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. 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.
  2. Capulingo
    Apr 3, 2020
    0
    absolutely **** game had to reload hours of progress for a mission I don't want to
  3. 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
  4. MarsCorialanus
    Oct 27, 2017
    0
    For me this game was a major betrayal. I loved Mass effect 1, even its issues had a certain charm to them. Mass effect 2 was more polished and created a much larger universe to be in. Both had amazing characters, cool ideas, and had me thinking ME would be the next Star Trek type of scifi. The world felt like somewhere you could really hang out. And it had challenging ideas about humanityFor me this game was a major betrayal. I loved Mass effect 1, even its issues had a certain charm to them. Mass effect 2 was more polished and created a much larger universe to be in. Both had amazing characters, cool ideas, and had me thinking ME would be the next Star Trek type of scifi. The world felt like somewhere you could really hang out. And it had challenging ideas about humanity and diversity and extremism.
    Mass Effect 3 was awful... it was dumbed down, the story felt U.S Ra Ra, and overall it spat in the face of its previous fans by giving them a really terrible pay off. What should have been an epic climax was instead a wet fart. Its not just the ending that sucked by the way, the whole campaign was poorly constructed. It felt like a whole other series. It was more like Gears of War than the Mass Effect RPG I had come to love. I like to pretend that there never was a third game so that it doesn't taint the other two.    … Expand
  5. Polymuter
    Dec 3, 2016
    2
    I'm not sure how Mass Effect 3 received as much acclaim as it did. It looked liked this game was created by a bunch of Gears of War developers working a second job. The writing was even worse.
  6. Not_Casual
    Feb 4, 2016
    0
    A royal turd encrusted with old age in the hot sun would provide more entertainment than this abysmal, untested insult to the name mass effect. Having played one and two, this one is utterly unplayable due to bugs, horrific map design, and an ignorant philosophy toward difficulty.
  7. ireviewthings1
    Jun 4, 2015
    3
    First they have the audacity to lock a living Prothean (a ancient superior race gone extinct that is absolutely vital core of the story line of the trilogy) behind day one / preorder DLC.
    Then.... wow EA you are the worst, the have the guts to lock the CONTEXTUALIZATION OF WHERE THE REAPERS ARE FROM AND WHY THE REAPERS ARE ACTUALLY DOING WHAT THEY ARE DOING behind a DLC paywall as well.    First they have the audacity to lock a living Prothean (a ancient superior race gone extinct that is absolutely vital core of the story line of the trilogy) behind day one / preorder DLC.
    Then.... wow EA you are the worst, the have the guts to lock the CONTEXTUALIZATION OF WHERE THE REAPERS ARE FROM AND WHY THE REAPERS ARE ACTUALLY DOING WHAT THEY ARE DOING behind a DLC paywall as well. This is utterly inexcusable. Three full price games and you still put the answer to maybe the most vital questions of the whole saga into DLC. Shame on you EA and shame on you Bioware for selling your soul.
    And yes... the end still makes no sense.

    I love the Mass Effect Trilogy. It is the best stuff Bioware has created in the last 13 years. The Universe and Lore is so good, they could really establish it for a long time and make it a real sci-fi classic. Mass Effect 3 is a very good game on it's own. A RPG actually true to the term role playing game mixed with cover based shooting. Hard to rate this game on it's own without considering how the parts integrate from one to the next. If you have not played the parts before 3 then don't bother.    … Expand
  8. witness1791
    Dec 22, 2014
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ME2 is a great game. ME3 is an appalling disappointment.
    Cut scenes are excessive in number and in length.
    One (in Tuchanka tower) seemed to last about 20 minutes.
    I didn't time it, and I wouldn't want to repeat it to do so.
    Battles are long and monotonous.
    EA should either fire their B-team or should make up their minds whether they wish to sell video games or 3rd-rate boring sci-fi movies.    … Expand
  9. 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.
  10. Khaosom
    Apr 8, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not going to be like alot of people and sugar coat anything. I rated this game fairly low compared to the first two in the series for multiple reasons which will be described here. The game plays just like Mass Effect 2 with an upgraded melee system which isn't a bad thing. Second thing, which is why I didn't rate the game entirely horrid, is the level system changes. Instead of straight skills you no have more choices in how your skills level, if they inflict higher damage or last longer or even have a larger radius. Now on to the part I'm sure most have heard by now but if like me was still hopeful was wrong. Apparently there are multiple endings to the game, but from what I've seen NOTHING you've done in the game or previous others makes a difference, aside from finishing the crucible. At the end of the game no matter how big of a galactic fleet you've acquired, who you have on your side, the side quests you've finished, who lived in part 1 and 2, you're put with 2 choices(from what I've heard pre update was 3) the choices are destroy ALL mechancal life including yourself, or kill yourself and take control of the reapers. Yes in the previous two games the choices are kind of an illusion, that don't have a direct impact, but in this game the choices have no impact. I don't mind them killing off you're character, ending the series, just so they can't pull a Halo, but it would have been nice to have a game where you can win with a third choice of killing the reapers using your own fleet, since apparently all the reapers moved to earth. The second choice for the ending of taking over the reapers is a mind rape to me because apparently you become the Catalyst which was you're objective to find the entire game, and in doing so remain sentient on The Citadel, yet no one can speak to you or know you're there after that. The issue here is that the original Catalyst, the creator of the reapers, is speaking to you, giving you your two choices. So it telling me that I become it yet can't communicate like it does was a huge let down. Aside from this there are several other major things that could have been an ending to the game that would have worked, part 2 and 3 never happened I'll list them here... The first is part 2 and 3 never happened, at the end of part 3 you awaken after being saved from dying in space from the Collector attack on the normandy in part 2. Second is similar but instead of part 2 also being a dream only part 3 is and you awake in a reaper controlled facility and part 3 is an attempt to Indoctrinate Shephard. Third is this game is a dream that you're having while the Alliance tries to figure out how Cerebus rebuilt you in part two.

    All this being said, Bioware really dropped the ball with this game, which honestly seems to have become a forte of the company with their games, see Dragon Age origins, and dragon age 2.    … Expand
  11. Spidercolt
    Aug 27, 2013
    2
    A huge disappointment. The game was clearly put together in a rush and EA made it blatantly obvious, if you have been following the Mass Effect series since the first game then you will know that it is a very well written space drama that got you immersed within the first hour of playing the first 2 games yet whilst playing Mass Effect 3 the immersion was destroyed on numerous occasions byA huge disappointment. The game was clearly put together in a rush and EA made it blatantly obvious, if you have been following the Mass Effect series since the first game then you will know that it is a very well written space drama that got you immersed within the first hour of playing the first 2 games yet whilst playing Mass Effect 3 the immersion was destroyed on numerous occasions by various mistakes e.g. sprites that have been placed that have no reason for being there and on one occasion a sprite that just walked around in circles.

    I wouldn't suggest this game to anyone as I know it is a poorly made third-person and its bad enough to make fans of the previous games cry.    … Expand
  12. locsphere
    Aug 1, 2013
    0
    The ending was terrible. Even more frustrating was the companies response and lack of care. I could go on and on about the lackluster ending and the fact that even with the Extended Cut it doesn't do your character justice. He has defied the odds only to die. Another Trinity type character. They kill Shepard off, bring him back, just to kill him off again.

    BioWare says they're    The ending was terrible. Even more frustrating was the companies response and lack of care. I could go on and on about the lackluster ending and the fact that even with the Extended Cut it doesn't do your character justice. He has defied the odds only to die. Another Trinity type character. They kill Shepard off, bring him back, just to kill him off again.

    BioWare says they're listening... As long as its what they want to hear.    … Expand
  13. throwaway15
    Jul 26, 2013
    0
    Casey Hudson ruined Mass Effect. The ending is terrible, but the combat mechanics are simply awful. Tapping a button to get into and out of cover is buggy and more often than not doesn't do what you need it to. The third person camera does a terrible job of maintaining a clear view and often clips into the wall. Mass effect 3 is a perfect example of how EA ruins games. It is no wonder theCasey Hudson ruined Mass Effect. The ending is terrible, but the combat mechanics are simply awful. Tapping a button to get into and out of cover is buggy and more often than not doesn't do what you need it to. The third person camera does a terrible job of maintaining a clear view and often clips into the wall. Mass effect 3 is a perfect example of how EA ruins games. It is no wonder the founders of BioWare quit during the resulting Mass Effect 3 outrage from the players. It is silly really a game marketed as allowing you to tell your own story was ruined because an egotistical (seriously, go look at his web page), childish Casey Hudson wanted to end the story his way denying players what they loved about the game. Like a petulant child, Casey Hudson locked out the other writers to make his own ending and as an EA employee put it, "it shows". Couldn't agree more. Way to alienate a core fan base, tarnish what was a successful IP, and further prove to players why EA cannot be trusted. Even the extended DLC content doesn't fix the plot holes in the ending. It is simply a few more lame slides, that don't really improve anything.… Expand
  14. Jerik02
    Jul 26, 2013
    0
    Casey Hudson ruined Mass Effect. The ending is terrible, but the combat mechanics are simply awful. Tapping a button to get into and out of cover is buggy and more often than not doesn't do what you need it to. The third person camera does a terrible job of maintaining a clear view and often clips into the wall. Mass effect 3 is a perfect example of how EA ruins games. It is no wonder theCasey Hudson ruined Mass Effect. The ending is terrible, but the combat mechanics are simply awful. Tapping a button to get into and out of cover is buggy and more often than not doesn't do what you need it to. The third person camera does a terrible job of maintaining a clear view and often clips into the wall. Mass effect 3 is a perfect example of how EA ruins games. It is no wonder the founders of BioWare quit during the resulting Mass Effect 3 outrage from the players. It is silly really a game marketed as allowing you to tell your own story was ruined because an egotistical (seriously, go look at his web page), childish Casey Hudson wanted to end the story his way denying players what they loved about the game. Like a petulant child, Casey Hudson locked out the other writers to make his own ending and as an EA employee put it, "it shows". Couldn't agree more. Way to alienate a core fan base, tarnish what was a successful IP, and further prove to players why EA cannot be trusted. Even the extended DLC content doesn't fix the plot holes in the ending. It is simply a few more lame slides, that don't really improve anything.… Expand
  15. doggystyle123
    Jul 24, 2013
    0
    game never buy it is very gay hfejrbv,mjwnvkci8nrwnjekyvtc hunjekmvfygbnhujkml,fvgybjunh'lvfyghuioklhuyijoklp6rftghuyijko6tyhu7koipl;[6tgy789ui0o-pf6gtyhujiokplhuyijokl
  16. MrBlack
    Jul 2, 2013
    0
    I have to say, the first 95% of the game, leading right up to the very last 15min or so, was excellent. Gameplay was improved, and I actually enjoyed the war asset strategy much as I had enjoyed the overall structure of Mass Effect 2. And this is why it is so astonishing how the final sequence is all it takes to make this very good game into a very bad one. All the excitement that had beenI have to say, the first 95% of the game, leading right up to the very last 15min or so, was excellent. Gameplay was improved, and I actually enjoyed the war asset strategy much as I had enjoyed the overall structure of Mass Effect 2. And this is why it is so astonishing how the final sequence is all it takes to make this very good game into a very bad one. All the excitement that had been building up over the course of the game, and also it's two predecessors, is extinguished immediately and in the worst way, leaving you with the inescapable feeling of being ripped off. The worst part is that there is absolutely no closure to any aspect of the story. The ending didn't just ruin Mass Effect 3, it ruined the entire series. For this, I can not justify any other score.… Expand
  17. houyi111
    Apr 30, 2013
    0
    The game has been out for over a year, long enough for me to recover and think how do I rate this game. To be honest, I want to give this game a 10 before the ending, i still remembered how exciting when playing the last mission on earth and how emotional I got towards the final push. Then the original ending, which is total crap and I want to give the game a -10 after finished the gameThe game has been out for over a year, long enough for me to recover and think how do I rate this game. To be honest, I want to give this game a 10 before the ending, i still remembered how exciting when playing the last mission on earth and how emotional I got towards the final push. Then the original ending, which is total crap and I want to give the game a -10 after finished the game the first time, it deserved a negative score. the ending made me depressed and lost interesting in playing games for months, the reaction and PR bxx**** from bioware towards ending and fans was just disgusting and made me sick. For me, the ending was just rushed, no excuse, no deep meaning behind it. if a video game can give me so much negative feelings, i can only rate it with negative score, in this case, a zero.… Expand
  18. arnror
    Apr 10, 2013
    0
    Oh my dear gaming-god(Tex Murphy)!!
    It's like Elvis would announce his greatest show ever, and then came out on stage naked, fat, drunk, balled, and then urinated on the first row people, slung feces on the rest, gave his finger to all, and then shot all the old people.
    Where did all the talent go, that I trusted with my hopes and dreams for Shepard and his friends. I mean how is this    Oh my dear gaming-god(Tex Murphy)!!
    It's like Elvis would announce his greatest show ever, and then came out on stage naked, fat, drunk, balled, and then urinated on the first row people, slung feces on the rest, gave his finger to all, and then shot all the old people.
    Where did all the talent go, that I trusted with my hopes and dreams for Shepard and his friends.
    I mean how is this possible;
    To write arguably the best story in gaming history(ME1), come up with two of the best bad guys in space(Saren and Sovereign)
    Then go on to make ME2 witch fixed all the problems from the previous game, only lacking bad guys with character.
    And then this.....
    Did they have a stroke, are they smoking crack, did someone replace their head with G.W.B's?

    Now it's all ruined. I cant even replay the first two. Shepard is dead to me now. Why you say??
    BECAUSE YOU'VE KILLED HIM STUPID    … Expand
  19. xcoders
    Mar 28, 2013
    3
    Another dumbed down game gone in the wrong direction just to please the masses, this is just unbelievable, I'm tired of companies just ruining great franchises just because they want money. This is just shameful.
  20. DeeS
    Mar 26, 2013
    0
    My God, this game is so bad. I mean, WTF, is this even real??? Graphics suxxxx monkey balls, no killstreaks, no quick scopez, joke man. This game is garbage PS I didn't play it.
  21. Settlestone
    Mar 22, 2013
    0
    To start off, I've yet to reach the ending of mass effect 3. I assume I'm getting close, 24 hours in or so. I had an idea a month or so ago to play all three in a row, because I forgot what happened in the first two games. So I replayed through the first, loved it, damn fine game. Replayed the second, also sweet, got a bit bored of the planet scanning after awhile, but besides thatTo start off, I've yet to reach the ending of mass effect 3. I assume I'm getting close, 24 hours in or so. I had an idea a month or so ago to play all three in a row, because I forgot what happened in the first two games. So I replayed through the first, loved it, damn fine game. Replayed the second, also sweet, got a bit bored of the planet scanning after awhile, but besides that highly enjoyed it. And then I started 3. I don't honestly understand how this game got such a high review. The entire system was dumbed down, all mini games removed, almost all exploration removed, no characters to gather, silly dream sequence scenes that always end exactly the same. Canned dialogue, removal of REAL side quests and a new, insanely annoying combat system where every single npc strafes at Mach speed. There's so much wrong with this it's hard for me to find anything fun, new or cool. I have no desire to finish the game, Ashley looks like a man, all of my companions are boring, oh, the one binary puzzle level was sort of neat albeit a tad frustrating. As I said I played each concurrently, the second I finished the first I started the second, same with second to third. My score relies on the fact to me, from my perspective, that this was and is a piss poor representation to an up to this point, awesome franchise, I think it's ea.. Btw, once bio signed with them most of their games just haven't been the same.… Expand
  22. 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
  23. Gargus
    Mar 7, 2013
    1
    I'm not here to rip on ME3 just for the sake of doing so or because its what's cool to do on the internet like so many others.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    6- The ending was atrocious. This is a series that prides itself on story, characters and dialogue. We all spent over 100 bucks playing all 3 games and spent over 100 hours playing all 3 games but bioware seemed to say "This is the end of the trilogy so who cares about the ending". The ending is the most important part of any story of any kind because its the very last thing you leave the person with and its supposed to be a reward, the climax to everything leading up till then, basically the ending is the most important part of any story. But the ending of ME3 was over in just a minute or so despite the dozens of hours of dialogue, cut scenes and story in the rest of the series they got lazy at the end. It gives no satisfaction at all. I can honestly say it is the laziest segment of the series. I did like though they had the balls to do what they did with Sheppard, but the ending still sucks and doesn't make you glad to have finished the series.    … Expand
  24. Fatbastad
    Jan 31, 2013
    3
    This game was FANTASTIC all the way to completing the Cerberus base mission. Then, it crashed and burned. It seemed like they poured their talent and resources into this game and ran out of both before they finished it. Both my wife and I played all three games and we both had the same reaction to the end. What interns made this ending? The concept philosophy of the end was right on theThis game was FANTASTIC all the way to completing the Cerberus base mission. Then, it crashed and burned. It seemed like they poured their talent and resources into this game and ran out of both before they finished it. Both my wife and I played all three games and we both had the same reaction to the end. What interns made this ending? The concept philosophy of the end was right on the mark for a Sci-Fi. But it was poorly poorly executed and the choices you made through out the series were rendered completely irrelevant. My wife and I in 20 minutes could brainstorm a better execution of the ending and still leave their philosophical concept intact. What's their excuse?… Expand
  25. Socratease
    Jan 22, 2013
    1
    First off, i would like to point out that the ending has been talked about to death. So instead of pointing out how it committed story telling suicide (which it did), i`m going to focus on the rest of the game. 1. The Intro. Seriously, WHY would shepard, the renegade badass (in my playthrough) just sit around WAITING for the reapers to arrive for those few months in between ME3 andFirst off, i would like to point out that the ending has been talked about to death. So instead of pointing out how it committed story telling suicide (which it did), i`m going to focus on the rest of the game. 1. The Intro. Seriously, WHY would shepard, the renegade badass (in my playthrough) just sit around WAITING for the reapers to arrive for those few months in between ME3 and arrival? That doesn`t seem very shepard like. And why should i give a sh-- about some random kid?

    Verdict: bad writing.

    2. Cerberus. So, a rogue terrorist organization goes from having only a hundred and fifty members just a few months ago to being the empire of star wars with almost limitless troops.......

    Yeah, sure. tell me another one, casey.

    Verdict: bad writing

    3. Kai-lang. I have never been so annoyed by an emo prick of a video game character as i was by Kai-lang. As razorfist, my favorite youtube reviewer put it: if for the past decade the illusive man had access to a gravity defying emo space ninja with a katana that slices through mother f---ing planets, and with magic plot device powers that allowed him to track the movement of every sentient being in the galaxy, then why in F--K would he resurrect commander shepard?!

    Verdict: bad writing

    4. Harbinger. Did harbinger just say screw it and go on a fishing trip when it came time for the invasion? Why was he portrayed as the ultimate badass reaper in ME2 only to be given a rediculous cameo in ME3?

    Verdict: bad writing

    5. The ''arrival'' of the reapers. Okay, stop me if you`ve heard this one: Why did the reapers cross the void? To get to our galaxy, you gleefully respond. But HOW did they get to our galaxy? That`s right: They couldn`t have. Remember ME1? Remember when we stopped saren from activating the citadel so that the reapers could pour through? Remember the arrival DLC, where we blew up an entire solar system to stop them? So answer me this: if all the posible relays the reapers could have used were destroyed: HOW. IN. FU-- did they get here? Answer: they didn`t. Verdict: laughably bad writing

    6. So the quariens go to war whether you pushed them towards it or not in ME2.

    And the point of having the option to say: good luck in the war, or: The reapers are coming, i`m going to need every ship i can get was.......?

    Verdict: far too heavy an emphasis on the illusion of choice, and not enough emphasis on MEANINGFUL choice.

    7. The god d--n kid. I know this has been voiced at least a million times, but i`m going to say it anyway: why should my character, who has seen hundreds of innocent men, women, and children being liquified into a human reaper give even a marginal sh-- about ONE KID? They might as well have had giant flashing letters on my screen that said: FEEL SAD NOW.

    Verdict: atrocious writing

    And my verdict for the entire game is: Terrible. The most badly written game in the series with the most badly written ending in the history of video game trilogys.

    Don`t buy it. Not even if it`s in the bargain bin. EA doesn`t deserve your money or your time.    … Expand
  26. 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
  27. JoeLouis3849
    Jan 2, 2013
    0
    This game is everything Mass Effect wasn't. No exploration, now you slowly scan a planet and hope the game will allow you to land on the thing. Combat difficulty is no longer determined by player skill, but enemies who have infinite ammo, immunity to player attacks and can kill the player in 3 hits regardless of level. The storyline seems contrived... The whole game seems to be aboutThis game is everything Mass Effect wasn't. No exploration, now you slowly scan a planet and hope the game will allow you to land on the thing. Combat difficulty is no longer determined by player skill, but enemies who have infinite ammo, immunity to player attacks and can kill the player in 3 hits regardless of level. The storyline seems contrived... The whole game seems to be about collecting resources and trying to bed down one of your teammates. Virgins will get a kick out of that. FPS fans will enjoy the fact that there are little to no RPG elements that require them to use more than .006% of their brains to play this game. RPG fans will dislike this game's lackluster character development system. Me? I hate this game.

    That's right, I used the exact same review from Mass Effect 2. Why? Because if Bioware can't be bothered to improve the game in any way, then I can't be dithered to waste time pretending that I care enough about this abortion to write an all new review.    … Expand
  28. Exur
    Dec 8, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. All the choices you made in previous games, all the heartbreaking decisions, the entire Mass Effect lore got flushed down the drain with this disaster piece. Nothing you did in the trilogy mattered because in the end, it was all a story. Nothing really happened. Bioware not only betrayed their loyal fanbase, they spit in their face.… Expand
  29. souljah77
    Dec 2, 2012
    0
    I loved ME1 and ME2. The story was superb and the gaming experience was fantastic. However, I recently purchased ME3 and after several days of trying to get the disc to work, I've given up and returned it. My low review is not related to the ME3 content or the ending, I never got that far. I spent hours scouring the forums and web for fixes, but ME3 was simply unplayable on my XBOX 360I loved ME1 and ME2. The story was superb and the gaming experience was fantastic. However, I recently purchased ME3 and after several days of trying to get the disc to work, I've given up and returned it. My low review is not related to the ME3 content or the ending, I never got that far. I spent hours scouring the forums and web for fixes, but ME3 was simply unplayable on my XBOX 360 even after the Oct patch. I encountered multiple locking and freezing issues on the first night. Then, I was able to get it to work past the intro but the following day, none of my saved games would load.… Expand
  30. 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
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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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