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5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2029 Ratings

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  1. Mar 12, 2012
    2
    Bioware/EA. Just look at there last few releases and everything that's wrong with them, now add all that onto the fact the series was actually kind of ok, and you have what is akin to.. Say.. A young attractive women who had a wonderful career/life ahead of her, who in one fell swoop, was beaten and raped repeatedly over and over and over until even the dregs of society wouldn't want toBioware/EA. Just look at there last few releases and everything that's wrong with them, now add all that onto the fact the series was actually kind of ok, and you have what is akin to.. Say.. A young attractive women who had a wonderful career/life ahead of her, who in one fell swoop, was beaten and raped repeatedly over and over and over until even the dregs of society wouldn't want to touch her with a ten foot poll in case of catching herpes or aids.

    That's what Mass Effect 3 is like, basically.
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  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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.
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  6. 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
  7. 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.
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  8. 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
  9. Mar 12, 2012
    2
    mass effect was epic.
    mass effect 2 was powerful.
    mass effect 3 just kill the trilogy.

    put 2 point because they are good things in this game but you lose so much with your multi-player who is necessary to the solo and this horrible end!
  10. Mar 19, 2012
    2
    Though a great game, the last few moment ruin the entire experience of the entire ME series. Like so many other players, I really enjoyed Mass Effect 3. If not for the last 15 minutes, I would give this game a 9 or more. However, the ending is so abysmal (plot holes, inconsistencies, unsatisfying explanations, not to mention exactly the same whatever you do throughout all three games...)Though a great game, the last few moment ruin the entire experience of the entire ME series. Like so many other players, I really enjoyed Mass Effect 3. If not for the last 15 minutes, I would give this game a 9 or more. However, the ending is so abysmal (plot holes, inconsistencies, unsatisfying explanations, not to mention exactly the same whatever you do throughout all three games...) that I can't give this game any more than a 2 Expand
  11. 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
  12. 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.
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  13. 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
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  14. Mar 12, 2012
    1
    yknow i was excited for this game...i really was. In my opinon EA is one of the only gaming companies that actually makes games equal on both consoles. Dead Space 2, Bioshock 2 both looked and played great on both consoles. Well I think EA finally went the way of Bethesda(Skyrim) and Rockstar(Red Dead Redemption). In other words, not giving a $h!t about the ps3. Its freaking awful. Now iyknow i was excited for this game...i really was. In my opinon EA is one of the only gaming companies that actually makes games equal on both consoles. Dead Space 2, Bioshock 2 both looked and played great on both consoles. Well I think EA finally went the way of Bethesda(Skyrim) and Rockstar(Red Dead Redemption). In other words, not giving a $h!t about the ps3. Its freaking awful. Now i would be more mad if this game didn't suck in comparison to the last one. I just dont see why ps3 gets so neglected all the time. Game gets a 1 because i dont like how politically correct it is, plotholes and just a bad storyline. it gives a whole new meaning to all in your face about being gay, and man did they go all out. Expand
  15. 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.
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  16. Mar 28, 2012
    1
    Is ME3 really this bad? Yes it is.. If your a fan of the series and spent countless hours within 1 and 2, this purchase will be your biggest regret. IF you don't care about consistency, have not played either of the 1st two, don't care about false advertising, and just want to play a corny game, then this is for you. Gameplay isn't changed too much from the 2nd, although it feels a littleIs ME3 really this bad? Yes it is.. If your a fan of the series and spent countless hours within 1 and 2, this purchase will be your biggest regret. IF you don't care about consistency, have not played either of the 1st two, don't care about false advertising, and just want to play a corny game, then this is for you. Gameplay isn't changed too much from the 2nd, although it feels a little smoother. Graphically nearly identical, no real improvement other then some areas are more shiny. The overwhelming majority has a great distaste for the way EA/Bioware has marketed this game and there tactics throughout the process, along with the obviously rushed and idiotic ending. Any company that states - You've become a legend. To continue, buy extended content - at the end of a game is low, and I hope they file bankruptcy. Day one DLC is bad enough, to boast about it in game is pathetic.. Is that what this gen will leave behind? It's unmistakable foray into each game leaving out gameplay to charge ridiculous amounts for minimum content? The game itself lacks something that 1 and 2 had, that certain level of immersion where you forget or completely ignore the faults of the game, because its plot and characters are that well developed. Something special that makes you remember each encounter and actually care about the decisions you make. The 3rd has none of this. Your choices from 1 and 2 are barely visible in 3, sometimes plot-lines are completely absurd compared to what you had done previously. You put Anderson on the council? Too bad, Udina is on it now with no explanation. Did you kill Wrex in 1? He's back! Let the Rachni die off? They found more! Literally nothing matters.. Every decision you may have made has been streamlined into 1 basic plot that doesn't do the series justice, nor does it even make sense. People and Bioware who are wondering why people are so mad, and think its only because there spoiled and want a happy ending truly have no idea whats going on.. The entire series has been marketed as a decision based trilogy where you were shaping your own story as Shepard, Bioware was just giving you the tools. Mass amounts of interviews were conducted and published promoting this idea and a plethora of different endings were guaranteed (at least 16). Bioware told us every decision would matter... In the end, the only decision that mattered was that they got your money. The end is one singular loop that plays out exactly the same, no matter what you "choose" - they just contain different color filters on the cgi video. Thats lazy developing and a scam for what was marketed to consumers. The end is not art either. This is a business first and foremost. They wouldn't spend millions to make and advertise it if not. Think of it this way. You go to an art show and an artist displays a "new, unique painting that has never been seen before, where its level of obscurity and detail will transcend your mind". It's covered and your not allowed to see it until its purchased and you've brought it home. You buy it.. but once your get it home, you realize its nothing more than a ripped piece of paper with a poop smear.. You'd want your money back. That's false advertising, its not only unethical, but illegal. Just because this is a "game", does not give it the right to abuse consumers. Overall, if you want a recap of the ending, its like this: Your girl/boy friend has cheated on you. You feel betrayed and remember none of the good times, because of the horrible trauma that it's caused you emotionally . The ending is the last thing you see, therefore its the last thing you remember. Bad outweighs the good. It can take years to trust somebody, but 5 seconds to break that.. and this is one of those instances. Nobody cares that Shepard died, its the fact that your decisions and squad mates don't matter and the countless hours of gameplay are useless, along with severe plot crippling holes. Wait for this game to be entirely remade before buying if your a fan of the series and plot.. you will regret your purchase. I was lucky and got away using a friends copy.. Expand
  17. 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. 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
  19. 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.
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
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  23. Mar 9, 2012
    1
    Don't get me wrong, this game is playable and I'm sure if you had no standards or simply didn't care you could pick up this game and have a midly enjoyable experience. BUT the atrocities EA and Bioware committed mean I cannot give this game a decent rating with a good conscience. So what is so bad about this game? Let me tell you:
    1. Day 1 DLC: Whether it was EA or Bioware (Biowhore, if
    Don't get me wrong, this game is playable and I'm sure if you had no standards or simply didn't care you could pick up this game and have a midly enjoyable experience. BUT the atrocities EA and Bioware committed mean I cannot give this game a decent rating with a good conscience. So what is so bad about this game? Let me tell you:
    1. Day 1 DLC: Whether it was EA or Bioware (Biowhore, if you will) that decided to take this course I don't know, but releasing DLC on the day of release, particularly DLC which is important to the plot, at 1/6 the price of the game itself is unforgivable in of itself. It seems they are laughing in our face as we shell out money for something that should have been on the disc, available to everyone. It is obvious that it was done simply to milk as much money out of the fans as possible.
    2. Casualisation: The game was geared towards Call of Duty players in order to cash in on the series' success, while abandoning the loyal fanbase. Not much else to say here.
    3. Shoddy Writing: Many uninformed people think that the attacks on the Bioware employee Jennifer Hepler was simply a display of hate for the sake of hate. While they certainly did go overboard, it wasn't without good reason. She was the physical manifestation of the quality of writing coming from Bioware. Examples: Dialogue is awkward, the ending is notoriously bad, after seeing so many people die and killing so many himself, Sephard is emotianally effected by the death of a random kid above all. Overall you would expect something better from a Naruto fanfiction. 4. Laziness of Bioware: For a big budget, triple A game you would expect a certain level of effort from the developers. Bioware, however seemed to have taken shortcuts left, right and centre. There are images circulating the internet which demonstrate this quite well. For example, Copying a stock image for the portrait of a character who dies in the game, and copying another 7? year old image lying around in the internet for the ending.
    5. Ininspired Multiplayer: Another cash-in, Wave survival modes have been done to death, nowadays every game seems to have one. It seems this was added in to artificially extend the life of the game and make an excuse for future half-assed DLC releases.
    6. Gay Sex: people reading this may call 'Hurr durr homophobe" - but wait to read my reasoning. Homosexuality IS a sin. Being implemented in such as fashion acts to 'casualise' it, pressing on the impressionable 13 year old minds (whose uninformed mothers will be buying this game) that it is fine and acceptable. I do not hate **** I care about them, just as I do any other person. For this reason I oppose it.
    Even if this is an attempt to cash-in with the gay audience rather than a political agenda, it gets in the way of the average straight player and does not belong. I do not want to have gay passes made to me by my squadmates when I'm playing a game.
    7. Reviewers are sellouts: This goes for every major game release nowadays, but is absolutely appalling. While I'm not implying that EA is necessarily directly paying reviewers to give the game good reviews (not that I'd put it past them) there is certainly a feel that if you don't give it a good review the publisher early access to future releases. I have heard of cases where people have lost their job because they wrote how the felt rather than what they were told to write. This is why I'm writing this review in fact - to help get a bit of truth out.
    Instead of a proper, objective review we are fed tripe with 10/10 would play again bs.

    Due to all these aformentioned problems with Mass Effect 3, I cannot take it seriously, thus it receives a score of 0/10. The only reason it has earned a 1 from me is because the Biodrone tears are absolutely delicious.
    Have a good day sirs.
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  24. 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!
  25. 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.
  26. Mar 11, 2012
    1
    Take away the compelling story from the mass effect series and what are you left with? Most people would agree we're left with little more than a sub-par shooter. Bioware often gets a pass on this because the story elements are so strong and interesting. NOT THIS TIME OUT. The story and especially the incomprehensible nonsense ending make for a tale that sucks the awesome not only out ofTake away the compelling story from the mass effect series and what are you left with? Most people would agree we're left with little more than a sub-par shooter. Bioware often gets a pass on this because the story elements are so strong and interesting. NOT THIS TIME OUT. The story and especially the incomprehensible nonsense ending make for a tale that sucks the awesome not only out of this game, but also out of the rest of the franchise which have been building up to an epic ending, where literally NONE of your choices throughout the entire series make an impact. Not having this strong story to keep you going, be prepared to suffer through this sub-par shooter Expand
  27. 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
  28. 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.
  29. 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
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  30. 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
  31. 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.
  32. 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.
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  33. Mar 31, 2012
    1
    Loved all the mass effect games, why would they destroy such a wonderfull series with such a blatantly illogical LAST 5 MIN... I justify my score with the following articles and videos:

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


    Fix this ending plz.
  34. Apr 1, 2012
    1
    Game is full of plot holes and awkward dialogue. Paragon/Renegade choices are blatant. Ending is unrewarding. In game economy is worthless with very few things to buy making most quest rewards worthless.
    As a 3rd person shooter ME3 isn't anything to write home about. Combat is incredibly repetitive. Very few squad members to choose from. Very few powers to choose from.
  35. 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
  36. 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."
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  37. 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.
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  38. 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
  39. 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.
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  40. 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
  41. 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.
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  42. 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
  43. Mar 13, 2012
    0
    Make sure you have autosave on when playing the Playstation 3 version, as it freezes constantly due to the horrible fps. The dialogue is rather autistic, considering there is nothing humorous or witty throughout the game. The side-quests feel like a chore and Commander Shepherd doesn't act like a bad ass anymore. I felt like I was playing a lighter version of the original Gears of War.
  44. 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.
  45. 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.
  46. 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
  47. Mar 21, 2012
    0
    I rented this game and almost threw it into a trash heap after playing it through, thank goodness I didn't or I would have had to buy this piece of junk. RENT do not buy this monstrosity of a movie called a game; pretty pictures, NO SUBSTANCE. I will never buy another Bioware game until user reviews on a subsequent game get a LOT better. Bye Bioware, hello Bethesda and back into Skyrim on my pc.
  48. 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
  49. 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.
  50. 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
  51. 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
  52. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    The only hint people need is NOT to buy the game. Only way you will get Bioware to take notice of all the crap that is wrong with their series..creatively and technically. Ending terrible..Engine framerate terrible on PS3. No excuse for these companies anymore..its the greedy people at the top of the food chain taking advantage of the consumer by cutting back talented people. Heck I evenThe only hint people need is NOT to buy the game. Only way you will get Bioware to take notice of all the crap that is wrong with their series..creatively and technically. Ending terrible..Engine framerate terrible on PS3. No excuse for these companies anymore..its the greedy people at the top of the food chain taking advantage of the consumer by cutting back talented people. Heck I even loved the terminator boss in ME2..what happened to that? Gamers, consumers, unite and stay clear of anything Bioware puts out in the future. Expand
  53. 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
  54. 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
  55. 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!
  56. 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.
  57. 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.
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  58. 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
  59. 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
  60. 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.
  61. 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.
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  62. 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
  63. Apr 4, 2012
    0
    Okay, first off I have to say that this game, despite its flaws is no where near being a zero, so enough of your and all of the pouty fanboy **** in the world couldn't convince me otherwise. This game is such an improvement in so many ways; my only real complaint would be the ending . Despite your earlier decisions Shepard's story seems to end at the conclusion of this game. And theOkay, first off I have to say that this game, despite its flaws is no where near being a zero, so enough of your and all of the pouty fanboy **** in the world couldn't convince me otherwise. This game is such an improvement in so many ways; my only real complaint would be the ending . Despite your earlier decisions Shepard's story seems to end at the conclusion of this game. And the ending itself veers off much much too far into the realm of fantasy for my taste (or most people's tastes given the low scores). The ending of ME3 probably rates as one of the biggest letdowns in video game history in fact, because the three games were all so fun with such rich backstories and great characters. I am saddened to see Mass Effect go out this way, but cmon you all know it deserves better than a one or a zero. 8/10 Expand
  64. 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
  65. 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.
  66. 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.
  67. 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
  68. 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.
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. 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.
  72. 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
  73. 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
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. 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.
  77. 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.
  78. 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
  79. 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.
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  80. 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
  81. 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.
  82. 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
  83. 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.
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  84. 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
  85. 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
  86. 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.
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  87. 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.
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  88. 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.
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  89. 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
  90. 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
  91. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    The Ending. It is bad. Believe the hype. Ruins the game but not the series. Each game in the Mass Effect series is unique and Its best to treat them as such, because lets be real if ME1 didn't make money ME2 wouldn't exist, if ME2 didn't make money ME3 wouldn't exist. Similar plot lines may run through all three but obviously it was made up as they went along. They are totally abstractThe Ending. It is bad. Believe the hype. Ruins the game but not the series. Each game in the Mass Effect series is unique and Its best to treat them as such, because lets be real if ME1 didn't make money ME2 wouldn't exist, if ME2 didn't make money ME3 wouldn't exist. Similar plot lines may run through all three but obviously it was made up as they went along. They are totally abstract from one another and clearly made by different people and processes. This one fell flat half way through then went very very dark, obscure, even morbid. Then hits you with the totally ridiculous ending. Yuk Expand
  92. Mar 28, 2012
    0
    DLC day one, poor level design, the rpg side bybye, no evolution (again recruiting a teamn no planet eploration with mako), poor dialogue option, and the best of evrything the non sense and scandalous ending!!!!!
  93. Mar 12, 2012
    0
    When you finish a game you are left with the impression it has given you. I would say the game play was great. The ending was forced and short. Music and cinematic for the ending were great for what they were... but it wasn't left as a cliffhanger or ambiguous.. it left you with a what just happened.. is that it? feeling. Honestly watching youtube... the 'worst' endings actually left theWhen you finish a game you are left with the impression it has given you. I would say the game play was great. The ending was forced and short. Music and cinematic for the ending were great for what they were... but it wasn't left as a cliffhanger or ambiguous.. it left you with a what just happened.. is that it? feeling. Honestly watching youtube... the 'worst' endings actually left the player feeling like they should play again and make it better.. but the worst ending were really just the best endings but with parts cut out... very disappointing. might play multilayer but the game has ZERO replay value. Huge plot holes and no conclusion the any of the characters you had left...

    Movement had some major flaws. The idea of cover was great, but the console feel made the character get stuck by a grenade when you could have clearly ran away and were pressing the cover button to stand up but you just mode to a different wall.
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  94. 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.
  95. 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
  96. 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.
  97. 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.
  98. 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.
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  99. Mar 19, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ME3, a fantastic game, until the end. I loved it all the way through, until the last bit. To me, the ending is contrived, non sense and just bad. I would give it a 10/10 if not for the ending. It had a couple bug issues, but those were minor. The ending forces the player into basically 3 choices to destroy all life in the galaxy. It is filled with plot holes and does a great injustice to the ME trilogy. The end destroys it for me completely. One drop of poison can ruin the entire well. If you like epic hero, saves the day, then don't get this game. If you like nihilism and depressing endings...then get this game. Expand
  100. 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.
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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]