Mass Effect 3 PC
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4358 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,806 out of 4358
  2. Mixed: 366 out of 4358
  3. Negative: 2,186 out of 4358

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  1. WhyRat
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    â
  2. Kokanee
    Mar 9, 2012
    9
    I've played ME3 for about two hours now, so far I'm absolutely loving it. I honestly don't know why some many players here are **** about the game; I only finished ME2 a few weeks ago (yes I was late to the party) and to me ME3 just seems like more of the same awesome that ME3 was. Gameplay is great, really enjoying the new tactics and challenging AI (flanking, grenades etc). Running this on an HP ENVY 17 and it looks fantastic; everyone complaining about the "overdone shadows" is simply revealing their ignorance of the game, you have to turn on "dynamic shadows" and then it looks great, otherwise yes everything looks blacked out in pools of inky black shadow. If your rig can't handle this setting, upgrade, end of story.

    In summary, very pleased so far and looking forward to getting deeper into this game, sad it's the last one in the series.    … Expand
  3. Stoneboy
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    Well, what can I say? I´ve finished the game yesterday (endings are ok, btw, romantic in me would have loved to have some blue children with Liara,I´m not angry about them).
    The game itself is almost perfect (some technical bugs, badly written quest log entries...), but that almost there won´t stop me from giving it a 10. Because it´s be    autifully written, characters are alive and I felt (with my ME1->ME2 imported Shepard) like I was with my best friends. Garrus mission on the Citadel for example is something I will probably never forget. It was... simply brilliant. And don´t listen to some people, who are trying to tell you, that the ME3 is not an RPG. It is, and it´s more an RPG that ME2 was. It has weapon customization, branching skill trees and you´ll be able to DECIDE the fate of the entire species at one point. Role playing is IMHO not about points or stats. It´s about making choices, and interacting with the world. All this all day 1 DLC crap is just that. I wonder what the reaction would have been if the DLC never got released and the content remained a CE exclusive.
    And "autodialog"? There were one or two conversations where the extra wheel wouldn't hurt, but I suspect, that some of the dialog changes based on paragon/renegade points you get along the way. And you still make decisions, interrupts are still there... Conversations were excellent overall. So, to sum up, If you love ME, you already have ME3 and playing it. There is nothing new in it, that would stop you. However, if you don´t know ME, I honestly wouldn't recommend buying ME3. Try to play the entire trilogy on the PC or X360. You´ll experience something truly special.

    And as I said before, my final score: 10 (or 9.75, because it´s the last game, and I won´t see my friends again).    … Expand
  4. olimpN7
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    RPG-side is better than mass effect 2, but worse tham ME1, shooter-side best in the series.
    Very good story and epic ending, but in the middle seems boring
    Graphics 8/10, bad textures and lightmaps, however good art and detaled sharacters
  5. polyak953
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the most incredible game that ever I saw. After the final mission, I sh*t bricks. And the saddest thing that Mass Effect has officially completed.… Expand
  6. Nahilas
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    Thank you BioWare for creating one of the best games I've ever played! Don't listen to the haters, the Mass Effect trilogy is truely something special and something I'll keep coming back to over the years. BRILLIANT WORK!

    If anyone hasn't played any of the Mass Effect games. DO. IT. NOW.
  7. HVB
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    I actually would only give it 9.5/10 (on account of the somewhat unsatisfactory ending.) This game was as close to a work of art as I've seen thus far, the writing is amazing, and I felt the most important thing- your Shepards relationship with the characters and world- is handled brilliantly and comprehensively. So much focus and attentionw as payed to the conversations.

    It is a shame, t    hough hopelessly obvious, to see such numerous low marks are on account of a single gay male sex scene. A scene I might add, that was handled very well, was completely optional and had very obvious leads, and above all- was very romantic and well written, not a porno or anything distasteful. Mass Effect 3 is a brilliant game in all acounts, especially if you are in it for the story as I am. My only criticism would be the ending, which I have a feeling may be resolved entirely in this Mass Effect 4 I keep hearing about.

    This game is a strong contender for game of the year, and should win it for such bold story choices despite raising the ire of the sadly substantial homophobic community.    … Expand
  8. Xolis
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    I love playing a story...and that's what I got. AMAZING! All these haters are crying about stats this and that. The game is FUN and that's all there is to it!
  9. Shermos
    Mar 14, 2012
    9
    I really enjoyed Mass Effect. It's by far the best out of the series in my judgement. I'll start off with my problems with it because they are only few and minor. The biggest one being the space button for cover and running... It takes a bit of getting used to. My Shep died a few times because he took cover instead of running away from a blood thirsty husk. The second one is the subtitles, they are a bit small to read from a distance which is for people who don't have English as their first language. Lastly, the running animations. They look a bit ridiculous, but are okay once you get used to them. Mass effect was never about the game play for me anyway.

    The face importing issue is a real let down, but don't worry too much about this, Bioware have promised to get a fix out ASAP. Make your first play through a new game instead of an import and by the time you're ready to do an import for your second game, the issue will likely be worked out. Now to what I liked. The plot and characters were both really good, and that includes the endings which a lot of people seem to hate. Without spoiling the game, Shepard's story ends, but there isn't complete closure. Some questions are left open to be answered in a future Mass Effect game. You're left to imagine what might happen and look forward to whatever Bioware comes up with next. The game is also much funnier and more emotional than the previous games. I almost got a bit teary in places. The writers did a really good job at making players invest emotions into the characters and races of the universe. To some up, please please, please ignore any rating which goes below 5 or 6. All these ones and zeroes are totally uncalled for and coming from people who either haven't played the game, or hate the developer. I can promise that you'll enjoy ME3 if you give it a try.    … Expand
  10. mr_fails
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    There are so many people who claim that this game was a huge letdown from two because the RPG elements are even further gone. After playing this game for about 10 hours, i can say that in my opinion, that is a gigantic load of crap. The choices for equip-able armor are more true to the ones of mass effect with their brand names, the weapon upgrade system is much better now, seeing as they actually have upgrades instead of some **** computer and the need to scan planets to gather resources. Some of the characters, like James , are undeveloped but can you really blame the guy? He came in on the last game of a fully established trilogy. As for the story, yes, compared to mass effect 1 it is dumbed down but compared to mass effect 2 it is much better. I enjoyed mass effect 2 because of the game-play, not because of the story. In ME 3 you are tasked with journeying around the galaxy and creating a united banner under which to combat the reapers in the final showdown. Compared to the ME2 plot line of get some random mother **** to travel to their possible death with you, its a lot better.

    As for other elements, i love the challenge ME3 brings. in ME2 you could stand behind cover and trow warp at people and never get hurt. ME3 brings a much greater challenge. It requires players to actually use strategy rather than sit behind an impenetrable wall for years. The combat mechanics are much more refined than 2 and the return of grenades is a very welcome mechanic. Overall, ME3 deserves around an 8.5 where ME1 would receive a 9.75 and ME2 would receive an 8 just to give you an idea of where i stand. Its not GOTY material but ME3 is a good game that deserves at least one play-through. As for its shortcomings, which are by no means non-existent, blame the EA devil that is turning the gaming industry into a corporate machine rather than a place where creative developers meet to make something amazing and unique, not BioWare.    … Expand
  11. abcccccccc
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    One of the best games ever made. Endings is awesom. Other people who think that endings is bad just not clever kids.
    1) Bad only one thing and this is that i cannot drive car there.
  12. chriseggroll
    Mar 11, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3 is a great game. It has the expansiveness of the first one, the improvements on the combat system of ME2, and has the great story and character depth you would expect from a Mass Effect game. All the class powers have been tweaked enough to feel fresh and the new weight capacity dynamic gives you lots of flexibility. Want to focus on using powers? Fine, just take one weapon and boom, 200% bonus cooldown reduction. Want to use mainly weapons? Fine, pick one of everything if you want. The multiplayer adds a new bit of flexibility into the game as well, allowing you to skip some side missions if you want and still get a good war asset score. It's also pretty addicting if you actually try and play it, though it really IS totally optional. I will say that you will have to be pretty exhaustive with the side quests if you want to do only single player, and it might not be possible to get a high score without an imported Shepard. As far as the ending goes, I will admit to being pretty disappointed and would have given this game a 10 rating otherwise. Since the whole game is thrilling and a joy to play, I only took off 1 point, but if the conclusion is all you care about, don't get your hopes up too high. The Mass Effect Trilogy is definitely no fairy tale, but the ending scene doesn't seem to offer much closure as far as how your companions fared, let alone the rest of the galaxy or even Shepard himself. I think some people have definitely gone overboard with their outrage, but as a longtime fan of the series, I did feel let down by the too-short conclusion of a three-game trilogy.… Expand
  13. clivemax
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I downloaded my copy of Mass Effect 3 onto my computer with some apprehension, the critic reviews all praised the game, while a majority of the users seemed to hate it. As I played Mass Effect 3 my apprehension left me, and I realized that the game I was playing was astounding. The game still seemed to be Mass Effect even though a little toned down in the choices department.
    The gameplay was far above the previous two entries in the series and this made me enjoy my experience all the more.
    My trip through this game was amazing and as I'm running towards the beam(I've forgotten what it is called) and harbinger is firing lasers at all of us running my adrenaline is pumping and it cuts to black.
    My first thought, "HOLY **** DID SHEPARD JUST DIE?!" As Shepard wakes up, I reevaluate my situation and think I'm alive, but what about my squadmates? I realize that I must go forward. Liara and Garrus are probably dead. Their sacrifices must mean something. I enter the light.
    The sight of the bodies sickens me, but I hear Anderson's voice and I walk forward looking for him and a way to open the citadel. Upon finding Anderson I didn't really question it beyond the fact that something was wrong. **** Illusive man.
    After talking to the Illusive man, he makes me shoot Anderson. Why the hell didn't I get the chance to fight that compulsion?! Dammit. My next what the hell moment was when I didn't have enough paragon to convince the Illusive man, "How the hell do I not have enough paragon?!" Dammit.
    Illusive man. Anderson on his knees gun to his head. Renegade interrupt. Do i hit it? Hell yeah I hit it. After Anderson collapses, my first thought, "He still died?!", but I head off to open the arms. They open and he's still alive and I'm elated. We sit down just like two old pals would and talk. After Anderson tell me how proud he is of me and dies, I cry my eyes out.
    The crucible isn't working though and as Shepard is crawling my only thought is you can make it, but he doesn't.
    After Shepard gets taken up by the platform, my initial reaction is hmmmm.
    After I see the catalyst ghost child I think, "What. The. **** but I'm willing to see where it goes.
    As the conversation procedes and all I do is agree I'm screaming in my head, "Why can't I disagree and ask him some **** questions?!"
    As he gives me my final options and the three paths are open to me I am dumbfounded.
    Destroy all synthetics? I like the geth. They and the quarians just obtained peace....wait ghost child your logic is flawed this is a prime example of synthetics and organics coexisting....WAIT this would destroy EDI and the normandy along with her, there is no **** way I'm killing joker.
    Organic and synthetic symbiosis evolution? Uhhhh.....wouldn't that change everyone in the galaxy to something their not and completely destroy who they are? Looks like a no.
    Control of reapers? Doesn't sound like a great idea, but doesn't seem to completely ruin the things I love about the universe, so I guess I'll go with that.
    WAIT, all of these will destroy the relays? Why? What about all the different races on Earth that will never make it back to their homeworld? God dammit, the quarians just got their homeworld back. Fine, I'll deal with it. I'll even deal with the fact that the destruction of the relays should destroy each solar system it's next to. It's all **** depressing, but I'll deal with it.
    Joker? Why are you running away? Ship blows up. What. The. ****.
    The normandy is still alive. Thank god, but they're stranded on an unknown planet without any relays...****.
    WAIT A **** MOMENT. Why are you on the normandy, liara? You were in my squad. I thought you were dead. What the balls.
    In the end, it's not the ending I wanted with a bunch of blue babies and the reapers destroyed, but without the plotholes or lack of interactions with the catalyst ghost child it would have been a depressing, but good ending.
    My final analysis is that while the ending sucked and had no respect to the Mass Effect universe which I believe is focused on the galactic races and your crew mates, NOT the philosophical discussion of order and chaos and whether or not what the reapers are doing makes any sense at all, the overall game deserves a ten.
    One of the best games of all time that is marred by an ending that doesn't do the series justice.    … Expand
  14. DatAsianGuy
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Look, I know everyone is butt hurt about the ending and many fans are angry at bioware, but i dont agree with many of the reviews and I have been a DIE HARD Bioware fan since Baldurs Gate I have bought and played hundreds and hundreds of hours playing their games and I believe Mass Effect 3 was perfect. (here comes the flaming). But, ask yourself how else would it end? they have said that this game is the end of Commander Shepards Story and that he will not appear in future games, but does that mean its a bad game? No, it doesn't and the story writing was impressive and voice acting was done well. I had several moments where I had to put down my controller and think about what I was about to do. The thing is I love this game, the universe, the good AND the bad although i dont consider multiplayer bad based on how much fun I have and the challenge of gold and the AI for insanity mode in the story. Sure the ending isn't what you had expected or wanted it was still a great experience. Also, Lord Mandalore terrible animation and graphic issues? seriously? what are you playing on? and the story wasn't dumbed down at all, have you even looked at the scripting an storylines of other games?

    Also, about the Day 1 DLC they finished it after the game was completed and shipped, SO WHAT? It took considerable amount of time to create the DLC if any of you have EVER tried to script, voice over, integrate and even add more lore into a game already developed I personally would like you to do it in 2 months and then give it away for free to EVERYONE. Then and ONLY then can you **** about the DLC release. Seriously if it came out 2 weeks later everyone and their mothers would whore themselves out for it but just because its out the same day people **** and moan.

    TL:DR Everyone is mad at the ending and giving a way too biased review about the game.

    If you read this and have a problem with me come email me your "OMG YOU ARE SO WRONG STFU (insert more flame)" rebuttle to A.Chekers@hotmail.com    … Expand
  15. Narath
    Mar 11, 2012
    10
    Truely an amazing, if you ignore the end this game is the best in the series. The main strength bioware has always had has been the companions you travel with and they went to the next level on ME3, i was so shocked when I found my companions moving around the ship and some of the dialog had me rolling on the floor with laughter. They also did some amazing truely sad moments with the deaths of long time characters which were done beautifuly. Possible spoilers
    On the issue with the end, when I first played it I was in a black rage and felt depressed for days, but I got over it and for me the series ended with shepard sitting next to anderson on the citadel. No reason for 5minutes of gameplay to ruin a 36 hour game.    … Expand
  16. Mugumaster
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I'm glad I didn't buy this game and listened to my gut feeling. I downloaded it and thought "if it can stand up to the rest of the series I will buy it afterwards...." No money from me here! This game is a total letdown! And what dissapoints me the most is that EVERY gamemagazine gives it a rating of 90+. This clearly shows that those game magazines just write what they are told from the gamecompanys .... very sad indeed.

    Now for Mass Effect 3:
    - Horrible long cutscenes with uneeded explosions everywhere to beef it up
    - Most of the time you had only 2 dialogue choices (Paragon, Renegade) and it was obvious which was what since paragon was always the upper choice and renegade the bottom choice
    - Missions were at first interesting but after 1-2 hours you get the feeling that there is no more innovation. Either you fight enemy waves, defend a point and fight off enemy waves, reach a checkpoint and survive while fighting enemy waves or fight enemy waves to push a button to fight more enemy waves ....
    - Combat system was a total letdown, I played as a biotic but most of the time i just used a sniperrifle or a slow firing rifle because it just owns everything else.
    - Biotic skills were totaly useless, I ended up reskilling and learn the talents my teammates gave me like infernogrenade or carnage
    - Flying around searching for stuff to beef up the army while avoiding the reapers got VERY boring VERY fast
    - The dialogue choices you had with your squadmates were too dull and you weren't able to bond a connection to them like in the previous games
    - Storywriting was bad, tried to skip all the time after a while since it just was plain bad
    - No matter which choices you made (like fake cure or real cure for krogans, save geth or quarians, save the arachniqueen, recruit alien races etc.) nothing did matter at the end. There was nothing that said what happened afterwards and the only reason to gather allied forces is only to make the end a little less bad than it already is.
    - The endings were a complete rippoff from deus ex
    - The endings were ALL bad, basicly you watched the same clip with a different coloured explosion and small changes but basicly all the ends lead to the same result without explaining ANYTHING

    I could go on with this list but I guess you get the point I'm trying to make clear ..    … Expand
  17. csomerville
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I have very much been enjoying Mass Effect 3. It is odd that there are so many negative reviews on here. The Mass Effect trilogy is epic and although I'm sad to see this final instalment arrive I'm glad to have gone for the ride.
  18. SHr1KeD
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    I honestly don't know why this game is getting so much hate. I absolutely LOVED this game and I'm extremely sad that the series is over. The game was emotionally exhausting. Especially if you carry over all your saves and play the game for its story and not the gameplay. I cared for every character in the game, even the villains were just amazingly done. The ending has been given a lot of hate too. I enjoyed the ending. It wasn't what I expected and I suppose that's why I liked it so much. Without spoiling anything. I did wish there was an alternative...BUT, I still thought it was a very well way to wrap everything up. Simply put. I enjoyed the game. I will admit that the "Rises From Ashes" DLC should of been included into the game, I couldn't see how it shouldn't have been included, it contained a very, very important piece of the story. I wished it was a bit longer. I finished it and ALL side quest in about 35 hours. (Yes that may seem alot but time passes by when your having fun) Overall, I gotta give this a perfect score. I would rate the whole damn Series a perfect 10.… Expand
  19. Redzin
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    This is by far the best Mass Effect game so far. The combat is better and more refined than in the previous games. The scenery is vastly improved, even though it was already very good in the previous games. The story is mostly as good as in the other ME games, however, there are some anoyances. Especially the beginning, it just seems to spout this idea of "soldiers are badass, HOAH!", as if the marketing department wanted to make the game appeal more to the Modern Warfare crowd. It doesn't last past the first mission or two though so it's not a big issue. Then of course there's the ending... which is unusual. I didn't mind it, honestly I found it refreshing. I encourage people to play this game, if nothing else then to experience the ending, the likes of which I seriously doubt has ever been seen in video games before.… Expand
  20. Pager
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    Ignore the 1's and 0's on here. There is no possible way you could have played the other two mass effect games and give this a bad score. Bioware did a great job on this. They have improved every single aspect of the game and made it even better. The acting and the story are rich. The characters are believable. I spend a half hour walking through the ship after almost every mission, because there are so many things to do. The amount of dialogue and ways the story can change based on your decisions is astounding. I found decisions I made all the way back on Mass Effect 1 coming back to haunt me. The graphics are much impoved. Amazing. The powers feel like they have a lot more meat behind them and the weapons now sound realistic instead of some cheap toy. The areas you fight have the feel of a war instead some stiff wallpaper of mountains. The multiplayer is pretty cool. It's like horde mode for Gears of War, but with powers and items to unlock. I like how it directly impacts the single player campaign. Melding those together is something few games do.

    If you liked the first two games you will love this game. Do not listen to the bad reviews on here of 1 and 0. They obviously can't be taken seriously. I don't even like Call of Duty and I wouldn't give it that score. This game is a masterpiece and one of the best series I have played in all my gaming and I have been gaming since the 80's with the commodore 64.    … Expand
  21. master0675
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    This is my favorite game of all time, I recommend buying it. I am a big mass effect fan boy, and the story is absolutely AMAZING. I feel like I am actually in the game. If I had the chance, I would give up this life for a life in the world of mass effect 3. Its a MUST BUY
  22. DukeGrimm
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    Bioware stepped up and made the changes that bring the game to what it should have been. The game is not complete. As such my rating is what I feel the product should be alloted based on its story, gameplay, and functionality.
  23. artheck
    Mar 12, 2012
    9
    It's fun to play, the game is beautiful and very addictive. Maybe the story is a bit too linear, but on the other hand I didn't expect this game to be similar to Skyrim. I don't understand s many negative opinions about this game - I have signed up for a metacritic account especially to provide my review as I have very positive feeling about this game - and I think the average user score is way too low. Sorry but I must go -going back to the gameplay ;)… Expand
  24. Omega4
    Apr 5, 2012
    10
    Thanks to EA's announcement that a clarification to the ending will be made, I can finally give the score this game deserves. My playthrough was an absolute blast. Meeting my old squadmates again, meeting new ones, travelling to new places... I've never been so emotionally invested in a game. It was an absolute blast to play, and I can't wait to see the ending.
  25. F-The-Bandwagon
    Mar 12, 2012
    10
    Read the reviews and take notice. They all share the stereotype of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons universe. Its a great game with an emotional ending. Not playing it is doing yourself a disservice.
  26. Anferny159
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I registered simply to put perspective on the rampant INTJ and pseudo-nerd-computer-hugging personalities that have absolutely infected this review page.

    Mass Effect 3 is not only the strongest game in the series, but also the most thoroughly put together. It, unlike 1 and to a lesser extent 2, is incredibly streamlined and much deeper as a result. The vast majority of negative opinion se    ems to revolve around the ending of the series. That being said, anyone with a brain can assume that hours 1-25+ of Mass Effect 3 will enjoy one of the most incredible experiences a video game can offer.

    Now, ignoring spoilers, the ending is fantastic. It's reception has, so far, been very similar to that of the TV series Lost. A show which drew people in with it's cool Sci-Fi mysteries, but actually MATTERED because of it's human content and ambiguous sense of good and evil. Mass Effect ends in much the same way. If you truly think about it all, the series could not have ended effectively otherwise. The whole series wasn't about choice, but the implications of fate versus freedom and consequences of our decisions. These are HUGE existential question for a video game to approach.

    I CAN and will say, with almost 100 percent certainty, that the backlash originates from a socially inept and ridiculously over invested group of computer geeks. There simply is no other way to put it. If the kids/ gamers that rated this game anything less than a 7 would have written the ending, be it collaboratively or otherwise, it would have been a **** technical-filled-SciFi-Channel-Uber-Geek nightmare with no sense of poetic understanding. I seriously called this sort of ending from game 1. The tone for it has always been there, but unfortunately the personality types of most scifi-douche-bag-couldn't-talk-to-you-about-anything-but-manufacturing-procedures from-the"mars"-series-of-books prevent any sort of large scale understanding of what the game is about.

    Don't deprive yourself. Play the finale and enjoy this great game.    … Expand
  27. Xdos216
    Mar 13, 2012
    9
    This is the first time I played the mass effect games. Got to say for a first time user I'm really satisfied with this game. Never being a fan at R P Gs I didn't know what to expect with this game. Being a fan of F P S I been use to the run on gun thing didn't know if this game would be for me. Mass effect has done a good job of giving me an adventure of a rpg wit sweet battles of a fps . On top of the cool shoot outs the graphics are top notch for console. This game also has great voice overs . I'm my opinion it's one of the best games to make the characters seem human with all the interaction you get . This review is my personal thoughts on this game. But I will say if u tired of the same old same old games and u never played any of the mass effects give this one a chance u might discover something new and fun… Expand
  28. beltan
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    I loved this game. It was a great closing to the story, a great send off of the characters I grew to care about. Despite what is said in the vile meanderings of people on here, the game had a great story. I really wish that we had more time with each of the characters. I loved the Loyalty missions in the 2nd one, but this one allowed me to wrap up with each person.
    There are so many emotio    nally-engaging parts to ME3. The revelations about what is happening (ie Cerberus) and the Protheans is amazing. I enjoyed almost all the parts of this game. Its great to experience an amazing chapter in the sci fi history the bioware created. Good work!… Expand
  29. Poizun85
    Mar 13, 2012
    9
    %99 masterpiece and 1% of an ending that leaves much to be desired. Don't listen to all the QQ's about this game it is absolutely amazing and a great ride through the end. All your choices matter in what forces you can recruit to save Earth. The combat is streamlined and there are plenty of weapons. Lots of emotions run rampant throughout the game and really dig deep, but in a good way. I was a bit weary on the multiplayer aspect but it actually delivers as a fun " BLOPS zombie" type gaming experience. Fantastic game I would recommend to everyone that is a fan of RPG's.… Expand
  30. CursedFeanor
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    Be very careful about trusting the reviews of most users here, you might otherwise pass up on one of the best game of all time in Mass Effect 3. For the record, I have just completed the whole game (in about 42 hours of gameplay to do all the side-quests and something like 5 hours of multiplayer). I have played countless games in my life, but very few, if any, have made me actually "feel" more intense and diverse emotions than the Mass Effect series (I've played all 3, passing along my save file all the way, no problem). You get attached to basically every of the characters and care about what's going to happen to them and their respective races and civilizations. You still get presented with incredibly hard decisions to make if you let yourself get immersed as you should. The combat system is awesome, balanced and fun! The music is gorgeous throughout and so are all the sound-effects and dialogs. I have not encountered any significant bug that would be noteworthy (don't trust the haters). Honestly, I would be hard-pressed to find any negative points about this game, hence the 10/10. I usually hate using that word, but this game actually is an epic masterpiece that you should not miss!… Expand
  31. BlackMattDamon
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. With the end of the series Bioware wanted to go all out with their final Mass Effect game. This succeeded making you feel a real part of the war with the Reapers. By far this game is the most user friendly finding a cozy spot in between people's frustration with the complicated UI in the first one (I am not one of them) and the simplicity of the second one. Choosing the gun that fits you best, the armor you like most and the skills you like most are now simplified without taking away from the rpg feel. Game play has been sped up with a more emphasis that you are a weapon on the battlefield. Using cover and jumping between has been made much easier but not at all perfect. Shepard will sometimes climb cover head on into battle getting himself killed when clearly you are pressing to the left or right. As usual squad mates are almost useless unless they have powers. The problem that has plagued the game since the beginning is back and worse as ever. In almost all of the cut scenes characters look stiff and awkward. With great voice comes disappointing visual delivery. On the subject of characters I was also disappointed with the number of squad mates and how many of the former squad mates rejected your offer. Having less variety and not a Krogan I found myself not caring who came with me. In Mass Effect 2 you feel more connect to the characters due to the loyalty missions and the ability to talk to them. In Mass Effect 3 you can talk to some of the characters but I feel they only want to talk to you when they approach you, no you approaching them. Other than those minor annoyances the story goes out with a bang and overall worth your money!… Expand
  32. Iconix
    Mar 13, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'd like to start by suggesting that people ignore all of the knee-jerk 0 or 1 score reviews given to this game, many of which are being written by people who admittedly haven't even played it. Mass Effect 3 is not a bad game, it's not even a mediocre game. It is a FANTASTIC game with an admittedly subpar and unsatisfying ending, and a large number of people are losing sight of the context because of their (understandable) attachment to the series as a whole.

    To begin, let me state my biggest pros and cons from the previous two games:

    Mass Effect 1:
    Pros: Fantastic, engaging, compelling story with interesting characters and a rich background.
    Cons: Clunky mechanics and gameplay

    Mass Effect 2:
    Pros: Vastly improved gameplay mechanics, well-developed character-oriented stories
    Cons: Main storyline is underdeveloped in comparison to all the time you spend on the individual character stories, RPG customization elements severely dumbed down

    Now let me say what Mass Effect 3 did about the problems in the previous games, first regarding the gameplay mechanics and the RPG customization elements:
    The gameplay in ME3 is the best in the series by far. While the cover controls are somewhat clunky at first, they aren't difficult to get used to. ME2 was absurdly easy even on the hardest difficulties, and there was very little variation in enemy tactics, while ME3 is far more challenging and presents much more differences between the tactics and abilities of different enemies.

    The RPG elements of ME3 are far better than either of the previous two installations of the series. Instead of having an enormous, confusing pile of weapons and equipment with no easy way to sort(ME1), or having almost no choices to make whatsoever because each new item you get is a clear upgrade over the last(ME2), you get a system of interchangeable weapons with varying stats, each suiting different preferences, and each can be modified further to allow everyone to create a customized setup that suits their playstyle. Instead of having tons of skill points to split among tiny incremental updates to two dozen skills(ME1), or having a meager set of abilities with only four ranks and one minor specialization each(ME2), you now have a healthy mix of both active and passive abilities, with each giving three opportunities for further specialization, allowing two people playing the same character class to end up with drastically different abilities.

    Now, to the most important part of Mass Effect, the story. I'll try to keep the spoilers as generic as possible. ME3 made two big improvements over ME2 in this regard. First, it made the story drive the game again like ME1, instead of the characters like ME2. Second, it managed to make everything feel connected to a larger purpose. Everything you do in ME3, even down to the most seemingly menial tasks, all has a feeling of being part of the greater aim of preparing the galaxy for war. I did every side mission I could find while I was playing ME3 and never once did I feel like I was doing something that felt out of place in my effort to prepare the galaxy to fight the Reapers. Within the main story missions, the writing is great, the characters are compelling, and there are far more choices that leave you stuck thinking about a morally gray outcome than many of the more black-and-white choices of the previous games. I know many people are upset at the fact that many ME2 characters get little more than a short token appearance, and some of them die in unavoidable fashion, but I think these people are missing the point that A) all of them could have died in ME2 so there's no way they could all be written into major roles, and B) part of the impact of ME3 is showing that death is an unavoidable consequence of war. On the whole I found the main storyline to be exciting, compelling, and well worth the price of admission.

    My gripes with Mass Effect 3, like many others, regard the ending. First of all, I think the segment of the game on Earth is much too short. For the amount of time we spent building these assets I expected a bigger and more complex finale, which is one area where ME2 excelled by breaking up the final mission into the various segments with different goals. The finale on the citadel, while it does bring closure to the storyline, is unsatisfying mainly for its lack of connection to all the choices you made previously. The player is left to imagine the ramifications of Shepard's last choice and legacy of other decisions but doesn't get any of the exposition we were all hoping for. The war assets also have much too little an effect at the very end.

    What it comes down to is that Bioware made an incredible game that loses its coherence in the final hours. I'd give the first 90% a 9.5/10 and the ending a 5/10, and I'm hoping that Bioware responds to the criticism and does right by their fans, because this game, and this series as a whole, deserve it.    … Expand
  33. icedemonofozz
    Mar 13, 2012
    10
    This game presents ideas about the singularity and a post human future in an approachable way. The story is affecting if you have bothered to invest time in the personal relationships. Playing this game was personally affecting. The ending which so many are complaining about was philosophically and intellectually satisfying. The lack of choice in this game is not a negative because without the restrictions that brings there can be no meaningful narrative. I like this game.… Expand
  34. kaleka-veteRrun
    Mar 14, 2012
    9
    The beautiful game, a milestone in the history of gaming. The only negative is that the videos and the cutscenes does not affect the passage of side quests and important decisions that you take in the game. 9.0
  35. RegularNoodle
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    While I do want to buff this games score up as much as possible I actually believe this game is a 10. I've not played a better game than this, making it the new high bar for me. Somehow this game was rated by hundreds of players within hours of release despite the fact that it's a 20 to 30 hour game. A note to Metacritic: please shut down abused user scores.
  36. spitfiremk87
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    Spoilers below. I have played all 3 of the series over the span of 5 years. I have invested countless time and effort into my character and the universe. I really enjoyed this last game in the series. It brought elements from the first and second games together nicely. It also had some of the best storytelling in just about any game I've seen. BUT As you may heard about the endings. They are HORRIBLE. Plot holes galore, your choices never mattered and they literally detract from the series after you've played them. Nothing is ever explained in the endings at all. As far as multiple endings are concerned, there are basically three choices that coincide with almost the exact same CG sequence at the end, with the only difference being the color of explosions you get. I hope that Bioware will show their fans some respect and fix the endings or add to them in some way. The Mass Effect series did not deserve this ending.… Expand
  37. Daedr
    Mar 14, 2012
    10
    One of the best games I ever played.
  38. SapphireSnake
    Mar 15, 2012
    9
    the beginning of of the game doesn't set the tone of the game as well as the other two however this changes very quickly after the episode of earth. it's a fantastic game and I think the end is actually really good to end the series. it kinda reminds me of the epic greek tragedies which has similar style and in my opinion the game goes out with this sense of greek tragedy (the genre look it up). the only bad thing I really have to say against the ending is that you never get any good explanation of what happens to the rest of the crew, however I think this is a minor annoyance in comparision to the whole game and I felt that the tird installment was more about shepard rescuing the galaxy than shepard rescuing the galaxy with h*s crew!

    it's an epic game and few games has ever given such strong emotions of happines, sorrow and most of all longing as the whole mass effect series has done!    … Expand
  39. taicleis
    Mar 15, 2012
    9
    First of all, this is a fantastic game, and is primarily being assaulted by the gaming community equivalent of indie hipsters. "I liked them before you knew about them" and "they're too mainstream" is basically all they are saying. What's more, not all ME fans feel that way - not by a long shot. I've been an obsessed ME fan since ME1 came out on PC. I've preordered both sequels and played them non-stop the minute they were mine. I pore over each game. I love Mass Effect - all three games - more than any other franchise. ME3 isn't perfect, but anyone giving it anything less than a 5 or 6 is just being unreasonable.

    If you rate ME3 a 1/10, what the hell do you rate "Barbie's Beach Adventure"? What score does "Deer Hunting Safari" get?

    There are 10 numbers to choose from for a reason. Okay, you didn't like the story details. You didn't like the combat. How do they compare to Deer Hunting Safari though? How about the graphics? Do they look like Deer Hunter? Look at the environments. How about the music? The sound? The cutscenes? The replay value?

    Even if I hated ME3 (and I love it), I could never justify anything below a 5. The game has too much content, too much polish, and attempts something never before done with a trilogy. I can't look at the cinematic flair of the environments and give that a 1. They're beautiful. I can't listen to the stunning soundtrack and give that a 1. It's breathtaking. Even if you hate the story, even if you hate the combat, there is content in this game that is not a 1. Therefore, giving it a 1 is impossible unless you are not actually reviewing the game.

    If you are not capable of actual analytical reasoning - of looking objectively at the game's strengths and weaknesses, why you liked it and why you didn't like it - then you shouldn't be reviewing it. In MY opinion, the only real weakness the game suffers is that the parts where they chose DLC-character-style dialogue can at times make things awkward. Sidequest acquisition, for example, often occurs when I'm no longer any where near the person asking for help - all I did was run by on my way somewhere else - and now I have a quest I know nothing about. It's possible to miss conversations entirely this way. Overall, it's not a huge problem but it can be annoying every now and then.

    I had some concerns coming into ME3, but really, none of them were realised. I was concerned about whether my past decisions would really play into the story - they do. Forget what you heard. Your choices make a difference. Not just in who is alive to be a part of ME3, but who survives ME3 as well. Another thing that your past choices influence a lot is CONTENT. People playing the game the first time through, who aren't familiar with Bioware's tradition of storytelling rich in details, might have no idea of how many moments, dialogues, and details they have missed either by having lost a party member somewhere or by having made a different choice long ago. In this day and age of YouTube, people are content to just watch every alternate possibility online - not taking the hours and hours to get it for themselves - and say that the game is too linear or that their choices didn't make a difference in the content of the story, not realising that one of the greatest strengths of Mass Effect is the multi-faceted nature of the story that provides a thousand versions of the same story with a thousand different scripts and content. I won't spoil the endings, but I really don't see the problem with them. I saw them coming. The overall theme of the game is sacrifice. The mission on Tuchanka gives a clear example (and I use very vague wording here to keep it spoilerless): there is a good sacrifice with a happy result, a sacrifice with additional death that could have been prevented, another TYPE of sacrifice that involves betrayal and an unforeseen cost, or a betrayal which costs nearly everything but manages to get the job done somehow.

    ME3 is all about sacrifice and which sacrifices you are willing to make, and which sacrifices those choices will make necessary down the line. Even if you don't like that - even if you hated the way that worked - it took a lot more work, a lot more vision, and a lot more planning and execution than Deer Hunter. Giving it a low score even on those grounds alone is childish.

    The game is a massive undertaking and is the farthest thing from simple, whether or not the people spoiled by YouTube videos and online walkthroughs can see that. Love it or hate it, it deserves a very high score. Professional reviewers can see that. If you can't, don't review the damn game. Learn to count instead.    … Expand
  40. HendelMasad
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    This is a powerful and moving story about sacrifice and selflessness. I highly recommend it. The complaints that your choices in this or previous games don't matter, ring hollow with me. Would I welcome a follow up where the character's fates are resolved? Sure thing, but its lack did not diminish my enjoyment of the game.
  41. CBoudreau
    Mar 15, 2012
    9
    ME3 is a fantastic game. It's true, the ending leaves something to be desired, but the journey throughout the rest of the game is just so amazing and emotionally gripping. Do yourself a favor and at least give it a shot to form your own opinion, don't just blindly adhere to the enraged horde's opinions.
  42. Aemulus
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    One of the best games I've ever played to date. No other game has made me feel this much emotion, or had me invest SO much into the game.

    There are two kinds of people. The first believes in the end justifying all the means, and they're the ones giving this game a bad review. The other believes that the journey is more important than the destination. And WHAT a journey it was. If you're t    he latter, you'll love it.… Expand
  43. charlie45690
    Mar 16, 2012
    10
    What a fantastic game just finished it enjoyed all of it. Now playing multilayer which is just as good. The game is definitely worth buying it has a good solid story and strong game play, as far as the ending goes for me I didn't mind it at all it was definitely unexpected. Anyway a message to all the haters and trollers who rate this game 0,1 out of 10 get a life. You dont know how to write a review. Pathetic minority of people.
    Fantastic game :)    … Expand
  44. Drekor
    Mar 16, 2012
    9
    This game is a great example of people expecting more than is possible. The game continues with the same story, same theme and same style as the previous ones. Expands on the character customization available in the previous two, makes "scanning" much less ridiculous and introduces a lot more choices which shift how you travel to the end.

    The ending certainly was not the greatest, it seem    s like it was a scene that should have been played over several hours rather than 10 minutes but that doesn't detract from the fact the rest of the game was well done. Many people are upset because they feel your choices don't matter, which I don't agree with, the way your journey progresses through the game as well as dialogue is heavily influenced by your previous choices. I think again people were expecting too much and that the ending would have a variation for every combination of choices out there ... which would be absurd.… Expand
  45. Bobnik
    Mar 17, 2012
    9
    People, are you serious? You can't give a REALLY bad score just because endings are bad and textures are loading not so well. I agree, this game is a little letdown, and Mass Effect 2 is still the best Mass Effect game. However, I don't agree about endings. They're not bad. They're just not like any other ending from different games. And I like it a lot. Sure, endings are a bit disappointing, but they are not bad. What about graphics... I don't care, actually. But everything else is great: story, gameplay, combat etc. That's why I give this game 9 out of 10.… Expand
  46. Ghostryderflyby
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    I wrote an earlier review giving the game a 7 because of the disappointing ending. I've decided to amend that score. The game itself is stellar, with a terrific story, environment, voice acting and musical score. Game play is damned fun and the game really draws you into the story. The ability to see your choices across all three of the games affect what alliances you are able to build in the final chapter is an accomplishment by Bioware and very satisfying to the player. Single player is a blast, and multiplayer is surprisingly quite fun and well implemented. Everything about the game is amazing, so I can't continue to knock it down just because the creative vision of the writers for the ending doesn't match my idea of a good ending. I'd still prefer a much better ending, but the game is terrific through 95% of it and deserves a good score for the 95% they did right. So I'm amending my score to a 9.5.… Collapse
  47. conlaw
    Mar 17, 2012
    10
    This game was awesome. All these people can complaining about the plot but nI felt thoroughly satisfied with the game. Probably the best trilogy ever made!
  48. jamielikesyou
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    I have a hard time believing this game is scoring so low just out of spite for the last 10 mins of an epic three game opera. Battlestar Galactica (2003) scores 9.5 here despite similarities between its story progression and Mass Effect. This is a polished, well written, produced, directed and acted game. The pacing is fantastic with more frequent, desperate combat sequences interspersed with meaningful interactive story segments. Major plotlines are wrapped up, sometimes joyfully and sometimes heart wrenchingly. Game performance on PC is tight with few bugs (I only had to restart a mission once due to a bug.) Graphically little has changed between 2 and 3 (on a bargain-mid system.) The sound effects are consistent from previous episodes. The tedious hacking/bypassing minigames are gone but another dreary scanning minigame (sorta) replaces ME:2's equally dull scanning game. There are few 'boss fights' and more scenarios forcing the player to outlast waves of enemies (i ddin't mind this but some may prefer more traditional game bosses.) Other negatives include the shoe-horned additions of Jessica Chobot and Freddy Prinze Jr. Their voice acting does not come close to matching the quality of the other cast like Jessica Hale, Brandon Keener, Seth Green or Carrie-Ann Moss.

    Overall, this franchise succeeds at what Bioware do best, write stories about characters that endear well beyond the games themselves. Sheppard, Tali, Liara, Mordin, Garrus, Joker now join with Revan, Bastila, Morrigan, Duncan, Minsk and Boo.    … Expand
  49. robotrevolution
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SPOILERS

    SPOILERS

    I love the Mass Effect series. The gameplay in ME3 far outshines ME1 and even ME2, providing a vast improvement in the tactics, inventory, and general aesthetic of nearly every aspect of the user experience. The storytelling is grand and vast, the dialogue is great, the sound is among the best I've ever heard in any video game period. I'd go so far as to say ME3 has the best sound of any game ever.

    There are points to nitpick. Ashley's outfit is boobtastic and unnecessarily so. Other gratuitous T&A moments distract from the narrative flow. At least the Mass Effect universe gives women (semi-)realistic armor, unlike most comic books.

    Perhaps Mass Effect 3's only downfall is the ending. Many, many fans of the game are disappointed with how lousy it is and, for the most part, they're right. It's important to understand that fans aren't just jonesing for a happy ending where Shepard gets to ride off into the sunset. Fans don't want that - they want an ending that makes sense, doesn't break with the lore established in the previous games (and even in the third game itself), and provides the same sense of catharsis we achieved at the ends of the first two games.

    ME3's ending doesn't even involve an end boss. There is an end boss, of sorts, about an hour earlier in the game, but at the time, the thought that "oh, I'm fighting the end boss now" doesn't even cross your mind.

    Overall, I love ME3. I think it's a brilliant game. I would recommend it to anyone. It's only flaw, it's only crucial error, was the horrible no-good lore-destroying closed-off decision-less ending that invalidates pretty much every major decision made across the previous three games.

    Finally, it's amusing the Reapers believed it necessary to kill highly developed organic life every fifty thousand years to prevent organics from creating races of synthetic life forms that would eventually turn on them and wipe them out, when the Salarians did nearly the same exact thing WITH ORGANIC LIFE FORMS. The Krogan are organics and would, in the Reapers' world view, hold the same sort of threat viability as the Geth.

    WHICH IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS AARRRRGGGGHHHH MY BRAIN ASPLODED    … Expand
  50. Baknik
    Mar 19, 2012
    9
    This game wrapped up many of the plot lines from ME1 and ME2 very well. The only reason I'm not giving this game a 10 is because of the graphical bugs scattered throughout the game (none of them game-breaking). I'd like players to realize that the ending to the mass effect series is not the last 10 minutes of ME3, but instead the ENTIRETY of ME3. I would highly recommend this for true fans of the series.… Expand
  51. j0kup4sk4n1m1
    Mar 19, 2012
    10
    Okay just finished the game. And I really feared for bad ending noticing all the negative reviews and all, but now that I have finished this...
    What's wrong with people these days? It seems that every game that has come out lately has been flooded with criticism and called ****.
    I played ME1,ME2 and now ME3 and I REALLY think this actually was the best of the series.
    At first I thought thi    s is going to be bad game,but closer to the end the more I enjoyed.
    Maybe I didn't some characters in my team I would have wanted,but so what? They still were connected to story well enough for me and the side-quests were linked to main story very good (buggy quests and quest list was somehow hard to look at but meh).
    Oh and the day 1 DLC,yea smells like cashing on fans.BUT I actually bought it, and its not in anyway "must have dlc" story doesn't change and all that one team member does is insult everyone and tell how salarians licked they'r eyes and catched flies in his time.
    I loved the ending, haters can hate and if you got the "wrong ending" sucks to be you.
    I'm giving this game 10 because all of you sad haters out there, really I would give this game 9/10 and this was great ending for great series.

    Thank you.    … Expand
  52. marv418
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    Totaly awesome game and perfect ending of epic trilogy. I really like the this game of the partially returned to the first games RPG elements and the impact of all decisions of the previous games.
  53. Shaksie
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    Firstly I must dismiss the cretinous reviews from most of the people that I've seen.
    Yes this game's dialogue isn't as good as the others but it still vastly surpasses that of other games, RPGs and shooters alike.
    The day one DLC was also a little annoying but it doesn't diminish the game at all, it makes the content included feel more exclusive thus important.
    Terrible graphics? What are     you talking about, the graphics was vastly overhauled from it's predecessor, Mass Effect 2. The combat element has also been vastly improved to cater for the FPS junkies, don't get me wrong I did not appreciate this but it didn't diminish the RPG element in any way.
    The choices in Mass Effects 1 and 2 have a very profound impact on this game, I don't know what you people are talking about. Have you even played the game?
    The only reason this game is not one of the best trilogy climax games is because of the less sophisticated RPG element and dialogue in relation to the first and second, however it is still better than most games'.
    The multiplayer greatly adds to the feel of the game and with a little bit of work (especially on the connection and playable race/class/gender combinations) it could be extremely enjoyable and have a very positive impact on the game.
    However I was a little disappointed with the lack of dialogue sophistication and the choices were slightly less prudent than the predecessors, good effort Bioware but please don't diminish the RPG element if you want to increase the combat quality.
    Thanks, Shaksie.    … Expand
  54. Mcmod
    Mar 21, 2012
    10
    I really enjoyed this game! Nice graphic Awesome Effects and wonderful soundtrack! This is a very good game but it has got some bugs... But the gameplay is better than Mass Effect 2...
  55. DaneMetchnikov
    Mar 23, 2012
    10
    Simply the one best sci-fi games I've ever played (I can only think of HL2 as better one), I must give it a 10. Great, emotionally involving conclusion, with lots of heroic moments. The interactions/relationships between the main characters are even better than those designed for the previous game (including the same sex romance option, which I think adds even more realism to the universe created here). The combat system was simply great: fast, easy to use, effective. The graphics were amazing, from the scenarios to the facial expressions. The moral options really forced me to think carefully what I was doing and most of them were in a grey area that was difficult to sort out. I cannot believe how many people are giving this amazing game a 0, just because they didn't like one aspect of it (even if it's the story's conclusion); especially considering they claim to be huge fans of ME1 and ME2. How can they not see that ME3 is better than its predecessors almost in every aspect (RPG, combat system, graphics, relationships, moral options, action). I'm really glad that critics reviews are so favorable and I really hope that user score and reviews improve over the weeks.… Expand
  56. mzROnin
    Mar 23, 2012
    9
    I played all the previous Mass Effect games as well and enjoyed them all. True the ending is not great ( the more i think about it - it actually kind of sucks) But it is nevertheless one of the best games i´ve ever played. Such a great story, such great characters, such fun gameplay - awesome. **** the last 10 minutes, you´ll have easily 30h of high quality fun.
  57. CiaranPM
    Mar 23, 2012
    9
    Frankly, I don't see why everybody is giving this game 0 ratings because of the ending. Yes, I agree, it was odd, and I didn't really like it, but the ending shouldn't determine the game or the series. Every aspect of this game is remarkably well done - the characters are believable, the voice acting is good, the sound effects are good, the graphics are good, the combat flows very well. The only downside with this game is the exploration. It was overdone in Mass Effect 1, but in Mass Effect 2, visiting three major cities made the game feel more expansive. While Mass Effect 3 is substantial, only being able to visit one major city made the non-combat aspect of the game feel somewhat small. This, of course, is only a personal preference. All in all, aside from the odd ending (which Bioware claims to be fixing), Mass Effect 3 is a very solid game.… Expand
  58. Panjandrum
    Mar 24, 2012
    9
    Despite the final ten to fifteen minutes being something of a mess, this is an excellent, engaging game that manages to live up to the high standards set by the previous two entries in the Mass Effect series. Steven Spielberg famously stated that he would consider games as art "when somebody confesses that they cried at Level 17," which is something that Mass Effect 3 certainly achieves. I know that I cannot be the only player to shed a tear on Tuchanka, or at a particular scene in a Citadel hospital. For that matter, I cannot be the only one to have laughed like a madman during many of the private talks with squadmates on board the Normandy. The reason for such emotional engagement shows how this game lives up to its predecessors - the interesting and well-explored characters at Shepard's side have always been a strength in the Mass Effect series, and number 3 does not disappoint on that front. On top of that, the settings are pretty, gameplay is varied and interesting (who needs cover based shooting when you can rain down biotic destruction on your enemies' heads?) and many of the set pieces are nothing short of breathtaking.

    In summary then, this game leads you on an adventure across the galaxy, gives you a range of interesting characters and really shows that your decisions matter in shaping the future of life, the universe and everything for 39 hours and 45 minutes, before going what is technically referred to as "balls-out crazy" in the final quarter of an hour. However, the good far outweighs the bad, and I would thoroughly recommend Mass Effect 3 to anyone.    … Expand
  59. backfromearth
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    You like Doom Unreal or similar FPS shooter games merged with Hollywood Sci-Fi films ? Then this game is for you.But if you like real RPG games with encounters making sense and lot of planets to explore, and the feeling that YOU decide where you want to go and what place to explorer, then go back playing Mass effect 1
    I suppose you get sci-fi like scenes after each combat episode because     it's too boring spending your time only on killing monsters ?… Expand
  60. Simpatico
    Mar 26, 2012
    10
    I highly enjoyed all the games in this series and Mass Effect 3 is no different. The ending may not bring closure for some, but for me, the ending provided satisfaction on a galactic scale. I love this series, I love BioWare, and I love this game. I'm eager to play the altered ending, and anywhere else BioWare chooses to go in the Mass Effect universe.
  61. FallJono
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This opinion is mine and does contain spoilers. Mass effect 3 is one of the best games I have played start to finish, they took what they learned in mass effect 1 and 2 meshed it together into an awesome game. It will be hard for any game to live up to it. everything from the last DLC for ME 2 "arrival" where you have to make the hard choice of whether or not to destroy the Batarian colony to buy time for everyone on the reaper invasion. To the first hard choice let Wrex know the plan to sabotage the cure for genophage and letting Moridin the Salarina scientist who developed the modified version for the plague. Now the most debated part the ending. Some people absolutely hated it. I loved it, they teased that this choice was coming up 3 times during the game the debate of sacrifice 10 million to save 20 million. The choice sacrifice 1 to save trillions some find this choice hard me the math adds up it is for the greater good 1 person must die but will save the galaxy. Some people want the game to play a certain way but I like those endings that you know is the only way it will end. The only debate I have is to start a second play through right away or wait till the DLC comes out and see what changes… Expand
  62. Windswept7
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. Voice acting superb. Fairly realistic depiction of what the future may hold. The game play is heaps of fun. Choice between different game modes offers a tailored experience for every taste and the diversity of character customization offered by Bioware is commendable. You will want to replay this game after completion.
  63. Varnor
    Mar 29, 2012
    9
    I have characters that I have imported from ME1 and 2 and have truly enjoyed ever minute of the game, having spent almost 50 hours so far in the single player mode alone. It's not perfect, it doesn't deserve a 10, no game ever does but to see emails and have things mentioned in the game that span back to the 1st and second games, even extremely minor things is fun to see, as is the abundance of text background, found everywhere from the Journal to datapads during missions, to Broker and Spectre emails that flesh out the background. The game also references at least one of the Mass Effect books (Retribution) and introduces a character from it

    How your character behaves towards others and during missions alters what you can eventually use against the Reapers is great, the fact that there is now no Mako or Mineral scanning is more of a plus really, it was only ever a time filler to make the game last longer anyway. There are brief planet scanning jobs to look for War Assets but these take little more than around 10 seconds to complete, work the same way that searching for an anomaly on a planet did in ME2, and are not compulsory

    The graphics are as excellent as ever (although I've seen a few minor clipping issues and once Garrus "vanished" during a conversation, lol) as is the sound and voice acting

    I was very skeptical about the Multi Player side of ME3, the previous 2 being completely Single Player, but have to admit I have enjoyed it greatly! Currently it's up to 4 player co-op against Cerberus, Geth or Reapers. Your characters level up, allowing you to put points into Biotic / Tech / etc skills, you earn in-game money which can be spent on Packs that provide everything from medi-gel and spare ammo to disposable missile launchers, new main weapons, attachments, etc

    In a market where high street stores sting the developer by reselling their games at pure profit, I can't blame them for releasing DLC and having Online Passes. I always buy brand new copies anyway and don't mind paying for DLC so that doesn't affect the scoring at all to me

    I don't place much faith in Metacritic User reviews, and the pure volume of release date scores of 0/10 speak volumes to me. If I spent 35+ hours on the game the first time round, then Day 1 reviewers have missed at least 65% of content, and that's without DLC    … Expand
  64. EzraIngram
    Mar 29, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My only real beef with the ending is that it doesn't matter what you do, your crew still ends up on a planet and when it is all over you get back on the Normandy like nothing happened and the galaxy is full of Reapers again. Drives me up the wall, there were two very distinct sets of animations made detailing different consequences depending on the choice you made, but I don't think the choice was inherently bad. Look, you want to be the king you have to face those, NOT 'cake or death' choices. You know the ones where it sucks no matter what you do, and you knew it was coming, but you slug on because that's "who you are" type choices. Yeah, that;s what you have to make, and yeah I like that you die, I think it is good. What did you want it to go on forever. Oh and anyone who can seriously look at me with a straight face and say: "Well there was no way that we possibly could have forseen a super AI or ghost in the machine coming, I mean how could that have been an option even?" To you I say, "You sir are an idiot, if you didn't notice the whole sapient AI theme going on in Mass Effect" The combat system is ok. Could you do better? Probably not, I know I have been trying and it takes a lot of work so... probably not. Still, the whole alive after I died thing and no explanation, drives me nuts guys, just a little explanation and I would have suspended my disbelief entirely. "Hey I'm a Shepard Synthetic construct created by the Shepard controlling the machines!" "Hey a freakin' rift opened when the citadel was destroyed and I fell through on my but smack dab in the Normandy and here is an animation to prove it, I swear!" Anything, really, I would have been happy, So you are not getting full credit. But mostly full.… Expand
  65. MemoryCrow
    Mar 31, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Mass Effect 3: A truly wonderful and terrible game.

    "Why?" you may ask me. Now before you jump to the conclusion that this is a rant about the fiasco concerning ME 3's (Mass Effect 3's) ending i would like to tell you it isn't, not entirely. this is actually a rant (yes... a rant) partly concerning ME 3, Bioware and EA. So, with that said, lets continue.

    Why do i dislike this amazing game? was it because the ending was terrible? that you need an online pass to even touch the multiplayer? that the multiplayer has the potential to be (so far beyond) astronomically better than it actually is? or perhaps you may guess that it's because i'm just generally PO'd at this game. All of these are correct.

    But lets get a little more into the details, shall we?

    Reason #1 "YES, we know! the ending was awful!" okay, okay, i'll keep this one short. yeah, it's pretty bad, horrible actually. it's just there, in your face like pile of elephant crap in your livingroom. you simply can't ignore it because no one else will let you and it gnaws at the back of your mind after you see it, like some kind of parasitic insect.

    Reason #2 the online pass... Really? Seriously? Bioware isn't trying to win a popularity contest, that's for damn sure. maybe you guys are okay with this but Bioware isn't wining points in my book for this one. but who does the blame really go to here? shall i blame Bioware for this? for cowing down to EA or should i blame EA themselves and their disgusting lust for profit at the expense of all else? i choose both. why? because i can. AND before you say i'm angry because i had to pay for the online pass, you are wrong sir/madam. i bought an unused copy of ME3 and had to pay for no such thing. this pisses me off purely out of principle. it's simply >wrong    … Expand
  66. Sirithariel
    Mar 31, 2012
    10
    The haters are idiots, if the indoctrination theory is true then the ending is pure genius and not just rubbish, everyone buy this game! Don't believe the stupid 0 and 1 star ratings people who don't understand the ending are giving it.
  67. tonytwoton
    Apr 1, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect 3 is probably the single greatest game I have ever played. The writing, storyline, and voice acting are what set it apart from every other game I have played in my life, and there have been many...What Avatar was to the movies, Mass Effect 3 is to the video game industry. Bioware/EA have set the bar awfully high. Every time I sit down at my computer now, I am filled with nostalgia and sadness that I have finished playing this truly wonderful game. I don't understand how anyone could give this game a negative review. It was never designed to be exclusively a shooter or an rpg. It's a mix between the two. The graphics are beautiful, the action is exciting, the story is interesting and imaginative. It's a testament to human ingenuity, a real modern work of art. To everyone who wrote a negative review, I challenge you to do better.… Expand
  68. Radgeon
    Apr 1, 2012
    10
    Es la conclusión de una de las mejores trilogías de los tiempos, con un final polémico que esta dando que hablar con la formulación de varias teorias interesantes.

    Obligatorio probar algún mass effect
  69. kiminkwon
    Apr 3, 2012
    10
    best freaking game ever!!! =D it deserves an 11/10 score xD.... although personally i kind of think the 2nd part was a little bit better idk why ppl dont understand the ending... imho it was perfect....
  70. AndrewGL
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    With the new Extended CUT DLC, while the endings could be better, it brings this game back up to its deserved 10/10 (it still gets 9 because... I had to wait 4 months to get this ending, but if it shipped like this, it would have been a 10). It provides closure, has some really touching scenes, and overall just allows the player to sit back think "my work here is finished". Before we knew nothing, and it felt like a slap in the face. All I have to say is Bioware, I knew you had it in you! Next time just do this from the get-go =(… Expand
  71. SaintR21
    Apr 9, 2012
    10
    In my opinion Mass Effect 3 wasn't the best in the series(Mass Effect 2), but it is still an outstanding bit of video game entertainment. My score would usually have been 8.5 but the amount of hate that the game is getting for its ending is just absurd. I think the people who are giving it 1-5 are being immature, if they can honestly say that they did not enjoy the 20+ hours leading up to the ending then they are totally blinded by fanboy hate and entitlement and feel that the IP is more theirs than it's Bioware's. Well done Bioware for another stellar role playing experience.… Expand
  72. josiahlo
    Apr 9, 2012
    9
    The game itself was quite amazing, your choices in the first 2 games did affect outcomes in the 3rd game. It did not affect the ending unfortunately. The ending outrage is overblown. Personally I did not like the ending but the game itself is amazing and the multiplayer is quite enjoyable. Giving it a 9 instead of a 10 just because of the ending
  73. OcelotFox
    Apr 9, 2012
    9
    Though the ending may sour the taste of an otherwise amazing experience, BioWare must be applauded for creating a tale that has engrossed the minds of many through its compelling storytelling, varied gameplay, beautifully-realized universe, and incredible characters. Mass Effect 3 isn't the pinnacle of the series, but it's certainly not the terrible ending that so many people would make it out to be. That said, BioWare, that last 15 minutes was pretty awful.… Expand
  74. Chazrh
    Apr 10, 2012
    10
    Great game. I am amazed at the public backlash for a game this good. I played each game in the series and this was my favorite. It was challenging and action packed while still maintaining a RPG feel. I have played countless hours of the multiplayer. ME 4 please!
  75. chinoxa
    Apr 11, 2012
    10
    Since finishing this game, I have felt incredibly depressed. Not necessarily because of the infamous ending but because I was so completely immersed in another world that returning to reality came as a bit of a shock. I've never felt emotional about a computer game before. It's a phenomenal experience.
  76. strong1494
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    Guys this is the best game of 2012 so far. Your low scores is an indicator of confusion the gaming industry. BioWare have created a masterpiece. If you do not understand, I feel sorry for you
  77. Doomsdayman
    Apr 15, 2012
    9
    Summary: A spectacular game. Well worth the money and time. The combat is unique to the RPG genre and the reason this is the only RGP series (to date) I can stand playing long enough to get into the story. The story is just incredible. The main plot is thrilling by itself, but add the "chose your own adventure book on steroids", aspect and you have a narrative that was so emotionally gripping it had me on the verge of tears at times. On that note, play from ME 1, it's worth it.

    Single player:

    Play/Combat - Excellent: I understand many people do not like the trend of ME away from the traditional RPG standards, but I love it because I venomously HATE several of those standards. Inventories are a cumbersome nuisance that just punish me for not taking time to manage the annoying buggers, and in ME 3 they are happily gone! Learning the intricacies of every single enemy so I know which of my 20 different skills to use is just frustrating (If I want to painstakingly memorize information I'll read a scientific paper on something useful), in ME 3 they simplify this to a reasonable level. On harder difficulties you still have to chose your ammo and prioritize your targets, but you have only a few options to worry about. Granted that can make the game-play a little repetitive. I'm okay with that; part of the reason I enjoyed ME 3 is that it is a first-person shoots, my genre of choice, and any good FPS has to sacrifice a little repetitiveness for well ironed out mechanics and enemies. ME 3 is definitely well ironed out. Which bring us to..... Classes, here I think the 3rd instalment shines. In ME 3 where you put your skill points obviously changes what abilities you have access to and how powerful they are, but quite significantly it entirely changes how effective your play style is. For example I love being a stealthy SOAB, so I play the Infiltrator class. In the last two games, like many others as soon as I chose the class at the start of the game I was stuck as a long range killer with no ability to hold my own in close combat. As it would happen that's how I like to play and so I followed the same path in ME 3, but even as i was doing that I realized that by putting my skills into the other abilities I could make myself a close combat killing machine, appearing in the middle of the enemy, wrecking havoc and beating people to death, only to disappear again. The ability to customize your character to your play-style then is terrific.

    Story -Out of this World: I can't describe it. play the game twice from ME 1 and you'll get two completely different experiences in ME 3, in almost every mission, every interaction I could sense subtle variations based on my previous actions, that level of impact on the narrative is what sets the ME series a head above the rest. I made decisions that made me proud as thanks to me everyone survived, I made decisions that made me cry as my actions caused my team-mates suicide; NO other game has ever made me feel like my choices have an impact on the story, ever. Which bring us to the one reason this review is not a 10. The last 15 mins. Oh YES I hate the ending, but only because the rest of the game was so incredible. After all that impact you had, you're given ending A, B, or C, and all of your previous decision mean squat to how any of them turn out.(On that note I hope the future DLC will fix the ending situation. After all the hard work the writers must have put into weaving the coherent web of different experiences you can get, I have to believe they would have up and quit Bioware if additions/changes to the ending were not planned from even before release. Here's hoping the "Indoctrination Theory" is right)

    And finally

    Multi-player -Good: I haven't played that much of this, but what I have I like. It's not as addictive as Halo, or Call of Duty, but its a solidly fun experience. Grab some friends and blow some enemies away, nothing wrong there. The maps are varied enough to add some diversity and the horde-mode style waves are supper fun to mow down in co-op.    … Expand
  78. theGrey
    Apr 23, 2012
    10
    I honestly don't know what the problem is with all these negative reviews. I've played ME1, ME2 and ME3 back-to-back (on PC) and let me tell you, ME3 is my favourite alongside ME2. The controls are smooth, the dialogue has all the depth I've come to love and all of my choices from previous MEs carried through 100%. I think the visuals and audio are truly epic and what I came to expect from a 2012 game. A big thumbs up from me. These user scores of 1 and 0 etc are obviously false or fabricated. It's unthinkable that someone could give this game such a low score.… Expand
  79. HellsBells
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed this game. I think they have a good motive to do the game this way. It's a solid gameplay and fits really good with the war context. Sometimes I miss the RPG factor of the first game but it's ok.[spoiler] The end is good and it's based on Isaac Asimov books (if any of the children read more instead just yelling **** around maybe the score of this game was greater) [/spoiler] .… Expand
  80. Maias227
    May 27, 2012
    10
    If you liked the two previous game you're likely going to like this game as well. It wraps up a lot of story lines and its a marvel to watch the very fate of races being decided but whatever you feel like doing. The production values are high all across the board, brilliant musical score and typical bioware style writting. The graphics does take a bit getting used to as they differ a lot from the previous games. Yes yes the ending is maybe not the best part of the game but definitely not some that make this game deserve a 4.0 it easily beats what otherwise on market right now.… Expand
  81. 1Crazyman1
    May 2, 2012
    9
    So there are enough bad reviews of this game already which all (pretty much all of them) boil down to the ending.

    What most reviews don't mention is that before the ending everything is so good, maybe even epic. Would you really want to miss 95% of a game because of an ending you might not like it?

    Giving it a score of 10 would be going overboard, but I actually missed ME3 after I finish    ed playing it. And despite being on "quit" an old engine, the graphics look good, the animations look good and the characters (bar for textures) look good.… Expand
  82. yastru
    May 18, 2012
    10
    people, please dont listen to the trolls and check it for yourself. buy it, pirate it, loan it, whatever, but you must try it and dont let others make your opinion. the game is fantastic. pure 9 but il give it ten, just because of them.
  83. Inuart
    May 16, 2012
    9
    When they looked at all the possible endings of ME2 they said something like "Too many variables! Too many variables!" so they created a points system to reduce the number of endings to ONLY ONE which is why user score is mostly red.
    BUT you will not realize you are being tricked until the last 3 minutes of the game so apart from these last moments the game is absolutely awesome.
  84. Lesquid
    May 16, 2012
    9
    Improved customization mechanics. Builds on choices from previous two games through (most of) the epic story. Great replay value and adds enjoyable multi-player.
    Vast tracts of great cutscenes and dialog (although not for many trivial side quests) make for a dramatic and touching conclusion to the ME series.
    Last couple of minutes (scheduled to to be expanded with DLC) and a retarded que    st log mar otherwise superb game.… Expand
  85. NDMania
    May 19, 2012
    9
    -------STORY 9.0------- This is one of the few games in which talking about the quality of the game's story instead of the trilogy doesn't make sense. If anyone plays this game without having played the previous 2 games... they're doing it wrong! The story plot is amazingly well written and really makes you care for your followers, it has what most games don't: It sucks you into the world of Mass Effect turning it into a Star Wars of the Gaming Industry. Definitely not a game for children, not that it has too much violence or strong language, but because it's really emotional, the difficult choices you made until this game will hunt you down and will be reflected on the game's direction. What made the fans so mad was the fact that these choices don't affect the end of the game. Being a renegade or a paragon player the ending is always the same, not that the game developers don't have the right to control the ending but at least the decisions should be reflect in a more intense way. Instead of being a whole, the plot of ME3 is divided in individual smaller plots that don't connect with each other, being the final one only related to Shepard and the fate of the universe. -------SOUND: 10.0------- More than in the previous games, the soundtrack binds you to the game in such a strong way that makes this game one of the best games I've ever played. With time I've come to notice the importance of music and sound effects in movies but even more in games. It's subtle, but it's the final and most important connection between the game and the gamer. The soundtrack doesn't need to be good while listening to it separately, it wasn't made with that intention, it was made to emphasize the emotions or even create them for a more realist and/or dramatic way. A true piece or art. -------GAMEPLAY: 8.0------- I wouldn't say it's just another shooter, cause it isn't, since you have that interaction with your teammates, special abilities (aka biotic powers), etc... it's just that it could be better, I really don't know what to write. The cover system is better but still with some problems, the existence of the heavy melee attack and over-the-cover melee gives a cool and rapid-pace feeling to the game as well as brutal, but it alone doesn't change much, I think the best new addition to the gameplay was the roll / evade move, that really lets you go all-out in a stylish way against your enemies. In non-combat situations the game gets too rpg for my taste, not that I don't mind making little errands but, specially in this game where the fate of earth is in your hands, chilling out in a bar may not be the best idea. In conclusion, you can play the game for fun as well as for interest in the story plot. -------GRAPHICS: 7.5------- Good, solid, could be better in humans, much better... It's OK for me but it's not what makes the game pop out. Don't get me wrong, though. I think it's a little better than in the previous games as it should be. -------ART-WORK: 9.5------- This is a special note that I don't think I'll be using in future reviews, but I bought the Art work book of ME3, and it is amazing. It really shows the readers the Universe and it's every detail, it shows what the players don't see while running through the lands of Tuchanka (for example...) it's really revealing. It's those things that make the game big. I really can't understand it fully but it's really impressive. Thanks for that Bioware. -------CONCLUSION------- For anyone who hasn't played it yet... please, for your own good... buy the Mass Effect games. It's a generation, it's a MUST-HAVE… Expand
  86. Metalock
    May 19, 2012
    9
    I don't care about Day 1 DLC issues or how bad Origin is. The point is this game is fun. The multiplayer brings hours of replayability and the singleplayer finishes the awesome trilogy that is Mass Effect. I don't care about the ending controversy either. I have faith in BioWare fixing it with the Extended Cut update.
  87. aburnstorm
    May 24, 2012
    10
    This is a truly superb computer game. I admit that I am often very critical of story-telling, character arcs, plots, game-play. I don't have much free time and have to spend it wisely. In addition, I'm not particularly intrigued by Sci-Fi. For all of these reason (and especially after reading the reviews here), I thought I'd better not play this game. I did finally purchase it, however, and have to say that this game was in quite a few ways superior to either Mass Effect 1 or 2 (which I also played recently). I think the philosophy of the ending options are sound and faithful to the overall story arch. It is in fact better thought out than countless other Sci-Fi story endings. The characters are superb, their motivations are typically clear, their dialogue is often hilarious. In short, if more pulp Sci-Fi novels were as good as this game, I'd probably read more of them. I have never spent the time to review a game before on this or really any site, but I am reviewing this game based on the fact that so many people wrote such hate for this game. I cannot account for it and thought I'd add my two cents of response. Buy this game and enjoy it. It deserves a much higher rating than it has received.… Expand
  88. lucienpyrus
    May 30, 2012
    9
    I haven't played the single player (though i did watch my roomate play it), but I have played the mulitplayer so much. I love the mulitplayer and it deserves at least an 8 for that. I watched the ending and I thought it wasn't that bad.
  89. ZaPaAl
    Jun 10, 2012
    9
    I have not been a fan of Bioware since the Dragon Age 2 disaster or the ME series. Especially ME 2 with it's nerve wrecking harvesting, story unlikeliness and blank environments had me building up high levels of denial against it.

    But i just had to see the ending in ME 3, and i'm glad i did.
    I regard ME 3 as the best part of the series, it's good enough to compensate for all the flaws and     drags in the previous 2 parts.
    Few Games today have such high quality and enjoable amount of content. To some minor extent i can even understand the weak last minute DLC ripping.

    POSITIVE:
    Believable Story that makes you play along, interesting Dialogs, strong Atmosphere, Gameplay is fun (played as Vanguard), nice and smooth visuals. Good difficulty on normal (being careless get's you killed).

    NEUTRAL:
    It does need a few tweaks to get it in shape, check the ME wiki on how to. 6x speed for scenes and walking really can make a difference.
    It's not an RPG and shouldn't be marketed as one.
    Weapons are interesting, but most of the them are pretty much alike. Personally i found myself always coming back to the particle rifle.
    Nothing overly new, just a perfect wrapping up of the universe they created. Some low textures now and then, but nothing really disturbing.

    NEGATIVE:
    A few more customization options for armor would have been nice, currently I'd regard them as mainly cosmetic.
    Character relation's were a bit of focus this time.
    It had to end, and i would have preferred a stronger and more personal ending, but honestly i'm ok with it. Large scale problems do call for uncompromising solutions.    … Expand
  90. TheTypeOfGuy
    Jun 21, 2012
    9
    Mass Effect 3 was the worst game in the series. While Multiplayer was a nice addition, i think that the singleplayer suffered a lot. Most time there are only two choices (the middle option is missing, except in some parts), the journal system got worse from me2 to 3 (how can that happen?), no vehicle exploration or little mini games and to much Auto-Dialog (Story- and RPG-Mode). Now lets go to the multiplayer. The matchmaking is the worst I have ever seen and the anti-cheating system is overly sensitive (Everyone can report someone and he gets banned even he didnt do anything. Happend to me 2 times already. Had to report these mistakes and got to play multiplayer again). The good Aspects of the Game are that the dialog with your squadmates are unique and funny. You could have though BioWare looked directly into the souls of the fans. Some Missions were so unique and awesome (Tuchanka for example) that it could have redeemed BioWare for all those bad aspects. But the one thing that is the worst piece of yeah i think you know what i mean are these super intelligence-insulting endings. With that ending and the bad aspect of the game bioware not only ruined its reputation but lost a lot of (good) fans. I'd rate this game minus (over)9000 but because of some awesome moments i rate it with good will a 2 out of 10. BioWare please take these critism to heart and change while you still can! I still have faith in you.… Expand
  91. wisetaner
    Jul 8, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just finished playing ME3 with all the available DLC's including the extended cut...so far I played through the "Refusing to choice", Synthesis" and "Destruction" options. The first two while bitter sweet, were rather good. Where as the destruction option, just left me feeling frustrated. Due to where it shows Shepard suddenly taking a breath as though having been out cold. But then the credits begin rolling.

    It just made it seem like more of a teaser to see Shepard's suddenly breath in and then nothing else. I can understand Bioware wanting to leave it up to the gamers imagination...but that teaser, is like torture.

    I just wanted to mention that. But again the other two ending options I played through, those were rather good and while I don't know what the original shorter endings were like, I did appreciate the extended cut version. I just would have liked to have more certainty of Shepard's fate after that breath.

    Heck I really would have enjoyed seeing an option where Shepard rejoins his friends upon the Normandy. But what can be told, aside from just appreciating the fact that at least his friends survived and the she/he got to breath again.

    At any rate, the game overall was amazing...and perhaps I feel that way because I waited until the extended cut DLC became available.    … Expand
  92. Yazour
    Jul 8, 2012
    9
    After looking at all the red scores this game has received I have been compelled to speak out. I don't think most users have given this game a fair go. It has received this negative criticism for many reasons. Some of the criticism is fair, but most of it is drivel written by petulant children that didn't get their cookie.

    Firstly there had been unrealistic expectations placed upon i    t. It is the third of an epic trilogy. Not only did it have three times the attention that an original release would have done, but it also carried with it two games worth of changeable back-story that needed working into the plot. That is a serious amount of baggage for any development team to work with. Pleasing everyone was never going to happen if the game was ever going to be released. I am amazed however how smoothly the game plays out having played through it now with three different save game imports. Bioware have done a superlative job in simply getting a coherent story out of two games worth (70 hours worth) of loose threads, and should be commended for their efforts.

    Secondly plot has developed in line with the popular hero trend. If you want your hero    … Expand
  93. Noble
    Aug 17, 2012
    9
    I really liked this game and the whole series. The game play was similar if not the same as mass effect 2.
    The only thing that upset me was massive plot holes in the ending and the lack of user input to customize the ending. I liked the story line and dialogue, it was all great. I don't know why people are giving it a 0 .. or anything lower than 5.. If the ending was more powerful with a     lot more effort, this would be an easy 9 or 10.… Expand
  94. timchandler
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    This game is simply awesome. While the story isn't quite as character focused as ME2, it's still quite good, and the mechanics are wonderful, and the multiplayer option is simply a surprise gift that keeps on giving. Add to that the support for mature relationships, previous game story tie-ins, and a willingness by Bioware to rework the ending to produce a more community pleasing result, and you have a fantastic game. The variety of weapons, powers, races, and classes is simply beyond anything else being done these days.… Expand
  95. Jacsam
    Oct 2, 2012
    9
    If you enjoyed ME 1 and 2 you will enjoy this game. The game looks great and the fighting is fun. I agree that the initial ending was not good but the revamped ending was very good. Also the game was much more action oriented than RPG and the dialogue did not change the story at all. In fact you can play the game without making any choices in the conversation if you pick to play the game as an action game. All in all a great game.… Expand
  96. epic635
    Oct 11, 2012
    9
    Some of you may be new to the mass effect series and want to purchase the game, however the amazingly low score in the user section can be a very big turn off. However do not listen to the user reviews on this site!! or any other site on the internet!! This game ooozes brilliance. Let me shine some light on how the gamer community works, they love to **** about anything, and everything. If a game doesn't innovate, it sucks, if it does innovate, it sucks as well, they can never be pleased, which is why this game has been so badly reviewed, they didn't like the ending. Just because you didn't like the ending does not warrant down grading the ENTIRE game. Mass Effect 3 is a brilliant game, the soundtrack is incredible, the combat is fun and fast paced and (contrary to gamer belief) the story was excellent and I really connected with the characters in the story. I implore you to enter this game with an open mind, not clouded by the hate of the gamer "community" and see this game for what it is, it may have drifted from its RPG roots but I think for the better with my play style, I've thrown hours into ME3 and enjoyed every second of it. The leaving Earth scene is both awesome and saddening at the first time and sets the tone of desperation for the story to come, the Reapers are a terrifying and brilliant foe and the gameplay represents a challenge in many areas of the game. I didn't even think the ending was bad at all, when I finished it I put my controller down in contentment without realising it would be so badly bashed by whiners everywhere. ME3 is well worth a play through for anyone who would rather enjoy a game than complain about it. Bioware really put their heart into this game and it deserves the recognition from the community it never received… Expand
  97. ShepardNatural
    Oct 28, 2012
    10
    This stunning game is by far the best of the trilogy. I tried playing the first one like 2 years ago and i couldn't figure out how to do all that stupid rpg crap. I love how this game just lets you run around and kill stuff without all those menus slowing you down. The story was a constant rollercoaster ride that keeps throwing curveballs at you. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole 7 hour campaign. Bioware has released another timeless classic that will be remembered forever. This truly is a company that can do no wrong… Expand
  98. Scander
    Nov 3, 2012
    10
    the game brings excellent emotions.
    may be too complex for most of players.
    developer added extended cut of the endings to help not-so-clever players.
  99. webext
    Mar 13, 2013
    10
    This is one of the best endings that i ever seen! The third part of the trilogy tell us about the all world, not only Shepard's history, and a lot of people can not understand this. But without all DLC the story is not full. I is highly recommending this series to every smart man or woman. Hudson is genius (not every one can understand his mind), and i'm waiting for new part of Mass Effect, but without Shepard( i hope), because his place ONLY in the trilogy/ I love him, Hudson, Bioware and Mass Effect/ Good LUCK!… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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]
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  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.
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