Mass Effect 3

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3849 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,035 out of 3849
  2. Mixed: 461 out of 3849
  3. Negative: 1,353 out of 3849
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  1. Sandrick
    Jun 14, 2012
    4
    The ratings separation over this game tells you where the critics allegiances lie... ALL POSITIVE REVIEWS???? Give me a break - even if the ending would have been fantastic, there were still a lot of issues with the game. My biggest issue is that Mass Effect is a game of choices that all lead up to different outcomes. Both of the first games had them and that was what fans came to expect.The ratings separation over this game tells you where the critics allegiances lie... ALL POSITIVE REVIEWS???? Give me a break - even if the ending would have been fantastic, there were still a lot of issues with the game. My biggest issue is that Mass Effect is a game of choices that all lead up to different outcomes. Both of the first games had them and that was what fans came to expect. The fact that this one opted for the easy, tacked on ending just shows how rushed it was. So sad to see a stellar franchise end on such a tragic note, sacrificing creativity and quality in the face of corporate greed. It wasn't even just about the story of the ending. There is a scene where Shepard and Anderson are supposed to be looking out at a view of Earth and Anderson says "what a view" and it is literally the WORST low resolution bitmap image that I have ever seen in a game. In the ending sequence... How is that not rushed and a slap in the face to all of the people who gave them their money and trust. I truly feel sorry for the employees that worked on Mass Effect 3, knowing that it was such a bomb of a game. They likely wanted to speak up, but like many people in this economy, didn't jeopardize their jobs. Well, they have to live with that now - It probably won't be the first thing that they mention when someone asks what they worked on... Then, looking at the user reviews, you see a very different picture. Split right down the middle, with an incredible amount of negative reviews. I wonder if EA employs a division to write positive reviews to offset this.… Expand
  2. tryx3
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love Mass Effect, and I love this installment. It's great. It feels the most polished and entertaining of the series. I don't have any issues with the gay or lesbian scenes, I didn't feel like a political agenda was being shoved down my throat. What I do take issue with, however, is the ending. Without giving too much away, it destroys the universe everyone has come to love over the years. Your choices mean nothing, and, no matter what you do, it will always end in one of the same ways. Even though throughout the entire game, they're pushing you to get as much aide as possible, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get the bar completely filled. Mass effect tries to be Deus Ex, and it does a terrible job of it.


    If something was added to amend the ending, I'd give the game an 8 or a 9. Till then, I left the game feeling cheated of what was an otherwise spectacular experience.    … Expand
  3. DrKillShot
    Mar 14, 2012
    4
    Just can't recommend the game right now with its current ending. It requires too much investment in the series to get a non-nonsensical ending that defies the series' basic mechanics. If the ending is fixed, then I would recommend the game in an instant, but at the moment it's just not worth the time
  4. Yasuchika
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    I feel awfully betrayed that the series went from and expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. Its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my character's background - which I imagine Bioware has forgotten about at this point. TheI feel awfully betrayed that the series went from and expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. Its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my character's background - which I imagine Bioware has forgotten about at this point. The writing and designs for some characters also seems out of place, Vega is expected to be a bulky man but not to the extent that he's a jersey Shore cast member, the addition of Jessica Chobot and redesign for Ashley also complement this lovely little tan-orange motif. My largest qualm is with the Day 1 DLC - which I strongly oppose - by all means create new characters that are not plot-integral. But when you create a squad member who is heaily tied to the universe's lore and mystique and then aim to charge an extra $10 for it on top of the game's already hefty pricetag you know you fit a stereotype.The romance system is fine, although I'd like to be able to talk to my companions without the intention of making out with them. I won´t claim this is a bad game, however compared to the first installment it has lost much of its former glory. Buy it if you want, but if I were you I´d either rent it first or wait for the price to drop.… Expand
  5. aadms
    Mar 15, 2012
    4
    This Game needs a couple of lable warnings MULTIPLAYER AND PURCHASED DLC REQUIRED FOR THIS GAME. The final chapter of a very endearing series, to me, left me mostly disappointed. There is no transition in the beginning of the game from ME2 to ME3. You are given a huge plot hole to start the game that took me about ten hours worth of game playing to move on and get over it. The graphics areThis Game needs a couple of lable warnings MULTIPLAYER AND PURCHASED DLC REQUIRED FOR THIS GAME. The final chapter of a very endearing series, to me, left me mostly disappointed. There is no transition in the beginning of the game from ME2 to ME3. You are given a huge plot hole to start the game that took me about ten hours worth of game playing to move on and get over it. The graphics are the same except that it has a much darker look closer to the original ME1. . The weapon's inventory system is mostly about giving you different benefits and not so much on upgrades. Just like ME2, you can only add upgrades to Shepard's armor and it is also all about having different benefits. The rest of the game plays out like what you expect from Mass Effect; get missions, blast away enemy, have some engaging cutscenes for the conclusions. Combat is definitley better. It finally ranks up there with the other top third person shooters. As far as story goes, Bioware still shows why they make the best "interactive cinematic experiences with a more intricate storyline backed up by great voice acting. But in this game, interactive takes a back seat to watching more cinematic cutscenes. The Love Interests don't make an emotional connection in any meaningful way. And the ending? There isn't any that will revel to you your final decision. I feel for the other fans to have to end the series like this. For me, it was disappointing.… Expand
  6. Shrimpkebab
    Mar 24, 2012
    4
    The plot-hole filled ending poisons the whole series, i was planning on replaying me1-3 but the last 5minutes of the game destroyed the quality and replayability of the series.
  7. Regnagleppod
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    Right before you finished the game, this would probably be your favorite game of all time, however, the ending killed it all, a worst possible ending a Mass Effect fans could expect.
  8. EternalGamer2
    Mar 10, 2012
    4
    The quality of the script really went down hill with the third entry. Bioware may think they are making a more "dramatic" game by feature overbearing music cues to pull on your heart strings and having characters deliver short emphatic quips, but all they have really done is take an interesting universe and made it seem more like a generic Hollywood blockbuster. There is still a lot toThe quality of the script really went down hill with the third entry. Bioware may think they are making a more "dramatic" game by feature overbearing music cues to pull on your heart strings and having characters deliver short emphatic quips, but all they have really done is take an interesting universe and made it seem more like a generic Hollywood blockbuster. There is still a lot to admire, but most of it is just inertia from the rich world they have already established.… Expand
  9. mustard_tiger
    Jun 4, 2012
    4
    To sum its all up as neatly as I can think of it this way, the game isn't based totally on graphics and game mechanics. Its always been about story and choices you make for the story so the ending really needs to be held to the same standard. Yes leading up to the ending it was a great game but the ending just wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the series so that's why it leavesTo sum its all up as neatly as I can think of it this way, the game isn't based totally on graphics and game mechanics. Its always been about story and choices you make for the story so the ending really needs to be held to the same standard. Yes leading up to the ending it was a great game but the ending just wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the series so that's why it leaves people feeling upset.… Expand
  10. Phattee
    Mar 15, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is probably nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. Up to a very specific point, the game is beautiful, poetic, and engaging. Games that produce a swell of emotions in the player are rare, and the Mass Effect series does this better than anyone else. When you come across familiar characters, you feel a joy akin to running into an old friend. When they die, you feel a genuine sense of loss. The music is perfect, the combat is tight, and the visuals evoke a sense of scale that truly befits the often-used but rarely deserved adjective "EPIC".

    But like I said, this is only up to a very specific point, and that point is when Shepard enters the beam of light and is transported to the Citadel. The plot holes introduced in the last 10 minutes of the series are so numerous, the inconsistencies and contradictions so prevalent, the choices so limited, and the 16 "different" endings so homogeneous, that it bears little resemblance to anything that led the player to this point.

    The outrage that has been generated by this game's ending is like nothing before, and the massive discrepancy that exist between the player and critic reviews is very telling. I'm sorry, but I cannot recommend this game.    … Expand
  11. Gurt
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    The rest of Reddit is making their voices heard against this travesty of a sequel so i feel like it's my duty to help warn people of it's subpar quality.

    I'm not going to just say, it's **** because it has some merits, however those rest solely in adequate shooting mechanics that games have done better, back in 2006. The ending leaves people with almost no closure, instead paving the way    The rest of Reddit is making their voices heard against this travesty of a sequel so i feel like it's my duty to help warn people of it's subpar quality.

    I'm not going to just say, it's **** because it has some merits, however those rest solely in adequate shooting mechanics that games have done better, back in 2006.

    The ending leaves people with almost no closure, instead paving the way for DLC and the inevitable next game in the universe to cash in on the name. The choices you make have no impact on the end result, nothing done over the course of THREE ENTIRE GAMES makes any difference to your ultimate ending, absolutely inexcusable and lazy.

    The characters added in are sterotypical in their inclusion (guy has to have xbox hueg muscles, chobot has to have **** bigger than what she actually has and have them poking out in a suit that's supposed to represent what a crew part of a branch of the military would wear as standard issue.

    The animations and graphics are also inferior to ME2, that i don't understand, how can a game, released 2 years after it's last installment, actually move BACKWARDS in terms of animation and graphics, i'd be happy if they remained the same; Instead, we get hands that look like they came from the PS2 and we get animations that aren't even taken from ME2, they're just haphazard animations that look slapped on without any refinement.

    Reddit can not and wil not let this game get the praise and perfect reviews it so unjustly is getting, how can a game that has a number of flaws still get almost perfect/perfect reviews?

    If people think these aren't being paid for, pressured for, or just written by plain old terrible "journalists" then they are retarded.

    and you are retarded if you buy this game.

    le Reddit will never bow to the pressure of people who insist on buying **** games    … Expand
  12. stevev45
    Mar 16, 2012
    4
    I have never seen a game of this quality botch an ending so badly. This ending single handily brought the game down from about an 8 or 9 to 4. It
  13. Gamer84
    May 27, 2014
    4
    This game RUINED 3 games, time invested into the choices of my characters, my xbox 360 and entire videogame console experience. I will for now stick to playing MMO's.
  14. WhataTwist
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    Please note that my score is on a purely subjective basis. It's my gut feeling about the game. That said, I was almost ready to call this my favorite game ever until the last 10 minutes rolled in. The ending was so bad, so cheap, so poorly written, and such a shock to the mind; that it basically ruined the entire series for me. I simply cannot imagine how they could have ended it on a morePlease note that my score is on a purely subjective basis. It's my gut feeling about the game. That said, I was almost ready to call this my favorite game ever until the last 10 minutes rolled in. The ending was so bad, so cheap, so poorly written, and such a shock to the mind; that it basically ruined the entire series for me. I simply cannot imagine how they could have ended it on a more sour, bitter, depressing note. And for that, I am TRULY sorry. What a waste. Ugh...… Expand
  15. DesertPhantom51
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    Let me start off by saying, I adore the Mass Effect universe, and loved both the first and second games. Mass Effect three, on the other hand, feels like a watered down version of the previous titles. The areas are smaller, exploration is all but gone, and combat is easier than ever. I blazed through the game in no time, and felt cheated at some of the 'emotional' payoffs the story teamLet me start off by saying, I adore the Mass Effect universe, and loved both the first and second games. Mass Effect three, on the other hand, feels like a watered down version of the previous titles. The areas are smaller, exploration is all but gone, and combat is easier than ever. I blazed through the game in no time, and felt cheated at some of the 'emotional' payoffs the story team tried to unload on me. Compared to other games available on the Xbox 360, its still a very decent game, but compared to the other Mass Effect games, this is inexcusable, and I'll never get the resolution that this series rightfully deserved.… Expand
  16. thewaffleness
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have loved the Mass Effect Series from day one. The first Mass Effect was a masterpiece. The second one built even more on to that solid frame. Mass Effect 3 was just a step back in the series. The gameplay was fun and I did enjoy the interactions with former and current squad members (R.I.P Mordin and Thane). This game however just ruined the entire with its ending. The first reason is that your decisions over the entire series means nothing in the end. It all boils down to three choices. After all that hard work I put into the entire series I felt like it didn't matter. Next the ending makes no damn sense. It so far out there I felt blind sided. As a Mass Effect fan I feel betrayed by Bioware for making this game and honestly I think EA is what ruined it. EA has ruined the Mass Effect series and they are ruining the gaming industry as a whole. EA and Bioware owes everyone who bought this game an apology.… Expand
  17. Oxcart
    Nov 18, 2012
    4
    Very few times in gaming history has a title received so much controversy, so much vitriol, and been the subject of the undiluted ire of so many gamers. The source of the fury? The ending to a five-year, three-game story arc that had, by that point, drawn in so many gamers that it had transformed from game series into legend...it had literally undergone the Halo Effect, where anVery few times in gaming history has a title received so much controversy, so much vitriol, and been the subject of the undiluted ire of so many gamers. The source of the fury? The ending to a five-year, three-game story arc that had, by that point, drawn in so many gamers that it had transformed from game series into legend...it had literally undergone the Halo Effect, where an under-the-radar game ends up being such a huge franchise and dynamo of its own that it begins eclipsing itself. But the difference lies in the games: where Halo is a shooter with a lot of story laid into it, Mass Effect is fundamentally a story with a game built through it. Halo would have to try hard to screw up; as long as it provides the action and the intensity, it wins. Mass Effect never had it so easy. But that doesn't forgive what happened with the finale. Mass Effect 3 is, and may well end up being the textbook example of, a game that was set up to be great, only to be destroyed by the marketing department. The original ME laid the groundwork of a story where the player's actions MADE the story, DECIDED the plot, and were the end-all and be-all of the game. There were so many directions for the plot to go, all decided by the player. ME3 was the original ME's evil twin: a game that started off with hundreds of possible threads, only to ultimately file down to a single possible outcome, a game where all of the player's decisions, past and present, were rendered irrelevant. A great game was sacrificed on the altar of Marketing, as they tried to turn Mass Effect into something it wasn't: a mass-appeal shooter. The mutation began in the second installment, as shooter elements began overtaking role-playing elements. We gamers took this in stride, accepting the changes as some streamlining and minor changes (and, truthfully, some of the elements removed or changed were never our favorites). But something else happened: the storytelling began to be streamlined and dumbed-down as well. ME3 just finished ME2's trajectory -- straight into the dirt. In the quest for money (by trying to appeal to the largest audience), they converted Mass Effect into a nearly-brainless shooter, one which was loosely tied together with story in the game, and required story-seekers to look outside the game for real content -- they turned it into Halo: a game with a massive backstory that is only visible in the game if you know to look for it. Of course, all of this was prior to the Extended Cut DLC -- the amazing concession the gaming industry made to the Voice of the Gamers...which, really, was just placating enough to keep the masses of gamers from taking their beloved money elsewhere. EA knew it was in danger of alienating millions of money dispensers, and sought to make enough amends to avoid losing that cash. Overall, however, after all the changes the game has undergone, while it's still not particularly worthy of the Mass Effect mantle, ME3 is no longer the total pariah it had been. Decisions are back to having some value, and the previously-mandatory mobile game's value has been decreased, bringing fate back into the hands of the game...mostly. I held off on writing a review of this game when the Extended Cut was announced, otherwise it would've been another "boycott EA" pitchforks-and-torches rant. Now, while I'm still not pleased with the game's conclusion, it's not horrible, either, and at least does enough of a job to warrant a mediocre rating. Taken on its own, perhaps it would be considered a better game. But that's not possible. ME3 is part of a series, and a heavily connected series at that. If one of the Halo games had been a dud, it wouldn't significantly impact the others or the series as a whole; they just fix it next time, and judging it against its peers is unnecessary. But ME3 has to be held against the standards set by its predecessors...and it doesn't. Compared to the games that came before, ME3 just doesn't have what it takes to stand alongside. No matter what changes they made to the ending, it will always be a step behind. Thanks, Marketing department. Next time, stay out of the development process.… Expand
  18. Jirekianu
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The endings are all massively disappointing. Your options seem to kill almost everyone, and the way the mass relays react to the energy surge seems to show them blowing up regardless of the option you pick. Shephard dies no matter how well you prepare or what you do. The galaxy at war map never **** changes. It's always "offline". Your readiness never shifts from 50%. So yeah, thanks Bioware. Thanks for building up such a great game and then giving me a rushed and **** ending.

    All of those complaints said and out of the way. I was really happy with the game. Enjoying everything that happened for the most part. Some of the dialogue was goofy at times and I don't mean in a sappy way. I mean it was showing poor writing. Whoever approved these endings needs to be **** fired. I would give this game a 9/10 if the endings weren't so terrible and half-assed.    … Expand
  19. Erika22
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    This game was rushed out the door, and it shows. The characters all look plastic and fake, there is seriously something wrong with the faces and how they don't match up to what is being said. The animations are lazy and jarring, the dialogue is uninspired and trite. It also becomes evident very quickly that this game has taken the "roleplaying" elements of the previous two games andThis game was rushed out the door, and it shows. The characters all look plastic and fake, there is seriously something wrong with the faces and how they don't match up to what is being said. The animations are lazy and jarring, the dialogue is uninspired and trite. It also becomes evident very quickly that this game has taken the "roleplaying" elements of the previous two games and turned them into a choose-your-own-action movie. What a waste. The action is big, dumb and meant to impress the ADHD call-of-duty crowd, but likely won't because it too is sluggish and sub-par. Not to mention the idiotic and confusing "galaxy at war" and "war assets" systems whose mechanics are obscured to the player, but are purported to have some nebulous impact on the end game. I can't wrap my head around so many bad design decisions. Why?… Expand
  20. SupR_G
    Mar 14, 2012
    4
    This game starts out well but finishes terribly. I didn't think it was possible for a story to have such powerful momentum and crash miserably into a wall. Aside from that, the game has some serious bug issues. I played ME2 on day 1 and never encountered anything quite as awful as the bugs in this game. On top of that, the side missions are a joke and I think are there just to distract youThis game starts out well but finishes terribly. I didn't think it was possible for a story to have such powerful momentum and crash miserably into a wall. Aside from that, the game has some serious bug issues. I played ME2 on day 1 and never encountered anything quite as awful as the bugs in this game. On top of that, the side missions are a joke and I think are there just to distract you for a few minutes at a time, essentially forcing you to stick to the main story. This wouldn't have been so terrible, if the main story didn't end so terribly and lose all credibility.… Expand
  21. disasta121
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    I have never been more disappointed in my life. I absolutely loved the first two games in the series. However, I was a little disappointed with the fact that they dumbed down the RPG elements in Mass Effect 2, but I knew they would improve it, and the storytelling was still top notch. But now, they've released this, the Call of Duty of sci-fi games. There is still some dialogue there, butI have never been more disappointed in my life. I absolutely loved the first two games in the series. However, I was a little disappointed with the fact that they dumbed down the RPG elements in Mass Effect 2, but I knew they would improve it, and the storytelling was still top notch. But now, they've released this, the Call of Duty of sci-fi games. There is still some dialogue there, but what is left is pathetic. The paragon and renegade options mean nothing anymore. The entire game has been casualized into explosions. EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHERE. I have lost my hope in Bioware; first Dragon Age 2, now this.… Expand
  22. Pandafuhrer
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    StaleGameplay
    Disconnected Dialogues
    use of Stock images instead of making models for characters. Use of 4 frame 8bit sprites for the background. That is SUPER lazy. Illusion of Choice: no choice whatsoever, to roads which lead to the same road, and endings. Your choices dont matter Day 1 DLC. They remove parts of the game and make them DLC the very first day to gouge more money out of the    StaleGameplay
    Disconnected Dialogues
    use of Stock images instead of making models for characters.
    Use of 4 frame 8bit sprites for the background. That is SUPER lazy.
    Illusion of Choice: no choice whatsoever, to roads which lead to the same road, and endings. Your choices dont matter
    Day 1 DLC. They remove parts of the game and make them DLC the very first day to gouge more money out of the customer.
    The gameplay is stale. this si a space opera/Sex simulator in space with stale gunshooting once in a while.

    This is my opinion. This is my review. It is hamburger-tier Entertainment. I give it a 4 for the graphics and the hilarity of the poorly written dialogue (and no, we're laughing at how bad it is, its not intended humor from their part).

    Please stop deleting my Reviews because this is my true, honest opinion.    … Expand
  23. MXCL
    Mar 7, 2012
    4
    Between the clunky and poor animations to the seemingly rushed, ret-conned and overall poor story ME3 was a real slap in the face. The games only redeeming feature is it's TPS gameplay and better example could be found in other modern games. The soundtrack in not memorable although the voice acting is par for the returning cast. Conversation options decreased to selecting either a ParagonBetween the clunky and poor animations to the seemingly rushed, ret-conned and overall poor story ME3 was a real slap in the face. The games only redeeming feature is it's TPS gameplay and better example could be found in other modern games. The soundtrack in not memorable although the voice acting is par for the returning cast. Conversation options decreased to selecting either a Paragon or Renegade response and most conversations are automatic.… Expand
  24. CaptKai
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    I just watched what was a phenomenal, even cinematic franchise commit inexcusable storytelling suicide. It's not that the ending is depressing or even bittersweet, as PR would have it spun; The ending makes zero sense - it flies in the face of it's own canon and creates numerous plot holes in the last ten minutes alone. To top it all off, the defining element of Mass Effect, choice, isI just watched what was a phenomenal, even cinematic franchise commit inexcusable storytelling suicide. It's not that the ending is depressing or even bittersweet, as PR would have it spun; The ending makes zero sense - it flies in the face of it's own canon and creates numerous plot holes in the last ten minutes alone. To top it all off, the defining element of Mass Effect, choice, is stripped away from you. No choice you agonized over has any consequence.
    .
    If you're a fan of the series and absolutely cannot bring yourself to wait to play this, do yourself a favor and either rent ME3, or purchase a used copy at your local Gamestop and return it before seven days are up to get your money back. I admit it can be a relatively fun game, up to a point, but you will regret paying full retail price for this disaster.    … Expand
  25. konros
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    Good combat, much more tactical than in previous titles and of course multi-player. And very bad narrative. The main rule of story-writing is obvious - the more the better. It resulted an enormous amount the cutscenes, most with badly written and boring dialogs. The shortcuts in dialog system imply better quality of writing. Unfortunately, Bioware has failed this as there is hardly aGood combat, much more tactical than in previous titles and of course multi-player. And very bad narrative. The main rule of story-writing is obvious - the more the better. It resulted an enormous amount the cutscenes, most with badly written and boring dialogs. The shortcuts in dialog system imply better quality of writing. Unfortunately, Bioware has failed this as there is hardly a handful of cutscenes which are able to make an impression on the player. It more looks like space soap opera, than AAA-movie.… Expand
  26. MrGrimbo
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    For the finale of a game series that has been sold as an evolving story where the player's decisions guide the flow, Mass Effect 3 fails to deliver. Any major decisions from the first 2 games (saving or killing the council, what to do with the rachni queen, whether to save or destroy Maelon's genophage research) all ultimately end up being represented as numbers on a chart and nothingFor the finale of a game series that has been sold as an evolving story where the player's decisions guide the flow, Mass Effect 3 fails to deliver. Any major decisions from the first 2 games (saving or killing the council, what to do with the rachni queen, whether to save or destroy Maelon's genophage research) all ultimately end up being represented as numbers on a chart and nothing more. Some dialouge may change and some cutscenes may have different faces in them due to these decisions, but ultimately the game moves forward in the same direction no matter what decisions you made. That is ultimately why this game is and always will be a dissapointment to me. Credit to Bioware for starting one of the most ambitious gaming projects ever. It's unfortunate that they seem to have lost ambition halfway through.… Expand
  27. MassEffectFShep
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had to wait a few hours after finishing the game before writing a review because I wanted to take some time to look back on ME1/ME2 and be as fair and objective as possible when collecting my thoughts on ME3. This game is amazing in several ways: (1) dialogue between familiar (and to some extent unfamiliar) characters feels more real and natural, (2) combat is a lot more interesting and, in some scenes, more challenging than both ME1 and ME2, (3) the cinematic scenes depicting various key events in the story are visually engaging and easy to connect with emotionally, (4) the romance interactions between Shepard and his/her LI is a vast improvement from both ME1 and ME2, and (5) the overall visual element of the game (the Citadel, the new worlds that you visit--Rannoch and Thessia for example, and the characters themselves) made it really easy to immerse yourself in the game. Having been a huge fan of ME1 and ME2, I was happy to see that Bioware came through in these areas. I had moments where I laughed, moments where I felt giddy, and plenty of moments where I cried (e.g., Thane's death). That being said, I was incredibly surprised at how much the ending affected me. Up until the very last moments in the game (I would say up until the part where the destroyer reaper vaporizes people around you while you painfully drag yourself toward the beam), I would have given the game a 10/10 hands down. I would have bowed down to Bioware for telling the greatest story ever told. And then there was the ending: (1) The number of plot holes left is an insult to the bajillion hours that I invested in the first two games, (2) the Deus Ex-style ending completely chaffed my soul, and (3) I received next to NO closure on all of the relationships that I've been building up until the point. What happened to the people on the citadel (e.g., Bailey, the council, etc.) What happens to my team? What happens to the two squadmates that I took with me in the final battle scene? What happens to the races that I just spent hours trying to unite in hopes of a more relevant and fitting ending? I loved the Deus Ex ending in Deus Ex because it fit with what the story was about up until the end; Mass Effect was more than just a morally ambiguous thought exercise on organic vs. synthetic existence--it's SO much more than that--so why condense it all to that? I don't need Shepard to live in the end (and I certainly don't need a happily-ever-after ending where nobody dies and everyone is all smiles at the end of the reaper invasion), but I sure as hell was under the impression that I'd have the choice. I put so much thought into paragon vs. renegade, which is arguably the main driving force in the plot up until the very last scene, and it seems like no matter what you do you are boxed into an ending that's uncomfortable, unclear, and unnervingly disappointing. I was amazed at how emotionally connected I felt to the Mass Effect series, and spent what felt like an eternity looking forward to the final part of the trilogy. In terms of ME3, I felt completely satisfied with the exception of the ending, which seemed totally out of place and unnecessarily broke my enthusiasm and passion for the game. Do I hate the entire series now because of the way it ends? No. Will I deny that all 3 games are amazing in multiple ways and have allowed me to be a part of an epic story? No. Can I jump on the 10/10 bandwagon for ME3? Absolutely not, because the ending of such a huge story is critical, and in my opinion it was an epic fail in this game. If I could go back in time, I would probably have not played the game past Shepard's last speech to his/her team--at least at that point you were excited/terrified/scared, but you also had the hope that other characters instilled in you, and the hope that you spent so much time instilling into other characters. So in the end, I can't give this game a positive review, although it kills me to know that it would have been such an easy thing to do if the ending had (a) more variation and more of an actual decision-making component to it (such that all endings aren't essentially the same--I know there is room for argument here, but I maintain that it can all boil down the same basic ending), (b) incorporated more of the choices that you have been making for the past three games, (c) more relevance to the personal side of Shepard (e.g., how Shepard has evolved over time and who Shepard has become), and (d) more closure on all of the characters, relationships, and decisions that you just spent three games experiencing. You almost did it, Bioware. So close and yet so far.… Expand
  28. Severeville99
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    My goal here is not to disuade anyone from buying the game. I do however wish to let every fan, who from day 1, invested time and emotional connection to your character know this: you will walk away absurdly disappointed. You couldn't live with yourself not knowing the conclusion but know this...It is the most lazy, ill conceived slap in the face conclusion ever conceived. I cannot expressMy goal here is not to disuade anyone from buying the game. I do however wish to let every fan, who from day 1, invested time and emotional connection to your character know this: you will walk away absurdly disappointed. You couldn't live with yourself not knowing the conclusion but know this...It is the most lazy, ill conceived slap in the face conclusion ever conceived. I cannot express in words eloquently enough my disdain. The gameplay is improved, the graphics more polished, and you even have some real connection with your character and crew. But I am telling you, the conclusion undermines all of the relationships you've worked on for the last 5 years. For actual gameplay and enjoyment I would say it's on par with the critics, 9/10. But when you factor in that the whole point of the series, the culmination of all your work, is swept out from under you in one fell blow....well... It stands to reason that I'm giving this a 4/10. You(Bioware) cannot ask us(fans) to invest hard earned money and, if your like me, time probably better vested in family activities (I just couldnt put it down...sorry kids!) just to hand us an ending that 1.) Was ripped from another game, 2.) Gives no real choice(all the endings are essentially the same), and 3.) Answers nothing! In fact it leaves more questions than actually answers. So do buy it, just wait until you can get it pre-owned, or it's marked down. I'm going to gamestop tomorrow to trade in my copy, maybe give someone the chance to feel how empty and pointless their 120+ hour, 5 year journey is. And that's how I truly feel folks. One more thing, to the people hating the haters...I tried. Okay! I have loved my Shepard since I created her 5 years ago. The zeros, yeah, little much I agree. But there is no way the improved gameplay, better levels, and enemies( I have died a whole lot more in this one) can make up for Bioware completely dropping the selling point and ruining the end. Choices! Because the little ones just aren't as impacting as the grand finale...and we don't really have any choices there, my friend.… Expand
  29. BaldursGreat
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    In an early area in Mass Effect 3, you enter a group of rooms in the Citadel. There are over 40 NPCs there. You can talk with exactly two characters, overhear a conversation between one other pair, and, for the rest of the 40some NPCs, you can stand next to them, while they do nothing. Like Dragon Age 2, this game's not finished. The world's empty and cold, even though there are tons ofIn an early area in Mass Effect 3, you enter a group of rooms in the Citadel. There are over 40 NPCs there. You can talk with exactly two characters, overhear a conversation between one other pair, and, for the rest of the 40some NPCs, you can stand next to them, while they do nothing. Like Dragon Age 2, this game's not finished. The world's empty and cold, even though there are tons of NPCs around. It feels lonely, even when it's full of what should and could be life.… Expand
  30. Adain
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    Its an amazing game all the way up till the last 5 mins. I didn't think it was possible but we have an ending so bad that it ruins the entire series. I can't even think about playing any of the other ME games after watching this ending.

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

    The last 5 mins are so incredibly bad that it pushes the game down to a 4.
  31. Duffizle
    Mar 9, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Like many of you I was a big fan of the mass effect series. I always looked forward to each new game, and ME3 was no different. To me, this is one of the most emotionally involving series I've played. Bio-ware certainly seemed to be on a role, allowing us to tailor commander shepherd into who we wanted him to be. Then, when all seems to be going well, you think "yes I've finally made it to the end, lets see what this effort has been worth." I'm left with two main options and a third depending on what i have done, all of which ultimately ends up with the demise of this character I've become so invested in. Some may call this good storytelling ,but is all that build up necessary just for a complete let down? All I, and from what I've seen over the web, many others wanted was a satisfying conclusion to the series. This is not the case...I just feel almost as if this story has been pointless, all that just to realize (with the option i chose) I've kicked everyone back to the stone age (Plus all those races landlocked on earth,unable to return to their own worlds with the loss of the relays). A happier ending would have brought more thorough closure to what good have been a great finale.… Expand
  32. adisen
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    The whole purpose of postponing release of the game was to further refine it. Unfortunately ME3 still seems to be rushed, especially towards the end. I agree with all the 'haters' out here on the fact that there were barely any consequences to many of the so called important decisions made in ME1 & ME2. At times it felt as if I'm playing a unrelated game altogether. I was quiteThe whole purpose of postponing release of the game was to further refine it. Unfortunately ME3 still seems to be rushed, especially towards the end. I agree with all the 'haters' out here on the fact that there were barely any consequences to many of the so called important decisions made in ME1 & ME2. At times it felt as if I'm playing a unrelated game altogether. I was quite disappointed to see the characters I appreciated (such as thane and jack) having such diminished roles in the game. As far as squadmates go, James and Ash were NOT suitable replacement. The priority missions, particularly the one in Rannoch, were a treat. Graphics wasn't a big improvement from ME2. Gameplay was impressive . Weight restrictions on equipment as well as the omnibalde were nice additions. All in all, I would have rated this game a modest 6/10 IF the last 10 minutes of the game NEVER HAPPENED. Ardent fans of the series who have yet to play this game should prepare for bitter disappointment. In my opinion Bioware could not have made a more horrible ending. After spending so much time on the trilogy and getting attached to your character as well as the NPCs , I feel cheated in the end. Without spoiling anything I will just say that no matter what you choose during the game, you will get almost the same ending. If I know how badly it ends no matter what I do then why should I set myself up for disappointment AGAIN and AGAIN? Therefore 'Replay Value" gets a very low score. I hope Bioware plans on fixing the endings with DLCs. After all, Commander Shepard deserves MORE!… Expand
  33. ArchLich
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A good game until you reach the end. The ending is so poorly written that I can not conceive it was written by experienced professionals. The ending ruins the whole series.

    The game has multiple good elements but seems to fall short in other areas. Some of the minor issues include: The fact that the choices of sacrificing people to save others is trivialized by the poor presentation and that every second conversation from Shepard sounds like a poorly veiled come on to other characters.

    An especially low note in the game is Kai Leng. Kai Leng is a horrible stereotyped Mary Sue which nearly ruined the game. His boss battles are lame and should never have been included. The game designers failed to follow a basic game design rule: If you don't want a PC killing a NPC then don't have them fight. Simple, no? They follow this with the Illusive Man (uses holographs instead of being there in person) but they fail with Kai Leng. Just when you thought that cliched character was the worst part the game in roles the game's ending. It involves a ghost child AI which is the citadel but was never foreshadowed. (Nor does it make sense as there would be no need for Mass Effect 1 or 2 if this was true. After all an AI secretly existing in the Citadel could easily notify the Reapers without the need of outside Reaper prompting). Besides this obvious flaw the game then presents 3 possible endings: 1) Mass murder of all synthetic life 2) Take control of the Reapers
    3) A childishly simplistic option of merging synthetic and organic life without wiping all current beings. How this is possible is never explained nor does it make any sense in the end.
    Also the Mass Relays are destroyed in every ending and the Normandy crashes in every ending. This is disheartening but also means that you have destroyed the main means of intergalactic transportation and destroyed every spaceship in the galaxy. Hurray? So in closing all the endings means you have saved galactic civilization by destroying all galactic civilization. WTF? This game if viewed individually would be a 6 or 7 out of ten. When viewed in light of what it does to the series a 4 is generous.    … Expand
  34. Deadbolta
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    Up until the last 15 minutes or so, this game is incredibly enjoyable. There were so many moments where I was up out of my chair rooting for characters, or solemnly watching someone sacrifice themselves. Having been a bit of a perfectionist in the previous 2 games, I set about playing this game with the same sort of vigour, making sure to check every single planet for war assets andUp until the last 15 minutes or so, this game is incredibly enjoyable. There were so many moments where I was up out of my chair rooting for characters, or solemnly watching someone sacrifice themselves. Having been a bit of a perfectionist in the previous 2 games, I set about playing this game with the same sort of vigour, making sure to check every single planet for war assets and scouring every level/area for anything that I could find. So it was with great sadness that in the end I discovered that all of these discoveries, and all of the choices made over the span of 3 games, were nothing more than a little number displayed on the screen. The 'endings' are very reminiscent of those presented in Deus Ex: HR, except at least in that game we get somewhat of an epilogue.… Expand
  35. trouble1019
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    I pre-ordered this POS. I love the story and the Lore of this universe. I have never felt so cheated as I did when I found out about the Day 1 DLC. When EA admitted that the CORE aspects of the DLC had been integrated in the the game prior to certification, I wanted to return the game for a refund. I feel like EA took advantage of my loyalty and attempted to exploit it. So uncool EA..I pre-ordered this POS. I love the story and the Lore of this universe. I have never felt so cheated as I did when I found out about the Day 1 DLC. When EA admitted that the CORE aspects of the DLC had been integrated in the the game prior to certification, I wanted to return the game for a refund. I feel like EA took advantage of my loyalty and attempted to exploit it. So uncool EA.. Soo... UnCool… Expand
  36. PTamp
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    I have been looking forward to this game for two years, I have never been so disapointed with a game ending. As the end of a trilogy I expected the resolution of the reaper plot, and Commander Shepard's story. This story has captivated me for at least 100 hours over the past several years. In fact, I bought my Xbox 360 to play this series. The ending of this game invalidates all theI have been looking forward to this game for two years, I have never been so disapointed with a game ending. As the end of a trilogy I expected the resolution of the reaper plot, and Commander Shepard's story. This story has captivated me for at least 100 hours over the past several years. In fact, I bought my Xbox 360 to play this series. The ending of this game invalidates all the choices the character/player has made over three games. Not only that the resolution deviates from the theme of the series in a strange presenting choices that seem to contradict the message about the power of individuals to shape their own future. Characters and entire alien races we've grown to love over the course of the games are then summarily railroaded into a convenient ending with not further exposistion on their ultimate fate regardelss of what the player has done over the trilogy.… Expand
  37. akipi
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As much as I have been a fan of the series with multiple characters on both ME1 and ME2 i can only give ME 3 a 4. It really hurts me to give this to a game such a score, considering how good just about 99% of the game was. It isn't because Shepard dies, I was going in with the assumption this was a possible outcome. There are small bugs (texture pop ups, etc) in the game but didn't take away from the presentation at all. I think the best way to put it is in one word that Bioware has used repeatedly to describe this game, choice. I think i can actually understand how/why Bioware wanted to end the ME universe as they did. The problem was that the connection between 99% of the game and the last 1% was it didn't mesh well together (at least in my opinion). Each choice you had at the end does embrace the path (choices you made throughout the game) you took to get there. However because of how last minute it felt, after thinking you finished everything, there is this feeling of disconnect. The end isn't able to truly show that the path that you have taken with all the choices made through the game had been presented in front of you. In an ending such as this, unless everything can come together perfectly, it is extremely hard to present to an audience in a coherent manner. The ending isn't what everyone wanted, I myself wouldn't mind an optional off into the sunset ending and/or a depressing everyone dies ending. However in the ending that Bioware chose, they needed to do more to truly show what the players were choosing in the end. The conversation at the very end is a prime example where this could have been archived, but just fell flat on its face in trying. The score I gave is representative how Bioware was not able to weave a story around the theme of choice in a manner that gripped everyone. Also there are problems/sloppyness with the ending cimematics shown before the credits such as the Normandy and the Mass Relays. There isn't much of an explanation as to why the Normandy looked to be between relays when it should have been at earth, or if the relay explosion only took out the relay or entire solar systems.… Expand
  38. trexmaster
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    The journey over the course of the 3 games was a masterpiece of a game-writing and storytelling, but the ending of this 3rd game just completely ruins everything for me. I really wonder what the scenarists were thinking when they wrote the ending (yes, single), it just sucks and manages to completely cripple the most interesting sci-fi universe created in the last ten years ... Such aThe journey over the course of the 3 games was a masterpiece of a game-writing and storytelling, but the ending of this 3rd game just completely ruins everything for me. I really wonder what the scenarists were thinking when they wrote the ending (yes, single), it just sucks and manages to completely cripple the most interesting sci-fi universe created in the last ten years ... Such a complete let down :(… Expand
  39. ruby80
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Such a big letdown, emotionally. Everything just feels off. Earth is under attack but shephard has time for just about anything. And the ending is easily the most dissapointing I have experienced. Not the choices you get to make, but the followup... what happened to all of the people you met, a simple text dialouge would have sufficed. But no, normandy crashes, some survives - the end. Ofcourse the game has great gameplay and the multiplayer is addictive. (though there should have been coop campaignmode aswell, cheap bioware) But from the buildup of the first two games, this third part could not live up to its expectations.… Expand
  40. Foojack100
    Mar 13, 2012
    4
    Decent game other that Bioware making mistakes like not following what happened in other games, as well as the end where you get essentially one ending that they changed the color on, pick your favorite color and watch the Galaxy be destroyed. Also they removed important content(From Ashes)and made it a DLC, if you have the game on computer you can get the DLC for free by editing a fewDecent game other that Bioware making mistakes like not following what happened in other games, as well as the end where you get essentially one ending that they changed the color on, pick your favorite color and watch the Galaxy be destroyed. Also they removed important content(From Ashes)and made it a DLC, if you have the game on computer you can get the DLC for free by editing a few codes of line in the game files. I seriously don't know how EA or Bioware will recover from this. I won't buy another game from either of the companies again.… Expand
  41. BiowareHeart
    Mar 13, 2012
    4
    AMAZING game. Terrible ending. Horrible terrible no good very bad ending. You play and play for the sake of these characters... Hell, the developers go to the trouble of creating heart wrenching scenes before you get to the end... then... you get to the end. It's like they INTENTIONALLY created an ending that ripped your heart out and stomped on it...
  42. 2ndchild
    Mar 13, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was set to give this an 8, maybe higher, but the ending destroyed not only all the hard work and sacrifice my Shepard made over the first two games but my love for this series as well. To remove the choice mechanic from the very end of the game is ridiculous as it is the very thing that the series is based on. I described how it worked to people as being that with the combination of choices that could be made over the first two games then my combination was, I would hope, as unique as could possibly be in a game of this generation. That the only person playing the game I was, with my Shepard's own appearance and morality, was me. And to have that removed at the very end felt like a betrayal, like an insult, like a heartbreak. The game mechanics are fantastic, the way Shepard moves now with his combat rolls and ladder slides and his roadie-run removed my over reliance on the Adrenaline Rush power that dominated ME2 combat for me and combat felt fluid, rapid, and truly lethal when you had a kill streak running and got up close for a heavy melee move with the new omni blade. The graphics are simply beautiful. Glossy, polished and detailed in a way that gives each race a unique look and feel, not just physically but in their technology and weaponry and architecture (who wouldn't want to live on the astounding Thessia?) . The characters have never looked so good and their development over the three games is noticeable, Liara especially who went from a naive archaeologist to a hardened information broker to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the galaxy (and with who I may be a little bit in love with). I've never played a game in 20 years of gaming that made me feel such a connection with the world and the characters. I didn't like Ashley, I felt protective of Tali, wanted to go drinking with Garrus, and wanted to just see Liara smile. It's sad and strange and weird, but it's high praise to the people who made this engaging world that people loved to spend time in and around the characters they filled it with The voice acting is top shelf again, hats off to everyone who raised the bar compared to other games like this (there aren't many). The run up to the end is one of the most exciting I've ever played, every running battle of Earth is amazing, and brings the weight of what is happening and what your fighting for right home. The interlude to talk to and say various goodbyes to your squad carries notes of finality (in retrospect I should have seen what was coming next) as they all say their goodbyes to you and leave you to fight the last big fight that up until this moment is set to be the best action set piece of the trilogy, equal parts rousing and draining where you as player and as Shepard himself have to give everything you have to finish this fight and win the day. It starts promising, running full speed towards the conduit, in an almost carbon copy sequence from ME1 before the last level. Harbinger lands in front of you and starts lancing death rays at you. Tanks and men are brushed aside with equal force leaving you running for all your might, dodging, rolling, moving ever forward towards your goal with heart pounding in chest and a yell of defiance in your throat lost among the clamour of battle you're ready to bring it all to bear on your enemy. And then the world turned upside down. The epic conclusion to the what should have been, what could have been the greatest series of games in the modern era is stolen from you. There is no face off with Harbinger, there is no gruelling fight to get to the light of morning where victory awaits, just a watered down version of the end of Dues Ex; Human Revolution where all the choices you have made over a hundred plus hours are swept aside and completely ignored. DX;HR gave a fourth option to refuse the choices given and blow it all up. ME2 killed off squad mates you couldn't keep loyal, ME1 gave the option to have Saren kill himself if you played the game right. ME3 offers you no such victory and leaves you feeling hollow and as I said earlier , betrayed. There is no way to "win" Mass Effect 3, you get no closure on your story or those of the people you've fought, sweated and bled with over the past two games and five years, no indication of who lived or died. That was the most frustrating part of the ending, I didn't know what happened to my squad and that hurt, a lot. Mass Effect is a series of games proud of it's emotional investment that it inspires players to have in the characters. Liara isn't real and doesn't love me, but she loves my Shepard, Garrus isn't my friend, but he is my Shepard's. The universe they live in isn't my home, but it is my Shepard's, and the destruction of the Mass Relays and with it them the future of the franchise is a crass move by Bioware to kill any future it might have had.… Expand
  43. Zapatapata
    Mar 16, 2012
    4
    In a race, a runner may have an extraordinary performance, may lead all the way, but still lose in the end if he/she falls or abandon before the finish line. That's what happened with ME3. Despite all the good stuff for most of this third installment in the story, there was a major failure to deliver in the end and this made all that preceded null and void, for naught, a complete ruin.In a race, a runner may have an extraordinary performance, may lead all the way, but still lose in the end if he/she falls or abandon before the finish line. That's what happened with ME3. Despite all the good stuff for most of this third installment in the story, there was a major failure to deliver in the end and this made all that preceded null and void, for naught, a complete ruin. The choices presented to Shepard were nonsensical and there was merely cosmetic differences between the possible endings. What most fans expected were vastly different endings from the very bad (where the reapers win and kill all) to the very good (where Shepard and his/her crew survive and have a huge party), depending on choices made in the preceding episodes and earlier part of ME3. What a total disappointment! What we got served was a uniformly bad ending with a choice of sauce. Sorry Bioware, but despite nice graphics and some very good action, you don't deserve more than 4 mainly for your failure to deliver in the end.… Expand
  44. zennyrpg
    Mar 17, 2012
    4
    The game was 10/10 until the end. The game itself had some flaws, particularly the new characters were not as fleshed out/ interesting as they could have been. But it also had some of the most satisfying, unbelievable triumphs I've ever witnessed. The Rannoch mission and its multiple conclusions convinced me that "this is the greatest game I've ever seen." Sadly, the ending killed it- butThe game was 10/10 until the end. The game itself had some flaws, particularly the new characters were not as fleshed out/ interesting as they could have been. But it also had some of the most satisfying, unbelievable triumphs I've ever witnessed. The Rannoch mission and its multiple conclusions convinced me that "this is the greatest game I've ever seen." Sadly, the ending killed it- but its still "bearable" as long as you can accept that you get the same crappy ending regardless of your choices in the previous or current games. Hopefully DLC will include more options/ more epicness for the ending.… Expand
  45. mythandoryx
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    Don't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me off. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard making all the right choices in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay it anywhere in the near future. I was alsoDon't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me off. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard making all the right choices in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay it anywhere in the near future. I was also frustrated by BW's Day-One DLC policy! It made me feel cheep! As if I'm nothing but money-milking machine for the Big Gaming Kahunas. THE ENDING MUST BE CORRECTED! BW is a great company that makes great RPG's. I'm confident that they won't disappoint their fans for long. Maybe!… Expand
  46. Hellkite422
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    The game was beautiful. As it has been described to me it is like watching one of the greatest firework displays. You sit at the edge of your seat and you are moving ever closer to the finally. How could this get better? How is this going to end? When it finally comes to that last firework being shot off you sit there and watch as it is a dud....also it lands and smashes you in theThe game was beautiful. As it has been described to me it is like watching one of the greatest firework displays. You sit at the edge of your seat and you are moving ever closer to the finally. How could this get better? How is this going to end? When it finally comes to that last firework being shot off you sit there and watch as it is a dud....also it lands and smashes you in the face. The game leading up to it the end was one of the best in the series in my opinion. It did not grip you as much as it did in the others, I did feel like I was just watching on the side line. However game play improvements and multiplayer is great. The endings however ruin it for me. Nothing that I choose to do mattered, it was all for nothing really. To top it off they decide to put at the very end of the game a shameless plug for buying their DLC as a way to continue with the experience.... I am sorry but to throw a terrible ending in my face for a character I have invested over 100 gameplay hours and then to tell me to buy DLC....what a joke.

    My score reflects the endings and not the overall game. I apologize it if appears that I am trying to bomb the review for ME3. However as a long time fan this score (4/10) is what I feel is fair.    … Expand
  47. Dbuntu
    Mar 19, 2012
    4
    How do you train-wreck a great game and series, 100+ hours of solid story, character development, and gameplay in the span of half an hour? There were so many positives about Mass Effect 3 that are completely overshadowed by the ending. It leaves me wondering why I bothered to go back and play 1&2 again making sure I had all the choices I wanted right when at the end, it didn't reallyHow do you train-wreck a great game and series, 100+ hours of solid story, character development, and gameplay in the span of half an hour? There were so many positives about Mass Effect 3 that are completely overshadowed by the ending. It leaves me wondering why I bothered to go back and play 1&2 again making sure I had all the choices I wanted right when at the end, it didn't really matter. Maybe there is some point being made about the inescapability of destiny, but it feels tacked on. Maybe Bioware had a sudden religious awakening and decided they needed to hammer the idea home with all the subtly of a Krogan battle-master. Whatever the case, the last half hour of Mass Effect 3 comes out of nowhere, ignores all previous choices, and fails to resolve the character's stories. Plus it just doesn't make any godamn sense. A real shame to see a series I was so fond of for five years suddenly fall apart so utterly. Even if Bioware does release a DLC "fix" I'm not sure how much I'd want it. This was a stain on their reputation and while a fix might ease the pain a bit, so does Astroglide.… Expand
  48. warp10ck
    Mar 19, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game that I was most excited for this year but unfortunately there is a lot of elements that ruins the experience, the game seems to be struggling with a identity crisis is it an rpg or a third person shooter with rpg elements ? The first problem with this game is for those who played the first two games and try to import their characters from the previous games at the time of writing this review an issue prevents the game from importing the appearance of your character every other things are imported like who you saved in me 1 and 2 these decisions have and impact depending on who you saved and some decisions you made earlier games have small impact.

    They seem to have focused more on combat and while the combat is fluid and have the gears of war cover system they seem to have forgotten some of the rpg elements. The quest system is really strange every main quest is tracked and easily managed but the secondary quests have no tracking and require you too search around blind, and if you complete one part of the objective you will have to return deliver and then search for the person/alien to deliver said item to.

    Customization is also limited the only armor you can take of your helmet is the N7 armor which is the default armor you begin with.

    Weapons are probably the the things that you can customize the most by upgrading barrels magazines etc etc.

    That being said most people play this for the story and it´s pretty good up to a certain point, you will reunite with many familiar faces that will help you against the reapers.
    Lot´s of great dialog that makes the characters that we all know and love come to life.

    But I can´t neglect to mention what everyone is talking about the endings.
    The game does an incredible job of moving story forward but in the last five minutes the story suddenly takes a strange turn and falls flat, there is not any real choice in the matter there are six endings almost identical. In these last few minutes the game introduces a character that was never in the game earlier and this character is well on his way now on becoming a meme on the web the Jar Jar of video games if you will.

    And the endings is so out of touch with the rest of the story in the game that it actually makes every choices you made in the earlier games seem irrelevant, this is the game biggest weakness and it destroys any replay value since I personally did not feel that I wanted play again because the ending was just too depressing. The plot simply stops making sense the last five minutes and this should not ruin the experience over what is a pretty good game, it should not but it does because it makes the entire journey seem pointless.
    The endings sequence basically tells you that none of your decisions really matter and you have to choose between option a, b or c and they are with minor differences almost identical endings with different colored explosions (reloaded and tried every option) and you just feel empty after the end which is to say the least not what I expected
    .
    It´s incredible how gutted I felt after that ending I had to take a break from gaming entirely and finally could start reviewing other games after a few days.

    And the sad thing is that 99,9% of this game is good the 0.1% really ruins what is over all a great experience.    … Expand
  49. Hafaza
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    As a longtime fan of the Mass Effect series it is painful for me to give this game such a low rating. The fact is that while the majority of the game is very good, though not without its shortcomings, the finale of Mass Effect 3 is atrocious; riddled with plot-holes and contradictions, vague, unsatisfying, non-sensical, and ultimately left me feeling bitter and empty.

    The most obvious    As a longtime fan of the Mass Effect series it is painful for me to give this game such a low rating. The fact is that while the majority of the game is very good, though not without its shortcomings, the finale of Mass Effect 3 is atrocious; riddled with plot-holes and contradictions, vague, unsatisfying, non-sensical, and ultimately left me feeling bitter and empty.

    The most obvious strength of ME3, like previous installments, is its characters. The voice actors bring them to life masterfully (if of course you ignore the shameless inclusion of a certain IGN personality), and they are rounded and interesting enough to make you genuinely care about them. The story is fairly simple, but easy to follow, and grand in its scope; after discovering the plans for an ultimate weapon, you must rally the races of the galaxy, resolve long-standing grudges, and bring them together to combat the Reapers while this weapon is constructed. There are some exciting, cinematic moments, and it is very satisfying to see events and characters from the previous games melded into the narrative, even if some of these are only token, or cameo, appearances. The combat is very similar to ME2, with various tweaks that improve the system. It's much more challenging this time around, and I found myself constantly experimenting with my load-outs right up until the final moments.

    The quest system is very poorly implemented. Many scanning side quests will be heaped on you just by overhearing conversations as you walk through the Citadel, and there is no way to track your progress. With the lack of any real context, it makes the side quests rather tedious. There are also very few characters available as squadmates, when compared to the previous games. Two of which are only available about half way through the game, and another only if you buy the From Ashes DLC. Generally, I couldn't help but feel that many elements of this game were clumsily put together, but it all seems to work nonetheless.

    These gripes, however, are irrelevant when held against the ending. What truly makes it such a travesty, aside from all the ridiculous lapses in logic that the ending is rife with, (and all the lies it now seems we were told by Bioware prior to release), is that it totally overshadows and negates the many positive aspects of the series that have come before it. All the characters you've come to care about, all the relationships you've built, all the hard choices and sacrifices you've had to make, and all the problems you've solved, ultimately all mean nothing. This is the reason for such a low-scored review, and the reason why so many others are doing likewise; the aspects that made Mass Effect great are all scrapped and tarnished in the final hour in favour of a pseudo-philosophical, nihilistic, non-sensical conclusion. Bioware even have the audacity to leave you a little message after the credits role telling you to buy more DLC. Disgusting.

    The 30 hours of enjoyment you'll get from most of the game are not enough to justify the final emptiness it will leave you with. It is simply not worth it.    … Expand
  50. Raider24
    Aug 1, 2012
    4
    As much as I love the ME series I couldnt help but feel like I wasted hours playing all 3 games. ME 3 was a good game. I thought it was solid all around and it kept me entertain and for people not to like it is crazy. I love seeing all the characters from previous games come back to light in this one. But the reason I gave this game a low score was the ending. I can't believe that BioWareAs much as I love the ME series I couldnt help but feel like I wasted hours playing all 3 games. ME 3 was a good game. I thought it was solid all around and it kept me entertain and for people not to like it is crazy. I love seeing all the characters from previous games come back to light in this one. But the reason I gave this game a low score was the ending. I can't believe that BioWare would chose the ending that they did. Then to put out the extended cut and yet still leaves you like the "What the F***!" Its a great game until the ending that killed the whole series!… Expand
  51. myaimistrue
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    Up until the ending, this game is an 8.5, due to a myriad a minor issues like too much auto-dialogue, a worthless journal, some gameplay issues and a weak intro. It's ruined by the ending, which really is as bad as you've heard. It's 5 minutes pretentious, non-nonsensical garbage masquerading as avant-garde, postmodernist Cosmicism that negates all the decisions you've made, forcesUp until the ending, this game is an 8.5, due to a myriad a minor issues like too much auto-dialogue, a worthless journal, some gameplay issues and a weak intro. It's ruined by the ending, which really is as bad as you've heard. It's 5 minutes pretentious, non-nonsensical garbage masquerading as avant-garde, postmodernist Cosmicism that negates all the decisions you've made, forces Shepard to speak and act out of character to enact one of several virtually identical and equally ridiculous endings. It offers no explanation, no closure, no sense of accomplishment, no epilogue and makes absolutely no sense. All it does is leave the player feeling betrayed and robbed.
    I can't believe this ending was created by the brilliant writers of the first two games. Oh wait, that's because it's not: those writers write for The Old Republic now. It's not enough that you're expected to pay for day one DLC, if you want decent writing you have to pay a monthly fee for their MMO. I blame EA.    … Expand
  52. czombie
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    This game obviously doesn't deserve a 0 or 1 rating, but to say that the ending was extremely disappointing is an understatement. At the game's end, I felt like I didn't really have a choice at all, despite what was advertised by Bioware and what consistently occurred throughout all three of the titles in the series. I think it's apparent that they are eventually going to make anThis game obviously doesn't deserve a 0 or 1 rating, but to say that the ending was extremely disappointing is an understatement. At the game's end, I felt like I didn't really have a choice at all, despite what was advertised by Bioware and what consistently occurred throughout all three of the titles in the series. I think it's apparent that they are eventually going to make an alternate ending with more choices, as they are going to lose a ton of money in DLC if they don't. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that this was their plan all along, to get more people to buy a better ending as DLC. If the DLC costs anything, I'm done with Bioware, but a free DLC alternate ending with some actual choices will let me forgive them because, besides the ending, this is a good game.… Expand
  53. MantonX2
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    If you are here trying to decide if you want to buy this game, then do yourself a favor. Honestly, any review you see that gives this game a 10 and calls it perfection, ignore. That's not realistic. Likewise, any review that says it's utter garbage and a 0, ignore. It to is not driven by reality. The rating system is not complex enough here for me to give a visual score so I will putIf you are here trying to decide if you want to buy this game, then do yourself a favor. Honestly, any review you see that gives this game a 10 and calls it perfection, ignore. That's not realistic. Likewise, any review that says it's utter garbage and a 0, ignore. It to is not driven by reality. The rating system is not complex enough here for me to give a visual score so I will put it here. Assume the game takes 30hours to beat. If I were to score the first 29hrs and 50mins this game would easily get an 7-8. If I curb my desire to have more RPG elements that were closer to the first ME then I could easily give it an 8-9. In a nutshell, the majority of players are going to love those first 29hrs and 50mins. It's a wild and at times emotional ride full of action and loss. The graphics aren't ground breaking, but they are more than enough to carry this game and convey the enormity of it all. The final battle is epic in scale and amazing even if I wanted to see so much more of it and all of those assets that I put into place during the game.

    That said, the final 10mins completely undoes everything that comes before it and that the franchise stands for. You go from being an active participant in the story of -your- Commander Shepard to a bystander. In those ten minutes, they undo almost every important fact that they disclosed and you realize that all of those huge and small decisions you made over 3 games and 5 years brings you to the exact same place as everyone else who played with only very small variations to the same exact ending. And in the process, they have ruined the entire franchise for me. For that, the ending gets a 0.

    Combined, I can't give ME3 more than a 4 even if it hurts my heart. Some are going to say that giving the ending a 0 is ridiculous, but let me ask you this. Ignoring the plot holes, inconsistencies, spurious and circular logic and the rest; does it seem right that I take my "Everyone Lives/Super Paragon Blew Up The Collector Base" ending ME2 Shepard into ME3 and my friend takes his "Man I screwed up and almost every squad member died and I handed over the Collector Base" joke ME2 Shepard and we both get the exact same ending without variation? For a franchise like ME, that's a completely broken end system and doesn't deserve a good or even mediocre score.    … Expand
  54. MalFet1999
    Mar 22, 2012
    4
    As I write this review I am watching the credits roll after finishing my first play-through of Mass Effect 3. I am a huge fan of the series, having logged hundreds of hours in the first two installments. In those games I followed every story arc to it's end, had every conversation I could. I became invested, and I loved the universe of the Mass Effect series because my actions created theAs I write this review I am watching the credits roll after finishing my first play-through of Mass Effect 3. I am a huge fan of the series, having logged hundreds of hours in the first two installments. In those games I followed every story arc to it's end, had every conversation I could. I became invested, and I loved the universe of the Mass Effect series because my actions created the experiences I had there. For these reasons I am disappointed in this latest installment. Disappointed because the decisions of the first two installments take minor roles, and new game play options take center stage. This is a game that should have been made for the fans, not to garner support for Kinect and lay claim to a new multiplayer audience.

    This (supposedly) final installment feels like a slap in the face to the fans of the series. There is no soul, no investment in the story line. Each "priority" mission feels like a chore instead of a journey, and the story as a whole is simply swiss cheese; full of holes. Take the opening sequence, for example. (This is not a spoiler. It was in the demo. Just a heads up.) Reapers descend on Earth, and Commander Shepard just strolls over to the only Mass Relay in the solar system and simply flies off into the sunset? Are the followers of the immaculate story telling from the first two installments meant to believe that the Reapers wouldn't even post a guard at the Relay? Nothing? Even knowing that Commander Shepard, the constant thorn in their paw, would be trapped if they block his only escape route? I think not.

    The bottom line is this: the combat is engaging, dynamic and very fun, but the story is utter trash. My disappointment is so strong that I can't even allow my love of the first two games to influence this negative opinion at all. Multiplayer is a decent addition, and Kinect audio functions are novel, but as a whole this game is forgettable. I never thought I'd describe Mass Effect this way. I'm sure that other (former) fans feel the same way.    … Expand
  55. LazyGamerATN
    Mar 28, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I will not lie, this game didn't do it for me. Unlike most, I had actually started with Mass Effect 2, played through it 4 times, then moved onto the first one, played through it 4 times, and then used those caracters in Mass Effect 2. Reason? I wanted to see how it changed the game. No such feeling for this game. Bioware just simply gave up with this one. I love the lore, absolutely love it, and I loved the idea of the Reapers, as well as the mystery surrounding them. But this game did not do justice to that love. First of all, it starts out awkwardly, without explanation of what happened after ME2, a little awkward, but it can be over looked. Next (Spoiler warning!!!!!) you uncover the plans to a superweapon that will end the invasion that just started a few minutes ago. WTF? After playing up the Reapers as a race of destructive beings that are nigh unkillable, you immediately find the solution, on Mars of all places. No, too easy, no thought involved in that one. A personal gripe of mine as that after they played up the whole "consequences of having romanced 2 people in the prior games", all that happens is you choose, that's it. No emotional turmoil, no conflict of interest, nothing. And they ruined the caracters. No emotional link with them in this game what so ever, except maybe Liara. Animations: recycled from ME2, and they glitch like crazy during cutscenes. Unacceptable. And don't even get me started on the ending. No closure, nothing you did matters, and plot holes the size of the Great Lakes. However, the game does have some upsides, notably the combat. Improved upon the satisfying style of ME2, included some of the RPg elements from ME1 (at a seriously cut-down scale mind you), and varied ennemies with different tactics. Story missions had good designs, and the multiplayer, despite being unoriginial, benefits from the flare of Mass Effect combat (biotic comboes mainly). From a gameplay perspective, a satisfying result, but from a story and technical perspective, it wreaks of laziness and lack of creativity, and depth, something that IMO, ME1 revolutionised, and ME2 perfected, and that ME3 now recycles and downgrades.… Expand
  56. fmb
    Mar 29, 2012
    4
    I think the game has moments of greatness, but overall, I feel like it is sloppy, incomplete, and worst of all, uninspired. The lack of legitimate side quests (only six N7 missions, all with very little variety in tone, plot, and scenery), the complete removal of any form of exploration, the thinness of dialogue options and prevalence of auto dialogue, the lack of conversation withI think the game has moments of greatness, but overall, I feel like it is sloppy, incomplete, and worst of all, uninspired. The lack of legitimate side quests (only six N7 missions, all with very little variety in tone, plot, and scenery), the complete removal of any form of exploration, the thinness of dialogue options and prevalence of auto dialogue, the lack of conversation with companions, the limited use of ME2 squadmates, the fetch quest system ala Dragon Age 2, and the incoherent and lackluster ending all make this a frustrating and disappointing game. I expected Mass Effect to go out with a bang, but instead I feel like it just stumbled to an unsatisfying conclusion. It could have been a lot more than it was.… Expand
  57. Terminal-Rex
    Mar 30, 2012
    4
    Hrm.. I would have given mass effect 1 and 2 around a 9 out of 10 but this final instalment is a real dissapointment. I feel like I have lost hours of my life which can never be reclaimed, It is and it is'nt the ending that spoil this game, i feel as if all of your decisions in 3 are incosiquential as everything towards the end is almost fixed, you can't go wrong or right. Also you areHrm.. I would have given mass effect 1 and 2 around a 9 out of 10 but this final instalment is a real dissapointment. I feel like I have lost hours of my life which can never be reclaimed, It is and it is'nt the ending that spoil this game, i feel as if all of your decisions in 3 are incosiquential as everything towards the end is almost fixed, you can't go wrong or right. Also you are presented with many less choices than before, you know just get the good / evil choice and both lead to the same result. Seeing as this game was always about narrative, the story seems to have thinned out ten fold with the most important aspect of the game now seemingly being the shooter, i never played mass effect to kill hordes of the enemy, that always bored the hell out of me, but that is all this game throws at you, I found that i would often change from hardcore to casual just because of the length of time it was taking to fight the hordes, i wanted a well writen story not a shooter. If i had wanted to aimlessly kill hordes of enemy i would have played dead island or some other shooter. Now the ending ruined the previous 2 games for me i feel like it makes everything a bit pointless and futile because realisticlly you had no chance of changing anything meaning all of your previous decisions are void as such. I am yet to play multiplayer all though I hear it is good so fingers crossed it will make up for one of the worse and most dissapointing narratives of a single player game for the last many months.… Expand
  58. Notonlytheend
    Apr 3, 2012
    4
    This is a true disappointment. It would be easy to blame a generic deus ex rip off ending for my disappointment or day 1 DLC that was poorly handled. Or even the insulting ABC choices that lead to the same cut scenes. In reality, the problems come from a shift in design and goals of a company that once triumphed the greatest RPG's the world has ever seen. It's a problem of sacrificing whatThis is a true disappointment. It would be easy to blame a generic deus ex rip off ending for my disappointment or day 1 DLC that was poorly handled. Or even the insulting ABC choices that lead to the same cut scenes. In reality, the problems come from a shift in design and goals of a company that once triumphed the greatest RPG's the world has ever seen. It's a problem of sacrificing what you're best at not for the sake of innovation, but for the sake of being more appealing. When this happens, the little things that make a game great get missed. For instance, Mass Effect moved from twelve squadmates to six (unless you bought the DLC so I'm not counting it). This was supposed to give greater conversation in the mission and lead to a more intense interaction. But that was not the case. Further, when you do re-encounter old squadmates, they don't even join you for a single mission. They may follow you around the citadel, but never do you get the full interaction; it feels rushed and forced. Another major loss is that of actual side missions. Where once I traveled to planets and few to the surface to retrieve key items, I now scan a planet while reaper chase me like the ghosts from Pac-man. There's no exploration. Multiplayer was obviously tacked on to prevent us from selling the game back. But most insulting of all is the fact that Bioware lied. Straight up, unmistakably lied. They promised no ABC ending and that's what they gave us. They promised complete resolution and they left thing purposefully cryptic. It's not the fact that they did these things; it's that they lied. "There are many different endings. We wouldnâ… Expand
  59. deadmeat2k
    Apr 7, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bottom line: Bioware and EA has pulled it off brilliantly to mess up the whole series with the final instalment of the ME trilogy. A highly disappointing conclusion to the trilogy, which in many ways goes against the essential principles, which made ME1 and ME2 such good games.


    ME1 and ME2 were, in spite of their flaws, for me a brilliant game-play experience. Although the two first games suffer a bit from too many illusional choices, which actually do not influence the development of story, it never felt as a problem for me, and at least some of the critical choices made would have a very real impact on how the game progressed. This is however completely different in ME3, where virtually all choices made throughout the game, including the meticulous build-up of a joint strike force, in the end proves to be without any kind of significance. Furthermore the relations built up throughout three games to the Normandy crew as well as other friends, is in the end completely pointless, as there will be no reward for the 100+ hours of game-play and decision making throughout the three games. To make matters worse, no amount of DLC content will ever be able to salvage the story and correct the horrible story writing. In terms of game-play mechanics ME3 otherwise feels very polished and refined in many aspects, compared to its predecessors. Many missions and fights are likewise quite memorable. Unfortunately this is seriously messed up near the end of the game, where several combat situations have been very poorly designed. It is namely the introduction of survival mode combat sequences, which seriously messes up the experience. Waves of enemies charges in, and your combat skill will essentially mean very little as to how well these sequences are completed. Stay alive for XX minutes or fail is the essence â    … Expand
  60. ZacOfTheZombies
    Apr 13, 2012
    4
    Mass Effect 3 presents a text book example of "Just finish it so we can sell it." The game is riddled with cut corners; Be it sprites in the game, stock photos, plot holes deep enough to fit the Reaper Armada in, and content cut from the finished product, everything combines to paint ME3 as a sloppy, unfinished product. The gamplay is the average coverbased shooter that ME is known for.Mass Effect 3 presents a text book example of "Just finish it so we can sell it." The game is riddled with cut corners; Be it sprites in the game, stock photos, plot holes deep enough to fit the Reaper Armada in, and content cut from the finished product, everything combines to paint ME3 as a sloppy, unfinished product. The gamplay is the average coverbased shooter that ME is known for. The RPG elements for the game are surprisingly better since ME2, more reminiscent of those found in ME1. The writing in the game is, like I said earlier, riddled with plotholes but still offers fleeting moments of genuine goodness which makes me wonder if someone else was in charge of them. And of course, there's the ending. Pre-release comments stated that ME3's ending wouldn't be just "an A, B, or C choice" and that "player choices would really matter", these statements are completely false. The game ends based on a final A, B, or C choice resulting in virtually identical endings, differing only in color. Mass Effect 3 dies not with a bang but a slow whimper that begs to just be forgotten.… Expand
  61. SentinelSoldier
    Apr 21, 2012
    4
    Best game so far this year but the ending ruins rest of the trilogy. They changed the theme of the story at the last 15 minutes and does not belong with the rest of the game. Tons of plot holes in the end scene. Ignores the story and lore of the rest of the trilogy. The endings do not live up to the promises made before release. Less dialogue choices. They made the game less of an RPG andBest game so far this year but the ending ruins rest of the trilogy. They changed the theme of the story at the last 15 minutes and does not belong with the rest of the game. Tons of plot holes in the end scene. Ignores the story and lore of the rest of the trilogy. The endings do not live up to the promises made before release. Less dialogue choices. They made the game less of an RPG and more 3rd person shooter. Rest of the game is great but ending weighs my score down.… Expand
  62. Rygar
    May 28, 2012
    4
    The story is recycled, often repeating the same sub-narratives over and over, the ammo and weapons are largely pathetic, you'll never have a reason to switch weapons. Most of the "Quests" are fetch quests that involve pressing a button near a planet, and then pressing it on the planet again. There's very little choice with dialogue, and most of the time you don't even get a choiceThe story is recycled, often repeating the same sub-narratives over and over, the ammo and weapons are largely pathetic, you'll never have a reason to switch weapons. Most of the "Quests" are fetch quests that involve pressing a button near a planet, and then pressing it on the planet again. There's very little choice with dialogue, and most of the time you don't even get a choice it's just auto-dialogue.

    It's obvious this game was designed around marketing initiatives and not with the intent of creating a good game.

    Not worth $60. Maybe at $20.    … Expand
  63. Jey-Jane
    Jul 3, 2012
    4
    Overall the game was Ok. Not as exiting as I expected.... But the ending just killed it completely. There are enough said on the ending, so I'm not going to repeat it all. Just say that I would rate it much either if ending wasn't so scrued up.
  64. Udead4
    Jul 8, 2012
    4
    Overall the game was very disappointing for me, and this is sad because I have played the other 2 ME games and consider myself a Mass Effect fan (maybe it should be considered). A few parts were very well done and this is what made the game bearable for me. The Tuchanka and Rannoch mission chains were the games saving grace and the writing was in most cases stellar. Which makes theOverall the game was very disappointing for me, and this is sad because I have played the other 2 ME games and consider myself a Mass Effect fan (maybe it should be considered). A few parts were very well done and this is what made the game bearable for me. The Tuchanka and Rannoch mission chains were the games saving grace and the writing was in most cases stellar. Which makes the debacle at the end of the game even harder to understand. The ending was nothing short of a travesty. It took away my desire to replay the game and even the other two games. When a game does that I would consider a 4 a very generous score...… Expand
  65. BlackPhoton
    Aug 1, 2012
    4
    Save your money and don't make the same mistake I did buying this game. If your a fan you will rip your hair out after playing this game, but if you are a newcomer play ME1, ME2 and imagine that this game never existed. If you have bought the game DO NOT BUY From Ashes DLC. It isn't worth the price and if you play this game on PC you can unlock the character from the ''From Ashes'' DLCSave your money and don't make the same mistake I did buying this game. If your a fan you will rip your hair out after playing this game, but if you are a newcomer play ME1, ME2 and imagine that this game never existed. If you have bought the game DO NOT BUY From Ashes DLC. It isn't worth the price and if you play this game on PC you can unlock the character from the ''From Ashes'' DLC with notepad.

    Reasons you will hate this game:

    1 - It turns away from Sci-Fi and goes to space magic.

    2 - All the decisions you made in previous games won't matter.

    3 - Too much auto dialogue from start to finish.

    4 - Boring side missions, those side mission are all the same and pointless.

    5 - No more than six or seven crew members.

    6 - Reapers look and function differently than in previous games.

    7 - Major plot-holes.

    8 - No original missions.

    9 - Multiplayer that is worth playing long as it gets dlc's every month.

    10 - Duologue options are useless, people will often answer the same way to your all duologue options, same with Shepard.

    12 - The ending is very unoriginal, contradicts the franchise and contains a lot of space magic.

    In a nutshell this should have been called Little Effect 3 and the Extended Cut DLC doesn't make a difference.    … Expand
  66. OverLordLuigi
    Aug 12, 2012
    4
    This game is some of the worst work Bioware has done. For a game focused on decision making, there isn't that many decisions in most cases you are only granted 2 options that are obviously Renegade or Paragon choices and nothing neutral. Very rarely do you even get a 3rd option in dialogue. There are also less RPG elements than before making this game more of a 3rd person shooter than anThis game is some of the worst work Bioware has done. For a game focused on decision making, there isn't that many decisions in most cases you are only granted 2 options that are obviously Renegade or Paragon choices and nothing neutral. Very rarely do you even get a 3rd option in dialogue. There are also less RPG elements than before making this game more of a 3rd person shooter than an RPG. The new squad members were not nearly as interesting as the previous ones. Finally the two worst parts the ending which the extended cut did not fix that well you, just get a 5 minute slideshow and of course **** day 1 DLC .… Expand
  67. FierroSuave
    Jan 20, 2013
    4
    I let my Mass Effect 3 experience sit and gestate for nearly a year before I felt I could properly describe the sensations that it evoked. It was a single feeling, it was like somebody with less knowledge of the source material was telling a condensed ending over mouthfuls of hamburger in a high school cafeteria. True there were parts that ended exactly as they should and it played exactlyI let my Mass Effect 3 experience sit and gestate for nearly a year before I felt I could properly describe the sensations that it evoked. It was a single feeling, it was like somebody with less knowledge of the source material was telling a condensed ending over mouthfuls of hamburger in a high school cafeteria. True there were parts that ended exactly as they should and it played exactly like I expected it to with multiplayer in the mix. Just felt as though there was more to the story than fist bumps and Freddie Prinze Jr. would allow,… Expand
  68. Auritone
    Mar 14, 2013
    4
    I... What... This is... I can't... (adopting James Earl Jones voice) NOOOOOOOOO!!!! There simply aren't words that can adequately describe how incredibly disappointed I was with this title. The sheer dumbing and scaling down and utter contrived nonsense of this game simply defies belief. To summarize: The conversation wheel is reduced to mostly two choices, which most of the time are justI... What... This is... I can't... (adopting James Earl Jones voice) NOOOOOOOOO!!!! There simply aren't words that can adequately describe how incredibly disappointed I was with this title. The sheer dumbing and scaling down and utter contrived nonsense of this game simply defies belief. To summarize: The conversation wheel is reduced to mostly two choices, which most of the time are just verbal variations of the very same choice. The Citadel has been reduced to four very small "rooms" which make you feel like you're in a dorm rather than a huge construction floating in space. The story makes little to no sense what so ever (and that's well before one of the worst, most contrived, horribly written, and senseless endings in the history of writing). Side missions consists primarily of Shep playing UPS-guy. Here's how it works: Eavesdrop on total stranger, go to system, scan planet, find object, go back, deliver found object to total stranger, the end. And if you thought Bioware couldn't make scanning planets more absurdly boring than it was in ME2 (where it actually served some kind of purpose), then you're in for a surprise. Imagine playing Tetris with only square blocks which take up the entire grid. That's scanning planets in ME3. You don't really do anything. The shooting levels are extremely linear and makes the whole game feel more like an attempt at a Gears of War clone with longer cutscenes (and a still dysfunctional AI) than Mass Effect. Oh, and did I mention the sheer amount of auto dialogue? Then there's Tali's face... Oh God, how lazy can you get? Then there's the IGN chick. WHAT!? And then there's the ending... You know, the one where all the decisions you made throughout the three games come together and gives you a plethora of different endings? Well, no! No choices you ever made make even one iota of difference. Everybody gets the same three completely ridiculous, contrived, senseless, and grotesquely illogical choices of endings. Remember we were told that the Reapers were beyond human comprehension? Well, it turns out they were right. Noone can possibly comprehend the assenying, senseless stupidity which is the Reapers and the Catalyst (or smurfboy aka deux ex machina).
    To sum up: Mass Effect 3 is a boring 3rd person shooter with long cutscenes and a completely senseless story and one of the worst conclusions ever in gaming history. The only reason I can swing my way up to a four, is the production value which is excellent and the fact that there is actually two missions in this game that has the old Mass Effect feel of choice and consequence. But twice simply isn't enough when we consider that was the whole premiss of the game.
    The story of the Mass Effect franchise is the story of how game companies all now seem to aim for the lowest common denominator (aka "as long as I can shoot stuff and don't have to actually think or do anything, I'm happy") rather than aim for excellence.    … Expand
  69. aidanpscott
    Feb 14, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To this day, I believe that Mass Effect 3 could have been, and SHOULD have been, one of the greatest games of all time. Instead, what we got was, not only a disappointing sequel, but one of the most disappointing games of all time.

    Let's get the big issue out of the way: the endings. They sucked when they launched and yes, they sucked after the DLC. But everything that can be said about these endings has been said many times over and I don't want to beat a dead horse. Still, if you want to know exactly why, I did a review of the old and new endings in my review of the extended cut DLC on this site as well.

    The reason I don't want to focus on the endings is because, while they are objectively the worst aspect of the game, they are by no means the only bad thing about this game and most people seem to skim over many of the major flaws the game has largely because of how utterly awful the endings were.

    Let's start with the good:

    The multiplayer. While not traditional PvP like most people wanted and were expecting, the wave based multiplayer is a TON of fun and allows you to experiment with different races and class setups you wouldn't get in the campaign. While the single player campaign is severely flawed, there are a ton of really excellent character moments with your squad mates. The Citadel DLC is excellent as well.

    The bad:

    The game was severely rushed (only had 2 years to develop the game) and many of its key staff, including legendary writer Drew Karypshan (lead writer of KotOR) left after Mass Effect 2. Of the 10 writers of Mass Effect 3, only 2 worked on the previous 2 titles and one of them (Mac Walters) is not a particularly good writer. Keep that in mind.

    The single player campaign, while it has some good moments, is filled with plot holes that completely break the world and lore. The dialogue is significantly worse in this game. Not only is most of the dialogue chosen for you without a dialogue wheel, but the neutral option is completely removed from the game and much of the dialogue doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The characters are constantly reference passed events from the previous two games as though you are completely new to the franchise and it is really off-putting.

    Most of the decisions you made in passed games DO NOT MATTER AT ALL and/or are completely thrown out the window as though they do not exist. Some examples: The Rachni Queen decision from Mass Effect 1, you have the chose to either kill her or free her. If you free her, she gets captured by the reapers and is enslaved, forced to give birth to rachni that the reapers turn into husks and force to fight in their armies. Actually, that sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Well, here's why that's not the case. Let's say you killed her instead, well it doesn't matter because another queen is captured by the reapers to do the same deed. No matter what you did in ME1, the outcome is the same. Your decision did not matter. Other examples include what you did with Maelon's data, what you chose to do with the geth heretics, etc.

    Mass Effect is a game about choice. Aside from the fact that most of your choices did not matter, you are limited in your choices in this game and, in some cases, don't have any choice at all. Mordin, Thane, and Legion all die in this game and while they are good deaths, they are unavoidable. Going back to Mass Effect 2, ME2 is a game where you build a squad and your decisions can either save them or kill them. There is a best-case scenario (everyone lives) and a worse case scenario (everyone, including Shepard, dies). In this game, their is no best case scenario, not truly, and it's a damn shame.

    Cerberus is the villain and, somehow, the Illusive Man is indoctrinated and has been since before Mass Effect 2. This makes no sense as he helped you literally destroy the collector base and ruin the reapers plans. Kai Leng is a deus ex villain with no personality and is only there to provide an artificial challenge for you. Whenever you lose to Kai Leng, bad choices aren't the reason, and good choices don't prevent it. For half the game, you aren't even fighting reapers, you're fighting Cerberus. Why?!

    The game is also tonally inconsistent as it wants to portray the reapers as this invincible, overwhelming doom that can't be defeated by conventional means, but is constantly switching to we can beat the reapers if we work together.

    Many of the games romances are underwhelming or insulting. If you romanced Jacob in ME2, he cheats on you with someone else, which goes against who he is as a character completely (Jacob is honest). Tali's face is revealed as a STOCK PHOTO and not through gameplay. Thane dies, etc.

    I would say more, but this review is limited to 5000 characters only. I'll finish with this: Is Mass Effect 3 an enjoyable game? Yes, absolutely. There's fun to be had. Is Mass Effect 3 a good game? Not even close. Is Mass Effect 3 a bad game? Close enough.    … Expand
  70. bigchocolate69
    Jun 28, 2022
    4
    Doesn't hold up to the other Mass Effect titles due to the game being far too linear and a terrible ending.
  71. Deathmonger
    Apr 7, 2012
    3
    Yea, I'm gonna blast it. Hopefully Bioware will get the message, and in two years when their revenues are shot, they will for sure get it then, because I am done spending money on any of their products. ANY, including SW:TOR. This game had DLC day one. You had to play multiplayer to max war asset multiplier. Same engine, same graphics, nearly same gameplay--so all that would improveYea, I'm gonna blast it. Hopefully Bioware will get the message, and in two years when their revenues are shot, they will for sure get it then, because I am done spending money on any of their products. ANY, including SW:TOR. This game had DLC day one. You had to play multiplayer to max war asset multiplier. Same engine, same graphics, nearly same gameplay--so all that would improve or stay status quo is plot/story, where they failed miserably. False advertising in that "choices would matter. Ending would not be A, B, or C." Bioware asked for feedback, then ignored it and will release free DLC extending the ending, yet fixing nothing. I cannot recommend this game to anyone. Go buy Bethesda products (Elder Scrolls/Fallout) or Anet (Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2, or heck, even Aion).… Expand
  72. noobcannon
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i've had some time to reflect and punch a few holes in the wall to get my frustration out and i think i'm ready to put into words how i feel 24 hours after the "good" ending in mass effect 3

    to start, my RI was Tali. once i killed the reaper on ranoch i opted to upload the reaper code to the geth via legion. despite tali not wanting me to, i felt this was the best course of action for her, her people, the galaxy, and even the geth. i was able to talk the fleet out of counter attacking the geth while the code was being uploaded and tali still loves me. whew. this got me thinking however, what if my paragon was too low and the quarians did attack the geth. what would happen? i pulled up youtube to find out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvATTDgDIqU

    this was the most moving and emotional punch in the gut i've ever seen in a video game. assuming this had happened in my playthrough, i'd have been devastated. moments earlier tali told me she loved me and i have just wiped out her entire people. heartbroken, she jumps over the edge. thought i was going to cry.

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

    now, i'll be clear, i wanted a happy ending, but if that's not how it was going to be then fine. i'll get over it. but to do it the way that they did, i, just, uuuuughhh. ......    … Expand
  73. hokum
    Mar 18, 2012
    3
    This is 50% cutscene (interactive movie) and 50% clunky shooting. The shooter controls are poor - cover, run, jump, strafe etc are all one and the same button. This makes battles frustrating - you die simply because you crouch when you wanted to run away/ can't quickly un-stick yourself from cover if you want to leap over a barrier. The game uses non-stop, unskippable cinematics to giveThis is 50% cutscene (interactive movie) and 50% clunky shooting. The shooter controls are poor - cover, run, jump, strafe etc are all one and the same button. This makes battles frustrating - you die simply because you crouch when you wanted to run away/ can't quickly un-stick yourself from cover if you want to leap over a barrier. The game uses non-stop, unskippable cinematics to give the illusion of immersion. Plot holes the size of Jupiter (if you played the first 2 games). You'd struggle to call this an RPG - no real choices that influence the game - everyone gets 99.99% the same content and dialog. All choices in previous games result in just small cameos or one line of extra(or less) dialog. The quest journal is useless. Zero replay value due to depressing, pointless ending that provide no answers, the game badly needs a wrap up or epilogue.… Expand
  74. babyfarmer
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    I loved the Mass Effect series. The second one got away from the RPG elements a little bit and played more like Gears of Mass Effect, and now they have just stripped the soul out of the series. The dialogue choices here have been vastly lowered, the skills have been dumbed down and streamlined so much that I would be hard pressed to even call it an RPG anymore. The writing is godawful,I loved the Mass Effect series. The second one got away from the RPG elements a little bit and played more like Gears of Mass Effect, and now they have just stripped the soul out of the series. The dialogue choices here have been vastly lowered, the skills have been dumbed down and streamlined so much that I would be hard pressed to even call it an RPG anymore. The writing is godawful, which used to be BioWare's strong suit. BioWare has been telling us for years now that the choices we made in the first 2 games would have direct implications in the finale. Aside from a few minor instances, this is just not the case. The game is brutally short, with little to no replay value. I haven't tried the multiplayer and probably won't, simply because I don't need to play another online shooter. R.I.P. BioWare, after the debacle that was Dragon Age 2, I was willing to give you another shot with this series, but you've blown it and I will not be contributing another penny to any game you develop in the future.… Expand
  75. wastelander75
    Mar 10, 2012
    3
    From start to near finish, probably the best ME out of the trilogy, minus a few annoying characters (the Jersey Shore wanna be Freddy Prinze Jr. jerk Jame Vega and the horribly voiced acted Jessica Chobot look a like Diana Allers). And right there, you'd expect it all to mesh nicely and finally end on a high note. The thing is, it doesn't end on a high note. Or a mediocre note. Or even aFrom start to near finish, probably the best ME out of the trilogy, minus a few annoying characters (the Jersey Shore wanna be Freddy Prinze Jr. jerk Jame Vega and the horribly voiced acted Jessica Chobot look a like Diana Allers). And right there, you'd expect it all to mesh nicely and finally end on a high note. The thing is, it doesn't end on a high note. Or a mediocre note. Or even a note that makes any lick of sense whatsoever. There's absolutely nothing that makes me believe that this is how the ME universe was supposed to originally end. If this is what they added in at the last few months that they asked for before releasing earlier this month, then it was the biggest mistake they could have made. Because basically it invalidates everything you've done from ME1, ME2 and most of what you've done through ME3. So you'll excuse me if I think that, despite the overwhelming number of good things in this game, the 90% so to speak, it's that last very heavy and very important 10% at the end that ruins not only the entire franchise/trilogy for me, but the game here as a whole. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving this negative review score here. P.S. I'm not a troll. But I am a very disappointed fan.… Expand
  76. Accuracy
    Mar 10, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 has to be the most disappointing thing since EA's acquisition of Bioware. This game is just so dumbed down to the max. It is not as what the so-called publishers describe it. The only thing good about this game is just seeing the Mass Effect 2 characters.
  77. Necrotaur
    Sep 9, 2012
    3
    I score reviews based on how I feel about the game after finishing it, and it is very, very difficult to see past the terrible ending, multiple plot holes, and the utterly stupid "big reveal" of the Reaper's motives in Mass Effect 3. The ending, coupled with the Day 1 DLC (which is wrong no matter how you spin it) really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The way it's presented makes noI score reviews based on how I feel about the game after finishing it, and it is very, very difficult to see past the terrible ending, multiple plot holes, and the utterly stupid "big reveal" of the Reaper's motives in Mass Effect 3. The ending, coupled with the Day 1 DLC (which is wrong no matter how you spin it) really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The way it's presented makes no sense whatsoever and runs completely counter to the idea that your choices throughout the game matter. The ME series spans 5+ years of generally excellent media, and for it to end in a three way deus ex machina like it did is just mind blowing. It sucks saying that, because the 90% of the game leading up to the end is really, really good, even if it played more like a 'best of' compilation than a completely new game. A quick note about the multiplayer: it's *kind of* good, but in other ways it's really, really bad. Gameplay wise it's a fun (if overpowered), Halo-esque shooter, but the community is beyond terrible, kicking players who are just starting out or have a low N7 score, and verbally berating those who either do too well or too poorly. Also, based on what happened to Mercenaries 2 when EA shut down it's servers, I have little hope for the future of ME3.… Expand
  78. nayerr
    Mar 12, 2012
    3
    I loved Mass Effect 1&2, but it ends there. Mass Effect 3 has got to be the biggest letdown in video game history. This game is nothing like the first 2. It's actually pretty straight forward, zero to no exploration, the mini games are gone & forming a space crew has gotten stale. The only thing this game has is great graphics, other than that it's garbage. BORING.
  79. underseaboat
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    Another crap space shooter rehash, this garbage is killing the gaming industry. When will you silly publishers stop funding this filth and start promoting innovation in games again? Games need depth, not pay-to-win multi player and push button - receive win single player.
  80. usrevenge
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    Ignore the critics.

    alright guys mass effect, i'm sure everyone is going to get it one day. but reviews should be based on the retail price at release so here we go. ME3 is just like ME2, you get the goodies of character interaction, voice acting, and the awesome story. the combat has gotten a little clunkier as seen by the demo, but its not too bad. the reason mass effect is getting    Ignore the critics.

    alright guys mass effect, i'm sure everyone is going to get it one day. but reviews should be based on the retail price at release so here we go.
    ME3 is just like ME2, you get the goodies of character interaction, voice acting, and the awesome story.

    the combat has gotten a little clunkier as seen by the demo, but its not too bad.

    the reason mass effect is getting such a low score is how long it is.. you can do it all in 30-40 hours after that might as well sell the game compare that to skyrim's 170 hours, or dragon age origins 70 hours.
    do yourselves a favor, save $ and wait until this hits the $20 price it should have started at. personally i'l be picking up batman arkam city since it is a good price now (30)

    side note, didn't do multiplayer yet, but from the demo it will be boring in a day just play Horde in gears and you get the idea.    … Expand
  81. jwad
    Mar 10, 2012
    3
    It hurts me so much to write this, but I don't know whether I should blame BioWare or EA for this massive disappointment. I have been counting down the days till ME 3 was released, to continue this amazing story, just to see it get raped and dumbed down for, what I like to call, "Call of Duty metal heads." it seems like all the decisions I made in the prior games are being overlooked justIt hurts me so much to write this, but I don't know whether I should blame BioWare or EA for this massive disappointment. I have been counting down the days till ME 3 was released, to continue this amazing story, just to see it get raped and dumbed down for, what I like to call, "Call of Duty metal heads." it seems like all the decisions I made in the prior games are being overlooked just to force the story arch to fall into place. So many scenes are over dramatized, and poorly sequenced. Approximately 65-70% of the side missions are bland, fetch and deliver quests. Also, so many graphical hitches, pop ins, poor texture renderings, voices get cut off mid conversation.

    The only good thing about the game for me is definitely the battle engine. Very smooth and fast paced, guess that's why the CoD metal heads love it.    … Expand
  82. HALover9000
    Mar 10, 2012
    3
    I really didn't like this game. I don't know what else to say. The writing was mediocre at best, the gameplay was worse the first two, and it was generally bad.
  83. LukeDukem
    Mar 26, 2012
    3
    Well, game is not that good like ME1 and ME2 was (even worst as a ''RPG'' game), and that... ending, haha BioWare is gettin' even better after DA2 ;-)

    Just rent it :-/
  84. Thaeru
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3
    Average User Score: 2.9
    3 Rather than trying to expand on the formula which set Mass Effect as one of those rpg-shooter hybrids which grow more frequent as the years pass by, Bioware decided to dismiss it completely in favour of Michael Bay-grade explosions and the like. Mass Effect 3 starts off almost a year after ME2 where Shepard has done nothing of note except somehow end    Mass Effect 3
    Average User Score: 2.9
    3
    Rather than trying to expand on the formula which set Mass Effect as one of those rpg-shooter hybrids which grow more frequent as the years pass by, Bioware decided to dismiss it completely in favour of Michael Bay-grade explosions and the like. Mass Effect 3 starts off almost a year after ME2 where Shepard has done nothing of note except somehow end up on Earth and is being trailed by the Alliance for the **** you've done". That's nice, guess he stopped working with Cerberus and the Council's spectre status meant nothing. Anyway, auto-dialogue sets in with little to no player input for minutes on end, probably one of their new innovations when impatient people found dialogue boring and then explosions occur and the Reapers are there. The entire galaxy acts shocked. Now, maybe I expected too much from the writers but the pacing is horrible. This isn't just for the intro--though the intro does a wonderful job of showing it--with the entire game having Shepard talking without the player's input and the game hoping to imagine you know **** when you don't before explosions happen everywhere. It almost seems like they were trying to build a blockbuster movie rather than write the end of the trilogy, Mac Walters and Casey Hudson being supervised by Michael Bay who's constantly yelling "MORE EXPLOSIONS" throughout the entire creation process. In addition to this, importing serves little to no purpose. Killed a character before? It's somehow back alive! Spare a character? Well, they died off-screen! The consequences which were advertised for years now, since the very inception of the series, becoming meaningless and serving nothing but wasting a writer's five seconds to create a new line for the sake of importing. I feel like I've been robbed, not simply because of my purchase of ME3 being a complete waste but the entire trilogy built up absolutely nothing. Unable to play ME1 or ME2 anymore, ME3 spoils the entire experience. If I wanted automatic dialogue, crappy plots and one-liners I would find myself playing Gears of War, least they have a slightly rewarding ending (Yes, ME3 ends on a downer note that tries to be optimistic and leaves you with hundreds of questions, none which they try to answer). Bioware has fallen hard as of yet, I don't trust they'll be able to stand anymore. Useless information: Gameplay is choppy on PC, one button covering a thousand functions reeks of bad porting. Graphics are worse on PC, shadows everywhere try to obscure poor textures. High Res Patch may be coming but it won't matter since everything is hidden under layers of shadow. Multiplayer gets tiresome quickly, essentially being singleplayer without the dialogue (oh wait, that is the singleplayer. lol.) which you fight waves of enemies with Hackett telling you to do things here or there. Level up system is poorly thought out, certain characters have huge imbalances and you need to sacrifice your MP character to get assets for the Single Player (REPLAY VALUE!!111 *cough* not). Multiplayer is also necessary to get the better endings, which is absolutely **** absurd. Day 1 DLC up the ass costing upwards to 900$ for everything. Mass Effect 3 is absolute garbage, as much as I hate to say it.    … Expand
  85. weberdm
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    não gostei desse jogo cheio de conversinha fiada e você acaba perdido no jogo sem falar do protagonista andar sempre mirando...........bem que a bioware podia ter caprichado mais
  86. Adsl
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    I still remember the day the very first Mass Effect game was announced. It was a day when the EA merger with Bioware was just a whisper on the wind. Though anyone who had read a sci-fi novel could play connect the tropes, it was still something moderately fresh for the mainstream. It's sequel followed soon thereafter, managing to hold its own in key moments, and leave people chilled forI still remember the day the very first Mass Effect game was announced. It was a day when the EA merger with Bioware was just a whisper on the wind. Though anyone who had read a sci-fi novel could play connect the tropes, it was still something moderately fresh for the mainstream. It's sequel followed soon thereafter, managing to hold its own in key moments, and leave people chilled for a third. I can say now, with total confidence, that they should have simply stopped there. I am extremely skeptical that these board 10 reviews are totally EA-dollar-sponsored free. This feels like the third cashout in a series of blunders by a nerf team that dares to print 'Bioware' on the cover of their games. When I wasn't watching the game effectively play itself for me, I was entranced by all of the thinly veiled fringe-plagiarism the game undertook with it's visual and story direction. That is, when it simply wasn't just agitating old wounds with the combat engine, breaking promises of your decisions mattering from the prior games, and bearing visuals I reveled at in 2003. Ladies and gentleman, this is a cash cow brought out to slaughter. If you came looking for a Bioware product that stands up to it's predecessor classics (ME2, BG1+2, etc etc), I'm afraid to say you've been utterly mislead. There are a slew of 0 bomb reviews on this board, but I genuinely believe a 3 fits the mold. To summarize: The combat is broken and incomplete. The story is practically ripped from the pages of classics before it, hopelessly juggling 'dark impending doom', and soap opera quality romance. The sound is an uninspired synth orchestra that we've all heard hundreds of times before. Stiff and utterly unimproved visuals hide behind a global darkening texture pack. I actually watched explosions in cutscenes that looked like .bmps. Completely unacceptable for a self proclaimed AAA game. If Mass Effect 2 was a space opera, this is the Bollywood re-imagining. I wish I had never spent the money. The disappointment takes me back to levels of walking out of the theatre for The Matrix Revolutions. Too bad this cost me nearly six times as much to suffer. 3/10.… Expand
  87. Admiral
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    >Day 1 DLC
    >1000 dollars worth of accessories tied with exclusive DLC
    >Endings that blow off ME1's Canon

    I was a fan, then this happened. Multiplayer is a step in the right direction though.
  88. TheAlyGator
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    I feel awfully betrayed that the series went from an expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. To start its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my characters background - which at this point I'm pretty sure BioWare have completelyI feel awfully betrayed that the series went from an expansive sci-fi space opera with consequential choices; to a fairly streamlined action adventure with RPG elements. To start its attempts at emotional manipulation are slightly hamfisted, not ineffective but very clumsily implemented and unrelated to my characters background - which at this point I'm pretty sure BioWare have completely forgot that they even wrote. The writing and designs for some characters also seem out of place, Vega ( given his class and VA) is expected to be a bulky man but not the the extent he is a Jersey Shore cast member, the addition of Jessica Chobot and redesign for Ashley also complement this lovely little tan-orange motif. My largest qualm is with the day one DLC - which I outright refuse to purchase - by all means create new characters that are not plot integral but when you write a squad member who is heavily tied to the universes lore and mystique but when you aim to charge an extra $10 for it on top of the games already hefty price tag you know you fit a stereotype. I have no qualm with the love interest system, it was a nice feature in the last few games to add depth to the characters beyond some comments throughout missions, if anything I'd just like to interact with my crewmen without the intention of **** them.

    By no means is the game uninteresting but when measured against the vast and interactive universe of the first it dulls heavily in comparison, I'm not saying don't buy it - I'm just saying try and pick it up as a rental or second hand.    … Expand
  89. infr4mer
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    Honestly believe this game is a solid 3/10 for its lack of gameplay and emphasis on cut scenes. When you make the story your main priority, you need to make sure it's actually good.
  90. theCRazyBAGman
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    This is it, this is where I say goodbye to console and multiplayer video games. We, as the consumer, have had our opinions marginalized because the big publishers have dissected us by every concept in Marketing. A lot of you complain about the abuse that is wrought upon us, but you still buy it. EA and Activision got you, just like the drug pusher on the street corner, and that's what it'sThis is it, this is where I say goodbye to console and multiplayer video games. We, as the consumer, have had our opinions marginalized because the big publishers have dissected us by every concept in Marketing. A lot of you complain about the abuse that is wrought upon us, but you still buy it. EA and Activision got you, just like the drug pusher on the street corner, and that's what it's become. I hate the "Random Loot" of the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3, when will I get the Turian Sentinel? Who knows? Just keep wasting my time plugging away on a worthless horde mode? Or play a single player campaign that is incomplete with open ended questions so I can be gouged later with even more lame DLC?
    We have to grow up and realize our childhood hobby has been twisted by corporations. What can we do about it? Support PC independent game companies, or just stop playing video games. Microsoft, Sony, EA and Activision are corporations, which behave as sociopaths of greed, only money is the language they speak. I plan on using my new free time to become a better person, not continue this self destructive path of victimization from corporate abuse.    … Expand
  91. devolve
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    Compared to ME 2 this would be a 7. Compared to other games maybe even an 8. But compared to what was set up in ME 1 as the story, this is abysmal. Imagine Michael Bay taking on a sequel to blade runner, and you have ME3. The story is so ridiculously hokey that it might as well be a different game in a different universe altogether, because it's clearly different writers from a differentCompared to ME 2 this would be a 7. Compared to other games maybe even an 8. But compared to what was set up in ME 1 as the story, this is abysmal. Imagine Michael Bay taking on a sequel to blade runner, and you have ME3. The story is so ridiculously hokey that it might as well be a different game in a different universe altogether, because it's clearly different writers from a different company in a different country. Shame on you bioware, you have fallen. This is now you're 3rd strike, and it's servers as only proof positive that your games will never be what they should have been. You are no Irrational Games or Rockstar Studios, and you once were.… Expand
  92. oatzsquatz
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    PROS: - Shiny new cutscenes - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers - Smarter enemy AIs CONS: - One button does everything in combat - Ridiculously **** dialogue - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will sayPROS: - Shiny new cutscenes - Wonderful Clint Mansell soundtrack - Better combat, particularly melee (plays like the melee in Dragon Age 2, one button does everything), improved powers - Smarter enemy AIs CONS: - One button does everything in combat - Ridiculously **** dialogue - Forces sexuality into everything (I could give concrete examples, but I may give away spoilers). I will say this much: EDI, and, this small segment of dialogue: Shepherd: I hope you're alright, Kaiden Kaiden: Are you flirting with me, Commander? This is literal dialogue and not a joke - Rubbish, rubbish, dialogue. Cringe worthy. Nearly all the time. Some characters do save the ****show, like Garrus. - They actually used a voice changer (blatantly obvious) to use less voice actors (if you don't believe me, once you get to the Citadel you will be able to hear it) - Rehashed animations from the last game (lack of innovation) -Filters, filters everywhere -Cheap emotional pulls and attempts at emotional manipulation EVERYWHERE. It's like they used this to replace bad writing. - SEVERELY LIMITED DIALOGUE OPTIONS. If I wanted to play a shooter, I would have. Two dialogue options? Most dialogues with no options whatsoever? Poor show. -Totally retconns the lore established in the previous games Overall this game shows a shocking lack of attention to detail and blatantly ignores what the fans wanted (contrary to what the developers claim all the time. No one wanted this). The voice acting is stiff and so is the animation. Complete lack of innovation and the only thing they improved was the fighting - to add to this, they even used well-known stock images as some of their sources and the copies are glaring - look up "winter on mars" and you should see what I mean, if you've beaten the game. They force sexuality on the player, and if you reject it then the characters hate yours. This series has ended on a bad note. For fans of the series, it sucks majorly. For people who want a shooter, play Call of Duty or Gears of War instead… Expand
  93. thewindowkeeper
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As much of a fan of Mass Effect as I am, I cannot get around how much of a let down this game is. Most of the dialogue choices are all ready made for you. Most of the choices you made are reversed (SPOILER: I picked Anderson as counsel, not Udina, yet Udina is counsel). The RPG elements have been dumbed down to a shell of what they were, yet combat was improved. By improved, I mean making your powers charge slower depending on how much your equipment weighs. But, the worst offender is the story. Certain people die for no reason other than forced dramatic effect. All it does is enrage the players who have invested their time and money in the first two games, defining their own path for the universe, only to see that it ultimately did not matter what they did at all. It would all end up the same way, after all. Don't listen to the critics, listen to the fans. They know what makes a game good, and this isn't it.… Expand
  94. Nichtswisser
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    Welcome to the future of Bioware.. It really seems that all those guys which know what they were doing left Bioware and were replaced by characters inspired by the movie "Ideocracy". There is that otaku women responsible for the romances which probably is a virgin and who seems to have a yaoi (gay male romances) fetish. Than there is that crazy dude I saw in a DA2 video and who came upWelcome to the future of Bioware.. It really seems that all those guys which know what they were doing left Bioware and were replaced by characters inspired by the movie "Ideocracy". There is that otaku women responsible for the romances which probably is a virgin and who seems to have a yaoi (gay male romances) fetish. Than there is that crazy dude I saw in a DA2 video and who came up with the "awesome button". And there is probably one EA suit dude who is never without his statistics why call of duty is so successful and who spams his opinion in every meeting that more explosions are needed. And with those 3 responsible for game design, ME3 is what we got. Lots and lots of gay romances, just as much explosions, and the evolution of the "awesome button", the "awesome does all button"! And it really is awesome when you try to run away and instead take cover with your back exposed to the enemy! Yet just like with DA2, the most "awesome" button is the one which removes this **** from your hdd!… Expand
  95. samuraijack718
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    I use to be a fan of the series. Then i took a arrow in the knee... In all seriousness this series was my favorite for awhile (next to the elderscrolls) And I like most people believed the hyped. I got the day 1 release but then something dawned on me while i was playing it. This is no longer an RPG space opera... This is a 3rd person cover based shooter much like gears of war (although aI use to be a fan of the series. Then i took a arrow in the knee... In all seriousness this series was my favorite for awhile (next to the elderscrolls) And I like most people believed the hyped. I got the day 1 release but then something dawned on me while i was playing it. This is no longer an RPG space opera... This is a 3rd person cover based shooter much like gears of war (although a lot crappier). Now don't get me wrong i love gears but this isn't gears this was mass effect... Allow me to quote the back of the game cover. "If you're not a fan now's the time to start." Mass appeal ruined this trilogy. If your into shallow choices that mean nothing and really like playing a crappy cover based shooter then this is your game. *SPOILER* The ending (all of them) SUCK… Expand
  96. SulfurousChain
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me just start off by saying i don't give a damn about the co-op, the single player has always been what I've purchased the game for (so this is a review of the single player). I've owned every single mass effect game since the very first one and i must have replayed them at least 4 times each (excluding this one) to get the perfect ending so that it could transition the perfect way into the next game. i even re-bought them on the computer so i could relive them again and make even better choices for the next game. the problem with this game is the fact that most and yes i mean MOST of the choices you've made throughout the previous games are either changed in the case of the Councillor i chose or completely discarded in the case of almost everything else. starting up this game i was really annoyed that they completely removed the idea that the (now) Admiral Anderson was ever the Councillor (and that's who i chose because Udina is a prick) it just erases you're choice and assumes you chose Udina so that he could betray you. as for the conversation mechanic (i first noticed this in the conversation with the illusive man where he decides he wants to control the reapers) the dialogue options are no longer choices to be made, it is just choosing how you word you're response (with only a few exceptions that don't really matter during the course of the game like: cure the Genophage or tell people you cured the Genophage and everyone belives you, like you cured the Genophage!), there is no more save him/ kill him its now "tell him to leave/ yell at him he needs to leave" and that continued to bug the living hell out of me for the rest of the game. as for the paragon/ renegade levels i despised the fact that you cant use a mixture, you go heavily one way or heavily the other, otherwise you dont have a high enough level of them to do anything with them starting about half-way through the game. not to mention that there we're a grand total of 0 paragon/renegade choices or interrupts that made a difference throughout the game ie: Kia Leng, he stabs at you, renegade interrupt you break his sword and then stab him and then say something/ no interrupt he misses and you stab him saying the same thing and doing the same motion as before. the followers were a disappointment as-well; just seeing alot of the followers and not being able to use them, or even see them more than once or twice throughout the game (excluding the last level where u see all of them, one at a time through a projector in a little conversation where there is one dialogue option each like: encourage/ remind what is at stake) and the fact that they killed off several of my favorite followers without giving me a choice to do anything about it really REALLY destroyed alot of enjoyment for me. one choice that i remember makes a difference is one between two followers. Tali and Legion, whichever one you choose wins, and the other one (along with their entire species) dies and there is no way to mediate it is very straight- forward "pick me or all the Geth die/ pick me or all the Quarians die" personally i went with tali and i guess that was the "good" choice but i felt like an **** because all the Geth had just said something along the lines of "Hey bro we're gonna help you out because your'e nice n'stuff" so i respond with "kill all Geth. as for the ending of the game, it took a grand total of ONE choice from the game (excluding the ending choice itself) and slapped it in there not any choices from any other game in the series but the one choice that made a difference the one Tali Vs. Legion, and guess how they acknowledged it, when the HD cut scene ends it shows the Normandy crash after being hit with a blue or red explosion (depends on the ending you chose), joker get out, and then your choice gets out... that's it. as for the ending choice itself you have the choice "between wiping out all synthetic life (and dying)" or "controlling the reapers(and dying)" and the only difference between them is: (control) the reapers get hit by a bluish explosion thing and then fly away / (destroy) the reapers get hit by a reddish explosion and fall over. overall it made for a very anti-climactic end to the series (or at least the Shepherd part of the series)… Expand
  97. Weazel112
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    ...to kill a whole trilogy with one stupid final ending must be a new record of gaming history. Ever choice you did has TOTALY no effect or even a little tiny side effect of the ending.....gj Bioware...you proof yourself worthy to EA
  98. d3m3tr1
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    this game is a step down from both previous games in the series. the writing is cheesy without trying to be, the new character james is one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen in a video game, i found plenty of bugs, and the combat is stale. i'd be lying if i said i didn't have ANY fun but overall it's not worth the money or time put in. idk what the hell happened, but theythis game is a step down from both previous games in the series. the writing is cheesy without trying to be, the new character james is one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen in a video game, i found plenty of bugs, and the combat is stale. i'd be lying if i said i didn't have ANY fun but overall it's not worth the money or time put in. idk what the hell happened, but they seriously need to find new writers. how you have the selling point of a highly successful series seem like an afterthought is beyond me. buy it from the bargain bin one day, it'll be right next to dragon age 2… Expand
  99. DavyNichols
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    I cannot in good conscious give Mass Effect 3 a good review. If you are a new fan you may be confused and overwhelmed by the brilliantly created and richly imagined universe and canon that Bioware develops. If you're an old fan then this game will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. If you are strictly concerned with gameplay, then this game will have far too much story-driven plotI cannot in good conscious give Mass Effect 3 a good review. If you are a new fan you may be confused and overwhelmed by the brilliantly created and richly imagined universe and canon that Bioware develops. If you're an old fan then this game will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. If you are strictly concerned with gameplay, then this game will have far too much story-driven plot and dialogue for you. That said the gameplay is solid through and through. Not perfect, but solid. Then again that's not why I picked up the Mass Effect series in the first place. The reason I cannot give this game a good review is that I am a story-concerned and ethical old fan. The ethics comes in with EA's (and Bioware's) shady business ethics. EA has released DLC critical to lore/story (not necessarily plot, there is a difference) and gameplay that you have to pay extra for. Unethical. Bioware's writers, producers and devs have lied to us for the entire production. The endings are not choice-driven and nothing you did in any of the three games matters in the end. The themes at the very end of the game (mind you a lot of the writing was brilliant) contradict the themes for the other two games and anyone who played through all three stories in this "character-driven" series will be nothing short of mortified with the pseudo-intellectual, quasi-philosophical ending (I believe the Russian word is "poshlost" meaning something that is meant to appear intelligent and meaningful without actually being either, thereby baiting critics to laud it so they can show how deep and intellectual they are). If the writers can't admit that they were trying to impress pseudo-intellectual critics instead of loyal fans, then they will lose my respect. If they can admit it, then they simply lose my trust. There are other parts of the game with questionable writing (Example: in the beginning you can practically hear the writers grunts as they try to start the story off in the clumsiest way possible). These are forgiveable blips as they don't ruin the series, but the ending destroyed the replayability value, not only for Mass Effect 3, but the first two games as well, which I was still playing every other month, because I enjoyed them so much. The gameplay, while still clumsy, is the best in not only this game, but any Bioware game to date and was highly enjoyable.

    In summation, I can say that if you are playing this game for gameplay, then there is far too much dialogue and story for that (which I personally love). If you are playing it for story and are new to the series, I'd recommend playing the other games first (or instead). If you are playing it for story and are a veteran of the series, then this game is not highly recommended. Or you can turn it off before the "poshlost ending". I don't expect them to fix the ending, but I don't expect to be buying another Bioware game anytime soon.    … Expand
  100. DuncanIdahoTPF
    Mar 9, 2012
    3
    Seeing the HUMONGOUS disparity between what users are rating this game and what critics rate the game CLEARLY exposes the fraud of some game review sites via bribes. I have seen the instances of these bribes for high profile games increase severely over the past few years. I basically agree with Sheprdlovr's review, this game is very poorly put together overall. The graphics look terribleSeeing the HUMONGOUS disparity between what users are rating this game and what critics rate the game CLEARLY exposes the fraud of some game review sites via bribes. I have seen the instances of these bribes for high profile games increase severely over the past few years. I basically agree with Sheprdlovr's review, this game is very poorly put together overall. The graphics look terrible compared to any decent titles in the past few years. I feel robbed of my 60 bucks for this game, with the Star War's mmo being even worse.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
1
#1 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
14
#14 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 74 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 74
  3. Negative: 0 out of 74
  1. Gamer.nl
    May 12, 2012
    95
    Mass Effect 3 is an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of tension and moving moments. The threat of the Reapers make every decision a hard one and your relationship with other characters will be tested. This, in combination with tight gameplay, makes this the complete experience.
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  2. Polygon
    Apr 26, 2012
    100
    As a bombastic action-RPG with no previous context, Mass Effect 3 is a dark, engaging game with great combat, a well-written story, and all the epic space-opera you could want. But for those who have played through Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, it's something much more.
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  3. GameFocus
    Apr 18, 2012
    96
    The storytelling itself, the more refined combat, the voicework, the visuals, et all, stand as a fine example of some of the best this industry has to offer, and with my minor complaints aside, there's no doubt that Mass Effect 3 will be deservedly at the top of everyone's list come this year's award season.
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