointed with so many things in that game : the Beginning how did they arrest me ? i was able to destroy the Collector base and survive but been caught by these incompetents that didn't not even care to listen and help ?, not able to recruit again my last crew for some lazy excuses, quest journal so incomplete, the various dialogues options and the lack of them, and the endings...
    The Bioware games are less and less attractive than it was before...    … Expand
  12. Gigerstreak
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    Would have given a 9 or 10 if not for the final 5 min. The shockingly nonsensical ending really did make the whole experience a negative. The promises made about this game and it's endings, as well as the precedent that the Mass Effect 2 set in terms of choice in the ending, were not executed with the quality one would expect (or at all).
  13. harperino
    Mar 13, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect has always been a hyrid of RPG & shooter. After 2 amazing games they have removed the key feature of the previous games, ability to shape who Shep is and what he says. Their idea of canon shep is like a cancer in the game as shep is regularly talking on his own, spouting opinions that aren't based on the character built over 2 games. Full decisions equates to some decisions inMass Effect has always been a hyrid of RPG & shooter. After 2 amazing games they have removed the key feature of the previous games, ability to shape who Shep is and what he says. Their idea of canon shep is like a cancer in the game as shep is regularly talking on his own, spouting opinions that aren't based on the character built over 2 games. Full decisions equates to some decisions in reality. If you like Mass Effect 2 characters you are not going to like how they are sidelining and for the main part weak storylines. I was especially disappointed in Miranda's while Legion/Mordin probably had the best.

    Me3 squad is lacking diversity. On the bright side the DLC character is truly amazing. If you are going to buy the game make sure you play it with Ashes to ashes dlc installed. I would have liked more proper dialogue with crew and less prerecorded chatter.

    The endings are truly terrible. In a game about choice all your choices matter for nothing. There's no diversity at all in the endings, just the same railroaded results with a minor aesthetic difference. As a conclusion to a trilogy it is an epic fail as evidenced by the hugely unfavourable response from players. I don't like multiplayer and especially don't like fact they've made it pretty much a necessity to get certain things happen at end.    … Expand
  14. darkdefeat220
    Mar 15, 2012
    0
    I actually find myself disagreeing with many of the reviewers here: the bulk of the game was rock solid storytelling, filled with the harsh choices and consequences you have come to expect from Mass Effect. The story ventured into emotionally wrenching territory more times than I can count, even several times with NPC -to-NPC dialogue. If you hear two characters talking, keep leaving andI actually find myself disagreeing with many of the reviewers here: the bulk of the game was rock solid storytelling, filled with the harsh choices and consequences you have come to expect from Mass Effect. The story ventured into emotionally wrenching territory more times than I can count, even several times with NPC -to-NPC dialogue. If you hear two characters talking, keep leaving and coming back until you hear their whole story and then google it if you still don't get it, you won't be disappointed. The character-driven subplots have fitting, satisfying endings that never fail to bring a tear to one's eye (the emotion represented by the tear changes).

    HOWEVER, bioware tried to be clever with the ending and failed more completely than I ever would have imagined possible. I always feared a trite ending, but what ME3 contains is far worse. Not "worse" as in "dark", "worse" as in "doesn't achieve any goal which an ending might be expected to achieve" and "makes a mockery of the entire series". An ending is supposed to bring a certain amount of closure, it's supposed to be the culmination of decisions made throughout the story (in ME's case, choices you get to make). ME3's ending HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CHARACTER'S ACTIONS (well, you can choose between 3 nearly identical endings, but the choices I'm referring to are the ones you made over the entire series). Parts of the ending make little to no sense (in order to make sense of them you have to inject MAJOR plot points that AFFECT the story) or simply yell "hah, nothing you did mattered" in your face. We were promised differently (explicitly, several times). BioWare, what were you thinking?!?!?!    … Expand
  15. Audustum
    Mar 15, 2012
    0
    Fantastic game in almost all senses of the word. Great story, great characters, great gameplay, but then it all gets ruined by an awful ending. I mean bad. If you do buy it, stop it right after Shepard talks to his crew before the final push and don't go further.
  16. A_Person
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    When I see all these glowing reviews by game websites giving it nigh perfect scores, its glaringly obvious that their integrity and objectivity is compromised. In fact its almost comical how much the websites try and cover for its flaws. My favorite was one where they condemned bioware changing the endings because "oh its art you'll ruin it by changing the ending." I like to think that ifWhen I see all these glowing reviews by game websites giving it nigh perfect scores, its glaringly obvious that their integrity and objectivity is compromised. In fact its almost comical how much the websites try and cover for its flaws. My favorite was one where they condemned bioware changing the endings because "oh its art you'll ruin it by changing the ending." I like to think that if somehow a 6 year old drew a big turd on the Mona Lisa, the museum would do everything it could to restore the painting by TAKING OUT THE BIG TURD ON IT. What they are really praising isn't the game it is the amount of money they received in advertising from the game's publisher. Mass Effect 3's ending (because its really only one) is a slap in the face, a total disgrace to the brand. Whoever the lead writer was for the ending, and whoever gave the okay for that crap needs to be fired. Furthermore I've never encountered an ending that made me hope for a cliched "It was all a dream" sequence as much as this one. This ending is so poorly put together it is on par with the likes of Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, wer're talking total plot and lore breakdown. The final offense was the after credit sequence which just adds insult to injury. The only person that could of made a poorer ending was George Lucas.… Expand
  17. romanser
    Mar 23, 2012
    0
    You heard it was bad but its worse. Much worse, there are bad games and then there is what EA did to bioware just releasing garbage. Dragonage2 was garbage SWTOR was garbage and ME3 is complete garbage.
  18. walshy2142
    Apr 6, 2012
    0
    The game was an awesome ride right up until thessia after this point the whole game feels rushed, especially the ending, for this reason I'm giving it a 0, as the ending undermines everything you done across all games.
  19. Feriatus
    Aug 1, 2012
    0
    I gave the low score to this game because it is not a quality game, it is just a cheap knock off mash up of RPG and 3rd person shooter. Ending story was good except you didn't have any choice, but why complaint, the choice was always just an illusion in this game. You choose something, watch different cinematic and then the game just goes on through the same small linear levels with theI gave the low score to this game because it is not a quality game, it is just a cheap knock off mash up of RPG and 3rd person shooter. Ending story was good except you didn't have any choice, but why complaint, the choice was always just an illusion in this game. You choose something, watch different cinematic and then the game just goes on through the same small linear levels with the repeating boring enemies. There is nothing epic about this game. Mass Effect 3 is just an outdated game with super claustrophobic linear level design with one very very small quest hub called Citadel. There is not much to explore and if you do you just rewarded with missions to defend from the waves of enemies. It is not a triple AAA title if you measure it based on the gameplay, Mass Effect 3 world feels dead and empty, this is a below average game except for a few dialogs. And I bet if it wasn't for Bioware brand on the box it would receive critic average score of 3 out 10 here on metacritic. Next time I will only buy Bioware game if it will receive 800 out of 10 here on metacritic.… Expand
  20. spinx
    Mar 19, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The user score tells it all... The gameplay of the third installment was underwhelming... The series has evolved to a mediocre cover shooter with almost no decent RPG options and even killing its wonderfull Dialogue option from the previous games... Also the ending... We fight 3 games long, get emotionaly envolved with characters, make hard choices... AND at the end, we don't get to see what these choices have done? How is the universe now? How is sheppard honored? we see nothing of this...

    Bioware should look at The Witcher 2 and really study why it is better in all fronts... it's a shame that this series has ended so underwhelming...

    Sure, its very epic and you get goosebumps from time to times... But there was so much more potential...    … Expand
  21. Macdealer
    Feb 14, 2013
    10
    Well. We already know everyone hated the end. Okay, okay, the end is not exciting, but forget about the end, this game is great. End the trilogy in amazing way. The game is short comparing to 1 and 2, that's the only problem. And it's kind linear too. Anyway, it's a closing game, and because of that its great. have the flaws, but yet one of the best experience in 2012. And for being one ofWell. We already know everyone hated the end. Okay, okay, the end is not exciting, but forget about the end, this game is great. End the trilogy in amazing way. The game is short comparing to 1 and 2, that's the only problem. And it's kind linear too. Anyway, it's a closing game, and because of that its great. have the flaws, but yet one of the best experience in 2012. And for being one of the best trilogy ever, deserves a 10 points. I'm expecting games like ME soon, it touched my soul. I miss this games.… Expand
  22. archros
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    Probably the worst ending to a video game series I've ever seen. What happens in the last 15 or so minutes completely contradicts the previous ~150 hours of gameplay for all three games.
  23. tatchely87
    Apr 11, 2012
    2
    Wow, Bioware turned my favorite RPG series of all time down to a Gears-of-War-type sci-fi shooter. I'll admit, the combat is 100% better. But Bioware has changed the formula from what made us all love the first two Mass Effect games. The conversations with NPCs were the best part of the first two games -- now they aren't much more than cutscenes. In Mass Effect 3, instead of feelingWow, Bioware turned my favorite RPG series of all time down to a Gears-of-War-type sci-fi shooter. I'll admit, the combat is 100% better. But Bioware has changed the formula from what made us all love the first two Mass Effect games. The conversations with NPCs were the best part of the first two games -- now they aren't much more than cutscenes. In Mass Effect 3, instead of feeling like you are actually conversing with NPCs, you merely watch Shepard talking to them. Its so frustrating to see "my" Shepard get turned into a cookie-cutter gaming action hero. You get a couple of options every now and then, which I'm not sure even cause differences in the dialog. Contrast this to the first two games, where Shepard didn't say anything without you telling him what to say, and those conversation choices made it feel like you were actually making a difference. Bioware tries really hard to make every cutscene (of which there are way too many) super epic and emotional. It turns out most are just really corny. Its a lot like Gears of War, which I enjoyed. But I'm not looking for Gears of War here, I'm looking for Mass Effect!

    It makes me really sad that somehow, Bioware just isn't the studio they used to be. I feel like they are trying to just appease 8 year olds that just want to play to blow things up.

    I makes me more sad that I can't REALLY continue the amazing experience that was Mass Effect 2. Its their same Dragon Age II mistake, all over again.    … Expand
  24. Chiedbadmojo
    Mar 11, 2012
    1
    If this was a stand alone game, no one would care. But fact of the matter is, it's the conclusion of an epic trilogy, and it just fails. The ending is SO BAD it actually retroactively makes ME1 and ME2 worse. It is now a spectacle show like MW3, BF3, GoW3 and so on. It's a cash cow. And for a series like Mass Effect, we - the fans - expected more. But no. Bioware is dead. It was a funIf this was a stand alone game, no one would care. But fact of the matter is, it's the conclusion of an epic trilogy, and it just fails. The ending is SO BAD it actually retroactively makes ME1 and ME2 worse. It is now a spectacle show like MW3, BF3, GoW3 and so on. It's a cash cow. And for a series like Mass Effect, we - the fans - expected more. But no. Bioware is dead. It was a fun ride, we will try to remember you for what you were, not like you are now with ME3 and DA2.

    From Ashes is SUCH an important story for all ME fans, it should have been included with all new versions of the game. It's now clearly a case of "lets make as much money we can from this series before we kill it".

    And it was killed. Hard. The ending of ME3 is probably the worst in any game ever. It could and should have been so good. But it sucks so much. The people that made ME1 and ME2 can not have seen this, they would not have allowed it.    … Expand
  25. b1ackSt3p
    Mar 11, 2012
    1
    This game was great. Story, companions, quests... everything! Until the last 15-20 minutes. Ending destroyed all of our achievements... All our choices from ME 1 & 2 resulted in this? How can that be even possible??? My last hope is that you intentionally did such an ending and we will see something "interesting" soon... sigh
  26. yimmyyones
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a huge fan of the first Mass Effect and enjoyed the second almost as much. That being said I am massively let down and overall unsatisfied with this game. It didn't really improve on anything as far as gameplay goes, it essentially the same as ME2. I felt like the exploration was reduced and the game felts incredibly short (18 hours logged on my first complete playtrhough).

    The story was, overall, good. I enjoyed several of the mission sequences and the dialogue was what I was expecting and hoping for. Until the ending. I'm having trouble finding words to describe my disappointment and unhappiness. The ending alone was C-rate at best. I felt no closure to the story (which may have been intentional with EA/Bioware's new view of DLC) and felt like a complete asspull by Bioware.

    But hey, there's choices right? Maybe the ending I choose was crummy but I'm sure the other two are better. Spoiler alert, there is only one ending. The cutscene might look a little different and the dialogue might change a bit but there's still one outcome. Everybody dies. The Mass Relays are destroyed. The cycle is broken and the Reapers are gone. The End. Never before has a video game left such a bad taste in my mouth.    … Expand
  27. Ob1Kn00b
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    If Bioware hadn't rushed this out, and put in a proper ending, then I wouldn't have created an account just to voice my displeasure. As it stands, Bioware destroyed several hundred hours worth of enjoyment in all of thirty minutes. They took a series that has, from the beginning, been grounded in enjoyable science fiction, our choices having impact, and a powerful main character thatIf Bioware hadn't rushed this out, and put in a proper ending, then I wouldn't have created an account just to voice my displeasure. As it stands, Bioware destroyed several hundred hours worth of enjoyment in all of thirty minutes. They took a series that has, from the beginning, been grounded in enjoyable science fiction, our choices having impact, and a powerful main character that consistently defied the odds... Then they turned said main character into a braindamaged invalid unable to question orders of a random star-child-god-thing. They removed any actual choice, as in the end each ending is just the same thing with different colors. Science fiction went out the window for random crystal-crazy metaphysics and some omnipotent star-child.

    First Dragon Age 2. Then issues with TOR. Now, issues with a finale I have been waiting years for. No, I don't think I'll be buying anything from Bioware again. They can talk all they want about EA not having changed them... But there's been a lot of bad since they came along.    … Expand
  28. kesup26
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just finished this and.... wow just wow. I mean all right, the game didn't have the best story and also had those crappy dream sequences, but it was fairly okay(not good though).... until that DAMN ending and three "choose your bad ending/death" choices! Why the heck nothing we do during the game(and the previous ones) matters? Why the relays exploding doesn't destroy their solar systems? Why is the Normandy mid-jump when this is happening and how is that sequence even possible since the jump is almost instant? Shouldn't the Normandy be fighting above Earth? And how the **** do your squad mates especially those that were with you till the end find themselves on the Normandy? I mean there are a lot of annoying gameplay decisions that I could describe but the ending is SO crap and with so many plot holes and questions, that it takes the cake for most disappointing aspect of the game. It's like seriously, I know fanfiction better than this!… Expand
  29. Rozgrez27
    Mar 12, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Was the best game I had ever played... Until you get hit by a Reaper before making it to the beam of light that sends you to the end. That was such a bad ending it made me physically sick and depressed.

    I had not even started playing the Mass effect till Jan. of this year. Seriously what where they thinking. Three choices that did not even make sense to the character I had played through these three games. He was a hero. Made the Quarians and Geth finally reach peace. The Turians and Krogans had forged an alliance with the end of the Genophage. Then you find out no matter all the work you put into the game. All the side quests, every extra thing you do to prepare, does not even show in game except an nice little screen saying you had done it, this is your army you have amassed, congrats.

    Then with the ending. Plot holes, no closure. Wrex is stuck on earth, does not get to see his first born. Grunt is stuck on earth. Did he survive? Will the Wrex being the leader and curing the genophage been a lasting peace if you did it right had not everything been blown? Tali not being able to return to her home world with her fleet. Joker and EDI, something else should of happened to them. Ashley, what about her and Shepard? Jacob and his new family and did they make it? Garrus does he make it home and rebuild as well as his father and sister, what of them? Liara, does she make it home and rebuild, what about her being a shadow broker? What of James? What of Hackett? The fleet? Thanes son? Commander Bailey? Traynor? That news woman? So many unknowns. Every bit the most dissatisfying ending I have ever seen. Ever.

    I feel bad for the gamers and followers that have been with Mass Effect for the past 5 years only to have a fist shoved into their gut.    … Expand
  30. Dev
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    I am truly disappointed with this game. I loved the mass effect series, and was looking forward to this game for some time. The conclusion of this game makes absolutely no logical sense. This ending has not only ruined the re-playability of this series it also ruined all the time I spent on the mass effect series. I have no idea why bioware opted out like this but I feel cheated andI am truly disappointed with this game. I loved the mass effect series, and was looking forward to this game for some time. The conclusion of this game makes absolutely no logical sense. This ending has not only ruined the re-playability of this series it also ruined all the time I spent on the mass effect series. I have no idea why bioware opted out like this but I feel cheated and foolish for believing in them.… Expand
  31. Inzomniac9
    Mar 13, 2012
    1
    When I look back at the mass effect trilogy, I really can't see it in a positive light anymore after the terrible ending. This is not about the actual details of the story, for that is Bioware's vision and they can do what they want with their own story. The real reason that this ending is so horrible, enough to ruin this game for me, is broken up into two main reasons. Without spoilers:When I look back at the mass effect trilogy, I really can't see it in a positive light anymore after the terrible ending. This is not about the actual details of the story, for that is Bioware's vision and they can do what they want with their own story. The real reason that this ending is so horrible, enough to ruin this game for me, is broken up into two main reasons. Without spoilers:

    First, the ending does not provide any real closure. In my opinion, as the conclusion to a trilogy that many played 100+ hours of between the three games, ME3 really should at least provide an actual conclusion no matter how the story goes. Even just an epilogue of just text (Which would be really simple to do and something Bioware has done in many previous games) would be sufficient, but the fact that I left this "conclusion to the trilogy" with more question than I started with was really disappointing.
    (1 ending really))
    Finally, and most importantly, the main reason for the ending really ruining the series for me is that none of the choices from previous games matter. Mass effect has always been about having the player create their own story through a multitude of decisions and choices that are given to the player over the course of 100+ hours. This was a main strength of the series, and really drew many people to it. On top of that, the wonderful relationships the player makes with the many amazing(personality-filled) characters of the series just adds to the lasting appeal of Mass Effect. However, all of this is essentially thrown away with the ending, for none of those relationships and choices really mattered at all, which is BS and very disappointing. On top of this, there is essentially one ending, with the only differences really being superficial changes that mean very little. Overall, Mass effect 3 was the most disappointing game I have ever played because the story is basically ruined at,sadly, the very end. I am not denying the amazing moments this game has (I even felt like crying at one great scene) but the ending makes it not really matter(hence the low rating. With the story ruined it is hard to look back on ME3 with a positive light, for, lets be honest, the story is Mass effect's main appeal.    … Expand
  32. MiniSween
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    A very pretty game that kept me engaged with the action, but that's the least I expect for the money these days. But that extra something that made mass effect 1 & 2 (in my opinion) so good? It's just not there in ME3. Many reasons to say this but I suppose one of the most striking is the Deus Ex Machina (i.e. the reapers cannot be defeated... oh wait we've got this thing that can defeatA very pretty game that kept me engaged with the action, but that's the least I expect for the money these days. But that extra something that made mass effect 1 & 2 (in my opinion) so good? It's just not there in ME3. Many reasons to say this but I suppose one of the most striking is the Deus Ex Machina (i.e. the reapers cannot be defeated... oh wait we've got this thing that can defeat them). Whilst that is arguably only one small issue, to me it sums up the entire point of the story line. Obviously I like so many am not happy with the ending but only because it's full of plot holes, and even if we are to consider the unlikely "DLC ending" scenario then it feels like a cheap shot from Bioware. In summary not a bad game at all but certainly a disheartening one to any of us who played ME1&2... oh and EA are the devil… Expand
  33. dark1984
    Apr 1, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Horrible game. Repeating gameplay elements (boring combat and "kill spawning enemies" events), awful voice acting, dumb story turns and no-sense drama elements. The whole game can be described with one phrase: What the hell is going on on the screen?

    Why Sheppard, who decided the fate of the galaxy and entire alien races in past 2 games, gets so concerned about the death of one stupid random boy on earth in the middle of invasion, when millions are dying? is he got mental problems when off duty between 2 and 3 parts? This stupid "boy running away" dream scenes and whole Earth invasion begging scene are of the scale even for "trash movies". Pathetic...

    The endings...well...everybody knows - there is none, just some cheap matrix-like crap "the red or blue pill". Epic fail.    … Expand
  34. Krown90
    Apr 13, 2012
    0
    total **** I hope EA goes bankrupt. Always **** titles.. They are the cancer of the gaming world. STOP!!! Close yours fk*ng offices EA, just do damage and ****
  35. wolfmantto
    May 19, 2012
    6
    I've read all the reviews here and I must say, I'm agreeing with the guys in the middle. Mass Effect 1 was a strong opener. Yea the movements of the NPC's became old rather quick, the dialog was good, not amazing but good. Some conversations were very well done, such as the one with Sovereign. A very expansive world was offered to the people as well. You would drop on planets and moons,I've read all the reviews here and I must say, I'm agreeing with the guys in the middle. Mass Effect 1 was a strong opener. Yea the movements of the NPC's became old rather quick, the dialog was good, not amazing but good. Some conversations were very well done, such as the one with Sovereign. A very expansive world was offered to the people as well. You would drop on planets and moons, ride around in your little mako tank, and even get to jump off a cliff once in a while. Not to mention all the stunning ruins they implemented. The combat system was lack-luster, however. The new system in Mass Effect 2 was (in my opinion) that games single redeeming quality. Now Mass Effect 2 was honestly the weakest installment of the series. The expansive universe you were able to explore in its predecessor was completely cut out. You also lose the ability to really customize... anything. Your weapons are all cookie cutter, and ammunition is now an ability instead of a mod to your weapon. Though the designers had succeeded in expanding the dialog, they were unable to capture the sense of camaraderie you had in the ME1. I will, however, note that his game included peril at the end. If you hadn't interacted with your companions throughout the game, they die during the final mission. Now onto our current topic, Mass Effect 3. ME3 was most certainly the cleanest of the games in graphics no argument there. Yet somehow Bio Ware managed to ruin the entire story for its players. None of the major (and I stress major, minor decisions influence the game only slightly) decisions you made in the past two installments really matter unfortunately. Udina still ends up being the councilor, Cerberus is still a thorn in your side, and saving the council in the first game has 0 impact whatsoever. Its sad honestly. This release was truly disappointing. The new battle system in ME2 was shifted to play more like the Gears of War franchise. It was a clumsy adaptation. Secondly, the downgrading of the grenades for the solider. The old grenades would glide on the air in the direction you tossed them. Perfectly futuristic. The new grenades work the same as... well... short range Halo grenades. You will also notice some rather frustratingly lazy decisions throughout the game. In my mind, the most noticeable one is when your on Thesea.

    The mission where you are sent to the Asari home world to retrieve a prothean artifact is what I'm mentioning here. You might recognize that little green V.I. when you are working that mission. To my surprise, they didn't go out of their way to make something prothean in nature. Instead, they used the same model as the combat drone and Liara's little helper drone. Its truly sad to see a fantastic game degenerate into something so... mediocre. Though Lets not forget the Pro's of ME3. We do have a multiplayer mode now, allowing the game to have real value to a larger audience. Not to cut my little Pro section short but, I believe it may have had a negative effect on the game as a whole unfortunately. Next, we can customize our guns again. Though ammunition is still class specific in story mode, and temporary in multiplayer, the guns we use are not from a cookie cutter. I miss my plunonium rounds... Next we get our old crew back, mostly. I wasn't largely into the new crew other than Thane and Jack, the only interesting members of the new crew in my opinion. Next, we have a larger citadel. Though not as wondrous as that beautiful place we had all the way back in ME1, its not the joke you were handed in ME2. Finally, we get to play with a real prothean, and learn about their past if nothing else. (It is DLC). Overall, this game deserves a solid 6/10. You improved from the filler that was ME2, but failed to meet the Majesty of ME1. I've played the entire series, and I must say, for the first time with the newer games I've played, ME3 fails to live up to the very first game in the series.    … Expand
  36. Lukecki
    May 27, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3 is the biggest crap in the entire series, this game is a disappointment this game has become the call of duty no more rpg elements.This game is really horrible first constantly shooting and always the same.
  37. Amig
    Jun 19, 2012
    5
    A weak ending to a promising series. It had it's moments, but the absurd finale and overall low budget feel of the game kill it completely. Gameplay-wise it's still a linear third person shooter with subtle cRPG elements like exp, skill points and minor dialogue choices. The combat isn't as dull as it was in the previous game, but it's still not enough to keep you from falling asleepA weak ending to a promising series. It had it's moments, but the absurd finale and overall low budget feel of the game kill it completely. Gameplay-wise it's still a linear third person shooter with subtle cRPG elements like exp, skill points and minor dialogue choices. The combat isn't as dull as it was in the previous game, but it's still not enough to keep you from falling asleep during some of the longer firefights. The new teammates we recieved were rather uninteresting too, especially when compared to the weirdos we had to put up with in ME2 (Jack, Legion, Mordin, Thane...). On the other hand, Shepard himself seems a little more human and less BA, which is an improvement. Still, in the end the only thing that keeps this game alive is the multiplayer mode, which doesn't get boring quite as soon as one would think. Overall, ME3 is a disappointment, although it could have been worse. Probably.… Expand
  38. DKN
    Mar 28, 2012
    4
    *Spoilers Ahead*
    99% of the game were very good, gameplay wise I think its the best game in trilogy, it also has a great main story. There were some concerns, about the game, for example some decisions from previous parts were not transferred to this game as well as i'd hoped, some side quests were boring, your quest log is a disaster, some bugs etc., but nothing game braking... up until    *Spoilers Ahead*
    99% of the game were very good, gameplay wise I think its the best game in trilogy, it also has a great main story. There were some concerns, about the game, for example some decisions from previous parts were not transferred to this game as well as i'd hoped, some side quests were boring, your quest log is a disaster, some bugs etc., but nothing game braking... up until last 10 minutes.

    The ending was just awful. when i first seen it I thought i did something wrong, i was literally stunned. At the end you are given 3 choices DeusEx:HR style. The endings do not take in to consideration any of your decisions you made during your journey as Shepard. It gives you three choices, but in the end your choice comes down to the color of explosion that will probably destroy all civilizations as we know them, no matter what you do.

    The ending did not just didnt give you any choices or didn't provide closer, and it was completely out of place. It felt like in the last ten minutes developers decided to change the trilogy story and values.

    For me ending completely destroyed the experience from otherwise great game.    … Expand
  39. sainta117
    Mar 12, 2012
    5
    There's a lot to like about ME3 - the voice acting, gameplay, sound, and NPC interactions and characterization are all top notch. Unfortunately, the core plot , which has always been just a touch suspect in the ME series, is outright disastrous this time around

    In some ways, this is a great case study in game design. If someone had been wondering if it was possible for a single bad    There's a lot to like about ME3 - the voice acting, gameplay, sound, and NPC interactions and characterization are all top notch. Unfortunately, the core plot , which has always been just a touch suspect in the ME series, is outright disastrous this time around

    In some ways, this is a great case study in game design. If someone had been wondering if it was possible for a single bad writing decision to ruin a game, then that question has been answered, conclusively. There's almost nothing wrong with ME3, except the final sequence and ending. I've dearly loved the ME franchise for half a decade. I dearly loved the first 90% of this game. But that last 10% was so decisively awful, that I may never play the games (any of them) again. This needs to be fixed, and Bioware can (and should) do so.    … Expand
  40. greenlady
    Mar 12, 2012
    2
    This game can barely be called an RPG, it is much more of a rail FPS than anything. If you enjoyed ME2 but were hoping they'd deliver on their promise of adding more RPG elements... well too bad they lied. You get way less dialog choices, can only roam around on the Normandy and the citadel because every other place you just land, kill the bad guys, then leave - and not by choice, theThis game can barely be called an RPG, it is much more of a rail FPS than anything. If you enjoyed ME2 but were hoping they'd deliver on their promise of adding more RPG elements... well too bad they lied. You get way less dialog choices, can only roam around on the Normandy and the citadel because every other place you just land, kill the bad guys, then leave - and not by choice, the screen just fades to black and your back on the Normandy. Then came the ending. What a giant obscene piece of garbage. No closure at all, most of it doesn't make much sense and feels very contrived. This was more than just a slap in the face, this was like BioWare came up with a big stinky rotten mackerel, beat me unconscious with it, pulled down their pants and dropped a deuce right on the back of my head.… Expand
  41. sandrom
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    i am sorry, but this was very disappointing. i am not one of those guys bashing bioware alltogether, cause actually da2 was in a lot of regards superior to da1 in my opinion and i loved it for what it was (not the typical rpg). me3 was quite different. the series was never the best ever, but very good executed and satisfying in the other parts also knowing that there will be a finale ini am sorry, but this was very disappointing. i am not one of those guys bashing bioware alltogether, cause actually da2 was in a lot of regards superior to da1 in my opinion and i loved it for what it was (not the typical rpg). me3 was quite different. the series was never the best ever, but very good executed and satisfying in the other parts also knowing that there will be a finale in part 3. now this finale really was one of the worst i ever encountered and this is really a shame. it made me instantly close the game and look for alternate endings just to find out that they are not better at all, all "4" of them. i have to say, the game was nice up until the end and it had so much potential for multiple endings, for closure, for so much. dont get me wrong, from a technical point of view those endings make sense, but we are not machines and as such deserve something more personal and emotional. just putting sad music over the ending doesnt make it nice. i dont mind if everything blows up in all of them, but please give a little closure to what happened to the friends, not to the future - leave it open at will, but there is no closure at all. it feels like money went out and someone did not care about the ones playing it and for what its worth, i will seriously consider not buying bioware games anymore when this is how players are treated. its a shame. a lot of games dont have the potential but can go for nice endings. this one had so much - but epic failure would still be nice to say. :(… Expand
  42. gigacorona
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    Despite is technical/narrative issues as a long time ME fan it was a blast to play right to near the endgame, and then it choked and undermined the entire series forever. Ultimately this game has reduced the franchise to a bad joke in only 20mins. Rent, sell, and boycott any DLC for this game, bioware should not be rewarded for this.
  43. Absolver
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 starts out as a dark thriller of resolutions, where every choice you made up throughout the game series either comes back to bite you in the rear, or leads to one little gleam of triumphant hope in the middle of a race to save the galaxy.
    It ends, however, with a literal knife in the back of not only your choices throughout three games, but also for many in the very character of Shepard. No matter how successful you have been - no matter if you went back to the very beginning of Mass Effect 1 for a replay to 'fix your mistakes' and truly work towards your impression of a perfect ending, the single-lane locking towards a conclusion at the very end defies logic and leaves only a sour taste in my mouth. There's really no way to describe the intense let-down this is, and only the game's excellent progress through the other forty hours I spent playing it before the last fifteen minutes saves it from a resounding "1" on the rating scale.    … Expand
  44. Woleslagle
    Mar 14, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What should I say about Mass Effect 3? Well, the game itself is fantastic. The art, characters, and everything about the game is great in that aspect. However, if you are a huge fan of the series, this game is going to really let you down. The first thing that really made me mad about this game was the fact that they redid the ship...it didn't need to be done. The Normandy from Mass Effect 2 was nearly perfect, maybe if they would have added a few things to it, it would have been better. They took things away including great party members. Granted, I understand the point of this game is around Shepard dealing with the Reaper threat, but come on Bioware, great characters could have played bigger roles in this game. Curing the Genophage was awesome, creating an alliance with the galaxy was awesome, and have another great romance was awesome. But, where Bioware really completely fails to deliver is the ending. No matter what choices you make throughout the game the ending just completely sucks to be quite frank. It is horrible. Your character dies. I mean, sure the Reapers either die or become allies, but come on. If Bioware wants to make this up to fans and keep customers in the future, they should have changed the ending or at least had one where your character lives and you see him live and the Galaxy remains united. That would have been a "happily ever after" ending, and I certainly feel like that would have appeased a lot more people than Bioware's self-sacrificial ending.… Expand
  45. murrayb67
    Mar 16, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What should have been the conclusion to the greatest game series ever was completely ruined by the last nonsensical few minutes. The great thing about the Mass Effect series, and major factor in its replay-ability, was the massive number of choices the player got to make which led to a variety of distinctive outcomes. To finally get to the end of Shepard's journey only to be presented with choices A, B and C where the only difference is the color of the explosion in an otherwise identical cut-scene is a slap in the face after countless hours of hared work over five years and loads of DLC. It's so bad that it ruined my entire gaming experience and assured me that I'll only be getting one play through for my money. Not worth it.… Expand
  46. Thourne
    Mar 19, 2012
    2
    I found that the endings completely destroyed any and all enjoyment from the franchise as a whole. They seemed illogical and almost in complete disconnect from the style of game play presented through out the entire series up to the final 10-15 minutes.
  47. zyntin
    Apr 5, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Long term Role-Playing Gamer here. I tell people I like Role-Playing Games for the stories. I suppose that's why I read novels as well. With Role-Playing games I usually get to live the action rather than just reading what is going to happen. With the Mass Effect series when you could choose your path of character's personality. I thought it was awesome( Story AWESOME!). Mass Effect 2 came out with the import feature AWESOME! Story AWESOME!. Mass Effect 3 Story to the end AWESOME! till the end......

    WTH Reapers are Order to Chaos? IRONIC! INDIGNANT!

    Only a reasoning engine can come up with Order to Chaos. More like we have power that we refuse to let others have.

    Who created the reapers? AI? 3 choices and you still lose..... Mass Relays destroyed no matter what. Reapers still win. Galactic Travel crippled for who knows how long maybe billions of years.

    I leave you with a quote that I enjoyed reading. â    … Expand
  48. LewisMweiR
    Apr 15, 2012
    3
    Great game until you reach the anti-climax deus ex machina lost ending,the mass effect franchise is one of the best of the game industry and is sad that the trilogy end is such a disappointing way
  49. hildegain
    Apr 19, 2012
    1
    If I were you I would buy Mass Effect 1 and 2 and play those first BUT I DO suggest you buy Mass Effect 3 and play it to at least see why it's so bad.

    The voice acting is great! The characters are good! The graphics are decent. The customization is good. Dialogue options, paragon and renegade are fantastic. BUT Bioware got lazy with the reapers. The plot is a COP-OUT. The ending betrays    If I were you I would buy Mass Effect 1 and 2 and play those first BUT I DO suggest you buy Mass Effect 3 and play it to at least see why it's so bad.

    The voice acting is great!
    The characters are good!
    The graphics are decent.
    The customization is good.
    Dialogue options, paragon and renegade are fantastic.
    BUT

    Bioware got lazy with the reapers.
    The plot is a COP-OUT.
    The ending betrays everything about the mass effect series.
    The writing is filled with holes.
    The game has been largely falsely advertised, you do not get anything that Bioware have promised in the past.
    This game resolves NOTHING.
    This game either ends with "a wizard did it" or "it was all a dream" depending on how you interpret it...
    This game takes everything ME1 and ME2 built up and says "that doesn't really matter now".
    You do not need to have played the other games to play this one, you don't. None of your choices, none of your decisions will account for ANYTHING.
    This game can be stand-alone but I suggest getting the far superior Mass Effect 2.
    There is a reason why ME2 is the people's favourite, it is coherent and the ending pays off.

    You get fewer squad mates in this game because apparently Bioware feel that you couldn't connect with the squad of Mass Effect 2 too well but everyone will tell you how much they love the squad you have in Mass Effect 2.

    Essentially this game was delivered to us with several promises that it fails to keep and not only that but it will personally insult you. Removal of everything wrong with this game will take several writers peer-reviewing each other's work to pull it off, no surprise then that many of the bad ideas in this game were NOT peer-reviewed in writing AT ALL.

    There are so many good ideas that they could have taken from ME1, ME2 and the novels. Remember the dark energy problem? That's gone now. Remember the reasons why Reapers harvest life? Gone too. Remember why you need to destroy the Reapers? Oh you know what? Just get it, I don't care how you get it just play it through and compare how it works compared with everything that came before.

    There will be times in this game that you fall in love with the story only to have your heart broken again and again every time the plot goes somewhere silly.

    I still have yet to even mention the ending really, I'll leave that as a surprise, I don't want to post spoilers...    … Expand
  50. GirGir777
    Apr 26, 2012
    4
    Does the video game industry have anything left good to offer us? Mass Effect 3 shows nothing that could appeal to the fans of the ME trilogy. If I can give the game one thing, it's that it gives a good story, at least I thought it did from the beginning. Though it seems the game had a lot of potential, it built up and came off with VERY disappointing results. All the endings to theDoes the video game industry have anything left good to offer us? Mass Effect 3 shows nothing that could appeal to the fans of the ME trilogy. If I can give the game one thing, it's that it gives a good story, at least I thought it did from the beginning. Though it seems the game had a lot of potential, it built up and came off with VERY disappointing results. All the endings to the collection of trash known as the finale leave you mouth agape and croaking "Are you kidding me?" If I were anywhere near this company, I'd tell them to save their money, because this game should have flopped.… Expand
  51. Naherven
    May 20, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 can best be summed up in one sentence; a slap in the face to fans. Major decisions made in previous Mass Effect games barely matter, as the story either glazes over or outright replaces player-made choices. Neutral choices seem to be absent from most dialog, removing a lot of the Role-playing from the Role-playing game. Renegade choices, which were mostly a MachiavellianMass Effect 3 can best be summed up in one sentence; a slap in the face to fans. Major decisions made in previous Mass Effect games barely matter, as the story either glazes over or outright replaces player-made choices. Neutral choices seem to be absent from most dialog, removing a lot of the Role-playing from the Role-playing game. Renegade choices, which were mostly a Machiavellian "ends justify the means", "I did what I had to do" mindset in previous games, now come off as just plain, absurdly evil decisions with no real justification. The pacing is bottom-tier as well. The opening level, which is supposed to be an amazing, exciting scene is reduced to a railed tutorial level. Scenes, which try to depict Shepard as suffering from the stresses of saving the galaxy, come off as hilariously bad, as if written by someone who had never heard of the proper definition of PTSD. Strangely enough, there are some beautifully-written, tear-inducing missions and scenes, scattered about the rest of the game, making the overall experience feel very jarring. As many, many other people have stated. the ending is just god-awful. It feels incredibly rushed and (without spoiling much) adds a Deus Ex Machina from nowhere, watering down any possible chance at a well-written, open ended ending and ending up with an "A", "B" or "C" cookie-cutter end. It's incredibly sad to think that most Creative Writing 101 students could come up with a better ending than what Bioware and Hudson pulled. The most ironic part seems to be that, of all things, the multiplayer is the most enjoyable part of a supposed RPG game, as the multiplayer is surprisingly well-made and has a high replay value. Being an idealistic man, I honestly hope that Bioware didn't mean to make the game as bad as it was. I hope that the ending was so poorly-written, so incredibly bad because EA demanded the game meet a very exacting deadline, causing parts that required great care and thought to be sloppily churned out. But with Bioware and others scoffing at fans' disapproval, labeling it as just "whiners" or "a vocal minority" and Bioware planning to release "Ending DLC" not to retcon the atrocity of an ending, but to "clarify" it makes me lose any hope of seeing this injustice made against the fans, the story, the RPG genre, the medium, and the art of story writing as a whole from ever being rectified.… Expand
  52. Lokiador
    May 26, 2012
    0
    Extremely disappointing. The RPG elements have almost vanished, the plot is nonexistent, the ending is an outrage, the plot holes are pervasive. This game is proof that good graphics and effort on so-called "gameplay" (read : introduce gears of war like combat system) do not make a game.

    Such a shame, the legacy of the two previous installments deserved better than that !
  53. Xehlwan
    Jun 1, 2012
    1
    On the surface, Mass Effect 3 is a worthy sequel to a great trilogy. It has amazing cinematic scenes, while still letting you control the action. It brought back a good amount of customization and upgrades for your party. It even tells some really good - if somewhat overly dramatic - stories.

    After the amazement over the brilliant touches of returning characters and story-progression from    On the surface, Mass Effect 3 is a worthy sequel to a great trilogy. It has amazing cinematic scenes, while still letting you control the action. It brought back a good amount of customization and upgrades for your party. It even tells some really good - if somewhat overly dramatic - stories.

    After the amazement over the brilliant touches of returning characters and story-progression from the previous games calms down, some problems start to show. First, you will start to realize that the game is even more linear than ever. Sure, some missions are "optional" - that is if you don't mind getting worse endings for your story arcs. Side-quests have been reduced to small text pop-ups when you survey the correct planet, and side-stories are almost exclusively put in chunks of text in your log.

    The grand main campaign has obviously forced the developers to cut corners on other content, but the main story is presented beautifully. Until the last moments of the game. Some 10-15 minutes before the game ends, all semblance of a coherent story is thrown out the window. What remains is a convoluted mess of a "final revelation", with plot-holes the size of Alaska, and forced choices you have no interest in making. All of which ends in a final movie, which at the core doesn't care about your choices - or even about making any sort of sense.

    You may enjoy the ride, but the ending to this epic trilogy will leave you with a sour taste.    … Expand
  54. ackka
    Jul 4, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I would give this game a 8 for the gameplay and a 3 for the overall story line, which resulted in a 5. The combat system is fun, the weapons feel real and the environments are awesome. Only downside is the covert system feels a bit clunky at times, especially moving from cover to cover.

    The plot and the direction they decided to go were so bad as to be almost laughable for a company like Bioware. Without going into too many details you pretty much spend 95% of the game fixing plot elements from mass effect 1 + 2 and then 5% of the game finding all your work meant absolutely nothing.

    There were so many different ways they could have done this, why they decided to kill off this franchise, I don    … Expand
  55. stern
    Jan 8, 2014
    3
    In this third and final release, slowly the narrative coherence of Mass Effect eroded, until near the end, at a fast pace it completly crumbled.
    In ME2 you could say that the villains were unjustified and meaningless in a narrative sense, you could say that choices, events and positions were forced into your character and many were literally asspulls, but at least ME2 provided plenty of    In this third and final release, slowly the narrative coherence of Mass Effect eroded, until near the end, at a fast pace it completly crumbled.
    In ME2 you could say that the villains were unjustified and meaningless in a narrative sense, you could say that choices, events and positions were forced into your character and many were literally asspulls, but at least ME2 provided plenty of well written and thoughtful content in the form of loyality missions for example, to couterbalance this. In ME3 there is no such thing and what starts as a contrived, average to bad story, end as a complete mess with giant holes where obviously the writers or devs didn't know what they were doing.
    Or if you played Deus Ex 1, a classical and mind-blowing game unlike ME3, you'll simply know that ME3 ending is a rip off, out of thone, feel and athmosphere from the rest of ME series and even from the rest of the third game itself, not addressing any of the questions and propositions that the ending should address.
    Mission after mission asspulls are thrown at the player and they are supposed to contain core elements of the narrative without any connection with the previous games. "Oh, you know, we found the ancient plans to this super-weapon, we don't even know what it does, but it's our only hope! Why didn't I mention these ancient plans before? I don't know", "Oh, the genophage was stabilished as a necessary evil, was even fully approached in a previous game? Too bad, let's use it again in the narrative in a total different way!", "You reproggammed heretic Geths? Nah, it didn't change anything!", "Forget Ilos and the Conduit, forget Haelstrom!" and so on, with even poorer resolutions than before, sometimes even with implausible forever happy conclusions, where magically everything worked out for everyone and butterflies and rainbows are in the sky.
    As for other aspects, some can be praised: they finally fleshed out powers, cooldowns and shields/armors/barriers, even adding power combos, making the gameplay as a pure adept or as an enginner very interesting. Too bad the game fail to explain this and you are supposed to search in the internet for a guide to which power detonates the other and what defense is vulnerable to what power (for example, energy drain is useless against armor, carnage is useless against shield, etc). The combat system is finally fun and interesting if you have patience to micromanage your squadmates, because they are useless otherwise and never use the proper powers if left by themselves.
    Other aspects must be criticized: the missions journal is confusing and doesn't match the missions name in the galaxy map, the weapons customization is dumbed down and mostly useless, upgrading equipment is a chore, side missions are utterly boring and repetitive, re-using multiplayer maps and the same mission model (active console A, hold postion B, etc), there are plenty and I mean plent of bugs even so long after release, sometimes advancing the main plot makes side missions expire and several, several characters are out of character or at least with very poorly written lines. The game feels short and I wonder if this is because they decided to focus on multiplayer instead.
    Unlike ME2, I can't recommend any DLC except for Javik. Citadel is cringe worthy and apparently made for 15 years old, Leviathan is stupid, inspired by movies such as Abyss and presents more implausible asspulls than answers, Omega is boring and will make you skip full dialogues out of boredom.
    ME3 is so bad that makes ME1 a master piece in comparison, it'll age bad and be a waste of your time. I recommend reading the relevant plot in wikis and skip this game.
    Too bad they are making a 4th installation, I predict a even worse product.    … Expand
  56. EckSi
    Sep 10, 2013
    2
    The gameplay itself was great, but the direction that the writing leads decided to take the story at the end was terrible. Their faisco at writing a logical and well written ending on the first go around it why I am writing this review.

    They tore apart the lore by giving us an aweful space child. It completeley devalued and ruined the fear that I had of the reapers that I had had for    The gameplay itself was great, but the direction that the writing leads decided to take the story at the end was terrible. Their faisco at writing a logical and well written ending on the first go around it why I am writing this review.

    They tore apart the lore by giving us an aweful space child. It completeley devalued and ruined the fear that I had of the reapers that I had had for years since the first Mass Effect. They suddently because the mere toys of this stupid little ghost boy who just happened to be at the final place and happend to solved everything for you with some color.....

    I could have written an ending with an awesome battle scene involving you and all your collecting war assest fighting alotside you, showing strength through diversity... you either had enough to overcome and prevail with a phyric victory or you didnt have enough and were crushed. Either way, I would have given the fans of the series on hell of an awesome ending battle scene. Not some stupid ghost starbrat.    … Expand
  57. dam1730
    Jun 14, 2013
    9
    First of all, the user score for this game is in no way indicative of the quality of this game. Mass Effect games are very different in the world of gaming as they are a hybrid of several different genres. Obviously Mass Effect games are RPGs, but they also incorporate FPS, adventure, and even strategy elements all into one game. The best part of the Mass Effect series is that you get toFirst of all, the user score for this game is in no way indicative of the quality of this game. Mass Effect games are very different in the world of gaming as they are a hybrid of several different genres. Obviously Mass Effect games are RPGs, but they also incorporate FPS, adventure, and even strategy elements all into one game. The best part of the Mass Effect series is that you get to know the characters well. Whether you like the character or not, you know them very well by the end of the series and become connected to some of them. Another great thing about the series is that every player has their own Shepard that they can come to identify with as well. Their are many things that I like in ME3 when compared to the other games in the series. First of all, the graphics look much better, especially in gameplay itself. The storyline is pretty good. If you've played the first two games of the series, you could probably predict some of what was going to happen, but after putting at least 50-60 hours into the first 2 games, this is probably to be expected since you knew this was the final entry of the trilogy. As far as combat goes, as with the other games, it can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. I've found different classes to be much easier to play because certain enemies are overly strong at the higher difficulty levels and certain classes make it much easier to defeat those particular enemies. The decisions of this game are heavily influenced by past actions, much more so than ME2 as ME1 and ME2 actions both have a large effect on decisions in this game. A lot of controversy surrounded the ending of this game, and it did certainly deserve some controversy, as when I first finished the game I sat and stared at the screen for 5 minutes in disbelief. I do encourage every player to look into the ending more, there's a lot of stuff out there which is interesting. For example, I find "indoctrination theory" to be a good explanation. The amount of emotion that this ending caused shows the amount of passion that this series creates. I really believe this series is a must play for anyone who likes games because I think it has a little something for everyone. This game is not perfect, if the ending were better if would be close. I give this game an 8.5, but it will show up as a 9. Lot's of angry people reviewed the game two seconds after they finished it and were upset. There are also people who fell in love with the original game and don't like how 2 and 3 play. ME1 is very different, and ME2 and ME3 are similar but with slight differences.… Expand
  58. Poebeer
    Mar 31, 2012
    2
    NO SPOILERS:
    THE GOOD: - lots of weapons, powers and customisation. Interesting dialogues and story. Good voice acting.
    THE BAD: - Journal doesn't update/ keeps track. - It became more like watching a movie. - The camera didn't go to "talk mode" like it did in ME1 and2. - There isn't mutch to explore in the cidadel, - plot holes, Some stuff in the ending is not believable. - bugged    NO SPOILERS:
    THE GOOD: - lots of weapons, powers and customisation. Interesting dialogues and story. Good voice acting.

    THE BAD: - Journal doesn't update/ keeps track.
    - It became more like watching a movie. - The camera didn't go to "talk mode" like it did in ME1 and2. - There isn't mutch to explore in the cidadel,
    - plot holes, Some stuff in the ending is not believable.
    - bugged quests
    - Contrast between very good and very bad/ uninished graphics is very very noticable in some missions. - Doesn't feel like an RPG at all.    … Expand
  59. Mhuang1985
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    A year after its release, I just wanted to post my review. Mass Effect 3 is a real amazing experience and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys sci-fi RPGs. I don't usually bother posting reviews, but this was truly one of the finest games of its genre for our generation.
  60. Mojo_Spriggs
    Jul 10, 2012
    0
    I'll be going over various aspects of Mass Effect 3. However, for people trolling this game on Metacritic for the ending, this is not the place to cry. Don't give the game a bad rating because you ended up with the worst ending. Moving on to the graphics:
    Graphics: DirectX 9, runs very smoothly on most GPUs. An improvement from Mass Effect 2, but it cannot match the new DX11 games    I'll be going over various aspects of Mass Effect 3. However, for people trolling this game on Metacritic for the ending, this is not the place to cry. Don't give the game a bad rating because you ended up with the worst ending. Moving on to the graphics:
    Graphics: DirectX 9, runs very smoothly on most GPUs. An improvement from Mass Effect 2, but it cannot match the new DX11 games obviously.
    Story: I was very disappointed in the story. It was just "Okay". The storyline got boring after the second time playing it. It was also very short compared to Mass Effect 2's.
    Combat: Combat was improved dramatically from Mass Effect 2. Multiplayer: This topic is a hot one. In my opinion, i enjoy Multiplayer. It can entertain me for hours. Characters: There are very few characters from Mass Effect 1 & 2, and very few new characters that are introduced. This should give you an idea on how quick the campaign goes.
    Anamation Effects: By this, i mean "Character Animations". These improved a little from Mass Effect 2, but not by much.
    Issues I Found: The big difference between Mass Effect 2 & 3 is the combat. ME2 was about the 'Story', while ME3 focuses on 'Combat'. ME3's story get shortened compared to ME2, but it compensates by indroducing Multiplayer. I think Mass Effect is turning more into a Halo-like game. In the next Mass Effect, i'd like to see a deeper story that was more like ME2, however, i'd also like to keep the combat from ME3. I want to see a Co-op option and the MP taken out. I'm also hoping for DX11 graphics. Overall, the game gets an 86. It's a great game to snag 'On Sale'.    … Expand
  61. AlexFili
    Mar 28, 2013
    10
    Mass Effect 3 takes all of the plot pieces in the previous two games and delivers on a massive scale. The first thing you see is Shepard being put on trial for the events between the previous games. Just as the council get going on their debate, the Reapers launch an assault on the Earth, destroying a large portion of it. Shepard literally has to fight his way off the Earth, gettingMass Effect 3 takes all of the plot pieces in the previous two games and delivers on a massive scale. The first thing you see is Shepard being put on trial for the events between the previous games. Just as the council get going on their debate, the Reapers launch an assault on the Earth, destroying a large portion of it. Shepard literally has to fight his way off the Earth, getting through some Reaper forces and just trying not to get hit by gigantic lasers and all the explosions which are occuring everywhere.

    Once you leave Earth, you have to try to get the support of the alien races to prepare against the Reapers. Unfortunately, the Reapers have already started attacking Palaven, the Turian homeworld and Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld. You have to get the Krogans on your side for the Turians to help. Later on you’ll be attempting to gain the support of the Salarians, Asari and Quarians.

    There really is a feeling of tension and excitement that the other games didn’t have. For once, the enemy is a large opposing force and the whole galaxy is feeling it’s effects. The war is happening on three fronts. There are the main attack force of the Reapers, which utilise other alien races in their army, such as the Turian-style Marauders and the Asari-style Banshees. Then there are the Cerberus troopers, which are being led by the Illusive Man and are attacking colonies for an unknown reason. On a lesser front you also have the heretic Geth, which are attempting to keep the Perseus Veil under control.

    In most single-player missions you’ll be darting in and out of cover, attempting to pick off enemy forces. The overall intelligence of the enemies in this game has improved dramatically. Different units protect themselves in different ways. For instance, the Nemesis uses a sniper rifle to deal large amounts of damage, while the Phantom attempts to defeat targets instantly with it’s sword. When put together this is a deadly combination. There are also enemies that utilise smoke grenades, shields, turrets and more. Fighting is hectic and tense, using squadmates powers is recommended.

    You have a total of six squadmates in the main storymode and an additional squadmate exclusive in the extra Downloadable Content mission. While there are overall less squadmates than Mass Effect 2, the relationships between them and the character are more pronounced. Between missions characters will move around the ship, get into discussions and think about certain things. In the Citadel, each squad member goes to a different place, where they can talk with the player.

    Commander Shepard is the player character (which can be Male or Female), who is tasked with making lots of choices. Some of the choices are very difficult and will require the player to think forward. The choices made in Mass Effect 1 and 2 will dramatically affect the story. Such as how you dealt with the Rachni Queen or if you saved Maelon’s data on the genophage cure. You have a total of six classes, each with different unique skills and strategies which apply to it.

    For each additional form of support gained in single-player, you will gain another War Asset, with a numerical value. These values effect the strength of the forces attacking the Reapers, determining the overall success of the final attack.

    Mass Effect 3 is a fantastic game and a definitive Sci-Fi experience. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  62. JR13
    Mar 31, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game ends with "Whatever decisions you've made up to this point are irrelevant now. BOOM! Joker flees in panic! Everybody else dies!" None of the questions are answered.… Expand
  63. tekken7
    Mar 31, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 was a major disappointment. I have purchased and played the entire Mass Effect 1-3 series; beginning in 2007 with ME1. Job well done to Bioware for creating such a fun and entertaining product. Unfortunately, EA/Bioware failed to deliver on what it promised customers (per the company's own prior marketing & press release) for Mass Effect 3. Many reviewers of ME3 who areMass Effect 3 was a major disappointment. I have purchased and played the entire Mass Effect 1-3 series; beginning in 2007 with ME1. Job well done to Bioware for creating such a fun and entertaining product. Unfortunately, EA/Bioware failed to deliver on what it promised customers (per the company's own prior marketing & press release) for Mass Effect 3. Many reviewers of ME3 who are critical of the game list many, if not the same problems. Here is my list: (1) players are provided with nothing remotely close to the unique, personal experience they were promised by Bioware; (2) I was left with a sense that all of my carefully weighed choices were really illusory and accounted for nothing; (3) lore errors and plot holes; (4) based on the prior themes, story telling style the ending is out-of-character, confusing & underdeveloped. Such a creative and talented Bioware team could have -- AND SHOULD HAVE -- delivered a more in-depth series of true, multiple endings with a better sense of lucidity and closure to conclude the wonderful Mass Effect series. Let us all remember that EA/Bioware is running a business -- an enterprise to make money to produce shareholder value and employ many, many people in North America, Europe and Asia. The golden rule in business (that is if you wish to stay in business) is to produce products that consumers want to buy. Regardless of your feeling concerning "whiny fans", "artistic integrity", etc... Isnâ… Expand
  64. SkilgannonPT
    Mar 31, 2012
    2
    Loved all the mass effect games, why would they destroy such a wonderfull series with such a blatantly illogical LAST 5 MIN... I justify my score with the following articles and videos:

    1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M0Cf864P7E
    2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MlatxLP-xs


    Fix this ending plz.
  65. shadowchaser076
    Apr 5, 2012
    2
    Mass Effect 3 is an absolute amazing brilliant game until the very last ten minutes. The very last ten minutes ruin the entire franchise. SPOILERS AHEAD......

    Our Choices we made from the very beginning with ME1 doesn't matter. Seriously, Bioware threw everything out the window in the very last ten minutes. The problem with the ending is that its broken storytelling. You just cannot    Mass Effect 3 is an absolute amazing brilliant game until the very last ten minutes. The very last ten minutes ruin the entire franchise. SPOILERS AHEAD......

    Our Choices we made from the very beginning with ME1 doesn't matter. Seriously, Bioware threw everything out the window in the very last ten minutes. The problem with the ending is that its broken storytelling. You just cannot introduce a totally brand new character that has never been mentioned, such as the Starchild/Catalyst, at the very end of any series. Also, you just can't introduce a whole NEW theory as to why the Reapers were created to do. That was never mentioned at all only up to the last 10 minutes. For these to work, they were have to be mentioned throughout ME1 and ME2. Also it has been mentioned many times that we would have gotten 16 different endings due to our choices throughout the series. We didn't get that. In the end, all the choices we made though out the game and war assets doesn't matter, because Bioware threw that out the window with lousy storytelling in the last 10 minutes. It would be like, in Fight Club, we find out who Tyler Durden really is, and the screen goes black. It would be like, we find out Darth Vader is Luke's father at the end of Return of the Jedi, the Death Star blows up and wipes out along Endor with it. Bioware are still defending this as this being a piece of art. If an artist promises their client you're going to get this and that, you'll love the finished product, then 2 years later, the artist gives the client completely something different. What makes you think the client would not get upset over this. Bioware has just become another game company to make money and screw their fans over along with EA. They should be ashamed of themselves.    … Expand
  66. Bestpony
    Jun 7, 2013
    8
    There's a whole litany of problems with ME3 and, well, just look at the user score here. That disastrous ending will be remembered 10 years from now (and the Extended Cut DLC doesn't really help), the writing is very uneven, the facial animations are almost nonexistent, the journal is next to useless, and then there's that dreadful business with day 1 DLC adding a character that isThere's a whole litany of problems with ME3 and, well, just look at the user score here. That disastrous ending will be remembered 10 years from now (and the Extended Cut DLC doesn't really help), the writing is very uneven, the facial animations are almost nonexistent, the journal is next to useless, and then there's that dreadful business with day 1 DLC adding a character that is essential to the story and yet ends up being rather boring. And you know what? None of that matters all that much because ME3 still completely delivers on its promise of bringing an end to an epic story and doing so via a tight and very fun to play rpg/shooter game. You meet a ton of old friends (in fact, you meet pretty much everyone from the previous two games), you make some new ones (Vega, Cortez, and Traynor are all great and quite down-to-earth compared to the crazy suicide squad in ME2), there are memorable battles, tough choices, historic events, tragic sacrifices... pretty much everything I wanted from a Mass Effect game. It's a rushed product, made by a team that was obviously tired and wanted to be done with it as quickly as possible, which is unfortunate, but at the end of the day, it's a powerful conclusion to a great trilogy.… Expand
  67. Pantheon
    Oct 5, 2013
    8
    Luckily this is a very small sample size of the people out there who have purchased/played ME3 because the rating is ridiculous. The game is nowhere near as bad as some people have made it out to be and the idea that someone can give it a 0 or a 1 or 2 is quite absurd (giving it a 10 might be just as absurd). I have a feeling that the people who so liberally hand out these low ratings doLuckily this is a very small sample size of the people out there who have purchased/played ME3 because the rating is ridiculous. The game is nowhere near as bad as some people have made it out to be and the idea that someone can give it a 0 or a 1 or 2 is quite absurd (giving it a 10 might be just as absurd). I have a feeling that the people who so liberally hand out these low ratings do so for most every game they play. Now I played this AFTER the release of the extended cut, so in that light I'll say the following: The ending(s) made sense. A lot of the criticisms directed at the game because of the ending are borne from erroneous assumptions the various results of which were more dependent on your final effective military score than the actual choice you made, although obviously each choice resulted in some different outcomes for squad mates, people and the universe short term.

    Now for what I didn't like. 1) The game is still buggy, even over a year after its release. Origin let's you download a game that isn't even patched, so if you buy the game make sure you find the last patch for it this way you will avoid some of the bugs. I should note that EA/Origin "help" even missed this fact when called upon to resolve certain issues. 2) You almost have to play multiplayer in order to get the "so-called" best ending. I say multiplayer should never have an effect on single player. 3) Shepard still runs on 2 legs like an Ape and is about as graceful as an elephant, that violates my aesthetic appreciation of the game. More importantly though, "movement" around the playing field is clunky at best. 4) Side quests are truly uninspiring and the whole "scan the planet" to find an artifact is pretty lame. 5) Dialogue in general isn't quite as good as the ME1 or ME2, but not that bad. AND 6) Too many scripted cinematic events and Shepard is sometimes limited in response (and possibly out of character depending on YOUR Shepard.

    There are of course other issues (some involving Origin policies, etc.), but the total sum of all these issues (including those listed above) don't detract TOO heavily from the story/experience. It's still a fun ride and I give it a solid 8. Would have liked to give it a 9, but won't in deference to ME1 and ME2 but I suspect that's almost always the case with sequels to real good games, it's tough to surpass them as the novelty of their created universe wears off and expectations regarding how things should be and how things should be "ended" grow with each passing act/installment.    … Expand
  68. alsec
    Feb 5, 2013
    7
    Mass Effect 3 will not force you to make tough decisions on a galactic scale. The RPG element from the first one has been taken away, and replaced with longer action packed combat. Having 3 games to tell a story, but leaving the player with an ending less desirable, greatly disappoints. If with those gripes, I give it a 7 because it is still a fun game, and the story leading up to theMass Effect 3 will not force you to make tough decisions on a galactic scale. The RPG element from the first one has been taken away, and replaced with longer action packed combat. Having 3 games to tell a story, but leaving the player with an ending less desirable, greatly disappoints. If with those gripes, I give it a 7 because it is still a fun game, and the story leading up to the ending held me with suspense. It is no means as good as the first, or second games in the series, and that does disappoint. But taking a seat back and looking at it for what it is, I enjoyed the game.… Expand
  69. RakAttack
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    True. The ending storyline didn't live up the the incredible standards we have become used to with the Mass Effect series. I was upset with the ending the first time I finished the game. But i've completed the game 3 more times(with the slightly improved new ending they made for free DL) and I now realize that the ending is a small 1% of a game that is otherwise a very enjoyable work ofTrue. The ending storyline didn't live up the the incredible standards we have become used to with the Mass Effect series. I was upset with the ending the first time I finished the game. But i've completed the game 3 more times(with the slightly improved new ending they made for free DL) and I now realize that the ending is a small 1% of a game that is otherwise a very enjoyable work of art. 9/10. Loses 1 point for ending storyline.… Expand
  70. AtomicZap
    May 24, 2013
    9
    I must say, this game starts very poorly (even worse than ME2) and it probably has the worst ending of any of the hundreds of games that I have played. It also doesn't provide much direction at the beginning, so if you play without using a wiki (like I did) you can miss out on a lot of content that I would have liked to play. That said, I have no other complaints about this game. WhileI must say, this game starts very poorly (even worse than ME2) and it probably has the worst ending of any of the hundreds of games that I have played. It also doesn't provide much direction at the beginning, so if you play without using a wiki (like I did) you can miss out on a lot of content that I would have liked to play. That said, I have no other complaints about this game. While you don't get as many squad members, you can still develop meaningful relationships with them throughout the game. The world is fantastic. I'm probably going to be crucified for this, but I think the Mass Effect story/universe is superior to both Star Wars and Star Trek. Its not perfect, but it is still a shining example of what sci-fi should be, and is definitely worth a play, just don't have your hopes too high for the ending.… Expand
  71. gyigyo2
    May 18, 2013
    10
    Its easily the Best Game of 2012 i really enjoyed and liked every minute, Yes even the ending was great i nearly cried and this is the only game what could make me cry.Finally not a dissapointment boring always fairy tale happy ending.
  72. Thylbanus
    Sep 23, 2015
    4
    Now that I have been able to actually play it, I thought I'd post about the actual game. I'm not going to go into any spoilers, but I will address some of the furor about the game in the end.

    First off, the gameplay is probably the worst in the series. Control is a mess. A single control is used for running, ducking into cover, mantling, and using. Nothing is worse than running    Now that I have been able to actually play it, I thought I'd post about the actual game. I'm not going to go into any spoilers, but I will address some of the furor about the game in the end.

    First off, the gameplay is probably the worst in the series.

    Control is a mess. A single control is used for running, ducking into cover, mantling, and using. Nothing is worse than running down a hallway to put some distance between you and an opponent and get caught near a wall or ledge and duck into cover, or having to stop to use an interactable object. Simply stupid. There still is no jump option, but a double click of the said "universal" button will cause you to make a dive roll. While melee attacks make an appearance, it's totally useless with the "universal" button, except in surprise.

    Missions finally received a notification on the map, but only the important ones. Hell, you have to actually keep track of side quests on your own. You woun't know if you completed a sidequest until you try to go back and do it again. There is no notification that you have what you need and are allowed to turn it in. Some of these are actually worth turning in for the assets they provide.

    Inventory is even more opaque than ME2. While they did have a comparison guide that showed the difference between your equipped item and an observed item, it's done in bars and not numbers. Call me simple, but I prefer numbers to bar graphs. This is where ease of information ends. Once you have a certain brand of weapon, you can then purchase the next in the series (I, II, III, IV, V), but all it says is that it improves the item. Doesn't give any specifics on what is improved, or give comparisons to justify the cost. WHEN you find the weapon makes no difference in it's ability. The crappiest shotgun in the game isn't found until late the second act and it costs more than the better selections to upgrade. So price does not equal benefit.

    Level design is questionable, at best. Some is just downright mindboggling. It's like the level designers had no idea how the mechanics of the game would function. Few are designed reasonably well, good flow and logical objectives with just enough variety to allow for varied gameplay. Most of the time, run and gun is simply the best option. After a while, you get locked into the mindset of run and gun when they try to force you into a different mindset and you have to die before realising that you needed to go easy this time. There was simply more bad than good here.

    Saying that the difficulty was cranked up is a like saying 1.01 is technically greater than 1.

    For all the complaints about the ending, it's not really a surprise that it ends the way it does. This game promised unprecedented agency, but realistically speaking couldn't deliver within the formats it was targeting. The ending, viewed through a lense of time and complaints past, really highlights that it was a big furor for all the wrong reasons. The ending was completely viable as an ending. An anticlimactic ending. The omissions in narrative aside, the whole story was well done. This is about the only thing that was.

    The rest of the game is what was messed up. This whole climactic build up that was pretty much spent in a cutscene. A cutscene that is the same in every way, no matter what the play though. No, I'm not talking about the red/green/blue ending, but the assault on Earth. All the running around you did meant nothing to the game other that what color ending you got. There is no pitched battle for Earth. I honestly expected some movement around the globe to take back strongholds and then finally attack the the main objective.

    Nope, just a final board upon landing. The moments of fighting among the your various rallied troops is but a passing nod to what you did. The real loss of the illusion of agency wasn't the ending, it's everything that built up to it. None of it mattered. If you rallied factions A, B, C, E, and G and lost D and F. No biggie. Didn't cost you anything, but MAYBE a missing person to talk to. Hell, one faction is pretty much completely missing even if you had not done any of the others.

    Maybe if each faction was tasked with taking back a part of Earth and was as long as the final objective and the final objective was twice as long, it might have felt like an accomplishment. As it is, the final level is noticeably short and plainly evident that what you did meant nothing. I never once thought to myself, "I'm sure glad I have faction X at my side in this fight!" Doesn't matter. That is the real problem.

    TL:DR - Story good. Gameplay bad. EA failed to deliver in gameplay what the excellent narrative provided.

    Shame.    … Expand
  73. bobbuttons
    May 26, 2013
    8
    Story 9 great and an appropriate ending for the trilogy;
    Graphics 7 the game being ported from consoles you can clearly see the graphical limitations;
    Gameplay 7 way to simple for an rpg;
  74. Megasmith
    May 27, 2013
    10
    No matter how bad the ending was, the game was GREAT. I don't think storytelling this good has ever been in a game like this before. Judge them how they are, but the DLC they release are worth it. They leave you with this feeling of sadness because of how well the told the story. The last lines that Bioware created for Shepard, "Its been a damn good ride" "The best" just makes you think.No matter how bad the ending was, the game was GREAT. I don't think storytelling this good has ever been in a game like this before. Judge them how they are, but the DLC they release are worth it. They leave you with this feeling of sadness because of how well the told the story. The last lines that Bioware created for Shepard, "Its been a damn good ride" "The best" just makes you think. over 6 years this game is great.

    During this game they give you a feeling of urgency. The Reaper attack makes you want to hurry.    … Expand
  75. lolfactor100
    May 29, 2013
    9
    I loved this game. The combat is smooth and flows very well. The story is enthralling and pulls you to the edge of your seat, and contrary to what most people say the end is good. It could have been better but I still liked it. Now i never played the game till after the extended cut ending was released so I don't know what it was like before, but the extended ending game me a sense ofI loved this game. The combat is smooth and flows very well. The story is enthralling and pulls you to the edge of your seat, and contrary to what most people say the end is good. It could have been better but I still liked it. Now i never played the game till after the extended cut ending was released so I don't know what it was like before, but the extended ending game me a sense of closure that I need for this series. Ignore the low user rating and play this series from start to finish and enjoy the amazing story that BioWare made for us.… Expand
  76. Fallrim
    Jun 15, 2013
    8
    We really do need to stop rating this game on its ending. Let's be fair to Bioware, they had a damn difficult task giving us a fitting, satisfying conclusion to a goddamn fantastic franchise, and for the most part, they achieved it. Let's get the positive stuff done first. The game has much improved combat, and the voice acting, dialogue and story (for the most part) are as hard hitting asWe really do need to stop rating this game on its ending. Let's be fair to Bioware, they had a damn difficult task giving us a fitting, satisfying conclusion to a goddamn fantastic franchise, and for the most part, they achieved it. Let's get the positive stuff done first. The game has much improved combat, and the voice acting, dialogue and story (for the most part) are as hard hitting as before, with several emotional scenes being some of the best character endings I have witnessed. The games inclusion of multiplayer should really have been story co-op, but the horde, co-op mode serves as a nice distraction for when you tire of the core game. The music is good as ever, and the graphics have improved. The game does a good job of getting the atmosphere of all out war right, and it feels like the universe is fighting the reapers. Now for the bad stuff. Before we address the ending, there were other things wrong with this game. Some idiot at Bioware for some reason decided to remove mission tracking in journal entries, so we never know how far we are in a certain mission! There does feel like a bit of Michael Bay EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHERE action going off here, but despite this it would have been nicer to see all out battles going on rather than linear small skirmishes. Now, the ending. Yes, it was bad. It was an A, B, or C option like we were explicitly promised would not happen. And yes, it had many plot holes and felt irritating and out of character for Shepherd to go along with it. But honestly, just because 20 minutes of the game was bad, it does not mean the whole game was bad.… Expand
  77. paulraised
    Nov 12, 2018
    8
    The game starts well, very close to the last DLC of ME 2, but the actual ending of the trilogy leaves much to be desired. They even had to patch the final cutscenes after player outrage. Nonetheless it's a must for fans.
  78. EliteAmatuer
    Jun 20, 2013
    9
    Mass Effect 3 is a good, good, good game. Yes, the part of the ending with the child makes no sense (not to spoil-y I hope). But other than that, Mass Effect 3 is a great accomplishment in gaming. With ME 3, Bioware found a good balance between action and RPG elements. For RPG fans, there is a long list of skill trees to mess around with and weapon modification to match your gameplayMass Effect 3 is a good, good, good game. Yes, the part of the ending with the child makes no sense (not to spoil-y I hope). But other than that, Mass Effect 3 is a great accomplishment in gaming. With ME 3, Bioware found a good balance between action and RPG elements. For RPG fans, there is a long list of skill trees to mess around with and weapon modification to match your gameplay style. They removed the class limitation on weapons and simply let you choose which of the pistols and rifles you want to use. All of the powers have been balanced so that all classes are equally viable on the hardest difficulties. All in all gameplay has been greatly improved from ME 2. The story is still great. You have less squad members than ME2 but they are more fleshed out. If you haven't played the first two games a lot of the story might be lost on you but for people have played both ME1 and ME2 in order, ME 3 finishes up the Story arcs of each character(s) in a beautiful and cathartic way. You have a lot of influence and involvement with how the stories end which increase the player's investment in the game. I plead with you, dear reader, ignore the bad user reviews and give this game a chance.… Expand
  79. NeedForsleep
    Aug 14, 2013
    8
    The newest Mass effect game is a good game but it has many drawbacks compared the first 2 games first there is a smaller squad selection and gets really boring at times but it is a good game.
  80. raven5434
    Oct 17, 2013
    8
    Great continuation of the Mass Effect saga and a great improvement over the gameplay and combat of the prior 2 games. The storyline is also brilliant and really sucks you into the game. I would have given the game a 10, however I gave it an 8 simply because of the rather abrupt conclusion of the game. I disagree with some of the other posts, in that I think the end choices are fine ifGreat continuation of the Mass Effect saga and a great improvement over the gameplay and combat of the prior 2 games. The storyline is also brilliant and really sucks you into the game. I would have given the game a 10, however I gave it an 8 simply because of the rather abrupt conclusion of the game. I disagree with some of the other posts, in that I think the end choices are fine if the game didn't seem like it ended so abruptly without a lot of explanation. I was left Googling what the endings meant after I finished the game and I don't feel like I should have to do that.

    Overall, I put off buying this game for a long time due to the negative user reviews. However, after playing the game though, I do not regret getting it at all, and only simply regret not getting it earlier. Great game overall.    … Expand
  81. n_dhruvo
    Jul 24, 2020
    9
    Me 3 is the final installment of shepard trilogy. A satisfying conclusion and the last good mass effect in the franchise. The ending was very disappointing which made the fans upset. But i refuse to accept that a poorly written ending can destroy an entire trilogy. The game is a good good balance between cover based shooting and rpg. U can also import ur save files from other two me gamesMe 3 is the final installment of shepard trilogy. A satisfying conclusion and the last good mass effect in the franchise. The ending was very disappointing which made the fans upset. But i refuse to accept that a poorly written ending can destroy an entire trilogy. The game is a good good balance between cover based shooting and rpg. U can also import ur save files from other two me games and story will change according to choices. Overall the game is great.… Expand
  82. morten_doboj
    Dec 12, 2013
    2
    I really enjoyed the first Mass Effect as I had almost all other Bioware titles, most of all the really immersing story. The story elements were continued in ME2, although the progress was halted quite a bit. Sadly Mass Effect 3 is without a doubt the weakest in the series. Even though the gameplay is a bit better than the previous games, and the story as engaging as ever, the endingI really enjoyed the first Mass Effect as I had almost all other Bioware titles, most of all the really immersing story. The story elements were continued in ME2, although the progress was halted quite a bit. Sadly Mass Effect 3 is without a doubt the weakest in the series. Even though the gameplay is a bit better than the previous games, and the story as engaging as ever, the ending ruined the whole trilogy for me. This is the first time that I ever stopped playing a series altogether because of a single flaw, but what a flaw.… Expand
  83. prossnip42
    Jul 29, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me be perfectly clear on this. The ending is God awful. The worst thing i've ever seen in my entire **** life and the extended cut really didn't do much for me. But, having said that, is this the worst Mass Effect game like so many people say (Well no because Andromeda exists but we'll get to that dumpster fire later)? The sort answer, no. The long answer, well let's find out. This is a part of a collection of reviews that i'm doing for the Mass Effect games since i only recently had the opportunity to play them fully. Don't judge me

    Pros:
    -Again like with the previous entries the atmosphere and the world building is phenomenal. This is it. The Reapers are here and they're here for blood. One of the first scenes in the game is Commander Shepard watching in despair as multiple Reapers land on Earth, destroying the Council and everything around. This is the moment that the previous 2 entries have been building up to. And man does it deliver. The entire galaxy is in shambles as each species tries to protect itself as Shepard tries to unite them together. Fair warning to new players. If you haven't played the previous 2 entries, don't play this. I made that mistake and ended up with tears in my eyes at multiple points. So play through the previous 2 or just download a save from MassEffectSaves you lazy prick
    -The gameplay and the combat is actually way better than any other entry in the series. They brought back some of the RPG elements from Mass Effect 1 like the weapon mods and mixed it with Mass Effect 2's fluid combat and you have a flawless combination of genres that works perfectly
    -The characters are just as likeable and fun as ever. Most of the old greats like Wrex, Garrus,Tali and even Ashley and Kaidan (Depending on who you saved in the first one) return. It's like a one big reunion party but that reunion party but be careful. This party can get hit with a **** asteroid if you're not careful or if you made the wrong decisions in previous games (Not really wrong but you get the point). If you've been a good little commander, most of your friends will survive, if not, well...i hope you have a lot of tissues on standby my friend

    Cons:
    -The ending. Honestly that's really my only problem. The ending is the worst ending to a game in human history. All of the choices you made in the previous installments are reduced to picking a **** color. It's disgraceful and shameful to such a great series. Just get the happy ending mod though and you'll be a-okay

    In conclusion, while the ending is a big bucket of cancer Mass Effect 3 does not deserve the hatred that it got back when it came out and it certainly doesn't deserve the hatred now. That's just my opinion though. If you don't agree, perfectly fine    … Expand
  84. Ninja_Se7eN
    Mar 26, 2016
    8
    Disclaimer:
    I've played the first and second Mass Effects with all of the story DLCs and played 55 hours of Mass Effect 3 clearing the story and all story related DLC. RPGs are one of my favourite genres.
    Intro: On Mass Effect 3 we once again take the role of Commander Shepard tasked yet again to save the universe from a threat we've been warning them about for the past 3 years and    Disclaimer:
    I've played the first and second Mass Effects with all of the story DLCs and played 55 hours of Mass Effect 3 clearing the story and all story related DLC. RPGs are one of my favourite genres.

    Intro:
    On Mass Effect 3 we once again take the role of Commander Shepard tasked yet again to save the universe from a threat we've been warning them about for the past 3 years and almost everyone chose to ignore the warnings.

    What I liked:
    - The story - it's a good story except for the ending, more on that later.
    - Decisions that I made on ME1 and ME2 impacted how the story developed in ME3.
    - Minor improvements to the TPS mechanics.
    - I just had a single crash during my 55h of gameplay. This was a great improvement over ME2 where it crashed a lot!

    What I didn't like:
    - The ending - this is a really bad ending, on a series based upon choice and consequences and after ME2's ending being based upon on decisions of the entire game this ending just doesn't fit the game. Basically every choice you ever made is thrown out of the window and you get to choose between 4 default endings. Worse than that, none of the endings fitted my playstyle because I was the ultimate paragon, my Shepard made peace everywhere and saved everyone and there's not a single ending good enough for the good I've been doing to the Mass Effect universe.
    - No menu hotkeys: a hotkey for the journal and squad menus were much appreciated in the first Mass Effect. Why aren't they in the second game? Why isn't there any way to add them?
    - Graphics seem somehow worse than Mass Effect 2. This may be because the Alliance's colour theme is darker but overall I got some weird shadows and graphical glitches.

    Conclusion:
    This game is good if you completely ignore the ending. I really enjoyed closing the sub-plots of the different alien species in the universe and I absolutely loved the climax of my romance with Liara.
    The ending just ruins what was a great experience until then.    … Expand
  85. TonyKontana
    Aug 8, 2018
    8
    Не знаю почему многие не любят Mass Effect 3, но как по мне, продолжение легендарной серии удалось неплохо и достойно.
  86. sefrabu
    Nov 17, 2015
    8
    I've come across this comment on the "Mass Effect 3 ending controversy" - "I didn't know the ending was bad until I read it on the Internet".

    This is a "review" inspired by my yet another walkthrough, when - yet again - the story for almost each character was unique, the different class choice resulted in very different playing experience, and the ending provoked some thought. One of    I've come across this comment on the "Mass Effect 3 ending controversy" - "I didn't know the ending was bad until I read it on the Internet".

    This is a "review" inspired by my yet another walkthrough, when - yet again - the story for almost each character was unique, the different class choice resulted in very different playing experience, and the ending provoked some thought.

    One of the best games I played.    … Expand
  87. Pendra
    Jan 21, 2017
    9
    Great storytelling and a breath taking finale offsets the gameplay shortcomings.

    The gameplay has more RPG elements than ME2 but still not as good as in ME1. The weapon upgrades and mods are nice. Unfortunately, all but 1-2 maps were dumbed down to rail shooter territory. The quest system is a little bit of a setback compared to ME1-2. The less handholding is nice but it is hard to    Great storytelling and a breath taking finale offsets the gameplay shortcomings.

    The gameplay has more RPG elements than ME2 but still not as good as in ME1. The weapon upgrades and mods are nice. Unfortunately, all but 1-2 maps were dumbed down to rail shooter territory.
    The quest system is a little bit of a setback compared to ME1-2. The less handholding is nice but it is hard to tell if the mission is even completable at that point of the game. Some stuff is way too vague and gives no hint. This leaves their completion up to dumb luck.

    The discussion options are dumbed down to the point of being eliminated completely in some casual conversations. This usually leaves a Paragon option and a Renegade option without middle ground. Finally, some conversation option results completely out of character continuation.

    While many criticize the ending, I found them fantastic (extended cut). No cleat good or bad. From a moral point of view, all can be supported and dismissed. They are almost in philosophical heights. It is also very bold. Not your usual "happily ever after" fluff. It delivers proper dramatic writing.

    Without the endings, the game would be 5-6. With that 15-16. The only reason I can't give 10 is the handling of DLC. It is, hm, poor and even insulting.    … Expand
  88. Kristijonasx
    Jul 19, 2015
    10
    Perfect game with a perfect ending. The critics are usually too simple-minded to accept an ending that did not go as to their expectations. Many critiques expected that in the end they will be perceived as heros and everything will be "resolved". The ending was nothing like that and I loved it about the game. It is acceptable for movies to end like this, but not for a game?
    Mass Effect 3    Perfect game with a perfect ending. The critics are usually too simple-minded to accept an ending that did not go as to their expectations. Many critiques expected that in the end they will be perceived as heros and everything will be "resolved". The ending was nothing like that and I loved it about the game. It is acceptable for movies to end like this, but not for a game?
    Mass Effect 3 is also the best game in the trilogy in my opinion - a rare thing for something to only get better.    … Expand
  89. munkybushwa
    Nov 17, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game spat in the face of all true Mass Effect fans. My carefully chosen choices from the previous ME games didn't matter in the end. I refuse to play a Mass Effect game without Shepard. Shepard IS Mass Effect.… Expand
  90. JaapStam
    Jul 22, 2016
    10
    I speak of game with all DLCs. The end of the game is unimaginable in previous Mass Effect, but very original and interesting. The graphics are more than enough, and it is noteworthy that works twice fluid Mass Effect 2 on the same PC.
  91. boredboredbored
    Sep 27, 2018
    7
    If you ignore the last ten minutes of this game, it might be one of the best I've ever played. Unfortunately, the ending is a flaming trash-pile that disregards the philosophical themes of the series. Ignoring this, the combat is visceral, the characterization is detailed and believable, and atmosphere is both desperate and poignant. There's also finally a good balance between variety andIf you ignore the last ten minutes of this game, it might be one of the best I've ever played. Unfortunately, the ending is a flaming trash-pile that disregards the philosophical themes of the series. Ignoring this, the combat is visceral, the characterization is detailed and believable, and atmosphere is both desperate and poignant. There's also finally a good balance between variety and focus when it comes to items and management of equipment. I give this game a cautious recommendation.… Expand
  92. przemeks1982
    Sep 17, 2020
    10
    One of the best action-RPGs, and one of the best game plots of all time - interesting, emotional, immersive.
  93. rpggamer2015
    Jan 26, 2019
    7
    Honestly, I think that current rating (5.7) is unfair. Yes, the game certainly has it's shortcomings - and even more it had when it was just launched - but now it's possible to get... well... more decent ending.
    Obvious pros of this game are great mechanics and technical execution - it's the most dynamic game in the whole series in terms of combat and the graphics are still good. DLCs    Honestly, I think that current rating (5.7) is unfair. Yes, the game certainly has it's shortcomings - and even more it had when it was just launched - but now it's possible to get... well... more decent ending.
    Obvious pros of this game are great mechanics and technical execution - it's the most dynamic game in the whole series in terms of combat and the graphics are still good. DLCs addressed a lot of problems of the original game.    … Expand
  94. SilverOrlov
    Oct 9, 2019
    10
    I know that many gamers complained about this game as unsuccessful in the Mass Effect trilogy. However, I really liked this game and I want to give it the highest rating as it was an interesting final of that trilogy. The strongest impressions of these games I experienced in this part.
  95. Babylon6
    Feb 25, 2019
    8
    Well, Bioware totally ruined the ending of this great franchise, but there is a fix if you play it on PC anyway. Just install one of the various "happy ending" MODS. It's not a simply "make it happy" Mod, instead it allows you to have different endings ranging from pretty bad to very good, depending on your choices in the game - like it should have been made by Bioware themselves. GOODWell, Bioware totally ruined the ending of this great franchise, but there is a fix if you play it on PC anyway. Just install one of the various "happy ending" MODS. It's not a simply "make it happy" Mod, instead it allows you to have different endings ranging from pretty bad to very good, depending on your choices in the game - like it should have been made by Bioware themselves. GOOD STUFF!
    It makes you actually want to replay the game, unlike what Bioware produced by themselves. PRAISE THE MOD SCENE!    … Expand
  96. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    8
    Conclusion to beloved Shepherd, hero of Mass Effect series, which was disappointing on the end...
    Every other aspect of this game is EPIC as was on previous installment.
  97. Gearetic
    Dec 3, 2019
    8
    I've recently taken it upon myself to replay through the entire trilogy back to back and I suppose I have to be the one to say it:

    Mass Effect 3 is not a bad game. Shocking, I know. The user review score would have you believe this is some sort of failure but you have to understand the context of these reviews, especially now, years after release when everything has settled. Mass    I've recently taken it upon myself to replay through the entire trilogy back to back and I suppose I have to be the one to say it:

    Mass Effect 3 is not a bad game.

    Shocking, I know. The user review score would have you believe this is some sort of failure but you have to understand the context of these reviews, especially now, years after release when everything has settled. Mass Effect 3 was the very first sign of EA's descent into madness that Bioware unfortunately got caught up in. This is the first single player game that featured the now notorious micro-transaction system we all despise. These monetization methods and publisher meddling have proven to be game killers, and Mass Effect 3 was the first warning we got. Couple that with an unfortunate handling of the game's ending sequence that resulted in the outrage and barrage of negative reviews you now see before you. With all that said, I can now begin to explain why this game is actually fantastic and still worth your time.

    VIsuals:
    The visuals in ME3 are a significant upgrade to the previous entries. Although it definitely is not ahead of it's time in any way, we have to remember that ME1 came out in 2007 and somehow looked worse than a lot of games from 2 years prior. This is a third person RPG, meaning that it is not beholden to the standards of a linear FPS, let's say. Even so, the visuals in ME3 somehow manage not to look particularly dated even close to 2020. That said, there are still some issues that permeate throughout the entire trilogy. The animations tend to look very stiff and awkward a lot of the time and the facial animations leave a lot to be desired. In fact, I can't say the quality of the animations changed much at all since the first game, leaving most of the characters looking pretty deadpan even in an RPG that is 80% all about character interactions. Another issue are all the character models besides the important, handcrafted ones. All the ME games have used the same shoddy system of generating side characters that ends up making human NPC's look laughably unrealistic compared to any of the main characters. Everything else, however, the visual style, textures, lighting, environments and most of the models do their job well.

    Gameplay:
    This is where ME3 truly surpasses its predecessors. The previous games have been little more in terms of their gameplay than sitting behind cover, poping up to shoot every now and then and casting the odd ability to kill things faster. Sometimes you would have to leave cover and find a different place to shoot from. It felt horrendous in ME1, it was significantly changed and improved in ME2 and ME3 combines elements of both and improves them further. While ME1's RPG mechanics were certainly more fleshed out than the actual combat, ME2 was kind of in reverse, with less options for customization and more emphasis on quality of combat, which worked surprisingly well in that game. ME3 has both, with more options and returning features from the original along with a much tighter and more intense combat system that gives enough wiggle room to actually become good at the game. With the now much expanded arsenal of weapons, mods and equipment, all of which feel different to use, they give you the freedom to tailor your experience to your preferred play style. Firing weapons in this game feels amazing and chaining that with dodging, running, meleeing, and using powers all flow wonderfully together. My only issue is that the enemies feel a bit too bullet-spongey.

    Story:
    This is where it gets tricky. The overall quality of the writing is about the same as in ME2. So that's great. Right?
    Well, it is but the caveat here is that ending. I've never actually experienced the endings of the vanilla game, which was said to be not only lacking in variety, but also confusing and open-ended. Not good for capping off a complete trilogy. That's the thing though, they actually IMPROVED the ending via DLC by changing or providing additional scenes and context. That's something at least and they didn't need to do it either. They could have just left it where it was and not bother correcting their mistake so I appreciate their corrective efforts with the added complaint that it did not need to happen in the first place if they had done it properly the first time. It is not unfair to mention that ME3 has some of the most memorable and epic moments in the series and features what is probably one of my all time favorite DLC campaigns. The one in question is the Citadel DLC, which is absolutely bonkers in terms of its tone and narrative compared to anything we've seen in the series and I love it.

    To sum up, ME3 is an excellent game that has made some mistakes and rectified a lot of them. So long as you get the version of the game that includes all of the DLC and ignore any and all MTX's, you are in for a great experience, provided you've played the previous games of course    … Expand
  98. watrfll
    Oct 18, 2020
    9
    It would be 10/10, if it wasn't for its ending. Of course, mods like JohnP's Alternate MEHEM can fix it, but still.
  99. Cries_Buck1187
    Jul 15, 2020
    9
    I don’t want to write a detailed review, I’ll just say that this game does not deserve 5.9. I love the mass effect series and the third part is really felt the weakest in many respects due to the poor ending. The dialogue system also disappointed me, it got worse. But otherwise the game is very good.
    But the most important thing in the last part of the series was to be the ending and it    I don’t want to write a detailed review, I’ll just say that this game does not deserve 5.9. I love the mass effect series and the third part is really felt the weakest in many respects due to the poor ending. The dialogue system also disappointed me, it got worse. But otherwise the game is very good.
    But the most important thing in the last part of the series was to be the ending and it failed. The motivation of the antagonists was poorly disclosed, and this also plays a big role. Screenwriter Drew Karpyshyn had great ideas about the whole plot of the mass effect, but his great ideas were ignored. I am disappointed, but the game does not deserve such low ratings.
    I will put 9 just to support the game a little, but in my opinion it deserves 8/10.
    P.S. Sorry for my bad English.    … Expand
  100. Blint31
    Aug 13, 2020
    8
    Mass Effect 3

    Positives
    -Great characters
    -Choices which have consequences
    -Cinematic cutscenes
    -Great soundtrack

    Negatives
    -The ending is weird
    -Gameplay doesn't feel very good

    Overall Mass Effect 3 is a great end to the trilogy and I really enjoyed it.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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.
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