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. Khimeran77
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    I never trust the user side, so I thought i'd drop my two cents. Heres the thing, Mass Effect fans will give the most accurate assessment and newcomers will miss the point. The Mass Effect franchise, has added 3 things here, to make newcomers interested: multi-player, kinect and 2 new dumbed down ways to make you think that Mass Effect is not an rpg. You can now choose to play story mode,I never trust the user side, so I thought i'd drop my two cents. Heres the thing, Mass Effect fans will give the most accurate assessment and newcomers will miss the point. The Mass Effect franchise, has added 3 things here, to make newcomers interested: multi-player, kinect and 2 new dumbed down ways to make you think that Mass Effect is not an rpg. You can now choose to play story mode, which makes gameplay super casual or you can choose shooter mode, which removes dialogue choices. If your rating Mass Effect 3, below a solid "8," it is because you chose to play one of the 2 new modes. If you truly have an intrest in this amazing franchise, pick up a copy of the orginal. Going straight into ME3, means that you are buying it for multi-player, which is a bad reason. Now, I have played through the campaign 3 times and it is a must to experience, if you know what is going on. ME3 is straight up war, so it's a bit more straight foward, then it's predecessor, which had more character depth. Mass Effect 3 fits perfectly into the direction of the story. The complaints about the ending are valid though. It is a disappointing end to an epic journey. It did not ruin my experience. So if your a fan, then you already own ME3. If your low balling, it's because you are not playing the game the way it was intended to be played. I hear that it works well with motion controls though, but story or shooter modes just dumb down the experience. Mass Effect 3 is an awesome game, if you tend on investing into the entire story and your not looking to play anything but an rpg.… Expand
  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. abHYPE88
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    I can't believe what people are saying about this game. It's an amazing end to an epic trilogy. Sure not everyone got a specifically tailored experience they were expecting but I mean come on! I still don't think we're at the stage in gaming and technology where developers are able to COMPLETELY make sure everyone gets something different, plus it's a trilogy. I can understand if it's oneI can't believe what people are saying about this game. It's an amazing end to an epic trilogy. Sure not everyone got a specifically tailored experience they were expecting but I mean come on! I still don't think we're at the stage in gaming and technology where developers are able to COMPLETELY make sure everyone gets something different, plus it's a trilogy. I can understand if it's one game, but making 3 games that would take into accounts hundreds of actions to create a unique story for millions of gamers, I think, is still out of our reach. Sure the ending wasn't as spectacular as I would've liked but it closed the game and brought an ending to the amazing story known as Mass Effect. There were still some plotholes but forgivable considering how much I enjoyed the game and the beauty and inspiring moments presented. Apparently hundreds of gamers need to get their heads out of their asses and realize that even though gaming is far more advanced than it was not even a decade ago, developers still have a lot of limitations. Mass Effect 3 is a game well worth buying and playing through. When I get my hands on the first Mass Effect, I will play through all 3 games again (this time as a badass female Shepard) because the trilogy is just that awesome to play through.… Expand
  4. IniquitousForce
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 is the conclusion of the most well written story in gaming history. I have been gaming since the days of Zelda on the NES. This game takes everything we ever wanted in a video game and made it real. Our decisions, our choices, and our actions matter not across one cinematic but across a trilogy. If you told me 10 years ago a game will do this I would not have believed it.Mass Effect 3 is the conclusion of the most well written story in gaming history. I have been gaming since the days of Zelda on the NES. This game takes everything we ever wanted in a video game and made it real. Our decisions, our choices, and our actions matter not across one cinematic but across a trilogy. If you told me 10 years ago a game will do this I would not have believed it. This game engages you in such a way that you care about the characters; both those fighting with you and hating those or trying to understand those fighting against you. Mass Effect puts us in an universe that is comparable to Star Wars or Star Trek. This game is so big in content that this review is based on a few hours of game-play and the experience of ME1 and ME2. Anyone giving this game negative reviews because of the choices Sheppard can make regarding love interests are ignorant and narrow minded. This game is the Game of the Year contender right now as nothing slated for release this year can compare.… Expand
  5. The_Redback
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. Great way to finish off the trilogy. Graphics and game play were excellent while managing to keep the flow of the story intact and build character in which you feel an emotional attachment to. People have voted the game down for the ending but its a case that they just don't 'get it'. They don't understand it. Overall, wouldn't change a thing. Get out there and play it.
  6. thormart
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Best game in my favorite gameseries of all time. there are truly few games whose story has a real soul to it. I laughed cried and often found myself just sitting there smiling at what happened at the screen. And for me it simply does not get any better.
  7. Bruce722
    Nov 16, 2012
    10
    Ignore all of the idiots hating on this game. They are trolls and probably never even played the game. The truth is, this might be the single greatest game in the history of gaming. People complain about the ending, and while I was a bit disappointed, if you actually played all of the game and made the necessary decisions required, the ending you got wasn't perfect but it was still outstanding.
  8. MikeE50
    May 8, 2012
    10
    I must be strange because I enjoyed all 3 Mass Effect games nearly equally. If you like 1 and 2 you should like 3 as well. What's good about it? The writing, the characters, the universe, the graphics, the music & sound, the action, etc. It's not perfect, but no game is perfect.

    For the uninformed reader, the reason there are so many highly negative user reviews is because many people    I must be strange because I enjoyed all 3 Mass Effect games nearly equally. If you like 1 and 2 you should like 3 as well. What's good about it? The writing, the characters, the universe, the graphics, the music & sound, the action, etc. It's not perfect, but no game is perfect.

    For the uninformed reader, the reason there are so many highly negative user reviews is because many people do not like the ending (no spoilers in my review). I enjoyed the ending spoiler-free and then read why people were upset and I can see their point. I can imagine other possible endings that would be equally good, but I like the official ending too. Taken as a whole, the game, if the Action-RPG genre and sci-fi setting interests you, is a 10/10.    … Expand
  9. FineapplePucker
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    Do not listen to the people who gave this game a low score. They are bashing it because of 1. the Day one dlc, which is only ONE mission, a squadmate, and extra squad outfits; 2. Because they do not understand the ending; or 3. haven't played the game and are acting like they have because they just hate the series. This is easily a top contender for this years GOTY and it is only March.Do not listen to the people who gave this game a low score. They are bashing it because of 1. the Day one dlc, which is only ONE mission, a squadmate, and extra squad outfits; 2. Because they do not understand the ending; or 3. haven't played the game and are acting like they have because they just hate the series. This is easily a top contender for this years GOTY and it is only March. The game is excellent in every aspect. The gameplay, story, everything! The gameplay is so smooth and the multiplayer is a giant step in the right direction and will increase the replay value so much. The story is extremely well written and to all those who don't understand the ending, Look it up or something. The graphics have improved too. The game also goes back to more RPG-like roots which make it even better. ME2 was great, ME3 is excellent. The game does have a few glitches like character imports or cutscenes, but are easily overlooked and nowhere near as bad as certain RPGs that came out last year cough*cough*Sky cough*cough*rim cough*cough* The glitches are so minuscule that they won't even make me lower the game a score. This game is so close to perfection, it is ridiculous. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must buy, if not, now's the time to start. And to those who are just saying this game sucked because you, "have to pay for dlc, waaaah," or "I hate the ending" or "Mass effect sucks even though I haven't played it," Grow up. I do admit the dlc is a little dumb but it is only one mission. To those who didn't like the ending really need to look it up or something because the ending is absolute GENIUS just like the rest of the game. If you compare the Critics to the users, there is obviously many biased opinions in the user reviews.… Expand
  10. Darklink
    Jul 22, 2013
    10
    First of all I've never actually played the game. BUT! Since its release I've had so much fun reading the reviews I honestly believes it DESERVES a 10/10 score. Every time I feel down or bored I come on Metacritic and feel alive again! I think Bioware never realised it but they invented the Mass Comedy genre in a night. Some of the reviews here are pure gold. Seek for the "fistula" one,First of all I've never actually played the game. BUT! Since its release I've had so much fun reading the reviews I honestly believes it DESERVES a 10/10 score. Every time I feel down or bored I come on Metacritic and feel alive again! I think Bioware never realised it but they invented the Mass Comedy genre in a night. Some of the reviews here are pure gold. Seek for the "fistula" one, it's left-hemospheric exo-plasmatic. To all the reviewers here, a HUGE thank you! You made this game awesome! :D… Expand
  11. KingMJE
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    After this extended cut update, i forgive bioware for the issues with the ending of the game, i withdraw my last review and now give you a true review, thank you bioware.
  12. NathanScmidt000
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    Amazing game! Half way through my second playthrough and still loving it!!! I will say that the PC version is the version to buy as the low resolution textures and load times are ridiculous.
  13. fonewn
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    No spoilers here. Mass Effect 3 is the best in the saga, also the best game I have played in all my life (playing since the 8bit era). Long story short, Mass Effect 3 has the best of Mass Effect 1 and 2 without the annoying parts of tediously collecting resources. Is is an experience and enjoyment to play this game. As always Bioware has been able to give personality, feelings and emotionNo spoilers here. Mass Effect 3 is the best in the saga, also the best game I have played in all my life (playing since the 8bit era). Long story short, Mass Effect 3 has the best of Mass Effect 1 and 2 without the annoying parts of tediously collecting resources. Is is an experience and enjoyment to play this game. As always Bioware has been able to give personality, feelings and emotion to the characters, also very good gameplay and storyline. Thanks Bioware. For sure I will buy more games in this saga.

    Alex    … Expand
  14. MountainDew69
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First, I will come out and say that Mass Effect 3 is the best game I have ever played. It's damn near perfect, and the few flaws it has are forgivable compared to the epic scope, brilliant writing, and fantastic ending. Yes, I do think the ending was fantastic. I understand the frustration that the endings were basically all the same, but it's a damn good ending. It's properly emotional and heartbreaking, and once again epic. Yes, the ending wasn't influenced by whether you spared the Rachni Queen or not, or if you saved the Council, or what squad members survived the suicide mission, but the game was. Garrus was my most frequently used squadmate in ME3 but if I had put him in the vents at the end of ME2, he wouldn't have been there at all. There was an entire mission influenced by the Rachni. I met with my council multiple times. But let's not forget that ME3 is an amazing game all by itself. The combat is now better than even the best dedicated third-person shooters, and the story and decisions are more important than ever. I cured the genophage. I saw one of my best friends commit suicide. I destroyed the Reapers. So stop complaining about then ending for the most shallow reasons. And even if you were disappointed by the ending, stop giving an admittedly great game a 0 because of it. A zero is Superman 64, or Ninjabread Man, not one of the best games of all time. I hope you realize that by giving this game a zero, you are being the immature ones in this situation, not BioWare or EA. BioWare is more proud of Mass Effect than anything else they have ever made. They have been developing ME3 since before ME2 came out, and if they wanted to have your choices drastically impact the ending, they could have. But they thought this was better. My final point is that it is a great games, and you know it. So why all the zeros?… Expand
  15. AllergevKev
    Apr 21, 2012
    10
    An amazing game,and a fitting conclusion to, arguably, the greatest trilogy this generation. While there are certain aspects that may be a bit disappointing, such as the resolution of certain character arcs and the ending (I can see why people both like and hate it, I'm in the middle), it doesn't take away from the greatness of the rest of the game.

    PROS -Epic Story -Strong Writing -Great    An amazing game,and a fitting conclusion to, arguably, the greatest trilogy this generation. While there are certain aspects that may be a bit disappointing, such as the resolution of certain character arcs and the ending (I can see why people both like and hate it, I'm in the middle), it doesn't take away from the greatness of the rest of the game.

    PROS
    -Epic Story
    -Strong Writing
    -Great Visuals
    -Wealth of Content
    -Seamless Genre -(Not terrible) Multiplayer

    CONS
    -Occasional Bugs
    -Wasted Potential for certain characters
    -The Ending (maybe)    … Expand
  16. trollkiller
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    Dropped my rating from a 10 because of the ending, which insults every ME fan who has invested 100's of hours in this series

    EA ruining Bioware? sure looks that way...
  17. Anarion25
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    This is an awesome game. I can't believe the amount of trolls that are hammering it. Seems that many good games these days get poor user reviews and awesome critic reviews. Anyway... I love this game. I fitting end to an excellent series.
  18. Edmank
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    This has been some ride, since Mass Effect first grabbed my attention. I have played through every bit of the first two games, and loved every minute. Now the final comes, and I feel equal parts excited and sad. Sad that it will have to end, but thrilled to get a chance to play it. And it does not disappoint. The emotion - always the strong point of Mass Effect - is brought to anotherThis has been some ride, since Mass Effect first grabbed my attention. I have played through every bit of the first two games, and loved every minute. Now the final comes, and I feel equal parts excited and sad. Sad that it will have to end, but thrilled to get a chance to play it. And it does not disappoint. The emotion - always the strong point of Mass Effect - is brought to another level. The characters that I have come to care so much about are even more fleshed out. And the goosebumps at certain points of the game...well, I won't spoil. Just get it.… Expand
  19. Robkilerrabit
    Mar 17, 2012
    10
    Great Game, except the ending. The ending wasn't that horrible, it has definitely been exaggerated in how bad it was, but I feel like they could have done better. Still worth the money though.
  20. scorpolion
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    Let me speak from my heart,
    Thi is a beautifull game with a beautifull scenary, i like all parts of this game. This is the model of sci-fi grand opera
    Thanks, with respect.
  21. Bzilla024
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    About 6 hours into the game and i'm really enjoying ME3 so far. As for these trolls and haters with all the negativity, just because you don't like the game doesn't mean you need to ruin it for everybody else. If you have an issue with the day one DLC, then don't buy it. If you don't like the multiplayer, then don't play it. If you don't like ME3, get the 35% of cash you will get backAbout 6 hours into the game and i'm really enjoying ME3 so far. As for these trolls and haters with all the negativity, just because you don't like the game doesn't mean you need to ruin it for everybody else. If you have an issue with the day one DLC, then don't buy it. If you don't like the multiplayer, then don't play it. If you don't like ME3, get the 35% of cash you will get back from trading in the game and buy something else you will probably complain about.… Expand
  22. TeutonicTank
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    God like. Absolutely godlike. I enjoyed playing this more than Skyrim. I haven't finished the whole play-through but I'm a few hours in and I'm loving it. Gameplay's solid, voice acting's solid, graphics are solid, and freedom is solid. LOVED IT
  23. Zaphrozz
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I think most players just got a bad ending...
    I got a very positive ending and I think that it was one of the best endings I ever saw. I also saw the other endings and have to say that they're pretty screwed but please don't say that the game is a 0 only because you had an ending which you doesn't like. I don't remember any game that the community ever hated that much only because it had a    I think most players just got a bad ending...
    I got a very positive ending and I think that it was one of the best endings I ever saw. I also saw the other endings and have to say that they're pretty screwed but please don't say that the game is a 0 only because you had an ending which you doesn't like. I don't remember any game that the community ever hated that much only because it had a bad ending.
    I was totally blown away during the credits just staring at my screen, remembering what I just experienced. But it seems that I'm very alone with this kind of taste.    … Expand
  24. Balrock
    Apr 3, 2012
    10
    Overall one of the best rpgs ever created. No other series or game has forced me to sit there and think about the consequences of my decisions like this one. I even spent 20 minutes explaining the backstory of a decision to my girlfriend to get her opinion on what was the right thing to do. No matter what the haters of the ending say, they all played the game to the ending for a reason.Overall one of the best rpgs ever created. No other series or game has forced me to sit there and think about the consequences of my decisions like this one. I even spent 20 minutes explaining the backstory of a decision to my girlfriend to get her opinion on what was the right thing to do. No matter what the haters of the ending say, they all played the game to the ending for a reason. They loved the series and enjoyed this game enough to see it's conclusion. The action points are fun and tense, the return of multiple previous teammates is entertaining, even the resource gathering mini-game from previous entries has been further improved to not make it so boring/repetitive. Overall, this game is an improvement in every area from the previous entries.
    As for the ending, I think lots of people are confusing anger at the ending vs. not having multiple endings. I believe the presented ending is well written and a nice conclusion to the series. I won't argue that there are some portions of the ending that are not well explained but I leave that up to Bioware to explore in future DLC and Mass Effect releases. However most people seem to be upset because no matter what you've done in the previous games, it minimally affects the outcome. This is a valid complaint but not one that should earn the scorn and purposefully low ratings this game has received.
    As for the multiplayer, I found it to be entertaining but ultimately very repetitive with later difficulty levels being set a little too high. The baseball card pack way of upgrading your gear is good in that it keeps you coming back for more and prevents you from obtaining and maxing out the best guns too early. However I swear that they purposely coded it so that you don't receive upgrades to guns you actually use. This can lead to grinding and frustration as you attempt to get the one gun/upgrade that your pining for. Added to this frustration is the difficulty of the gold difficulty levels. Gold difficulty is set up so that it can only be beat in one of two ways. Method one: obtain 3 dedicated friends, you all level your characters to max level, and then you all obtain the maximum level in the best guns in the game. This will give you less than a 50% chance to beat gold. Method two: One person goes as a specific race of a specific class, you fight a specific enemy in a specific spot on a specific level, and you manipulate the game design based on the abilities of that one class. This will give you a 75% chance of beating gold. Since the first method requires the highest levels of the best guns you're pigeon-holed into doing the second method so many times you get burnt out until you don't want to play anymore. So a good first attempt at multiplayer but definitely needs work.    … Expand
  25. jacinto2222
    Mar 21, 2012
    10
    Absolutely amazing. Exactly what Mass Effect fans have been looking forward to since 2007. The combat has been fine tuned to near perfection and the overall structure and presentation of the story gives a throwback feel to ME1. A must play for fans of the franchise and others need to at least give it a go before denouncing it as the worst game ever created. The ending does take away fromAbsolutely amazing. Exactly what Mass Effect fans have been looking forward to since 2007. The combat has been fine tuned to near perfection and the overall structure and presentation of the story gives a throwback feel to ME1. A must play for fans of the franchise and others need to at least give it a go before denouncing it as the worst game ever created. The ending does take away from the overall experience but despite that single drawback the rest of the game is fantastic. The series as a whole is a must play.… Expand
  26. mikiblabla
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    great game great end to the best trilogy. really perfect. 10 don't beleave all those 0, there is people on metacritic that has given 0 to the godfather part 1..
  27. ISeeDeadPikmin
    Mar 7, 2012
    10
    My earlier review was removed... I don't know why, it contained no spoilers, profanities, hate speech, or anything that would violate Metacritics strict terms and conditions.

    I am only guilty of giving this game a 10 out of 10. Because it is another excellent addition to BioWares already incredible franchise!
  28. NextGenFilter
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    After spending somewhere around 25 hours getting through Mass Effect 3's single-player campaign, there was one question I couldn't quite answer: why is this game called Far Cry? The sequel, developed by Bioware Montreal, retains nearly nothing from Crytek's 2004 original or from the Xbox and Xbox 360's Instincts and Predator derivations. The story doesn't carry over, the characters aren'tAfter spending somewhere around 25 hours getting through Mass Effect 3's single-player campaign, there was one question I couldn't quite answer: why is this game called Far Cry? The sequel, developed by Bioware Montreal, retains nearly nothing from Crytek's 2004 original or from the Xbox and Xbox 360's Instincts and Predator derivations. The story doesn't carry over, the characters aren't the same, there's no mention at all of Jack Carver, there are no mutagens, no feral powers, and no Trigens. Instead, it's a struggle between warring factions, called the APR and UFLL, in an unnamed African nation.

    The game also doesn't give players a pre-determined protagonist. Instead, you select a character to play as, and the rest of the cast appear in the game world around you as friendly NPCs, called buddies, who you can choose to work with. Things begin with a simple tutorial section, introducing you to basic first-person shooter controls and the game's premise. Your main goal is to find The Jackal, a menacing character that supplies weapons to the APR and UFLL to keep lit the fires of conflict.

    The point is, with this kind of setup, it's odd that the Far Cry name was even used at all, other than for its obvious name recognition value. Pushing that issue aside and accepting that this is basically a totally different game, you'll find there's quite a bit to like.

    There are few direct analogues for Mass Effect 3, as it truly is an open-world shooter. It's a stark contrast to Infinity Ward's unrelentingly linear Call of Duty games, and offers more freedom than what Crytek wound up delivering post-Far Cry with its pseudo-linear Crysis franchise. Perhaps GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is the best comparison, though even that game differs, because where it leaned more toward role-playing elements, Mass Effect 3 is almost all about shooting. There are still ways to upgrade your character, but the focus here is most definitely on action.

    For instance, there's no inventory in the game, just four weapon slots. There's one for your machete, one for a sidearm or accessory, one for a primary weapon (assault rifle, SMG, sniper rifle, shotgun), and one for a special weapon (rocket launcher, mortar, flamethrower). All these weapon types aren't available at the game's beginning; you must unlock them by performing side-quests for weapons vendors located around the world. Much of the game works like this, letting you unlock little bits and pieces here and there to make your journeys across the grassy plains, mountains, and jungles of the world more convenient, and make the process of killing a little easier.

    Outside of main quests there are several types of distractions for you. You can do the weapon vendor quests, which always involve hunting down a convoy and disabling it. The rewards are good, as you get access to more weapons, but the quests themselves can get repetitive. There are also quests you can get from buddies you find around the game world and assignments from ominously garbled voices transmitted over electrical towers. Ultimately, they all boil down to pretty much the same thing: go to a location and kill a guy, blow something up, steal something, or force someone to do something they don't want to and then kill them. And if you're particularly obsessive compulsive, you can spend plenty of hours tracking down the multitude of hidden briefcases which contain varying quantities of diamonds. You'll also occasionally have to quest for medicine since, surprise, your character has malaria. While the premise of a sick protagonist seems like it could have had some interesting implications, the way it's implemented here makes it seem like more of a nuisance than anything else.

    Some of the main quests can be fairly interesting, but usually only if you choose to work with an NPC buddy. Whichever buddy you've unlocked that likes you best will give you a call after main missions are acquired, offering an alternate method of completion. Sometimes it screws over the faction you're working for but ultimately involves the same infiltrate / kill mechanic used in most of the other quests. More rarely you'll get to do something totally different, like using a warhead to drop a bridge on a barge instead of having to infiltrate the barge and killing a target on it. Using buddies like this to complete missions in different ways is also to your benefit, as it gradually upgrades all the safe houses in the game world with ammo stashes, health supplies, and eventually vehicles.    … Expand
  29. CorporatCulture
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    A sparkling meta-game with flawed minigames, but still worth playing. Mass Effect 3 is a stunning tour de force of an epic, arrayed with a cast ranging from legendary writer Jennifer Hepler to reformed misogynist Jim Sterling and such media luminaries as Kotaku or Rock Paper Shotgun. Its story arcs span intrepid epics from the great script leak of 2011, where the seeds of backlash wereA sparkling meta-game with flawed minigames, but still worth playing. Mass Effect 3 is a stunning tour de force of an epic, arrayed with a cast ranging from legendary writer Jennifer Hepler to reformed misogynist Jim Sterling and such media luminaries as Kotaku or Rock Paper Shotgun. Its story arcs span intrepid epics from the great script leak of 2011, where the seeds of backlash were first sown. Subsequent chapters as the leak of the story book are also worth playing, where you discover that many of the supposed characters were not who you expected, adding both intrigue and drama into the mix. When the second act ended, and Hepler was stoned by the masses despite not even having a role in the great BioWar, I was rapt with trepidation as Sterling rode to her rescue. The third act proves to be even better, with such missions as the Great DLC Robbery and Space Needs Games. Indeed, ME 3 is a stunning indictment of the electronic gaming industry and the insidious ability for media outlets, backed with hard corporate cash, has morphed it into a culture of conformity. Mass Effect 3 highlights this process, from the beginning at the ashes of the previous game to its non-conclusion, in which we have to purchase for $9.99 on the Origin marketplace. The writing of this meta-game is beyond reproach, though the character design leads some room to be desired. However, this masterpiece has a few flaws. The mini-games are not particularly entertaining. The dating simulator is simplistic and contains much laughable dialogue, though it is understandable given that it is a satire designed to parody sophomoric RPGs of yesteryear. The "Cmmdr. Shepherd" gun and run sections fall prey to numerous glitches, rendering levels unplayable or at least requiring numerous playthroughs. Enemy designs are uninspired and spawn incessantly, a fitting tribute to the Gauntlet games that were such a great influence on Bioware. The level design is somewhat mediocre, but understandable given how the bulk of the development cycle was spent polishing the other areas of the meta-game, especially the Forums Realm.

    Speaking of which, the Fandom faction's role throughout this game is simply tremendous. The Biodrone hive's rise and implosion was a chilling morality play fit for these uncertain times, and truly Bioware has conveyed in vibrant imagery what happens when large groups of people act mindlessly. Bioware's avant-garde depictions of "fanservice" present the proverbial fall of an hubristic artist become waylaid by easy money. ME 3 cleverly teaches this moral lesson, which should be remembered by every game designer, by showing the bizarre incestuous relationship between the fandom, engaged in the torid cutscenes known as "shipping", and the company itself. The company, in turn, rewards the fandom by courteously appropriating its creations, as we see vividly displayed in the ending, a beautiful DA artpiece that Bioware exposes to the world. Ultimately, Mass Effect 3 is not truly a game, but a moment. An experience. It transcends media boundaries and challenges our perceptions as to what games are and what they are made of and what they can do. Who are players and who are characters. What is the pH level of the bodily fluids of an alien lifeform. If you enjoy stunning cinematic takedowns, you will love this game.    … Expand
  30. oh_brother
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    This has been some ride, since Mass Effect first grabbed my attention. I have played through every bit of the first two games, and loved every minute. Now the final comes, and I feel equal parts excited and sad. Sad that it will have to end, but thrilled to get a chance to play it. And it does not disappoint. The emotion - always the strong point of Mass Effect - is brought to anotherThis has been some ride, since Mass Effect first grabbed my attention. I have played through every bit of the first two games, and loved every minute. Now the final comes, and I feel equal parts excited and sad. Sad that it will have to end, but thrilled to get a chance to play it. And it does not disappoint. The emotion - always the strong point of Mass Effect - is brought to another level. The characters that I have come to care so much about are even more fleshed out. And the goosebumps at certain points of the game...well, I won't spoil. Just get it.… 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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