Mass Effect 3 PC
User Score
4.7 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4362 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,809 out of 4362
  2. Mixed: 367 out of 4362
  3. Negative: 2,186 out of 4362

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  1. wolfmantto
    May 19, 2012
    6
    I've read all the reviews here and I must say, I'm agreeing with the guys in the middle. Mass Effect 1 was a strong opener. Yea the movements of the NPC's became old rather quick, the dialog was good, not amazing but good. Some conversations were very well done, such as the one with Sovereign. A very expansive world was offered to the people as well. You would drop on planets and moons, ride around in your little mako tank, and even get to jump off a cliff once in a while. Not to mention all the stunning ruins they implemented. The combat system was lack-luster, however. The new system in Mass Effect 2 was (in my opinion) that games single redeeming quality. Now Mass Effect 2 was honestly the weakest installment of the series. The expansive universe you were able to explore in its predecessor was completely cut out. You also lose the ability to really customize... anything. Your weapons are all cookie cutter, and ammunition is now an ability instead of a mod to your weapon. Though the designers had succeeded in expanding the dialog, they were unable to capture the sense of camaraderie you had in the ME1. I will, however, note that his game included peril at the end. If you hadn't interacted with your companions throughout the game, they die during the final mission. Now onto our current topic, Mass Effect 3. ME3 was most certainly the cleanest of the games in graphics no argument there. Yet somehow Bio Ware managed to ruin the entire story for its players. None of the major (and I stress major, minor decisions influence the game only slightly) decisions you made in the past two installments really matter unfortunately. Udina still ends up being the councilor, Cerberus is still a thorn in your side, and saving the council in the first game has 0 impact whatsoever. Its sad honestly. This release was truly disappointing. The new battle system in ME2 was shifted to play more like the Gears of War franchise. It was a clumsy adaptation. Secondly, the downgrading of the grenades for the solider. The old grenades would glide on the air in the direction you tossed them. Perfectly futuristic. The new grenades work the same as... well... short range Halo grenades. You will also notice some rather frustratingly lazy decisions throughout the game. In my mind, the most noticeable one is when your on Thesea.

    The mission where you are sent to the Asari home world to retrieve a prothean artifact is what I'm mentioning here. You might recognize that little green V.I. when you are working that mission. To my surprise, they didn't go out of their way to make something prothean in nature. Instead, they used the same model as the combat drone and Liara's little helper drone. Its truly sad to see a fantastic game degenerate into something so... mediocre. Though Lets not forget the Pro's of ME3. We do have a multiplayer mode now, allowing the game to have real value to a larger audience. Not to cut my little Pro section short but, I believe it may have had a negative effect on the game as a whole unfortunately. Next, we can customize our guns again. Though ammunition is still class specific in story mode, and temporary in multiplayer, the guns we use are not from a cookie cutter. I miss my plunonium rounds... Next we get our old crew back, mostly. I wasn't largely into the new crew other than Thane and Jack, the only interesting members of the new crew in my opinion. Next, we have a larger citadel. Though not as wondrous as that beautiful place we had all the way back in ME1, its not the joke you were handed in ME2. Finally, we get to play with a real prothean, and learn about their past if nothing else. (It is DLC). Overall, this game deserves a solid 6/10. You improved from the filler that was ME2, but failed to meet the Majesty of ME1. I've played the entire series, and I must say, for the first time with the newer games I've played, ME3 fails to live up to the very first game in the series.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. Naherven
    May 20, 2012
    3
    Mass Effect 3 can best be summed up in one sentence; a slap in the face to fans. Major decisions made in previous Mass Effect games barely matter, as the story either glazes over or outright replaces player-made choices. Neutral choices seem to be absent from most dialog, removing a lot of the Role-playing from the Role-playing game. Renegade choices, which were mostly a Machiavellian "ends justify the means", "I did what I had to do" mindset in previous games, now come off as just plain, absurdly evil decisions with no real justification. The pacing is bottom-tier as well. The opening level, which is supposed to be an amazing, exciting scene is reduced to a railed tutorial level. Scenes, which try to depict Shepard as suffering from the stresses of saving the galaxy, come off as hilariously bad, as if written by someone who had never heard of the proper definition of PTSD. Strangely enough, there are some beautifully-written, tear-inducing missions and scenes, scattered about the rest of the game, making the overall experience feel very jarring. As many, many other people have stated. the ending is just god-awful. It feels incredibly rushed and (without spoiling much) adds a Deus Ex Machina from nowhere, watering down any possible chance at a well-written, open ended ending and ending up with an "A", "B" or "C" cookie-cutter end. It's incredibly sad to think that most Creative Writing 101 students could come up with a better ending than what Bioware and Hudson pulled. The most ironic part seems to be that, of all things, the multiplayer is the most enjoyable part of a supposed RPG game, as the multiplayer is surprisingly well-made and has a high replay value. Being an idealistic man, I honestly hope that Bioware didn't mean to make the game as bad as it was. I hope that the ending was so poorly-written, so incredibly bad because EA demanded the game meet a very exacting deadline, causing parts that required great care and thought to be sloppily churned out. But with Bioware and others scoffing at fans' disapproval, labeling it as just "whiners" or "a vocal minority" and Bioware planning to release "Ending DLC" not to retcon the atrocity of an ending, but to "clarify" it makes me lose any hope of seeing this injustice made against the fans, the story, the RPG genre, the medium, and the art of story writing as a whole from ever being rectified.… Expand
  5. Gimee50k
    May 21, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The ending isn't the only problem (though it's a big one, because it takes away what the entire series was founded upon)
    The entire game is so unlike the other 2, and limits character choice to the point that it seems you aren't in control of your character (limited dialogue trees and shepard talking without choice are very prevalent in this game) Not to mention the ridiculous amount of gameplay and plot issues that overall make this game below average (in my opinion.)    … Expand
  6. lbtaylor1984
    May 22, 2012
    7
    I'm a little late to the party, but I wished to give a unbiased view of the last instalment of one the best series in modern gaming.

    I played through ME1, ME2 and pulled my saves over before beginning ME3

    Mass Effect 3 suffers from some over sights and issues surrounding its storytelling. There are now time based missions which your never informed of how long you've got, but with fairne    ss to Bioware while annoying probably more accurately represents the galaxy this time round as the Reapers have returned so worlds are falling on a daily basis so missions disappear as the reapers strike, or world situations change. On the subject of worlds scanning planets has changed to a radar pulse from the ship which attracts Reaper attention, while the side missions of merc bases, crash ships etc from ME1 and ME2 have almost completely disappeared, exploration this time has been severely reduced, un fortunately this was one of the merits of Mass Effect that is was a RPG shooter with exploration, your railroaded into following the story with very little room to manoeuvre in the traditional role of exploration, while i'd like to do this with the current state of the Galaxy you'd be hard pressed to be wasting time exploring. The combat system is improved but the streamlined controls seemed to have made setup of hotbars impossible, this i found frustrating in heavy combat as the hotbar layout isn't how i'd have it setup, a minor point but another change to the series. other than that it plays better than previous games, and your loadout of weapons affects your ability cooldown timers, interesting idea as it makes you think about the weapons you need, upposed to taking everything, you also rely on squad mates taking the weapons you don't (you can take everything but your cooldown as twice as long.)

    Story wise Bioware have yet again told a interesting, compelling, and in some respects a very emotional story. My first playthrough I lost friends along the way, and the Voice acting in my opinion was some of the best in the series, those familiar with the series know of the romance options and the romance I had between Shepard and Ashley was truely believable, from the dilogue to the way it was read by the actor, when you loose friends you felt the loss rather than just seeing it, some made me question my decisions. However this brings up one of the flaws that bothered me probably the most in ME3. the dialogue options in alot of situations seemed a little short and didn't cover the questions properly while other times the options simply wouldn't be what I as shepard would have said, there is a particular area of the game, I won't mention that is quite pivotal in the plot and you can mention it to your Love Interest, but they response with one line in a dismissive response, bearing in mind it's relation to the plot it just feels rushed and not fleshed out as needed, infact it would partially explain the end.. Don't let this put you off though the gameplay is good and the commentary is excellent between you and the crew, it just feels some points weren't fully realised by Bioware, or simply pushed through by EA Games.

    Choice from previous Games DO MATTER. Regardless of what people have posted, many things you have done in previous games effect the current game, did you keep the Genophage data from Maelon in ME2? that changes things, did you Romance Ashley in ME1 but someone in ME2 as well? it changes things, does it totally rewrite the story? No. but with this game closing the story on Mass Effect and Shepard it's hard to follow all paths as the ending simply wouldn't be the ending they wrote in fact you'd need about 40 endings to cover it. and you can't really conclude Mass Effect with that regardless of how we feel, if you had 40 endings.

    The Ending;

    I'm not going to ruin it for you, play it youself make your own decision, but it is the opinion on most that when you finally get to the white light into the sky (vague enough) you should shut the game down, and just agree you won and the Reapers lost. The end gameplay is in serious question from long time fans including myself, with a few theories on what actually happened. Bioware have promised free DLC to explain the ending but that should give you a sign of how poorly put together it is. The last 5 minutes ruins probably one of the best gaming series to have been created.

    I give a 7/10 as the exploration and dialogue options has diminished the Mass Effect universe in this release, while the Story (up til the white light into the sky) and the emotional bond with your team are truly the best of the series, combat is the best of the three as is the graphics.    … Expand
  7. skarekrow24
    May 24, 2012
    0
    The series is totally undone by its nonsensical ending. The low scores reflected in user reviews reflect the huge disappointment from fans. What could be have potentially been a fantastic game to end the best series ever was let down by a rushed and totally unsatisfying ending.
  8. 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
  9. Lokiador
    May 26, 2012
    0
    Extremely disappointing. The RPG elements have almost vanished, the plot is nonexistent, the ending is an outrage, the plot holes are pervasive. This game is proof that good graphics and effort on so-called "gameplay" (read : introduce gears of war like combat system) do not make a game.

    Such a shame, the legacy of the two previous installments deserved better than that !
  10. Lukecki
    May 27, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 3 is the biggest crap in the entire series, this game is a disappointment this game has become the call of duty no more rpg elements.This game is really horrible first constantly shooting and always the same.
  11. JJackson87
    May 28, 2012
    8
    I think this was a great third game is the best video-game series of this generation. I was disappointed by the ending and hope they can wrap things up better with the coming DLC. Still recommend the game though!
  12. evildeathbloody
    May 29, 2012
    0
    Mass Effect 1 is my greatest video game experience ever. Mass Effect 2 kick my ass, in the good way. Mass Effect 3 let me sick and sad; like I was stupid to ever trust video game can be more than just none-stop none-sensical action. The intro is bad, Bioware promise us the trial of Shepard for the Arrival event, and itâ
  13. 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.
  14. Greyfeather
    Jun 6, 2012
    1
    There was some great moments, but overall it was a disastrous end to a great series. All of the choices you made in the first 2 games didnt really have any impact on the course of the last game. The game has changed from a rpg'ish actiongame to a pure actiongame.

    On top of that the ending is the worst ending ever. I had way more enjoyment watching a video-rant on youtube which listed al    l the reasons why the ending sucked.… Expand
  15. ArcticBlue
    Jun 7, 2012
    4
    This game was supposed to be the pinnacle of the Mass Effect series, a glorious conclusion to a great story line. In the end you feel cheated, like nothing even mattered. Don't get me wrong, the game is fun to play, until you end up watching the last 10 minutes being thunder struck at the lack of originality and closure. I've heard that the team's "artistic integrity" has to be preserved, so they won't change the ending, although I did expect a new DLC. There are different problems with this game, starting from its movement away from ME 1 and its RPG style and ending with the numbers to signify your military strength. It just seems boring, Gears of War in space would be a better description. And promising 16 wildly different endings, but only providing 3 with MINOR DIFFERENCES is a goddamn blasphemy. I give it a 4 because it was interesting, but that **** ending about a Jesus space child is so out of context and random that I seriously considered giving this game a 1 and burning my copy of it.… Expand
  16. 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
  17. Miltan
    Jun 13, 2012
    8
    it' really cool games, however i agree that some faults are there, but not considerable too much.
    actually i found a discount code for the game, so i thought of a trial. i found its good for the price.
    i purchased this game with twenty dollars discount code found at topincoupons coupon website to use on new egg store.
  18. BlueB52
    Jun 17, 2012
    3
    The ending honestly just brought anger and depression. It literally ruined the series it was quite terrible. Bioware let down it's fans on this one.
  19. 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
  20. EmperorDisaster
    Jul 3, 2012
    0
    I'm going to try reviewing this without talking about the disgrace to gaming known as "EA"... But what the hell, EA deliver minimal gaming to the public, expecting them to survive on a half-done game, and deliver their wallets for the next 5000 DLC's. I cannot understand why EA take companies such as Bioware, who have been immensely successful in the past, and absolutely rip the creativity from them. The ending is disgustingly inaccurate to the rest of the series (no surprise thanks to the 1 million writer changes), and gameplay seems to be a child's interpretation of the previous games, the graphics seem half done thanks to all the cartoony looks on humans, and the game in genral, ABSOLUTE FILTH. EA is the disgrace in gaming that likes to place it in the shower and choke it to death. The END.… Expand
  21. AidanByrne
    Jul 6, 2012
    3
    The entire game focuses on a story which doesn't relate to Me and ME2 very well. Most missions you do come across as tacked in just to add gameplay hours, at least 3 Deus Ex Machina plot points (We don't have a cure for the genophage....wait...yes we do now; How can we know what the catalyst is? Hey, there's prothean beacon over there! Reapers cannot be defeated. There's a thing called crucible, no one knows what it is or what it does, but hey, it's big! Must work!), and many more senseless things happening.
    Also, using cerberus as villains was simply a retarded cop out for enemies, and they ruined TIM in the process, turning the "ultimate renegade" into a deranged power hungry maniac.
    It's just sad how they handled ME2 characters, especially when romanced.
    The gameplay flows a bit soother than ME2, but it still has rather stupid cover mechanics. Also in the gameplay, the auto-dialog... Probably the worst idea they could have!
    Now, to the endings... Well, it is said that if a part of the story feels completely out of place, it can be disregarded from the plot so logically, the game ends before the companions are picked up by the Normandy during harby's nap time, therefore, I'm still waiting for the endings.    … Expand
  22. Ardara
    Jul 7, 2012
    5
    This game feels completely different to his predecessors. Bad writing, plotholes and inconsistencies, a forced storyline, "stagnant" characters and autodialogue really prevented me from enjoying this chapter. It just felt.. wrong. Even without addressing the endings issue. Since ME1 (which I loved) it's been a way down.
  23. thugmuffin
    Jul 8, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is not often that the last game in a series manages to effectively ruin the work of its predecessors and their replay values, along with its own. But Mass Effect 3 does exactly that. The extended cut does nothing to alleviate the problems introduced by the original ending, just as patching a few holes in the hull of the Titanic wouldn't stop it from sinking because of the ginormous hole created by the impact with the iceberg.

    What is Mass Effect 3's iceberg? Why does it ruin the first two games in the trilogy for me? Because of what the ending does to the reapers, and how it invalidates 3 games worth of work. The reapers in the first two games were a mysterious, godlike force that were, as Sovereign told us, beyond our comprehension. Mass Effect 1 was shrouded with an ominous enigma; we had no idea what motivated the reapers or what their true purpose was. All we knew is that they wanted to end sentient life in the galaxy, and that this wasn't the first time they had done it. Mass Effect 2 kept this up. Even before the ending in Mass Effect 3, the reaper on Rannoch tells Shepard that the reason for the mass genocide is "not something you can comprehend". But I noticed something was amiss in the proceeding dialogue. The reaper continues to say, "Without our intervention, organics are doomed. We are your salvation." This was just a hint at the **** that would occur in the last 5 minutes of the game. As it turns out, according to the Star-kid-god-deus-ex-machina, the reapers are merely puppets; he controls them. They are well within our comprehension. They aren't mysterious at all. Now when I play the first 2 games, I know that Sovereign and Harbinger are talking out their asses when they say that we cannot imagine their realm of existence. It's just sad how they effectively made two badass bad guys in the first 2 games into stupid little dolls. It makes the first two games hardly bearable.

    The Starkid tells us that they were his solution to the problem of how organics inevitably create synthetic life, which inevitably kills organic life. So his solution is to kill all organic life before this really happens. Are you kidding me? First of all, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why not just let organics get themselves killed instead of forcibly doing it? Second, why did I just spend the last 3 games repairing the relations between the Geth and Quarians? Does it mean nothing at all that I manufactured a peace between them? Oh, you're telling me it happens in every cycle? ****. Third, why all of a sudden is the core theme of the game synthetics vs. organics? I thought it was about making my own decisions, crafting my own destiny, and uniting all species under a common goal, organic or not? Now, all of a sudden, oh it turns out the Geth will eventually kill you, so we'll kill you before that happens. Simply unacceptable. Honestly, a third grader could write a better ending. And I'm forced into making a stupid decision at the end of the game that doesn't really incorporate any previous decisions, like the developers promised. Saved the Rachni queen? Cured the genophage? Created peace between the Geth and the Quarians? LOL DOESN'T MATTER. Pick a color.

    Now when I try to replay the series, I know I will be forced into this awful ending, none of my decisions matter, the bad guys are just tools, the Geth will kill everyone if unchecked, and Ashley/Kaiden will still not trust me despite everything I've done for the galaxy.

    Also, what was the point of Mass Effect 1? If the Starkid is a part of the Citadel, why didn't he just open the relay instead of letting stupid Sovereign fumble around like a fool? He can apparently generate a blinding light that merges synthetic life and organic life, which is far more complicated than anything that's ever existed ever, so I'm sure he's capable of pressing a damn button. And even if he couldn't, it apparently only takes 6 months for reapers to get from dark space to the galaxy, so why didn't they just do that in the first place?

    The only reason I'm so upset is because how much I loved the first 2.9 games. I saw the Mass Effect trilogy as this generation's Star Wars, a space opera of epic proportions that has a meticulous and interesting universe. But Mass Effect 3 really just makes me.. sad. Because its ending did not do the series justice. The Rannoch, Tuchanka, Mordin, and Thane scenes all brought me to tears. The entire series was astounding up until the last few minutes. Bioware had the chance to define the Mass Effect trilogy as the new standard for story driven games. But now? It's just.. bleh. I will probably never buy a Bioware game again. First Dragon Age 2, then SWTOR, and now this. They have fumbled 3 great franchises. Oh well.    … Expand
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. dragonxrage55
    Jul 9, 2012
    5
    I waited for the Extended Cut before submitting a review because I felt that was the most fair way to rate the game. As a stand-alone game, I think ME3 would have been pretty good. I enjoyed the combat system and a good portion of the plot. The characters are written in such a way that they truly become human to you, and you come to care about them. However, I feel this game was only average because I followed all the developer updates and advertisements on it, and I played the first two games in the series. I do not agree with the people who are giving this game a 0, because that certainly isn't fair, although I do understand that some people feel betrayed by Bioware with this game. I also feel that a perfect or ridiculously high score for this game isn't fair because it does not take into account that so much more was promised for this game. I will detail this as best I can without spoilers.

    The first thing I have to talk about it the multiplayer. Time and again, Bioware said that it was completely optional and that it was an alternative way to get the best ending. However, it turned out not to be true- mulitplayer was required to get the best possible ending. The Extended Cut changes this, and so that problem is rectified. However, I feel it is worth noting that Bioware claimed time and again that multiplayer was optional, and yet the only thing that caused them to fix this problem was the fan outcry.

    Something amazing that I have to say about this game is that the soundtrack is the best I have heard in a game in a long time. I wish they had this kind of soundtrack for the previous two games, because it is just that good.

    The bulk of the plot includes a pretty good story and side stories, as I said, but in the scope of the trilogy there are some problems. Many of the choices from previous games have little to no consequences. While I understand that it would not be possible to incorporate every little choice into this game, the game was advertised to show the consequences of the player's actions. Some choices were even stated by the developers to have "huge consequences" only for such statements to turn out not to be true. There are minor variations in the plot to account for player decisions, but at no point in the game are there "huge consequences."

    Another good thing about the game I found was the improved combat system. Combat is much more tactical and fun than the previous games. Even the multiplayer is a lot of fun. As stated previously, my only issue with the multiplayer was that it was forced initially. The combat system is fun, regardless of whether it is single or multi player.

    Finally, there is the controversial ending. If I could submit a review solely on the ending, that would be a 0. However, if I could review the entire game except for the ending it would be a 6 or 7. The initial ending would have been mediocre if it were the end of a standalone game. As the ending of a trilogy the prided itself on choice, the original ending was downright insulting, given that despite the player's final choice the endings were almost entirely the same. The Extended Cut keeps the endings thematically the same while essentially making them look different. It provides a significant improvement, and for many (including myself) it adds replay value to the game and the series. I have to say though, as someone who has been a fan since the original Mass Effect, that ending was not the ending that Mass Effect deserved. To people who have followed the trilogy, the ending was a massive disappointment. I am not letting that fact influence the score I give the game, because I do not think that is fair. The majority of the game is pretty good, and if it were not for the couple of other problems, the score I gave would be a few points higher, but the emotional part of me wanted to give this game a much lower score. Again, that isn't fair, and that is why I didn't, but to anyone who was a hardcore fan of this series, the ending, which essentially leaves what happens up to the player's imagination, is ridiculously disappointing.    … Expand
  27. gambit1892
    Jul 9, 2012
    6
    I' ve played all 3 mass effect games, I believe the first one had the best scenario, the second was also interesting and improved as far as game play is concerned. The third installment left me with mixed emotions, I enjoyed the gameplay which is much more realistic and fun, you have more freedom on the battlefield and a larger variety of moves and enemies. The quest system where you search for Assets on planets is similar to the one M.E. 2 had, I think it is a quite boring, I would prefer to search for Assets with the Mako like in M.E. 1., but I guess that is subjective because others believe you could easily get lost with the Mako in M.E.1 resulting in frustration. Anyway, the weakest element in M.E. 3 is, in my opinion, its scenario and particularly the ending. I do not wish to write in detail about it, somethings are better left for others to judge on their own. However I must point out that it seemed sloppy and hasty, almost like fast food, quickly rushed off the grill and on a plate. I played the normal edition and the extended cut, which was slightly improved but still it just went from hot-dog to burger. I strongly believe EA rushed Bio-ware to launch the game in order to start generating income and unfortunately the end depicted that. I remember some years ago I played and finished Star Wars:Knights of the old Republic, also by Bioware, a great game by my standards mainly for the scenario. But.... KOTOR2 was a different story... published by Lucas Arts and developed by Obsidian because Bioware refused to succumb to the pressure of an early release, anyway that's not the point, the important thing is that when I finished KOTOR2 I realized I didn't understand anything, not just the ending..... So I' ve seen worse cases than M.E. 3, but unfortunately I've also seen better work from Bioware. If only they delayed one more month the game release, M.E. 3 would have had a different, more solid ending I believe, besides, it took them one month to release the extended cut dlc, and it probably cost them more, perhaps not financially, but ethicly and in terms of brand name, I don't think many people will pre order Bioware games from now on.......when glass breaks, it can't be glued, same goes for trust.… Expand
  28. athleos
    Jul 12, 2012
    6
    I purchased ME1&ME2; but, while I like the game play of ME3 I am protesting it, by not buying it. They got rid of the original story writer, they crapped on the graphics, ruined the game ending and put homosexuals on my ship. Gamers are not defined by gay ideologies or self-righteous straights, for crying out! we are just gamers. Fun games should not be used as devise where staff writers bow to the political right or left. So, with these three negatives I will not buy this game. If the graphics and the game ending were really amazing, I would still not buy it - unless - the ME3 configuration utility allowed me to decide/change the gay/straight themes for my personal game preferences. It is when game developers force you to play their way instead of allowing the gamer to make their own personal choice, then I say **** you Bioware and EA, I will start downloading free games from torrent sites from now on, until you stop nailing gamers up the ass with your nickel and dime DLC and politicking ideology crap. Please stop doing this to gamers.… Expand
  29. MidnightOutlaw
    Jul 13, 2012
    7
    As an honest gamer, I will keep this short and sweet: Mass Effect 3 was an exciting start to the "beginning of the end" for the series. While a lot of problems originated mostly from the ending and a few problems upon launch, the game itself is a remarkable experience. It does what it set out to do: And that was entertain as a cover-based, third-person RPG-shooter. While I disagree with some of the choices made to the story, the game itself was the ending players wanted to Shepards story. And with the multiplayer experience shaping up to be an unforgettable experience (albeit some of the weapons are being fiddled with for no reason) as more and more content is being released free of charge. And to top it off, the Extended Cut is free DLC, allowing everyone to choose which endings they liked best. All in all, I'd say Mass Effect 3 earned it's place in history.… Expand
  30. purtusufu
    Jul 14, 2012
    1
    It's been three hoursI've been trying to install the game. Origin is complete **** I'm getting all sorts of errors which I'm managing to solve not through EA but through third party forums. This is the last time I'm buying anything that has to do with the Origin crap. They should have stuck with steam.
  31. sandal53
    Jul 19, 2012
    7
    After all that build up of epic choices with people dying and the Illusive Man fighting with Shepard and Anderson and then.... no end boss.... empty promises broken.... Was this really what you wanted to do with one of the best franchises of all time? Is this really your ending to Mass Effect Bioware? And with this "extended cut" dlc is just more **** taped onto the ending... With that said... It was an amazing game all the way up to the ending with Casper and his stupid "choices." Oh how the mighty have fallen in this game. I just hope they do something to make it different change the ending maybe? Probably not but i had such high hopes for Bioware to show us the ending of Shepard's story and how he destroyed the Reapers. A big disappointment. The game was good the ending was terrible so i give this game a 7 the music, game play and story was really good all the way up till the tile floated up into the white and you woke up in front of the so called "catalyst." A solid game that could have been a perfect 10 if they just made the ending better.… Expand
  32. tuobniklat
    Jul 20, 2012
    0
    oh god oh god it's so **** bad why why why was this made please god end the suffering end it all **** me bioware, what happened to you babys, rest in peace
  33. jerjud45
    Aug 3, 2012
    3
    Most people may concentrate on the ending, but there is so much more that this game got wrong, especially when comparing it with previous releases in the series. The writing in many parts of the game was absolutely terrible, and Shepard did not feel like Shepard in many scenes. The overusage of memes from previous games was cheesy, out of place, and down right irritating. The journal/quest system, which they nailed in the first and second games, is an absolute mess in Mass Effect 3. The people responsible for the new journal system in 3 should be shot in the face for their incompetence, when they had 2 examples to build off of in the previous games. The ending, even with the Extended Cut, is still very unsatisfying and breaks the flow of the entire trilogy.

    I will give it props on its combat system, which is an improvement over Mass Effect 2's system. Personally though, I would have preferred it to stay more like Mass Effect 1, since these games were intended to be rpgs and not shooters.

    Although the writing sucked most of the time, there were indeed some memorable moments and decent scenes. Overall, this game just needed more work. The game seemed rushed, and is not a typical Bioware release because the quality just isn't there. It's really disappointing to see this happen to such a great franchise and developer. Since DA2, Bioware just can't seem to do it anymore. First DA2, then SWTOR, and now ME3. Bioware is a developer to stay away from in the future as their quality has severely diminished, and I am sure this is largely due to EA's influence.

    If you have never played the Mass Effect series before, I would recommend staying away from it, as you are in for some disappoint in the 3rd installment. The first 2 are great games, but you will want to play this one too, which will ruin everything for you.    … Expand
  34. Honest-Person
    Aug 5, 2012
    4
    EA HAVE BOUGHT BIOWARE = BEGINNING OF THE END OF EXCELENT GAMES Too sad for me heard that bioware, "one of the best",is now in the hand of the money eater, you can cleary see this line of influence in simple things :
    ===ME1 before EA === 1- Exploration on every planet, searching for stuff 2- Buy armor for each member and race! in the market, and cool wepons. 3-Variety of skill points t    o add. 4-You can run- walk-kneel- change combat to pasive mode. 5-Good side quests ===ME2 Now EA=== 1-No more exploration "boring probes" 2-Can't change or buy armor for the teammates "empty markets?" 3-Skills "simplified" 4-No more Kneel, just run-walk-change combat to pasive mode. 5-Have side quests ===ME3 Now EA=== 1-All exploration is reduced to this arcade style flight the damm ship and right click 2-Items? Recicled armor from ME2, and yeah fish and spaceship to fill the empty shops. 3-Skills improved, true. 4-No more kneel or walk mode, just run yesss and shoot a horde of monsters, for every meter you make. 5-Side quests? What the hell is what they made in ME3.

    CONCLUSION: You can see this in simple things, Moving to the garbage game line step by step, and in the next game, just 1 teammate and 1 weapon, and then release 10 DLC For characters and items.    … Expand
  35. 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
  36. Sankfang
    Aug 24, 2012
    0
    I will not lie to your face like many of the "Critics" have. This game is a total waste of time and a prime example of the end ruining the entire story. A pathetic attempt to push out a triple A game when in truth we are only given a sub par, (trying to be COD) waste of time. Bioware has long since abandoned their story and RPG roots. Another company beaten down by EA and staffed with people who write worse then fan fictions. Making this game a ZERO out of Ten, from the Two I would have given it because of Biowares bad PR handling of the situation. Shame on you Bioware, you had real talent untill you pissed us all off, go away and make room for companies who diserve out money.… Expand
  37. Gqwewqewq
    Aug 27, 2012
    8
    Haven't finished the game yet, but so far I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. The combat is improved (not much, and still not great ofc). They've made the galaxy exploring much better than the last 2 games. And there's a lot of nice touches, like crew members moving around the ship, having conversations etc. Also like that they've focused more on characters who can't accompany you on missions - I always thought that was a stupid self-imposed limitation.
    And the bad..... Dialogue has taken a nose dive (not all the time - some is still pretty good), but worst they've removed a lot of the options you have, moving far too many moments purely into cut-scenes. This was a problem sometimes in Mass Effect 2, and its got worse.
    Basically, certainly a step down from Mass Effect 2, and due to the first games incredible story probably from Mass Effect too. Still a decent game though    … Expand
  38. 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
  39. Beddead
    Aug 30, 2012
    4
    К сожалению это самая плохая часть серии. Везде чувствуется халт 91;ра. Окружающий мир мертв. Никаких событий вокруг при блуждании по цитадели не происходит. Инженер в доках прощается со своей девушкой практически на протяжении всей игры. И так далее. Так же намного меньше внимания уделено дизайну уровней. Ощущение что все слеплено на скорую руку. Второстепенные квесты тоже примитивны. С ностальгией вспоминаю вторую часть где можно было нарваться на драку просто идя по цитадели. Ну и концовка подкачала.… Expand
  40. mowca
    Sep 18, 2012
    0
    Your first impression on this game may be good. But after all i need to give it ZERO. i played all classes, with multiplayer and all side missions and seriously this is not even a game. It has fine moments of story and THAT IS ALL, and to be honest i bought this game because i wanted to see how this story ends. THE ENDING IS HORRIBLE and without DLC extended cut its not even an ending. Maybe it is an action game but i completed all content using just ONE F***ING KEY. You can put match in your keyboard and focus only on mouse to complete this game. There is only ONE moment you need to use something more. They way you do your side missions is so annoying i wont even write about this. Don't buy this S***.… Expand
  41. Evergence
    Sep 28, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There has been enough time past to review the game in a hopefully objective manner but all reviews are to an extent subject to some bias so I apologise for that.

    Mass Effect 3 is to all intents and purposes a flawed gem; i don't deny the production values, the time and the hard work that went into making it. What I do dislike are the departures from the Series past successful mechanics.

    Story Telling - It    … Expand
  42. 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
  43. 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
  44. 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
  45. dreamreaver
    Oct 29, 2012
    1
    I have one message to ppl who want to play ME3 and..;
    1) loved ME1 because: a) it developed believable world b) introduced to great characters c) had logical plot d) had many flaws, bugs, but beside this was sth you could love
    2) swallowed ME2: a) which had good character missions, tho it lacked true main plot b) which was a step in different path rather than repairing mistakes of     the first game c) which simplified many elements, tho took many aspects in favor
    The message is:
    ME3 has some (few) advantages to the second installment, still it isn't sth which ME1 fans were dreaming. The change of the franchise with ME2 has more depth now; acquiring side-quest by (only!) hearing some conversations would be nice if it was some fetch missions... but all?! Nerfing RPG elements is sth making me crazy remembering the past of BioWare. BUT, I know, you loved the universe made with ME1. Ok.. play the #3 but stop befor the final - whole game is a big pile of plot hoes for logic lovers... but the worst is that the ending makes you cry: "how could they do such thing, ruin the atmosphere, magic". I wasn't believing such warnings; now I feel raped by batarian slaver.    … Expand
  46. 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.
  47. sono
    Nov 21, 2012
    1
    I hate ME3. I even destroyed the dvd pack. What a waste. I can mention many reasons. Main was incomplete story and game. I mean come on money looters! You develop a game and then keep many of its parts away to release them as dlc's (downloadable contents) later on just to make extra money. Why should someone buy an incomplete game and then spend extra money to buy ****ing dlc's just to understand and enjoy the game. You know what I never even looked what dlc's you looters have released for this sh*t, buying is far away. This game could have been a master piece if released as whole not in game and dlc's manner but your money hungry and looting desire destroyed and disgusted it. All the dlc's released throughout the series were part of the whole story and yet were released in main games but as dlc's. What if some one has bought ME1, ME2, ME3 only. Why look and buy dlc's just to understand the whole story and enjoy it. But if you think this strategy of looting our hard earned money will work then you are wrong. We have other means to show you that this strategy is a big mistake and is going to loose customers and fans. BE AWARE.
    Other than that lets talk about main game i.e. ME3. You gather as many resources and armies in the game as possible for the final battle and what you get in the end 'a disgusting deception'. What a waste. I can go on but I have wasted too much on this total sh*t already.    … Expand
  48. fartbarfunkel
    Dec 24, 2012
    0
    Not even taking the endings into consideration, I don't understand how people can actually think this is a good game, let alone a success from BioWare. Mass Effect 1 had its faults, but brought us an expansive, detailed universe and a solid story line. Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment (Cerberus. Stripping RPG elements.) but still had very engaging characters and enjoyable recruitment and loyalty missions. Mass Effect 3 is by far the weakest of the trilogy. It's completely abandoned the things that made the first two games memorable. The characters have largely become caricatures. The most prominent example of this that I can think of is Wrex. Many of his lines are painfully OOC, as if BioWare decided to superimpose Varric from DA2 onto him. The cheesy, cringe-inducing lines are piled on thick. I played through a second time as a full-paragon, and ended up skipping as many of the horrible lines as I could because it was so embarrassing. When the game forced me to listen, there were times when I found myself saying "SHUT UP." The completely blatant fanservice strips the game of sincerity. The entire game I felt like BioWare was just humoring me and those bizarre threads on their forum with pictures of FemShep pregnant with Garrus' baby or whatever. The content is just offensive to those who have been playing since the first game. But the worst thing is that you're forced to play as action-movie protagonist Shepard. The dialogue options are extremely few and far between, the neutral options are gone, the interrupts have been slashed. You watch a character that you may have been creating over the span of three games talk for minutes on end without any input from you. Because of this, the things Shepard says are really odd. Sometimes a full-renegade Shepard spouts bizarre idealistic bleeding-heart lines. And in turn, a full-paragon Shepard can act very insensitive. WITHOUT ANY INPUT. You can't shape anything about Shepard except some of the choices he/she makes, when before you could both shape those choices and WHY Shepard would make them. Obviously there were so many other issues. The PC controls, the animation (FemShep's running animations on the Normandy reminded me of Steamboat Willie or Popeye or something), Origin, Day 1 DLC, the massive plotholes, Shepard is even stupider than usual (WTF is Avina, durr),Cerberus, the missed opportunities. The endings are still stupid with the extended cut, and the giant middle finger of a refusal ending shows you exactly what BioWare thinks of the fans who have brought them here, the ones intelligent and dedicated enough to point out that a paragon Shepard has always found a way to get missions done without sacrificing their beliefs and would never accept the Starchild's logic.

    When Casey Hudson talked about dismissing a final boss fight because it was too "video-gamey" for the endings we received, it all made sense. Hudson just wanted to make an action movie. That's it. But instead of an action movie, or a good game, we got the steaming pile that is Mass Effect 3. This series had so much potential. But its potential AND everything it had already gotten right was squandered in this title in the name of trying to please both action game lovers and bizarre fans with banners begging for fatuous dialogue options, romances, etc, and for the egos of Hudson and Walters.    … Expand
  49. McCrichierich
    Jan 2, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed Mass Effect 3 when it wasn't forcing me to watch an unskippable cut-scene that went on for 50,000 years! I wouldn't mind a few unskippable cut-scenes that are short and don't contain dialogue that is so melodramatic and cheesy that I actually had to turn the game off once or twice. I felt the game tried too hard to be like a film and tried really hard to make me care about the characters, something which they had achieved moderately in the previous 2, but fell so far short this time because of atrocious writing. I found it really difficult to become attached to Shephard at all because he had as much personality as a piece of plain paper with the word "nice" on it. Or he was Satan incarnate whom Cerberus for some reason decided to install a naughty or nice detection chip in his face. (A clear theft from Fable. Although it's acceptable in Fable because it's more cartoony and like a fairytale where witches have hooked noses and good guys are disturbingly aryan.) They also copped out of it as well by putting a heal all scars option in med-bay. Why bother having it in if you can just erase it in a heart beat? Either do it or don't. It just seemed a bit flaky for a game based so tightly on the consequences of actions to literally have an opt out button. I did really like the way the previous choices affected the game. I also liked how they tried to tie up the loose ends with the characters from ME2. Although, it seemed to me that by the end of the game someone points out "Jesus we forgot Jack! Quickly someone put her in!" So their solution was to just have her leap at Shephard and die within 10 seconds and a quick remark from Shephard and team mate to let you know that it really was her. The encounter was actually so brief and dissatisfying that I genuinely thought that it wasn't her and I was about to find out that the Illusive Man had caught her and found a way to make clones of her to fight for him. Then I would have to fight through waves of Jack look-a-likes and find her trapped in a machine being cloned and in need of rescue. Then once rescued she joins the cause or has to sacrifice herself to destroy the station like Mordin and Miranda or something. But no she just leaped at you and died. I thought that the fighting gameplay was very good and got my adrenaline going. Although the going into cover and sprinting was often irritating. I would press A to go into cover nothing would happen so I press it again and he pops into cover then out again so he got shot in the face a lot. I did think that the powers were too strong. You can decimate huge hordes of enemies quite easily without going into cover. All you need to do is use adrenaline rush with 1 power enabled and have EDI and Liara with you to use incinerate and singularity. The galaxy map was well done and I liked the idea of the reapers detecting your scanner if you entered reaper occupied space. The first time I heard the loud buzz indicating their presence I was genuinely intimidated and rushed like hell to get out of there. But after finding out that I could outrun them for ages and that the only consequence of being caught was an "oh no you got caught! Now start again from 20 seconds earlier." There was no real threat and I wound up feeling that their presence was more of a minor inconvenience than a real hazard to be avoided. Now to get to my biggest complaint about the game. It all starts with one little boy who from the second I saw him playing outside I started a stop watch in my head for when he was going to die. It was shamelessly and clumsily trying to make me feel for this boy. I felt nothing but contempt for that flimsy attempt to make me feel emotionally invested. Then they expanded this dung heap of an idea into an agonisingly bad dream sequence which you can't skip and, as far as I can tell, has no relevance to anything whatsoever. It doesn't advance the plot. It didn't make me care about the boy. It didn't make me think Shephard was deep or more relatable. It was irritating, it slowed the game down and I couldn't help shouting at the screen "Hurry up you pretentious idiots!" Overall, I think I would give the game a 2/10 for dialogue. 7 or 8/10 for the story (good idea let down by enamel peelingly bad dialogue) 8 or 9/10 for combat. Martin Sheen as ever gave a 10/10 performance and expertly depicted a man trying to make the right decisions but losing sight of what is right because of his penchant for solitude. Usually I wouldn't score a game for its dialogue because people don't really play games for it. However, since I felt ME3 was trying so hard to be a film it seemed right to include the dialogue in an overall score. This score would be much higher if the game wasn't trying to be a game/film with appalling dialogue.… Expand
  50. The_Blackmoore
    Jan 4, 2013
    8
    So the holydays are soon to be over. Every xmas I end up playing old games or trying out titles I skipped when released, sometimes I return to old mmo's or fire up battlefield or COD. This year I ended up buying (among others) the Mass Effect series on the cheap. I played ME1 a couple of years ago, but being a hardcore mmo player the streamlined gameplay somehow left me disappointed back then. Treat it like a interactive book or a movie instead To be honest the problem was, I misunderstood the whole concept and compared it to computer games and mmo gameplay I general. When I returned this winter I choose to treat it as a interactive book or a movie instead - and boy was I in for a ride. I played thru ME1 and ME2 and finally in ME3.


    For the first time I have actually cried during certain moments in a computer game.
    As an interactive movie or book the Mass Effect trilogy is one of the greatest games/stories of our generation. It's a trilogy and should be experienced like one straight up. Gameplay is pretty streamlined, but Bioware leaves you with a ton of hard moral choices within the story itself making the game taking some really different turns depending on how you decide play it. There at least three different endings - each of them depending on the decisions you made during the game(s). The replayability is not all that great, the core of the story will always be the same, but the relations with your comrades, alliances with other races could change dramatically. It's the little things that stand out and stay with you. The deep comradeship with Garrus or the fact that there at least two crewmembers being openly gay. The different romantic relations you can pursue. Or the moments when you have to sacrifice one of you teammates. In my case one who had been with me from ME1


    If you're looking for cheap games on Steam or Origin the Mass Effect series is a great choice if you likes me missed out earlier. It's breath taking.


    The Mass Effect trilogy is one of the greatest games of our generation, and you would be a fool to miss it.    … Expand
  51. vazait
    Jan 5, 2013
    2
    This game is not good as an RPG, it's not good as a cover-based shooter, and it's certainly not good as a hybrid of any sort. This game is atrocious, it truly is. And this comes from someone who liked ME2, despite its flaws. But anyways, what's wrong with the game? Well, I think the ridicilous ending has been covered well enough by a lot of other reviewers, so I won't go into detail on how stupid it was. Let's talk about the dumbed down dialogue instead. BioWare and EA apparently thought three choices as a standard was a bit overwhelming when playing ME1&2, so they had to remove the middleground. What is left is the **** and "Good Guy" options, and the occasional Renegade and Paragon option. The Renegade & Paragon system is also pretty stupid. 'If you aren't nice to people, you can't make rational choices'... The **** kind of sense does that make?
    And with the removal of dialogue options, comes the removal of dialogue too. Which I can see makes all kinds of sense. Why would you shift the focus from shooting endless hordes of Cerberus troops, over on the thoughts and psyche of the interesting and beloved crew. We all know thats why we loved the original games, right? It was the neverending cover-based shooting that attracted us all... ... right?
    With all irony aside, I find it pretty annoying that the crew is even less talkable in the third installment, than in the second. In like 19 hours, I had the total of THREE, unique dialogues with Liara (whom I had romanced in the previous games), whereas only TWO of them were private and on the Normandy. That kinda sucks, especially since she's one of my favourite characters in the entire series.
    Also: what's up with the character design? How come everyone dresses in the sexiest "armor" in the entire universe? Don't get me wrong, I am in fact a fan of the female body. But, why did Ashley throw away her giant power armor from ME1, in favor of the sleek, sexy outfit in the third? It looks stupid, and it doesn't make sense. But if she hadn't changed the armor, it would be significantly less time to show of her enlarged bazoongas. I'm not **** you when I say that the size of her **** have been increased from the first game. The entire game is so sexualized it just becomes silly. And to top it all off, they had to make EDI sexy too. I'm actually surprised she isn't a romance option. It would go along with the rest of this **** of a game perfectly. And while we're at EDI: what's her deal? Why does she act so out of character? She's not an AI, but she acts like one. When I think about, practically everyone acts out of character. The only one who doesn't do so, is Harbinger. He does the best job of sticking to his... 'personality' and agenda in the entirety of the game. Even Shepard acts out of character. What's the deal with the homosex-romance? I don't dislike homosexuals in any way, but the sudden change of sexuality is just weird.
    So, is there ANYTHING good about the game, you may ask. Well, kind of. The skill system is decent, better than ME2's (worse than ME1's). The weapons and attachments are pretty good, I prefer it over both the first and second installments' take on it. The armor and armor customization is vastly superior to both 1&2, so there are some good things about the game. One could say it looks pretty too - and I somewhat agree, but you feel like you don't always belong there. The game shows off what it can do and how beautiful it is, and sometimes, one ends up just as a watcher.
    My final complaint is in regards to Cerberus. Why did the story shift the focus away from the Reapers, and onto Cerberus? I don't feel like I'm saving the galaxy most of the time when I'm playing. Battling wave after wave of Cerberus-troops isn't fun, it doesn't make you feel like you're saving the galaxy, and it only makes you wonder why you are bothering with it. Feels kinda like busywork.

    All in all, this is one of the most disappointing games I have ever encountered. Mass Effect was one of my favorite games, and together with sequel one of my favourite game series. But now I can't even thoroughly enjoy the first installments, because I know it will all be in "vain", as this game is so butt****ingly stupid. This game is abominable. Steer clear away from this thing. The only reason this game isn't getting 1/10, is because it has Liara, Tali and Garrus in it (even though none of them want to speak with me).    … Expand
  52. KillerCornflake
    Feb 5, 2013
    5
    My first experience of the Mass effect series was through the second game in the trilogy, and that really did set the standard high straight from the off. I thought the best idea would most likely be to purchase the 1st game before playing the 3rd one as to account for decisions made throughout the saga. This turned out to be a rather meaningless venture as determined by Mass Effect 3. With the good, the graphics in this game are neat and arguably the best out of the bunch, it's polished and tidy with a few exceptions that require the gamer to overlook. Combat has been unstuck slightly from what in my view was a more static system in ME2 and ME1, refinement can be observed.

    With the bad then, bearing in mind that most fans of the series will (rightly so) compare this title to it's predecessors, thats what these points are based off. The dialogue options came as a shock to my system, they took away what made the previously fun and exciting conversation choices and beat them down to formulaic two way cutscenes. Even if a player is to explore every single option in a wheel with more than two choices, it merely serves as providing information that mostly accounts for the people who have never played ME before, this trend is also visible with BLATANT repetition of the lore of some species (geth quarian war) that it makes long term players sit and think 'hmm i knew that'. Compared with the other two games, the "sidequests" in ME3 are for the most part dull fetch and return tasks to introduce a feeling of galactic warfare, yet in actual fact it is just another way of EA herding people to spend money in a cash shop to upgrade for the multiplayer seeing as it is the easiest way to increase "galactic readiness" which is ESSENTIAL if you want to end up with a "good ending", i won't get into that one.

    In short ME3 takes a few steps forward in combat and graphics departments, even so these are still not perfect by any means, even small matters of convenience such as in ME2 your squadmate's ability they were using was highlighted on the tactical menu so you could see what you selected, here it's not, little things like that. ME3 takes a major step back in terms of dialogue choice, i can't even talk to my own companions without the game deciding when it it "the right time", even then i can only say a selection of similar phrases. I'd get the game purely for it being ME3 and the end of the series, but don't go in with a high expectation of it matching what you had come to expect.    … Expand
  53. Alsvha
    Mar 7, 2013
    6
    It could have been so good, but it fell short.

    Mass Effect 3 is a decent game, scared by some bad design decisions and an awful, inconsistent ending.
    The combat in the game is more fluent than the predecessors, the graphics is generally crisp despite Shepard still feel sluggish when running around and navigating the (static) world. The writing is decent in this game, however it does oc    casionally feel very 'soap'-television. Some of the characters are also very under represented in this game (especially characters like Jack, Miranda and so on). Even Ashley feels tacked on.
    Bioware's attempt at trying to set a dark atmosphere of doom and despair falls short in the game and it feels like many of the games 'sad' moments are so obvious that it's like trying to force an emotion more than build an emotion. Save perhaps for 'Mordin Solus' which is as brilliant a character in this as 'he' was in ME2.

    Weapon modifications are back (yah). Although you quickly learn to just pick the best weapon and use. The most redeeming part of ME3 is the music. Brilliant music. I can even listen to that while not playing the game that's how good some of the pieces are. However the quest system in this game is bad, very bad. Basically you have some main quests which drive the story forth. These are mostly gotten via the main characters. Then there's some side quests which is gotten via the mail terminal. Not much different than ME2.
    However then there's quests gotten from listening in on random people which pops up and requires you to 'scan' planets, and then pick up the item via the scan.
    However the journal system and lack of inventory works very much against this type of quests. The 'escape reapers' type-mini game or what it is, is just awful. And I don't know what they thought of bringing that into the game.

    And of course, the over shadowing ending, which invalidates and contradict much of the storyline from ME1 and ME2 (really obvious if playing all 3 in sequence). Makes most all of your choices throughout the previous game irrelevant. It did feel like leaving the game without an actual conclusion. The extended cut ending did not make matters much better, except as an insult to the fan groups which were disappointed.

    The DLCs for the game are decent, but no where near the quality of Lair of the Shadow Broker for ME2. Omega is very combat orientated, which is okay in itself, but it's not really Mass Effect.
    Leviathan felt tacked on and much more like an attempt to build an in-game foundation for the ending more than anything. Citadel fun, but eventually irrelevant as it feels strange to put that into the middle of an all out war for the survival of the universe as 'we' know it. But well it's a farewell and a last money grab by Bioware.

    Mass Effect 3 is a decent game. It's not an action-roleplaying as ME1 was. It's a better shooter than ME2, but it's properly too much shooter for many RPG fans, and not enough for the shooter fans. Bioware tried to grab both, but for what it could have been it falls tragically short of the target. Potential but lack of implementation.
    Bioware basically dropped the ball. It's worth a playthrough from the bargain bin, but knowing what I know now, I would not have bought it at release.    … Expand
  54. HONOR-IS-ALL
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    Mass Effect 3 will forever be the game that damaged the series and Bioware's image. There is no way that ME4 sales will ever get close to the sales of ME2 and ME3
  55. 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
  56. nkaduthod
    Apr 5, 2013
    6
    As a beloved fan of the Mass Effect series, I was without a doubt quite disappointed with this game. While the game play is good and offers a more fluid experience, I fell that they dumbed the combat down to much. They also took away most of the RPG aspect of the game I loved. The story I felt was really lacking compared to ME1 & ME2. The new characters like Diane and James were very uninteresting and the graphics and animations have barely been touched since ME2. My decisions imported from the first two games didn't really impact the story and I feel like BioWare and EA were turning this game into a clone of Gears of War except in space. And what the is up with Day 1 DLC From Ashes? For a very important character relevant to the entire series and basically what it is based on? EA is obviously trying to pressure BioWare into making a more "mass-appealing game". No!

    Also, the quest system is complete and utter And what happened to my narrative structure. I sometime barely see the wheel in conversations anymore! Also, the score of this game was lackluster.

    Some good about the game. I thought most of the main missions were fine ad well-crafted although they ended anti-climatically and the weaponry was good. The main teammates and old puns and people from the old games appear and make the game more enjoyable. Combat is great. Checkpoints are forgiving. Powers are good. Multiplayer is fun.

    And then, theirs the end. The ending of the game was so outrageous, disgusting, unethical, the biggest hypocritical scene made by BioWare that it made me mad. Even with Extended Cut DLC, it was terrible. I could have picked a better ending from my mother****ing ass.

    All in all, Mass Effect 3 was hyped up to be an excellent, but failed to deliver on so many levels. However, I still enjoyed the game for what it was. But seriously, DLC in this game is pretty OK, but they make it so short for 15.00 im spending for it    … Expand
  57. creotine
    Apr 7, 2013
    5
    Simply put, its a fun 3rd person shooter with rpg elements and a bad ending. The only people who don't think the ending is bad are the fan-boys or those with ADD who didn't pay attention to the story. The choices you make in the game do not affect the outcome of your ending. You get to the end and are presented with A, B, or C choice for an ending like Deus Ex did. On top of it the ending makes no sense, and contradicts itself. It's still a fun game but the story does dissapoint.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

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