Mass Effect 3 PC
User Score
4.8 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4422 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,847 out of 4422
  2. Mixed: 379 out of 4422
  3. Negative: 2,196 out of 4422

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  1. DoctorBarber
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    If you look closely at Mass Effect 3 you will see the last tiny bit of Bioware's soul rot away, consumed by EA forever. As someone who has been a fan of their games from Baldur's Gate to Dragon Age: Origins, seeing how far they have fallen has been a painful experience. Writing has deteriorated to the most basic black and white, with most dialogues presenting only 2 options rather than 3. As was feared the series ends with a Deus Ex Machina (quite literally as the ending was almost entirely stolen from the game Deus Ex). Further evidence plagiarism of a desktop wallpaper of all things in the game's FINAL SCENE does not help Bioware's case. The whole thing seems like it was rushed with little care about the game's quality, as if they expected people to buy it automatically no matter how bad it was (and I'm sure they do). Creativity seems truly dead from that studio at this point. Do not buy this game. No not rent it, do not waste the bandwidth of pirating it. Vote with your dollars in the slim hope that Bioware may someday return to its senses.… Expand
  2. StarlessBB
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Wow. Just wow.
    Bioware, EA, and gaming journalism in general have all reached a new low. It's almost sad, but I want to see where this tragic drama will end.
    I mean seriously, the gameplay is awful and the story is an abomination. I don't get it, i can't believe they could mess up as bad as they have. I hated ME2 back in the day for being too dumbed down, but even that was better than this    .
    The only way I could get enjoyment out of this game is if I played it with the same mindset as I would Superman 64. And really, I don't know whether I should find this funny or depressing. It's a joke to be sure, but it's what that joke means that's truly sad. This will be the last Bioware product I even pay attention to. And don't get me started on DLC that you need to get the best ending and other such snot.
    This game is awful. Truly, truly awful. And those 'journalists' whose pockets are being lined with EA money even as we speak should be ashamed.    … Expand
  3. Atraiyu47
    Mar 6, 2012
    2
    The plot holes become impossible to ignore. The motivation and origin of the reapers is nearly incoherent. After all of the choices you've made in the series, only the one you make at the very end has real lasting consequences. The game boasts 3 endings, which are really just the same ending with different window dressing. This game has managed to taint the entire series for me. After Dragon Age II and now this, I think Bioware has lost the magic.… Expand
  4. vochaisl
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    I agree with this: Quote:

    Origin - Unacceptable. Day 1 DLC - Unacceptable. As far as the rest of the game is concerned: Mass Effect 1 was an exciting, innovative new type of Action-RPG. It had an epic story in a unique, diverse universe, very good writing, great characters and real choices for the player. Little is left of that. In their desire to cater to the fans of shooters and casual     games, BioWare has reduced the RPG elements, trivialized the dialogue and taken away much of the character development and choices that make a proper RPG. The story that started in Mass Effect 1 as an interesting and mystic space opera has been transformed into a predictable soap opera with mostly mediocre, sometimes outright terrible, writing. It might still be better than most of the other stories in video games these days, but that's of course not very difficult, and it's nowhere near the quality that BioWare used to deliver. Probably the worst example of the inability of the writers are the endings. On the other hand, perhaps they too were imposed by EA, to reduce the required work and costs. One complaint against Mass Effect 1 was the somewhat uninspired combat system. This had already been replaced in Mass Effect 2 with a clone of the usual cover-based shooters. Not very innovative and in my opinion still quite repetitive and not very challenging, but many players seemed to enjoy it. So in that regard, Mass Effect 3 certainly delivers the expected. But that's of course not nearly enough to make it a great game, and it's also not the reason why I play BioWare games or RPGs in general

    /endquote    … Expand
  5. Mortaris
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    This is game is a sad confirmation how low gaming industry has gotten. When I remember first Mass Effect and its great potential of space exploration, new worlds, exotic aliens, ancient mysteries...It's all gone. Now we have a simple shooter with barely a plot to speak off, used just as an excuse to shoot enemies on the screen. Gone are mysteries of the Galaxy, gone are exotic cultures and aliens. Instead we have romances straight from soap operas and forced gay sex for cheap controversy and looking PC.
    Bye Bioware. I knew you were dying when I saw DA2, but I had still hope. You are truly dead. What remains is comparable to Husks presented in ME3. A twisted caricature of former glory which brought such titles as Baldur's Gate, ME1 and DAO. Now we have a shooter with elements of dating sim.    … Expand
  6. treguard87
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    loved ME1, and even mildly enjoyed ME2. This game is made for Xbox COD Kiddies. AVOID!. Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down, Let Down
  7. n0odle
    Jul 25, 2012
    0
    The current state of "professional" review sites sickens me. They are obviously paid off. They will probably go as far as to eat **** and call it gourmet food as long as they sell ad space. All the user reviews are often time justified but are hammered down by said sites and companies by call it "trolling" or attempts to defame their franchises. Okay since that's out of the way let's get to the game.

    This game is bad. The first Mass Effect was a wonderful if not glitchy game. The series progressively started removing RPG elements from a RPG game. The end results is this game being more of a shooter than an RPG gameplay-wise.

    Another issue with Bioware and this game is that Bioware uses the gay-lesbian community as a shield from negative feedback from the games homosexual tendencies. They take the stance of "if you hate ME3, you hate gays". This is utter bull****. No one likes having romance shoved down their throats in a ACTION RPG let alone gay romance.    … Expand
  8. d0man
    Mar 6, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just want to say this before I begin: I loved Mass Effect 1 and I loved Mass Effect 2, despite how streamlined it was. Characterization was excellent and I felt like I was accomplishing something everywhere I went. That just doesn't happen in Mass Effect 3.

    I'm about 15 hours into the game and I've been really, really trying to enjoy it, but none of the content really feels "right." You're fighting a war to defend the galaxy from total extinction but no one will help you until you clean their noses and make sure the dishes are tucked away nicely. It's ridiculous. Combat has been simplified even further, but instead of enemies dying in a few hits like they did in ME2 which allowed for good flow they are all bullet sponges. Eventually I just gave up on using my guns and punched everyone to death because it was faster and actually did damage.

    Animations are absolutely hideous. Running, walking, talking, everything is just freaking awful. When you run your arms flail around ridiculously and everything is stiff. Just go watch Anderson running in the demo to see how bad it is.

    Characterization has also taken a big hit. You get bulk mcbigguy who randomly switches between English and Spanish at will, bland Asari, etc. Mordin's voice actor was replaced with someone who lacks the same charm as the original and they even managed to butcher Garrus. That's not even mentioning how bad the dialog is. Here are some examples without spoilers:

    Shepard: How are things?
    Person: Bad [specific details].
    Shepard: That bad?
    Person: Yes.
    ----
    Shepard: How are you holding up?
    Person: It's tough, you know?
    Shepard (Paragon): There was this kid back on Earth, I watched him die before your eyes.
    Person: That sucks.
    ----

    I am truly disappointed. I didn't believe that Bioware could mess up this badly after Dragon Age 2, I thought they learned their lesson. I was wrong.    … Expand
  9. Saldrin
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Play the demo if you don't believe my rating. And then laugh in amazement at the $70 price tag and say WTF Bioware.

    This game is garbage, and bioware is continuing the trend of bad PC games.
  10. Vee_Bass
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    DLC,DlC,DLC, what a complete failure, Bioware, I was incredibly dissapointed of this game, and dissapointed of you, what a tragedy, I hope everyone over there is ashamed of themselves, making us pay on the first day... What a load of bull, I hate everyone over there, Sincerely, Vee Bass
  11. YamadaYamada
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    This game does not live up to the story of the first, or even the second game. Game play was bland and tasteless after the third time huddling on a corner protecting someone as they something "important" in the quest. Animation is sub-par and DLC from the old saves don't count for squat. The romancing in this game is even worse with such writing leading the charge into "ACCEPTING GROUPS DIFFERENT THAN THE NORM." The RPG aspect of previous games changed into an action and stats became useless once you found upgrades for your guns. Day 1 DLC which changed the ending.… Expand
  12. RicoElChico
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    As a humongous fan of the first one and somewhat disappointed player of the second, this installment completely ruins the entire series and franchise. The game isn't even worthy of the oxygen used by the mouthbreathing yaoi fanfiction writers that worked on it. The plot is atrocious with some of the biggest gaping plot holes I've ever seen, along with cardboard dialogue and next to no character progression. The gameplay is literally almost none existent, you essentially just walk, shoot a few bad guys a-la gears of duty reach style because the combat is so simplified that a child could breeze through it, and then move onto a half hour of bland cut scenes. The RPG elements are extremely bad because they're "streamlined" so much that it actually feels like the game is insulting you for having such low intelligence. The graphics which were decent for the last two have actually managed to take a lunge backwards, they use SPRITES in some scenes and the areas consist of chest high walls and bland ravaged city scapes weve all seen in low budget action movies. This game is an insult to its predeccors and the gaming industry as a whole, its like bioware is seeing just how far they can take paid reviews and a disgustingly close minded fan-base.… Expand
  13. FusNoDah
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Well, I was going to buy this for $60 in the next month, but the introduction of Day 1 DLC has made me skip this altogether. Are you happy EA/Bioware? Your greedy attempts to squeeze an extra $10 out of me has instead cost you a $60 sale. If I buy this at all (and that's a big if), it will be when it is in a bargain bin for like $20 or less. You could've gotten the whole $60 out of me, I was really looking forward to this (I love ME1 and ME2), but your greed has backfired. Don't buy this. EA/Bioware needs to learn that the gaming community won't stand for this pathetic attempt to squeeze more money out of us. When we buy a game, we should get the full experience. If DLC is released, it should come out after the game does, and it should not make you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick only owning the the base game. This is the equivalent of spending money at the movie theater only to be kicked out halfway through because we didn't spend extra for the ending.… Expand
  14. shmargum
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    There's not much to say. Bioware has clearly stopped trying, since they know the drones will just eat up whatever they serve. I loved the first Mass Effect, but it was all downhill from there.
  15. Szat
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Do not buy this game. It is an unfinished product - this much is clear from the substandard animations and hackneyed plotlines. Poor writing, offensive stereotypes about gay and lesbian romance, a dumbed-down, intentionally obfuscated interface - you could write a brief novel on the things that have gone terribly wrong. And it's a shame, because Mass Effect is such a great IP. If you want to get the story, I recommend watching a good Let's Play - because Bioware clearly doesn't deserve US$80 for this deeply broken, incomplete game.… Expand
  16. Jasonafex
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Compared to the previous title which I considered to be a great game, the quality control for Mass Effect 3 is just disgusting, theres evidence already abound of using stock photos for major plot handles, pre-release DLC, decisions made in previous games making no impact, unable to import characters from previous games, a drop in animation quality aswell and visuals and general story telling. There is nothing improved in this game and a giant disappointment for the conclusion of what was a great series.

    Even if you look passed the mountain of flaws, it's not even fun in terms of gameplay, you have one button that performs all actions which is incredibly frustrating in the middle of gun-fights, reloading has almost been removed entirely and has been dumbed down to using cover and little more. You can defeat most areas in the game by using nothing but left mouse, moving only to advance and nothing more.

    This shouldn't be acceptable as a completed and retailed game.    … Expand
  17. Thyriel
    Mar 7, 2012
    2
    Jesus, this game is such a total letdown. Glad me and my friends bought only one copy to try it out. The graphics is dated and badly made. Low res textures. Bad animations. Music - I guess it depends on your style, but for me it was below average. The gameplay was retarded at best. Press space to do this, press space to do that. God I have more then one button on my keyboard for christs sake. You can only do things in specific moments and then you have to press space, so no reason to press space otherwise. It is more of an interactive movie then a game. Story - Jeebez how retarded incapable and completely fantasy-retarded do you have to be to write this drivel. Every self respecting author would jump off the bridge before he would write something like this. Generally, the only thing you see is that if you pay the official reviewers, they will give you a high score. That is it. I am so so extremely sorry this game I awaited with such high expectations underperformed in every possible way. Please save yourselves the trouble and do not buy it. There are better games, Deus Ex for one or even the previous MEs.… Expand
  18. altair4
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    The failures from Bioware just keep stacking up after they got bought by EA. First Dragon Age 2, then Swtor and now Mass Effect 3. Big shame for what used to be such a great developer.
  19. Golem25
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Strike 1: Adding multiplayer (oh come on really?) to a beloved SINGLE player series of games. If I wanted a multiplayer shoot em up I would play Counterstrike (don't even get me started on MW3). Strike 2: From Ashes DLC fiasco . Seriously? you're charging for DAY 1 DLC because you gave us multiplayer that we didn't even want in the first place? Strike 3: Boy am I glad I saw the leaked script and videos. "Yo dawg we made synthetics to kill organics, so organics wouldn't create synthetics to kill organics!" It's painfully obvious that the writing talent that made the first game so compelling is no longer involved. Maybe Bioware should think about hiring writers who, ya know, actually enjoy playing the games too. EA/Bioware, you have broken my heart for the last time. Multiplayer and Day 1 DLC I could *just* about have lived with, but the lack of choices carried over, and the contrived, lazy endings are a step too far. I will not be giving my hard earned money to you ever again. Fortunately I played a friend's copy of ME3 and can get my online version refunded (thanks Origin 14 day return policy!). Oh yeah, don't even bother pirating.… Expand
  20. femshepka
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I'am a big fan of Mass Effect and my femshep specifically. But... I HATE THIS GAME. Femshep can not die! Can not! I love her. Femshep is meaning of my life. Bioware kills her... Time to die. Goodbye everyone. I always hate my life and love femshep. Please remember that.
  21. Humprt
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    So naive, so boring, and with such bad graphics and funny animation... I really don´t understand the critics at all. Are you guys crazy? Have you actually played the game? Or at least tried?
  22. Anya
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 0, zero, cero, nada. It's an utter failure of a game and a disgrace for the franchise that had already went down with the second game.

    That's what this game deserves. Why? Because it's a scam provided by EA and Bioware, they promised something, closure, an ending that would wrap up everything and they delivered nothing. This is simply put another Dragon Age 2 scam. Do not waste your money in this piece of crap, save it for companies that actually deliver what they promise and that have good policies towards their customers.

    The animations are exceptionally terrible. The story is obviously developed by a game company, which is why it's so very badly written. They repeated the same mistake from Dragon age 2, they firmly believe that killing important characters creates a good story, which is what awful writers do in a pathetic attempt to cause an emotion. What they won't understand is that the emotion is negative and people don't pay money to feel bad.

    The endings discourages the player from even finishing the game, they're so bad and makes so little sense that my friends simply stopped playing the game.

    Two critical issues on their writing and design is that they seem to think that Godmodding and metagaming are valid tools for crafting a story, just like the huge amount of clichés that are present.

    They also blatantly copied the ending from Deus ex, itâ    … Expand
  23. puzzlemaniak
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    I'm just feeling so terribly disappointed with ME3, it's like either Bioware doesn't give a damn about their fans, or EA purposely makes them create games like that. At the first glance it doesn't look bad, you can import your old character, game tells you what choices have you taken (the most important ones naturally), you can customize looks like in ME, classes have close resemblance to ME2 ones (similar abilities, new "specialization"-like forks though + some additional skills sometimes), and god, after you're done it starts. Intro might look ok, but certainly graphics don't - engine got old, but it's not a excuse, you feel like playing some low grade console port instead of major game, textures are hideous, animations as well (especially Anderson's, and omg, he's footaged even in demo), nothing special in lightning or mimics departments, so in short - it's like ME2, bah, maybe even worse. Art direction makes up for it though, as it did before, some views are really stunning plus majority of "open" areas (open only by name, zones are as small as they used be) really feels deep. No major concerns about music/sound, even though like 50% or more is reused which hurts. You'd think they moved some budget elsewhere (like story, dialogues etc.), but then "fun" begins. Main plot is really shallow, each subsequent mission kinda pushes you through, pace is just too high, I admit, some turns really are decent, but imho, everything is just too blatant and easy to anticipate, especially closer to ending - it's like they either ran out of cash or EA pushed devs so game could be released earlier. I don't know, but for sure, ending in this game is just very weak (at best), and can really cause outrage in some impatient fans. Anyway, it's still better than what was done to all the sidequests, now they're close to inexistent - like 80% them is simple "get the item' (usually by snapping it from shops or finding in new user unfriendly galaxy exploration), bring it to Citadel (no other quest hub), talk to NPC and claim reward. No dialogue choices (bb persuading or threatening npcs for greater rewards), just probe-item-reward cycle over and over again. You can feel lucky if npc actually has anything to say, mostly it's just simple 1-liner w/o choice, just like it was with Kasumi and Zaeed ship dialogues in ME2. Now imagine it dumbed down even more, and you get brief look on how npc interaction looks, really. Yes, even with important persons, including team mates. When dialogue wheel appears you can be certain it's either opportunity for some questions regarding landmarks, persons etc. or binary paragon/renegade choice, "Do or do not" like Yoda would say, and it applies here in a very bad manner. You don't feel like you have control over action any more, not mentioning choices you've done before (if importing) are barely touched, should you kill or spare certain people (notably ME2 squad mates), outcome is basically the same, npc gets replaced by some random other, lines stay the same, and it just keeps turning like it was. Hell, I even tried dialogue with 'Irritating Man' with opposite choices and it was just the same, only Shep's lines changed. For the joke's sake you had paragon/renegade limited choices, and they didn't do the trick either, which is just ridiculous (not enough money for creating proper dialogue scripts and doing VA? I don't think so) and pushes you away from game. So far I could name only 2 things that changed in plus - combat and weaponry. Fighting is much faster than it was in ME2, you get some new skills and ways to customize them, also choice of weapons is much larger, with additional customization in that field by adding 2 mods of choice for each. Now you have to decide if you want, let's say super strong Black Widow rifle or some small SMG, because each one differs in weight and your overall balance changes cooldowns on abilities, by either shortening them or lengthen by as much as 200% (if really encumbered). You have some fancy new mechanics like shooting through walls and such. All in all not too shabby, but not with these controls, especially often cumbersome space usage. Since I'm close to 5k limit, I'll just do a quick balance:
    +fast-paced fights with various tactics applicable +weapons customizable again! +overall design -gfx -story -dialogues -interaction -exploration -side quests
    -"flat" choices
    -close to 0 influence on story outcome
    -certain plot turns are just plain stupid
    -npcs have no character (especially new)
    -multiplayer
    -ME badge in spite of being that bad
    -horrid endings
    -general lack of polish
    -1st day DLC not free (greedy much?)
    -Origin
    Yup, it's really that big let down, no BW games for me anytime soon, unless they repent and leave leeches from EA.    … Expand
  24. Nichtswisser
    Mar 8, 2012
    3
    Welcome to to the future of Bioware.. It really seems that all those guys that know what they were doing left Bioware and were replaced by characters inspired by the movie "Ideocracy". There is that otaku women which is probably a virgin and who seems to have a yaoi (gay male romances) fetish. Than there is that crazy dude I saw in a DA2 video and who came up with the "awesome button". And there is probably one EA suit dude who is never without his statistics why call of duty is so successful and who spams his opinion in every meeting that more explosions are needed. And with those 3 responsible for game design ME3 is what we got. Lots and lots of gay romances, just as much explosions, and the evolution of the "awesome button", the "awesome does all button"! And it really is awesome when you try to run away and instead take cover with your back exposed to the enemy! Yet just like with DA2, the most "awesome" button is the one which removes this **** from your hdd!… Expand
  25. Metaldaze
    Mar 8, 2012
    2
    Not just a terrible way to end the franchise, peoples choices seem to actively be shamed or spit on. Certain LI's are barely in the game and you are pidgeon-holed into how the game will end. The beginning was amazing, especially as a hardcore ME1 & ME2 fan but at the end of the game you end up with a sour taste in your mouth as if you've been sucker punched in the face and made to think you wasted your time.… Expand
  26. oso
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    Right now iam not able to play the game because it keeps telling me i had somehow entered a wrong cerebrus code... i have no idea what that is supposed to mean but as long as im not allowed to play this **** legitimate buyed copy of ME3 it is a ZERO POINTS for me.
  27. kriosis
    Mar 8, 2012
    4
    After playing Mass Effect 1 & 2 I had high hopes for ME3. Sadly this game did not live up to the hype. While there was improvement there is also far more problems that can't be overlooked. I'll cover the improvements first. Pros.
    1) Certain combat mechanics have been refined. Building your character works similar to the previous games but a lot more skills a far more useful this time aro    und. Allowing more customization to how we would prefer our abilities to work as we progress was a really great idea.

    2) Weapon Customization and the Weight system are in my opinion the best part of this game. Which is sad with all things considered. I prefer to carry few weapons. I used the heavy pistol and the sniper rifle. Because of this I was very light allowing for quick power cool downs. I maintained 200% cool down reduction due to the customization. Customization was various, you could increase weapon damage, accuracy, stability, penetration and a few other helpful additions. 3.) Reputation was a welcome change. I was getting tired of Paragon and Renegade responses only having an effect on anything. Here there is that grey choice/response and it actually contributes.

    4.) It was nice to see many of those that survived the previous two games, even if those reunions are unbelievably short, seeming almost rushed. We'll get to that last one in a bit.

    Cons.

    1.) I already said combat was somewhat refined. But it also has its issues. One of those biggest issues being the combat can be incredibly clunky. Space bar does almost everything. You sprint with it, you pick up things with it, you dive and evade with it, you get into and out of cover with it, it does far to much and doesn't always do what you want it to.

    2.)Missions and journal tracking are poorly executed here. Most missions are picked up by eavesdropping on random people aboard the Citadel. This becomes troublesome because you'll often find yourself sitting there listening to conversations while not entirely sure it'll have anything for you. There were a few times I ended up running past them because the area was so cluttered I couldn't make out where it was coming from, especially when there are multiple NPC's engaging in conversation around you. Most you can do is just stand there wait for something to be added to your journal. Secondly the journal is terrible. It's very vague and remains that way through out missions. A mission that reads "find Cerberus Documents" will always say "find Cerberus Documents" even after finding them, there is no reliable way to check your progress in it. It does however update with "New" beside missions, but this is easily over looked when scrolling through the missions tab or forgetting to mark it as viewed when you get the missions. 3.) The call of duty audience, Bioware really wants them, so much so that they're sacrificing choice in every game mode. I played through RPG mode, the traditional "mode" we're familiar with when it comes to BioWare titles. I was surprised when the conversation radial rarely appeared. It seemed most of Shepard's responses were automated. 4.) Lets talk about a lot of returning squad mates. While I was happy to see them, that feeling was short lived. After browsing through ME3 romances I noticed they were far more in depth. So if your LI (love interest) was exclusively in ME2 prepare to be disappointed. As an example I romanced Miranda, the LI scene was short and quick, you were in, you talked, fade to black, you're out of the room. No time to talk after, say good bye, nothing. The last time I seen her was near the end where she played a pretty major role in the plot. But even here, being reunited for the last time lacked any form of communication or closure. Maybe it's not this way with all of them, but I was pretty disappointed.

    5.)Tali's face is so original. Oh no, it's an image taken from google then photoshoped. I didn't romance Tali, if you did I really feel bad for you. I'd be pissed at the lack of effort put into her and her race as a whole. They're humans in space suits with no immunities. 5.) I'm running out of room. So lets get to the obvious. The ending, holy hell are they familiar. After doing some digging it seems they pretty much ripped the ending right away from Deus Ex Human Revolution. While it worked for that game. It does not work here. This is what we've been building up to? Technically 3 endings where the only difference is 3-4 seconds and changes in color? There was absolutely no closure here, nothing.was.solved. You're screwed no matter what you pick. This is not what the player wants to feel after so much time in this series. Like Tali's face, the ending background was stolen, from a Windows wallpaper. TL:DR Wait until it's in the bargain bin. Even then, you're better off imagining your own ending. Dream about it if you have to. Dream seems sum up the ending in more then one way.    … Expand
  28. MSTA
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    I played the first 2 games and was told that the ending would be really bad so not to have high expectations going in. I lowered my expectations to the floor and really enjoyed the gameplay. Then, at the end I totally regretted ever playing this series. The ending is by far the worst ever and then on top of that, the post credit cut scene is an even bigger slap in the face. Never again Bioware. Never again.… Expand
  29. Lessi
    Mar 9, 2012
    0
    Too little ammo, global cooldown on all abilities defeating use of them in place of fireaarms. Removal of barrier and biotics only having thier full effect on weak enemies.

    The ending didn't tie in with the rest of the game at all.

    Frankly I advise everyone to play Mass Effect 1 and then write their own ending. The spin off on the story that began in Mass Effect 2 isn't worthy of it.
  30. Kossak
    Mar 11, 2012
    0
    Bastards - taking content out of the game to sell it on Day 1 for even more money? If you don't respect your customers, customers won't respect you. FU!
  31. Aralakh
    Jul 11, 2012
    8
    The only reason Mass Effect 3 doesn't get a perfect 10 from me is the ending, plain and simple. Even since the release of the extended cut, I can't help but feel that BioWare didn't give this series the conclusion it deserves. That said, the game is absolutely fantastic, and by far the greatest sci-fi RPG to be released in a long, long time.
  32. bib
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    HUNKBEEF MCHUGEDICK. Those le romances weren't even better love stories than twilight. The damage control will not work. This game is a steaming pile of ****
  33. AnthonyAardvark
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    The real question when reviewing this game is where to possibly start when describing everything that went wrong. The most controversial of these was the DLC. Bioware has adopted a business model where profits are generated by withholding content and then selling it later for more money, claiming it was created at a later date. You can blame EA for this only to a certain extent. In the end it was Bioware's choice to accept the contract several years ago and pursue this practice. Their behavior towards criticism has not done their image any favors either. Attempts by their fans to describe flaws in their games often result in bans and accusations of trolling. However, as for Mass Effect 3 itself, the problems with this game extend far beyond a greedy DLC-based approach to content. The writing is atrocious, riddled with cliches and plot holes that raise about 10 more questions for every 1 that is answered. The endings are awful not just for their inability to deliver satisfying conclusions to plot threads, but in their blatant similarity to other science fiction games like Deus Ex. The difference here is that it's not handled nearly as well and in many cases insults previously established lore in Mass Effect 1. Example, Sovereign says "My kind transcends your very understanding(...)You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence." Without spoiling too much, it turns out the "nature of our existence" means a reason that makes absolutely no sense and defies all logic and reason. Instead of creating an origin that felt truly "alien" Bioware instead went with the most predictable and disappointing explanation. The gameplay in Mass Effect 3 feels like every last line of code was checked to see if a "modern audience" will find it appealing. Originality was no factor at all in the way this combat was designed. Shooting mechanics are insultingly simple, and levels play out like corridor shooters. It's a far-cry from the vast open landscapes that were in Mass Effect 1 where the mako could be used to scale mountaintops. The RPG elements are improved just enough from Mass Effect 2 to attempt to reclaim the bare-minimum amount of fans who felt disappointed with their absence the second time around. Animations are so bad they're actually funny to witness. Shepard runs like he/she is wearing a used adult diaper. There are only a small amount of weapons, and any beyond 2 or 3 per type will cost extra money as DLC. It's disgusting. Bioware is dead. If Dragon Age 2 didn't at least raise suspicions that the company had moved towards a "Marketing first, Creativity second" approach to their products, then Mass Effect 3 will cement that. Such potential on a truly enjoyable first installment is completely squandered on appealing to the lowest-common denominator. If you buy this game, or support this company, than you have nobody to blame but yourself.… Expand
  34. vaatiel
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Is this truly the state of the video game industry at present? It used to be consumer desire that shaped what was released, now we have day 1 DLC and companies like Bioware that go to great extremes to censor anything that even closely resembles criticism. Are you going to bend over and let this happen?
  35. m500ario
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Abysmal. It's like a relapse of Dragon Age 2. Bioware simply can't make a successful sequel. An vast budget and the majority of it was spent on marketing rather than attempting to make a quality game. It's sad how EA and Bioware have compromised quality for the sake of profit.
  36. Hillyaus
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Does not live up to the other games, a letdown. Seriously? Joker telling his grandkids a story? Talk dies? It's a real shame the game ended like it did.
  37. toggaf-reggin
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Can't believe I wasted money on this game. I'm going to waste two more minutes posting this to warn people about ME3, and that's it. And the "day one DLC" is an insult, what has become of the video game industry?
  38. MolokoChai
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    How such unoriginality and blatant cliches and overused plot devices, including the incredibly anti-climatic ending is somehow praised by critics as the "epitome of storytelling" is beyond me. Mass Effect 3 is the last, dying breath of a once great developer, who seem much too keen on sealing their own fate.
  39. GRORIOUSMODDU
    Mar 6, 2012
    2
    Just when you thought Bioware couldnt outdo DA2, voila here you have ME3. This game takes no account of what you do throughout the game, giving you the illusion of choice. The endings are a cliche attempt to be dark and edgy, but leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. The characters are dull and there are glaring plotholes, retcons and glitches that will compound your sorrow along with the horrible endings.… Expand
  40. achtung_libe
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3? More like Ass Pull 3. Nothing more needs to be said except that the moronic ending gave me a headache. If Bioware had any sense left they would fire the whole writing staff and replace it with a room full of monkeys. Of course they don't need to worry about it since they have every major game review site in their pocket.
  41. RobzInadE
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I'm utterly disgusted by this game. Utterly, utterly disgusted. You completely ruined the Mass Effect series with this blunder of the century. Thanks BioWare! Wors't game I've played in 10 years.
  42. homtherobot
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I'm so disgusted with this game that I had to finally make an account here so I could share the sheer disappointment I've experienced so far. This game doesn't even seem like it was made by the same company. It feels like the writers for ME3 read the cliff notes describing the series so far and tried to slap something together that could pass as a sequel. They failed. This series deserved better than this, and so did the fans. Such a shame.… Expand
  43. KOTORfan1
    Mar 6, 2012
    3
    Bioware. Baby. Darling. Honeycakes. We need to talk. You've always toed the line between a direct narrative and a branching narrative, and in the past it's never been a problem. Probably because the meat of the games was in the character arcs and interactions, and changing incidentals about the characters throughout the game based on choice, while not having a monumental impact, will at least give the player the FEELING of agency. There is no agency in this. None of my decisions matter. Rather than translating into flags with any significant impact on the universe, they translate into "peace points" and galactic readiness points and other hyper-simplistic **** And then there's the dialogue wheels: just like DA2, the 3-word bit of text you pick from the wheel has nothing to do with your answer. **** nothing. At one point Ashley was being emo and one of the options I could pick, in the paragon position (but not needing points), was "We've been through a lot." I thought "Oh, he's going to appeal to her emotionally through shared experience!" I selected it. Cue Shepard angrily growling "You should know me better." This makes me feel as though I'm not a part of events. That's bad. Video games are not movies, Bioware, they are video games. The scene in the demo/opening with the little boy? I know you thought it was heart-wrenching, I do, and that's adorable of you, but it's not. We met that boy literally a minute ago, and had no connection with his emotional state at all. Now he's dead. CUE SAD MUSIC AND SHEPARD LOOK SO SAD. Get over yourselves. You work best doing tongue-in-cheek, not melodrama. Oh, and stop gutting the RPG elements. In ME1 the passives were ridiculous at high levels, and you could highly specialize Shepard. The system in ME3 is the same one from ME2 with the upgrades spread out a bit thinner. The combat sections are largely tedious and laughably easy, even on the hardest difficulty. I will give Bioware one thing: they have improved on the fluidity of TPS control. However, in their fervor to do so, they forgot to make enemies that actually force the player to explore this new fluidity. He can just sit behind his chest-high wall and line up headshots with his x-ray vision… Expand
  44. advocate_of_tea
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Possibly one of the worst games I have ever played. Its basically like what Jaws 3 was to Jaws 1 & 2. Absolute rubbish. I definitely do NOT recommend Mass Effect 3. Its such a pity when great franchises just ruin themselves all for the sake of profit, like Call of Duty and Resident Evil. And now, unfortunately Mass Effect.
  45. biowareisdead
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I register this account just to express my disappointment in Bioware. ME1 was my favorite game, it was a great game no doubt about that, ME2 though was an ok game, not great just ok compared to ME1, but ME3 was terrible even compared to ME2. The past decision or even the decision in ME3 have absolutely no impact on the game, the great story in ME1 is gone, now its just cheesy teen angst soap opera, and you don't even have a choice. The illusion of choice yes, the choice to make your own commander shepherd story no (see the "multiple Deus Ex" three ending on IGN if you want), i know sci-fic or game is not suppose to be logical but this is a whole new level of Bull. Gameplay wise is okay, okay as in acceptable nothing mind blowing, but since ME was mostly about story and less about gameplay it doesn't really matter, if i want a good shooter i will play GOW3 or BD which is a lot better. Everything else is mediocre, i advise gamer not to buy this game, don't buy it based on it's past series, because ME3 is completely different, rent it first if you must, for hard core fan of the series, i advised you to pretend this game does not exist or it will break your heart. Maybe just maybe a giant size DLC will be develop by Bioware to redeemed themselves and save the ME universe, but this ain't a fairy tale so i won't keep my hope up. Ranting time!!!!!! Many of the best PC RPG game is created by Bioware in the past, but now they are determined to destroy all of it for the sake of short-term income, ridiculous dlc, releasing unpolished game just barely working so that they can get away with it. I won't even explain why i am disappointed or justify my opinion, Bioware know damn well what standard of game ME3 is as creator of great games in the past. Do you honestly think consumers will continue to support your crappy game, you are going to be EA worst mistake, because they wont even be able to squeeze one single best selling game from you! and when they realize that EA will dump you like yesterday news that you are. RIP Bioware i wish we could remember you fondly, but instead you will become the greatest tragedy and proof of the terrible practice of EA.… Expand
  46. ang22
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3
    Average User Score: 4.4
    0
    Mass Effect 3 Image
    If you would like to see my complete review please pay for my DLC. Otherwise it's sad to see a company let corporate greed drive them into the ground be releasing a game with part of it's content cut out for the sole purpose of a cash grab. As well as release a generic game that has gone so far from it's root that it should re    ally be called "Generic shooter 3"… Expand
  47. EmoObama
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    The game is horrible. Bioware have succumbed to EA's influence and destroyed a great franchise.
    Bioware made 2 fantastic games in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 where you controlled Commander Shepard. Your Shepard. In Mass Effect 3 Bioware has taken the commander back. Many choices from the first 2 games have minimal changes with some flat out retconned. The dialogue is virtually gone, even     with full decisions on it's like watching a movie instead of an interactive story. Add in mandatory DLC for the "best" possible ending on day 1 and what you get is a game that spits in the face of fans of the first 2 installments and ruins what should have been the best trilogy of games in the past decade.… Expand
  48. sillybuns
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Extremely casualized and loaded with DLC that should have been released with the game. Gameplay is copy paste from the second game. Story is dull and cliche and seems to have more emphasis on romances than anything actually meaningful. As it was with Dragon Age, Bioware ruined another franchise that was off to an amazing start.
  49. nox471
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    very poor. a real disappointment. mass effect 1 was a great game. bioware have ruined the franchise with this game. a significant portion of the "game" was cut scenes, it was more of an interactive film.
  50. Kearitic
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    It really didn't live up to my expectations, taking the previous 2 games into account. Where as I could enjoy Mass Effect 2, despite it being a step down on the RPG-scale, I still liked it for what it was. Mass Effect 3 is a prime example of having focused more on the elements of a dating sim space, rather than the much more important story and gameplay.
  51. DoctorGlasgow
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely terrible. I used to love the Mass Effect series. They were some of my favorite games. But playing this now, it's like nothing I've done in the previous games mattered. The story makes no sense and disregards anything that happened in the previous games.

    Mass Effect is dead, and ME3 is the shovel they used to bury it.    … Expand
  52. the_mad_chemist
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    What utter trash this game ended up being. Bioware you have lost a loyal fan, as this game does live up to the standards of current RPG games. It seems that this game was made with the sole intention of making as much money as possible, with content as an after thought.
  53. getsomepie
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    I don't want to spoil the ending, but this game was really, really bad. I don't have a problem with the gay scene, but the gameplay here fell extremely short and the ending left much more to be desired.
  54. tdij
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Full console crap. Crappy textures, crappy animation, crappy story, **** Controls, dominance of homosexuals, DLC DLC DLC, oh yeah. Bioware, are you serious?
  55. Eman
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    I won't buy it because it's on Origin. Plain and simple.

    EAs' CEOs want to throw their weight around and basically force people to use their second-rate platform and indifferent customer service. It's strange that they would rather destroy game after game in a effort to grow their digital distribution platform than spend that cash on just making a compelling product and selling it through     established and trusted platforms like Steam or Impulse. EA must really be convinced that the millions of dollars their losing and customers their aggravating will eventually start buying game from them again once their "platform" is established. It'd be one thing if EA sold these games through it's own platform as well as others, but since it's made it "exclusive" to Origin, it appears EA would rather flex it's monopoly muscle then play fair with the other kids. Here's a simple analogy: if the consumers were the cops, EA is the robbers, and the games are the hostages, ever movie hostage negotiation movie I've ever seen has taught me to never give in to the robbers demands, regardless of how many hostages they're willing to kill in the process. I will not give in to terrorist threats.

    Don't give in. Vote with your dollar.    … Expand
  56. JesusHKriest
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't think I've been more disappointed in a game in a long, long time... The combat is just all around boring, in fact I would say it's even worse than the second games combat (which was bad). The storyline is borderline bad fan-fiction, but the worst part is the choices. The choices in this game are pretty much non-existent, with the dialogue wheel being further gutted to make it appeal to a wider audience. There are usually only two choices for any given conversation, and they always do the exact same thing no matter what. And speaking of choices, pretty much everything you did in the first two games is completely irrelevant in the third. If Wrex died in Mass Effect 1, he's replaced by someone who looks, sounds like, and acts like Wrex. Oh yeah, and they have the same clan so there's zero story difference. The Rachni are back no matter what you did with the last remaining queen in Mass Effect 1. You might as well not even bother importing a save, nothing will change and you will have to re-make the face anyway.… Expand
  57. moarx
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    For being a AAA title, Mass Effect 3 seems to be very cheaply made. Somehow the graphics seem to have gotten worse since Mass Effect 2, and it's very noticeable throughout the entire game. Textures are fairly low res (even on the PC version), animations are clunkier than ever, and most levels are very linear/claustrophobic but still lack detail (incredibly small maps with poorly made skyboxes).

    The dialogue is far worse than in the first 2 Mass Effect games, seemingly taking a lesson from Dragon Age 2's writers. The central plot is better, though the disappointing ending(s) and seemingly random character deaths manage to ruin it. Bioware has introduced more of the character customization found in Mass Effect 1, but at the same time the combat is worse than ME2's. The controls are extremely clunky, you'll often find yourself dying due to getting stuck in/randomly leaving cover due to having the space bar bound to several different actions. The AI is fairly basic, generally leaving themselves out in the open though Bioware have given them more shields/health to add artificial difficulty.    … Expand
  58. Radegar
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    Wau, I see EA was finally successful at destroying Bioware. This game lacked so much, I dont even understand, it was so hollow and empty. What was done to characters is quite similar to dragon age 2. And again, ending just like in dragon age 2 is practically unchangeable. If ill be rating any other game from bioware in the future it wil be rated a lot better by me for reason that i wont be using bioware quality standard because it isnt there anymore.… Expand
  59. legislacerator
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As an individual who has been a huge fan of Mass Effect since the launch of the first game, I was disappointed with how Mass Effect 3 played out. Actually, I believe disappointed is not a strong enough term- I was utterly devastated. To have the story built up beautifully over five years and to come to care about the characters and the outcome of your decisions was a huge emotional investment for many players; it was an investment on which we received no returns. The ending(s) of the game left something to be desired. They were incredibly clichéd and felt tacked-on, almost as an afterthought, and with no consideration to any of the events of the previous two games. The worst part, personally, was that Mass Effect 3 lived up to even my expectations- until the last twenty minutes or so of the game. Those last twenty minutes (or what is known in-game as Citadel: The Return) soured the entire narrative experience, including the years of story that came before.… Expand
  60. Pitt90
    Mar 8, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I could've forgiven a lot about ME3 ... after all, I love the franchise. ME1 was amazing; ME2 I liked despite being railroaded into working for an organization I did my best to hinder at every turn during ME1, and having my Spectre status be meaningless; and despite ME3 having graphics that looked like they came from the 90s and introducing a completely unnecessary multiplayer aspect to a single-player RPG.

    I could've forgiven them for all that ... but then I played til the end. Bioware's lead writer Mac Walters said the last in the series would be about our choices having impact ... but it didn't. No matter how good we were; how hard we worked; what choices we made, the galaxy is boned and there's nothing we can do to have *any* semblance of a happy ending. Does it happen in real life? Sure ... but we play video games to escape the hopelessness of real life and to have a chance, just a chance, to make a better world. I expected sacrifices, I expected tough choices, I didn't expect a deus ex machina.    … Expand
  61. soniamdisappoin
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    I did not realize it at the time but when I watched gurenn lagann last year I had already watched the plot to this game months before it came out, i loved the series for having a unique story but the fact that the bioware ripped their story leaves me heartbroken, i want to give them a second chance with the dlcs, hopefully this wont be too much to ask for
  62. alexbr
    Mar 18, 2012
    4
    The game is technically and script/story wise incomplete. Many plot holes, inconsistencies with prequels, odd side missions and even "anime" style character. Playthrough comparing to prequels is different and boring. Day 1 DLC of very important character considering prequels and lore, otherwise not present in the game but found by players on disk and activated by them without any download so what kind of DLC is that good question. Graphics are medium, Mass Effect 2 has better graphics, porting from consoles almost 1 to 1 without use of PC technical superiority, not even keyboard. A lot of things binding to "space" and you cant change it. Controls taken away from player in terms of less movement/view possibilities such as holstering for example. Much less dialogue choices but much more cutscenes without any choices. Bug of importing characters from prequels and even if imported not look same, only remotely similar. Game have good combat mechanics and very good sound/voices. Positioned as RPG/Action in advertisement. Third person Shooter with few RPG style dialogues and a lot of cutscenes in reality. Replay value hangs on very low to none.… Expand
  63. Necroscope
    Mar 13, 2012
    3
    After reading some quotes from former Bioware employees and the lecture of some articles on kotaku and Destructoid, calling us, fans, ignorants or comparing this whole situation to "Misery", I feel totally overwhelmed by the level of hypocrisy and meanness. It's funny how some ppl and sites are now mercilessly mocking us like some bunch of immature dorks, but at the same time, while trying to convince us to devs products, their journalists are such a friendly buddies of ours (hey look, it's your old pal!).

    Remember 'The Balloon Edition'? Oh my, how fun it was - climb a tree for your very own copy of ME3! Or that interview performed like in-game dialogue? Oh my, oh my!

    But you know what? Now that you bought the game, we do not fu*k around with you anymore. NOW better run and crawl under your rock or we gonna get you. For real, not for fun. Seriously.

    We are artists and we do our games AS WE LIKE, for us, not for you, and we owe you nothing. YOU owe us money if you want to play. That's our deal, got it?

    All this remindes me of black humour as pictured in the Fallout universe; cheerful advertisements with some skeletons hanging around.



    Do you really not see, that we - fans and devs - are two sides of the same coin? Ask yourself, for example, what would become of the Star Wars franchise without its fansbase; without all those crazy ppl, capable even of making their own SW movies? It would be forgotten dozens of years ago, not gaining even a slim % of its current profits.

    WE are your fanbase Bioware. We praised your products, we were defending you if anyone called your games a crap. Youtube is full of our uploads, image hosts and Deviantart full of our mems and graphic. We supported you not only with our wallets, but also with our passion and enthusiasm. It's because of us "bosh'tet" or "I'm commander Shepard and this is my favourite shop in the galaxy" became a part of pop culture.

    We are not raging because there is no happy ending like wedding cutscene with little blue kids and rainbow in the sky, or because OMG SHEPARD DIES!!!!111; it was quite obvious for us that you can't defat such an enemy as Reapers without losses. It is war after all, quite hopeless what's more. We are raging, because the end of our beloved series, that we were attached to for years, makes no goddamn, fu*ckin, sense! Moreover, it does not constitute - in any way - an answer to any of our efforts from all of the 3 games. In other words, we feel like we were just left with fist full of sh*t.

    So it's really so hard to understand that we are pissed?

    Let me quote mirracle of sound, performers of the famous "Commander Shepard" song:

    The Mass Effect fans are't acting entitled. They aren't asking for the ending they deserve, they're asking for one Mass Effect    … Expand
  64. Ghostrider
    Mar 14, 2012
    4
    10 for all of the game up until the ending. 1 for the ending. Bioware managed to destroy 100+ hours of great gameplay across all 3 parts of the trilogy with last 10 minutes of the game. Impressive achievement, but I don't like it.

    The game is awesome in every aspect up until the very end. Don't know why Bioware did this but they did.

    They killed DA franchise with DA2 and now this. No    t pre-ordering any Bioware game. Will wait until reviews come in.… Expand
  65. Yandaton
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Being a huge Mass Effect fan, I can safely say I am disappointed at the "final" of the trilogy. The first game was practically a new genre, a new step in video games that gave a sense of awe, the second game followed this and near matched the sense of awe and continued the genre breaking gameplay but the third game almost takes a step back from the action-roleplay and becomes more 'Gears of War' by focusing on combat, with pretty much all new mechanics revolving around improving the combat system. A step backwards with an action-roleplaying game, the previous games were fantastic and this game broke the trend. The awe inspiring is still here in this game however, when the Victory fleet flew through the mass relay and the final space battle began I was in awe there is no doubt about it, when I talk to all the characters I have bonded with over the previous games, it brought tears to my eyes, it was almost poetic but then my emotions turn to confusion and anger at the finally of the game. We were promised vastly different endings, there would be no A, B, C options and that your choices mattered but in the end, you get 3 options to end the game with no matter of the choices you have made in the previous games, no matter how high your War Assets were (which was a silly mechanic). It really comes down to what is your favourite colour? Blue, Green or Red which is what the 3 endings are, the same ending in different colours, so in reality there is only 1 ending that has filters put over it and tweaked. Even at the end of this sillyness, there is no closure to all those relationships you have developed, you never know if Garrus retired some place tropical or if Tali built her house on Rannoch or if Liara had little blue children. I don't mind Shepard dying, a bittersweet ending can be good if executed properly, this was not executed properly and it fails for it. As we had learned before, the destruction of a mass relay causes a supernova like explosion and destroys a whole system so you have just destroyed practically all life in the galaxy which is worse than the reapers. Even putting that aside, the destruction of the mass relays means everyone is stranded where they where, including the Victory fleet which will now starve to death. Joker fleeing the battle for no reason, it just doesn't make sense.

    Now apart from the endings, there is a lot of other discouraging things to be mentioned. A day 1 DLC that "was developed by a different team after the main game was finished" yet if you change 1 line of code on the game files, you can get the Prothean on your game without the DLC. A DLC that costs $10.00 for the most interesting character and one of the best guns in the game. The reveal of Tali's face, being a slightly edited stockphoto from google images. Reputation having no physical effect on the game apart from the terminator look, going so far of having to do renegade actions to save your own life? Wat. Even if Bioware was to release a new DLC for a different ending which I highly doubt, why do they need to release a new ending, it should have been on the disk, it should not have sucked so badly that it has distressed the whole of the mass effect community and destroyed the metacritic score for it. I'll be even more amazed if they make you pay for it. I however don't see why people are complaining there is multiplayer, it is a great thing to play with your friends every now and then and it adds more value to your money however integrating multiplayer into singleplayer and forcing you to play it so you can get the 'best' ending in the singleplayer is just pathetic and whoever organized that should lose their job.

    So yeah, the journey was still interesting and thrilling at times but the destination and cheap cashing in's just ruined everything that we had been working up to.    … Expand
  66. valorien
    Mar 26, 2012
    0
    I've heard about the outrage this game has caused amongst fans, and I actually thought this was nothing but an artistic argument - but I couldn't be more wrong.
    After finishing the game I can honestly say: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS.
    This game's ending completely disgraces the Mass Effect franchise. I can't even begin to describe how utterly disappointed and ripped off I feel. I actua    lly paid money for this? I must be an idiot.
    If you liked the first two games, keep away from this one and pretend it never happened.
    I myself will not purchase another Bioware title ever again. Absolutely terrible Bioware! TERRIBLE!    … Expand
  67. Crazymindboy
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    If you are fan of Halo, Gears of War, Star Trek, Starwars, and many future space fantasy media, you should play this game. It has the best of all, story to dialog and quest to combat. Most of the "bad" review are from people who tried to play with a version before release date (hackers who try to play it before release date patch) . It's a good game, as proof play the demo. I played ME1 and ME2, and it is worth it to play ME3. Just remember to save file because you can transfer ME1 to ME2 to ME3.… Expand
  68. levoldemortface
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    YA Blew It

    This game really nose dived faster than the Titanic. Horrible clunky control, bad user interface, and just plain embarrassingly horrible writing. The RPG elements are completely gone, the game feels like COWADOOTY GEARS OF WAR IN SPACE with homosexual references shoved down my throat. Now I consider my self a post modernist moral relativist secular-humanist transgender in the e    mbodiment of female form but the homosexual references about how Commander Shepherd sucks the best dick on board the ship etc, etc is just way to forced. I personally blame Jennifer "the land whale" Helper, she is not a true ally of the QUILTBAG (Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay) movement. Some respected sources such as Alex Jones even suggest that she is confirmed Mossad spy sent by Yugoslavia to damage the image of us QUILTBAGs. To me it seems plausible, just look at bad ME 3 portrays homosexuals and it's not too hard to believe. That's about it, pretty much glad it's over.… Expand
  69. Welp
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Day one DLC, forced romances, boring gameplay, terrible graphics, pants on head retarded story, uninteresting characters and the list goes on.

    So much did EA/Bioware pay the reviewers?
  70. Bum_Tickley
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    What a letdown. Coming out of the other mass effect games with high hopes and expectations, I was completely disappointed. The story was sloppy, the graphics took a step back and the game-play was severely reduced. I also heard there is DLC from day one? What the flying duck?
  71. AlphaTurtle
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    Horrible writing, dumbed down gameplay, homosexual romances forced down our throats, horrible writing, awful animations, **** day one DLC and finally horrible writing.

    This game is an insult to fans of the series and to gamers in general. The "professional" reviewers must have been payed off. Do not buy this heap of crap.
  72. Jonkel
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Horrible practices against the customers and incredilby reduced quality from the second iteration that I felt was one of the best RPGs I've played.
    It's sad to see this happen to a previously so excellent series of video games.
  73. ThirteenthOwl
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Even after the tragedy that was Star Wars: The Old Republic I thought my favorite game developers at Bioware couldn't be able to mess up another game, I mean every band has at least one bad album and every studio a bad movie right? Well turns out the Bioware I knew and loved died with SW:TOR as their most recent release ME3 has created a new level of failure in video game development. The animations are terrible compared to those of any game post 2005, and the sky is a single jpeg. I could have forced my way through the **** that is this game if only to hear what would happen to the characters i had grown to love from past games, but the story took a turn for the worse from moment one. Bland dialog and expressionless faces were everywhere, how could it be that they actually managed to take a step back in animation and writing from their previous games? Combat is bland and what you choose to do does not matter in the end as the story funnels back to where Bioware wants it to be (unless of course you buy the $100 non-****ty ending DLC[available on the disk at launch of course]) I mean now they are forcing you to decide whether you are hetero/homosexual IN THE ACTUAL GAME not in some pre-game customization but in the actual story completely breaking what little immersion the game held at that point. Does Shep have amnesia? did you forget if you liked men or women until that very moment? no. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS GAME.… Expand
  74. chevhok
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game was a gigantic disappointment. What the hell was the point of ME2 if all of the people you recruited die pointless deaths or are generally useless as **** The graphics were terrible (oh my god, that water looked like sludge) the animations were laughably bad, (fem-shep's running animation is just plain silly) and the plot looked like something a fifteen year old girl would write. It was full of plot holes and retconned information, and I feel as though a very minimal amount of effort was put into the entire thing. I've returned my copy already.… Expand
  75. cr4ckbone
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Its a plataform game, and for PC dont have controller support, this is ridiculus....Wrong move bioware!
    So simple dont u think?Put some support for xbox controller, why this dont have?Strange...
  76. flimda
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I bought this game thinking it was going to be Pokemon White. However when I opened this game it was in fact Mass Effect 3.

    DO NOT BUY FROM THIS WEBSITE, THEY ARE SCAMMERS.
  77. blargheth
    Mar 6, 2012
    2
    Lots of issues come to mind when playing through this. All your previous choices in games don't have the great effect they were hyped up to in previous installments, and boil down to a mere email or extra line of dialogue. The game-play continues to be a dumbed down action shooter experience, with mediocre mechanics at that, a mech and turret section simply do not belong in what was once a great rpg with shooting elements. The customization still pales in comparison to ME1, and features continued to be removed. The textures fall flat on models, while some of the backdrops do make for good eye candy, the god awful animations will distract you too much from them.
    As for the story, which was supposed to be the great draw of mass effect, it is a poor excuse of a conclusion, with numerous retcons and plot holes, and endings ripped straight out of other series and the book of cliches. But hey, they might offer a better ending, if you're willing to pay another 15$ for dlc!
    Even more on the dlc practice is this day 1 dlc and other consumer milking practices. While minor cosmetic and item additions aren't that terrible, the having a prothean squadmate for a dlc pack on day 1 is inexcusable. It was content cut specifically to be sold as DLC, while ea/bioware may say it was created after the main game was completed, that is a flat out marketing lie, as the lines for this character and other assets was seen in many of the previous leaks while still in development.

    All in all is shows the continue decline of bioware as they continue to destroy their own franchises.    … Expand
  78. Freeman
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Mass effect 3 is the best game of this great trilogy. Greater, better, stronger. The story is very impresive. The battles are much more intense and interesting. the story is in the heart of the game, and the side RPG is finally back as it was expected. May be one of the GOTY.... !?
  79. Dude45
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    personally I have no problem with gays, my problem with this game mainly is writing, its a bad story, with bad dialogue, and overall bad gameplay and graphics
  80. bigsby_major
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    Worse game of the series, not to mention Origin deepthroats flaccid donkey penis to the max. Do yourself a favour and avoid this garbage and the pos spyware EA wants to force you to install.
  81. Wilko
    Mar 6, 2012
    2
    Bioware should stop making "games" since they obviously can't be bothered anymore and just stick to their true calling, romance visual novels. Dumbed down gameplay concepts, day one DLC and a plot that's complete garbage, which consists of zero meaningful choice options and a general direction that's put to shame by 10 year old fan-fiction writers. Not to mention the animation is terrible, the music instantly forgettable and voice acting fairly lackluster. Given the choice, it wouldn't surprise me if people didn't even bother pirating this game, it's that bad.… Expand
  82. lolwut6045
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    >hamburger helper
    >bioshit
    >$900 dlc
    >actually uses sex to advance the plot
    >shit ending
    >average third person shooting mechanics
    >console graphics
    0/10 bioware, step it up
  83. skulltac
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    So is Bioware even trying anymore. This game really is just a letdown for me. I really enjoyed Mass Effect 1 a ton, but playing this game is really quite depressing. Everything seems just off. All of the animations are terrible, the voice acting is beyond horrendous. (Seriously I was cringing while listening to some parts.) And one of my biggest complaints is the release day DLC. What that essentially means is that they have they content out and ready and it could've been on the disk but whatever I'm sure people would love to spend TEN DOLLARS for a new ending.

    Please don't waste your money on this game. It's almost as big of a let down as TOR which guess what. Was ruined by Bioware.    … Expand
  84. JgamerD
    Mar 6, 2012
    0
    I feel as though hype and name generated sales more than quality. That can only last for so long; eventually -no matter how much hype you have, quality does matter. Thatâ
  85. Hurgan
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    A sad confirmation that the company that gave us Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age Origins is gone. People responsible for those excellent RPG's are no longer there, and those left are no longer of the same spirit. Instead of a inspiring, imaginative space-opera RPG, we received a clone of CoD with some SF imagery. We no longer have interesting plots, mysterious enemies, aliens. Instead we have cheap romance that is difficult to watch due to its corny lines, and FPS action. This is not the experience I am looking for. All the imaginative, creative elements are gone and what we have is not a fine meal by a renowned chief, but mass produced burger for mass consumption. Thanks but no thanks.… Expand
  86. Vigil
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    To me, the Mass Effect franchise was something that symbolised and epitomised what a sci-fi video game could be. The only other francise to have captured my mind in the Science Fiction videogame genre like this was Homeworld. I have fond memories of the original Mass Effect; ones that I'll likely never forget, like meeting Vigil on Ilos the first time and hearing the fate of the Protheans.

    ...and now we have a Prothean as a squad member. Drew Karpyshyn must be able to taste the bile in the back of his throat.

    Where to begin with Mass Effect 3? Origin? Sexualisation of characters that don't need sexualisation? The Jersey Shore effect? Day 1 story integral paid DLC? Dumbing down of gameplay mechanics? Two choice conversations? Your decisions mean nothing? When in doubt, retcon earlier games? Cerberus? Mac Walters? Forced emotional engagement? Shepard having post traumatic stress disorder about things that should be water of a ducks back? The list goes on, and on, and on.

    There is a lot wrong with Mass Effect 3. A lot. It's the whore direction the francise has taken. Bioware, I am disappoint. I'm giving ME3 a 1/10. It's the best I can do.    … Expand
  87. Player
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Well... I buy this game today.. ME2 was better... Give me my money back! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad! It's bad!!!!!!!!!
  88. ExSa
    Mar 7, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect is the dying spasm of Bioware. A company once known for greatness, now more known for fascination with Twilight, reducing choices for gamers and creating games that look more like clones of Call of Duty and dating sims than RPG's we used to love. Make no mistake. Mass Effect 1 and DAO were great games. But the loss of authors and imagination is painfully evident in this production. We have a deus ex machina plot, shallow characters, terrible ignorance of universe lore established in previous production. In exchange we have dialogues like from some cheap remake of Jersey Shore(Vega I am looking at you), hallow romances that make normal cringe at the dialogue and nothing resembling the mystery atmosphere of cold but fascinating cosmos we knew from previous games....
    Don't buy it. Huge disappointment.    … Expand
  89. IDontknowwhy88
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    This game, and the second one, is a result of poor standards for the gaming industry. A bad plot, and shoehorned in character development. There is no more exploration, no more mystery-it's hallways and FPS action sequences, chased down with unwarrented romance options. This is the same "quality" of work from DA2, and it's not just dissapointing, it is downright insulting to the players who've waited for these games.… Expand
  90. HALover9000
    Mar 7, 2012
    3
    I really had a lot of fun on Mass Effect. I loved Mass Effect 1, maybe even more on the sequel, but I was generally disappointed on this game. I expected the fun of the first 2 and the great writing, but the story was meh and the gameplay was not as good as the other two. This lived way below the hype of the other 2. Also, DLC on the first day? Really, Bioware? Either the DLC is part of the game, or the DLC is released weeks after.… Expand
  91. gossen
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    The horrendous graphics with 2d sprites everywhere, the unfinished product where a crucial thing to be able to connect to your imported character is not working (importing ME2 faces) . The story is written in such a budget-cut way it leaves very little room for replay as I myself have retstarted every mission where one had to make a (what one thought was a game-breaking answer/stance/change) just to replay said mission, take a different choice AND everytime see how the choices I made really didnt matter (these are no spoilers: Hi mordin, Hi Salarian embassy council) . I am extremely, extremely dissappointed with this unfinished product. And my wife being a devout christian the gay relenships and statements in the game are extremely disturbing. I´m taking it back to amazon and demand a refund, Ill push it as far as I can because Im furious over this unifinished crap"game" made in a 14 year old graphics-engine (unreal) which with its 2d-sprites still crasher in important locations so one has to try go another way.... I cancelled my sons SWTOR account and stated the same reasons so you get the message, Im through with you as a developer (still on my 4th playthrough on skyrim with 80% sidequests), never get tired but this crap Ive stopped playing as off this moment.… Expand
  92. lasertank
    Mar 7, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is linear and repetative. Decisions made in ME1 & 2 all lead to the 3 similar suck endings. The ending concludes nothing but leaves more problems. All kinds of tragedy are intentionally forced upon players and provides insufficient reasons. The RPG essenses: dialog, history, puzzle, are all missing in ME3. The rushy epilogue disclose how badly bioware wants to kill this game. In ME1 & 2 the length of the ending cinematic last more than 5 minutes, but in ME3 only a less than 1 minute miserable epilogue awaits you.… Expand
  93. JunglePredator
    Mar 8, 2012
    2
    I've already scored this low on the gaming store's site I bought it from & will actually give point form why it gets low scores here.
    -EA conducting aggressive anti-consumer behaviour against users who display "discontent behaviour" in any official forum. Lowers enjoyment of playing game.
    -Significant day 1 DLC/add-on items that should be part of the game but EA is requiring cash for. (i    .e. the Razer branded item's bonus guns)
    -"Professional" reviewers seem to have been paid off for positive reviews
    -Graphics toted as being "top notch". It's Unreal Engine... I haven't played a game using this engine that HASN'T looked good. ME3 is just average when placed beside many of its competitors
    -Over aggressive DRM (yes it effects the game score as it affects how often & where I can play the game)
    -Game is not a 10 out of 10 by a long shot so it should consider itself lucky to be getting the 2 I'm giving given the negatives.
    Disclosure: I have only played the demo; am still working on my Mass Effect 1 play through before proceeding to ME2 then ME3. Own most the content for all 3 (lacking Razor rifle for ME3 at this point)
    Example of Unreal Engine 3 games I've played for comparison: Alpha Protocol, Batman: Arkham City, Blacklight: Tango Down, BlackSite: Area 51, Borderlands, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. (Probably more too)    … Expand
  94. Nogard123
    Mar 8, 2012
    1
    Seems Bioware has lost its touch,iam glad i didn't buy this piece of crap.
    The endings are just a big fu to all its fans.
    And then there is the day 1 dlc ,Bioware sold its soul to the (devil/EA)
    I feel sorry for the people who bought this,i know my money wont ever go to a Bioware game again ,ever!
    How the mighty have fallen.
  95. gerbano
    Mar 8, 2012
    1
    Is it me or reviewers didn't play this game enough to notice how badly written and designed ME3 is? At first I didn't understand how a game could earn such different ratings from critics and gamers but then I played it... If you played Dragon Age 2 and felt disappointed, wait and play this one. Dumbed down mechanics and a badly written story apparently are the norm for every new game Bioware. I won't waste my time (and money) with them anymore and I strongly recommend you do the same.… Expand
  96. Asher
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    Don't be fooled, use your brain and think: Why would the "critics" all like this game but most of the public hates it? Easy answer: Either said critics are on EAs payroll or they fear the future repercussions from EA (no interviews/early copies) if they give it a bad review. These sorts of things happen in the vidya industry, the bigger the publisher, the more likely it is to happen.

    Awkward animations, hamfisted dialogue, 2008 graphics, cheap plot mechanics, recasting much-loved VAs...it's like Bioware went out of their way to make this game horrible. Also don't forget the NO HOLSTERING and the excuse given for it: "we ran out of memory" LOL! They ran out of memory on the ps3 version ONLY, they could've EASILY put holstering in the 360 or PC version but decided to keep the shortcoming, if that doesn't scream INCOMPETENCE, I don't know what does...

    I can understand the urge to finish off the story after you saved your ME2 save file for months now but whatever you do, DON'T PAY FOR THIS GAME, otherwise you're telling Bioware that a half-assed effort is okay.    … Expand
  97. EasilyAnnoyed
    Mar 8, 2012
    0
    Oh my. Where to start? As badly burned as I was by SW:TOR, my wife bought this for me anyway. I think it was a mistake. Day one, I install the thing just because I love Mass Effect and decide to give EAWare one more chance. As soon as I load my save carried over from ME and ME2, my Shepard's face DOESN'T EVEN PORT OVER CORRECTLY! Are you kidding me? The cornerstone of the ME series, your choices carry over doesn't even get past the freaking FIRST TIME I see my Shepard? WTF? Yeah, your choices come across but we haven't tested jack s***.

    Day one DLC for $10 featuring something pivotal to the series...yeah, no thanks.

    Bioware's actions in the last few months are the biggest letdown in my long history of gaming. Good riddance, and I hope your company dies a very rapid and painful death.    … Expand
  98. Lifewhacker
    Mar 8, 2012
    2
    After putting in nearly 100+ hours in the first two Mass Effect games and loving every second of it, Mass Effect 3 left me more than disappointed. The story feels really dumbed down, filled with plot holes and for lack of words, just really bad. There have been tons of technical glitches so far, including issues installing with Origin. (LOTS of texture pop-in, etc on a GTX 260- more than enough to run the game) Bioware has been on a decline lately, and Mass Effect 3 officially lost them an otherwise loyal fan.… Expand
  99. Tata
    Mar 14, 2012
    5
    Updated Review: I saw the warnings here about the ending, so I thought I should be prepared for a really bad ending, but you can't prepare for this. It was much worse than I thought It would be. And people said that Witcher 2 had a bad ending (which I couldn't understand because I thought It was great). Well, atleast other parts of the game were from good to mediocre. The new characters are pretty good, with few exception. I was actually surprised that James is an actually great character, because I expected him to be flat. The combat is more like Witcher 2 with the rolling and finishing moves (which is a good thing!), if only it's a bit too easy on Insanity, but It's still affected by the bugs from Mass Effect 2 like ling of sight shooting, getting stuck or character not doing what you want (do 100 things with one button is not a good idea). The romance, well.. My romance option was Liara, and the first half of her romance was disastrous, but the second was very good. Note that I'm not homophobic or anything, but there is no way to detest or condemn a character that is gay, lesbian or not. Again, I don't have anything against homosexuality, but there is no choice given to you about this, unlike in Dragon Age where you could decide how you approach something like this, and here's another problem. Lack of choice. The paragon and renegade meter is finally mixed, but only like 1% of the dialogues have a middle option, making that pointless. The interrupts were most of the times, good. The cutscenes: A lot of them are good, but then, a lot of them is unnecessary, especially at the beginning of the game. There's also a lot of time where you can't interrupt the dialogue or the cutscene, hindering the replay value. There are also serious problems with smoke effects, as It can make even the best computers lag like hell. The character animations are probably the worst I've ever seen. There is a part where you have the option to hug a friend, but because of bad animation, you end up hugging the air. Really? The graphics are mostly good, but the background is a train-wreck. If you pay attention to the background, you can see a lot of low-res textures, or even immobile people, even if they are about to step, making them look like statues.
    While I had high expectation with this game, It's far from that, but still, It's much better than Dragon Age 2. My advice: Prepare for the worst ending you can possibly imagine (or you wouldn't dare to even imagine).    … Collapse
  100. Mekah
    Mar 9, 2012
    1
    And series goes out with a whimper. Like the second game we get an extremely pared-down experience with a near total focus on Gears of War-esque shooter gameplay. Linear level design, no exploration, once again a very limited and disappointing Citadel, still not enough skills especially for team members, and just an awful narrative that culminates in one of the most absurdly shortchanged endings I've ever seen. Manipulated stock photo for one of the big reveals, barely functional journal, broken face import. Feels like a game rushed to completion yet somehow they had the time and budget to provide a multiplayer mode.

    I think I'll go play Mass Effect 1 again and lament that the series will never live up to the potential it had thanks to Bioware.    … Expand
Page:

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. CPUGamer
    Apr 11, 2012
    90
    BioWare captures the scale of the conflict well, but always focuses on the people involved in it. It's pretty amazing just how badly EA disregarded the heart of the game – the characters and the world – when they began their marking blitzkrieg, but don't worry, it's oh so definitely there – Day 1 DLC, controversial endings, and questionable use of resources be damned. This is a fine, lovingly crafted game with a clear vision despite the realities of corporations and damning business practices.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 5, 2012
    80
    A game that's more shooter than role-playing, and a conclusion that's more spectacular than dramatic. [Apr 2012, p.47]
    Read full review
  3. Absolute Games
    Mar 31, 2012
    85
    Finishing a trilogy is always difficult. Tying off dozens of story threads which had been woven by players into many different tapestries is a daunting task. Mass Effect 3 is the first game that succeeded at this colossal undertaking.
    Read full review
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