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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. NxtDoc
    Jul 20, 2020
    2
    Still, TO DATE in the year 2020 Mass Effect 3 is by far the worst Mass Effect.

    Clearly losing the RPG elements to favor a on rails 3rd person action shooter, ME 3 is a mockery. You can not even holster your weapons. Each level herds you forward to the next arena for a fire fight. This is not a Mass Effect game. It is clearly here to prey on Mass Effect nostalgia and reach the biggest    Still, TO DATE in the year 2020 Mass Effect 3 is by far the worst Mass Effect.

    Clearly losing the RPG elements to favor a on rails 3rd person action shooter, ME 3 is a mockery.

    You can not even holster your weapons. Each level herds you forward to the next arena for a fire fight. This is not a Mass Effect game. It is clearly here to prey on Mass Effect nostalgia and reach the biggest audience possible. I can't believe it was rated so highly    … Expand
  2. Kai82
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    It is the Game of Thrones ending equivalent in video games. I asked myself: Can an ending ruin a game? Yes. A trilogy? Yes. A franchise? Maybe, but Mass Effect Andromeda hurt the franchise (and BioWare) at least as much. The Mass Effect trilogy was about decisions and we discussed about our decisions and outcomes. Then we finished Mass Effect 3 and nearly everyone was disappointed. BioWareIt is the Game of Thrones ending equivalent in video games. I asked myself: Can an ending ruin a game? Yes. A trilogy? Yes. A franchise? Maybe, but Mass Effect Andromeda hurt the franchise (and BioWare) at least as much. The Mass Effect trilogy was about decisions and we discussed about our decisions and outcomes. Then we finished Mass Effect 3 and nearly everyone was disappointed. BioWare made even a survey about the ending on their website which they removed quickly and silently because of the results. I haven't touched my Mass Effect games since then (I replay my favourite games once in a while) and we didn't discuss any-more. They rushed the game and don't know how to finish it. BioWare did a better job in Baldurs Gate 2 and Dragon Age. Here they showed you the outcomes for your characters and decisions in a meaningful way. Back to the game: It does a lot right. You can say “The playtime is over”. Now the real **** starts. You will be thrown in a dire battle for survival as the whole galaxy is struggling. It creates this feeling of dread as you proceed trough the story. You are the archiver of miracles and bane to your enemy's but you don't turn the tide of war just that easy. The main and side stories are really good with some exceptions. Some outcomes are insignificant at best while others are simply amazing (Wont spoil). You recruit again old friends and a new character (or 2 depends on point of view). My favourites are again Liara, Garrus, Joker, EDI, Anderson, Aria, Thane and Steven Hacket. What harms this game is the Illusive Man. He did an awesome job in Mass Effect 2 but should not be in the role he is in this game. Also Kai Lang is a waste of a character and has no real purpose (He was originally from a Mass Effect book and there he was a badass and interesting character). I will also mention that this game has the best final attack (motivational) speech in video games history. There are also so many good and sad emotional moments. I had tears in my eyes at some points. This are clearly signs of a great game and I will defend this statement as much as I will complain about the ending. The battle system is working well but is a decline from Mass Effect 2. I will also mentioned that I had some bugs in this game and could even not finish a quest because of it (Overall the number was tolerable). There were also many good branches for decisions from Mass Effect 1 / 2. I will praise this. Lets get to my final verdict: This is a great game which is an 8-9/10. Then comes the abysmal ending that ruins this trilogy. It crushes all expectations and destroyed the replayability. For details see the list of the famous YouTuber Angry Joe or watch the YouTube video which compares all endings (at once) and you will see what got the community enraged. They later tried to fix this with a free DLC (Really good material) but it was to late. The reviving with Mass Effect Andromeda failed miserable (The “My face is tired” meme is hilarious). It could have been the Star Wars for video games and I liked the characters (Some would be in my top 10 list), lore, history, races and nearly everything in the games. I will give 1/10 because I don't believe in a 0/10 rating except for Fallout 76 which fully deserves this rating.… Expand
  3. mixxalot
    Feb 24, 2017
    3
    Major dud of a game. My complaints:

    1. Almost the entire game is **** cutscenes I kid you not! 2. Graphics subpar compared to other games like COD and Halo 3. Lack of exploration and dialogue choices. Most NPC are lifeless. 4. No ability to fly space ships and control vehicles like Far Cry games Seriously, the game sucks bad. At least in games like Far Cry 3 and Fallout series,    Major dud of a game. My complaints:

    1. Almost the entire game is **** cutscenes I kid you not!
    2. Graphics subpar compared to other games like COD and Halo
    3. Lack of exploration and dialogue choices. Most NPC are lifeless.
    4. No ability to fly space ships and control vehicles like Far Cry games

    Seriously, the game sucks bad. At least in games like Far Cry 3 and Fallout series, you can craft items, talk to anyone without lame cut scenes and drive or fly vehicles. This game sucks bad and I really do not get the high rave reviews from critics?    … Expand
  4. AlexGaming
    Sep 21, 2015
    1
    This is so bad. It doesn't have good graphics. When you walk you HAVE to be aiming AL THE FRICKIN' TIME. It may have gotten good reviews but I don't personally like it at all. I saw a child die in the first mission.I was depressed after seeing that. I used 1 box of tissues because i was crying.BAD GAME
  5. Lustwaffel
    May 25, 2015
    1
    Between the time of 2007 and 2014 I, due to life and career happenings,
    and neither time nor interest in the subject, I did not play any games.
    Before that, too much. But I thought I should try and see how it feels again, with the state of things as they are now and with a little time on my hands. So I, not only but mostly, played Mass Effect 2 and 3 three, consequtively.    Between the time of 2007 and 2014 I, due to life and career happenings,
    and neither time nor interest in the subject, I did not play any games.
    Before that, too much.

    But I thought I should try and see how it feels again, with the state of things as they are now and with a little time on my hands.

    So I, not only but mostly, played Mass Effect 2 and 3 three, consequtively.

    Bascialy, what I have to say is...

    I am shocked with the arrogance of game makers that I feel is there when I look at the way the third game comes to a close. Even with the extended cut DLC.

    What a TRAUMATIC experience...

    So you walk around the galaxy, interact with so many people, espcially on the citadel and then...
    uuuups, by the way,
    everyone is dead.
    And here they are, littered around on the ground in big heaps...
    Now get over it.

    I am quite proud of my, still largely, intact emotional anntenas.

    If I wanted this kind of thing I could have watched several Holocaust Documentaries.
    But that would hardly go through as "Entertainment".

    The world is a dark place and there are a lot of horrible conflicts in it.

    To me, this kind of game should not be made.

    There might be some completely dettached individuals or groups of individuals who deem otherwise, but those shurley have neither really lived nor known anyone who has. With all of its variables.

    I really can t cope with that kind of punishment that seems to be such a viable method for dealing with the gamer in the gaming experience now a days...or your peoples perception of entertainment.

    But looking at the scores I can see that I am not completely alone.

    A bug prevented me from making a the choice in the very last part of the game and in a forum a guy wrote:
    "Dont worry, the game is trying to prevent you from seeing the ending thereby saving valulble IQ points..."

    I feel, I shouldnt even have come that far.

    It is really all rather embarrasing.

    When people invest so much effort in making you emotionaly attached to rip out our heart in the last second I presume only the masochistcly inclined would truly be satisfied.

    I was...
    disgusted.

    Shame on you.    … Expand
  6. 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
  7. sazhman
    Jul 19, 2013
    0
    If it would have been just another random separate game, I would've gave him 8, but being "Mass Effect", it don't deserve any score. After Brilliant Legend Mass Effect 1, which I played 6 or 7 times, and good Mass Effect 2, 3rd part destroyed the whole series. When it comes down to finish the trilogy, everything is Garbage. it's hard to believe that developers backed down, dropped theirIf it would have been just another random separate game, I would've gave him 8, but being "Mass Effect", it don't deserve any score. After Brilliant Legend Mass Effect 1, which I played 6 or 7 times, and good Mass Effect 2, 3rd part destroyed the whole series. When it comes down to finish the trilogy, everything is Garbage. it's hard to believe that developers backed down, dropped their quality bars so much, for just making money as possible. If they would've worked on it 1 year more, maybe everything would've been ok, but no, BioWare stood against every principle that they had, and ruined the BEST SERIES IN THE HISTORY, to whom it was given to be.… Expand
  8. 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.
  9. crackajaxx
    Mar 20, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can sum this entire review in three words: f*#k this game. anyway read below for the TLDR

    Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away. There was a game series known as Mass Effect. This game series was unique in the sense that it told a compelling sci fi story and it let you influence the course of the story through your very own character. You made the decisions, and it was essentially YOUR story. Mass Effect 1 was a smash hit back in 2007, gameplay like this was never done on this level before. Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010 (I think), and it was even better than it's predecessor. Granted the story in Mass Effect 2 was a waste of time.. however it did develop the characters and that was great and all, but I digress.

    In steps the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3, I can't tell you how much freaking HYPE there was for this game it was nuts. It gets released, and at first it's everything ME3 was meant to be, it was the freakin' third installment of the mass effect series. Then you start noticing little things... little shortcuts the devs took that progressively stack up as you play your way through the game. Why are the civilians 2D sprites? Why did they use a poorly photoshopped googled stock photo to reveal a major character? Why did they nullify many important choices that you made throughout the series? Why did they restrict dialogue to only 2 choices 90% of the game? who.. what.. why.. then it hits you, this game was rushed. Good old fashioned EA nonsense if you will. What kind of is this?? Why it's EA of course, these guys are the MASTERS of let me tell you. but wait it gets worse. specifically towards the end of the game, during the last 2 or 3 hours or so, the story begins.. well frankly.. to fall apart. Many important plot elements just go completely unexplained, many characters appear in places they shouldn't be with zero explanation at all, large space stations are moved across the galaxy all of a sudden, no explanation at all. but wait, it gets worse! during the final part of the game, the plot starts to look like swiss cheese no joke, disappearing characters, reappearing characters, characters get magic powers all of a sudden. all with zero explanation.

    and the cherry on top of this sunday, and I think you know it... the ending. It honestly can't get much worse than this ending. It makes no god damned sense, it retcons the entire trilogy essentially, it makes you pick your favorite color, and your characters dies in almost all of them. and NONE of your choices mattered. the end. That's seriously the ending, some big red green or blue explosion happens, you either become god of the universe for no reason, turn the galaxy into robots and everyone's happy.. cuz robots are awesome I guess, or shoot a tube and land in a pile of bricks somehow, depends on what your favorite color is. there's also a 4th ending but in this ending, everyone dies the end that's it. Bioware put that ending in JUST TO SPITE ppl that didn't like this trash heap of an ending. Oh don't even get me started on biowarEA's condescending attitude towards this whole situation. They would rather sit back and call everybody a bunch of entitled whiners rather than fix their broke ass game. yeah, that's good customer relations ISN'T IT. They lead people on to believe that something more than meets the eye was going on with this ending, but nope, fooled them again, the ending is just as bad as it looks, nothing more nothing less. If you like it, buy my dlc, if not then EVERYBODY DIES GTFO.. artistic integrity indeed.

    anyway, it also comes with multiplayer for some fuc#$%ing reason. Remember what made Mass Effect 1 and 2 great? the multiplayer right? NO THERE WAS NO MULTIPLAYER wtf are these people thinking. this game was never about multiplayer it was about an awesome singleplayer experience, which they effectively destroyed in the last 10 minutes so scratch that. EA strikes back, avoid them at all costs. They'll take your cash.

    This game gets a 1/10 because as much as a pile of it is, there are some genuinely good parts of it, that's the other writers, you know.. the talented people.. doing their thing. I feel really bad for them, having all their work overshadowed by lazy and retarded executive producers and lead writers. The music is really good so I'll give it a 2/10.

    Don't buy this game. Don't play this game. Don't let your friends play this game. it will leave a very sour taste in your mouth afterwards, particularly if you're a mass effect fan. nearly destroyed my interest in gaming entirely.    … Expand
  10. neoncritic
    Mar 15, 2013
    3
    Despite having the production heft of a blockbuster action flick, this game feels like a lobotomized, squeaky-clean re-tread. The overall artistic direction is weak and uninspired. This is the worst kind of science fiction. Ripping of huge slabs of Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and Star Trek, then cobbling them together feels almost shameful. Worst still, the combat controls feelDespite having the production heft of a blockbuster action flick, this game feels like a lobotomized, squeaky-clean re-tread. The overall artistic direction is weak and uninspired. This is the worst kind of science fiction. Ripping of huge slabs of Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and Star Trek, then cobbling them together feels almost shameful. Worst still, the combat controls feel clunky and dated. Why do I have to double-tap jump just to surmount a knee high barrier? Oh, you wanted to run and change direction at the same time? Not in this game you won't. Shocking steps backward for the already awful interplanetary resource collection and the inclusion of a new war room mechanic feel like absurd missteps. Worst of all, this game is just plain, dull, monotony, lacking any of the spark of the previous installment.… Expand
  11. Gargus
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I'm not here to rip on ME3 just for the sake of doing so or because its what's cool to do on the internet like so many others.

    Basically ME3 is the worst of the series in every way possible compared to the other 2 games because it doesn't build or improve anything. It simply just tries to hurriedly finish the series for the sake of a cash in on the title. 1- There is no sense of    I'm not here to rip on ME3 just for the sake of doing so or because its what's cool to do on the internet like so many others.

    Basically ME3 is the worst of the series in every way possible compared to the other 2 games because it doesn't build or improve anything. It simply just tries to hurriedly finish the series for the sake of a cash in on the title.

    1- There is no sense of exploration. The game as efficiently as possible holds your hand every step the way and has you actually being on the ground doing things the least amount possible. Side missions are carried out by quickly scanning a planet ala ME2 and then firing a probe. That's it. You don't explore, you don't get to check out uncharted worlds simply for the sake of curiosity or anything. Scan, shoot probe, side mission done all without even leaving the galaxy map. This tactic accounts for the majority of side missions. ME1 you could explore the galaxy drive around in that horribly handling buggy and had a sense of discovering things, ME2 you could land on planets and explore doing side missions with some not even firing a single shot like the crashed cruiser balanced on the mountain peak but all of those things are gone in 3. The game just holds your hand and ushers you from mission to mission.

    2- You don't get to actually chose anything, everything is pre determined for you. Even if you chose the renegade or paragon path you get the exact same result and no one treats you differently and you get no alternative paths depending on your karma scale which makes it all incredibly pointless and just window dressing for the fact the story is entirely linear and so is your character.

    3- The characters are all the same ones, only less compelling. There are a couple new characters but they are highly disposable and not even worth messing with. James for instance is basically just a guy who talks 90% of the time like a generic white guy, 10% of the time he throws out some Mexican phrases like saying "loco" a lot in his generic white guy trying to impersonate a Mexican guy and he looks like he was taken from the show jersey shore. When a old character returns you can see it coming a mile away. For instance you go into a area where the mission briefing talks about geth then you can see 45 minutes before which old character is going to come back. All the characters themselves seem hollow and rushed, they lack the personality that made them endearing in the other games and most are there only long enough to be overly obvious in a very specific mission or they simply show up for 3 minutes of camera time practically winking at the player with a nod and then are gone.

    4- The story compared to the others sucks. The other games had side stories, character stories, side missions with their own short stories and so on. ME3 on the other is basically this "Everything is going to be destroyed". That's pretty much it because no matter where you go or what you do its always about the war specifically and nothing else. I also got sick of hearing phrases like "were here to save lives", "were doing this to save lives", "this weapon will save lives", "we need to stick together to save lives", "billions of lives are on the line and were here to save them", etc and after about 8 hours I was sick of hearing about the war and saving lives.

    5- The game play was basically just one big shooting gallery and hiding behind chest high walls. Every single fight is basically you hiding behind chest high walls to peak out and fire a few rounds only to hide back behind said wall. It was incredibly boring and has been done to death in dozens of other games. The combat was mindless and mediocre. It felt like they put absolutely no effort into the combat at all and rushed you through it in order to get to the next scene of hearing Sheppard say "saving lives".

    6- The ending was atrocious. This is a series that prides itself on story, characters and dialogue. We all spent over 100 bucks playing all 3 games and spent over 100 hours playing all 3 games but bioware seemed to say "This is the end of the trilogy so who cares about the ending". The ending is the most important part of any story of any kind because its the very last thing you leave the person with and its supposed to be a reward, the climax to everything leading up till then, basically the ending is the most important part of any story. But the ending of ME3 was over in just a minute or so despite the dozens of hours of dialogue, cut scenes and story in the rest of the series they got lazy at the end. It gives no satisfaction at all. I can honestly say it is the laziest segment of the series. I did like though they had the balls to do what they did with Sheppard, but the ending still sucks and doesn't make you glad to have finished the series.    … Expand
  12. karmasleeper
    Jan 21, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 possess decent cover based shooting mechanics and varied weapons and abilities. This is where the game's positives mainly end. Streamlined galactic exploration (though much less tedious than ME2), ham fisted writing, gaping plot holes, retconned story elements, and hilariously bad character design make what would otherwise be the capstone to a respected franchise a case study in how to ruin a game and piss off your fans.

    One of the most appealing aspects of Mass Effect has been the characters. While some key characters like Ashley Williams return, her Victoria Secret makeover and physical redesign simply feel off. Worse still is James Vega, the Jersey Shore meat mule who is simply "loco" and IGN's Jessica Chobot's military journalist character who looks more like a thinner Snooky. Even worse is the unnecessarily sexy EDI and her camel toe. Borderline insulting is Kai Leng, the Asian samurai/ninja assassin who wears a slant eyed (no joke) Zorro type mask and wields a katana. The last two examples are particularly shocking especially coming from a studio which gloats over its inclusiveness and respect toward women and minorities (not that I care about representation in games, I point this out because Bioware is hypocritical). Every character is a two dimensional husk.

    Mass Effect 3's writing is easily the worst in the series. This is due mainly to many of the people involved in the writing of Mass Effect 1 and 2 having nothing to do with the third installment and manifests itself in fanfiction quality scenes and horribly delivered lines. The same awkward and jerky character animations that have been in every Mass Effect game only highlight the lack of soul this game has. It also manifests itself in the form of cavernous plot holes. One portion of the game has you resolving the conflict between the quarians (organics) and geth (synthetics). One possible result of your actions is lasting peace and cooperation between both parties. Yet, at the end of the game, it is revealed the Reapers (synthetics) purge the galaxy in great cycles of war to prevent organics and synthetics from warring with each other which we are told is inevitable and unavoidable DESPITE THE FACT that your character has achieved peace between one group of organics and synthetics and thus ended a devastating war between the two peoples. And this brings us to the ending. The last 10 minutes of the game involve a deus ex machina explaining why the Reapers purge the galaxy of advanced life leaving young races alone - to prevent these advanced races from creating synthetics they will inevitably go to war with. So in order to preserve life the Reapers were created to destroy life. **** retarded. Initially, there was immense backlash over the sloppy ending cutscenes which only differed in colored effects despite the outcomes being different. Bioware released an extended ending which, while not changing the potential outcomes of the game, adds more detail to the consequences of the player's chosen actions and fills the role of an epilogue. I have to admit I found it satisfying and much more preferable to the original ending cutscenes. Regrettably, none of this changes the fact that the game's climax is absolute crap. Multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 takes an interesting concept but falters a bit in execution. You can engage in co-op missions with other players which consist of surviving waves of enemies while occasionally completing varied objectives. Survive a mission and you increase the "galactic readiness" of the galaxy. This value affects your military assets, a component of the single player game. Every asset you acquire has a numeric rating. Multiply that number by the percentage of your galactic readiness and you have your effective military strength which affects the outcome of the game. So if you acquire an asset valued at 1000, but your readiness is 50%, your effective military strength is 500. The player acquires these assets by completing the main and side quests of the game. It's a neat concept to integrate two gameplay elements but galactic readiness declines over time. This means you have to take time away from the single player game just to play multiplayer in order to get the most out of the military assets you find. However, the best possible endings only require a military strength rating of 4,000 or higher, so it is possible to never play multiplayer and still get the best ending, though this means you will have to spend more time completing side missions and painstakingly exploring the galaxy for every asset that might help. Overall, the shooting of ME3 is nearly identical to ME2. If you enjoyed that and don't care about the story you will enjoy this game as there is more replayability with the multiplayer. If you were previously invested in the Mass Effect saga, be warned, and prepare for disappointment.    … Expand
  13. Exur
    Dec 8, 2012
    0
    All the choices you made in previous games, all the heartbreaking decisions, the entire Mass Effect lore got flushed down the drain with this disaster piece. Nothing you did in the trilogy mattered because in the end, it was all a story. Nothing really happened. Good job Bioware.
  14. JPG127
    Dec 4, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Where to begin. the overall execution of the game was good. The mechanics from 2 stayed relatively unchanged. The graphics were overall good, the scanning much less painful and they chose a good starting point for the story. Now I will get into my various complaints (controversies will be saved until the end). The graphics were sketchy at times (people talking to you when their heads are turned in the opposite direction). The game forces you to play as a Paragon instead of allowing you to play renegade. The side quests do not impact the final mission and are basically scan this or approve that. The dialogue options are oversimplified (no middle option). Fewer team members to choose from for missions. All new characters are kind of lame. Only two true boss battles (excluding DLC). Now, the controversies. First, I don't care they had a gay option. But don't make paragon choices (comforting Cortez or buying Kaiden a drink) intertwined. Finally, that ending. This spit in the face of everyone who played the game from Mass Effect 1 to now. The goal was always to destroy the Reapers before they wiped out all sentient life. But if you chose to destroy the reapers, you kill your Geth allies? No, this is **** them simply means they will be around forever and synthesis is the forced lets make everyone the good guy ending. Another gripe. While not all endings have to be happy to be good, why couldn't Shepard have survived the final assault. Why, after all the (possibly) good decisions could Shepard have not had a single chance to escape and live out the rest of his life with whomever he/she romanced? The extended endings simply showed an epilogue with little genuine concern for the fans. The war assets collected has no impact whatsoever on the final outcome. EA and the critics treat the series its fans like brats using dismissive phrases like they should grow up. But the reality is the endings were genuinely awful. Remember the end to the Grey or Godfather 3 (the entire movie). Up to these points, both were good if not great experiences. But like the aforementioned movies, Bioware and EA dropped the ball. EA has a tendency to buy certain properties and run them into the ground (Timesplitters, Mercenaries, Command and Conquer, etc). Now they have done the same thing to the Mass Effect series. From this point on, I will not buy another Mass Effect game only to experience the same disappointment again when the next series ends.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. Gonoru
    Sep 7, 2012
    0
    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.
  17. bigbossluna
    Jun 27, 2012
    1
    This game is a joke! Nothing but hype. Combat still sucks. Straight forward corridors with lame guns. Stupid ending that is nothing but a cliffhanger.
  18. chujfugh
    Jun 7, 2012
    4
    I am not going to talk about the ending, because that doesn't matter. I'll just say one thing: First impressions are everything. I rented the game, and played at least 10 hours of it. It was boring. I didn't think it was worth it. The cover-based shooting mechanics were bland, and compared to Uncharted 3, ME3 was a load of old wank. But, it's not a shooter, it's an RPG, so how is thatI am not going to talk about the ending, because that doesn't matter. I'll just say one thing: First impressions are everything. I rented the game, and played at least 10 hours of it. It was boring. I didn't think it was worth it. The cover-based shooting mechanics were bland, and compared to Uncharted 3, ME3 was a load of old wank. But, it's not a shooter, it's an RPG, so how is that doing? Well, too many cutscenes. I. Hate. Cutscenes. You should be able to tell a story without interrupting gameplay, that's how the whole 'game' thing works, you have to weave exposition into the narrative, not hand the audience a **** glossary as they walk in. The conversation thing works pretty well, it has some good writing, and the character customization is hilarious, but you can get all this in the demo. I highly recommend getting the demo instead of the game itself. I'm not one of those twitching, instant-gratification gamers who are never satisfied if they haven't killed anything in 5 seconds, I love 'games are art' games, but ME3 just feels unpolished as RPG, I would also recommend Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning over this (though I do hate EA) or even Fallout 3 over this. The best WRPG I've played is either Fallout 3 or Skyrim, so take your pick instead of this one. I'm a new-comer to the series, this was the first time I've played a Mass Effect game, so whether this is inviting to new-comers is up for debate. EA released an unfinished game, and released the rest of the game, the full version of it, as day-one DLC. Think about that. EA went to far with it, they tried to rape our wallets as much as they could, and since I hate the EA marketing department (how they marketed Dante's Inferno and Dead Space 2 was despicable) and the douche company in general, this deserves all the hate it gets.… Expand
  19. hollowfication
    Jun 3, 2012
    1
    game good has feel like previous game but the only thing wrong bout is ending was rubbish it was total let down

    it give us middle finger on ending to everyone around us when we saw this ending it was like creator of the game said ha middle finger lucky i only played xbox 360 version which only sucked more
  20. Veteran_Gamer
    Jun 2, 2012
    1
    I've been a gamer since they first came out, and I have seldom seen such butchery done to a great series such as Mass Effect. It's almost as if the Folk at BioWare and EA wanted to commit financial suicide here. The loyal Customers are pissed, disappointed in the extreme, and... something I've rarely seen done...actually campaigning to have the game FIXED! If $ was the objective of allI've been a gamer since they first came out, and I have seldom seen such butchery done to a great series such as Mass Effect. It's almost as if the Folk at BioWare and EA wanted to commit financial suicide here. The loyal Customers are pissed, disappointed in the extreme, and... something I've rarely seen done...actually campaigning to have the game FIXED! If $ was the objective of all these gimmicks involving DLCs, and the like; then I'd say it has back-fired on them. All too many people like me, simply will not buy the game until they see it wallowing in the "has-been" bin at WalMart for $5 dollars. Way to go on ruining a great series, burning your Customers, and destroying your own reputation.… Expand
  21. JFsushible
    May 29, 2012
    3
    I bought the game right after it came out. It was fun at first but became repetitive and boring with bad textures and shadowing. The combat was improved but still not great. All animations were terrible. This game was obviously rushed and not well made I payed 60$ for it, do not waste your money. Buy an older one (ME1 ME2) they are both better.
  22. JasonDaPsycho
    May 20, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Some people would say they wouldn't allow the final 15 minutes to ruin an entire series, I guess they have their point. If you ask me, you just can't snap out of being crazy. Same case for me here. I just can't "snap out of" letting 15 minutes ruin the entire series.

    The game is severely overrated in the first place. The game is extremely linear. For an RPG that prides on options, the options feel largely irrelevant. Throughout the game, you're trying to gain war assets, which would determine the no. of options you'll get when time comes for you to choose an ending. High no. of war assets would mean more options. War assets are gained through making right decisions, performing repetitive fetch quests, and playing the dull, uninspired co-op multiplayer. In contrary to what BioWare tells you, multiplayer is mandatory to obtain all of the endings. A few parts of the story are amazing, while some are flat out lazy writing. Most of the parts are just mediocre. Some romances are nicely written (eg Garrus, or Tali) while some are just horrible (eg Jack, and especially Jacob).

    When it comes to gameplay, which is largely a secondary feature of any BioWare game, it's actually a massive improvement. However, it's still not good enough for you to purchase it merely for gameplay value. A large part of the gameplay overhaul comes from the Weapons vs Skills scale. Powerful weapons are heavier and increases your recharge time, and vice versa. So if you just go out there with the default rifle and pistol, and upgrade your skills accordingly, you can just spam on the skills repeatedly. One good example would be the charge -> Nova combo for those who play as vanguards. This combo is virtually unstoppable. With that said, the gameplay is still not good enough to warrant a buy merely for gameplay value. For more satisfying shooting fun, just go get Max Payne 3, or even 2 if you're broke.

    There's also a day one DLC character which BioWare claims is not mandatory. Don't kid yourself. It adds so much more to the storyline. Another attempt by EA to milk you by taking content out of the game and charging you. It's kind of like buying a new car which comes with a manual gearbox that can only shift to first gear, with an option for a proper, normal gearbox. Technically speaking, the car can still run on first gear, but it's certainly not what you would normally pay for, at least not 10 years ago.

    On to the controversial ending. Everything boils down to three colors. Pick your poison. They have no differences whatsoever. BioWare has recently announced that they will make an extended cut to the ending. I will update with a more formal review then. For now, don't even remotely consider shelling out 40 bucks for such a game. Just don't.    … Expand
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. Dee7
    Apr 19, 2012
    3
    It had been said in detail plenty already, but I have to add my own vote to the score. A brilliant game withsome annoying flaws for the most part. Then an ending so bad it not only ruins the game but the entire franchise.
  26. 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
  27. DulyNoted
    Apr 15, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first user review I read was a 10 out of 10 and began, "Do not listen to the people rating this game badly. Mass Effect 3 is utterly amazing..."

    First of all, I agree that ME3 is utterly amazing. And that's what makes its end all the more disappointing. Consider yourself lucky if the endings of ME3 didn't disappoint you--you've been spared a sense of loss and disappointment that dwarfs any feelings of annoyance you must "suffer" when reading fans' complaints.

    I loved the first game, actually think ME2 was better (though I initially hated what they did in the opening sequence), but found myself thinking I enjoyed playing ME3 more than either of the first two. It really is a fantastic game that I should be able to love and agree deserves a 9 out of 10 score (endings aside, it still had some flaws).

    BUT...

    This game was the end of a trilogy. As such, the ending had to not just provide some level of satisfaction for the particular story that began with Shepard escaping Earth, but also the one that began with Shepard being sent to Eden Prime way back when. In other words, there was a lot riding on the ending of this game.

    There are several very good articles out there articulating why fans are disappointed with the way ME3 ended and I'm not going to rehash them here. Suffice it to say, the options provided to the player at the end of the game as well as the outcomes and consequences of those options left many long-time fans feeling like their investment Mass Effect ultimately wasn't respected by the developers in the end. More than not just getting a "happy ending", we're left with what can only be described as a bleak, depressing one, in which no matter what option you choose, no one lives happily ever after. Sure, you saved earth from the Reapers as expected, but at what cost? The universe we're left with is a dismal one (two words: Mass Relays).

    If you read through all the Harry Potter books and got to final few pages of the series and read that Harry destroys Voldemort, but it costs him his life, and all his friends would be forever trapped in the world of Muggles, cut off from ever using magic again, would you feel entitled to be a little disappointed?

    No? Great for you. But don't go telling everyone not to listen to those who would.

    Mass Effect 3 was a 9 out of 10 game until the final few minutes. The turn it takes in those few closing seconds, ruined not only the game, but an entire trilogy because when the credits roll and you ask yourself, "Was the cost of saving the universe from the Reapers worth it?" the haunting answer for many of us was, "I don't know. I really don't know."    … Expand
  28. Piapia
    Apr 9, 2012
    3
    Do not listen to the people rating this game good. Mass Effect 3 is utterly amazing until the last five minutes and if you liked the first 2, you will be god awfully disappointed. Some of the people writing on here seem to think BioWare couldn't pull off something they've pulled off plenty of times before in the previous two games; having your choices matter. Get this game only used, andDo not listen to the people rating this game good. Mass Effect 3 is utterly amazing until the last five minutes and if you liked the first 2, you will be god awfully disappointed. Some of the people writing on here seem to think BioWare couldn't pull off something they've pulled off plenty of times before in the previous two games; having your choices matter. Get this game only used, and ignore anyone who tells you otherwise. ME3 is riddled with plot holes and technical issues from lack of properly importing your character to ignoring choices you made in the first two games (in many cases they hand wave you away). The PS3 port is no exception, and it plays awfully on the system. BioWare and EA managed to create the biggest disappointment in gaming history. An epic trilogy filled with deep and meaningful story that you build through your choices... ending in a game that takes account of your choices as much as a rail shooter. The diverse endings they promised don't exist (you get one, with a slight variation in the cinematic at the end; they change the color), your squad from the previous two games largely only get cameos except for a handful, your choices have no effect or ability to change the outcome of the ending (like such as if you make peace with the Geth and Quarians the Catalyst still tells you synthetics and organics can't live together). It's filled with technical issues (textures malfunctioning and glitching out, models breaking in game, the use of 2d sprites instead of 3d [if that bothers you, trust me, you'll notice it]). Even with the bastardization of the story being ignored, it's just a disappointment of a game. You could ignore some of it though if it wasn't for the abysmal ending. Ignore people who tell you it's good... they're the same kind of people who thought the Star Wars prequels had no problems what so ever.… Expand
  29. TheEverglow
    Apr 9, 2012
    0
    What a joke. Mass Effect 2 was easily my favorite game this gen and I couldn't have been more letdown playing through this game the first time. I'm working through my second play through and I just can't make it. I'm selling it back and never buying a Mass Effect game again. Easily the worst and most disappointing ending of a game I've ever seen and I refuse to pay EA for a better ending.What a joke. Mass Effect 2 was easily my favorite game this gen and I couldn't have been more letdown playing through this game the first time. I'm working through my second play through and I just can't make it. I'm selling it back and never buying a Mass Effect game again. Easily the worst and most disappointing ending of a game I've ever seen and I refuse to pay EA for a better ending. They ruined it for themselves and I'm not letting them get any more of my money.… Expand
  30. LuckyMcSpanko
    Apr 5, 2012
    0
    Five years of an amazing story in a highly detailed universe with great characters and dynamic choices... all crapped upon in the last 20 minutes of this game. ALL HAIL MARAUDER SHIELDS! He tried to save us from the ending. Down with the rEApers!
prev
Page:

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

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »