Mass Effect 3

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2029 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,067 out of 2029
  2. Mixed: 218 out of 2029
  3. Negative: 744 out of 2029
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  1. halo_on
    Mar 8, 2012
    2
    Mass Effect 3 suffers from two major mistakes made by Bioware's game directors and I'm starting to notice an unfortunate trend in their sequels. The first problem is that ME3 plays like Dragon Age 2. Both games were rushed to market and seem to ignore what the fans loved most about the first title. The second issue is the addition of a multiplayer component to the game. It obviouslyMass Effect 3 suffers from two major mistakes made by Bioware's game directors and I'm starting to notice an unfortunate trend in their sequels. The first problem is that ME3 plays like Dragon Age 2. Both games were rushed to market and seem to ignore what the fans loved most about the first title. The second issue is the addition of a multiplayer component to the game. It obviously detracted from time spent on the overall quality of the game. Todd Howard, game director for Skyrim put it beautifully when asked why Bethesda didn't include a cooperative feature in their latest Elder Scrolls game: "We always look into multiplayer, put lots of ideas on the whiteboard, and it always loses. It's not that we don't like it. I can think of ways it would be a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, that dev[eloper] time is going to take away from doing the best single-player game we can, and that's where our hearts are." Enough said.… Expand
  2. DarkFantasyLust
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    I really wanted to like this game, but it didn't live up to my expectations at all. Knowing BioWare, i thought they could pull out a real big one here, especially considering the fact that the production for this game started before Mass Effect 2 even released. Here is a list of the game's Cons: 1) It really annoys me that Shepherd always walks around with his gun pointed in front.
    2)    I really wanted to like this game, but it didn't live up to my expectations at all. Knowing BioWare, i thought they could pull out a real big one here, especially considering the fact that the production for this game started before Mass Effect 2 even released. Here is a list of the game's Cons: 1) It really annoys me that Shepherd always walks around with his gun pointed in front.
    2) RPG, Story or Action? Seriously?
    3) Adding Multiplayer would have been quite good if the Single Player story lived up to the hype. But nooo, looks like money wins here.
    4) Without spoiling anything i can honestly say this game has the worst ending than any other game which i have ever played.

    The only Reason i'am giving this a 4 is because of the Tenney effort BioWare actually put into this game.    … Expand
  3. bkp360
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    It appears the people at BioWare forgot that first and foremost they are making entertainment. Ugly choices, steady personal loss and grief, and an ending which is, to say the least, horrific; left me feeling awlful. Like most I've anticipated this game and a return the ME universe. I wish I hadn't. I'll never go back there again. I could list all kinds of petty gripes such asI wasIt appears the people at BioWare forgot that first and foremost they are making entertainment. Ugly choices, steady personal loss and grief, and an ending which is, to say the least, horrific; left me feeling awlful. Like most I've anticipated this game and a return the ME universe. I wish I hadn't. I'll never go back there again. I could list all kinds of petty gripes such asI was faithful to Tali through ME1, 2 and 3 and I never got to see her face direct. Just a picture which is fine as she's hot but never that personal experience of looking directly at her... You get the idea. But these could all be forgiven if the story was satisfying but it wasn't even close.

    And aside from a few references to prior games and a few side plots playing out there was little sense of ME1 or ME2 affecting this game much.

    I am not a spambot and I approved this Message.    … Expand
  4. rpbird
    Mar 9, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am a big ME1/2 fan. ME3 was a terrible disappointment, a complete retread of stories from the first two games, plus a bad storyline, cliched characters (including a psycho killer right out of a bad Hollywood action movie), contrived plot elements, and a HUGE Deus Ex Machina plot hole. Linear gameplay. Forced choices. Deeply resembles a bad Hollywood sequel. Where are the cool ideas and great dialog from the 1st two games? Not here. I played as a no-romance paragon, so the romance controversy did not factor in my judgment of the game. I was not even aware of the controversy until a few minutes ago. One warning, the emotional balance of the first two games, with humor and other factors lifting the player's emotions, is missing here. There are unremitting scenes of personal loss, death of loved ones, failure, and wholesale destruction that will leave the player drained and depressed. It is possible to witness the deaths of multiple team mates, all in a row, plus attend a funeral, and a bit later witness the suicide of another character. ME3 is a uniquely negative event in gaming.… Expand
  5. Adain
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    Its an amazing game all the way up till the last 5 mins. I didn't think it was possible but we have an ending so bad that it ruins the entire series. I can't even think about playing any of the other ME games after watching this ending.

    So in short its a 9 up til the last 5 mins

    The last 5 mins are so incredibly bad that it pushes the game down to a 4.
  6. Direwolf18
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game started great, the story, the characters, the scope. There were a few mechanical quirks and bugs but by far and away nothing noteworthy or that diminished my enjoyment in any way. The issue is the ending, the grand promises of vastly different endings turned into 3 separate endings that are differentiated by a slight recoloring. Red vs Blue vs Green ambient lighting. Really? It not only made little to no sense, but it spoiled the entire franchise for myself. Going into the game I expected to play and beat it at least 5 times closer to 10 for all the different Shepard's I had created. Instead, I put it down and will probably never pick up Mass Effect, any of the three, again. It ruined the series that much for me.… Expand
  7. Illanair
    Mar 10, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was it - the big and long awaited conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy. So did I enjoy it? Yes - Did I feel cheated after the final credits had rolled past? Most certainly yes.

    The combat felt pretty good for an RPG/FPS hybrid. They've learnt from their mistakes in ME2 and brought back a few fan favourites from ME1 such as being able to put modifies on weapons to make them feel/perform differently. The game still has that cinematic feel that Bioware is known for - though the "Paragon/Renegade" system has been taken even further, making most "conflicting" dialogue options moot. Want to get the "optimal" result of a dialogue scene? Just press either the blue or the red text - provided that you've either acted like a do gooder or a downright arse. The concept of "bad / good" choice has been completely removed in favour of this.

    The story was/is a mess. This big finale was supposed to tie up loose ends and have a conclusion that would be different depending on your choices in the earlier game - but all "we" are given are 2 (or 3 if you go for the extra curricular classes) endings that leave you with more questions than answers, and feel like a real cop out decision.

    Live or die, rescue or kill - all these small and big choices are supposed to shape your universe - but in the end most of these "consequences" will play out exactly the same no matter if you saved someone or killed them, since they all have to tie into the very "on rails" plot that Bioware went for with the game.

    The whole "kid who happens to look like the big end baddie" / nightmare sequence was pointless and added nothing to the game. And massive plotholes doesn't help the game either.

    Summary: Is ME3 a good game on its own? Yes - it is worth playing. Is it a worthy ending to a long running series of "deep" roleplaying? No, not in the slightest. In fact I feel a little insulted at the "This is how we want your story to end, and nothing you have chosen or done in the prequels matter in the least" road they've gone down.

    3 of 10 (Since I don't believe in giving "great" games a perfect 10 - The typical "GOTY" game would get a 7 or 8 at most in my book. 10s are reserved for the classic rare gems that only appear once every so often)    … Expand
  8. MerpanDerp
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Day 1 DLC aside, this game was quite possibly the biggest disappointment so far. The story and especially its end was an incredible let-down, driven by boring, static dialogue. All of the 'new' characters lack depth and character or end up being completely irritating due to bad writing. Gameplay is lacking, RPG elements almost completely removed and the oh so praised 'Cinematic Experience'Day 1 DLC aside, this game was quite possibly the biggest disappointment so far. The story and especially its end was an incredible let-down, driven by boring, static dialogue. All of the 'new' characters lack depth and character or end up being completely irritating due to bad writing. Gameplay is lacking, RPG elements almost completely removed and the oh so praised 'Cinematic Experience' destroyed by awkward animations.

    0/10
    Try again without EA, Bioware.    … Expand
  9. Lord_Dorkon
    Mar 9, 2012
    0
    What happened to Mass Effect? This was supposed to be the thrilling conclusion to a wonderful space epic. Instead we are given a game which feels like it was written by two different groups. The first 90% of the game (story wise) is compelling and exciting. However the ending and the last hour or so leading up to feel like they were written by someone with no understanding of how to trulyWhat happened to Mass Effect? This was supposed to be the thrilling conclusion to a wonderful space epic. Instead we are given a game which feels like it was written by two different groups. The first 90% of the game (story wise) is compelling and exciting. However the ending and the last hour or so leading up to feel like they were written by someone with no understanding of how to truly write at all. Plot holes opening up all around you and with the endings ripped off from Deus Ex makes me wonder what exactly Bioware/EA were thinking when the final script was approved. The endings completely go against the spirit of the series and more than that they are all essentially the same my making every other choice up to that point completely null. I find it even more offensive that almost all of the RPG elements have become so watered down as to be unrecognisable. The conversation wheel which longtime fans of the series such as myself have come to know and love rarely shows up now. And even when it does all it offers is two ways to say the same thing. Even worse, your choices in the previous two make no really substantial difference in this entry either. Even the illusion of choice is gone. You almost don't get to converse with your crew at all. Instead your interaction is mostly limited to selecting them like you do with Zaeed Massani in ME2 and they talk a little bit while you just stand there. This becomes a big problem because ME3 throws in with no real introduction or background characters who are completely new or have only been featured in the Expanded Universe. I like the voice acting and appreciate that the world feels more alive now with background characters talking to one another when you walk by, that is when the sound doesn't drop out. It's unfortunate that the coders haven't learned anything, all the cut scene glitches are back in full force. Including the one where everyone uses the same assault rifle during the cut scene, regardless of whether or not they can even use one. It's nice to see all characters from the first two one last time, a little family reunion if you will. It's a shame that almost none of them will be joining your squad again. I do like the direction ground combat has taken though the removal of heavy weapons is another negative in my book. The day one DLC feels more like game content that was cut out rather than an actual add on. And having this nearly story essential DLC on day one is just plain greedy.

    Mostly though I just can't get around the endings. It feels like a punch in the gut to those of us who were big fans of the first two. It's so out of left field that I almost expect M. Night Shyamalan to be responsible for this travesty. It's almost like ending The Lord of the Rings with Frodo riding a nuke into Barad-dûr with a cowboy hat on. I almost wish it would have been a Dallas-"It was all a dream" ending.    … Expand
  10. HelpTheBurgers
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Bioware made 2 fantastic games in Mass Effect and Mass Effec 2 where you controlled Commander Shepard. Your Shepard. In Mass Effect 3 Bioware has taken the commander back. Many choices from the first 2 games have minimal changes with some flat out retconned. The dialogue is gone, even with full decisions on it's like watching a movie instead of an interactive story. Add in mandatory DLCBioware made 2 fantastic games in Mass Effect and Mass Effec 2 where you controlled Commander Shepard. Your Shepard. In Mass Effect 3 Bioware has taken the commander back. Many choices from the first 2 games have minimal changes with some flat out retconned. The dialogue is gone, even with full decisions on it's like watching a movie instead of an interactive story. Add in mandatory DLC for the "best" possible on day 1 and what you get is a game that spits in the face of fans of the first 2 installments and ruins what should have been the best triology of games in the past decade… Expand
  11. oatzsquatz
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    PROS:
    - Shiny new cutscenes
    - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers - Smarter enemy AIs CONS: - One button does everything in combat - Ridiculously **** dialogue - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will say    PROS:
    - Shiny new cutscenes
    - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack
    - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers
    - Smarter enemy AIs

    CONS:
    - One button does everything in combat
    - Ridiculously **** dialogue
    - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will say this much: EDI, and, this small segment of dialogue:
    Shepherd: I hope you're alright, Kaiden
    Kaiden: Are you flirting with me, Commander? This is literal dialogue and not a joke
    - Rubbish, rubbish, dialogue. Cringe worthy. Nearly all the time. Some characters do save the ****show, like Garrus.
    - They actually used a voice changer (blatantly obvious) to use less voice actors (if you don't believe me, once you get to the Citadel you will be able to hear it)
    - Rehashed animations from the last game (lack of innovation)
    -Filters, filters everywhere
    -Cheap emotional pulls and attempts at emotional manipulation EVERYWHERE. It's like they used this to replace bad writing.
    - SEVERELY LIMITED DIALOGUE OPTIONS. If I wanted to play a shooter, I would have. Two dialogue options? Most dialogues with no options whatsoever? Poor show.
    -Totally retconns the lore established in the previous games

    Overall this game shows a shocking lack of attention to detail and blatantly ignores what the fans wanted (contrary to what the developers claim all the time. No one wanted this). The voice acting is stiff and so is the animation. Complete lack of innovation and the only thing they improved was the fighting - to add to this, they even used well-known stock images as some of their sources and the copies are glaring - look up "winter on mars" and you should see what I mean, if you've beaten the game. They force sexuality on the player, and if you reject it then the characters hate yours. This series has ended on a bad note. For fans of the series, it sucks majorly. For people who want a shooter, play Call of Duty or Gears of War instead.    … Expand
  12. Rubenh
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Painful. I loved the Mass Effect saga, but this installment utterly ruins it. It's an insult to gamers worldwide. Bioware approaches the story telling as if they are attempting to make a brain damaged turtle comprehend. Consequently, it is HIGHLY flawed, simplistic and lacking. An awful result. Addtionally, they have taken a break from anything that made the previous installmentsPainful. I loved the Mass Effect saga, but this installment utterly ruins it. It's an insult to gamers worldwide. Bioware approaches the story telling as if they are attempting to make a brain damaged turtle comprehend. Consequently, it is HIGHLY flawed, simplistic and lacking. An awful result. Addtionally, they have taken a break from anything that made the previous installments interesting and unique(choice-based storytelling; intriguing plot turns; emotional commitment) and replaced it with blatantly ostentatious cinematics that would only impress the aforementioned ''turtle-minded''. It's not just a shame, it's an insult. Bioware has gravely insulted and disappointed me by ruining what used to be such a great story. Don't go look for it and don't buy it. The only thing this game has to offer is a lesson in how blatant greed can ruin absolutely anything.… Expand
  13. KRHamilton
    Mar 9, 2012
    1
    I just wasted over 50 hours in completing every quest and collecting all the war assets in preparation for an epic conclusion to my beloved Mass Effect adventures. However, the endings in this game totally ruined the experience for me. I was willing to forgive the removal of the holster button, the lack of a quest journal hotkey, the glitched animations, and the significant reduction ofI just wasted over 50 hours in completing every quest and collecting all the war assets in preparation for an epic conclusion to my beloved Mass Effect adventures. However, the endings in this game totally ruined the experience for me. I was willing to forgive the removal of the holster button, the lack of a quest journal hotkey, the glitched animations, and the significant reduction of video logs (now most logs are just text). However, the ending has to be the most disappointing in the history of gaming for true fans of the series. I'm big on endings, they are crucial for my enjoyment of most forms of entertainment, games, movies, animated films, and novels. I don't expect every ending to be a happy one, but the endings in Mass Effect 3 has effectively killed this franchise.

    I'm a big fan of Mass Effect 1 and 2 (with the exception of planet scanning in part 2); I played through both games at least 5 times. Now I feel I also wasted hundreds of hours in those games to reach the disappointing conclusion in Mass Effect 3. I've already uninstalled Mass Effect 3 and will never play it again. It's sad to see how far Bioware has declined since they were purchased by EA in late 2007. EA is ruining every studio they acquire. If EA hadn't forced Bioware to add a multiplayer to Mass Effect 3 and if they had used a fraction of the money the spent on producing Hollywood blockbuster style trailers to improve the actual game, things would be very different. I also suspect that the Mass Effect series was terminated intentionally by EA Bioware to push fans of space operas to Star Wars Old Republic. However, I can't play that game because it is targeted at teenagers with its cartoonish graphics and combat. I'm in my late twenties, so I enjoy mature stories with realism; Mass Effect was one of the few science fiction game series that I enjoyed, but that is no longer the case. I will never buy another Bioware game until the breakway from EA. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. I'm also concerned with EA's anti-trust business practices and their threat to the game industry.

    In conclusion, I give this game a score of 1 for the parts of combat that were actually epic and for some the character dialogue that was enjoyable and not contrived. So I suggest you save your money; don't buy this game unless you don't care about endings.    … Expand
  14. mrrip
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Then ideas of things that you love changing into something really bad, you at first trying not to notice that or avoid it with hope that things will be better. Then I played ME 2 I thought that things will change and after developers review criticism of game develop a true masterpiece of game world. But then we saw a total failure of DA2 that become a fantasy clone of ME2. After that weThen ideas of things that you love changing into something really bad, you at first trying not to notice that or avoid it with hope that things will be better. Then I played ME 2 I thought that things will change and after developers review criticism of game develop a true masterpiece of game world. But then we saw a total failure of DA2 that become a fantasy clone of ME2. After that we got a clone of WoW in space (KoTOR) that is failure 2. And now ME3â… Expand
  15. thejackolantern
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    I have been following 'Mass Effect' since the first game, and have been a supportive fan of the series. The game has corrected several of the animations and included multi-player, but has failed in so many other ways to sadden me to only be able to rate it a '3'.

    First and foremost, it seemed the MP content was more important than developing the story from the previous games, specifically    I have been following 'Mass Effect' since the first game, and have been a supportive fan of the series. The game has corrected several of the animations and included multi-player, but has failed in so many other ways to sadden me to only be able to rate it a '3'.

    First and foremost, it seemed the MP content was more important than developing the story from the previous games, specifically the completely glossing over of 'Mass Effect 2'. The strength of any trilogy is the ability to draw all the pieces of storyline together, which ME3 did not accomplish.

    Secondly, the entire genre is space opera, which means that even if developers felt the endings provided were necessary, they should have included additional alternatives. The endings I feel are a large part of my problem with game 3.

    Third, while the idea of creating a smaller squad may appeal from logistics, the fact is, many players like the characters that were introduced previously, and have great attachments to them. By limiting their roles, and in some cases eliminating them all-together except for 'walk-on' parts, the game effectively eliminates the level of characterization we've all enjoyed. The game is bleak, the endings are bleaker, and the real issue is the apparent lack of concern that EA/BioWare has with its player base, especially console players. I cannot stress this enough: 'Mass Effect 3' feels more like an solid attempt to garner MP rather than a successful sequel and ending to a series, and it falls short of that. In some ways, the feel of ME3 is very similar to Dragon Age 2, and that's not necessarily a good thing.

    Could DLC correct my rating? Certainly...but I'd have to pay for the mistakes made in storytelling, design, and glitches. I'm not sure that is appropriate from a game which has been eagerly anticipated by players and fans, myself included.

    I think for now however, I sadly must only rate ME3 a 3, good attempt, but by no means the game it needs to be.    … Expand
  16. Jarec
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Strike 1: Adding multiplayer (oh come on really?) to a beloved SINGLE player series of games. If I wanted a multiplayer shoot em up I would play Counterstrike (don't even get me started on MW3). Strike 2: From Ashes DLC fiasco . Seriously? you're charging for DAY 1 DLC because you gave us multiplayer that we didn't even want in the first place? Strike 3: Boy am I glad I saw the leakedStrike 1: Adding multiplayer (oh come on really?) to a beloved SINGLE player series of games. If I wanted a multiplayer shoot em up I would play Counterstrike (don't even get me started on MW3). Strike 2: From Ashes DLC fiasco . Seriously? you're charging for DAY 1 DLC because you gave us multiplayer that we didn't even want in the first place? Strike 3: Boy am I glad I saw the leaked script and videos. "Yo dawg we made synthetics to kill organics, so organics wouldn't create synthetics to kill organics!" It's painfully obvious that the writing talent that made the first game so compelling is no longer involved. Maybe Bioware should think about hiring writers who, ya know, actually enjoy playing the games too. EA/Bioware, you have broken my heart for the last time. Multiplayer and Day 1 DLC I could *just* about have lived with, but the lack of choices carried over, and the contrived, lazy endings are a step too far. I will not be giving my hard earned money to you ever again. Fortunately I played a friend's copy of ME3 on PC (it's still the same game as X360 and PS3 - arguably the "best" version.. lol) and can get my online version refunded (thanks Origin 14 day return policy!). Oh yeah, don't even bother pirating.… Expand
  17. chuckles87
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    the game optimization is an utter garbage , there is certain points in the game where the fps drops so low that the sound stop working and yet there haven't been a single response from bioware regarding the terrible fps on ps3, while the game is running perfectly on xbox360
  18. Amelia001
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    import backup problem at once oblige to wait for a patch, ridiculous character animations, graphics no improvement, I am disappointed, the dlc I'm sick, and a big update is needed
  19. Mynter
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    The day-one DLC makes this a 0/10 title. Under NO circumstances should it be okay for developers to release day-one DLC unless itâ
  20. MarauderShields
    Mar 16, 2012
    1
    I did my best, knowing it was a confrontation I was not likely to survive. I was okay with that. I knew what the stakes were; my life was a worthy price to pay. That sacrifice was squandered. This story's ending is a crime against us all................Hold the Line.
  21. Yasuchika
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    I feel awfully betrayed that the series went from and expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. Its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my character's background - which I imagine Bioware has forgotten about at this point. TheI feel awfully betrayed that the series went from and expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. Its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my character's background - which I imagine Bioware has forgotten about at this point. The writing and designs for some characters also seems out of place, Vega is expected to be a bulky man but not to the extent that he's a jersey Shore cast member, the addition of Jessica Chobot and redesign for Ashley also complement this lovely little tan-orange motif. My largest qualm is with the Day 1 DLC - which I strongly oppose - by all means create new characters that are not plot-integral. But when you create a squad member who is heaily tied to the universe's lore and mystique and then aim to charge an extra $10 for it on top of the game's already hefty pricetag you know you fit a stereotype.The romance system is fine, although I'd like to be able to talk to my companions without the intention of making out with them. I wonÃ… Expand
  22. PulsivePanda
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    The game had potential, the series had potential. But then the ending happened, the recoloured ending. It's sickening, really. Because everybody knows that in a week or two, they're going to announce a alternate ending DLC for another sum of money. Which is completely wrong, and I do believe this is the end of BioWare.

    I followed the games since ME1, and I loved the series to BITS. As a    The game had potential, the series had potential. But then the ending happened, the recoloured ending. It's sickening, really. Because everybody knows that in a week or two, they're going to announce a alternate ending DLC for another sum of money. Which is completely wrong, and I do believe this is the end of BioWare.

    I followed the games since ME1, and I loved the series to BITS. As a game reviewer, and lover of games. I can't be biased towards a group of people, and I'm not trying to be. It's just- I can't see BioWare being a major power after this act. I cannot.

    The game itself has some pretty fancy action, but the characters seem so flat. There's no real depth to your squad mates, they're just there talking to you. The animation, and lip-synching is straight up horrible. And the writing is even worse.

    I can't see how any reviewer worth their own salt gave this a 100/100, unless of course they haven't even played the game, or were bought off. There is NO possible way.

    I'd like to see the DLC they come out with, with the "true" ending, but I really can't stand BioWare to buy anymore of their dribble.

    Do not buy the game, stay away from this one. If you're curious, there's Youtube for a reason, use it, instead. Save your money for a game, and a company that doesn't treat their fans like utter sheep.    … Expand
  23. Vee_Bass
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    DLC,DlC,DLC, what a complete failure, Bioware, I was incredibly dissapointed of this game, and dissapointed of you, what a tragedy, I hope everyone over there is ashamed of themselves, making us pay on the first day... What a load of bull, I hate everyone over there, Sincerely, Vee Bass
  24. ThirteenthOwl
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Almost no content, one ending, bland dialog, repetitive and incredibly easy combat and animations that look like the game came out in 2007 make this game look rushed. Do not buy this for any reason other than to see what NOT to do when making a game.
  25. sparklesf
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    This game has been ruined by EA. The Bioware that made Mass Effect 1 and 2 is gone. Mass Effect 3 has been made to cater to the lowest common denominator. While the first one was a little rough around the edges, the second was perfect. Three however, is too far. In terms of visuals, they are too dark, made to look like the current CoD games. This is an RPG, not an seasonal shooter. PleaseThis game has been ruined by EA. The Bioware that made Mass Effect 1 and 2 is gone. Mass Effect 3 has been made to cater to the lowest common denominator. While the first one was a little rough around the edges, the second was perfect. Three however, is too far. In terms of visuals, they are too dark, made to look like the current CoD games. This is an RPG, not an seasonal shooter. Please EA, get your hands out of where they shouldn't be, and let game studios make games for their fans, not for your wallets.â… Expand
  26. matheushackmann
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I expected way more than just this. The story just looks like a TTGL ripoff, nothing like the first one was. The dialogues couldn't possibly be worse and the gameplay is the only thing that might save it but still, wasn't anything remarkable.

    I hope paid reviewers see their flaw there. Truly unbelievable. As a fan of the series I couldn't expect nothing worse.
  27. DemoniChris
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    This game is garbage, a massive disappointment, and a slap, no, a punch in the face to the Mass Effect series. Being a player of Mass Effect 1, this series has not progressed one bit since then, but actually took a step back in almost every aspect. The animations are pitiful, the choices lead you to the same end, and it desperately lacks originality. Do not buy, do not rent, and do notThis game is garbage, a massive disappointment, and a slap, no, a punch in the face to the Mass Effect series. Being a player of Mass Effect 1, this series has not progressed one bit since then, but actually took a step back in almost every aspect. The animations are pitiful, the choices lead you to the same end, and it desperately lacks originality. Do not buy, do not rent, and do not give this game any of your time, unless for mockery's sake.… Expand
  28. nuttex
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Instead of an amazing finale to one of the best franchises in last 10 years, all we get is one big grim disappointment. Either way, endings can be described as "Life sucks then you die". Can't say this is what I was expecting. Ironically, it turned out to be that what Bioware was to Mass Effect is what Reapers were to the galaxy in game. You could say it's hard to believe that developersInstead of an amazing finale to one of the best franchises in last 10 years, all we get is one big grim disappointment. Either way, endings can be described as "Life sucks then you die". Can't say this is what I was expecting. Ironically, it turned out to be that what Bioware was to Mass Effect is what Reapers were to the galaxy in game. You could say it's hard to believe that developers have dropped their quality bars so much, but after Dragon Age 2 and Old Republic, it was more or less predictable.… Expand
  29. me-0815
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 1 was an exciting, innovative new type of Action-RPG. It had an epic story in a unique, diverse universe, very good writing, great characters and real choices for the player. Little is left of that. In their desire to cater to the fans of shooters and casual games, BioWare has reduced the RPG elements, trivialized the dialogue and taken away much of the character developmentMass Effect 1 was an exciting, innovative new type of Action-RPG. It had an epic story in a unique, diverse universe, very good writing, great characters and real choices for the player. Little is left of that. In their desire to cater to the fans of shooters and casual games, BioWare has reduced the RPG elements, trivialized the dialogue and taken away much of the character development and choices that make a proper RPG. The story that started in Mass Effect 1 as an interesting and mystic space opera has been transformed into a predictable soap opera with mostly mediocre, sometimes outright terrible, writing. It might still be better than most of the other stories in video games these days, but that's of course not very difficult, and it's nowhere near the quality that BioWare used to deliver. Probably the worst example of the inability of the writers are the endings. On the other hand, perhaps they too were imposed by EA, to reduce the required work and costs. One complaint against Mass Effect 1 was the somewhat uninspired combat system. This had already been replaced in Mass Effect 2 with a clone of the usual cover-based shooters. Not very innovative and in my opinion still quite repetitive and not very challenging, but many players seemed to enjoy it. So in that regard, Mass Effect 3 certainly delivers the expected. But that's of course not nearly enough to make it a great game, and it's also not the reason why I play BioWare games or RPGs in general.… Expand
  30. BEEFLASER
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    EA claimed that free, day-one DLC for new owners and online passes were meant to reclaim revenue "lost" to used sales. I never really agreed with those tactics; if EA thinks used sales are a problem, they should persuade the consumer to buy their games new, not twist their arms. However, it was never about used sales, it was about control. Their enemy isn't just the aftermarket, it'sEA claimed that free, day-one DLC for new owners and online passes were meant to reclaim revenue "lost" to used sales. I never really agreed with those tactics; if EA thinks used sales are a problem, they should persuade the consumer to buy their games new, not twist their arms. However, it was never about used sales, it was about control. Their enemy isn't just the aftermarket, it's consumer choice, and the way they handle DLC for ME3 proves that. If you don't pay extra for the deluxe edition of Mass Effect 3, you have to shell out ten bucks ON DAY ONE for what seems like significant and interesting portion of single-player content for the game. New, used, doesn't matter, if you didn't spend extra up front, they'll juts try to squeeze it out of you later. EA are extremely anti-consumer, and as much as I love Mass Effect I'm glad they won't be able to use the series to bend me over a barrel any more. EA, you may make a little extra money now, but the customers you mistreat wish for you to fall apart and make way for better, more innovative publishers who will treat them right.… Expand
  31. Dude45
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    personally I have no problem with gays, my problem with this game mainly is writing, its a bad story, with bad dialogue, and overall bad gameplay and graphics
  32. DoctorBarber
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    If you look closely at Mass Effect 3 you will see the last tiny bit of Bioware's soul rot away, consumed by EA forever. As someone who has been a fan of their games from Baldur's Gate to Dragon Age: Origins, seeing how far they have fallen has been a painful experience. Writing has deteriorated to the most basic black and white, with most dialogues presenting only 2 options rather than 3.If you look closely at Mass Effect 3 you will see the last tiny bit of Bioware's soul rot away, consumed by EA forever. As someone who has been a fan of their games from Baldur's Gate to Dragon Age: Origins, seeing how far they have fallen has been a painful experience. Writing has deteriorated to the most basic black and white, with most dialogues presenting only 2 options rather than 3. As was feared the series ends with a Deus Ex Machina (quite literally as the ending was almost entirely stolen from the game Deus Ex). Further evidence plagiarism of a desktop wallpaper of all things in the game's FINAL SCENE does not help Bioware's case. The whole thing seems like it was rushed with little care about the game's quality, as if they expected people to buy it automatically no matter how bad it was (and I'm sure they do). Creativity seems truly dead from that studio at this point. Do not buy this game. No not rent it, do not waste the bandwidth of pirating it. Vote with your dollars in the slim hope that Bioware may someday return to its senses.… Expand
  33. QuiterRaga
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    The game runs at 20 frames or less on the PS3.How is this in any shape or form acceptable? You make a have ass port and expect people to pay full price for it? Proof : http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-mass-effect-3-ps3-fps-issues
    It's 2012 and people still don't know how to work the PS3.Can't wait to be robbed with 15 dollar DLC!
  34. TheWheeel
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Gameplay feels worse than before and they pretty much just ignored the previous lore. How they could mess it up so bad is anybody's guess. This game was made by EA for the sole purpose of making money off the Mass Effect name.
  35. MrBoBo1
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    The first thing that sticks out for me here upon purchasing it, it's suppose to be an emotionally driven game... yet EVERY character either sounds like a Vulcun or Data from star trek. The game has no emotion what so ever. I'm sorry, am I missing something here? I'm disgusted by the clearly paid off media acting as advertisements for the game rather than reviewers none of them evenThe first thing that sticks out for me here upon purchasing it, it's suppose to be an emotionally driven game... yet EVERY character either sounds like a Vulcun or Data from star trek. The game has no emotion what so ever. I'm sorry, am I missing something here? I'm disgusted by the clearly paid off media acting as advertisements for the game rather than reviewers none of them even attempted to pick this (obviose) problem up.â… Expand
  36. MajestyLOL
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    A slap in the face to the people who liked Mass Effect 1. The series has changed so much that it's sad. In stead of trying to make a good game for the RPG-fans, Bioware has lowered themselves to the level of Infinity Ward, and make sellout- and actionpacked games without no depth. Stupid dialogue, bad shooting, awful story, moronic characters and Day 1 DLC. Stay away from this game.
  37. nirax
    Mar 18, 2012
    1
    i wrote a review before finalizing the game. unfortunately the game ending as it stands ruins everything. dont play/buy it until it gets fixed. the writes somehow thought it would be cool to change a (Great) mainstream popcorn emotional decision driven action-rpg to a linear pace ending with three "pick your color" option endings (completely meaningless) trying to move to "art" and noti wrote a review before finalizing the game. unfortunately the game ending as it stands ruins everything. dont play/buy it until it gets fixed. the writes somehow thought it would be cool to change a (Great) mainstream popcorn emotional decision driven action-rpg to a linear pace ending with three "pick your color" option endings (completely meaningless) trying to move to "art" and not closing anything.
    its very unsatisfactory and dumb. AVOID.    … Expand
  38. vamos
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    From the timelimited quests that you get from walking around (and you can't see the actual time limit) to the numerous dumb deaths of characters. The gameplay is, of course, even further dumbed down yet again. The writing is like something out of fanfiction, and the Reapers get retconned to hell and back.
  39. Slaw
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    At time of writing a major feature of this game(the ability to carry over your character from a previous game) does not function. The vast majority will play this game to continue the story with THEIR character making it arguably the most important feature in the game. How this made it through QA or was never tested is beyond rational thought. This is tantamount to selling something youAt time of writing a major feature of this game(the ability to carry over your character from a previous game) does not function. The vast majority will play this game to continue the story with THEIR character making it arguably the most important feature in the game. How this made it through QA or was never tested is beyond rational thought. This is tantamount to selling something you cannot deliver.… Expand
  40. Duncaaaaaan
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Oh how the mighty have fallen. If you're one of the following, or a combination of all three: a newcomer to the series; someone who doesn't like roleplaying games; someone who prefers shooters like Gears of War or CoD; Go give this game a 9.5/10, it was made specifically for you. If you're someone who was a fan of the ME1 franchise since the first one, enjoyed the fantastic and wittyOh how the mighty have fallen. If you're one of the following, or a combination of all three: a newcomer to the series; someone who doesn't like roleplaying games; someone who prefers shooters like Gears of War or CoD; Go give this game a 9.5/10, it was made specifically for you. If you're someone who was a fan of the ME1 franchise since the first one, enjoyed the fantastic and witty writing, the dialogue choices and essentially what was a perfect hybrid of shooter and RPG mechanics, rate this game somewhere in the 1-3/10 region. There is also a huge lack of polish, animations are absolutely terrible and glitchy. voice acting is unbelievably bad, the lead writer, Mac Walters, is f*cking crap at his job and should be sacked. Graphics are very low quality. Skyboxes are a joke to look at, just a muddy pixelated mess Iooks more at home in the original Half-Life1, low res textures are buried under excessive amounts of shadow and poor contrast settings that can't be changed, space bar does EVERYTHING. Choices in the past game mean almost nothing, which is contrary to what was advertised. And now, the autodialog. Shepard just talks for ages on end, with absolutely no input from the player. This isn't YOUR Shep you play, it is something else. Shep often says dickish things I didn't want him to, so and there's only 2 choices of dialog now, not 3-4 from the previous games. One good and one bad. It's like we're being treated as retards, it's insulting. I give it a 2/10, and that's generous.

    There are also SEVERE frame rate issues on the PS3. The fps averages around 20 fps. Not kidding.    … Expand
  41. kavka3
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I really liked mass effect 1 but Bioware decided to remove all real RPG aspects of the game and make a bad casual game catered to twilight and COD fans. The only people who like this game are sheeps who seek approval from t heir gurus and their gurus being mainstream reviewers like IGN and whatnot. And what's witht he pushing of gay sex on us in this game good lord bioware is so crappy.
  42. ImpureClient
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Day 1 DLC..... Sorry $60 is plenty for a game, I don't need to fill anybody's wallet more than it needs to be. Shoving homosexuality down our throats is not going to happen on my game console. Maybe it works on the liberal/new age/hippy parents but not in my home. Glad I read the real reviews from actual people and not paid media. Every time the ratings are lopsided like this IDay 1 DLC..... Sorry $60 is plenty for a game, I don't need to fill anybody's wallet more than it needs to be. Shoving homosexuality down our throats is not going to happen on my game console. Maybe it works on the liberal/new age/hippy parents but not in my home. Glad I read the real reviews from actual people and not paid media. Every time the ratings are lopsided like this I wonder. Sometimes I still go ahead and buy some games out of excitement and it always results in the same thing. The User scores are the real deal in Metacritic.… Expand
  43. Axem1
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Terrible animations, graphics, and gameplay. All wrapped together in the first game that allows you to skip the game. The clear worst in the series, and everything wrong with modern videogames.
  44. alien5
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    The series has fallen downhill since the first. Everything has been continuously simplified, and the writing has fallen out of the realm of anything that could be considered acceptable. It's lazy, and one a person who has someone managed to enjoy the same game that Bioware has been recycling for the better part of the last decade will be able to enjoy this.
  45. xdschuetz
    Jul 17, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game's theme is none other than “sacrifice”. But all this game did sacrifice was good storytelling and the somewhat modest RPG-elements that were left in Mass Effect 2. I, like everyone else who played Mass Effect 2, was eager to see how the story was going to evolve from the end of the thousands of Batarian lives that Shepard sacrificed (which is never brought up again) in order to delay the Reapers’ arrival. The beginning of the game is that Commander Shepard is grounded on Earth for the sixth month in a row (Isn't he a Spectre? How can he get grounded?). You are again telling the Council about the Reapers when – surprisingly – the Reapers attack. After being told how to run and shoot you get picked up by the Normandy and fly into space to gather enough forces so that you can save Earth. Yes! The Normandy is back! What about all the interesting crew members you bonded with through the course of the second game? Well forget most of them – from the 10 or 12 characters there are only 4 left. You see some of them for one story mission as NPCs - that’s it. What do we get instead? We are introduced to some uninteresting characters that should have been nothing more than one-time occurrences in the game (One of them is the famous Prothean from the day-1-DLC joke).
    Now for the villain – because we all know: A hero is only as good as his villain. The entire second game was basically building up the coming of the Reapers led by Harbinger. Harbinger is nothing more than a background in this game (I’m unfortunately not kidding). He has even lost the ability to speak - instead he makes the all-so-reoccurring trumpet-sound that is used in every movie nowadays. The villain in this game is instead the Illusive Man. No wait that’s not right - the actual villain you are going to fight is a space-ninja. And yes – if you now thought that a space-ninja doesn’t quite feel right in the Mass Effect universe you are absolutely right. But he is working for the Illusive Man – maybe through him we can learn more about the Illusive Man. I mean Cerberus has an interesting background – it was once a rogue Alliance BlackOps unit much like what Shepard and his team has become. Nope the Illusive Man appears to say three lines and disappears. You get that three times in game – that’s all you will ever know.
    Now, for the gameplay: It is pretty much the same as it was in Mass Effect 2 – you duck, you shoot and you do that until all the enemies are dead. Are the enemies smart? Well I wouldn’t call it smart if they just hide behind cover and spam you with grenades. Is there anything else to do? Well you have turret-sessions from time to time which are unfortunately as boring as they sound. Sure you can still fly around with the Normandy and they improved the mining system (You now don’t have to visit every planet. You just send out a ping and interesting objects in the perimeter show up – thus evading uninteresting space ), BUT there is NOTHING interesting to find in the galaxy – all side missions are just about scanning a planet and receiving some fleet power that DOESN’T MATTER in the end. There is a mini-game present in which you have to evade Reapers but it felt as a missed oportunity and in return the hacking mini-games were left out.
    If anyone wondered why I haven’t mentioned the RPG-elements yet, that’s because there are none. There are custom-weapons and more powers for each character, but RPG is more about what you do with the given characters story-wise. And this is the games biggest flaw - It is the most straightforward and linear of all the three games. One can argue that there is war which makes the games progress linear, but that is just an excuse people bring up to make the game better. Others argue that Mass Effect 2 also cut almost all of the RPG elements. Well that is true, but it did that in favor of character and choice. Despite the famous three-color-ending (and don't get me wrong: I hate this option) there is not much choice left that truly matters. Did you manage to save both Geth and Quarian (which is one of the highlights in this game)? Well it doesn’t matter because the only “good” ending is sacrificing them off-screen. And yes there is an option to turn off choice and skip all of the dialogue – wait I have to rephrase: the little dialogue that is left to choose from. In this game the options during conversations are almost taken away. And the side-quest don't even have talk-able NPCs. This should enhance the movie-esque feeling the developers were going for, but all it really did was taking away the player’s choice.
    Multiplayer - it is as slapped on as can be. All the other FPS that are built around that gimmick are all way better in that aspect. But who would buy Mass effect, a game famous for the character-driven-single-player, for multiplayer anyway?
    So is it bad? Sure it has bugs, but it's still a good game. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that in comparison to its predecessors its a disappointment.    … Expand
  46. randomness1000
    Mar 10, 2012
    1
    Mass effect 3 a epic conclusion? More like a epic disappointment.
    I felt that the ending was a major slap in my face and leave a bitter taste
    in your mouth!
  47. ROGUE-BOLO
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    I was a huge fan of the Mass Effect franchise (and Bioware games in general). Honestly, I even really like SWtOR. But Mass Effect 3 was a huge disappointment! What I hated most: 3. Meaningful interactions with most of your love interests from ME1 & ME2 reduced to unsatisfying cameos, 2. New movement options for Shepard in combat that can be horribly frustrating because they all share theI was a huge fan of the Mass Effect franchise (and Bioware games in general). Honestly, I even really like SWtOR. But Mass Effect 3 was a huge disappointment! What I hated most: 3. Meaningful interactions with most of your love interests from ME1 & ME2 reduced to unsatisfying cameos, 2. New movement options for Shepard in combat that can be horribly frustrating because they all share the same key as the one used to enter cover (i.e.: I have several times tried to sprint through a door only to find myself rolling back and forth between one side of the door and another, or attempting to leap over cover to flee attackers only to have the game decide I would rather "go into cover" on the wrong side, etc.) and worst of all 1. Three almost identical but horrible endings that totally ignored all of my choices made in the saga up to that point. In my opinion, they not only removed 100% of ME3's replay value (I played ME1 & ME2 dozens to times) but tainted the rest of the saga for me. As far as I am concerned, Jar Jar Binks did less to ruin Star Wars... After all, I did not sink 100+ hours into playing Star Wars after being told my choices would carry through and they would matter! And putting further salt in our wounds, these endings were abrupt, incongruous with the pace and story of the games up to that point, and glaringly inconsistent with established canon (For instance: If one Mass Relay detonating in The Arrival took out an entire star system what does losing ALL of them mean to the survivors in the galaxy?!!! How about a little QA, guys?) If EA/Bioware have any hope of painting themselves out of this corner, I would suggest they look on the Internet for all of the threads discussing "Indoctrination Theory" and deliver us a DLC to 'fix" the endings along those lines ASAP. I know, it is your "art" and your "artistic vision", blah, blah, blah... But you sold the whole ME franchise with the promise of "Real choices that make a difference. Honestly, guys, for ME3 it is time to live up to that.

    The bottom line is that for me, Mass Effect 3 was a huge letdown because of the ending. The people responsible for it should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. For all those of you who would respond "Most of it was pretty good, so you are just an unreasonable jerk for making a big deal out of a bad ending" or "It is their work of art, so chill man," let me put it this way:

    Mass Effect 3 is like meeting a hot chick at a bar. You hit it off real well, see a movie together and have a nice dinner. In the cab on the way home, she shows you some special tricks she can do with those full red lips of hers. Eventually, you get her upstairs and disrobed, only to find out that "she" is really a "he" (Assuming you are not into that, OK?) . That extra sausage in the fridge might not seem like much to some, but if you wanted tacos for dinner it's a pretty big freaking deal. And yeah, sure, 95% of the date was pretty awesome, but that last part kind of spoiled the whole thing for you...

    After 5+ years, 3 games and 200+ hours of combined play and replay, I think we all deserved better. So dear Bioware/EA: Fix the damn ending (Internet threads on Indoctrination Theory could give you some good ideas)! It does not have to be sunshine and rainbows, but it should at least follow canon, make some logical sense, answer more questions than it raises and give me a feeling that all my Shepard's sacrifice and work over the past 5 years had some meaning.    … Expand
  48. taky0142
    Mar 25, 2012
    0
    Gameplay, multiplayer, storyline, all get a 10/10. The ending, however, ruined the experience completely. Don't play this, leave it at ME2 and treat that as the final game in the series, that way you won't be terribly disappointed.
  49. laughing_man
    Mar 13, 2012
    1
    Being the best gaming series I have played it is a sad day when you reach the finishing line and it is as horrible as it is. I love the Mass Effect games, heart and soul and I've played them through countless times. This rating is purely to voice my utter dissatisfaction with how the game ends. I'm not one of those that want a good happy ending and it is not because of some gay sexsceneBeing the best gaming series I have played it is a sad day when you reach the finishing line and it is as horrible as it is. I love the Mass Effect games, heart and soul and I've played them through countless times. This rating is purely to voice my utter dissatisfaction with how the game ends. I'm not one of those that want a good happy ending and it is not because of some gay sexscene (seriously, do journalists actually believe the crap they are putting out??). It is simply because the current ending (NOT endingS, mind you) makes absolutely no sense. Why is there no difference between the endings? WHY doesn't my choices make any difference what so ever. In a stroke of sheer genious BW implements transfer of savegames which all amounts to a **** nothing come the absurd end. I never write reviews but I love this game to damn much to not make my voice heard. This game doesn't deserve this, it should have top ratings.… Expand
  50. noobcannon
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i've had some time to reflect and punch a few holes in the wall to get my frustration out and i think i'm ready to put into words how i feel 24 hours after the "good" ending in mass effect 3

    to start, my RI was Tali. once i killed the reaper on ranoch i opted to upload the reaper code to the geth via legion. despite tali not wanting me to, i felt this was the best course of action for her, her people, the galaxy, and even the geth. i was able to talk the fleet out of counter attacking the geth while the code was being uploaded and tali still loves me. whew. this got me thinking however, what if my paragon was too low and the quarians did attack the geth. what would happen? i pulled up youtube to find out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvATTDgDIqU this was the most moving and emotional punch in the gut i've ever seen in a video game. assuming this had happened in my playthrough, i'd have been devastated. moments earlier tali told me she loved me and i have just wiped out her entire people. heartbroken, she jumps over the edge. thought i was going to cry.

    where the hell was this level of emotion and effort in the ****ing end game bioware? as far as voice acting/ performance go, the quarians being wiped out and tali dying was so difficult to watch, yet so well done, i was completely blown away. that level of devastation and pain should've been put into the endgame and i don't know if i can ever forgive bioware for it. they took maybe the greatest game ever made, at least for me, and complelty half assed the last 5 minutes.

    now, i'll be clear, i wanted a happy ending, but if that's not how it was going to be then fine. i'll get over it. but to do it the way that they did, i, just, uuuuughhh. ......    … Expand
  51. gonorrheahd
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Biggest piece of crap i have ever wasted money on. Not only does shepard die, no not only shepard, but THE WHOLE **** UNIVERSE, you lose anderson without choice cause the illusive man is a dick and the game blows I would take this back but after all the bad reviews i doubt anyone would take it.… Expand
  52. reecer
    Mar 20, 2012
    1
    Its always nice when you buy the game and you don't even have an option to get the best ending possible. I have to either move to somewhere where I can get online, or buy an ipad or iphone. They didn't even think about the offline people, never will buy a game from bioware ever again. Huge disappointment
  53. outlawJW13
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    For some reason the guage didnt change when i submitted my last review so...dont play this game until the ending is fixed. The game was good but the end ruins not only this game but the entire franchise.
  54. dmjrnbsn
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    One of the most profoundly disappointing endings to any story in any medium. The writers removed the cornerstone in which the entire story was built upon - choice and consequence. So, the entire building comes crashing down at the end. In the end, none of the choices your character makes throughout three games matter. All the relationships you've built are meaningless. There is no closureOne of the most profoundly disappointing endings to any story in any medium. The writers removed the cornerstone in which the entire story was built upon - choice and consequence. So, the entire building comes crashing down at the end. In the end, none of the choices your character makes throughout three games matter. All the relationships you've built are meaningless. There is no closure in the relationships made, whether between LIs or squad mates. They never come to fruition, and there is no resolution. ME3 was advertised to have a multitude of outcomes based upon players' choices. That's what originally made the Mass Effect franchise such a great success. The finale should have raised the player to great heights or taken the player to despair... and everywhere between based upon the consequences of the player's decisions throughout the entirety of the series(Paragon, Renegade, or somewhere in between). BioWare should have finished their remarkable work on the strengths that it was built on. Choice and consequence. It seemed like a given, but... You leave the game feeling complete and utter disappointment. It is truly remarkable how an ending can be so profoundly and remarkably bad. It truly destroys the franchise entirely. This is not an easy thing to say, as I've loved the series from the start. There is no replay value at all. BioWare has ruined years of work in the last ten minutes on what should have been one of the greatest RPGs of all time. It will be a study in the future on how not to end a story franchise.… Expand
  55. Waldschatten
    Mar 21, 2012
    1
    Taken as a stand-alone game I'd likely rate it as around five, and that's with a few points off for the horrible ending.

    Having played the previous games, made all the choices that were supposed to affect the ending, and then being stuffed in to the "pick a horrible ending that's almost identical to your other two choices" funnel rather than receiving the promised multiple endings that    Taken as a stand-alone game I'd likely rate it as around five, and that's with a few points off for the horrible ending.

    Having played the previous games, made all the choices that were supposed to affect the ending, and then being stuffed in to the "pick a horrible ending that's almost identical to your other two choices" funnel rather than receiving the promised multiple endings that reflected my choices along the way it not only ruins this game, but the previous two as well.

    This is not the game I was promised, it offers no choices, and all of the work I put in to the series is rendered meaningless in the last few minutes of poorly written cop out where the ending of a truly epic series should be.    … Expand
  56. Lspeyer
    Mar 29, 2012
    0
    I have been a fan of the series for half a decade, and I was really looking forward to the third installment of Mass Effect 3. As a result the game managed to disappoint me beyond what I thought was possible. Bioware has created something so awful that retroactively makes the whole series pointless, and I doubt I will ever bother with this series again. Add in shameless day 1 DLC, whichI have been a fan of the series for half a decade, and I was really looking forward to the third installment of Mass Effect 3. As a result the game managed to disappoint me beyond what I thought was possible. Bioware has created something so awful that retroactively makes the whole series pointless, and I doubt I will ever bother with this series again. Add in shameless day 1 DLC, which clearly was an important part of the game to begin with, and you have one of the worst sequels in RPG history… Expand
  57. Electromatic
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    There's no denying the fact that BioWare has created a truly vivid and unique world with the mass effect Universe, a galaxy composed of memorable and lovable characters that have drawn in fans all over of the world. Generally speaking, the majority of Mass Effect 3 was well paced, with emotional twists that seem to make the player truly care about the fates of all the characters aroundThere's no denying the fact that BioWare has created a truly vivid and unique world with the mass effect Universe, a galaxy composed of memorable and lovable characters that have drawn in fans all over of the world. Generally speaking, the majority of Mass Effect 3 was well paced, with emotional twists that seem to make the player truly care about the fates of all the characters around him/her. Yet the Ending seems to undermine all of that. It seems as though BioWare forgot the fact that the last two games took a more romanticized approach, that if the player sacrifices enough, whether it be by decisions alone, or by cranking out as many hours as possible on side quests, there's a chance for success, even if it has to be bittersweet. This concept failed to present itself at the end of ME3, which changed the whole concept of hope and brotherhood, which was a constant factor throughout the whole series. I don't believe that the ending deserved a "they all lived happily ever-after", but if enough reinforcements are gathered, a bittersweet ending with severe losses, and an epilogue would of added the needed closure to this trilogy.… Expand
  58. KingMJE
    Mar 14, 2012
    0
    The game was OK, There was some interesting story decisions to make and the action was pretty nice. multiplayer is pretty fun, all the classes are very different from eachother but adept can solo everything. all of the endings are terrible, i am no longer supporting, EA, Bioware, or origin.
  59. skinny_mean_man
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    Mass effect is my favorite next gen console series. but mass effect 3 is a middle finger to the fans who have loved the series since day one. unless something is seriously done to fix this game i will never buy from bioware again. they were my favorite company and now they are my most hated
  60. coop667
    Mar 22, 2012
    0
    Ending is a joke. This is a great game that suffers from the most god awful endings I have ever seen. Plus Bioware does not do their Multiplayer events with PS3 users and mentions it in the fine print. Save yourself the trouble and the $60 and wait for it to drop in price in a couple months.
  61. Nippur
    Mar 25, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After so many reviews from users there's not much to add to the failure that this game is. I could (grudgingly) forget about many things like: day one (prothean!) DLC - many bugs - lab door scanner - Normandy's elevator - Alenko - romance implementation - X button pressing - absence of tactical combat - counterintuitive boss fights - flat and uninteresting side missions - fed ex missions - endlessly repeating conversations in the Citadel - war assets recollection system - etc. What I cannot forget and forgive is: BORING story for an RPG with the precedents of ME1 (good story) and ME2 (great character interaction) - absolutely nonsensical ending to your 3 games long quest. The ending is not sad. It just doesn't make any sense. Doesn't reward you for all the work you've done through ME 1, 2 and 3. Your "key" decisions and hard worked diplomacy are worthless. The war assets you have mean nothing more than a slight difference in a cutscene. The endgame could be sad, but it should reflect most of the story so far. The ending looks like coming from a bad 80s amateur game. Child-computer is the worst implemented idea I've seen in a game since the Lost finale. There's no repairing to be done here. Even if it's a free DLC, I've lost all motivation to follow this story. Some guys said that is EA's fault. There's some truth about corporations being always against artistic quality. But the fault here is primarily of the creators. They've tried to make a Call of Duty in Space, without the actual quality of the original corridor shooter. Just so you know. If you HAVE to play this game because you've played 1 and/or 2, either rent it or borrow it. I lost 70 USD. Let's hope you can save them.… Expand
  62. FHansson
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Warning! This review contains heavy SPOILERS!

    Ah, Mass Effect! The first Mass Effect, a science fiction, space opera, with a wonderful story that made you want to play until the day you die. And along comes Mass Effect 2. The game play has been refined and polished but the story dropped a bit of its impact in this one. It's a great game none the less.
    And in steps Mass Effect 3. I'd really hate to say this, but what happened?! This game is rushed and milked beyond belief.

    Let's start out with point one. The DLC. From Ashes stars a critically lore heavy and story driven character that will fight for you, and they sell you this for ten dollars. This is not acceptable! Those who play Mass Effect play it for the story mostly and now Bioware and EA wants you to pay extra to get more out of the story from Mass Effect 3?! Stupid!

    Point two. The combat. The combat is clumsy and more dumbed down. You stick easily to walls and you end up rolling to the side when you would like to sprint. This could've been fixed with the ability to rebind the cover, dodge, sprint and interact keys to different buttons or keys or whatever. This ruins the flow of the game and it just sucks to talk so bad about this game. Point three. The side missions and the ending. The side missions... Are basically not useful at all, because no matter what you do, you end up with the EXACT ending in all possible ways. Only two endings. One renegade and one paragon. This is just disappointing. Point four The story. The story, I hate to say is a disappointment, but it's dumbed down. The vastness of the story is large and but it's still lagging far behind the first and second Mass Effect. However... Unfortunately the story has alot of plotholes and the explanation to the reapers ways make no sense, and some of the things in the story just leave you asking... "Why?!". Lastly. Overall. I don't like ratings, but if I have to slap one on, I'd give it a three. This is being generous! The major downfall of this is its story and its ending. The story is rushed and underdeveloped, and those who expect a good one will should not expect it. The game play is rather lousy and if I could sum up the game in one word, it would be "rushed". However, the only reason I give the game anything higher than a 1 is because I admit it. After playing my character E.G. Shepard through ME1 and 2 and then seeing the wrapup. I had tears whelling in my eyes by the beginning of the ending cinematic. I choose the Paragon way, because, really... Unless you're just experimenting, nobody would pick the Renegade ending when they actually follow their heart on what to do. Because that one is just cruel!    … Expand
  63. 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.
  64. OddSuperFuture
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    The game is absolutely top notch until the ending is reached and you're presented with 3 choices. 3 choices which completely dismiss any decisions you've made prior in any of the 3 games. There are 3 ending scenes with no closure and a convoluted, out of character plot which disregard the franchises key themes. This destroys any motivation you may have to replay this game-or any of theThe game is absolutely top notch until the ending is reached and you're presented with 3 choices. 3 choices which completely dismiss any decisions you've made prior in any of the 3 games. There are 3 ending scenes with no closure and a convoluted, out of character plot which disregard the franchises key themes. This destroys any motivation you may have to replay this game-or any of the other ME games. I Hope Bioware learn from this. Ending DLC correction is desperately needed.… Expand
  65. Bulldozer
    Mar 30, 2012
    0
    This game could have been a masterpiece but the final result is only a forgettable mix of bugs, holes in a childish plot with the "wish" to be serious, a ton of shadows and emphasis everywhere, no exploration, no puzzles, flat dialogues and the worst ending in videogame history. In certain things it could deserve a 11 but in others not more than a -20 so my balance is 0. Nothing more thanThis game could have been a masterpiece but the final result is only a forgettable mix of bugs, holes in a childish plot with the "wish" to be serious, a ton of shadows and emphasis everywhere, no exploration, no puzzles, flat dialogues and the worst ending in videogame history. In certain things it could deserve a 11 but in others not more than a -20 so my balance is 0. Nothing more than a "project" of a game, an interesting project never terminated and poorly done, or at least that's not good to be released like this.… Expand
  66. Jalt08
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ultimately no matter what path was chosen, what actions where taken, who lived and who died, at the end of this journey, all that remains is your ship and your crew abandon you.

    The first 95% of the game is amazing, its everything I hoped for and more. The last 5% is the biggest slap in the face imaginable. If you have invested 100's of hours from the first game until this one, you will be left stunned and appalled that none of the choices you made, none of the battles you fought, nothing you did in those 100's of hours ultimately pays off in any of the three endings you can pick from. With the three endings and the DLC on day 1, EA/Bioware show that fan support means nothing more than a dollar symbol to them. While most of the joy lays in the journey to the end of the game, there is no replay value at all in this game, because no matter what journey you take, the ends are all ultimately the same except for color variations and if synthetics live or die.    … Expand
  67. iSpeakTheTruth
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. **** u Bioware. And **** u EA. And also **** u too Commander Shepard (ha).. I had high hopes for this game.. I have the N7 edition and ME2 is my fav game of all time (PS3). I beat ME3 a little under 40hrs. All was good, and I was beginning to think ME3 would be my new fav game. I saw Tali's face and was pleased for the moment, cause I didn't know it was a stock photo yet. But all was still good, I saved Tali's homeland, cured the genophage, found peace between the geth and quarians, helped Miranda save her sister, help jack save her children, stopped the illusive man, etc... then BAM!! I get a **** ending with 3 decisions that are all basically the same but with different colors. You said we would have closure and have all our questions answered. Uh, I have a question. Why the **** did I spend all this time perfecting my Shepards story, if none of my decisions were going to matter at the end? I expected the prothean device to kill the reapers and save the galaxy, but na, it summons that kid that died and he's telling me some **** that doesn't even make sense. But seriously, I don't mind Shepard dying, I kninda knew he was since its his last game. But how about showing the aftermath of what my final decision caused. Show me whats going on with the people I care about, show me what happens with Tali, Liara, Ashley, Garrus, Miranda, Jack, and all those other people I spent countless hours building a relationship with. Don't show me Joker crash landing on some unknown location. He's gonna eventually starve anyways, since he can't leave thanks to the Mass Relay being destroyed for no reason. I think Bioware put somebody else on charge of the ending, while they worked on the multiplayer that nobody asked for. Or they plan on releasing a DLC for $10 called "Shepard's Alternate Ending" that's really supposed to be the original ending. Either way, they already ruined a once great franchise. I gave this game a perfect 10.. until the last 10 minutes. I That brought the score down to a zero.… Expand
  68. udoh
    Mar 12, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect & Mass Effect 2 are amazing, the way your choices matter, then things you do has an impact. These choices matter in Mass Effect 3, and some of the events in ME3 are wonderful. BUT, Stop playing when you are asked to go to the Asari Homeworld, because after that everything you have done for the last 5 years doesn't matter at all. Really bad writing, plot holes, and some veryMass Effect & Mass Effect 2 are amazing, the way your choices matter, then things you do has an impact. These choices matter in Mass Effect 3, and some of the events in ME3 are wonderful. BUT, Stop playing when you are asked to go to the Asari Homeworld, because after that everything you have done for the last 5 years doesn't matter at all. Really bad writing, plot holes, and some very strange team mate choices, things just don't feel right. Such a shame.… Expand
  69. wutani
    Mar 13, 2012
    3
    The two previous Mass Effect games were excellent, the third game fell flat in the later sections of the game, copy paste textures galore all over London some of which are laughably bad. The biggest disappointment in the third game was the ending,all of our actions and choices during all of the games had zero impact on the endings of the third game, the endings created plotholes all overThe two previous Mass Effect games were excellent, the third game fell flat in the later sections of the game, copy paste textures galore all over London some of which are laughably bad. The biggest disappointment in the third game was the ending,all of our actions and choices during all of the games had zero impact on the endings of the third game, the endings created plotholes all over the place.… Expand
  70. peterwdawson
    Mar 24, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Can a game's score really be dropped that low by having an awful ending? Absolutely, especially if it retroactively makes you no longer want to play the earlier games.

    Gameplay wise its alright, though Bioware really needs to stop having random NPC chatter intrude with regular chat. The sidequests are also a little boring, though still more enjoyable than mineral mining. Also again Bioware makes there more stuff to buy than there is money to be earned which will always irk me as a packrat gamer. Still these are nitpicks.

    The first real damning issue is the fact that multiplayer must constantly be played to ensure oneself the best ending. Multiplayer intruding into singleplay is a giant no-no, at least in this method. Obviously co-op and such is fine so long as it isn't required in what's supposed to be a single-player game, but this is generic multiplayer, that is also quite buggy and has seen players dropped from games for no clear reason, and they decided it would be a good idea to tie it to single-player. And yes, it isn't just play or forget, you have to keep playing to keep your score where it needs to be. This was after it was promised you wouldn't have to play it to do this.

    And then there's the damn ending. People have compared it to Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and so on, saying there's layers. That really doesn't matter in the end. The fact is, at face value you get a terrible conclusion that doesn't use any gameplay mechanics properly as well as ignores the narrative as it was built up until then. If you buy into such gems as the indoctrination theory, its still terrible, because a game that has been about unity and ending long-standing grudges suddenly decides to get overly artsy and interpretational. That is a massive tonal backlash, and it furthermore fails as art since it fails to convey its intent. Knowing that this is where all the games had been taking me is just horrifying. Shepard dying isn't an issue, it just flat out makes all your decisions amount to diddly squat because the writer wanted to get an interpretational sci-fi ending. Those kinds of endings can work, but not in this series, and especially not with what came before it in the game itself. It's not just building a lead balloon, its building one and throwing it against spikes hoping it only be penetrated. It just doesn't work.    … Expand
  71. Chandler
    Mar 9, 2012
    0
    How can this version get so much praise from Reviewers? The PS3 version has some of the worst frame rate issues I have EVER seen. I played it about an hour before I said **** it and returned it. The game is nigh unplayable like that. You just can't release crap like that in this time and age. The PS3 version getting 90+% is nothing lass than a travesty and just proves that professionalHow can this version get so much praise from Reviewers? The PS3 version has some of the worst frame rate issues I have EVER seen. I played it about an hour before I said **** it and returned it. The game is nigh unplayable like that. You just can't release crap like that in this time and age. The PS3 version getting 90+% is nothing lass than a travesty and just proves that professional reviewers just slap big scores on big names because they either get payed off big time or fear the backlash from mindless fan boys.

    Concerning the game itself, its alright, BUT DO AVOID THE PS3 VERSION IF YOU CAN.    … Expand
  72. Leftyy
    Mar 21, 2012
    4
    In short, I never believed that the ending was as bad as everyone said it could be, turns out I was wrong. When you're actually playing the end, it doesn't feel as awful as most would make it out to be. But in the moments after the game ends and you ponder what you've just finished, you will realize your true disappointment in the ending of the game. The elimination of any type of endingIn short, I never believed that the ending was as bad as everyone said it could be, turns out I was wrong. When you're actually playing the end, it doesn't feel as awful as most would make it out to be. But in the moments after the game ends and you ponder what you've just finished, you will realize your true disappointment in the ending of the game. The elimination of any type of ending variation, lack of closure, and a short, lazy little cutscene filled with unanswered plotholes should answer your question as to why it's so awful without spoiling anything. In short, the ending was just bad, and it takes away from the exciting couple of hours that lead up to it.

    I might give this a higher score, but honestly, I can't say the ending was the only problem. Never mind the dlc, who cares about that. My beef lies with the technical points of the game and the gunplay itself. Obviously most of you enjoy the gunplay and I know I'll get flak for this, but even in Mass Effect 2 I found it to be boring and unoriginal, it feels like a stiff cover shooter that seems like a dumbed down version of Uncharted except with those gimmicky biotic powers. Also, the game has a really poor framerate that will annoy you throughout much of the game, terrible lip-syncing, and to top it all off the game froze on me a few times and I had to reboot my PS3.

    To be honest, I don't think was an abysmal game, but it will never live up to the second chapter in the series' greatness nor will it ever be considered one of the great video games of this generation. Although I think it deserves all this hate, I find it sad that Bioware was stubborn enough to butcher its greatest franchise, and what's even more sad is that it's probably EA's fault for making Bioware rush the ending so that they could get it out before the end of the fiscal quarter. That's just plain wrong. I don't care whether they're going to patch the ending or not, I'm selling this game before the price takes a nose dive when no one wants to buy this piece of garbage.    … Expand
  73. Mr_Wednesday
    Mar 26, 2012
    2
    I did NOT play the single player yet, because I will play it on my xbox - as if you have no savegame, your previous standard choices are as sh*tty as possible. But I played a LOT of the multiplayer, and despite the amazing gameplay, it is plagued by so many bugs, sometimes you just give up. You will fall from the map, become immortal, enemies will turn invisible, be teleported into theI did NOT play the single player yet, because I will play it on my xbox - as if you have no savegame, your previous standard choices are as sh*tty as possible. But I played a LOT of the multiplayer, and despite the amazing gameplay, it is plagued by so many bugs, sometimes you just give up. You will fall from the map, become immortal, enemies will turn invisible, be teleported into the scenario, the server will crash midgame, you get an error when trying to buy things.... For an AAA game that costs 70 Bucks (with the "optional" DLC), this is unforgivable. So disappointed with Bioware....… Expand
  74. boddilyfluids
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    Breaks cannon, massive plot holes, incomplete game. While this is the final chapter in one of my most cherished series, there is very little that remains after a botched ending that can be considered good.
  75. SirYakalot
    Mar 18, 2012
    3
    Fantastic design, everything else lacks. This game suffers hugely from the same thing that fable 2 and 3 did - we loved the first one and forgave its flaws simply because it was a first game, but it's the third game now and the flaws are still there. I honestly want to love this game, I really really do, but honestly it just feels like a mess.
  76. donmaciu
    Mar 18, 2012
    1
    I can start with frame rate falling extremely in ps3 version. It's even worse than it was in ME2. Then we have small problems with ME2 Love Interests almost entirely omitted, Tali face ..... but it still leaves a solid game. But the biggest disappointment is the ending. I don't know who thought this sorry excuse for an ending would cause any positive reaction. Sure, it works for some...I can start with frame rate falling extremely in ps3 version. It's even worse than it was in ME2. Then we have small problems with ME2 Love Interests almost entirely omitted, Tali face ..... but it still leaves a solid game. But the biggest disappointment is the ending. I don't know who thought this sorry excuse for an ending would cause any positive reaction. Sure, it works for some... maybe for 9% of players. I loved the series... but now i hate it. I won't be playing any BioWare game soon.

    Indoctrination theory is dead, and so is our hope of getting decent ending. Apparently writers are happy with what they did... I'm speechless, but still Holding the Line...

    PS. sorry for my English    … Expand
  77. sympathy4saren2
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    An absolutely terrible game, and an insult to both Mass Effect fans and rpg gamers alike. Gameplay is boring and repetitive, rpg elements are minimal at best and the loot system is a joke, there is no inventory, linear level design, zero exploration, massive plot-craters and weak writing all around. The developers also lied about day one dlc and the fact choices mean anything. They don't.An absolutely terrible game, and an insult to both Mass Effect fans and rpg gamers alike. Gameplay is boring and repetitive, rpg elements are minimal at best and the loot system is a joke, there is no inventory, linear level design, zero exploration, massive plot-craters and weak writing all around. The developers also lied about day one dlc and the fact choices mean anything. They don't. Save yourself money and avoid this game at all costs.… Expand
  78. Protectereli
    Mar 10, 2012
    4
    Im a big fan of the ME series, sadly i only own a ps3 so i never got to experience the first game but i loved the second game and beat it mulitple times, the combat is amazing and the customization is amazing in mass effect 3 but wow bioware you completely dropped the ball on the endings, i can understand sad endings, but there needs to be a way to get a good ending, thats why theIm a big fan of the ME series, sadly i only own a ps3 so i never got to experience the first game but i loved the second game and beat it mulitple times, the combat is amazing and the customization is amazing in mass effect 3 but wow bioware you completely dropped the ball on the endings, i can understand sad endings, but there needs to be a way to get a good ending, thats why the previous mass effect games were so good, you knew you could get a bad ending, but if you did everything correctly everything would turn out okay, playing commander shepard for years and developing in game relationships makes you feel like you are commander shepard, and giving him the endings avaiable was a complete fail and ruined this amazing game franchise for me.… Expand
  79. senshigoro
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    This game is an insult to all Mass Effect fans.
    After to games the conclusion is now, that everything you did in the last 5 years was just a joke. Nothing you were doing had any real consequences in the game. Of course some things may happen differently, but after all, nothing you did, had any influence on the outcome of the Reaper conflict.
    Bioware wanted to tell their story and you are    This game is an insult to all Mass Effect fans.
    After to games the conclusion is now, that everything you did in the last 5 years was just a joke. Nothing you were doing had any real consequences in the game. Of course some things may happen differently, but after all, nothing you did, had any influence on the outcome of the Reaper conflict.
    Bioware wanted to tell their story and you are not really welcome in this story. I never felt so stupid after paying full price for a game. This may be the biggest disappointment in the last 10 years of gaming.    … Expand
  80. dragonknight4
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    Day-1 DLC, issues of character skipping, dropped animations, buggy scenes with failed DOF usage and characters clipped into and stuck to the scenery, not an RPG, homoerotic gay male sex scenes, garbage ending. Game isn't worth $60 but you should only pick it up if you can find it for $1.
  81. bidou
    Mar 10, 2012
    1
    Buggy in combats (poorly balanced some ennemies are simple some are simply tremendously hard to kill), poorly written scenario, sh*tty ending. The worst of series already seriously overrated.
  82. Nichtswisser
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    Welcome to the future of Bioware.. It really seems that all those guys which know what they were doing left Bioware and were replaced by characters inspired by the movie "Ideocracy". There is that otaku women responsible for the romances which probably is a virgin and who seems to have a yaoi (gay male romances) fetish. Than there is that crazy dude I saw in a DA2 video and who came upWelcome to the future of Bioware.. It really seems that all those guys which know what they were doing left Bioware and were replaced by characters inspired by the movie "Ideocracy". There is that otaku women responsible for the romances which probably is a virgin and who seems to have a yaoi (gay male romances) fetish. Than there is that crazy dude I saw in a DA2 video and who came up with the "awesome button". And there is probably one EA suit dude who is never without his statistics why call of duty is so successful and who spams his opinion in every meeting that more explosions are needed. And with those 3 responsible for game design, ME3 is what we got. Lots and lots of gay romances, just as much explosions, and the evolution of the "awesome button", the "awesome does all button"! And it really is awesome when you try to run away and instead take cover with your back exposed to the enemy! Yet just like with DA2, the most "awesome" button is the one which removes this **** from your hdd!… Expand
  83. goblue22
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    This game is absolutely AMAZING right up until the final 15 minutes or so. The end of the game is really a slap in the face to anyone who has stayed with the series from the beginning.

    I am not saying this because I did not get the end that I wanted. I would have been perfectly fine with an ending in which everyone died - because at the very least that would have been a clear and well    This game is absolutely AMAZING right up until the final 15 minutes or so. The end of the game is really a slap in the face to anyone who has stayed with the series from the beginning.

    I am not saying this because I did not get the end that I wanted. I would have been perfectly fine with an ending in which everyone died - because at the very least that would have been a clear and well defined end. This series has always been defined and advertised as character driven. The player is encouraged to get invested in and attached to the characters in the Mass Effect universe. And yet the way this game ends is simply unacceptable. The ending gives very little understanding of exactly what happened, and the player is given very little to go on in terms of the fates of the characters.

    I have never been one to write reviews or have strong opinions on games. I am not even one who typically gets attached to series the way I got attached to Mass Effect. But the way the end of the game seems like Bioware came up with it in maybe 10 minutes is, in my opinion, a betrayal of the fans.    … Expand
  84. Em-Man
    Mar 10, 2012
    2
    The game featured a promising start. It was exciting to finally see everything you did in the last 2 games make a difference in Mass Effect 3... Only that it didn't. Nothing you did in the game has a result or consequence in this game, not even the stuff you do in Mass Effect 3. You can't do any major choices during the game. The combat feels like a bad version of Gears of War. The endingThe game featured a promising start. It was exciting to finally see everything you did in the last 2 games make a difference in Mass Effect 3... Only that it didn't. Nothing you did in the game has a result or consequence in this game, not even the stuff you do in Mass Effect 3. You can't do any major choices during the game. The combat feels like a bad version of Gears of War. The ending is horrible and makes the whole story of Shepard from the first game to the third feel irrelevant.… Expand
  85. Ryan2212
    Mar 20, 2012
    1
    95% of the game is f**king epic. The last 5% (the end) sucked. Yes I know there are people out there who liked the ending and that's cool. I personally needed more closure and yeah I'll admit I'd like a chance o have a happier ending. Hopefully future dlc will be able to provide the last 5% lacked.
  86. progamer
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    A 0 for a buggy unplayable mess.If game worked a 8.Mass effect 2 was made on the ps3 because of the added stuff and it plays way better.i dont know why they dont even say they are going to patch the game.
  87. cpmartins
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    Installation went smoothly. This is it, the end of the triology. ME 1 was a masterpiece. ME 2 was a bland cover-based shooter. But that was ok, I wanted to see how this thing would end. Booted it up, went into graphical options to change some things. Ok, where is the FOV option? Oh, so no FOV for me then. Unistalled and returned. What score should I give a game that makes me physicallyInstallation went smoothly. This is it, the end of the triology. ME 1 was a masterpiece. ME 2 was a bland cover-based shooter. But that was ok, I wanted to see how this thing would end. Booted it up, went into graphical options to change some things. Ok, where is the FOV option? Oh, so no FOV for me then. Unistalled and returned. What score should I give a game that makes me physically ill when I'm playing? Oh yeah. 0… Expand
  88. scienceproof
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What could have been a fantastic game is ruined by it's utterly dire ending. It's just incomprehensible that the bioware writers thought it was a good idea - hmm, let's finish this amazing trilogy by forcing players to pick one of three slightly different endings, of which none of your previous choices will impact. Let's deliver these endings in the most clichéd and contrived manner possible. To top it off, lets pretend in our marketing spiels that this isn't the case, so we don't put people off from giving us lots of money.… Expand
  89. DemonDZ
    Mar 11, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I feel like I just ate the perfect sub, except the ends were made out of the worst thing you can imagine.

    First the From Ashes DLC (which isn't DLC it's ULC as in Unlockable Content, since it's already on the disk) which just botched it from the start, then I get into the game and it's awesome, I was engaged so many things I had done in the previous games affected my War Assets which would help me in the end to get a truly fitting ending for Commander John Shepard, we reach earth, the crucible is done, our chances are low but measurable, We already destroyed a Reaper and are ready to launch the final attack to take back the citadel and use it as the catalyst for the crucible to defeat the reapers. And then the Harbinger lands! Finally I get to face down my enemy that haunted me throughout the second third of the epic adventure that is Mass Effect, but we say **** it!" and charge for the catalyst in a suicide run, I felt like I had actually gotten the assets to defeat the harbinger, I had Jack and her bionic artillery, I had that Volar Bombing Fleet and some other assets I can't remember off the top of my head. I accept it, the Crucible is inbound for earth and we really don't have the time to fight the Harbinger as epic as that fight would have been.

    It's a suicide run, people dying left and right, I can't even see the rest of my 3-man cell of my lovable girlfriend Tali'Zorah nar Rayya vas Normandy and long time friend in arms Garrus Vakarian, I fear that they might have been killed already, but I press on having already lost too many friends to let the reapers win. I'm almost there and I get hit, I can't see. I wake up, body aches, bleeding, my armor is a mess, so is my already scar-riddled face, I get up, with my last strength I destroy the resistance along the last stretch and I board the Citadel. There's dead bodies everywhere, none of them slaves of the reapers, I feel weird, I had helped C-sec setting up defensive turrets, I had organised a Citadel Militia, resistance should have been made, I push on and this is where it all goes to hell, The Ilusive Man, Anderson that somehow made it on board after me but is ahead of me in a linear walkway, the white light as the crucible won't fire. I meet the Catalyst that gives me 2 **** options out of 3 **** options there are, I fullfill my mission, I destroy the reapers dying in the process, and as Commander John Shepard dies and I see the results unfold a bit of myself dies as everything, the preliminary creation of my characters personality (not paragon/renegade but actual character personality creation) saving Garrus as Archangel, Mordin's sacrifice, the technology recovered from the collector base, saving the rachni queen, getting a fleet, forming an inter-species galaxy-spanning alliance, the largest fleet ever seen, the most unified defence, helping all those people, all those diplomatic relations, sacrificing the geth and killing Legion so the Quarian counter-attack won't get decimated, all those things, and what can i get for it? a little more effort and I would get to see Shepard twitch as he is probably dying of blood loss. Nothing I did meant anything in the end, the entire ending is a hollow gesture, all my time meant nothing in the end. This ending is so horrible that it actually affects my experience of the earlier games... I had so much about gameplay I could think about, there's goods and bad but the only thing that pops up when I think about Mass Effect is that ending.    … Expand
  90. mythandoryx
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    Don't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me of. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard to make all the right choice in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay anywhere in the near future. I was also frustratedDon't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me of. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard to make all the right choice in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay anywhere in the near future. I was also frustrated by BW's day-one DLC policy! It made me feel cheep! As I'm nothing but money-milking mating for the Big Gaming Kahunas. THE ENDING MUST BE CORRECTED! BW is a great company that makes great RPG's. I'm confident that they won't disappoint their fans for long. Maybe!… Expand
  91. MCRMJ
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Considering the amount of time you are likely to have sunk into the series as a whole, can I, hand on heart recommend you play through the third game? No. I would advise you to steer clear.

    Not through any misguided rant over the (extremely poor) ending, but rather more sensible reasons. The whole premise of Mass Effect is how the decisions you make affect what happens in the game world, expanding or contracting the story, tailored to how you want it to pan out. So, when the last 15-30 minutes of the game throw everything you've toiled over over the last five or so years, out of the airlock and reduce the finale to a choice of three simple decisions (all of which have basically the same outcome, at least visually) then it makes it very hard to tell people to buy this game. There's also the glaring contradictions to past characters behavior and Mass Effect lore. If, you are still determined to play the game, do so, as the majority of it is excellent, but be prepared to cut your losses with the series as it doesn't just leave a 'bittersweet' taste in the mouth, but a nasty sour one.    … Expand
  92. Tulak_Hord
    Mar 11, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first 95% of this game is incredible and worth playing. It introduces new characters and themes while (for the most part) successfully wrapping up story lines from the previous two games. Unfortunately the last 10-15 minutes of the game undermine everything that has happened up to that point. All your decisions are rendered meaningless and random plot hole after random plot hole end what up to that point had been one of the greatest games I have ever played. What is most insulting is that the ending feels cheap and tacked on, almost as if the developer ran out of time and resources and just threw some random stuff together hoping no one would notice. This game is not worth buying until the developer removes the glaring plot holes and fixes the ending to reflect the character's choices throughout this game and the previous two.… Expand
  93. omegaxxxfly
    Mar 13, 2012
    0
    Simplified, outraged, DLC on the first day, an inconclusive ending, and apparently are going to see more dlc, just Fu$% You Bioware you let me down, thank you for this true masterpiece of crap.
  94. Brodesmus
    Mar 23, 2012
    0
    This game is excellent...until the last 15 minutes or so. The ending (there is only one with different colors) destroyed one of my favorite video game franchises. Mass Effect appealed to me because the choices that you made had weight, they affected the story in a tangible way, but no matter what you did in any of the games you always get the same choice of endings. Red, blue, or green.
  95. Old-Jim
    Apr 17, 2012
    2
    Well, I finished ME3 last week and then spent a week in my spare time reading all about the travesty that was the ME3 ending. Yup, it was beyond awful. It really killed the entire ME experience for me; yes, all three games; five years; all dead. Here are my thoughtsâ
  96. Broxigar
    Apr 27, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am so sad I had to do this, I never thought I would have to. Mass Effect WAS an epic series. However I cannot condone what they have done with this game. If you don't buy this game new you will have to pay more to access the tacked on multiplayer. Yea, you heard me. There was Disk Locked Content that you had to pay $10 to unlock, which most people were going to given that the character was a Prothean. They promised you would not need to do multiplayer to get all the endings, however the best ending (a five second scene of Shepard taking a breath) is not possible to obtain without doing the multiplayer currently. Excluding 2 or 3 the side quests are atrocious. The gameplay is improved and the characters are great, Garrus being the stand out, but all this is forgotten as you try to figure out what happened in the last 10 minutes and realized it wasn't written by the same people who did the rest of the game. It's a disaster I won't even bother to go into detail as I'm sure every other review hits on it. This is the single worst ending in the history of gaming. It's like Bioware doesn't want anyone to buy from them again. Giving me a terrible ending and adding the text "Buy more dlc" isn't going to make me happy.… Expand
  97. my3dlife
    Apr 29, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A plus 10 game ruined by a a minus 10 ending. I threw them a bone for some awesome stories before the ending.

    Mass Effect is the ultimate game for 2.99 games. I played them never having read of any controversy surrounding ME3. ME3's ending doesn't just ruin one game, it ruins all 3. Replayability is dead.

    The ending breaks all rules of basic, good story-telling. So much for artistic vision. The artist had his eyes glued shut here. A heretofore unknown super being antagonist is introduced at the end and offers up circular logic as the reason for the bad guys, the reapers. Synthetics will destroy you so to keep that from happening, we will destroy you. Thanks a lot.

    Metacritic points out that the Shepard you create is basically you. That's right. And the characters you meet often become your friends. You make decisions that really affect them and you care. The game introduces not only the star kid, but a "real" version of him at the beginning of the game. I didn't like him too much throughout the game, but once I got "the ending" with his glowing counterpart, I hated him. He isn't what I've been fighting for-that's the characters, my family, Jack, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and so on. Not some kid. He is forced upon me. Shepard winces and shows more emotion for this than for the self-sacrifice of others I do care about. Even so, I could live with this if the starkid didn't exist as is at the end. Maybe.

    The endings are cookie cutter cutscenes based upon 3 stupid choices that themselves are based on some flawed "logic". This logic is disproved elsewhere within the game and would make at the very least a 4th choice or rejection of the 3 given not only possible, but required. Shepard would not make a choice from 3 genocidal options and not at least say, "wait a minute!"

    Chronology of end events don't match up, nor do the actions of certain characters. Joker, fighting for Earth wouldn't, but also couldn't run away with characters that were with Shepard on Earth when s/he got nearly burned to a crisp. Some see the Jungle planet as an allegory for Eden with Adam and Eve. Nice work if the ones that get off the Normandy are Joker, Vega, and Garrus-all male and not all human.

    Back to the kid. In order to buy in to what he's selling I at least need to be able to make a good case for why he's there. The game doesn't. My enemy, the antagonist has been something that looks more like, I don't know, a REAPER. Satisfaction comes from being involved at some gut level with the defeat of the antagonist. Not some push of a button in a galaxy far away. Ok, a shot from an infinite ammo pistol that magically appeared in my hand.

    Basically, I spent the whole game building up war assets that I don't use and don't get to see at the end and that really have little meaning, except that I might get a really bad ending (you know worse than me dying after creating genocide) where the Earth vaporizes. Ok, this should happen anyway, given your choices.

    And those characters I loved throughout the series...well if I had a romance with a certain blue girl, she gives me a gift before I toddle off to mostly die. I have no idea what it is because I'm just floating in stars. Ok, I can use my imagination, but it seems like it was cut. But there's a precedence for this. This blue girl was mostly missing from ME2, but did get a tacked on storyline. Once you finish that DLC though, blue girl is gone from the game. That's ME2. As to the other characters and that awesome first main reunion we all have where we get to push together to fight off those nasty reapers, well forget it. Some are there in London saying goodbye, but some you get to make a phone call to. So satisfying. I don't even get to see Jack and her bionic kids raising hell.

    Then we come to the end end. It's like you fell off a cliff. There's no context as to what just happened. No chance to see the impact, no place to hang a feeling. Most of the choices result in your (Shepard's) death, except for one incredulous piece that suspends all reality. A gasp-available with high EMS-those war assets and basically multiplayer factored in. Ok, so that means you get to see what it means to people if Shepard dies or lives right? Nope, no. Nothing. Most that are unhappy with the ending want choices that add up to the possibility of worst and best case scenarios and they want to see the impact on the galaxy, the Earth, their friends, and their love interest. They want a choice to make sacrifices that make sense and a chance to live and see the aftermath. And have choices then as to where Shepard goes afterward. Choice the game has always given.

    Bioware gave Mass Effect a pulse, Shepard gave it a face, the characters in it gave it a heart, players gave it a soul. With this ending, Bioware used ME3 to kill Mass Effect. The creator rebelled against and killed the created. Drink your ovaltine.    … Expand
  98. Biss
    Mar 28, 2012
    0
    What a sh**y ending. No chance of a good ending, even if you have make only correct choices over all 3 games. Bioware has lost all his skills. First gameplay and now storytelling. Nothing more is left of a once great development studio.
  99. abbadona
    Apr 25, 2013
    0
    Great gameplay, phenomenally disappointing story. Since the story is the most important thing to me in a game the horrid ending is simply a massive letdown that trivializes every choice you ever make.
  100. Marmalade
    Sep 29, 2012
    3
    I honestly don't know WHAT to rate this game, because the first 99% of the game was mostly great, with the exception of a few things I'll get into. Don't hate me, but I love, LOVE the multiplayer aspect of the game (even though in principle I know I shouldn't, because it likely took away from the development of core aspects of the single player game, but I'm just going to be honest here).I honestly don't know WHAT to rate this game, because the first 99% of the game was mostly great, with the exception of a few things I'll get into. Don't hate me, but I love, LOVE the multiplayer aspect of the game (even though in principle I know I shouldn't, because it likely took away from the development of core aspects of the single player game, but I'm just going to be honest here). Though I admit that after three or four play-throughs the multiplayer can get boring and repetitive, I don't do it every day and I enjoy just being able to go in and shoot stuff with other players when the mood strikes me (as long as they're not some nerd with a headset who screams at everyone in the group - that's when I leave and requeue). That being said, I DON'T like how multiplayer ties into the single player aspect of the game with the whole Galactic Readiness crap and how your GR degrades every few hours if you don't grind through dozens of multiplayer games. I like playing a few sessions of multiplayer now and then, but I don't like HAVING to play it because it will affect the outcome of my single-player campaign (because there are SO many outcomes...right? ;) Cupcakes anyone?). This was a horrible idea on Bioware's part, because it forces the player to grind battlegrounds in multiplayer to the point where it gets boring and tedious - I'd rather play it when I want and not feel compelled to. Another problem I have with the game is the lack of depth of my relationships with my companions. I didn't feel as connected to my companions as I did in other Bioware games - I think they did a better job in DAO and SWTOR in that you actively fostered relationships with your companions, which unlocked more conversation options. I know this isn't as big of a part of the ME franchise, but my relationships in the first ME felt deeper and more involved. I also hated that I had to pay an extra $10 to get the Prothean as a part of the story - something that should have been included in the game, not day 1 DLC. I bought it anyway, because I wanted the full experience and after the fact I feel that the story of ME3 would have been less complex without him - but I WILL NOT be buying any future DLC for this game in the future. Ever. After experiencing the boatload of epic fail that was the ending - I won't invest my money or time in another Bioware game in the future. The story had so much build-up, so much drama, and so much choice - only to be screwed in the end by some random star child that was introduced in the last 10 minutes of the game who gave you three choices that all ended up causing a literary dissonance in the context of the series and made every choice you made mean nothing. Yes, I hated the ending. I actually watched the (three) endings before I actually played through the game, because I read a lot about how much uproar they caused. I'd never played the ME series before, so I took the time to go through the series to see if the ending made any sense in the context of the series - and no, it didn't. The writing of the ending was sloppy, and even with the "extended cut" it was still the same ending and haphazard writing - it just gave a false sense of closure. I won't rate the game 0 because there were so many great moments in the game - but the ending completely screwed everything it built up to, and the blatant false advertising of this game NOT having "Choice A, B or C" as an ending has made me lose all faith in Bioware as a company (though let's face it - they're EA now and not Bioware anymore, which is sad because they used to put out high quality games that engaged me as a player, inspired me and blew my freakin' mind). I'll still play multiplayer every now and then, and I'll make up my own ending in my own head, which I feel is just as valid (if not more) than the crap we were given.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS3 Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
6
#6 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Apr 10, 2012
    100
    Mass Effect 3 is an amazing experience in and of itself. It's also the perfect capstone to a true AAA franchise, offering a poignant conclusion that'll stick long after the credits have rolled. You're standing on the precipice of one of the best games Earth money can buy. [April 2012, p.60]
  2. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Apr 3, 2012
    90
    If ever a game was more about the journey than the destination, it's Mass Effect 3. And what a journey it is. [May 2012, p.71]
  3. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Apr 2, 2012
    95
    The RGP elements have been toned down considerably in favour of more action. For some this will sound like a bad thing, but trust us when we say that Bioware has thought this through. With the Reapers invading, it would be kind off silly to go on a shopping spree on the citadel. [April 2012, p.60]
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