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. Mesmurae
    Mar 20, 2012
    1
    The ending completely killed the entire series for me. It wasn't thought provoking or deep at all, it was lazy writing and a rushed effort that I was very unsatisfied with.
  2. jsp41
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    The fact that people are giving Mass Effect 3 a low score because they can't appreciate the ending is beyond me. You need to appreciate the game for what it is, and what it is is better than both of it's predecessors. Mass Effect 3 is smoother, bigger, and better than almost every game I've ever played. What you need to think about is how Shepard was a part of your life since the firstThe fact that people are giving Mass Effect 3 a low score because they can't appreciate the ending is beyond me. You need to appreciate the game for what it is, and what it is is better than both of it's predecessors. Mass Effect 3 is smoother, bigger, and better than almost every game I've ever played. What you need to think about is how Shepard was a part of your life since the first game was released, and become part of the game. That's what I did, and while it definitely has it's flaws, ME3 is one of the best games I have ever played, and ended my Shepard's story in an extremely satisfying way. Open your mind people, this game does not deserve a single bad review, if it did, then why didn't a single critic hate it? Get your heads out of your a**es and see the incredible finale to the sci fi epic that is Mass Effect 3… Expand
  3. Stygian1
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    The ending destroyed series. I can't even explain how horrible it was, but I recommend that before purchasing the game you read some of these other reviews as well as going over to the Social BioWare forums to see how upset people are over it. The ending wasn't art, it was blatantly bad writing and rushed production. If you love the ME universe, DON'T buy this game.
  4. Ryoten
    Mar 20, 2012
    1
    First of all i want to say that this game is MOSTLY good. It's the ending that ruins it. I'll explain why the ending ruins the game without spoiling anything. Mass Effect series has been a game all about choice. The choices you pick will have negative or positive impacts. In the final scheme of things, these choices do not have any reflection on the end. Basically, the ending isFirst of all i want to say that this game is MOSTLY good. It's the ending that ruins it. I'll explain why the ending ruins the game without spoiling anything. Mass Effect series has been a game all about choice. The choices you pick will have negative or positive impacts. In the final scheme of things, these choices do not have any reflection on the end. Basically, the ending is always the same (minus your favorite color choice of explosions. No im not kidding, its exactly as it sounds). The ending of this game will make you feel like everything you did was for nothing. It brings no closure, and is riddled with plotholes.

    Playing a 60+ hour RPG should give you a satisfied ending, whether its happy or sad. This game undoes everything you did and makes it feel like it was all for nothing. I love mass effect, but these endings are non-sensical, and not poetic. Not only do the endings make you feel like you just wasted your time, but they also do not make any sense by going against the games logic, set forth in the previous games and in ME3 itself. It feels like a rush job and sloppy writing.

    I strongly advise you to not listen to what naysayers who speak of "Mass Effect 3 being a work of art" say. If you ask any of them why they like the game, they can't give you a straight answer other than them being Bioware fans. I love bioware, but when someone takes advantage of you as a consumer, you have to call them out on it. And anyone reading this, i am TRYING to protect you as a consumer and not as a troll. DO NOT waste your time with this game. If it wernt for the ending, i would say play it. But unless Bioware does something to make the endings feel more worth it. Just avoid this series.    … Expand
  5. Jaye9001
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    One of the better games I have played this generation. If you liked the style and gameplay of Mass Effect 2 you will enjoy this game.

    The story is fantastic and the combat is better than average. It will not take the place of Gears of War, but compated to Mass Effect 1 it has come along ways.
  6. Dustedshaft
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    Im surprised how many people are saying this is a bad game because really it is good the gameplay is improved over the second one although there are less dialogue options but overall it doesnt affect the game that much there is lots to do and most side quests are very unique and are worth doing. The last hour (excluding the last 5 minutes) are very entertaining and show the desperation.Im surprised how many people are saying this is a bad game because really it is good the gameplay is improved over the second one although there are less dialogue options but overall it doesnt affect the game that much there is lots to do and most side quests are very unique and are worth doing. The last hour (excluding the last 5 minutes) are very entertaining and show the desperation. However the very end isnt necessarily bad but in my opinion and I think many others agree that it wasn't the ending I wanted and it wasn't the right ending and after you rage a little bit you just have to accept it. Overall I would recommend this game to almost everybody and if you haven't played the others and this is the one you start with the ending might not bother you as much and you play this game… Expand
  7. TristonDaShorty
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    After the first of this series, I was hooked. The Mass Effect franchise was the thing a cared about most in video games, and I was not disappointed with ME3. The game starts off quick and hooks you immediately and the story progresses as fast or a slow as you want it to depending on how many of the side quests you partake in. Some of the side quests did feel boring but the boring onesAfter the first of this series, I was hooked. The Mass Effect franchise was the thing a cared about most in video games, and I was not disappointed with ME3. The game starts off quick and hooks you immediately and the story progresses as fast or a slow as you want it to depending on how many of the side quests you partake in. Some of the side quests did feel boring but the boring ones were quick, so the gripe is a small one. But the priority missions are where its at, there insanely fun and none of the missions disappointed me. There are three main enemies in this game, each diverse and different from one another (Cerberus, Geth, and of course the Reapers). The multi-player is fun and a great little edition, this is still very much a single player game though. And despite what most people are saying, in my opinion the decisions you made in ME2 and the original do impact your game. If you expected them to have a massive impact then I guess you'll be disappointed, but it does affect the way certain characters treat you, and which characters carry on into Mass Effect 3. Another complaint I keep hearing about is the ending, I could see where people would complain about the ending of ME3, but I thought it was a beautiful way to end the series. The ending would have been more well received if Mass Effect 3 was a movie, because its not your typical video game ending in any way shape or form. Aside from some short but boring side quests there is one more gripe, you will often times find yourself rolling instead of jumping in and out of cover, this for me was really annoying and is pretty much the reason why I'm giving the game a 9 instead of a 10. But overall, this was a fantastic way to end the series and I was not disappointed in the least, a must buy in my opinion.… Expand
  8. dmjrnbsn
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    One of the most profoundly disappointing endings to any story in any medium. The writers removed the cornerstone in which the entire story was built upon - choice and consequence. So, the entire building comes crashing down at the end. In the end, none of the choices your character makes throughout three games matter. All the relationships you've built are meaningless. There is no closureOne of the most profoundly disappointing endings to any story in any medium. The writers removed the cornerstone in which the entire story was built upon - choice and consequence. So, the entire building comes crashing down at the end. In the end, none of the choices your character makes throughout three games matter. All the relationships you've built are meaningless. There is no closure in the relationships made, whether between LIs or squad mates. They never come to fruition, and there is no resolution. ME3 was advertised to have a multitude of outcomes based upon players' choices. That's what originally made the Mass Effect franchise such a great success. The finale should have raised the player to great heights or taken the player to despair... and everywhere between based upon the consequences of the player's decisions throughout the entirety of the series(Paragon, Renegade, or somewhere in between). BioWare should have finished their remarkable work on the strengths that it was built on. Choice and consequence. It seemed like a given, but... You leave the game feeling complete and utter disappointment. It is truly remarkable how an ending can be so profoundly and remarkably bad. It truly destroys the franchise entirely. This is not an easy thing to say, as I've loved the series from the start. There is no replay value at all. BioWare has ruined years of work in the last ten minutes on what should have been one of the greatest RPGs of all time. It will be a study in the future on how not to end a story franchise.… Expand
  9. freshtoothpaste
    Mar 20, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was a huge fan of the series; it was and is a fun, largely open, mostly RPG game that let you watch characters evolve in a galactic landscape over several fun, exploratory adventures. For me at least, part of the fun was the replayability. As you made different decisions, the ending of the game subtly changed; mostly to the point of how easy or difficult the ending was.

    This game, though, failed to meet the hype associated with it. Mass Effect 2 set up the promise of Mass Effect 3. In ME2, the characters that survived (both main party and secondary) had everything to do with the amount of effort you put into the game. That sets up the promise of ME3, to do the same but on a larger scale. Unfortunately, by the time you get to the end, you end up with a game that's closer to the linear Mass Effect 1 ending. Your decisions, in the last ten minutes, don't really have much effect on the outcome. Even the animations for the ending are identical (except for the color). Now, this wouldn't be a big deal, except that the promise/premise of the entire series has been creating your own moment at the end. Having said all that, though, the ending itself (even having similar ones) isn't that big of a deal. What is a big deal are all the strange inconsistencies in the last part of the game. Squad members who die (or were implied to die) suddenly reappear. Your ship, engaged in battle one moment, is suddenly running from a destructive beam that strands it on a strange planet. The lead character suddenly loses their will to argue, without making note of it, in the last few minutes. I was willing to forgive the glitches in the game. The unfinished, sometimes reused sprites. The overuse of stock photos. The lack of depth in the game. The problems with importing custom lead characters; if you had a custom face for the character, it will likely break when you try to import it.

    I think this game is made mostly for people looking not for an epic RPG, but maybe more of a simple version of Halo style space combat. If that's what you want, just to shoot things in space, then this is probably a good title. You can ignore the story, play multiplayer, and marvel at the backgrounds.

    If, however, you're looking for a satisfying story-based RPG, then this game isn't it. Not really.

    Which leaves me, a former fan, feeling kind of, "meh," about the whole experience. That's probably on purpose; EA loves third person shooters. They're much easier to develop and work on than expansive, multi title RPGs, I'd wager.

    SPOILER - look for yourself. The animations are the same
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPelM2hwhJA    … Expand
  10. Demorase
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    Can the ending ruin the journey? Well Mass Effect 3 attempts to give a definitive answer to that question, and it is a resounding yes. The ending violates everything Mass Effect stands for (i.e choice) and needs to be changed, but for that to happen you need to get the message through to Bioware, and this is a way to contribute. This saga deserves a better ending than what we got :)
  11. X11
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    Unbelievable gameplay just as in the first two installments. Felt like I was reading a book, watching a movie, and playing a game simultaneously. Always good. My opinion of this game has hit all sides of the spectrum, but in the end the truth is realized. This is a truly spectacular game/story/epic. While the ending may be questionable, one cannot discount the spectacularity this title contains.
  12. Drew99
    Mar 20, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First disappointment was that I could not import my Shepard's face that I customized with ME1. Then game was rather good, even if there seem to be less dialog choices than ME1 or even ME2. Graphics were ok. What really pissed me off is the nonsensical endings that basically destroyed everything my Shepard did in the rest of the game. All his choices were basically ignored. It's like the story committed suicide. Its been several days and I'm so depressed by the ending that I don't want to play anymore. Not only that, but the endings appear rushed and the explanations just don't hold up... destroying life to protect it? What a sham. Thank-you Bioware. I'll remember your products.… Expand
  13. Xabong
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    If you are at all invested in the Mass Effect universe, this game will make you cry. The emotional payoff in this game is absolutely huge and Bioware's accomplishment in this area is absolutely unprecedented. Even if it is mostly smoke and mirrors, you really feel at the end that this was YOUR journey and it's hard to imagine it playing it out any other way. I think it speaks to theIf you are at all invested in the Mass Effect universe, this game will make you cry. The emotional payoff in this game is absolutely huge and Bioware's accomplishment in this area is absolutely unprecedented. Even if it is mostly smoke and mirrors, you really feel at the end that this was YOUR journey and it's hard to imagine it playing it out any other way. I think it speaks to the strength of the series that I do not WANT to play through the series a second time making different choices because I feel like it would spoil what I've decided is canon. That said, Bioware botched one major aspect of the game - the UI. This seems minor, but some of the problems make playing the game feel like a chore. They wanted to add more rpg elements, but they did so in such a sloppy way that it makes you really wish they hadn't. Menus are clunky and not user-friendly at all. The game does not even have proper quest tracking which will mean a lot of aimless walking around not knowing where to go or who to talk to. WHY, Bioware? The first two games had great quest tracking. The minor sidequests are also so awkwardly handled that they should have been left out because they really detract from the experience. Also, expect dozens and dozens of instant game over screens trying to outrun ridiculously fast reaper ships on the galaxy map. Yeah, Bioware, REALLY fun. These faults really stand out in what is otherwise a masterpiece and that makes them all the more frustrating because they are things that have worked in previous games. *sigh*… Expand
  14. RandomCriticDan
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    With a powerful plot, advanced combat, and smarter enemies, this game really presents itself as it should be- a fantastic ending to a chilling, unrivalled series. The character development, which quite possibly the most important quality the series held for me, is even deeper than the previous games. The soundtrack is a beautiful condiment to the the countless heartstopping momentsWith a powerful plot, advanced combat, and smarter enemies, this game really presents itself as it should be- a fantastic ending to a chilling, unrivalled series. The character development, which quite possibly the most important quality the series held for me, is even deeper than the previous games. The soundtrack is a beautiful condiment to the the countless heartstopping moments encountered throughout the game. The journey was, throughout the trilogy of Mass Effect, truly memorable- watching the effects of your decisions, building friendships, sacrificing for 'the greater good', and living with your mistakes. I have come to admire BioWare's ability to make a gamer love a character, only to lose them. There are, however, imperfections with Mass Effect 3, much like any other game. Many of these problems had little affect on me. The most important problem I had in the game was with the ending. What I, as well as many other ME vets, was expecting was a beautiful ending that would have me thinking for hours, about my decisions, and what I could have done to change the end. Nothing of the sort occurred. It wasn't a great ending. It wasn't terrible, but after that ending, one should not be thinking 'Whatever, now what?' It was inconclusive, felt rushed, and lacked consistency with previous games and media concerning the series, as well as with what BioWare said themselves. The endings were all very alike, which I found disappointing. However, it took away nothing from the game for me.

    I strongly recommend buying this game, even if you are scared of disappointment from the ending. I will continue to play BioWare games and believe they will learn from this mistake.    … Expand
  15. outlawJW13
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    My playthrough lasted 36 hours and 25 minutes. 36 hours and 20 minutes were fun, challenging, and touching then with the final five minutes this game committed narrative suicide and the terrible ending was all the worse for the greatness of this series. Endings matter especially in mass effect and this one was so bad that if it is not fixed through some dlc I just don't know if I everMy playthrough lasted 36 hours and 25 minutes. 36 hours and 20 minutes were fun, challenging, and touching then with the final five minutes this game committed narrative suicide and the terrible ending was all the worse for the greatness of this series. Endings matter especially in mass effect and this one was so bad that if it is not fixed through some dlc I just don't know if I ever have the heart to play another bioware game again. (And I've played everything bioware has ever released.) Bad ending ruined great franchise.… Expand
  16. ursa1979
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved this game. For me the best part of the game was the care with which it dealt with the characters that you have grown to love over the course of the 3 games. Each character mission was great (some better than others), but it was the moment at the end where you had a chance to say goodbye to each that really shined. To me this was the true ending. Regarding the "actual" end that has been creating all of the hubbub, I personally that it was solid and interesting. The fact that despite all of your choices (paragon/renegade), which are deeply felt throughout the story, ultimately lead to the same final choice is an interesting take on the concept of destiny/fate. Furthermore, while the three results of the final choice were aesthetically similar (modified color palates), they were dramatically disparate in substance and result in wildly different universes.… Expand
  17. czombie
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    This game obviously doesn't deserve a 0 or 1 rating, but to say that the ending was extremely disappointing is an understatement. At the game's end, I felt like I didn't really have a choice at all, despite what was advertised by Bioware and what consistently occurred throughout all three of the titles in the series. I think it's apparent that they are eventually going to make anThis game obviously doesn't deserve a 0 or 1 rating, but to say that the ending was extremely disappointing is an understatement. At the game's end, I felt like I didn't really have a choice at all, despite what was advertised by Bioware and what consistently occurred throughout all three of the titles in the series. I think it's apparent that they are eventually going to make an alternate ending with more choices, as they are going to lose a ton of money in DLC if they don't. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that this was their plan all along, to get more people to buy a better ending as DLC. If the DLC costs anything, I'm done with Bioware, but a free DLC alternate ending with some actual choices will let me forgive them because, besides the ending, this is a good game.… Expand
  18. discodave91
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    No improvement on Mass Effect 2. Just a re-hash of the last game. The mission system is terrible. You have no idea what stage you are at in the missions or where to go. The side quest are, again, re-hashes of the online multi-player.

    Some of the aspects of furthering the story are quite good up to a point. Then the game has the most stupid, uneducated, simplistic, disappointing ending I    No improvement on Mass Effect 2. Just a re-hash of the last game. The mission system is terrible. You have no idea what stage you are at in the missions or where to go. The side quest are, again, re-hashes of the online multi-player.

    Some of the aspects of furthering the story are quite good up to a point. Then the game has the most stupid, uneducated, simplistic, disappointing ending I have ever seen in a game. It takes no account of the lore of the game, makes no sense, would result in everyone being stranded and most of the systems being destroyed along with everyone that you were trying to save, and your choices make no difference to the ending of the game. Even though its an A,B,C ending, they are all pretty much identical!

    Bio Ware used to be great, but now they seem to have a knack at ruining their games (look at Dragon Age 2). EA are probably to blame.

    The whole game was also very buggy. At one point I had 2 Edi's, Tali died and then came back from the dead in a love seen??? and doors would randomly take an age to open. Sometimes powers and squad commands did not work! To sum up, the entire game felt rushed, was buggy, and had a generic ending that made no sense. Very disappointing.    … Expand
  19. CaptKai
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    I just watched what was a phenomenal, even cinematic franchise commit inexcusable storytelling suicide. It's not that the ending is depressing or even bittersweet, as PR would have it spun; The ending makes zero sense - it flies in the face of it's own canon and creates numerous plot holes in the last ten minutes alone. To top it all off, the defining element of Mass Effect, choice, isI just watched what was a phenomenal, even cinematic franchise commit inexcusable storytelling suicide. It's not that the ending is depressing or even bittersweet, as PR would have it spun; The ending makes zero sense - it flies in the face of it's own canon and creates numerous plot holes in the last ten minutes alone. To top it all off, the defining element of Mass Effect, choice, is stripped away from you. No choice you agonized over has any consequence.
    .
    If you're a fan of the series and absolutely cannot bring yourself to wait to play this, do yourself a favor and either rent ME3, or purchase a used copy at your local Gamestop and return it before seven days are up to get your money back. I admit it can be a relatively fun game, up to a point, but you will regret paying full retail price for this disaster.    … Expand
  20. SacredShepard
    Mar 20, 2012
    5
    I loved this game, truely loved it.....except the ending.

    I have loved this series since it started, I really hope that Bioware can think about adding alternate endings on, and save the series, because with the way it is now....it might just kill the series and the company.
  21. myaimistrue
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    Up until the ending, this game is an 8.5, due to a myriad a minor issues like too much auto-dialogue, a worthless journal, some gameplay issues and a weak intro. It's ruined by the ending, which really is as bad as you've heard. It's 5 minutes pretentious, non-nonsensical garbage masquerading as avant-garde, postmodernist Cosmicism that negates all the decisions you've made, forcesUp until the ending, this game is an 8.5, due to a myriad a minor issues like too much auto-dialogue, a worthless journal, some gameplay issues and a weak intro. It's ruined by the ending, which really is as bad as you've heard. It's 5 minutes pretentious, non-nonsensical garbage masquerading as avant-garde, postmodernist Cosmicism that negates all the decisions you've made, forces Shepard to speak and act out of character to enact one of several virtually identical and equally ridiculous endings. It offers no explanation, no closure, no sense of accomplishment, no epilogue and makes absolutely no sense. All it does is leave the player feeling betrayed and robbed.
    I can't believe this ending was created by the brilliant writers of the first two games. Oh wait, that's because it's not: those writers write for The Old Republic now. It's not enough that you're expected to pay for day one DLC, if you want decent writing you have to pay a monthly fee for their MMO. I blame EA.    … Expand
  22. cdog
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is an absolutely fantastic experience and great achievement in sci-fi gaming, or at least the first 99% is. The endings are not as bad as most people say, but they are disappointing and are not fulfilling, and really do not give enough closure. There is little difference between any of them, however I do not think it is fair to say your decisions do not matter. Your decisions give war assets, which affect whether or not earth survives. Apart from the disappointing endings, this is the best game in the series. The characters feel more alive and are more fleshed out, the writing (endings excluded) is up there with the quality shown in Mass Effect 1, the gunplay is better then ever, and the universe as a whole is as great as in all the other titles. There are some stunning moments, and also some very emotional moments-a lot of work has been put into creating this epic experience, and there are some very difficult choices along the way. There is no way such a great game deserves 0/10, endings or not, this game is great.

    There are some other flaws. The importing issue and auto-dialogue are both issues, although auto-dialogue is only really in combat missions. It is not nearly as bad as you might expect, though it does make shep feel a tad more pre-defined. (although he already is quite pre-defined) The only real hub is the citadel, but it's a decent hub. Side quests could be better. The day one DLC was also a cheap shot, and soured the taste a bit.

    All in all, these are fairly minor things. This game is brilliant. The only reason I am not giving 10'/10 are the disappointing endings, which is a shame, because this series, and this game, are so good that they really deserve better. If the endings were corrected, this would get the score it deserves.    … Expand
  23. Plaidman86
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    I thoroughly enjoy the Mass Effect series and I absolutely could not wait to see what was in store for the galaxy with the foreboding presence of the imminent Reaper invasion and all out extermination of all the organic races. This game had so much building up, so much hype, and at first glance all was going so well...until the ending. First off I do say this game has many improvementsI thoroughly enjoy the Mass Effect series and I absolutely could not wait to see what was in store for the galaxy with the foreboding presence of the imminent Reaper invasion and all out extermination of all the organic races. This game had so much building up, so much hype, and at first glance all was going so well...until the ending. First off I do say this game has many improvements from ME2 (storywise and gameplay), I love it how there's more RPG element (leveling, skill trees) and the weapon modding was a very nice welcome which allows you to tailor your guns to different situations. I loved all the cameo appearances from squad mates past and present as well as other characters encountered in past games and including DLC which was very nice. The controls actually seemed a bit worse than 2, I've died so many times due to squad mates being in the way and non-responsive controls. It got really irritating moving from cover to cover or peaking out and being punished for the game having a good 1-2 second delay. I noticed that Shepard can now vault or tumble like Gears of War (I forget if he could do that in 2...) and it seems like Bioware really likes Gears. The galaxy map was just about the same as 2's minus scanning for minerals/resources and having a set amount of probes. However, because the Reapers are out and about it can make scanning annoying. I also liked it how you didn't have a billion squad mates to pick from like 2, and I'm glad to see 3 took a notion of quality vs. quantity. As for the story, I could feel from the start of the game how dark the situation was, and how close the galaxy was to coming closer and closer to failure and ultimate extinction. It got a little irritating dealing with Cerberus a good half of the game, I mean really who is the focus here? Cerberus or the Reapers? Although it was interesting to hear about the humans fighting against themselves as opposed to working together. I also liked making choices to bring the other races together. I thought the story flowed very well, much better than 2's "out of nowhere" plot. Everything just kept building up, but then the ending came... Yes, I do have to hop on the growing band wagon and agree that the ending to ME3 was really not that good. I don't have a problem with the three choices you are presented with at the end and that Shepard dies (so sad and sucks he dies!) but I have a major problem with how short the ending is and the lack of closure on all the supporting characters and the general fate and conclusion of the Mass Effect universe. Not to mention I was also greatly disappointed to see, or NOT see, how my preparations for the final assault didn't even make a difference. I was fairly certain I heard Admiral Hackett go from saying, "We're bogged down" to "We're about even" so I figured maybe this would impact the final mission or ending, but it didn't! So did I make all those choices and finish all those side quests for nothing? I felt nothing but emptiness when the game ended, it reminded me of early reviews of Halo 2 and how many reviewers commented on how the ending left you wanting more. Unfortunately for this series there is no more to be had as it's the last to the trilogy. I find it interesting hearing that the overall dissatisfaction with ME3's ending by many, MANY fans has been well heard, and some has gone so far as to raise a charity to bring awareness and change to 3's ending! Of course Bioware is listening but so far they're saying they have no plans to alter the ending but to only support 3 with future DLC. (Sigh...) I really want to rate this game a 10 as it was enjoyable to play, but the ending just ruins it, especially since your choices and quests during the game have no effect. Because of that, I'm actually having a hard time playing through the game again because I now know whatever I do on the side won't make a difference and won't reward me with extra cutscenes, dialogue, etc. I almost wanna rate this game a 7 but I think that would be a bit steep. Had this game had a perfect ending I would have given it a 10. But that bad ending just creates one hell of a void that really just hampers everything else this game has to offer, and I say all this because this game is an RPG and RPGs are supposed to have critical character and plot development. Overall, good game but not what I had in mind to close such a wonderful series. Here's to hoping future DLC will improve what faults there are.… Expand
  24. Boozerz
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    I really enjoyed the game. The gripes about the ending have been blown way out of proportion. Throughout the entire single player campaign we get closure and resolution for many of the character/story arcs. The ending is a great hardcore sci-fi resolution. This trilogy will be remembered as one of the greats.
  25. TMONS420
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    The only thing I am going to say is the people hating on this game need to get over themselves. It was a joy to play the whole way through and I am going to go through the 1st and 2nd game again to see how much different my story will ultimately be. I have watched my room mate play, I have watched my friends play and their story is not the same as mine. The decisions you made in the firstThe only thing I am going to say is the people hating on this game need to get over themselves. It was a joy to play the whole way through and I am going to go through the 1st and 2nd game again to see how much different my story will ultimately be. I have watched my room mate play, I have watched my friends play and their story is not the same as mine. The decisions you made in the first two games do have an impact on the final playthrough. Like I said, the only negative about this game is all of these trollers hating on it because it ends...even though they have been foreshadowing this for 5 years. Great game, play it all the way through and just know that the ones hating have gotten laid more times in these three titles then they have in their entire lives. I would be pissed about that too.… Expand
  26. Hafaza
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    As a longtime fan of the Mass Effect series it is painful for me to give this game such a low rating. The fact is that while the majority of the game is very good, though not without its shortcomings, the finale of Mass Effect 3 is atrocious; riddled with plot-holes and contradictions, vague, unsatisfying, non-sensical, and ultimately left me feeling bitter and empty.

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

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

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

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

    The 30 hours of enjoyment you'll get from most of the game are not enough to justify the final emptiness it will leave you with. It is simply not worth it.    … Expand
  27. Whyohwhy
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    I went into ME3 expecting another repetitious game along the same style of ME2. I liked ME2 for it's story but the missions itself didn't feel good as it was just "get this guy, get this guy, now get that same guy loyal, now the next one, onwards and onwards" I got tired of it, and hoped that ME3 would refrain from such tactics. I was happy to see a heavy emphasis on the story and drama ofI went into ME3 expecting another repetitious game along the same style of ME2. I liked ME2 for it's story but the missions itself didn't feel good as it was just "get this guy, get this guy, now get that same guy loyal, now the next one, onwards and onwards" I got tired of it, and hoped that ME3 would refrain from such tactics. I was happy to see a heavy emphasis on the story and drama of galactic politics. I was intrigued by their different characters shown and the way they decidede that more characters wasn't better. Instead they focused on the continuation of the story and the characters of whom we allready knew.

    Speaking of which, my favorite moments of this game have been in relation to previous characters. There were two in particular that made me more emotionally connected to a character of a video game before. I didn't feel like it was very tacked on the way the earlier characters reappered since it was very varied. Sometimes you would do a simple sidemission and get caught up in helping an earlier teammate escape a facility that you had expected to be a simple get-in get-out quest.

    Would i recommend this game? Hell yes. This game is great because Bioware decided to focus on what they do best, a great story with great dialogue. I didn't expect this game to be as good as it was. Since this is also a hot-topic i feel like i can't leave this out, the ending. As far as i can tell people are up in arms about how nothing they did mattered in the end. I have a feeling those people weren't really thinking straight sometimes, because who cares if you saved the Rachni in ME1 when they propably wouldn't / couldn't do anything against the reapers anyway. It is a great game and I believe this is a strong contender for game of the year.
    96 / 100 from me!    … Expand
  28. HauntedToilets
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    Worst ending to a series ever. Thanks for making none of my choices made in any of the 3 games ultimately matter. What the hell was the point either saving/destroying the collector base anyway? Oh, that's right....there was none. You know what else? What happened to the expansive dialog wheel, or even FACIAL EXPRESSIONS? Why does everyone on the game look like they are made of wax? EpicWorst ending to a series ever. Thanks for making none of my choices made in any of the 3 games ultimately matter. What the hell was the point either saving/destroying the collector base anyway? Oh, that's right....there was none. You know what else? What happened to the expansive dialog wheel, or even FACIAL EXPRESSIONS? Why does everyone on the game look like they are made of wax? Epic fail. Bioware has now permanently lost a customer with this mess-up. I don't say this just because of how Mass Effect 3 turned out, I say this because they have been consistently releasing ****ty games in the past few years. I guess this is what happens when you sign on to the EA team. R.I.P Bioware.… Expand
  29. mxfox408
    Mar 20, 2012
    5
    I have loved the mass effect series since the first game, and Bioware had created something unique and amazing. The game was designed to be a trilogy, and it has an amazing story and unique way of playing. The third and final installment to the trilogy had some amazing gameplay and some solid action as well as recapturing some great amazing moments between your love interists. HoweverI have loved the mass effect series since the first game, and Bioware had created something unique and amazing. The game was designed to be a trilogy, and it has an amazing story and unique way of playing. The third and final installment to the trilogy had some amazing gameplay and some solid action as well as recapturing some great amazing moments between your love interists. However there are several plotholes as well reguarding some of the lore. The closure was also a very poorly executed thing is this game making little to no sense what so ever. in essense Mass Effect 3 was an amazing game but in the end fails to live up to the previous games in the series and fails t measure up to the hype. Before the ending 9/10, after the ending 5/10.… Expand
  30. Seiyith
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    This isn't the player's adventure anymore. Although there is much complaint about the ending deviating from your choices (which it certainly does), that is really a consistent problem throughout the story. If you lost a character in the last two games, he is simply replaced by a similar stock character, who performs their task just as well with no repercussions other than some slightlyThis isn't the player's adventure anymore. Although there is much complaint about the ending deviating from your choices (which it certainly does), that is really a consistent problem throughout the story. If you lost a character in the last two games, he is simply replaced by a similar stock character, who performs their task just as well with no repercussions other than some slightly varied dialogue.

    The ending is such a disgrace, and it so well known to be so, I feel it a waste of time to elaborate upon that.    … Expand
  31. vguara
    Mar 20, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As I see it there are 2 opinions dominating the reviews here. People who wanna complain some aspects of the game (especially the ending) and therefore give very low scores to the game and people who believe it is an improvement from the already great ME2 and one of the best games ever and most likely have not played until the end.
    I am on neither group. I am one of the few people to give an slightly above average score. And I am a big fan of the series, played all 3 games with the DLCs, read the books and the comics.
    Don't let the trolls fool you, it is a good game, it is based on the second game, it cannot get much worse. But there are serious flaws that could have been corrected from the second game or were poorly changed from the second game (which I consider to be the best of the 3).
    Most of the good points were already on ME2 and for those I give the slightly above average score. Besides what was already on ME2, the biggest improvements IMHO are the weapons mod system which merged the first and second game beautifully and the fact that you can see more of your past decisions taking effect in this game than there were from the first game into the second. So I will focus on what could be better
    First of all, I understood the story at the beginning because I played all the DLCs, but those who have not played it are going to get a bit lost, the game itself does not provide much insight for new players or those who have not played the last DLC from the 2nd game (Arrival).
    Second, quest organization is terrible, you can't track your current progress on each quest and are often wandering around the citadel looking for the quest giver who you completely forgot the face or location.
    The only "city" (as the place you get quests and buy stuff in) in the game is the citadel, just like on the first game, which was a major let down for me, the second had Elysium and Omega in addition to the citadel and where great.
    The game basically focus on 2 big quests inside of the main quest which is defeating the reapers. Those quests are making an alliance between the Krogans and the Turians and doing the same thing between the Geth and the Quarians. Of course there are other quests like on Thesia and the Cerberus headquarters, but they are single mission quests not like the first two mentioned. I feel like the second game was much longer and had more quests than the 3rd.
    The number of squad members has reduced, this would have been explainable if the purpose was the develop each story with more depth, but that doesn't happen, loyalty missions are out and there are no squad member specific missions, in addition to this point, there is the day 1 DLC From Ashes, which adds the Prothean squad mate to your team, I am not getting into the point of how low it is to release a day 1 DLC, but the new character could add much more depth to the story and could come with more than the recruit mission.
    The developers still haven't thought a good way to make space exploring more engaging and interesting, on this game this aspect has been put on the third plane, of course it makes sense considering the plot, but they could come up with good ideas to put it in the game in a interesting and coherent (according to the story) way.
    Multiplayer is the most difficult thing for me to comment, I liked the fact that they've added multiplayer to the game and even more that it somewhat affects the singleplayer campaign. But it could have more maps (there are about 6) and more game modes.
    Lastly on my list, the thing that has put everyone on edge on the internet, the ending. And here I agree with almost everyone, it was a let down. This has nothing to do with the fact that Shepperd dies and almost every scenario except one, this was almost expected, but the fact that your decisions have very little to no impact on the ending besides the "war effort" value. You have three (or two) options regardless of your decisions and the ending sequence is almost the same: the reapers are destroyed or leave earth (it earth is not destroyed, depending on your war effort value), the normandy escapes from a beam and falls on a planet full of plant life, depending on your war effort some people survive (or all of them). But there are no explanation on how your decisions impacted the outcome, many questions are left unanswered which led to many theories on the net (look up on youtube). It is a game worth playing specially if you played the other two, but the ending destroys replay value which was one of the most fun things about the second game.
    Sorry for any English mistakes as I am Brazilian.    … Expand
  32. Rainiar
    Mar 19, 2012
    8
    This game was great, don't listen to the people who will whine and moan because of a flaw the game had which makes it an "automatic zero". The ending could have been a lot better, but it doesn't kill the game. I loved the smaller stories much more this time around however. In ME2, Miranda's sister didn't have any affect on me, and blowing up the old Cerebus facility for Jack just madeThis game was great, don't listen to the people who will whine and moan because of a flaw the game had which makes it an "automatic zero". The ending could have been a lot better, but it doesn't kill the game. I loved the smaller stories much more this time around however. In ME2, Miranda's sister didn't have any affect on me, and blowing up the old Cerebus facility for Jack just made her look like an idiot. This time around, I was cheering when someone was being a bad ass and ripping through the enemies and nearly cried when someone died for a cause. People look at the broad subject too much, I like games where you can get a different experience by just playing the side missions.… Expand
  33. Kinoru07
    Mar 19, 2012
    8
    The game mechanics have been improved from ME2 with improved AI on higher difficulty and the inclusion of better melee attack capabilities. Quest/sub-quest UI is one of the issues a player will contend with. As well as some cover issues.
    The game's story telling is very well executed until the last few minutes because it reduces the whole series re-playability. There are still some bugs    The game mechanics have been improved from ME2 with improved AI on higher difficulty and the inclusion of better melee attack capabilities. Quest/sub-quest UI is one of the issues a player will contend with. As well as some cover issues.
    The game's story telling is very well executed until the last few minutes because it reduces the whole series re-playability. There are still some bugs that Bioware will have to deal with across all platforms to make the game more enjoyable. Multi-player is fairly decent but needs some more development into it to make it worth playing on its own.    … Expand
  34. yukimoda
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    a wonderful ending to an amazing trilogy. I will personally count Mass effect 3 as one of my favorite games because it both ends the trilogy I love and gives the developers a place to start the next part from.
  35. Eldanildiel
    Mar 19, 2012
    5
    Had it not been for the ending, Mass Effect 3 would have gotten a solid 10/10 from me. I loved the franchise. I loved the emotional impact of 98% of the final installment in this trilogy. Unfortunately, the ending completely negated any choices you've made over the course of nearly 120 hours of game investment. I don't play action RPGs by Bioware expecting for them to drop the ball thisHad it not been for the ending, Mass Effect 3 would have gotten a solid 10/10 from me. I loved the franchise. I loved the emotional impact of 98% of the final installment in this trilogy. Unfortunately, the ending completely negated any choices you've made over the course of nearly 120 hours of game investment. I don't play action RPGs by Bioware expecting for them to drop the ball this profoundly in the finale. So disappointed that they chose to go this route.… Expand
  36. AzianJoeNad
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 took me through the most emotionally packed ride in my life. From the opening on Earth to the very end, it held my attention and awarded me with some the best scenes I have ever experienced. The game-play felt much tighter than Mass Effect 2 and supremely better than Mass Effect 1. It feels like Bioware took the best aspects of both games to produce one super poweredMass Effect 3 took me through the most emotionally packed ride in my life. From the opening on Earth to the very end, it held my attention and awarded me with some the best scenes I have ever experienced. The game-play felt much tighter than Mass Effect 2 and supremely better than Mass Effect 1. It feels like Bioware took the best aspects of both games to produce one super powered behemoth. Plus, the added a multiplayer which is oddly addictive and fun (especially with the inclusion of other species to choose from). The only real gripe I have for the game is the one new character who feels too much like The Situation. Otherwise the games greatest achievement is the vast amounts of great characters. For those who gripe about the last 6minutes, I will quote a wise song, "At the end of it all, gamers play what we play, not for game over, but what we take away". Trust me, you will take away a lot.… Expand
  37. CaptKikuta
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My thoughts on the game without the ending, and a lil rant about the ending. I found the game play flawless, dialogue interesting, cinematic cut scenes very moving, game world breathtaking and an epic score of musical talent. It isn't hard to believe that the awe inspiring sight of a thresher maw being used to destroy a reaper was the highlight of the game for me and even at that high point it still managed to keep me glued for 3days. But at that stratospheric heights of the euphoria one feels when thinking they are playing the new benchmark for all RPG games, the cold vacuum of space sucks the air from your lungs and your are left to float aimlessly in the void. Leaving the amazement and wonder of the last 72 hours is reduced to a "Uh..wait a minute!?" moment. Personally, I feel that the game wasn't done justice and Bioware and EA should be apologizing for the awful, hideous and tone deaf sonata of an otherwise perfect symphony. (ps. An ending with simply a picture of everyone who survived giving a thumbs up would have been far superior to the dribble that was served.)… Expand
  38. AngryBooch
    Mar 19, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 was the first game I played where the ending ruined the experience of the entire series for me. I've had it happen with television series to a lesser extent such as Lost and Battlestar Gallactica, but the ending to this game goes counter to the entire message of the Mass Effect games before. It's soured me on the entire IP. When developers such as Bungie and Epic can endMass Effect 3 was the first game I played where the ending ruined the experience of the entire series for me. I've had it happen with television series to a lesser extent such as Lost and Battlestar Gallactica, but the ending to this game goes counter to the entire message of the Mass Effect games before. It's soured me on the entire IP. When developers such as Bungie and Epic can end their respective sci-fi trilogies of Halo and Gears of War with actual closure and can better convey the theme of great sacrifice for the sake of tomorrow than the critically acclaimed storytellers at Bioware, something is seriously off.… Expand
  39. warp10ck
    Mar 19, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game that I was most excited for this year but unfortunately there is a lot of elements that ruins the experience, the game seems to be struggling with a identity crisis is it an rpg or a third person shooter with rpg elements ? The first problem with this game is for those who played the first two games and try to import their characters from the previous games at the time of writing this review an issue prevents the game from importing the appearance of your character every other things are imported like who you saved in me 1 and 2 these decisions have and impact depending on who you saved and some decisions you made earlier games have small impact.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    And the sad thing is that 99,9% of this game is good the 0.1% really ruins what is over all a great experience.    … Expand
  40. twistedownz
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This game is a true masterpiece. Even the multiplayer is sleek and done well. All the negative reviews are from people who complain about the ending, but truly don't understand it. They believe they are entitled to what they want when they buy the game but they are very wrong. Buy this game it is fully worth every penny spent
  41. geeksquared
    Mar 19, 2012
    5
    A fantastic story, well written with some of the best voice acting in the history of gaming. Tragically let down by buggy cover mechanics, graphic glitches, and an ending sequence that sours the entire series.
  42. lemiel14n3
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 is, up until the last 15 minutes, absolutely superb. If it weren't for the ending (the same ending that there has been so much vitriol about) In playing the game I was playing something that I felt would succeed in rewarding all my hopes and expectations for the conclusion of Bioware's magnificent series. For the most part, ME3 delivers, even the multiplayer is good. The characters are well thought out, the story works well (again, right up until the end) and there are some genuinely touching moments.

    And then I get to the last half hour of the game. I will tell you this right now. The ending is so terrible that I'm going to open my thesaurus to help me describe this. It's dreadful, appalling, horrendous, horrid, abhorrent, sickening, atrocious, distasteful. Nothing could have prepared me for this horrible conclusion. It succeeds to make the choices that were such a big part of the series absolutely meaningless, everyone gets the same idiotic morality choice regardless. This is even more disappointing because not only were we promised something more but I've even seen plans that would have fulfilled their promises and our expectations that Bioware and EA failed to deliver on.

    I don't know who was responsible for this. Bioware falling asleep at the wheel, EA for lacking a soul and trying to dumb down the series for the Call of Duty playing lowest common denominators they're trying to sell the game to.

    If the ending were at all good, Mass Effect 3 would have earned itself a 10/10, as the ending is now, 7 is high praise.    … Expand
  43. Dbuntu
    Mar 19, 2012
    4
    How do you train-wreck a great game and series, 100+ hours of solid story, character development, and gameplay in the span of half an hour? There were so many positives about Mass Effect 3 that are completely overshadowed by the ending. It leaves me wondering why I bothered to go back and play 1&2 again making sure I had all the choices I wanted right when at the end, it didn't reallyHow do you train-wreck a great game and series, 100+ hours of solid story, character development, and gameplay in the span of half an hour? There were so many positives about Mass Effect 3 that are completely overshadowed by the ending. It leaves me wondering why I bothered to go back and play 1&2 again making sure I had all the choices I wanted right when at the end, it didn't really matter. Maybe there is some point being made about the inescapability of destiny, but it feels tacked on. Maybe Bioware had a sudden religious awakening and decided they needed to hammer the idea home with all the subtly of a Krogan battle-master. Whatever the case, the last half hour of Mass Effect 3 comes out of nowhere, ignores all previous choices, and fails to resolve the character's stories. Plus it just doesn't make any godamn sense. A real shame to see a series I was so fond of for five years suddenly fall apart so utterly. Even if Bioware does release a DLC "fix" I'm not sure how much I'd want it. This was a stain on their reputation and while a fix might ease the pain a bit, so does Astroglide.… Expand
  44. Masseffectfan1
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    This wraps up the mass effect trilogy in a perfect way (apart from the endings) which will hopefully be patched at a later date via DLC and what have you got an amazing brilliant game Stop complaining about the ending and before you say anything i have been a fan of the mass effect series since ME1 First came out and Bioware since KOTOR. Okay now onto the ending yes I agree we needed moreThis wraps up the mass effect trilogy in a perfect way (apart from the endings) which will hopefully be patched at a later date via DLC and what have you got an amazing brilliant game Stop complaining about the ending and before you say anything i have been a fan of the mass effect series since ME1 First came out and Bioware since KOTOR. Okay now onto the ending yes I agree we needed more closure but bioware know this and who knows this may have been wanted all along to get the ending so talked about that when they release a DLC for the ending everyone will get it.
    Bioware are smart have faith!    … Expand
  45. skinny_mean_man
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    Mass effect is my favorite next gen console series.
    but mass effect 3 is a middle finger to the fans who have loved the series since day one.
    unless something is seriously done to fix this game i will never buy from bioware again.
    they were my favorite company and now they are my most hated.
  46. Ventus
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3 is a revamped version of ME2 combat and nothing more. Virtually none of the choices made in ME1 or ME2 are taken into account, and a fresh ME3 characters game experience is nearly identical. Plots holes and generally a lack of vision with the 3 possible endings make any invested effort a waste of time. If I had to sum the game up I would say "lazy" is about right, with a dashMass Effect 3 is a revamped version of ME2 combat and nothing more. Virtually none of the choices made in ME1 or ME2 are taken into account, and a fresh ME3 characters game experience is nearly identical. Plots holes and generally a lack of vision with the 3 possible endings make any invested effort a waste of time. If I had to sum the game up I would say "lazy" is about right, with a dash of "the ILLUSION of choice", since you don't actually impact the plot with your choices. The sheer number of public domain images you can google (or find on getty images) that are used in the game are shocking (is it really so hard to draw your own picture of an alien for Tali, or use some of the great user images out there? Rather than use a getty images, barely photoshop'ed picture of a human?).

    The gameplay was fun. The multiplayer was the most enjoyable aspect for me. Story wise, this is not a "Bioware" game as we remember the golden era of quality Bioware games. It's just not the same company anymore. Mass Effect 2.5 is worth a rent, at best.    … Expand
  47. A_Person
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    When I see all these glowing reviews by game websites giving it nigh perfect scores, its glaringly obvious that their integrity and objectivity is compromised. In fact its almost comical how much the websites try and cover for its flaws. My favorite was one where they condemned bioware changing the endings because "oh its art you'll ruin it by changing the ending." I like to think that ifWhen I see all these glowing reviews by game websites giving it nigh perfect scores, its glaringly obvious that their integrity and objectivity is compromised. In fact its almost comical how much the websites try and cover for its flaws. My favorite was one where they condemned bioware changing the endings because "oh its art you'll ruin it by changing the ending." I like to think that if somehow a 6 year old drew a big turd on the Mona Lisa, the museum would do everything it could to restore the painting by TAKING OUT THE BIG TURD ON IT. What they are really praising isn't the game it is the amount of money they received in advertising from the game's publisher. Mass Effect 3's ending (because its really only one) is a slap in the face, a total disgrace to the brand. Whoever the lead writer was for the ending, and whoever gave the okay for that crap needs to be fired. Furthermore I've never encountered an ending that made me hope for a cliched "It was all a dream" sequence as much as this one. This ending is so poorly put together it is on par with the likes of Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, wer're talking total plot and lore breakdown. The final offense was the after credit sequence which just adds insult to injury. The only person that could of made a poorer ending was George Lucas.… Expand
  48. Drop_in_Ninja
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    After completing Mass Effect 1 and 2 multiple times in preparation for the epic conclusion, I was extremely pleased with how everything all turned out. The changes made from ME2 to ME3 were welcome ones. No more hacking or bypassing mini-games, or terribly long loading screens. Some of the RPG aspects from ME1 returned and made the game more customizable and personable. The MultiplayerAfter completing Mass Effect 1 and 2 multiple times in preparation for the epic conclusion, I was extremely pleased with how everything all turned out. The changes made from ME2 to ME3 were welcome ones. No more hacking or bypassing mini-games, or terribly long loading screens. Some of the RPG aspects from ME1 returned and made the game more customizable and personable. The Multiplayer component surprised me when I first played it and I was immediately hooked. The leveling and upgrade systems are well constructed and easy to get a grasp of. There were multiple events in the story that were so beautifully constructed and well orchestrated that I just had to sit back in my chair and revel in all of its glory. I have never felt so connected to a story and characters in a game. Many complain about the ending. These opinions are simply based on ignorance and a "I didn't get the exact ending I wanted so I'm going to complain" response. Did I get exactly what I wanted? No, I didn't. Was I still able to appreciate the overall ending while seeing the beauty of it and accept it for what it was? Yes!… Expand
  49. ImUnavailable
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    A beautiful, thrilling and flawed conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy. ME3 does not disappoint when it comes to intense action set pieces and an epic story. The abundant drama in this game feels earned after playing the previous games in the series and it is nice to see the decisions made in those games impacting on this one. Multiplayer is a surprisingly effective addition, with aA beautiful, thrilling and flawed conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy. ME3 does not disappoint when it comes to intense action set pieces and an epic story. The abundant drama in this game feels earned after playing the previous games in the series and it is nice to see the decisions made in those games impacting on this one. Multiplayer is a surprisingly effective addition, with a great range of character classes, races and unlockables to keep you hooked. The main problem with ME3 is the character interaction. Shepard's team is not as memorable as before, with few new faces onboard. Conversation options with them are fairly shallow and you miss the loyalty missions of ME2. The exclusion of the latter is understandable since Shepard is on a tight schedule to stop the Reapers. But it is still disappointing. Overall, though, I still greatly enjoyed playing this game and hope to play it again soon. Mass Effect has been the greatest video game trilogy of all time and ME3 is a worthy end to the saga.… Expand
  50. Flamewielder
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    Up to the finale, ME3 felt like the natural continuity of the previous 2 installments. Great music, improved visuals (in spite of a few minor glitches), obvious efforts were made to make the fans feel at home and bring closure to the story. The characters feel like old friends and you're happy to see them one last time. The design team did a fantastic job of it.

    Then, 5 minutes before    Up to the finale, ME3 felt like the natural continuity of the previous 2 installments. Great music, improved visuals (in spite of a few minor glitches), obvious efforts were made to make the fans feel at home and bring closure to the story. The characters feel like old friends and you're happy to see them one last time. The design team did a fantastic job of it.

    Then, 5 minutes before the end, the designers break the compact made with the players that made ME an interactive art form by taking control of YOUR Shepard's story. The conclusion felt obviously rushed and writers obviously forgot that since ME is YOUR Shepard's story, YOU should decide how it all ends... sad, bittersweet or happy should be YOUR choice. And that's why I give it a 9, rather than the 10 I would have otherwise given it. Good news is: that can be fixed through a patch or DLC.    … Expand
  51. solvill
    Mar 19, 2012
    3
    It's sad to see this great game end this way. The ending, or rather lack of one, is appalling. Absolutely none of the decisions you've made in the game, or in ME1/ME2 make any difference, and the end result is always the same just with different color, it leaves you with a feeling never wanting to touch Mass Effect again. The end of the game offers no closure or what's even worse doesn'tIt's sad to see this great game end this way. The ending, or rather lack of one, is appalling. Absolutely none of the decisions you've made in the game, or in ME1/ME2 make any difference, and the end result is always the same just with different color, it leaves you with a feeling never wanting to touch Mass Effect again. The end of the game offers no closure or what's even worse doesn't make sense at all… Expand
  52. Hydralysk
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved the original mass effect and mass effect 2, I must've played through both at 6 times making different choices because I wanted to see how they played out in ME3. For the first 98% of the game it was great, clearly oriented towards previous mass effect fans, but great nonetheless. And then I saw the ending. We were promised multiple endings, we got the same ending with a different color explosion no matter what. We were promised that our previous choices would change how everything played out, and yet no choice we made is in the least bit relevant in the last 20 minutes or the final choice. We were promised that it would end like Lost 'with more questions than answers', and yet Shepard apparently commits space genocide because of the most flimsy excuse ever and with big enough plot holes to drive an aircraft carrier through. Furthermore there is no indication at all of how any other character or race fared after you destroy the very fabric of galatic community, so cross any kind of closure off the list as well. Apparently this is due to the writer thinking the ending needs "Lots of Speculation" but he's the one who told us it won't end with more questions than answers. If I wanted to speculate I'd never of bought the game, that's what my imagination is for. Bioware lied to us through their statements and that's just not acceptable. Furthermore since nothing I did in any of the previous games matters once I get to the end of ME3 they've retroactively ruined any replay value of not only ME3 but ME and ME2 as well. How could I possibly care about any choices in those games now when I know for a fact it's all irrelevant to how it all plays out? I'd also like to state I didn't need an ending where shepard lives happily ever after (though I do challenge the concept that a hero dying is somehow better writing), what I wanted was an ending that A) made logical sense B) reflected the decisions I'd made in some way C) If shepard had to die at least make him die for something good, not dying to kick off an era of starvation and unrest. I gave you the benefit of the doubt with DA2 Bioware, I gave you the benefit of the doubt with the day 1 DLC character, but this is the last straw. Unless they fix this I can't recommend this game to anyone, play ME and ME2 if you want, but since the way it all plays out is based on "Everyone like lots of speculation" you're better off imagining the end up yourself and saving the $60, it'll almost without a doubt still hold up better than the real ending.… Expand
  53. OnAnarchy
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    10/10, endings included. I completely understand the ending leaving people feeling hollow, and for that I am sorry. It's obvious to me now that the majority of people do not understand the endings and how they work into the universe. What Bioware has done is both a writing and marketing masterpiece, leaving an entire series of dedicated fans continually discussing permutations and10/10, endings included. I completely understand the ending leaving people feeling hollow, and for that I am sorry. It's obvious to me now that the majority of people do not understand the endings and how they work into the universe. What Bioware has done is both a writing and marketing masterpiece, leaving an entire series of dedicated fans continually discussing permutations and possibilities. I am certain we will see 'the Truth' in some form of DLC, and that makes me all the more excited. If you want an immersive experience and an excellent (albeit unfinished) conclusion to an amazing sci-fi series, get this game. And please, take every little detail in, no matter how small. Hopefully, you will comprehend the masterpiece that Bioware has provided us.… Expand
  54. Hamzairshad
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    I enjoyed Mass Effect 3 too much.it is the Best Mass Effect Game.But one thing in Mass Effect 3 from which I had been disappointed is the ending.Bio ware has to change the ending.Please Bio ware,With Mass Effect 3 I have become the Huge fan of Mass Effect Series.Please Change the ending with New DLC.
  55. sidneyhabour
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    The ending... is all I have to say . I have to wonder what went through their minds when making this. Did they not learn from DA2? Nope of course not because in the end when you have space magic and money who cares about the customer reaction. Very sad to see the ending of the trilogy come to this.
  56. LeifofRohan
    Mar 19, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Huge Mass effect fan. Took five days off of work to play Mass Effect 3. Great game until the last ten minutes of the game. Where the story does. Complete 180 and your choices don't matter. Ruins the whole build up of the series.… Expand
  57. CheeseHead
    Mar 19, 2012
    3
    While I enjoyed Mass Effect 3 and would recommend it for people to try out, the ending was a crushing blow to the face: none of my decisions mattered, nothing was explained, all the endings were virtually identical, Bioware used a "in your face, deus ex machina" to wrap it all up. The ending did not stay true to the game, the trilogy or the fans. Worst of all, the ending ruins anyWhile I enjoyed Mass Effect 3 and would recommend it for people to try out, the ending was a crushing blow to the face: none of my decisions mattered, nothing was explained, all the endings were virtually identical, Bioware used a "in your face, deus ex machina" to wrap it all up. The ending did not stay true to the game, the trilogy or the fans. Worst of all, the ending ruins any replayability for most fans. Of course there were several positive things to the game, but since many are considered spoilers I will not be posting them. It's painful for me to do this, but since the ending is truly all that stays with you (and not in a good way) I must give this game a negative rating.… Expand
  58. Zellith
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    This was my favourite trilogy until the last 10 mins. The last 10 mins just undermined and completely destroyed a franchise. The rest of ME3 is absolubtely stellar but the last 10 mins have just absolubtely eviscerated my will to play these games ever again. Rent - do not buy.
  59. BOSTONJOHN32
    Mar 19, 2012
    6
    Well i will start by saying that im amazed that critics scored this game nearly perfect but not many went into detail about ending, never mention it @ all or simply (and boldly) allowed readers to think the game was great from start to finish, then i happened 2 go "outside the bubble" and found smaller, more obscure reviews and the score factored in that the ending was "literary suicide"Well i will start by saying that im amazed that critics scored this game nearly perfect but not many went into detail about ending, never mention it @ all or simply (and boldly) allowed readers to think the game was great from start to finish, then i happened 2 go "outside the bubble" and found smaller, more obscure reviews and the score factored in that the ending was "literary suicide" as one wrote. as quoted by r. ebert "if you had to ask what it symbolized, then it didnt" and i can say that this very much sums up the ending, struck in awe like many, i wasnt even sure if i had beat the game and had to check mt trophy in order to sort out if i did. thats just it, i felt like i did not know what had just happened and had to wait for the credits to scroll to know its over,and so i convince myself that ok maybe i just did not see the right ending and maybe i got the bad ending, "yes that must be it, w/ so many endings i must have screwed up along the way and got the bad ending" come to find out i got the desired and the most "definative" ending.. so then i go back and replay the mission etc and all the other endings are pretty much identical beside a different color or "end sequence" which consisted of a minute or so animation of walking another direction etc. i wont get into conspiracy theories or anything which is out of context but its kind of hard not to fall prey or offer self to some distraction or debate because we not only invested time, we invested emotion.. hours upon hours of carefully making right choices for a desired import etc, and for what? if i kind of got a heads up from critics that "decisions do not play as significant a role in mass 3 as it did in the prior 2" then i wouldve been able to prepare,lol.. but we are hearing words like art, story telling masterpiece also we were told by bioware that this would have multiple endings, a deeper consequence/decision mechanic, an end which would the opposite from lost, well no it may actually take the belt away from lost for the wtf just happened moment but the fact is that i shouldve known that a game which has a formula that works almost seamlessly, based primarily on decisions as well as story driven sequences which make the gamer care, think and DECIDE, it works so good that while i played every mass efect i made every decision carefully to prep my shep for the import into the next game, so if i am playing a game and already thinking of the next one then the system is almost flawless imo.. BUT it is obvious E.A had a bit of influence and brings me back to my point with this "formula", they deserted it and decided for MASS APPEAL rather than mass effect and i noticed this during the demo and how much emphasis was put on how one can play the game how one wishes and that the game can be toggled to suit any style, dont like stories? choose combat.. hate decisions? well you can toggle that too.. but wait, isnt that the part of mass effect which makes it like few others? and isnt that what i have spent many hours doing to have a desired and effective playthrough as well as end? was it just me or did it feel silly to scan planets this time around? as to say "hey dont want to waste time scanning for elements, well we fixed that too" huh? call me a loser, call me what you want BUT i enjoyed taking my time scanning for minerals and elements and launching probes with a feeling of purpose, because that was one of the many things which made me love this game, felt like what i did mattered and fulfilling. i can understand E.A 's stance from a business perspective, their knowledge and tactics of knowing that the fanbase of mass effect are going to buy this game regardless so lets find some fresh blood, but did the solid core and fan base have to feel jipped, let down, disappointed, confused and as well as angry in exchange for new profits/gains? well the core, the fans well we are mass effect. it breaths because we let it, we let it because it was great ,brought quality and emotion and stood apart from many other games and the exp was one like few others. but as much respect a game/developer may get through time can be undone in ten minutes.. i can not say that mass effect 3 was a bad game, but after putting in hours of decisions, careful choices to have it not effect anything in regards to the end , other than the war assets and "co-op"readiness , well i feel like it was more of a "okay hurry up and get this over with and go play co-op after" the fact remains that mass effect 3 is still a solid game, but an ending which was promised to be the finale we dream about also being admittedly rushed well how does anything rushed ever result to anything other than sub par to par? a game is about the exp, mass effect is about a unique and gripping exp BUT the end ruined both.. its obvious a lot has changed in the gaming industry in the past 5 years, mass effect supports this in every respect, reapers went from FEAR INDUCING to PAWNS… Expand
  60. Bomberman
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't get me wrong, the Mass effect experience is awesome in more ways then one. Telling us our choices would have an impact on the ending and that we would get 15 - 17 different endings is PURE BLISS!!!. Getting to the end of the game and finding out that not only is there only three very veery similar endings, but they completely butchered the lore of mass effect and managed to piss off this fan with the last 10 minutes of the ending. No longer will I be purchasing DLC, games nor any mass effect memorbilia that i was planning on getting until this situation is fixed and hopefully soon. Bioware, you have let me down completely.… Expand
  61. Ryukyu
    Mar 19, 2012
    0
    This should have been the crown jewel in the ME trilogy, 90% of the game play was great, but the ending stinks on ice. I also think that Miranda should have had a greater role in the game, been a member on the crew. I find the idea of her and Ash sharing a room to be comic gold. Bioware needs to improve the ending and give us what was promised, an ending where our choices make an impact.This should have been the crown jewel in the ME trilogy, 90% of the game play was great, but the ending stinks on ice. I also think that Miranda should have had a greater role in the game, been a member on the crew. I find the idea of her and Ash sharing a room to be comic gold. Bioware needs to improve the ending and give us what was promised, an ending where our choices make an impact. Not one where everything essentually blows up and nothing makes sense. This also needs to be a free DLC, I paid for the whole game, I have no objections to paying for extras, thats why I bought the CE, but to pay extra for the 'true' ending would add insult to injury… Expand
  62. beans29
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is with a heavy heart I feel obliged to negatively review mass effect 3, I loved the series and ME3 does everything right up until the final ten minutes. The conclusion they have provided for this loved trilogy is nonsensical, leaves glaring plot holes and hammers home the fact that nothing you have done in the last one hundred and thirty odd hours of gaming makes any difference or impact to the ending, which is ridiculous in a game where the nature of choice and consequence is a key theme.

    The developers made several promises in the run up to the release, mostly revolving around how your choices would impact the ending and it wouldn't be just a "press a, b or c" ending omatic, which is precisley what it turned out to be.

    It is sad that the ending ruins any inclination to replay the series, if they were to change the ending into something more linked to the themes and offering a bit more choice I would be happy changing this 1 score to a 10, as up until the final 10 minutes, the game is an awesome, emotional rollercoaster, but the current ending is so bad it completely destroys it.

    Follow the Retake mass effect 3 campaign, raise some money for a great charity and maybe convince Bioware to fix what could have been a great game and an amazing send off to the series.    … Expand
  63. Jecht_342
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First let me say that this is a great series and until the last 10 minutes of the game, this was the best game in the series. Most of the game really felt like a fitting end to the series. The gameplay is amazing, the visuals are stunning, and this game provokes more feeling in the player than any game(or book or movie for that matter) I've ever experienced. You make choices that allow people to sacrifice themselves, and you care about these characters. You are filled with hope and despair, joy and sadness, all at the right places. Then there is the ending. I won't say anything specific about what happens at the end, but I still checked the box for spoilers because even what I will say will be considered spoilers by many. None of your choices mattered. There are three endings and which you get or are successful are all based on your Effective Military Strength number. What's worse is that the endings aren't even functionally different. They destroy the ME universe and the franchise. I felt completely numb after finishing the series for a while and then the anger started to grow. The one good thing I can say about the ending is that there is a movement to change it so we might end up getting the ending we deserve.… Expand
  64. Kyriene
    Mar 19, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the game until about the last 20 minutes to hour. The action kept me right on the edge of my seat, the entire game was an emotional roller coaster. The game had me laughing until I could not breathe and turning around and bawling like a baby. I really could not have asked for a better game for the ending of this series.

    Then I got to the end of the game. I was prepared for an epic battle against the Reapers, I got a rainbow choice. None of the 'choices' presented to me were in anyway true to Commander Shepard, at least not the Commander Shepard that I came to know and love through three games. Though in the end there was really only a single choice with three different flavors.

    Now a lot of people think I am unhappy because I didn't get a 'happy' ending, or was unhappy getting a 'bittersweet' ending. That could not be further from the truth. I expected a bittersweet ending, where you had to choose between saving most people and saving Shepard, or Shepard's friends. I was expecting there to be hard choices, as there had been through out the previous games. I expected that if I didn't manage to have done everything right through the three games, I would have problems at the end. I fully expected to have to sacrifice my Shepard for the good of everyone. I hoped there would be a way for Shepard to live and go about her/his way with LI and friends, but I was never counting on that.

    What I never wanted to see, was the circular logic that the Reapers became, an AI god child controlling everything. The Galaxy set back at least decades, more like centuries, with the destruction of the Relays. I surely never thought I would see Shepard's crew leave her/him and run away, getting marooned on some planet we have no idea where. All in all the game was a 10/10 the ending killed that for me. I really wish Bioware had thought that out more than they did. I hope they will think things further through and do right by their fans and at least add explanations to the rainbow.

    Thanks.    … Expand
  65. billyzero
    Mar 19, 2012
    1
    The last 15 minutes destroys the game and the entire franchise. The end contradicts the entire series and makes any future DLC irrelevant. It's far better to just pretend the mass effect series ended at ME 2.
  66. BillJaguar
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Now then. I shall start off by saying that 10/10 is not actually my score for this game, however I do believe it deserves more than it's current score (4.9 at this time), so I have given it 10 to help even these user scores out. My score would actually be around a 6, maybe a 7. So what shall I start with? "Don't get me wrong I'm a a fan of the series..."? "I loved the first two but..."?Now then. I shall start off by saying that 10/10 is not actually my score for this game, however I do believe it deserves more than it's current score (4.9 at this time), so I have given it 10 to help even these user scores out. My score would actually be around a 6, maybe a 7. So what shall I start with? "Don't get me wrong I'm a a fan of the series..."? "I loved the first two but..."? "It's (something obscenely negative)"? I could but I would be lying.
    I am a newcomer to this series starting at three. Some would say I'm an fool, however the reason is because I have never paid attention to the series so far, but have finally been attracted to the scenario. Sci-fi, aliens, space travel... marvelous (and frightening) stuff, all in a game. There have, of course, been many games featuring these assets, but Mass Effect 3 makes it all the more tangible. Especially for one with a lack of imagination such as myself. The galaxy map is an especially beautiful aspect of the game to look at, (look at the pretty colours!). Therefore to me, this setting is very compelling, because ultimately it is where I believe humanity would like to be going next. That is just my view but i feel that it is correct, it is certainly where I want to be.
    Now the game itself. It is actually a very simple game, which could work in its favour or it is boring. On the other kidney though, all games can be made simplistic if you try, but I won't. What I will say is this: linearity is quite prevalent. If you are comfortable with games though then this isn't too much of a problem. However for someone who hasn't been with the series it is pretty limited in it's replay value. The graphics look like a game and I'm fine with that, even if their movements are quite robotic. The characters are very appealing, we have aliens not just humans, so they should be. Garrus has been my favourite since I did a bit of background reading before getting this game, such is the charm of this universe. The one thing that has irked and irritated is the galaxy at war feature, which for me (online code and all) consistently says: "system offline". Wildly vexing for my inner achievement trawler. Thus I'm not sure if it makes the end of the game any easier. Since I'm here the contentious issue of the ending... My view is that it was odd. That's it. I didn't hate it, for me it was just odd. (No spoilers here though).
    The multiplayer was very disappointing. I played the demo with the multiplayer and what happened apparently is that I had played (impending random percentage) 70% of the actual multiplayer. On the demo there were two maps and you were fighting Cerberus on bronze, silver or gold difficulty. In the full game, there are perhaps 6 levels with Reapers and Geth joining the fray. It will be very appealing to GOW Horde fans and all alike. Instead for myself, who views the variety of Timesplitters 2 multiplayer modes as more engrossing than the Horde and unlocking aspects this was a great disappointment. Nevertheless, functionally, the multiplayer is just fine, (aside my Galaxy at War being constantly inactive).

    There we have it, my semi-indifferent thoughts on this game. As mentioned in my intro, my real score is 7/10, but 10/10 to help in levelling off the unfairly assigned 0/10 reviews.

    Thank you for reading,

    Bill Jaguar    … Expand
  67. ukiome
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    Having played and experienced all three games in this trilogy I had high expectations for the final installment. My first impression was a bit negative as I had not played the ME3 DLC arrival and therefore did not have any idea what was going on with Shepard and the team when the game started. I would have liked a more graphical background story to get me up to date. However, you instantlyHaving played and experienced all three games in this trilogy I had high expectations for the final installment. My first impression was a bit negative as I had not played the ME3 DLC arrival and therefore did not have any idea what was going on with Shepard and the team when the game started. I would have liked a more graphical background story to get me up to date. However, you instantly get into action against the reapers and from there it just gets better.
    It seems that the developers have listened a lot to their fans from every game and the results are always pros and cons. This game seems to have been focused on making things easier for players as the sidequests are shorter but still enjoyable. There are "fetch-quests" that really don't mean anything as you wander around the citadel and accidentally stumbles on a person that wants some space-part that you happen to have found on some planet somewhere... But the meat lies with the story and the action in this game. Those parts work really great. The combat has been improved as you can move a lot smother on the field and the action just really flows. The story is as always great an engaging. I must say, as having read all the negative remarks to the ending, that I respect the developers decision to make the ending as they did. I had low expectations going in to the ending thanks to all the whining being done by respectfulness fans of the series but I did not at all see what the big deal was. I don't want to spoil anything about the end so I'll just say that the game leaves parts to your imagination but that doesn't mean its a bad thing. I understand how a lot of people were disappointed in the endings but It gives no right to call developers names and demand that they make changes. They have delivered a great series that just keeps impressing on you. I can't even imagine the amount of work they have put into these games. Bioware - I am one of your many fans that thank your for this experience. I've given the series over 100 hours of play and It is one of my best investments ever. I solute you!    … Expand
  68. reVICES
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    Mass Effect 3, as a whole, lives up to the hype of what the ground breaking series has given us so far. The game improves upon its predecessor in almost every way, however it falls short on a few aspects that make this game not the perfect ten it could have been.

    One aspect that this entry greatly improves upon is the combat. You now have many more ways to strategically take down your    Mass Effect 3, as a whole, lives up to the hype of what the ground breaking series has given us so far. The game improves upon its predecessor in almost every way, however it falls short on a few aspects that make this game not the perfect ten it could have been.

    One aspect that this entry greatly improves upon is the combat. You now have many more ways to strategically take down your foes. With the additions of combat rolls and jumping from cover to cover gives you opportunities to dodge devastating enemy attacks and to close in on opponents in ways that were never possible before. Weapons customization gives you the possibility of making combat situations more personalized to the individual gamer's weaknesses, an element that was removed entirely from the second installment. Another great addition is the use of the Xbox 360's Kinect device. The player can now literately shout commands to their squad mates in the heat of battle. Although, one negative can be found in this during the use of the dialogue wheel. If you are having a conversation with someone in the room with you, it may recognize what you say as one of the options, and it could possibly select an undesired choice. Also, I've noticed that it sometimes will pick up conversations from the game itself, and the microphone icon will flash. Melee combat is better evolved but can sometimes be glitch resulting in missing your target entirely.

    On to the RPG elements of the game next. Much like the combat, many improvements were made here, that cannot be said for all aspects though, and this is the root of many of the game's shortcomings. The skill tree in this installment is much larger and includes unique options that were not seen in the previous installments, giving players additional options to think about while leveling their characters.

    The dialogue in the game seems to have taken a major hit from the previous installments. The voice acting was done very well but it doesn't make up for the lack of conversation options throughout the game. In the previous installments you can talk to all of your squad members in between missions and develop the way you want your Shepard to treat that squad member. However, in Mass Effect 3 they have greatly limited these encounters in some cases to one or two times you can choose what to say to your party. It's possible that the creators thought that talking to every party member in between missions was tedious, but developing the individuality of your Shepard is what made the series so ingenious.

    Another RPG element that took a hit in the finale is the side missions. A vast majority of what would've been called "assignments" in the previous installments are nothing but fetch quests in this game. As you travel the Citadel, you will overhear many conversations, and many of them Shepard believes he should take it upon himself to help them. These always require you to fly to system and start scanning, or go to the Spectre Requisitions and just buy something. Despite it helping your overall mission, many of these just come off as unnecessary annoyances.

    The reputation system within the game also seems to have taken a hit since its predecessor. Overall, it almost just seems like it was removed entirely with the exception of a few key decisions. Lastly, the biggest criticism of the game so far, the endings. Theories aside, if they are intended to be interpreted literately this is a major short coming. None of the endings really give the player any closure for a series that many people have participated in from the series beginning. Despite that, one of the selling points of the series is that every choice you make matters. The few endings of the game are all preset and none of the choices Shepard has made effect the ending, taking away any individuality you've given your Shepard throughout the span of the series. Perhaps these issues will be addressed in the near future, and this negative point will no longer be necessary.

    Despite the controversy surrounding the endings, the day one downloadable content, the completely optional same-sex relationship possibilities, this game does deserve universal acclaim. If it wasn't for the few short comings, this would be strongest entry in an already very well done series.    … Expand
  69. mike21
    Mar 19, 2012
    7
    This game was not as good as I had hoped. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I did not enjoy it as much as the previous 2. Having said that, it was still fun, and it was definitley not sa bad as some people make it out to be.
  70. GameTank
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    all these people giving low scores and what for? it's just as good as the second and slightly better, you wanna score a game low? go check out leisure suit larry
  71. xiutwo
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    played the game. finished the game. raged at first, like most of the internet. then, i came across the indoctrination/hallucination theory. result: mind. blown.

    i call this a win.
  72. psykeron
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    It has been quite a journey. can't talk about everything due to the ltd. space. no spoilers.
    -------The Combat 9/10-------
    The combat is visibly better than all ME1 and 2. The level design is awesome. There are many ways to attack a situation. In the Grissom Academy level at one stage you can choose to go for an all out ground attack or take out people on the stairs and rain hell from    It has been quite a journey. can't talk about everything due to the ltd. space. no spoilers.
    -------The Combat 9/10-------
    The combat is visibly better than all ME1 and 2. The level design is awesome. There are many ways to attack a situation. In the Grissom Academy level at one stage you can choose to go for an all out ground attack or take out people on the stairs and rain hell from above. The combat is just fluid and nice.

    -------The Locations 9/10-------
    I believe ME3 offers many unique locations compared to ME1&2 (you are free to correct me here). The locations were just breathtaking and well designed. Visiting the temple of Althame and many many others that I don't want to spoil for you.

    -------The Story and The World 7/10-------
    The story in mass effect is good but it pales in comparison to ME1 and ME2. And I'm sure that you will agree that ME2's story pales in comparison to ME1. The problem with ME3 is that the game doesn't let you connect with the story. You go on big mission from one planet to the other and that is about it. The player doesn't get the chance to feel for his/her galaxy. The story in ME1 and ME2 were good because I could connect to the world through short missions and random conversations. In ME3, I did not connect. There were no small stories and missions that made me feel like I was a part of this world. Just to highlight my point, an Elcor ambassador will plead you to save his people from his homeworld. This particular mission got me excited. I believed that I was going to land on the Elcor homeworld and save them but that never happened. I just scanned their planet and they were magically saved. This is what made me really lose that connection to the world of Mass Effect. Mass Effect 3 offers no new species and cultures for you to explore. Remember in ME1 and 2 where you landed on an unexplored planet to find something awesome, that connection is what made them so awesome. ME3 really lacks in making that connection and making you feel and live the story.

    -------The Characters 5/10-------
    I am very disappointed in the characters. For those of you who played ME2, and had Zaeed Masani as a squad mate. Remember how he would say random things when you clicked on him. There weren't many dialog options and therefore there was no deep connection with Zaeed Masani. Now just expand that situation to every character in Mass Effect 3. In ME3, you have a few conversations using the wheel; after that you just go press 'A' and the character will say something and then you press 'A' again and so on. There is no connection and no immersion in the conversation and the characters. In ME1 and 2, the conversation wheel was a way of making you part of the conversation. Even if there were no new dialog options, I would still try to start a conversation with a team member. The fact that they looked at me and acknowledged my willingness to start a conversation made me feel connected to them as my team mates(in ME1&2). In ME3, the lack of conversation really bugged me. Its what I admired the series for and here it was non-existent. I am sure all of you let Kaidan die in ME1, I think it was because he didn't have many conversations with us in the game. In ME3, I feel this way about all the squad members. The only reason I feel a connection to some of the characters in ME3 is because of my past experiences with them.

    -------Mission 8/10-------
    there are only two kinds of missions in ME3: main missions and fetch missions. The main missions are part of the story and that is pretty self explanatory. The fetch missions are the worst missions ever made in ME history. You don't talk to people to get fetch missions. You get missions as you overhear conversations and these missions involve scanning worlds to find items.

    -------The Ending 10/10-------
    The game was a chore in a lot of ways but the ending was awesome. I know a lot of people are complaining about the ending; that the ending didn't account for all the choices you made during the game. If people are talking about the events leading up to the ending, then yeah the consequences of your choices could have been reflected better. But that is a problem with the story telling and not the ending. I was disconnected from the world of ME3 for the most part of the game but the ending pulled me right back into it. It was the only moment that I felt connected to the game. I felt my heart leap, feelings of joy & sorrow, my choices and adventures flashed before my mind's eye, I reminisced about the people I had met on my long journey, the conversations, the connections, the love and the hate. It all just rushed back to me and I shed a tear as i saw the consequences of 'my choice' unfold itself. In the end, I felt that I had made a difference in my world, I felt that I was Commander John Shepard. Watch the credits till the end :) This game should have probably spent one more year in development but THANK YOU BIOWARE, for all the memories.    … Expand
  73. bcent
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have played all three Mass Effect games and have loved them. The Mass Effect series is my second favorite series. However, this game is extremely disappointing. The game is great up until the last hour when you "take back" Earth. It was nothing as expected or advertised. I expected to have an ending that was a blend of ME1 and ME2. This means that I expected to have epic space and land battles where I had to make ethical decisions that impacted the game. The ending was nothing like this. It was basically the same as any other mission, and you have to make a "choice" at the end. There are three options, and they are all bad options with the same cut scene ending. The cut scene makes no sense, answers no questions, provides no closure, and is an insult to all of the fans of Mass Effect. I basically have two big problems with the game. One, the ending is too ambiguous which doesn't provide any answers or satisfaction. You don't know what happened to the crew, races, worlds, or galaxy. Two, the ending is anti-climatic which means that it is boring and not fitting for a Mass Effect game and especially for the end of a trilogy.
    I have a third problem, but it is not with the game. The third problem is with the developer. Bioware has made some unethical, greedy business decisions lately. It started with their decision to make KOTOR into an MMO instead of another console release. They knew that they would make more money with it as an MMO. I won't get into why I hate MMOs and how they are destroying the RPG genre. Bioware has recently dumbed down other RPG games like Dragon Age II and ME3 to appeal to the masses and make more money. This brings us to ME3. There are three issues with ME3. First, there is a code required to play the multiplayer. This is done to make more money from people who rent or buy used. Second, they have a release day DLC which is something they did for ME2 also. That DLC should be included with the retail release, but they sell it separately to make more money. The DLC isn't worth $10 because it is just one short mission and a playable character. All work completed before the retail release should be included in the retail price. I shouldn't have to pay extra unless they create the material after the release date. Third, they are releasing a DLC with the "true" ending, and they will charge $10 (or more) for this DLC. They made this false ending that no one likes so they could force everyone to buy the DLC with the "true" ending. It was done on purpose because Shepard awakens at the end of the cut scene and is back on Earth. The ending wasn't real. If it wasn't real, why is the real ending released months later and requires additional money? The real ending should have been included on the retail release that you have already bought at a high price. This is also done to make more money at the expense of loyal fans. I paid full price ($60) for what I thought was a finished and good product. I was wrong. It is not finished, and it is not as good as I hoped. I have to pay more money to finish it, but I will not do it. All of their business decisions are fueled by pure greed for money at this point.
    Do yourself a favor and don't waste your money on this game. If you are a fan of ME1 and ME2, then buy the game later. Wait for it to be $20 which won't be long. I bet that it will be $20 by this summer. You shouldn't buy the DLCs either because you don't want to reward and encourage Bioware for their unethical, greedy business practices. Bioware has basically given the middle finger to all loyal fans, and it is laughing all the way to the bank. I know the last few sentences seems really negative, but it is true. How can you not feel shafted by the game's ending and Bioware's business practices?    … Expand
  74. dbnp
    Mar 18, 2012
    1
    This game does not deserve a 10/10, nor a 94 metacritic rating.

    Your adventure begins with the reapers attacking earth, the first planet to come under siege. After the confirmation of the reaper invasion as so prophesized by Shepard, you are tasked with uniting the entire universe in not getting annhilated. But throughout the entire game you'll feel like Shepard and his crew are the    This game does not deserve a 10/10, nor a 94 metacritic rating.

    Your adventure begins with the reapers attacking earth, the first planet to come under siege. After the confirmation of the reaper invasion as so prophesized by Shepard, you are tasked with uniting the entire universe in not getting annhilated. But throughout the entire game you'll feel like Shepard and his crew are the only people in the ENTIRE universe who are taking the whole galaxy obliteration thing seriously. You'll spend the entire game doing favors for the other races who apparently don't give a **** that they and everything they've ever known or loved will die, so long as X objective is fulfilled. And throughout, you'll find plotholes so massive a Geth dreadnought (which is surprisingly accommodating to lifeforms) could fly through them. The Rachni are back, regardless of whether you killed the queen in ME1, for example. As for the ending... it's so bad Bioware issued a statement for damage control. Don't worry though, they intend to give you the ending you deserve so long as you buy yet another DLC pack.

    The graphics only look good when the image on screen is static. Try dodging, moving from cover to cover, sprinting, or watching 90% of the cut-scenes and you'll see awful animations, horrible transitions from animation to animation, and sometimes awkward eye movements. And regardless of whether you cleared out all enemies in a conflict zone, the camera still follows Shepard with his gun drawn uncomfortable close, and even with the controller sensitivity setting at "low" (yes, this game, unlike every other shooter released in the past decade, has only 3 settings for analog stick sensitivity) I found myself getting dizzy playing. There are also cinematic events during levels much like the Uncharted series but with choppy animation and crappy camera angles. If you're a fan of claustrophobia and nausea, then you'll love exploring M3E's environments for credits and weapon upgrades.

    The entire game feels tight and constricted, from beginning to end. Imagine the linearity of Gears of War with about 50% less space. And the locations that should be sprawling and massive, like the Citadel for example, feel miniscule and require an elevator and a loading screen to access each of the five zones Shepard may explore. Even the outside levels, of which there are only a few, channel you through invisible walls to your objective. In addition, small sections of the map are regurgitated throughout the entire level to save development time, adding to the disorientation.

    Multiplayer is a welcome addition, but it too has its faults. The gear you can upgrade includes weapons and their mods, but no armor, and getting said gear is either a massive grind or expensive. Gear is attained by buying "packs" which are essentially booster decks filled randomly with equipment using either MS points or the game's own credit system, which are earned extremely slowly by completing various objectives during multiplayer sessions. It's sickening how shamelessly Bioware fills its own pocket with this system and it creates a rift between players willing to spend money on digital items and players who won't, and the chance of you attaining what you desire for your character are slim, forcing you to buy pack after pack. But the loot system isn't the only thing that feels broken and wrong. Instead of creating a character and class from scratch and choosing and building upon its buffs and abilities, there are 4 or 5 characters for each class, two or 3 with their own special abilities, and each class levels up independently from each other. It isn't the worst system in the world, but you'll feel less attached to each of your many online avatars as you do with Shepard. This also prevents players from creating the exact class/character they desire, as only certain races have access to certain abilities. If you were looking to make a human with Reave, you're SOL. And, unlike the singleplayer campaign, each class has a max of three abilities which cannot be remapped to different buttons. You are stuck using your abilities (but only in multiplayer) with the buttons Bioware chose. Just as perplexing is the lack of a mute option. I cannot stress how absolutely stupid Bioware is for not adding this and many other features that are status quo. I hope you enjoy your multiplayer experience dashed with thirteen year old kids and racists.

    Mass 3 Effect is a good game by any standard, but it is not a great game, and the lack of certain options that are standard in every game released in the past decade certainly don't help. But it's the ending and Bioware's disgusting Activision-like business tactics that'll eventually disenchant you from its massive, plot-hole riddled world. Or maybe seeing Ronnie from Jersey Shore joining your crew will do it.    … Expand
  75. Khalisto
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    I bought the game for my PC and the graphics are just amazing, I also purchased the two games for the iPad that are also linked to my PC game and affects each other, I am really glad the developers merged all of these tools/devices to work great with each other, it enhances the immersion.

    The story of Mass Effect 3 is solid, the voice acting is superb, the music is hypnotizing, love the    I bought the game for my PC and the graphics are just amazing, I also purchased the two games for the iPad that are also linked to my PC game and affects each other, I am really glad the developers merged all of these tools/devices to work great with each other, it enhances the immersion.

    The story of Mass Effect 3 is solid, the voice acting is superb, the music is hypnotizing, love the action and the easy of use. I give this game a 10 for perfect!    … Expand
  76. linksmaster
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    After completing the game one has to wonder whether Bioware diverted all their resources to Star Wars - The Old Republic. One can only hope that is the excuse for this ending to the series. Regardless of the excuses or, perish the thought these "endings" were actually planned out, the Nihilistic ending made me regret having spent time even bothering to develop a character. Perhaps it's aAfter completing the game one has to wonder whether Bioware diverted all their resources to Star Wars - The Old Republic. One can only hope that is the excuse for this ending to the series. Regardless of the excuses or, perish the thought these "endings" were actually planned out, the Nihilistic ending made me regret having spent time even bothering to develop a character. Perhaps it's a joke. Or a calculated business move to offer DLC that lets you have an ending where you actually have some impact. As such this mess is such a shame for what had been such a promising series. In my humble opinion it is that bad. And it's sad. Not the sadness of any ending but the saddest thing in the world: Wasted potential. The wasted potential from a sloppy meaningless ending to an otherwise previously well executed series. I have lost the will to replay Mass Effect due to the ending. If that was Bioware's (and/or EA's) intentions, then well played EA/Bioware. I won't bother to return. If this is the same attention they plan for other games then I wish them well. I will not be playing them.… Expand
  77. falllnhorse
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    I'm a big fan of the Mass Effect Series. i watch it devolve from RPG to 3rd person shooter. However Mass Effect was able to keep the balance. The way i rate the game success is replay ability. After how ME3 ending i can not even play Mass Effect original again. The passion has been ripped out of me for the series. It came down to A B or C option. Either way everything is over with theI'm a big fan of the Mass Effect Series. i watch it devolve from RPG to 3rd person shooter. However Mass Effect was able to keep the balance. The way i rate the game success is replay ability. After how ME3 ending i can not even play Mass Effect original again. The passion has been ripped out of me for the series. It came down to A B or C option. Either way everything is over with the universe. It was out of character and confusing. The ending was being written during the whole game and was culminating into a spectacular ending. However this was thrown away. For a modern cliche twist ending. It's sad this was on the way for the best RPG of the 21st century. Something for the benchmark all RPG on for the future. Gone.… Expand
  78. dredgman
    Mar 18, 2012
    9
    Fantastic! Would rate 9.5 if possible.
    Mass Effect 3 is every bit as good as Mass Effect 2, if not better. Many will complain about the "lack of choice" toward the end of the game. Who cares? BioWare may have backed themselves into a corner with how much variability is possible in a character, but they do a fantastic job carrying everything through to this final chapter. Sure, the ending    Fantastic! Would rate 9.5 if possible.
    Mass Effect 3 is every bit as good as Mass Effect 2, if not better. Many will complain about the "lack of choice" toward the end of the game. Who cares? BioWare may have backed themselves into a corner with how much variability is possible in a character, but they do a fantastic job carrying everything through to this final chapter. Sure, the ending of the game is short, but at least it's somewhat conclusive. Besides, it's a wild ride to get there and journey worth experiencing.

    The only real detractors in the game are the sidequests. They can be difficult to track, and it would have been nice if objectives and been either more clearly spelled out, or more clearly designated with markers.    … Expand
  79. Hellkite422
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    The game was beautiful. As it has been described to me it is like watching one of the greatest firework displays. You sit at the edge of your seat and you are moving ever closer to the finally. How could this get better? How is this going to end? When it finally comes to that last firework being shot off you sit there and watch as it is a dud....also it lands and smashes you in theThe game was beautiful. As it has been described to me it is like watching one of the greatest firework displays. You sit at the edge of your seat and you are moving ever closer to the finally. How could this get better? How is this going to end? When it finally comes to that last firework being shot off you sit there and watch as it is a dud....also it lands and smashes you in the face. The game leading up to it the end was one of the best in the series in my opinion. It did not grip you as much as it did in the others, I did feel like I was just watching on the side line. However game play improvements and multiplayer is great. The endings however ruin it for me. Nothing that I choose to do mattered, it was all for nothing really. To top it off they decide to put at the very end of the game a shameless plug for buying their DLC as a way to continue with the experience.... I am sorry but to throw a terrible ending in my face for a character I have invested over 100 gameplay hours and then to tell me to buy DLC....what a joke.

    My score reflects the endings and not the overall game. I apologize it if appears that I am trying to bomb the review for ME3. However as a long time fan this score (4/10) is what I feel is fair.    … Expand
  80. drumplaya162
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    I know the game had to end at some point, but this could have been implemented in a much better way. The writers made every decision made in the previous games, and even in this game, mean absolutely nothing. There are "multiple" ending, but all of them have the same basic outcome.
  81. horsemnonkey
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    Utterly boring. The most boring game in a long time. Bioware has gone deeply downhill since EA's interference. Keep rushing games. Not much made any sense, surely not the ending.
  82. petpiranha
    Mar 18, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect 3 Ending-Hatred: 5 Reasons The Fans Are Right - http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/

    Somehow Bioware managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of gaming victory with an ending that is poorly written and makes no sense. The article link is one of the best summaries I've read. But hey, as long as EA made loads of money, who cares if the    Mass Effect 3 Ending-Hatred: 5 Reasons The Fans Are Right - http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/

    Somehow Bioware managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of gaming victory with an ending that is poorly written and makes no sense. The article link is one of the best summaries I've read. But hey, as long as EA made loads of money, who cares if the race to ship the product short-changed gamers?    … Expand
  83. PostModernMan
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    Greatest game series I've ever played... until the last 10 minutes completely undoes EVERYTHING the series stood for and all the hard work put into three games. Bioware didn't just drop the ball at the one yard line in the last game of a perfect season. Bioware stopped at the one yard line and gave everyone in the audience the finger.
  84. Blocksss
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    what is there to say after 3 very succesfull games Bioware closes the Mass effect trilogy, i only had 2 irritating points in the game.
    1: that all the alian races you had as shepperd in part 2 are gone...
    2: the multiplayer, i cant tell why but i play mass effect for the story,i think the multiplayer is just a sniffing extra and i hope the creators will know that real mass effect fans    what is there to say after 3 very succesfull games Bioware closes the Mass effect trilogy, i only had 2 irritating points in the game.
    1: that all the alian races you had as shepperd in part 2 are gone...
    2: the multiplayer, i cant tell why but i play mass effect for the story,i think the multiplayer is just a sniffing extra and i hope the creators will know that real mass effect fans rather buy more missions than multiplayer maps.
    but i dont think i need to be to negative Bioware has closed 1 of my favorite games, and i enjoyed every second of it.    … Expand
  85. hokum
    Mar 18, 2012
    3
    This is 50% cutscene (interactive movie) and 50% clunky shooting. The shooter controls are poor - cover, run, jump, strafe etc are all one and the same button. This makes battles frustrating - you die simply because you crouch when you wanted to run away/ can't quickly un-stick yourself from cover if you want to leap over a barrier. The game uses non-stop, unskippable cinematics to giveThis is 50% cutscene (interactive movie) and 50% clunky shooting. The shooter controls are poor - cover, run, jump, strafe etc are all one and the same button. This makes battles frustrating - you die simply because you crouch when you wanted to run away/ can't quickly un-stick yourself from cover if you want to leap over a barrier. The game uses non-stop, unskippable cinematics to give the illusion of immersion. Plot holes the size of Jupiter (if you played the first 2 games). You'd struggle to call this an RPG - no real choices that influence the game - everyone gets 99.99% the same content and dialog. All choices in previous games result in just small cameos or one line of extra(or less) dialog. The quest journal is useless. Zero replay value due to depressing, pointless ending that provide no answers, the game badly needs a wrap up or epilogue.… Expand
  86. MadB00tleg
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    Great Game. Great Ending. Dont like it? Write a better one. Just because YOU think the end should be a certain way doesn't make it the case. Consider this a life lesson. For the most part, whats going to happen is going to happen. It's all about the journey.
  87. Sonicphoto
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    It's really a shame people give the game a low score just because the last 5 minutes of the game aren't good. You have to review the game has a complete package, the action is the best in the entire trilogy, weapons are much better, the story is very emotional, the war is at grand scale at different places, and every decision you take is crucial to the life of many characters or races.It's really a shame people give the game a low score just because the last 5 minutes of the game aren't good. You have to review the game has a complete package, the action is the best in the entire trilogy, weapons are much better, the story is very emotional, the war is at grand scale at different places, and every decision you take is crucial to the life of many characters or races. Plus the ending will be fixed, I have hopes that it will be, it was all indoctrination there are so many facts that prove it. We can say a game sucks, just because of a writer or some writers went all weird on the story when the other people that worked hard on other aspects did an excellent job.… Expand
  88. quazzymojo
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    Considering people reviewing this game have given in my opinion lesser games higher scores is just sour grapes. For me a good game is one where I can't wait to get home to play, where im constantly thinking about what's going to happen next. This game does exactly that!
    Ok day one DLC is cheeky but if you don't want it don't buy it! We are consumers and they have exploited our need for    Considering people reviewing this game have given in my opinion lesser games higher scores is just sour grapes. For me a good game is one where I can't wait to get home to play, where im constantly thinking about what's going to happen next. This game does exactly that!
    Ok day one DLC is cheeky but if you don't want it don't buy it! We are consumers and they have exploited our need for more, that's business get over it. As for the ending I wouldn't want it to be happy ever after ,the essence of the story is one of sacrifice and despair.
    As I read a few reviews before playing I felt set for disappointment. Don't!    … Expand
  89. TheBainanator
    Mar 18, 2012
    9
    in my opinion i thought that MA3 was a fantastic game, i mean sure they didnt keep all of what the series made great but still a great experiance, and without giving anything away i thought the ending was good, well my ending, and it kind of very slightly left it open, even though it was ment to be a trilogy
  90. DULLARD
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is brilliant UNTIL!!! the totally gutting and terrible ending to this fantastic series, why? just why??? it has nothing to do with anything, no choices make a difference, it is a punch in face to loyal fans, a new character in the dying seconds of the game tells you this: The Reaperâ… Expand
  91. gamster1234
    Mar 18, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 is a mere shadow of the game that its predecessors were. There are so many glaringly poor design choices made throughout. Things that worked perfectly well in Mass Effect 2 have been "fixed" so that the overall experience is frustrating. From side quests being dumbed down to poorly updated quest entries on the journal to the limited speech options, it is almost like BiowareMass Effect 3 is a mere shadow of the game that its predecessors were. There are so many glaringly poor design choices made throughout. Things that worked perfectly well in Mass Effect 2 have been "fixed" so that the overall experience is frustrating. From side quests being dumbed down to poorly updated quest entries on the journal to the limited speech options, it is almost like Bioware wanted to ruin this game.… Expand
  92. rotku
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    Mass Effect 3 could easily have scored a 10, could have been an absolute epic, a poignant storyline in which it felt that you and all the characters within the game mattered and all played their part in shaping the future of the universe. I even thought that a trilogy of movies was possible, however this game is let down by two things, one minor and one major. The minor is the loadingMass Effect 3 could easily have scored a 10, could have been an absolute epic, a poignant storyline in which it felt that you and all the characters within the game mattered and all played their part in shaping the future of the universe. I even thought that a trilogy of movies was possible, however this game is let down by two things, one minor and one major. The minor is the loading times/screens, too many and too often but I could have lived with this as I was so engrossed in gathering my troops for the final battle for earth. The major problems is the ending. It's all over most boards and discussion groups across the net so I'm not going into it in details suffice to say that I felt robbed after playing through three games and hundreds of hours....this is the best that could be developed......what a cop out!!!… Expand
  93. Burning_Lettuce
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    Rather than discuss the ending, I'll just discuss the game. I honestly feel it deserves a 9. It improves on Mass Effect 2 in several areas, yet regresses in others. In Mass Effect 2, you had several planets to explore and interact with. In Mass Effect 3, you only get one area: The Citadel. It feels like you really have no room to explore in the universe. Random banter across the citadelRather than discuss the ending, I'll just discuss the game. I honestly feel it deserves a 9. It improves on Mass Effect 2 in several areas, yet regresses in others. In Mass Effect 2, you had several planets to explore and interact with. In Mass Effect 3, you only get one area: The Citadel. It feels like you really have no room to explore in the universe. Random banter across the citadel tends to repeat, taking away from the immersion factor of this game. Side quests are aquired by listening to conversations on the citadel. Tracking them is a hassle. Shooting and moving is more improved from Mass Effect 2, and multiplayer actually works. However, the entire series gives you the illusion that your choices will shape the galaxy. However, the end result means that everything you did didn't really shape anything.… Expand
  94. Makavelli96
    Mar 18, 2012
    1
    Mass Effect 3 is the ending to an incredible series of sci-fi games, and it falls short of being anything but a money-grab by EA/Bioware.

    Pros: its a video game. Cons: weird character animations, incredibly annoying camera angles during cut-scenes, too many FMV cut-scenes ruin the pacing, choppy frame rates, laughable and childish dialogue, hit or miss voice acting, out-dated graphics    Mass Effect 3 is the ending to an incredible series of sci-fi games, and it falls short of being anything but a money-grab by EA/Bioware.

    Pros: its a video game.

    Cons: weird character animations, incredibly annoying camera angles during cut-scenes, too many FMV cut-scenes ruin the pacing, choppy frame rates, laughable and childish dialogue, hit or miss voice acting, out-dated graphics and textures, generic 3rd person shooter combat is outdated and "rusty", no attempt at being "scientific" like the last 2 games, most RPG elements are gone, no holstering your weapon, barely any dialogue choices, horrible story and narrative...

    here, how about a shorter list:

    1. Mass Effect 3 is an incomplete, falling-apart-at-the-seams game, piggybacked onto a massively popular franchise simply to sell it to fans of the series.

    2. The ending is atrociously bad...and it doesn't even fit. It makes everything you just did, every choice you just made in the whole series literally pointless.

    3. Data was on the disk, removed, and repacked as $10-15 DLC on the day the game was released. This is NOT acceptable and I am never buying another Bioware game simply because of this, until they quit this nonsense. Developers will NOT extort money out of gamers, this stops now. No debate.

    4. Speaking of bad game design and boycotting, I won't be an accomplice in the "Hollywoodization" of the gaming industry. Mass Effect 3 thinks its a movie: The camera angles zooming on character's lifeless faces, the narrative, the cut-scenes every 5 minutes, etc..its pathetic.

    Any one of those high quality cut-scenes costs more money for developers to create, than I make in an entire decade of paychecks.

    Why wasn't any of that money allocated to upgrading gameplay mechanics, instead of trying to make a friggin' movie? These scenes last a few minutes, take up tons of space on the disks, and in the end will be even more outdated in less than 2 years. What meeting did they sit down at EA/Bioware and come to the conclusion this was a good idea?

    In fact, ME3 is the most pretentious game I've ever played in my life. It looks like the Titanic after the iceberg.

    What more needs to be said to show that this is a shameful, "only for-profit" game by EA and Bioware?

    I was a huge fan of the Mass Effect series, but Mass Effect 3 is the "Phantom Menace" to Mass Effect 2's "Empire Strikes Back".    … Expand
  95. Allions
    Mar 18, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game, like Mass Effect 2 and 3. But too many damned bugs (2 mission impossible to get accomplished) and i got a bit disappointed with the ending. The ending itself is OK, but... all the choices made in 3 games became... nothing! Or at least, nothing i can see in the end. I would give it 10 if all the bugs are corrected and a decent ending (maybe the same ending but with many consequences made by previous decisions)… Expand
  96. muzziklover
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    Here we go. My most anticipated game of this year. I have been waiting for this game since Mass Effect 2 mentioned it on its loading screen. I have been playing for 25 hours. I have completed it. From my reviews of the previous Mass Effect games, I highly regard them as one of the greatest Sci-fi stories of this generation and of all time. To make it short, I am a huge fan of this Sci-fiHere we go. My most anticipated game of this year. I have been waiting for this game since Mass Effect 2 mentioned it on its loading screen. I have been playing for 25 hours. I have completed it. From my reviews of the previous Mass Effect games, I highly regard them as one of the greatest Sci-fi stories of this generation and of all time. To make it short, I am a huge fan of this Sci-fi video game series. Mass Effect 3, for the past 4 months, have consumed me with anticipation and hype and I can tell you that for the most part, it was worth it but let me remind you to put emphasis on "the most part". Mass Effect 3 is a great game. The gameplay is the best in the series, the scope and ambition is huge, the story is still great and the characters are still great. All that is probably the big bulk of the game. But I am hesitating to my own surprise. After completing it, I felt completely bitter sweet. It wasn't horrible but It wasn't satisfying. I have read the comments made in this site about the game's ending and how it was a complete let down. From all the the comments, I was still confident that Bioware wouldn't disappoint with the ending of a prolific 3 game trilogy. To my own dismay, the thing that completely prevented me from giving this a 9 or 10 was the ending. It wasn't bad but it gave me such an empty feeling and I didn't like it one bit, especially when I have been lovingly crafting my story ever since the beginning. It felt so abrupt and it made me feel like all my accomplishments from the previous two games and my play through of ME3 inadequate and it left a lot of questions hanging for this series. Maybe its just me. Maybe this is the ending Bioware was planning since the beginning of the game and I wanted a satisfying ending because my Shepard has been working his/her (I have two Shepards) ass off. I wasn't satisfied at all. I have read theories about the ending that made me hopeful but as of now, they're still theories, not facts. The only positive thing that I could say about it is that I have never seen an ending quite like it and doesn't follow the typical Hollywood like ending which made me respect the ambiguity of it. Other than the ending, there are other problems the game suffers from. The dialogue option is very dumbed down to my surprise. If you want a conversation with your squad made on your off time, you only get the option wheels when at certain points of the story. The option wheel is dumbed down as well as I felt there was less dialogue options than in the previous games and the quick time paragon/renegade trigger and the charm/intimidate options are very occasional. All of this makes a very linear story that gives you smaller options on what path you can choose. There are still bugs from the previous games that ME3 suffers from like the random lighting, slow texture resolutions and occasional lag. Oh and the lip-synch is quite off too. The ending is the thing that most people and fans have been complaining about and I agree but unlike most of them who gave this game a straight 0 because of the ending, I still enjoyed this game. I love the story in this game, albeit the bitter sweet ending and it can be very intense, especially when you're doing Priority missions where you gather the entire galaxy for war. The combat is fantastic and will test your strategic skills when having gun fights. The characters are still the characters I know and love from the previous games, some matured from the past 2 games. Garrus is still my loyal sidekick and best friend, Joker is actually at his funniest in this game because I was laughing at his jokes and comments all the time and Liara is still one of my favourite video game heroines. Even when the dialogue option is dumbed down, it was still fun hearing conversations from the npc's. The multiplayer is fun but Mass Effect 3 doesn't really need it and I know that Bioware intended to put multiplayer in the series since the first game. Before I end this review, I should probably mention the one day DLC. I do agree that it is steep in price and felt like a cop out. The mission was absurdly short for a DLC and the character squad mate that you get should have been in the main story but to be honest, I really like the Prothean squad mate. I think he's probably one of the best squad members I have ever recruited because he's pretty much a walking renegade on vengeance mode. Shame you have to buy him (if you bought the game in standard). Overall, this game is really good. It could've been great if not for the bitter sweet, empty pay off it gives you after all your hard work, especially if you've completed the previous games and its limited choices you can make but it's combat, characters and progressing story makes up for it. I'm glad I waited for it and I'm glad that I played it.… Expand
  97. Ushae
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've given this a 8 as opposed to a 10 deliberately. Those of you that are giving the game a negative rating are completely blinded by your distaste for the conclusion ( which I also hated!) and greed (yes EA I'm talking about you and your shameless day 1 DLC, bashtards..) and are ignoring the majority of the game. It was an utterly magnificent game that executed the things it attempted to do extremely well, so if you are reading this and undecided in getting the game, yes .. it is worth it, just wait for any possible DLC that may yet redeem the incredibly confusing and lazy ending. There are some things that I did feel were missing from the game that could have been implemented and enhanced the series to the ending it really deserves. A lot of our choices amounted to weak side quests that had 1 outcome only. The romances were somewhat weak, lacked depth that Bioware has lacked since their first game in Baldurs Gate 1 & 2, especially for the ME 2 character romances e.g. Jack/Miranda/Tali Bioware could have done a LOT more here. On that note, Bioware also seems to have done away with character companion questlines completely.. I know my review sounds critical, and to be honest the game DOES deserve critisism for what it didn't do right, that being said the things it does do are done masterfully. My verdict: wait it out, don't buy this just yet if your expecting perfection, but if your looking for great entertainment go for it!… Expand
  98. Maslakoff
    Mar 18, 2012
    5
    ME3 is an outstanding game, don't get me wrong. Each clue episode is as heart-touching as ever, dialogues are excellently written (for the most part), and the whole emotional impact is so huge, that i couldn't handle myself and cried several times. But...
    But. The ending. It's not bad at all. It's even metaphorical and very surrealistic. OK. But i personally play Mass Effect not for it's    ME3 is an outstanding game, don't get me wrong. Each clue episode is as heart-touching as ever, dialogues are excellently written (for the most part), and the whole emotional impact is so huge, that i couldn't handle myself and cried several times. But...
    But. The ending. It's not bad at all. It's even metaphorical and very surrealistic. OK. But i personally play Mass Effect not for it's symbolical content, but for it's straightness with a player. It's deep connection with you and the Big Story is one of the most important parts of the series. The motivation is important. This ending has no motivation at all. It feels unfinished and frustrating. Why do we play 85+ hours of the greatest adventure in gaming history? We were given the right to choose. And it was very well made, indeed. The ending of ME3 doesn't give you a satisfaction, because there is no choice at all. Some pointless images, highly metaphorical (and profoundly disconnected with the whole series) scenes, and then... It ends. Are you really sure?..
    It's supposed to be a trilogy, right? And why do i feel, that the last scenes are bad jokes? It seems for me, that the "Epilogue" DLC will be the right decision.
    Please, Bio Ware. There is nothing to be ashamed. You did a great job. But the ending confused too many of us. You may not rewrite it, but you still can correct it.
    I still recommend this game to everyone with a good taste and open heart and mind. But, first of all, play the previous two installations, and then proceed to this one. Maybe, by the time you finish it, we'll get the proper ending...    … Expand
  99. Zulim83
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    Great story, excellent gameplay... WORST ENDING EVER. This feel like a slap to the face to every Bioware fan that invested time in this game. The ending could be described as follow: PAY FOR THE NEXT DLC TO KNOW THE REAL ENDING! Absolutely and terribly disappointing.
  100. mythandoryx
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    Don't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me off. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard making all the right choices in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay it anywhere in the near future. I was alsoDon't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me off. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard making all the right choices in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay it anywhere in the near future. I was also frustrated by BW's Day-One DLC policy! It made me feel cheep! As if I'm nothing but money-milking machine for the Big Gaming Kahunas. THE ENDING MUST BE CORRECTED! BW is a great company that makes great RPG's. I'm confident that they won't disappoint their fans for long. Maybe!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 74 Critic Reviews

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