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. Wiffyjustus
    Aug 27, 2012
    1
    The journey over all three games was fantastic. The destination sucked. I loved this game, until I got to the end. I respect Bioware's adherence to their 'artistic vision', but I whole-heartedly disagree with it. The endings felt like a spit in the face to all the hours invested in this series by the consumer. It must be worse for those who worked tirelessly on this series to see suchThe journey over all three games was fantastic. The destination sucked. I loved this game, until I got to the end. I respect Bioware's adherence to their 'artistic vision', but I whole-heartedly disagree with it. The endings felt like a spit in the face to all the hours invested in this series by the consumer. It must be worse for those who worked tirelessly on this series to see such negative fan reaction. Sadly, I believe the negative reaction is warranted.… Expand
  2. YHWH
    Aug 26, 2012
    0
    Space gay waifu simulator 2012 edition.
  3. ferarco1
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3: Mass Disappointment
    The game controls and AI are average but this series was living on the story so what have they done...ruined that too, bioware lied time and time again, insted of supporting the fans they spit in face of anyone who gave a damm for the series, the ending does not reflect any choices you have made, if anyone played ME1 and ME2 with imported characters in the end of ME3 it doesnt count for nothing, the choices you made are irrelevant because in the end you have to choose from 4possible outcomes and guess what you die in all of them and you stay witlh more doubts because so much is left unsplained.

    But Bioware seeing this as lauched a DLC ( because everyone in EA belives that everybody who bought de game has the console conected to the internet... ) and guess what insted of making something usefull like adressing what the comunity has said, no...its the same thing but now adicional slides of information without changing nothing...the gamers for whom you made a DLC did not wanted a narration, just a decent closure, and for the users who said they liked the game as it was, the delivering of the DLC proves that bioware realized the crap they did...but even knowing they still insisted on it...

    this is the ultimate insult to anyone who played since the first game and invested hours and hours in it, and for those who play mass effect 3 for the first time without de previous game its mediocre because this series lived on the story and not in the controls, people can say the motion capture is this and sound is that, anyone in this time and after all these years in corrent generation of consoles expects no less...what is to be expected is a good game and a good history from a company that brougt us games like KOTOR almost a decade ago and now fails to provide...a game to avoid    … Expand
  4. befuzzled332
    Aug 20, 2012
    10
    i believe that this game deserves an 8.5 but gave it a 10 doing the little bit i can to raise the user score because as bad as the original game ending was it doesnt deserve a 5.2 score. until the end came i wouldve given this game a 10 but even the extended ending doesnt fulfill the sour taste of closure.but gameplay was solid ,story had me engaged (which is the main reason i play anyi believe that this game deserves an 8.5 but gave it a 10 doing the little bit i can to raise the user score because as bad as the original game ending was it doesnt deserve a 5.2 score. until the end came i wouldve given this game a 10 but even the extended ending doesnt fulfill the sour taste of closure.but gameplay was solid ,story had me engaged (which is the main reason i play any game) and now giving myself plenty of time to do a review the overall experience was worth an 8.5 with a sour ending most emotional game in recent time good example of this is the campaign to change the ending. the characters i truly felt something for. if someone died i felt it. the characters alone make this a worthy experience for anyone to enjoy… Expand
  5. norborb
    Aug 16, 2012
    0
    A watered down experience with many cut corners, Mass Effect 3 needed to be something better. A rushed production, on disc DLC, and strong handed DRM are not acceptable. The Mass Effect trilogy could have really been more than this.
  6. TheShakyMatty
    Aug 16, 2012
    7
    Mass Effect 3 is a journey that tugs at heart strings, makes you ask big questions and ends multiple story archs. The Mass Effect trilogy has been phenomenal, and has excelled in scope and story telling although the illusion of choice is ever present. While I invested my time in Mass Effect 3 it soon became clear that the game was telling an end of the story from the very beginning. ThisMass Effect 3 is a journey that tugs at heart strings, makes you ask big questions and ends multiple story archs. The Mass Effect trilogy has been phenomenal, and has excelled in scope and story telling although the illusion of choice is ever present. While I invested my time in Mass Effect 3 it soon became clear that the game was telling an end of the story from the very beginning. This is how I suggest you treat the game.The multiplayer is a fun edition and greatly expands the life of the product it was not somthing I asked for but fun regardless. It is not without fault so i cannot in good conscience give it a amazing score cause it is not. These faults are very minor and do not subtract from the game very much i.e. Trouble finding quest related people on map, lackluster epilogue, your choices do not feel as important as it could be and multiplayer connection problems. The game is great overall and deserves a 7/10 I recommend you buy it, you could do a lot worse.… Expand
  7. ulysees33
    Aug 14, 2012
    10
    A fantastic game. It increases the stakes on every level and raises the bar for gaming. Taken as a trilogy it's a major achievement and unlikely to be superseded any time soon. When you factor in the different choices and outcomes, and the male / female, hetero / homo, renegade / paragon options, it's obvious that the games places an outstanding amount of flexibility in the player's handsA fantastic game. It increases the stakes on every level and raises the bar for gaming. Taken as a trilogy it's a major achievement and unlikely to be superseded any time soon. When you factor in the different choices and outcomes, and the male / female, hetero / homo, renegade / paragon options, it's obvious that the games places an outstanding amount of flexibility in the player's hands to craft their own experience while still managing to tell a coherent and meaningful narrative that is genuinely moving. There may be specific features of the action, role play, art direction or story that aren't to everyone's taste - it's impossible to please everyone all the time - but to give this game anything less than a very positive review is simply nuts. As for the ending (s), I found it deeply satisfying. Rarely has a game franchise had such an impact on me - Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid are the only equivalents that come readily to mind. Plus a very good multiplayer, add on content and mobile content as well...! To make an original universe that is so ambitious and achieve so much seems genuinely unprecedented and puts gaming at the forefront of creative media. The only equivalent in movies at the moment would be the Nolan Batman films but I would say that even they pale in comparison. Bring on the DLC.… Expand
  8. 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
  9. Snipestrifer
    Aug 9, 2012
    7
    Okay, NOW I realize why people would be disappointed, though I disagree with those saying the game is god awful. Yes, EA monetized the crap out of this game, but that's no where the game fails, that's just bad business practice of the publisher funding the game's development. First, the positives. The combat has been refined and is pretty much as good as it can get at this point, althoughOkay, NOW I realize why people would be disappointed, though I disagree with those saying the game is god awful. Yes, EA monetized the crap out of this game, but that's no where the game fails, that's just bad business practice of the publisher funding the game's development. First, the positives. The combat has been refined and is pretty much as good as it can get at this point, although the new weight system hits infiltrators and non-power based classes REALLY hard. So I have to pick between having all my guns and almost never being able to use Adrenaline Rush now? That's stupid! (Wow, this got negative fast). That negative aside, the AI has been improved and enemy variety and behaviour has improved significantly, it's just slightly irritating most of the time it's cerberus and not the Reapers you're fighting (How did Cerberus build an army of millions in barely half a year, when they're known as a terrorist organisation?). Weapon modding is back and now it also has a visual effect as well as a gameplay effect, which is cool. It's not as deep as ME1's weapon modding system, but it spares us of that horrible inventory system and combined with ammo powers it integrates very well into the gameplay. Also, we get more gun variety and armour variety, which is always a good thing. So essentially combat is much better than before, so why is this game only a 7? It's Mass Effect! It should like a 9 or a 10, right? Well, unfortunately here are many negatives that hold this game back. The intro is boring and sloppy, especially compared to ME2. The reason is one, no dramatic opening and two, a crap ton of auto-dialogue (I'll be getting to that in a minute, believe me). As I'm re-familiarizing myself with the game mechanics I can't get invested into the story because in order to get invested into the story I must have reasonable knowledge of the game mechanics. Placing a major plot point at the time of a tutorial is probably the worst thing you can do with the intro. ME2 did this right, where I only had to run and move the camera in a controlled environment, so I could get invested in the story. The more advanced mechanics were saved for later when nothing as important was happening. The next negative is auto-dialogue, and it's over abundance. WHY? WHY WOULD YOU PUT IN LOADS OF AUTO-DIALOGUE IN A GAME BASED AROUND DIALOGUE CHOICES? That makes NO sense and just robs the player of the feeling that their Shepard is really theirs, and destroys immersion and the freedom the player previously experienced. The next negative is the abandonning of the build-up of ME1 and ME2, specifically Harbinger and the Dark matter plot. For those that don't know, ME3 was supposed to have a plot that revolved around dark matter but was abandoned for the whole "Synthetic vs Organic" thing. This leaves returning players confused as to what's going on and de-means the previous games. Not good. As for Harbinger, he was clearly set-up as the main villain in ME2, why reduce him to a glorified heavy hitter at the end? WHY? Everyone was looking forward to confronting the Harbinger why rob us of that? More abandonning of the build-up of the previous games. So second from last we have the problem that the story itself is more linear and interrupts and dialogue choices don't affect a conversation like they used to. They are generally just there for flavour and that's it now, which a shame considering how genius interrupts were as a concept and how well ME2 did them. And now to everyones favourite part, the ending. Where to begin... Well, even with the EC (Extended cut) it makes ZERO sense, and completely contradicts the themes of the Mass Effect franchise. It's disgusting. Your choices don't matter (As if EMS made your choices matter anyway LOL) apart from this one final choice and they don't even commit to Shepard dying. The EC provides the bare minimum character closure required and closes a few plotholes but it ends up trading them for more plotholes so it really is not much better and the character closure has been done before and BETTER with Dragon Age: Origins. Now THAT was an ending. This game is still very solid and enjoyable even if it is has some serious flaws. It still has those "Magic Mass Effect" moments, and the characters are as cool and well-written as ever (Apart from Vega) with their arcs coming full circle now, but compared to the other two ME games it doesn't even come close to reaching their levels of greatness. There are other complaints, such as the shafting of the ME2 cast, and a lot of fridge logic moments, and the fetch quests, but I could keep going for hours. All you need to know is this game is solid, but if you were expecting an amazing finale, prepare to be disappointed.… Expand
  10. pixleking
    Aug 6, 2012
    7
    I rented this for a solid month.While,I don't think I'll be buying it anytime soon,it's certainly a good pickup if you're into it.The atmosphere is great.Every area and fight is certainly distinct.The characters and AI are great.

    However,the fights and talk sequences are very monotonous.I just don't enjoy this series as much as others.The generic feel kind of throws me off. Overall    I rented this for a solid month.While,I don't think I'll be buying it anytime soon,it's certainly a good pickup if you're into it.The atmosphere is great.Every area and fight is certainly distinct.The characters and AI are great.

    However,the fights and talk sequences are very monotonous.I just don't enjoy this series as much as others.The generic feel kind of throws me off.

    Overall Mass Effect 3 is a very good game.It has solid features and is very enjoyable.But it's more of a rental,as opposed to a buy."Mass Effect 3" gets a 7/10.    … Expand
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. Candidustigris
    Jul 31, 2012
    10
    I just beat the game with the improved endings. While they still don't satisfy me completely, it is a massive improvement from the original endings. This game is amazing, and with the addition of the new endings, its quality has improved dramatically for me.
  14. Regal4point1
    Jul 31, 2012
    6
    A very big disappointment. You can tell bioware (EA especially) went to large lengths to make this game mainstream. As a result, we get an actioner that has few bright moments that gave us a peek of what the game could have been with diligence in development, instead of rushed release dates. Few ambitions are achieved in Mass Effect 3, despite its core being pretty solid in its own right.A very big disappointment. You can tell bioware (EA especially) went to large lengths to make this game mainstream. As a result, we get an actioner that has few bright moments that gave us a peek of what the game could have been with diligence in development, instead of rushed release dates. Few ambitions are achieved in Mass Effect 3, despite its core being pretty solid in its own right. Perhaps we expected too much. But I have a feeling they could have delivered.… Expand
  15. Julli
    Jul 30, 2012
    9
    The user critic score is really skewed by child-like reviews. I didn't like the ending, so I'll give it one .. or zero. Those people are completely neglecting the fact that everything else than final five minutes of this game is simply super.
  16. LostRiot
    Jul 29, 2012
    8
    As seen in many reviews, I am a huge fan of the series, but this one I had some personal feelings about. I really love the story and all the character structure. I enjoy the new features and the fact that they brought back some of the customizing features from the first game. Now the fact that I really don't play RPG games often because they are a challenge if they attempt to be likeAs seen in many reviews, I am a huge fan of the series, but this one I had some personal feelings about. I really love the story and all the character structure. I enjoy the new features and the fact that they brought back some of the customizing features from the first game. Now the fact that I really don't play RPG games often because they are a challenge if they attempt to be like shooters, but Mass Effect was amazing in story and character customizing that I saw past the not so smooth play of the shooter mechanics. The second Mass Effect streamed lined them enough but did sacrifice RPG play. The third I felt focused to much on making this play like Gears of War and lost the fun challenge of an "RPG shooter" that made it different and original. Now for the story. Drop the Indoctrination Theory Issues, why did you do everything you did in he game not to see some resolution to each of the allied factions you earned through the entire game. I felt skimped. I don't blame Bioware so much as I blame EA. EA has to be the worst at putting a deadline on games and ruining the creativity that the developers need to make quality. EA and Activision will ruin the gaming industry if the keep up with there heavy marketing, poor deadline dates. I would wait for awesome rather than be dished out crap every time I turn around.… Expand
  17. sg1fan75
    Jul 27, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ME3 was a good game the combat was fun and most of the story was good. The problems start with no ME2 squad mates on the Normandy, the love interests have very limited interactions, and less for ME2 li, we don't get to see Tali's face, etc. The star-child is forced into the story, and all the endings are anti-heroic in my opinion even with the extended cut it still sucks. But you should try for yourself.… Expand
  18. EnigmaReviews
    Jul 24, 2012
    9
    Well one of the best gaming series ever has come to an end. When I first got my hands on the game I immediatly notices differences from the second game. The first of course is the graphics. Although they don't compare to the those of Uncharted, Gears of War, and Crysis they are still good in their own way. The next thing I noticed is new animations. This is good because in a lot of sequelsWell one of the best gaming series ever has come to an end. When I first got my hands on the game I immediatly notices differences from the second game. The first of course is the graphics. Although they don't compare to the those of Uncharted, Gears of War, and Crysis they are still good in their own way. The next thing I noticed is new animations. This is good because in a lot of sequels devs will recycle the same animation. I got to the story and it was extremely good no suprise there. The gameplay was great, weapons where awesome, and the characters where likeable. The multiplayer isn't that great to be honest. It seem like something they tacked on to add more to the game. Although the free DLC is a bonus it isn't much of a plus. Now here comes the ending drama. (Please note that I am writng this review after the extended cut dlc). This part of the game has gathered a lot of negative feedback. The ending by far was good. The main thing I have a problem with is what Bioware promised. The ending didn't have much variety in them. Also your decisions really don't have zero effect on the ending as well which is a huge let down. Overall this is an amazing game but if you where a fan from the begining them you will feel disapointed at the end. That doesn't take away from the game though. It does so much good that it heavily out weighs the bad. Mass Effect 3 is a 9/10 if they would have got the ending right it would have been a master piece.… Expand
  19. NateStC
    Jul 24, 2012
    3
    While the story, voice acting, and cinematics may be great, it still doesn't make up for the fact that as a game it is horrible. In ME2 they went for a more tactical combat approach and it worked. This time they tried to throw in some Gears of War style faced paced action into the combat and it completely screwed everything up. Every battle field is littered with cover that your characterWhile the story, voice acting, and cinematics may be great, it still doesn't make up for the fact that as a game it is horrible. In ME2 they went for a more tactical combat approach and it worked. This time they tried to throw in some Gears of War style faced paced action into the combat and it completely screwed everything up. Every battle field is littered with cover that your character gets on the wrong side of half the time, and there is so much debris it makes it nearly impossible to navigate, even outside of combat. To make things even more difficult, the controls are clunky, making it even further difficult to move anywhere.
    Another thing that ruined the tactical combat is that in half of the combat scenarios, you have enemies flanking simultaneously from literally every direction, making it nearly impossible to stay alive even on the easier combat settings.
    Every single combat situation is nothing more than a clusterf***.
    There are tons of side missions, which I love! But alas, they screwed that up as well. There is so much dialogue it is impossible to keep track and even decipher all the tasks you're given. The mission journal offers little to no information on objectives, and don't ever update as you progress.
    This is an incredibly disappointing game. Were I to hold it up against the other games in this franchise, I'd have to give it a 1 out of 10. But to be fair I've graded it on it's own, not up to the hype or expected greatness Bioware commands. Ultimately the game feels unfinished. They focused so much on the dialogue and story it feels like they only got half way through testing the actual gameplay then shipped it to market. I can't imagine it is even fixable through patch. Shame on you EA and Bioware for such a pathetic display.    … Expand
  20. Hugh5031
    Jul 23, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3 is a great game, that I believe is wrongfully hated on. The reason for this is simple, it changed genres. While the first game was a fully-fledged RPG, the combat mechanics in the first game were sloppy, and in the next game gameplay was vastly improved, but RPG elements were toned down. This left hardcore RPG fans unhappy, This third game definitely has the best gameplay inMass Effect 3 is a great game, that I believe is wrongfully hated on. The reason for this is simple, it changed genres. While the first game was a fully-fledged RPG, the combat mechanics in the first game were sloppy, and in the next game gameplay was vastly improved, but RPG elements were toned down. This left hardcore RPG fans unhappy, This third game definitely has the best gameplay in the series, for the overpowered particle rifle to the addictive Scorpion, but less RPG elements than ever before. Don't let this fool you though, the story is as good as ever, with some truly awesome moments and payoffs, a surprisingly good multiplayer, and plenty of visits from old characters. I would highly recommend playing the series the whole way through, but don't expect the RPG experience in each game, but come in expecting in this third game an awesome action game with RPG elements. Also, the ending wasn't one i particularly liked, but didn't detract as much from the game as the vocal minority say, especially with the extended cut endings. Free DLC in this game is awesome, considering it is an EA game. Overall, I'd rate this game a clean 9.5 and definitely recommend the series to anyone looking for an awesome story that they'll remember for years to come.… Expand
  21. thebrock
    Jul 22, 2012
    9
    Surprised by the user score. However I have never seen the original ending which apparently was shocking. To start with the positives graphics where excellent, gameplay was great . One thing that really annoyed me was if you imported your character from ma1 and ma2 you started at level 30 with the majority of your abilities not far from being maxed out. Not much of a challenge in that.Surprised by the user score. However I have never seen the original ending which apparently was shocking. To start with the positives graphics where excellent, gameplay was great . One thing that really annoyed me was if you imported your character from ma1 and ma2 you started at level 30 with the majority of your abilities not far from being maxed out. Not much of a challenge in that. Overall i feel that with the revised ending mass effect 3 was a fantastic game. Good ending to the trilogy. All in all i would say the best trilogy of games that have been released in gaming history. A must play game for rpg fans.… Expand
  22. TheHumanBoss
    Jul 21, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a huge fan of the series all the way. Sure the ending wasn't what we as users wanted, but Bioware tried to fixed it, even though you think they failed they still tried and are still trying. I am 50, 50 on the ending. But you got to think of the moral Bioware was trying to send us, but some users are just to ignorant to pay attention. They been trying to tell us the same lesson throughout the whole series, staring with Mass Effect 1. They want to tell us that you can accomplish anything if you just stand firm with your beliefs. In ME3, you can tell Shepard knows that he will lose, but he still gathers help from everywhere by putting their differences aside and focusing on the real problem. And in the end, the "kid" knew that Shepard's cycle has a chance and are coming very close to destroying the Reapers, so instead of letting Shepard win he tries to convince him for a final time that control is the best way to go, but Shepard has a stronger willpower and sticks with his "new solution". To me, this series will always be on top of any other game, not because of gameplay, but because of the story and the characters.… Expand
  23. tmbrwlf
    Jul 17, 2012
    8
    The game started off a little disconnected if you haven't played the ME2 DLC's but you quickly get into it. The build up of the story takes off quite quickly and its easy to get into the gameplay and the story. Originally there were a lot of gaps, but the release of the free DLC plugs these and finishes it off nicely. If the DLC ending and gaps had been in the original this would've hadThe game started off a little disconnected if you haven't played the ME2 DLC's but you quickly get into it. The build up of the story takes off quite quickly and its easy to get into the gameplay and the story. Originally there were a lot of gaps, but the release of the free DLC plugs these and finishes it off nicely. If the DLC ending and gaps had been in the original this would've had a 9 easily. There are a few things missing for it to make a 10.… Expand
  24. AnonXD
    Jul 17, 2012
    5
    Mass Effect 3... I patiently waited to play you, holding back my urge to play demo's and watch gameplay so that this final experience would be special. And it was very special, until the end. Gameplay and combat wise, Mass Effect 3 absolutely excels. I had a blast playing through all of the missions and it scores a 9.5 here. As for the plot (before the end), It was solid but they couldMass Effect 3... I patiently waited to play you, holding back my urge to play demo's and watch gameplay so that this final experience would be special. And it was very special, until the end. Gameplay and combat wise, Mass Effect 3 absolutely excels. I had a blast playing through all of the missions and it scores a 9.5 here. As for the plot (before the end), It was solid but they could have worked a lot more of the intricacies developed early in the series into this final story, it scores an 8.5 here. The end... oh the disappointing end. Even after the director's cut extended ending, I found myself saying "why Bioware?" Essentially, they added a insipid slideshow recapping what you just accomplished, that's all. This ending to my favorite sci-fi trilogy nearly shattered my love of the games. This ending scores a 2. Mass Effect 3 was supposed to end it all, and end it well. I would have taken sub-par gameplay and no multiplayer in a heartbeat for at least a decent ending.… Expand
  25. JimitheKid07
    Jul 16, 2012
    10
    Way better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UAWay better than that 5.1 UA
  26. mgyukeri
    Jul 15, 2012
    9
    While the ending to the epic trilogy caused probably the largest controversy a game release has ever had, Mass Effect 3 is a perfect game. At least until the last 15 minutes. Let me just say I have not played the "Extended Cut DLC", not have I seen the new endings on YouTube. My opinion is only on the physical release of the game, not its content. Mass Effect 3 delivers an emotionalWhile the ending to the epic trilogy caused probably the largest controversy a game release has ever had, Mass Effect 3 is a perfect game. At least until the last 15 minutes. Let me just say I have not played the "Extended Cut DLC", not have I seen the new endings on YouTube. My opinion is only on the physical release of the game, not its content. Mass Effect 3 delivers an emotional suckerpunch. With cameos from the original games and an epic story, Mass Effect 3 seems like the ending to a TV show you really love. I found myself crying more than once because of events that occurred. Look, the ending might turn you off, but the entire experience is only slightly marred. Mass Effect 3 is worth a try.… Expand
  27. SneerValiant
    Jul 14, 2012
    9
    I previously reviewed this game before the EC was released and gave it a 0, the ending is much more satisfying and would have been a 10/10 if I had been able to have that experience on the first play through.
  28. finan
    Jul 13, 2012
    1
    I could not wait to play this game. I was pretty much disapointed from the begging. Adding a cheesy multi player mode and linking to to the single player campain just sucked. As for the ending.. Even with the extended cut it just plain sucked.
  29. Sload
    Jul 13, 2012
    5
    Won't be buying any more Mass Effect games in the future. Bought this one and expected a good rpg experience, instead I got a third-person shooter with some tacked on "rpg" elements, crappy cover mechanics and aim-assist that you couldn't turn off. Thank you very much BioWare/EA for ruining a good sci-fi rpg, it had so much potential but you had to go and **** it up so you could sell more copies.
  30. tennisbeast21
    Jul 11, 2012
    10
    This games is absolutely AMAZING! While the ending is a bit annoying, it's not enough to hold this game back from being a ten. I thoroughly enjoyed this game as much as I did the rest of the series.
  31. 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
  32. MigueelDnd
    Jul 8, 2012
    1
    Poor gameplay, decision taking, writing and innovation. The saving of the game are probably the graphics, which when weighted against the bad things of the game, don't seem to get the score up. No entitlement in the decisions you take. Bad and uninspired characters that decline the quality of the storytelling. A really bad game, overall.
  33. mikker44
    Jul 8, 2012
    7
    played ME 3 as a first timer and couldn't get past the second to end stage. Bought ME 2 and plated through that twice and each time imported character into ME 3. Thoroughly enyoed all the challenges and gameplay. the game plays differently for each character played. however the end seems to remain the same. great game. really addictive. I shall play again as all the different types. justplayed ME 3 as a first timer and couldn't get past the second to end stage. Bought ME 2 and plated through that twice and each time imported character into ME 3. Thoroughly enyoed all the challenges and gameplay. the game plays differently for each character played. however the end seems to remain the same. great game. really addictive. I shall play again as all the different types. just wished the ending changed with the decisions made.… Expand
  34. ClockworkSpec
    Jul 7, 2012
    3
    I looked forward to this game with a lot of anticipation. I got nervous about it when I played the demo, and unfortunately it was a sign of what the actual game was going the be like. Bioware/EA really phoned it in in much of this game and particularly in the ending, even after the EC DLC. They failed to match many of the premisses they made for content and atmosphere in the game. TheI looked forward to this game with a lot of anticipation. I got nervous about it when I played the demo, and unfortunately it was a sign of what the actual game was going the be like. Bioware/EA really phoned it in in much of this game and particularly in the ending, even after the EC DLC. They failed to match many of the premisses they made for content and atmosphere in the game. The original ME was amazing and by far the best of the three games, EA is a slow acting poison killing Bioware, it is really a shame. If it were not for a few moments in the game that actually felt genuine and thought through I would be giving this game a zero.… Expand
  35. crystal3001
    Jul 5, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I reserved my judgement till the EC was out. It's out and I will never buy another game from Bioware. Period. Here is why.

    At first I could not even load my Shepards into the game because of the Character Transfer bugs. I ended up needing to use a fan work around and an empty USB drive even to get my Shepard into the game. To date the only fix they've given us just removes the error message for some fans, myself included on two faces. Still not fixed and still bugged to all hell.

    So then I started out my game and the issues kept piling on. I noticed the auto-dialogue, being down to two conversation choices, MP being required to get all the endings, etc. I'm sure you've read them in numerous other posts before. Yeah combat's nice and all, but I don't play a Bioware game for combat. I play their games for a rich background world and characters I'm going to love for years. I know they reuse plots, but I thoroughly enjoy the company while I play them. The endings, that they took whole cloth from Deux Ex, destroy that ride. Every time I fire up the Xbox to play one of my other Shepards, I find it doesn't matter. I know how it'll end. Saving the Council or not. Recruiting people or not. Doing anything in the three games really has no bearing whatsoever on the last choice. That is why I think the endings do a great disservice to a series lauded for choices. Nothing really matters other then the very last one, which are all the same as long as your score is high enough. I think I could have been okay with some of the EC, if Bioware didn't give us all a giant FU as the 'new' ending. Destroy, where Shepard does not act like a mindless zombie like the others. This new ending is nothing more the Casey saying FU to the fans about changing his very flawed endings. So I'm done with Bioware and anything with Casey Hudson's name on it.    … Expand
  36. 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.
  37. maltizar
    Jul 3, 2012
    1
    Okay... if you hadn't noticed, playing this game, you'll either love it and be annoyed by the people that hate it or love it and hate the game and be annoyed by the people who love it.

    One of the major requirements is the experience of the previous two games which means it's not all that great of a stand alone game. The ending is not for everybody, so even if you did play the previous    Okay... if you hadn't noticed, playing this game, you'll either love it and be annoyed by the people that hate it or love it and hate the game and be annoyed by the people who love it.

    One of the major requirements is the experience of the previous two games which means it's not all that great of a stand alone game. The ending is not for everybody, so even if you did play the previous games, there's no guarantee you'll like it. The story is disjointed. There are game aspects that those who played the previous games won't understand because they didn't read the books or they didn't read the comics and even that's not going to mean you're going to like it.

    Gameplay is the greatest improvement. There are better games with better controls, but it's obviously the biggest improvement. That said, it lacks gaming systems like minigames, quality side missions and boss battles. It's like it's a game designed by people who wished they were writing a novel instead of making a game.

    It's a space RPG with no exploration. It's a bland shooter that doesn't revolutionize anything whose targeting systemyou either like or don't.. It's a "choose your own adventure" with limited choices. It's a space sci fi space opera that fails to live up to the greats.

    I was going to give it a 5, then I remembered that you have to download a different ending because the first one was really bad instead of disjointed and contrived. You also have to pay for a downloadable 7th character. To unlock the all the endings, you have to either download the Extended cut or play multiplayer to unlock the endings just on the disc. Some of the plots, you have to play the previous games. They're better, so going back to play another game to play this one seem pointless considering it doesn't matter in terms of resolution. If you do play those games, you end up playing better quality games not restricted by a badly timeline.

    Storywise, the resolution is seperate from the rest of the series, which is a shame because the rest of it was pretty darn good. I'd say, save your money. If you haven't played it by now, you'd have a better time playing one of the first 2 games. It'll be in the used game pile soon, anyway.    … Expand
  38. DetectiveEyes
    Jul 2, 2012
    7
    Mass Effect 3 starts some time after the 2nd one ended. You are given the choice to go with the Role-play perspective of the game, with little combat throughout the game, or you can choose to go with the action perspective of the game with little Role-play and dialog, and more of the shooting and blowing stuff up. At the beginning it took me a moment to actually grasp what was happeningMass Effect 3 starts some time after the 2nd one ended. You are given the choice to go with the Role-play perspective of the game, with little combat throughout the game, or you can choose to go with the action perspective of the game with little Role-play and dialog, and more of the shooting and blowing stuff up. At the beginning it took me a moment to actually grasp what was happening but eventually it became pretty clear. Almost instantly you are given a gun and told to kill all the aliens in your path. Pretty soon after, you are given the choice to be nice and understanding of your friend or to be a complete jerk to him and tell to suck it up and fight. Then there's the whole decision making standpoint of the game, where you choose to do the right thing, or to do the wrong thing. Now for the problems, there's an equal amount of pros as there are cons in this game. The good parts of the game would definitely be its engaging storyline. However its bad counterpart is the 3 endings you are faced with. I wont get very deep into spoiler and whatnot, but the endings are all bad, and look like they were halfway done in order to make the Mass Effect 3 release date. The ending completely has nothing to do with everything you have done in the story whatsoever. However there is still hope. The game still had its relationship aspect where people could be your friends, your enemies, or your lover. Without the game you can alter the relationship at almost anytime, as you can talk to almost anybody, at any time. The game still has its aspect of freedom, to a certain point at least. Another problem with the game is the dialog system. When you are talking to somebody your facial, and body movements are not the most realistic. As with the person you are talking to. But I think most people would have to understand that the game would have come out sometime is early May or late April if the facial expressions were better than they are now. And it could have released sometime in June if they made the endings better. Overall this game is, in my opinion, worth the 60 dollars to pay for it, and also has some very nice sex scenes in it.… Expand
  39. Tubey
    Jul 2, 2012
    7
    Here's the problem - Mass Effect is a magnificent series; but I can't recommend ME3 as a 10/10 game, or even anywhere close. The problem with it for me isn't really the ending (yes, it's true, it was unbelievably bad), but rather the fact it should be renamed "Gears of Modern Battlefield 5". I honestly don't class ME3 as an RPG; rather, it's an on the rails mediocre shooter, interspersedHere's the problem - Mass Effect is a magnificent series; but I can't recommend ME3 as a 10/10 game, or even anywhere close. The problem with it for me isn't really the ending (yes, it's true, it was unbelievably bad), but rather the fact it should be renamed "Gears of Modern Battlefield 5". I honestly don't class ME3 as an RPG; rather, it's an on the rails mediocre shooter, interspersed with a lot of cut scenes and dialogue, which is again on the rails. Even if you are a big fan, go back and think about it - you are treated to a lot of dialogue, you make choices etc. but no matter what you choose you move forward to the very same portion of the game as everyone else - you shoot stuff and run through corridors. I didn't feel like I was "role playing" as Shephard, unless you consider Call of Duty an RPG as well!

    Unlike ME 1 & 2, I felt very little for the plight of Shephard because throughout the game the overall writing is a bit sub-par compared to previous games. This is, in my opinion, symptomatic of the problems at Bioware at the moment; style over substance. It was like after two superb games I was being abandoned as a fan in favour of commercial appeal above and beyond anything else.

    Don't get me wrong, this isn't a "bad" game; you'd have to be completely out of your mind to say that ME3 is anything other than decent as a total package. But - and it's a big but - it's nowhere near the perfect game and in relation to the franchise it takes a giant turd on what has gone before.

    So it's bizarre to sum it up in this way, but there's no other way to put it - if you're a Call of Duty fan, looking for a more "in depth" game without sacrificing the mindless shoot 'em up FPS experience, then Mass Effect 3 is for you. However, if you're a fan of Mass Effect 1 & 2, then this game may very well disappoint you. At the very least, if you play this game, switch it off as soon as you see a glowing holographic image of a child - you'll thank me for doing so.

    So yes, I'd be wrong to score it any less than 7/10, but what I will say is that after the debacle that was Dragon Age 2 and now the less than stellar Mass Effect trilogy conclusion, I will be careful to spend money on a product bearing the Bioware logo, simply because the once accepted measure of excellence they held in a gamers heart has been lost. Let's hope a return to form is just around the corner.    … Expand
  40. JamesBondHero
    Jul 2, 2012
    10
    First, to get it clear, all the reviews that gave ME3 a 0 or 1 are just... can't use profanity... there's no way a game could get a score like that. The only problem that made Mass Effect 3 get bad reviews from just "fans" is because of the endings. Now the Extended Cut, a free DLC, fixes probably more than half of the issues, including the bad ones, making the ending a satisfying and sadFirst, to get it clear, all the reviews that gave ME3 a 0 or 1 are just... can't use profanity... there's no way a game could get a score like that. The only problem that made Mass Effect 3 get bad reviews from just "fans" is because of the endings. Now the Extended Cut, a free DLC, fixes probably more than half of the issues, including the bad ones, making the ending a satisfying and sad end to the best video game trilogy ever created. The game has minor flaws: glitches, and awkward moments but not game breaking. The game has everything: fun, epic moments, love, care, role playing, action, adventure, heart pumping moments. Not buying this game would be a HUGE mistake, except if you never played the previous Mass Effect games, which are masterpieces. Maybe I make Mass Effect sound overrated, but the best thing about it, is that ME3 is that good. A simple art masterpiece. But it isn't perfect of course, the game could have been improved with more content, as it lacks of appealing side quests. The side quests (optional assignments) are unnecessary and too the point of boredom, but as I said: optional so I won't add it to my score. It is worth your money and none should be disappointed now, as the end has been fixed. Do not even judge by the extremely negative user reviews. I would tell you to trust the critics on this one, even they ignored the original ending, now, forgettable as Extended Cut is out, at no extra cost.… Expand
  41. FemShep
    Jul 1, 2012
    10
    The problems that everyone had with the ending have been fixed with the Extended Cut and additional closure and clarification was added making this game the ideal choice for purchase if you haven't already. :)
  42. mRon12
    Jul 1, 2012
    10
    Ignoring the last ten minutes, this game is incredible. The ending was incredibly disappointing, especially for those who completed all three games and built relationships, strong and weak, between the different characters. Regardless, this game improved combat beyond the others, and is an incredible experience. The ending couldn't be worse, but the rest of the game has to be praised forIgnoring the last ten minutes, this game is incredible. The ending was incredibly disappointing, especially for those who completed all three games and built relationships, strong and weak, between the different characters. Regardless, this game improved combat beyond the others, and is an incredible experience. The ending couldn't be worse, but the rest of the game has to be praised for what it does.… Expand
  43. Scourge626
    Jun 30, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just saying, the first part of this review will be me ranting about the end. I will no go into great detail, but seeing as how this is a review and reviews for games do entail the development for stories and the ending is, unfortunately, part of a story, I will have to talk about it. So you can skip that or take enjoyment in my displeasure for that god awful ending. Even with the extended ending, the ending for Mass Effect 3 is still crap. Albeit, the ending doesn't smell as bad as the first one, but crap is still crap. This game has not been redeemed. It does not matter how well they explain the ending; the way Mass Effect decided to take the Syfy Channel movie route and give the most asinine plot twist in gaming history has ruined the entire series for me. Even with their little PowerPoint Slideshow ending showing just how good life is regardless if you were a Paragon who went through pains to keep everyone alive or a Renegade who could care less who died as long as you got what you wanted. And the Synthesis ending is just too perfect of an ending. All the endings are devoid of any major consequences, there is little to no emotion for them, it does not show all of the effects of your decisions, focuses too much on the results of the three major endings, and has no epilogue for the characters in the third game. Just choosing any of those endings were a problem for me because they went against everything I and my Shepard stood for and stomped on all of the themes that the game developed over the course of three games. The only good ending was the Refusal ending and I still didn't like that one. I have no problem dying for what I believe in, but it's hard to enjoy an ending where everyone dies for your beliefs as well. I'm pretty sure plenty of people are going to say: "You can't have your cake and eat it too", and to that I say: It's my damn cake, I'll eat it if I want to! The endings do explain some things but does a mediocre job of it and adds even more plot holes to the unanswered ones from the original endings. And I am just not feeling the closure that many others are claiming to feel. If anything, I just felt like I wasted $180+ and only god knows how many hours for and ending that I could have read in a crappy fan-fiction. Actually, that's exactly what I did. And the worst part is, there are actually fan-fictions based of Mass Effect that have a better ending. That being said, Mass Effect 3 is still a good game. It just has an ending that deserves a spot in the albuquerque landfill. Okay that's the last thing I'm going to say on that ending. Probably. Any who, the game play was very fast paced and the enemy ambushes felt a lot more natural in this one then it did in the second game, which were as obvious as the outcome in a romance anime. The gun choice was extensive, but some didn't feel that different. And the gun and suit customization both were lacking. The suits were mainly the same ones from the last game so why couldn't I just drag those over? And I only used two of the gun customization the entire game. They should have kept the ones from the first game in this, come up with more or, I don't know, give each weapon their own custom add-on. The story-related levels and ME2 companion levels had more of an originality to them then the other games and actually gave each planet it's own feel. But the side missions were all stages from the co-op which is just plain lazy and diminished the value of the game's inherent originality. But back to the story related levels, I had the most fun playing those in compared to the other two games. I loved how the game became increasingly difficult as new enemies were added. Instead of just bombarding us with enemies to increase the difficulty, whenever a new enemy came onto the scene, I had trouble fighting them. And the levels they were introduced in did an amazing job of giving me time to cope with their unique fighting styles and capabilities. What really irked me was how the War Assets had no other function than raising the EMS and the fact that both Renegade and Paragon options were still open instead of being specific to the choices you have made throughout the game. One of the biggest problems with this game would have to be Javik and Vega. I have to seriously wonder why they were put into the game at all. I mean Vega really had little time to develop during the roller coaster ride the game had us experiencing and Javik was rather static. Aside from being the obvious black guy getting back at Imperial England by being a better imperialist, there was no point in him being in the game other than to tick me off. The best part of the game would have to be the sheer intensity I felt throughout the game.My favorite experience was the epic stare down with that Reaper on the Quarian/Geth home world. And each event after that just got more intense until the game pushed me off a cliff with that sorry excuse for an ending.… Expand
  44. Fredericko
    Jun 29, 2012
    8
    It was a good game. I know a lot of people are upset at the ending, but I just think most people really didn't understand it. However, would I have liked to have seen the end fleshed out a little more? Yes, absolutely. I enjoy the creative ending that allows the player to fill in the gaps. I would have liked something a little more concrete.

    Overall, way better then the 5.1 average    It was a good game. I know a lot of people are upset at the ending, but I just think most people really didn't understand it. However, would I have liked to have seen the end fleshed out a little more? Yes, absolutely. I enjoy the creative ending that allows the player to fill in the gaps. I would have liked something a little more concrete.

    Overall, way better then the 5.1 average rating on metacritic.    … Expand
  45. Keltic
    Jun 29, 2012
    5
    The EC just expanded the current endings, while it did make them better or in honesty just made them the endings they should have been on release day it does not address the issues that many people have in that the endings are set in stone and really all your effort in previous games was for nothing. Also if Bioware was going to make a genuine effort to appease fans of the series surelyThe EC just expanded the current endings, while it did make them better or in honesty just made them the endings they should have been on release day it does not address the issues that many people have in that the endings are set in stone and really all your effort in previous games was for nothing. Also if Bioware was going to make a genuine effort to appease fans of the series surely they could have provided a few more endings with the possibility of happier conclusion, It is after all a fantasy/sci fi game and not based on reality.
    I gave 5 out of ten for ME3 purely due to what i felt was the shortness of the game and what i felt were poor endings.    … Expand
  46. Chaoswind
    Jun 28, 2012
    8
    The EC changed this game from a mere 6 out of 10 to 8/10.

    Yes some bugs still happen, animations are off sometimes, the quest and journal system (if i can call it that) are poorly implemented, but the game has somewhat solid game play, some parts you will love, some parts you will hate, but with the Extended Endings you won't feel like everything was for nothing, the ending isn't no    The EC changed this game from a mere 6 out of 10 to 8/10.

    Yes some bugs still happen, animations are off sometimes, the quest and journal system (if i can call it that) are poorly implemented, but the game has somewhat solid game play, some parts you will love, some parts you will hate, but with the Extended Endings you won't feel like everything was for nothing, the ending isn't no longer an insult to your effort, yes is light years away of perfection, but lets be reasonable, nothing is perfect.    … Expand
  47. NinerJonny
    Jun 28, 2012
    10
    Do not believe the negative trolls that have taken over this review site. This is one of the best sci-fi games ever produced and comes to an excellent conclusion. The new extended cut makes it that much better. If you pass this game up because of the negative idiots, you have no one to blame but yourself. Try the game and come to your own conclusion...
  48. KotorEffect3
    Jun 28, 2012
    10
    Is this game actualy perfect? No but there needs to be a counterbalance to all the morons that dishonestly review bomb the game and give it a ridiculously low score. Seriously people are giving it 0s and 1s? What the hell is wrong with these people. There is no way you can honestly give the game that low of a score. Mass Effect 3 is an incredible game that had a weak ending that hasIs this game actualy perfect? No but there needs to be a counterbalance to all the morons that dishonestly review bomb the game and give it a ridiculously low score. Seriously people are giving it 0s and 1s? What the hell is wrong with these people. There is no way you can honestly give the game that low of a score. Mass Effect 3 is an incredible game that had a weak ending that has now been fixed thanks to the extended cut. Mass Effect 3 deserves a better fanbase.… Expand
  49. cyclekarl
    Jun 28, 2012
    0
    I really love the original game,but magazines and online gaming sites were saying things like" no one like the exploration,no one likes the Mako,no one likes the huge Citadel and elevator" rides,what they should have said is none of the newcomers to mass effect the gears of war and Halo fans like these things,I love them although some needed tweaking,then when ME 2 came along Bioware choseI really love the original game,but magazines and online gaming sites were saying things like" no one like the exploration,no one likes the Mako,no one likes the huge Citadel and elevator" rides,what they should have said is none of the newcomers to mass effect the gears of war and Halo fans like these things,I love them although some needed tweaking,then when ME 2 came along Bioware chose to appease these gamers by streamlining this game by getting rid of the ground vehicle,making the area's much smaller,simplifying everything and changing the combat,which I was more than happy with before,but they kept a good if flawed story,likable characters and mostly good dialogue options(although sadly had some auto dialogue) then comes 3 with Multi-player even less exploration,now you no longer visit the planet in side quests now you fire a probe to the surface and bizarrely you've just rescued a load of people,less dialogue option loads of auto dialogue plot holes galore and a crappy ending which they just put a sticking plaster over,so for me this game rates very poor the worst by far out of the 3 there are many more issues I have with it and I certainly won't be wasting my time playing it again unlike the original and to some aspects ME 2 which I have played 20 odd times each,this game is a very poor attempt by a once great company made to appeal to the mass market and not it's original once loyal fans,for me this franchise is finished,but one day I hope all 3 games are re made as they were meant to be and I don't give a stuff what the Halo or COD fans think.… Expand
  50. StrangeFairy
    Jun 28, 2012
    9
    The Extended Cut has definitely improved the endings, allowing more closure, a more visual representation of player choices, and a prevailing feeling of optimism rather than the overly ambiguous and even bleak nature of the originals. Perfect game? Not quite. There is still too much auto-dialogue/protagonist passivity, and the journal isn't exactly helpful. But this is nitpicking a gameThe Extended Cut has definitely improved the endings, allowing more closure, a more visual representation of player choices, and a prevailing feeling of optimism rather than the overly ambiguous and even bleak nature of the originals. Perfect game? Not quite. There is still too much auto-dialogue/protagonist passivity, and the journal isn't exactly helpful. But this is nitpicking a game that has so much going for it. Increased squad interaction (particularly with each other, a nice touch), some great characters, missions such as those on Tuchanka, Rannoch and Grissom Academy, a MUCH improved Citadel from ME2, and hugely fun combat make this a game well worth playing.… Expand
  51. elwindoo
    Jun 28, 2012
    9
    Sometime u gotta love the objectivness of people.You play agame for some hours and u are literaly mind blown till the end.Then u negate everything u played till then.Why?Is there a reason to give 0 or 1 when u have enjoyed 98% of game content?Shows the maturity and objectivity of people on metacritic.Game was awesome and the dlc gave it justice.Some of the people wanted LI reunion andSometime u gotta love the objectivness of people.You play agame for some hours and u are literaly mind blown till the end.Then u negate everything u played till then.Why?Is there a reason to give 0 or 1 when u have enjoyed 98% of game content?Shows the maturity and objectivity of people on metacritic.Game was awesome and the dlc gave it justice.Some of the people wanted LI reunion and happy rainbow ending.Got the second,and for the first part gave which they didnt get gave a 0.They just proven that they played the game for its sex and not the story.Is it a 10?no,it is certainly a 9,a masterpiece of our time… Expand
  52. HunterZolomon
    Jun 28, 2012
    0
    I'm changing my previous review in light of the new Extended Cut. I'm changing it to ZERO!

    Despite the Extended Cut this game still has the worst ending in the history of video games. They actually took the time to polish the turd instead of addressing the numerous and serious flaws in the game. Bioware has completely lost all credibility in the last few years. Not only because their    I'm changing my previous review in light of the new Extended Cut. I'm changing it to ZERO!

    Despite the Extended Cut this game still has the worst ending in the history of video games. They actually took the time to polish the turd instead of addressing the numerous and serious flaws in the game. Bioware has completely lost all credibility in the last few years. Not only because their new games are rushed and come nowhere near the level of excellence they used to, but because they treat their fanbase like **** and lie to them.    … Expand
  53. Tehsoupman12
    Jun 27, 2012
    6
    As much as I really wanted to enjoy Mass Effect 3, there really is the feeling of this game getting rushed out of the door. In comparison to the first two, the story is paper thin, revolving around priority missions which somehow or another result in a main character being killed, much to my extreme disdain. The combat, I feel, isn't as well done or even fun as its predecessors, and by theAs much as I really wanted to enjoy Mass Effect 3, there really is the feeling of this game getting rushed out of the door. In comparison to the first two, the story is paper thin, revolving around priority missions which somehow or another result in a main character being killed, much to my extreme disdain. The combat, I feel, isn't as well done or even fun as its predecessors, and by the time the nonsensical ending came along, I was so ready to be done, that I didn't even care. Truly one of the most disappointing sequels I've ever experienced.… Expand
  54. Orcson1
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    Mass Effect 3 was a triumph.... Until the final 5 minutes. But now, even those 5 minutes are a triumph. With the new FREE Extended Cut DLC, Bioware has improved the endings greatly and brought this game to full and utter greatness. The writing is phenomenal, the voice work is amazing, and gameplay is fun and easy to use. The graphics are a little outdated, but that doesn't matter, becauseMass Effect 3 was a triumph.... Until the final 5 minutes. But now, even those 5 minutes are a triumph. With the new FREE Extended Cut DLC, Bioware has improved the endings greatly and brought this game to full and utter greatness. The writing is phenomenal, the voice work is amazing, and gameplay is fun and easy to use. The graphics are a little outdated, but that doesn't matter, because everything else shines. Mass Effect 3 was one of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had the pleasure of playing through, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone.… Expand
  55. H4rb1nger
    Jun 27, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I remember waiting for ME3 last year, getting excited thanks to all the E3 footage, thinking about how good this game will be.Well, was I wrong?Mostly, no.The game is great and above average.But is it better than the previous games?

    No.

    Not even close.The main thing that made ME1 & 2 so great was the storyline, the characters, the lore, the conversations.

    The RPG and combat elements together in ME1 weren't so great and the game ended being quite buggy.But it had something that no other game at the time had.With ME2, this was taken to the next level with even more conversation options and characters.ME2 was a rather personal tale, and while it was incredible, it felt more like a sub story.The amount of depth in the game's characters is something that you don't normally see.While the combat improved in ME2, the RPG elements were dumbed down to the point where it's just barely an RPG, but still being acceptable.

    Now, based on the above, what you would expect from ME3 is more refined, better RPG elements and more focus on the main storyline with the convo options staying mainly the same.

    But no.What we got with ME3 is insane amount of auto dialogue, less conversation options, and an overall more simple plot.Oh, and we also got totally GOW like combat and multiplayer.WHY?

    Now if you actually read this far, you might be wondering what I mean by "more simple plot".While the previous games had many twists and turns to keep the story rolling, the only proper twist in ME3 was SPOILERS the citadel being the catalyst.Now, I do agree with others that the Tuchanka & Rannoch missions were incredible and very well written, the storyline itself is about nothing but gaining alliances while a super plot device being built.

    The other thing I disliked about the story is some of the villians.The illusive man was one of the most interesting characters through ME2, and I could've imagined him being both the villian and the secret ally in ME3.But, instead, he is forced to be a villian, and not just that, but they also made him completely retarded in ME3.Some might argue that he is indoctrinated however, i'm quite sure he isn't right up untill he "injects himself" (seen aboard the Cerb. hq, on the very last video log.)Kai Leng, is just lame.He was a great villian in the books, but here he's just a **** who only survives as long as he does because of plot shields and his precious gunship.

    The combat being upgraded to GOW level was just completely unnessacary.But the worst thing still is what they did to the convo options.Shepard doesn't really feel like your shepard anymore.Or not mostly anyways.

    The other, very big issue with ME3 is the sidequests.The fetch quests are just boring and rather pointless, while the N7 missions are just multiplayer maps with some lore attached to them.They bored me to death, honestly.

    Now that my main issues are out of the way, let's discuss the good things about ME3.
    -Although the combat is very GOW like, it is quite fun, and the more improved RPG elements are just great.
    -Many of the missions are very well put together, infact, I have to say I enjoyed most of them, besides the retarded fetch quests and N7 missions of course.
    -While the convo options are dumbed down, the dialogue itself, is very well written and a real treat to long time fans.The only dialogue I was honestly dissapointed with is the speeches, which are not half as epic as they were in ME2.
    -The multiplayer, while completely unnessacary, is quite enjoyable.For some time, atleast.The unlock system, although critisized by many, is one of the highlights of the MP in my opinion.
    -The (NEW) ending.The ending, at first, before EC, was horrible.No closure, no explanation, just crap.With EC on the other hand, the ending is very well explained and also gives more than enough closure as well as a much better reflection of your choices.
    -The graphics and the scenery is nice.Not the best, and certainly won't impress and PC graphics geeks, it is good.

    Overall, dispite the unforgivable thing they did to the storytelling and converstations, the game still ends up being great.I personally enjoyed it a lot, even like this, although I was left somewhat dissapointed.

    8.4/10    … Expand
  56. Asharakk
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    The new ending is a huge improvement and the series now feels a lot more complete. The game is such an amazing experience, no one in their right mind should pass on it.
  57. KingMJE
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    After this extended cut update, i forgive bioware for the issues with the ending of the game, i withdraw my last review and now give you a true review, thank you bioware.
  58. Vehement
    Jun 24, 2012
    0
    Hate ME3 with a passion. I swallowed ME2 because the non-existing storyline was compensated by great characters (Mordin, Garrus, Thane, Samara, Illusive Man). All the major characters in ME2 are irrelevant to ME3, because all but one becomes brief, un-join-able NPCs and their deaths are inconsequential to the story. While Tali returns as playable, her role is moot in the storyline.Hate ME3 with a passion. I swallowed ME2 because the non-existing storyline was compensated by great characters (Mordin, Garrus, Thane, Samara, Illusive Man). All the major characters in ME2 are irrelevant to ME3, because all but one becomes brief, un-join-able NPCs and their deaths are inconsequential to the story. While Tali returns as playable, her role is moot in the storyline. What is worst is that all the new team members are bland.

    The Collector story from ME2 is pointless other than vaguely explaining indoctrination and introducing the Illusive Man, who goes from a major protagonist to antagonist in ME2 to a side character in ME3. He even went from a racist to a racist who turn himself to another race. Ironic?

    Bioware ripped out the great character developments in ME3 and left us with a bad story. "Hey guys! I found something that looks like a blueprint to something. It might be a weapon but we don't know. This blueprint is from a race that was wiped out by the very entities threatening us, so we should gamble and put the entire galaxy's resource into building it!." WORST PREMISE EVER! The details of the device should have been placed before the making than after the making of the device!!!

    What the hell was Shepard doing for the past 6months or a year between ME2 and ME3? I can keep going like the story of IT, But all the other bullcrap can be viewed in bioware's social forum. Bioware you disappoint me. Time for me to go back to Bethesda.    … Expand
  59. MrDerpking
    Jun 20, 2012
    2
    wow EA just wow ever since you bought bioware they havent made anything great the mass effect games were ok but the ending..... is "special" nothing changes in the ending except Colors WOW! Also jennifer hepler I would like to blame YOU for this travesty.
  60. Duratan
    Jun 19, 2012
    0
    Mass effect is a game that tries to appease old fans and be a natural starting point for new fans sadly it fails at both new fans will feel overwhelmed by the situations while old fans will feel betrayed by the lack of differences in choices, i will elaborate on both but i would like this time to say the there will be spoilers

    spoiler alert new fans wont understand the gravity of the    Mass effect is a game that tries to appease old fans and be a natural starting point for new fans sadly it fails at both new fans will feel overwhelmed by the situations while old fans will feel betrayed by the lack of differences in choices, i will elaborate on both but i would like this time to say the there will be spoilers

    spoiler alert

    new fans wont understand the gravity of the geth quarian conflict and wont feel the much passion when the shepard (the protagonist) talks about the sacrifice of a squad-mate that occurred in the first game, its also a bit overwhelming to be dumped in to this world with a lack of understanding of the different races

    older fans will play a much more dumbed down version of the game, as the organization that you may have helped in previous game will be your enemy no matter what you did before, the game is also much more linear then previous games, and your a pigeon-holed in the the ending no matter what happens

    if your new to the series, you will still be taken on an emotional roller coaster that you may enjoy and this game should be rated a 6/10

    however if your a new fan the ending (at least for me) actually makes the two previous games worse meaning that this game should be given a negative score, as i am a fan of the previous games i will give it the lowest possible score of "0", as im not allowed to give the game a negative 20 for ruining the other two 10/10 games in the series    … Expand
  61. dupplawt
    Jun 19, 2012
    6
    Having played through several times now, I am adjusting my score down. Whilst there are some brilliant parts of the story the ending is a wimper which makes no sense due to poor programming and writing. I don't care if the 'Extended Cut' pieces some of it together - it is poor finishing and Bioware should be ashamed of their sloppiness.
  62. marinade_royale
    Jun 16, 2012
    3
    Action scenes bugged, false choices, closed world and linear progression. Whatever i did, i got the same results of my friend who made different choices.
    My only pleasure is when i see my character is better in fight than theirs.
    I won't even talk about the end which made us want to never play it again. Music is good. Probably, i will sell it to someone else like a cursed gift. Oh,    Action scenes bugged, false choices, closed world and linear progression. Whatever i did, i got the same results of my friend who made different choices.
    My only pleasure is when i see my character is better in fight than theirs.
    I won't even talk about the end which made us want to never play it again.

    Music is good.

    Probably, i will sell it to someone else like a cursed gift. Oh, and DLC ? Seriously ?    … Expand
  63. chris23433
    Jun 14, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect 3, the epic finale to one of best sci fi trilogies created. The finale though, completely ruins what was one of the best series ever. It's not just the ending. Although yes the ending destroys all semblance of immersion, canon, good story telling, and much more, it's not only the ending that makes Mass Effect 3 a terrible conclusion. First off, the gameplay or lack thereof. TheMass Effect 3, the epic finale to one of best sci fi trilogies created. The finale though, completely ruins what was one of the best series ever. It's not just the ending. Although yes the ending destroys all semblance of immersion, canon, good story telling, and much more, it's not only the ending that makes Mass Effect 3 a terrible conclusion. First off, the gameplay or lack thereof. The conversations are nothing like they used to be in the previous two. Whereas in the previous two you could input Shepard's descisions on the tiniest of choices, in Mass Effect 3 it's almost gone. You make some dialougue choices throughout the game, but most of the choices are made for you (I was playing on rpg mode by the way.) The quests are mainly filler consisting boring fetch quests. Although the side missions that are playable and have you on the ground are quite alot of fun to play and are the best moments in the game. Oh, and my final gripe the multiplayer. The online although alot of fun, SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN NECESSARY TO OBTAIN THE BEST ENDING IN THE SINGLEPLAYER. I remember hearing one of the developers at Bioware talk about how the multiplayer could impact the finale, but wouldn't be necessary to obtain the best ending. What happened to that? What happened to the various amounts of endings? What happened to amazing choices? What happened to Mass Effect? I don't know to be honest, but it's quite sad to see what was one of the best series in gaming from one of the most talented developers in the industry, deliver a product this... dissapointing. I remember playing the first Kotor and the first Mass Effect games, and being amazed at the amount of choices I could make, and the impact I had on the characters. Hell, in the original Kotor towards the end you could completely turn on your old squadmates and reclaim your title as Lord of the Sith with the aide of one of your former crewmates/love interest. In the original Mass Effect if you played it right you could convince of one the main villians to kill himself in order to help the galaxy. This, though is not the Bioware of Kotor or ME1. In ME3 none of your choices throughout the entire series matter when it comes to the ending. None. All you get are three different **** color explosions with the same exact pros and cons regardles of what you choose. This game was horrid. Perhaps, the ending dlc Bioware is making shall remedy the ending. Even if it does though, the dissapointment I felt while playing through Mass Effect 3 and viewing its ending shall not. I have lost a great amount of faith in Bioware as a good developer. It's sad to see what could've the most epic conclusion in gaming go so poorly.… Expand
  64. 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
  65. Cuddlezombie
    Jun 12, 2012
    0
    I know that this score my seem harsh to some of the hardcore Mass Effect gamers out there, but i was so disappointed with Mass Effect 3 that in my opinion it doesn't deserve a better rating. I have way to many complaints to list here, but the things that really annoy me about this game are simple. Bioware have gone from ripping of other sci-fi tv shows, games, books etc to ripping of GearsI know that this score my seem harsh to some of the hardcore Mass Effect gamers out there, but i was so disappointed with Mass Effect 3 that in my opinion it doesn't deserve a better rating. I have way to many complaints to list here, but the things that really annoy me about this game are simple. Bioware have gone from ripping of other sci-fi tv shows, games, books etc to ripping of Gears of War and badly at that. Also, why do they feel the need to do a Dragon Age 2 and overly sexualize the characters. For a female gamers such as myself, I dont need to see Miranda's bum when I am having a conversation and dont want to play a game that degrades women. Therefore I have marked Mass Effect 3 down from the score I gave it and was highly disappionted as I like the other Mass Effect games.… Expand
  66. Vertillian
    Jun 12, 2012
    0
    Before anyone calls me a "troll" for giving this game a zero, allow me to explain. Originally I thought this game deserved a 5/10. I found about half the content enjoyable, if a little bland. The music was lacking in atmosphere, the dialogue is ropey and the graphics buggy! (my characters head revolved like an excorcist moment!) Then came the gameplay, removed almost completely fromBefore anyone calls me a "troll" for giving this game a zero, allow me to explain. Originally I thought this game deserved a 5/10. I found about half the content enjoyable, if a little bland. The music was lacking in atmosphere, the dialogue is ropey and the graphics buggy! (my characters head revolved like an excorcist moment!) Then came the gameplay, removed almost completely from anything remotely RPG and lacking depth. The A.I are atrocious, constantly glitching through walls and running backwards into enemies. Despite this, I was enjoying an average 5/10 game. Then came the release day content that was included on the disc, pointless multiplayer, ridiculous flirting for no reason, massively boring sections of corridor shooting monotony, and the fact I had to swap disc four times within 40mins!!! This is yet another over-hyped and over-rated lazy effort from bioware. I waited and only paid £15 for it and still felt cheated. If this is the supposed "natural evolution of the RPG" I worry for the future of decent, in depth games. My last grievance, that really dropped the score, was the blatant copying of Gears Of War. The cover system I can accept, but now add roady-running, rolls, jumps and melee. Also now a hammer of dawn impression! Give it a rest Bioware and get your own ideas.… Expand
  67. niketnb
    Jun 11, 2012
    5
    There have many reviews about this game, and most of them are commenting about the poor ending of this game. But I think this game is definite a worth to buy game, the reason because of the multi-player. How the graphics were superb with a very dandy covering system, going through every corners, sprinting and cover from enemies firing. There just had many ways to play your own style ofThere have many reviews about this game, and most of them are commenting about the poor ending of this game. But I think this game is definite a worth to buy game, the reason because of the multi-player. How the graphics were superb with a very dandy covering system, going through every corners, sprinting and cover from enemies firing. There just had many ways to play your own style of game, with a lot of selection of characters and using different abilities. On the other hand, limited maps and difficulty were the main problem in multiplayer which lower the score. For professional gamers, I think gold challenge was a bit too easy due to the fact that there were too much ways to play this game, entertaining with communicating with four players. Moreover, multiplayer only have 5-6 maps weren't enough to last the gameplay long, which only for maximum 1 month or so. Increasing the varies or mods in multiplayer can improve the overall rating since that the single player's ending was weak. Overall, I think this game's selling was just for multiplayer, if gamers were just waiting for the single player, this game won't be your choice.… Expand
  68. DETHREAPER
    Jun 10, 2012
    10
    The most brilliant game to be made yet. The story lived up to, and even set the bar higher for what a science fiction story could do. The perfect mix of philosophy, analytical thought, and emotion present created something no other story has been able to achieve, and that is perfection. To be fair, video games aren't just about story, no matter the level of brilliance, but gameplay also.The most brilliant game to be made yet. The story lived up to, and even set the bar higher for what a science fiction story could do. The perfect mix of philosophy, analytical thought, and emotion present created something no other story has been able to achieve, and that is perfection. To be fair, video games aren't just about story, no matter the level of brilliance, but gameplay also. That being said, Mass Effect 3 is a paradigm of an RPG shooter, which again, set the bar higher for others. On another note, I was a bit leery about the soundtrack when I heard that Jack Wall was leaving, but as soon as I heard what Clint Mansell had to present, my fears were assuaged; as usual, he has masterfully orchestrated pieces that contribute to mood and emotion, while sticking to the roots of the series' sound. With Mass Effect 3, there is literally nothing I can think of that could be improved or changed, as perfection cannot be improved upon any further.… Expand
  69. Mattyice
    Jun 10, 2012
    7
    This is a very fine third person shooter. great graphics, fine gameplay, but very poor use of kinect, no great multiplayer. Buy with major caution..
  70. BeatrixKiddo27
    Jun 10, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect was my favorite game series ever. I was a huge fan on Bioware, owning almost all of their games. Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game of all time. I was so excited for the ending to the planned space opera trilogy, and for the most part, it was amazing. Throughout the entire game, I was in awe of the amazing scenes played out. This game was larger than anything before in theMass Effect was my favorite game series ever. I was a huge fan on Bioware, owning almost all of their games. Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game of all time. I was so excited for the ending to the planned space opera trilogy, and for the most part, it was amazing. Throughout the entire game, I was in awe of the amazing scenes played out. This game was larger than anything before in the series, and you face some of the biggest intergalactic issues, such as the Geth & Quarian war. The gameplay is tighter, the character interaction great, 95% of this game is a masterpiece. Then you reach the infamous ending. This ending ruined everything, this game, and the trilogy as a whole. It is somewhat amazing that in 10 minutes, Bioware is able to destroy a series. When you think Mass Effect, you think player choice and impact. This ending takes that all away, and makes literally every choice you made prior pointless.

    Rather than give an ending that made sense, one that was hinted at by the games, they decided to try to transcend the game into an artistic statement. Instead they created plot holes, and divided their fanbase.

    Oh well, there's always Uncharted.    … Expand
  71. Blidly
    Jun 9, 2012
    7
    I wanted to like this game I swear. I loved the first two games and was prepared for more but I just couldnt love it like the others.
    The game plays very similary to Mass Effect 2 , though I have been spoilt by playing other amazing 3rd person shooters and this felt quite weightless and cover mechanic I didnt like. The enemies are quite generic and all follow similar patterns, meaning it    I wanted to like this game I swear. I loved the first two games and was prepared for more but I just couldnt love it like the others.
    The game plays very similary to Mass Effect 2 , though I have been spoilt by playing other amazing 3rd person shooters and this felt quite weightless and cover mechanic I didnt like. The enemies are quite generic and all follow similar patterns, meaning it felt repetitive.
    The game has been updated graphically to make it look fantastic , though with this high polygon count this means shepard always has to have his gun out like a sociopath. The story is awesome and I really enjoyed it, though "cameo-ing" all the characters from the previous game felt very cheesy , though was nice to see what happened to them.
    In the end the story was what pulled me through the boring action, if you've never played Mass Effect , play ME2 and then decide to continue. If you played the others, play through this just to finish your story.    … Expand
  72. FictionalOrange
    Jun 7, 2012
    9
    This game is thus far the best of the year- and perhaps could have been one of the best games of all time, save for lackluster ending. The journey to get to that ending, however, is what counts. People who say the ending ruined the whole series are idiots- the game is gorgeous from start to finish. The story is brilliant, the characters are well developed, and the gameplay is tight andThis game is thus far the best of the year- and perhaps could have been one of the best games of all time, save for lackluster ending. The journey to get to that ending, however, is what counts. People who say the ending ruined the whole series are idiots- the game is gorgeous from start to finish. The story is brilliant, the characters are well developed, and the gameplay is tight and satisfying. Player choice shapes the path to the conclusion, allowing each player to make their own story, although the ending itself is perhaps not as user-driven as many fans would like. Fans of the first two installments will not be disappointed with the game itself, although those seeking closure and every answer to every question posed in the mass effect universe should be wary that the conclusion provides neither. It is the ending of the game, which feels so disjointed from the rest of the game and unrelated to anything else in the entire series, that ultimately holds the game back from being one of the greatest of all time. That said, when taken as a whole, the game ties up many loose ends from the previous two installments and immerses new and old players alike in the series' rich lore. The graphics are gorgeous minus a few flaws here and there and the soundtrack is beautiful and haunting- the series' best. This game was beautifully executed (excluding the questionable ending) and dwarfs every other game I've played recently. It will stick with me for a while. Highly recommended.… Expand
  73. freckleface
    Jun 5, 2012
    10
    This game is incredible. The ending is very controversial (as you can see by the huge amount of negative reviews), and is the only reason I wouldn't give this a 10. But they're making a DLC to improve the end, and that's good enough for me. The combat is perfectly polished, fun and responsive. The story is as good as you would expect from a Bioware game. The characters are incredible. ThisThis game is incredible. The ending is very controversial (as you can see by the huge amount of negative reviews), and is the only reason I wouldn't give this a 10. But they're making a DLC to improve the end, and that's good enough for me. The combat is perfectly polished, fun and responsive. The story is as good as you would expect from a Bioware game. The characters are incredible. This is a great end to an AWESOME series. Highly recommended!… Expand
  74. BARONvonVOLTAGE
    Jun 5, 2012
    10
    the mass effect trilogy comes to an end, sadly. this game is much improved on the first two, controls are easier, the game is fluid and not glitchy, the story ebbs and flows as fast or slow as you like. the multiplayer is a welcome addition, if a little shortlived (more on the way). the only thing that really let this down was the quite terrible ending. after playing as shepherd for maybethe mass effect trilogy comes to an end, sadly. this game is much improved on the first two, controls are easier, the game is fluid and not glitchy, the story ebbs and flows as fast or slow as you like. the multiplayer is a welcome addition, if a little shortlived (more on the way). the only thing that really let this down was the quite terrible ending. after playing as shepherd for maybe 60-70 hours over the three games i really expected a clearer more defined ending.… Expand
  75. coopers41
    Jun 4, 2012
    8
    while not the perfect game, mass effect 3 is an amazing game. the right amount of rpg and action and cinematics that put some hollywood movies to shame. great control, smooth visuals, its hard to pick many faults but the positives outweigh the negatives. if you liked mass effect 2 you will like the third and final chapter of this space opera.
  76. 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
  77. hollowfication
    Jun 3, 2012
    0
    this is dumb dumb even with total bad ending the even more problem to it the kinect feature on 360 does not do what we ask it when you say player name advance to attack stay back etc then when u use words like ok let go say it sometimes it pick it up
  78. bikeman
    Jun 3, 2012
    10
    I know that they are those that were disappointed by the ending they got. There were in fact 7 different endings and the options you had for the ending was based on your military readiness when you went into battle, as well as choices you made in the game. Yes, all the endings did leave unanswered questions, and it was not the classic storybook ending we seem to expect in games, books,I know that they are those that were disappointed by the ending they got. There were in fact 7 different endings and the options you had for the ending was based on your military readiness when you went into battle, as well as choices you made in the game. Yes, all the endings did leave unanswered questions, and it was not the classic storybook ending we seem to expect in games, books, and movies today. You know, the heroes hugging and high-fiving each other and walking into the victoriously into sunset. However, I credit Bioware for doing something outside of the standard â… Expand
  79. TheMaximalist
    Jun 1, 2012
    9
    The Mass Effect series for me has been one of the best for this generation and now Bioware is bringing us the final show down we have been waiting for since 2007. I must say this is one of my favorite games ever. The story is naturally awesome because the player makes it with the many more complex decisions and epic battles. The galaxy is in chaos and the only way to survive is to uniteThe Mass Effect series for me has been one of the best for this generation and now Bioware is bringing us the final show down we have been waiting for since 2007. I must say this is one of my favorite games ever. The story is naturally awesome because the player makes it with the many more complex decisions and epic battles. The galaxy is in chaos and the only way to survive is to unite and to do this Shepard must bring the galaxy together. This idea allows Bioware to add those tough decisions and those epic battles so the game isn't so action centered like Mass Effect 2. Talking about the action all the shooting and power distribution mechanics have been smoothed and the game feels less static than ME2. The set pieces and the remarkable battles have made even more epic and weaves dialogue into it all. The graphics are great but not the best on 260 and the soundtrack was great and weapon sounds had a great bang bang to them. 360 users can also use Kniect to issue commands on the battlefield and speak in cutscenes. This was good most of the time but sometimes I did a really loud "ohhh what do I do" and it chose for me which sucked. This game is suitably awesome with the whole shooter rpg mix done perfectly. Mass Effect 3 also includes co-op multiplayer which is a first for the series and I really enjoyed this. Most co-op multiplayer isn't really that compelling but this was great. It's a wave mode with bonus objectives which you gert credits for which you can spend on new characters,weapons and upgrades. There has been 2 free dlc packs with new characters and bonuses.
    Story-10-Mass Effect has always had a great story but this is amazing
    Graphics-8-Great sci-fi sfx and battlefields
    Sound-9-Weapons have great kicks and effects and the soundtrack is another sci fi epic
    Value-10-Mass Effect has always been about replaying for that perfect ending and this is no different
    Gameplay-9.5-Great shooting and cover mechanics, never gets old but a few tech glitches here and there
    Overall-46.5/50    … Expand
  80. braddogg623
    May 31, 2012
    9
    The ending . . . ugh. If you're checking Metacritic, you know the flaws of the ending of Mass Effect 3. It's a crime. But, the journey to the ending is tremendous, and the people giving a low rating to ME3 tend to focus on the last 10 minutes rather than the first 30 hours of the game. ME3 hits the balance between action and RPG: ME1 was nuts-and-bolts RPG (modding your guns took hoursThe ending . . . ugh. If you're checking Metacritic, you know the flaws of the ending of Mass Effect 3. It's a crime. But, the journey to the ending is tremendous, and the people giving a low rating to ME3 tend to focus on the last 10 minutes rather than the first 30 hours of the game. ME3 hits the balance between action and RPG: ME1 was nuts-and-bolts RPG (modding your guns took hours in total if you wanted to make a difference in gun performance), ME2 was very action-oriented (simplistic leveling system, minimal weapon upgrading, though the side quests mechanics of crew loyalty hinted at RPG roots). In ME3, you have the opportunity to really create a character with the combat strengths and weaknesses you desire. The shooter mechanics in ME3 were also very good. Despite some trouble grasping the cover system early on, I was able to complete the game on Insanity (high-level adept class imported from ME1 & ME2) without much difficulty, but with a lot of patience. The game featured more cut-scenes than I was accustomed to seeing in a Mass Effect game, which was disappointing, but the cut-scenes were good graphically and fit the general expectation I had of my Shepard. In short, ME3 is a good blending of ME1's RPG focus and ME2's action focus. I hated the ending, but I still give this game a 9/10. Especially if you played ME1 and ME2, you'll love ME3 except for the last 15 minutes. Stay tuned for free DLC to fix that ending, too.… Expand
  81. Chronocross
    May 28, 2012
    0
    I'm a huge fan of the series. I loved this game about 75% of the way through then it completely fell short. It is sad that a good series can be taken and destroyed. Let this be a lesson to companies that changing your writing team for something is not a good thing.
  82. 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
  83. Teelo
    May 28, 2012
    3
    A good game until the last 5 minutes. The controls are ok but still bugged at cover. Seeing most of the character from the previous game is very cool. But it will be the only mass effect game I don't want to re play: the end is to crappy. The day one DLC is also a slap in the face. As the fact that playing coop as an impact on the solo game (when i play mass effect, i play a solo game!)
  84. Phategod1
    May 26, 2012
    9
    I know this is supposed to a review but in all honestly I must express my dissatisfaction and disgust with these cretins who consider themselves fans. They do not deserve a game with the quality of Mass Effect. All these 7and below rating are disingenuous and knee jerk reactions to not getting what they wanted.
  85. MethodicCircle
    May 25, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not like most of the people who have reviewed ME3 here up to this point. By this I mean that I'm 47 years old. I also was introduced to this series with ME3. I only got into console-based gaming three or four years ago; the last console I owned before my PS3 was an Intellivision (swear to God). There were several titles in 2009 which grabbed my attention by the ba11s and totally immersed me into gaming. That being said, I tried the demo to ME2 when it hit the PSN a couple of years ago and it made NO sense to me - controlling 2 other characters and figuring out how AI had progressed SO much was just too much for my head to grapple with. Then came ME3. Not only did it romance the heck out of me with the ads (still can't believe they worked so well on me), I suckered into the hype of release day. Still didn't play it for 2 weeks. Then once I started I couldn't stop. I was overwhelmed by the emotions that this game was pulling out of me ... when I went to work, I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd just experienced. I couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen next ... the first time I had to wipe out an entire civilization it devastated me. My friends started becoming concerned about my inability to separate fact from fiction! ; ) I wasn't aware of the romance options ... and when Steve Cortez said that he had lost his husband in a Collector invasion ... I dropped my controller. (I'm a gay guy). Thank God a friend was here to confirm what I thought I had just heard. (so what if the dialogue betw. Shep and Steve becomes a little contrived ... the ADVANCEMENT that this is for us gays feels MONUMENTAL to me). I almost fell off the edge of my chair while bringing Javic back to life. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, was some BRILLIANT scifi writing. (re the salarians: "they used to eat flies." --- OMG!) Then I got to the end. After I finally stopped CRYING because Shepard had almost just died like that I got to the ending sequence. I knew I hated that little kid from the beginning. I like to think I understand the ending ... and how it got there. I HATE the fact that he (presumably) had to die. HATE IT. I didn't necessarily like the ending to "Schindler's List" either, but that's how it was meant to be seen. Everything in life doesn't come with closure or wrap itself up in a tidy little ending to make you feel better. Some things just are what they are and leave us to figure it out ... or not. If you really think about it, the ending could have been A LOT worse. But this game intrigued me so much that I RAN to get ME2 and ME. Which brings me REALLY to why I'm writing this. The technical advancement from ME to ME3 is reason enough to gush about the game. I was a little thrown off by the "godzilla"-like lip movements, but my God people ... in just 10 years the technological advancements that were made with this series is something that should be rewarded (like by an Academy Award or something). (sorry for the upcoming pun) The mass effect (told you) that this game had on me will always stay with me. And keep me gaming into my 80s (probably).

    Someone on this page made a comment about ME3 being "sodomic and heterophobic"... first, dude, those aren't words. Second, the majority of the world is straight. Statistically gay is only 10% of the population. By giving the male Shep a possible 2 out of 7 love interests that pretty much keeps in line with global statistics. Unless you think the entire world is hetero-phobic .... ??

    I think ME3 ROCKED. (and thanks for letting me rant like this! : )    … Expand
  86. lllama408
    May 24, 2012
    10
    This game truly deserves a perfect score. Not based off track record with the entire series, but just looking at the single game itself, it's one of the games you hold onto forever just for the memories and replay ability.
    Just to get it out of the way, I understand everyone's frustrations with the ending scenes and how they felt there was no closure whatsoever, too bad. Questions don't    This game truly deserves a perfect score. Not based off track record with the entire series, but just looking at the single game itself, it's one of the games you hold onto forever just for the memories and replay ability.
    Just to get it out of the way, I understand everyone's frustrations with the ending scenes and how they felt there was no closure whatsoever, too bad. Questions don't always get answered, but that doesn't automatically cancel out everything the game had accomplished up to that point. It's like comparing it to a football player. His first 10 seasons of play are phenomenal and record breaking, but then he is human so he has a mediocre 11th year, and disregarding his entire career and saying he is a bust because he had one human effort of a year. The visuals are stunning all around, sound is great, gameplay is intense and innovative at times, and the story is beyond captivating especially if you have stuck around for the entire series. The multiplayer is beyond fun and time consuming, and satisfying when you unlock a new character before your friends do. The one knock I have on it is that you pretty much do have to play at the 2nd installment of the game before the 3rd to truly understand everything that is going on and not have TOO many questions starting off the game. Faltering it from just being a game a noob to the series can pick up and just start at. Lay off the bad ending, deal with it, move on to a new series, or hope it was BioWare's plan all along with the new DLC coming soon, or meaning the series isn't over.    … Expand
  87. MikeHammersmith
    May 24, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A fine ending to perhaps the greatest gaming series ever. Minor improvements over Mass Effect 2's battle engine, skill tree and weapon's features make this one familiar, yet better than previous installments. Yes, the ending was a bit lousy, but in no way does that hurt the gaming experience, though I'm interested to see what the company does with the alternate ending download.… Expand
  88. GooBear
    May 23, 2012
    7
    Not the best of the Mass Effect series but it definitely doesn't deserve anything under a 5/10. Anything rated below are reviews based on bias opinion and nothing more. The gameplay has changed since the 1st two installments. AI and shooting mechanics have been largely improved but to the disappointment to most fans of the 1st game, the gameplay has evolved into more a shooter than RPGNot the best of the Mass Effect series but it definitely doesn't deserve anything under a 5/10. Anything rated below are reviews based on bias opinion and nothing more. The gameplay has changed since the 1st two installments. AI and shooting mechanics have been largely improved but to the disappointment to most fans of the 1st game, the gameplay has evolved into more a shooter than RPG style. Skill building has actually improved from ME2 as now there are a lot more ways to evolve your squads abilities. In my personal opinion I enjoyed the story and I don't need to debate why. It seems like it's always a question of why I don't hate it. Your choices from the previous games are reflected all throughout the game but some choices within ME3's story aren't reflected where they should be. Now, to criticize on the actual flaws of ME3 (*note: these are mostly opinion). My #1 issue w/ it is the absence of Jack Wall. Suicide Mission/ The End Run was the best composition within a video game and was at least half of the epic-ness of ME2's ending. I know he chose to leave BioWare for other projects but still: Why work w/ the 1st 2 games then bail. Also, Clint Mansell's "Leaving Earth" is a complete rip-off of John Murphy's compositions from the main theme of the movie "Sunshine". It's even in my opinion that the Observation Room aboard the Normandy was practically ripped straight from this movie. Second: Ashley's appearance. She went from a "girl you'd bring home to mama" to a "don't tell my boyfriend" kinda girl. It kinda reminds me of young pop-stars who debut as a sweet innocent teen then turn to a raunchy sleaze as soon as they hit 18. The only other thing wrong w/ this game is some slight continuity issues w/ "some" decisions made in previous games and so-called plot holes discovered from over-analysis but they aren't enough of an issue to lose faith in this game or the development team behind it.… Expand
  89. Daedulos
    May 22, 2012
    9
    i have to say that i really did enjoy the demo when it first came out, and i really loved it when i got my hands on the limited edition of the game. the game play was solid, voice acting was perfect, graphics were tight, and the story just flowed with the series. im not saying that did not have any flaws though (which every game does have by the way), but i did feel that i didnt get thei have to say that i really did enjoy the demo when it first came out, and i really loved it when i got my hands on the limited edition of the game. the game play was solid, voice acting was perfect, graphics were tight, and the story just flowed with the series. im not saying that did not have any flaws though (which every game does have by the way), but i did feel that i didnt get the choices i really wanted at the end of it, and i would have prefered that the campaign's success did not rely on the multiplayer, which was good enough as it is, but all and all i couldnt help but fall in love with the game again, i only hope more people get to experience it too.… Expand
  90. tigger
    May 22, 2012
    10
    I know lots of gamers think that the ending is very disappointing, but Bioware will bring the extended cut and then I decide about the ending-thing. Besides that ME3 is a solid third part of the franchise with good graphics, great voice acting, good story and perfect gameplay. Its multiplayer is also very addictive and you can have hours of fun with it. Great game, could be better but II know lots of gamers think that the ending is very disappointing, but Bioware will bring the extended cut and then I decide about the ending-thing. Besides that ME3 is a solid third part of the franchise with good graphics, great voice acting, good story and perfect gameplay. Its multiplayer is also very addictive and you can have hours of fun with it. Great game, could be better but I love it and I am a big fan since the first Mass Effect.… Expand
  91. PrimePaladin
    May 22, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all, let me say: this is not about the ending... ... ...oh who the hell am I trying to fool? This is ALL about the ending :) But I will put it in a way that most of the web seems to avoid: like it being something to feel shameful. There is no happy ending. Even picking the "right choices". Even playing for the best. Even spending hours and hours to complete any possible aspect of the game, it is going to end badly. For lots of people (for me of course, I think for many others, and I suspect for a lot of those lamenting for so many rational reasons) it is important to have a chance to make the story "go right". The good wins, the bad sucks, now let's kiss the girl in the sunset and YAY! I can understand all the babbling about "artistic choice" "moral dilemma" "heroic sacrifice" and I can understand that many like them, but I think that after five years, three games and hundreds of hours spent playing, It is hard to chew up, for any of those scorned by the writers choices. This game could have been something epic, making all of the players happy (weel, most of them, let's say); something like the ending of the first Knights of the old republic with a wide variety of possible storylines, After all this is meant as a saga ending: no need for a common point from where to make the story go on. This could have been the "own" ending of every player for how he chose to play the game. Nothing against an indication of that which the authors considered the "true" ending for artistic purposes (or even for a sequel) but respect for any way of playing or feeling the storyline.

    Unfortunately, it has proven to be quite the opposite: they unbelievably matched the (harder I think) result to make any kind of player unhappy about what was going on. Nice shot, nothing to say 'bout it ;)

    The romantic happy ending lovers like me are angry for seeing all we "fought" for collapsed.

    Those interested in gameplay are angry for an anticlimax final fight, with a tedious dramatic walk (which could have been interesting, wouldn't it be so boring...) and... well... no final fight at all...

    Those interested in the story are angry for a turnaround of events almost senseless... (uh? the point of the story was the relation between biological being and machines? WAIT, you never mentioned it before... AND We already solved it a minute ago making peace between Geth and Quarians AND... this is Battlestar Galactica's ending too, isn't it a bit redundant?)

    I could go on fa a while but it is better to stop here: I enjoied playing the saga, but how it turned out made me feel so that the memory I have when I think of the trilogy is no more "ehy it was fun-tastic"... it is "meh, the poor Shepard, so saaaad". I think my point of view is pretty clear right now:.
    GIMME BACK MY DAMN HAPPY ENDING AND QUIT THIS CRAP ABOUT EVERYTHING, FOR BEING APPEALED "ARTISTIC" NEEDING TO BE AN OCEAN OF TEARS. There is already the real world for that: at least in videogames let me dream that a lone hero who tries hard enough can make things go right :)    … Expand
  92. TheMailman98
    May 21, 2012
    5
    Rated a five because of the lacking single player. I'm fine with the addition of multiplayer and the ability to play as another species in the online mode it a nice touch, but it seems to take away from what Mass effect is all about. The single player. With half of the game basically based on multiplayer, the other half focused on single player isn't nearly as interesting to play as theRated a five because of the lacking single player. I'm fine with the addition of multiplayer and the ability to play as another species in the online mode it a nice touch, but it seems to take away from what Mass effect is all about. The single player. With half of the game basically based on multiplayer, the other half focused on single player isn't nearly as interesting to play as the previous two games. If you want a good co-op multiplayer game then go ahead and get it, but the single player isn't as good as Mass effect one and two so don't get too excited.… Expand
  93. SirMoonfox
    May 21, 2012
    0
    Too have spent hours playing across three game, just to be able choice the color of an explosion and weather or not Joker has his toy, is just wrong.
  94. xGAMERxx
    May 20, 2012
    9
    Bioware has outdone themselves, this is an amazing game. But of course nothing is perfect. Like most other people, I too was disappointed with the terrible ending. But aside from the last 15 minutes or so, this game was truly amazing. Mass effect 3 starts where 2 left off. The reapers are coming at full force and it's up to Shepard to save the entire galaxy. If you haven't already, IBioware has outdone themselves, this is an amazing game. But of course nothing is perfect. Like most other people, I too was disappointed with the terrible ending. But aside from the last 15 minutes or so, this game was truly amazing. Mass effect 3 starts where 2 left off. The reapers are coming at full force and it's up to Shepard to save the entire galaxy. If you haven't already, I suggest that you pick up mass effect 1 and 2 and play them in order so everything falls into place, just so you won't end up confused (and you will get to meet some awesome characters along the way.) The thing I love most about mass effect is the characters. You actually start caring for the characters, each character has their own individual personality, you feel sad for the character, happy, and hey you might even be attracted to them. You could continue relationships from Mass effect 1-2 and it is really satisfying to see your character, and others develop. As i've said before the story is great aside from the last 15 mins. It really pulls you in and you just can't wait to see what happens next. The gameplay is a lot more fast paced compared to its predecessors but it works. All in all Mass effect 3 is a great game. it's a lot of fun, from seeing all of the awesome characters develop, to choosing to be a hero or a jerk, to the combat. This game receives a 9 from me. I took a point off for the unsatisfying ending.… Expand
  95. menoi
    May 20, 2012
    0
    made just to get look at the corrupted critics just for the money made just to get look at the corrupted critics just for the money made just to get look at the corrupted critics just for the money made just to get look at the corrupted critics just for the money made just to get look at the corrupted critics just for the money
  96. Fullmetal
    May 20, 2012
    10
    I have to address the elephant in the room. Many of the users who gave this game a negative review might not have understood what the ending signified. With that said, I will not reveal here what it means. That is for those who complete the game and have questions to try and solve. The fact of the matter is that this game had such a large scale of intergalactic drama that it was byfar theI have to address the elephant in the room. Many of the users who gave this game a negative review might not have understood what the ending signified. With that said, I will not reveal here what it means. That is for those who complete the game and have questions to try and solve. The fact of the matter is that this game had such a large scale of intergalactic drama that it was byfar the best Mass Effect to date. The amount of time invested in the game was a complete payoff to what I discovered about the end of the game. The fact that fans didn't understand the ending is a problem though. Hopefully, Bioware will release something to let everyone know what I discovered after looking into the game deeper. I'm not going to bash anyone who didn't like the game, but I urge them to wait and see. It really is an intelligent ending to a game. Just look at Knights of the Old Republic 2's ending. It was a total WTF moment, and fans really didn't freak out about that. If you want an ending that isn't roses and tulips, play this one to the end. Go on game help sites to figure out how to get the best ending. You won't regret it.… Expand
  97. John117
    May 20, 2012
    0
    This game was a huge disappointment. The combat was boring, the story was terrible, and the ending essentially ruined the previous two games for me. Mass effect 2 was dumbed down from ME1, but it was still a pretty good game. This one takes it ten steps further. "Action mode" says it all. The graphics are worse as well, many of the landscapes look blocky, the water looks awful...theThis game was a huge disappointment. The combat was boring, the story was terrible, and the ending essentially ruined the previous two games for me. Mass effect 2 was dumbed down from ME1, but it was still a pretty good game. This one takes it ten steps further. "Action mode" says it all. The graphics are worse as well, many of the landscapes look blocky, the water looks awful...the list goes on. I don't know what happened, if some of the better writers left between games, but the story in this one is cringe-worthy at every turn with few exceptions. I'd have rather this game had not even came out, which is saying a lot since I'd been looking forward to this conclusion of commander Shepard's story for the past 5 years or so. Don't buy this game.… Expand
  98. RS13
    May 20, 2012
    3
    Suppose I told you a story: Big bad guys invaded the galaxy, alone hero struggled to unite the galaxy in opposition to the baddies. The baddies weakness is discovered. There's a final showdown with the baddies above the hero's home planet. The baddies lose. Suppose I told you this story: Big bad guys invade the galaxy and no one can stop them. But in the darkest hour plans for a superSuppose I told you a story: Big bad guys invaded the galaxy, alone hero struggled to unite the galaxy in opposition to the baddies. The baddies weakness is discovered. There's a final showdown with the baddies above the hero's home planet. The baddies lose. Suppose I told you this story: Big bad guys invade the galaxy and no one can stop them. But in the darkest hour plans for a super weapon is discovered. Now our heroes must race to complete the weapon, before there's no galaxy left to save.
    The first one's probably a little better, but each is a decent story right?
    Now suppose I told you they were the *same* story. Wait, what?
    And suppose I told you that this story was made by a developer that prides itself on making "Story-based gaming." "Ha!" you'd say "that would be a terrible story. Each story gets to the same conclusion, so putting them together renders half of the story useless."
    "Besides, the stories are really incompatible. The first is more about a single character. The second is more about teams of scientists and engineers and the soldiers who buy them time. In the second the bad guys are unstoppable in the first they're just hard to stop. In the second the galaxy would be throwing everything they had at the enemy, just to slow them down for a bit. In the first, those troops need to be saved for the final battle."



    And now you'd realize this isn't hypothetical. Forget what you've heard about the ending. Mass effect 3's story just isn't any good.

    (And if you're wondering the half that you *play* is the half that gets rendered useless.)
    Toss in the facts that:
    -31 of the 68 ME3 missions are fetch quests (For comparison ME1 had 5 fetch quests and ME2 had 11)
    -The ending you get depends on how many of these fetch quests you do, though not in any narratively coherent way (you get a better ending the more you do).
    -It is impossible to get the best ending without playing multiplayer (YES, that's right. The ending to a three game single player story depends on whether you want to play multiplayer.)
    -Of the 15 possible surviving squad mates you get no more than 4 back.
    -Most of your decisions in ME1 and 2 are irrelevant, including some of the biggest decisions in the game.
    -Your dialogue options are more limited, often including only a top and bottom choice and Shepard sometimes speaks without you having any control over what he says.
    -None of Cerberus's interactions with Shepard make any sense. What's their endgame? Why do they care if Shepard unites the galaxy?
    And of course,
    -The terrible ending.

    To be fair, ME3 did have much better combat than ME1 or 2 and some of the missions (Rannoch and Tuchanka) are among the best in the series, but those two points do not a good game make. Combat's a side issue in Mass Effect and those missions are part of a larger story that utterly fails.    … Expand
  99. VengeanceUK
    May 19, 2012
    7
    Both good and bad. Plenty of settings to keep noobs and experts happy. The problem with this game though is that at points you can run round aimlessly and the pace is so slow it's really annoying, but then the game steps up everal gears and the pace becomes frenetic. The biggest gripe however are the endings, despite having 3 on offer, no matter which you chose, 90% of the ending isBoth good and bad. Plenty of settings to keep noobs and experts happy. The problem with this game though is that at points you can run round aimlessly and the pace is so slow it's really annoying, but then the game steps up everal gears and the pace becomes frenetic. The biggest gripe however are the endings, despite having 3 on offer, no matter which you chose, 90% of the ending is EXACTLY THE SAME.… Expand
  100. Dr2Bricks
    May 19, 2012
    10
    Some of the reviews on here are ludicrous. OK the last 15 minutes of at 30+ hour single player campaign may not appeal to everyone, but the rest of it is brilliant, stunning and engaging. This tops off the best ever game series. Add to this that the multiplayer element is more fun than you can shake a stick at. I'm not one for CoD online as I get pasted but this team based multiplayer gameSome of the reviews on here are ludicrous. OK the last 15 minutes of at 30+ hour single player campaign may not appeal to everyone, but the rest of it is brilliant, stunning and engaging. This tops off the best ever game series. Add to this that the multiplayer element is more fun than you can shake a stick at. I'm not one for CoD online as I get pasted but this team based multiplayer game provides a fantastic alternative. I for one am re-playing the main campaign as a different class (oh yes, not a solder this time but a biotic with jedi knight like powers). After that maybe as an engineer. There's so much that's good about this game that no one should let the criticism of the game ending put you off.

    If you've not played 1 and 2 then by all means buy them, as they give context to this game, but it does work on it's own. The Mass Effect franchise has eaten up a very enjoyable 200+ hours of my life.    … 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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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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