It's really a shame people give the game a low score just because the last 5 minutes of the game aren't good. You have to review the game has a complete package, the action is the best in the entire trilogy, weapons are much better, the story is very emotional, the war is at grand scale at different places, and every decision you take is crucial to the life of many characters or races. Plus the ending will be fixed, I have hopes that it will be, it was all indoctrination there are so many facts that prove it. We can say a game sucks, just because of a writer or some writers went all weird on the story when the other people that worked hard on other aspects did an excellent job.… Expand

Story: Mass Effect 3's plot has a good pacing and can pull the right emotional strings. Nearly all of the trilogy's plot points are resolved in a satisfying manner, the character's plot pleased me as well. You will witness the consequences of your past decisions. The dialogues are better than ever. There is some automatic dialogue, but only in places where it serves the flow of the conversation, and it never is important or changes your character against your will. Only one thing bothers me in the story department: The ending could have used more build-up, the choices presented seem contrived, there are some illogical aspects. The ending is neither well-written nor satisfying. It doesn't kill the story, but yes, the ending isn't good. Gameplay: Combat is better than ever. Rolls, heavy melee, grenades and new powers benefit the fights greatly. The character system is deep and allows for more customization than any of the predecessors. The weapon system gained depth to, allowing for many upgrades, while never being as clunky as ME1 about it. The new scanning is actually fun, no comparision to the Mako or planet scanning. There is more variety in quests, some interesting boss battles and enemies that requires different tactical approaches. My only gripe here is the quest-log. It is quite confused, mission description are often very unclear. And rolling needs some practice.
Technical aspects: The voice acting is phenomenal, the music is great, the graphics are good. Some animations are a bit off, but mostly they are fine. I only encountered one big bug, regarding my face import. Irritating, but i can live with it.
So there are some minor inconveniences and a bad ending to a game that is utterly perfect in nearly every regard. 9/10 points.… Expand

This is a great game. Visually it is a masterpiece. Content wise I too was disappointed with how short the game is and that includes release date DLC--which is a complete and utter rip off move. ME2 was by far the most fun of the series, but ME3 still delivers. And despite what the whiners say, the ending was a satisfactory conclusion to a great trilogy. My only real complaint is that the game is too short. ME2 felt much more open for exploration, whereas ME3 is much more limited and closed off. I also wish there was more continuity between ME2 and ME3. All those characters I devoted so much time into building relationships with were mostly chucked within the first 10 hours of ME3. Ultimately though, I wish more games were like Mass Effect 3. Except for the release day DLC. That's a total dbag move.… Expand

Awesome game with great graphics, fun action and characters. Except for an awful ending that negated or ignored most things Shepard had done in the games.

The graphics are better. There are more RPG elements: The power progression is more interesting, the weapon load out allows for more variations while being constrained by weight, the shops sell more interesting items, and you must dominate the whole universe against the enemy onslaught. The acting is just as superb if not better; perhaps the full body animations are better. The fighting is intense. In almost every way this game is an enhancement upon its predecessors. The only problem I've encountered was in the import of my character which I played from ME1 through ME2: I had to re-customize the characters facial features as they didn't import correctly. I'm sure this will be rectified, but it's a rude goof that only effects the most long term of fans. This game is awesome in every other way. It goes beyond AAA standards.… Expand

If you liked Mass Effect 1 and 2, you will like this game. It's more of the same combat, with the return of more of the rpg elements from the first game. Planet scanning has been largely removed, and while this game is somewhat more linear than its predecessors, its still a fun, immersive, and generally well put together game.

As always, Mass Effect pushes the boundaries of game experience. The characters, lore, and depth of the universe and the sheer quality of every square inch of the game is the pinnacle of video gaming. The single-player and multi-player are both near perfect for what they are, and I'm not budging in saying that this is the greatest trilogy in the gaming world to date. That said, the ending of the series confuses the hell out of me. Whereas I thought the ending would be about the bond between Shepard and his squad-mates in their flawed attempts at trying to survive the impossible together, this game completely deviates from that. The ending of ME3 is suicidal in that it destroys it's own legacy, a legacy greater than any other game I've played. Not sure if I can ever play Mass Effect again.… Expand

My review is way too long, so here's a link to the full review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R20FQY6HQ2S1ZR/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004FYEZMQ Now here's the beginning of my review: So, letâ

Great game, Wicked action sequences, good story.. But it where this ME really failed was the in the decision making part of the game. It was incredible weak and None of the choices you made really mattered. I wouldnt play it again.

Mass Effect 3 could easily have scored a 10, could have been an absolute epic, a poignant storyline in which it felt that you and all the characters within the game mattered and all played their part in shaping the future of the universe. I even thought that a trilogy of movies was possible, however this game is let down by two things, one minor and one major. The minor is the loading times/screens, too many and too often but I could have lived with this as I was so engrossed in gathering my troops for the final battle for earth. The major problems is the ending. It's all over most boards and discussion groups across the net so I'm not going into it in details suffice to say that I felt robbed after playing through three games and hundreds of hours....this is the best that could be developed......what a cop out!!!… Expand

I loved the first and the second ME for what they were. The third mass effect seems to improve on most of things and the story/characters is what makes me give it a 10/10. I absolutely love this game and I hope that BW will continue the ME universe in some other form!

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the first games I can remember truly enjoying was Twisted Metal II. The gameplay was okay and the graphics were fine for the time. But what really caught my attention is that each character had his or her own unique ending. They weren't even CGI cut scenes. I mention this, because this is what I want and why I play videogames; for a compelling and interactive story. With Mass Effect, I was drawn in by the story and the fact that I was able to choose my future. When Mass Effect 2 made my decisions apparent, I relished the though of fighting the Reapers in a galaxy that I helped construct. Over the course of the first two game I invested hundreds of hours (with six completions of the first game and twelve completions of the second game including one just to see everyone die). I have a deep emotional investment in this universe that Bioware created. So I do not relish being so critical of the completion to such a rich history. To begin: the gameplay has been improved. Weapons each have an individual feel. Choosing your weapon become a balance of what feels right and what is the most effective. It also affect how you determine your character's skills. Speaking of which, the RPG element of character development have returned. You now not only have a choice of which powers your character have and use, but the characteristic of those powers. This improves upon the strategy during combat as your powers are now adapted to how you want to play. In combat movement and power are more fluid once you adapt to the changes. Th kinect makes it faster but you can still slow the action and formulate strategy. Finally, the story is amazing... for the most part. Moments like Mordin ascending to the top of the spire or Tali removing her mask on her home world or just Captain Anderson and Shepard sitting together looking down on Earth quite literally brought tears to my eyes. I lost it upon the realization that Thane's final prayer was for me. But as much good as the story brings, there is disappointment. A story is as much the ending as it is all other components. If the ending is not rich and full, it tears the audience away from the experience. It leave a bad taste. And the potential endings (of which I have experience three) are lacking in fruition. They seem to destroy as much as they attempt to save... Further, all my efforts building a force seems to do little in the grand scheme of things. There is also very little closure for my friends and for the entire universe. I don't need everyone to live happily ever after, but I want to know who lives and who dies, how the galaxy is shaped, and I want to see all those forces I obtained fighting to the last stand. I didn't get any of that. Further, there were faces missing. Kal Reeger dies heroically without so much a a hello. No Fisk. Very little interaction with the council which I thought would be flushed out. And Grunt's cameo was only a single mission. He disappears after one interaction without so much as a "Stop and see me on the citadel before I ship out." There were also some other minor issues as far as choices. Not being able to remove the helmet on the full armor sets, having less weapon customization than Alpha Protocol, no armor enhancement, and fewer interactive conversations with the crew (like Tali being drunk or any interaction with Zaeed). Plus, what happen to the paragon and renegade opportunities? Mass Effect is not a bad game. It's enjoyable. But as a hardcore fan it's also a disappointment. With how much time and emotion I invested in ME 1 and 2, this should have been an easy 10. While ME3 managed to improve in so many areas, it fell short in some of the very areas that made the other two so compelling: a character driven story where my choices matter. Perhaps it was too large; Bioware may ave created something that was so big they couldn't live up to the conclusion that everyone wanted. But I can't help thinking it could have ended so much better.… Expand

This game is amazing. The galaxy is at war and Mass Effect makes you feel it, there is tragedy, triumph, heroism and sacrifice. Moments of this game have knocked me all around the emotional spectrum. It looks great, and the different modes are a great idea and lets you play it the way you want to. The controls can be strange- rolling into gunfire instead of taking cover is my least favorite aspect, but this game is one of the best I've ever played.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First I would like to start saying that Iâ… Expand

This game have should be launch on November or December 2011 on the holidays, I do not know much of games engine but this got to be the best ever. So much you can do and no limitations. If you are not a fan well like Yoda said "You will be".

Completely killed the entire series with only three extremely poor and stupid ending choices. It doesn't matter what you do in this game of any previous games because they mean absolutely nothing.

Excellent Game, comparable to ME2
Good- Long, like new gameplay(Climbing smarter enemies), story interesting
Bad - Audio sync is terrible, ok ending, multiplayer with decrease in galactic rating 1% per day

Believe the critics not the people. I don't know why all of these people are upset, because this is a great game, feels like a better version of ME2. i played it today for the whole day and it was a blast. People complain because they only remember the good things about ME1, and not the long walks back to your ship after each mission. A great ending to the series.

For the people that are supplying this site with low reviews, take a step back. You are having a reaction to a game being different than you expected. This can happen. The game series has to evolve. The truth is that Mass Effect 3 is actually an amazing game. The AI is intelligent. The characters are amazing and the truth is go buy the guide to the game if you want to understand just how your decisions affected the outcome. If you didn't play Mass Effect 2, then many characters wouldn't make appearances. If you made major decisions like Reaper base, Wrex, Ashley, Rachnii from the first 2 games then your game will be different. We can't be angry because we expected these decisions to be completely revolutionary. And yes, I'm sure Bioware struggled with how to end a series like this, but if you watch the ending scene after the credits then everything will make sense. That's the truth. If the game and the reason why you've been playing as Commander Shepard is not apparent to you at the end of that scene after the credits then I feel bad for you. Truly the best gaming series that has ever been made. I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way. I'll be waiting for the additional DLC. I can't wait.… Expand

a game that completely destroys everything you've done over the first two, it's a complete slap in the face. Not to mention the graphical issues, bugs, multiplayer being very repetitive, and other things. but the ending, oh god the ending.

Mass Effect 3 is the second greatest game of all time, second only to Mass Effect 2 which is the greatest game of all time. There is nothing wrong with the original ending of this game, it fits perfectly with everything and the extended cut just made the ending 10X better than what it already is. The entire journey of Mass Effect has been the best gaming experience i've ever had and i've played about every console game out there. This game is the conclusion of your own commander shepard the way you chose to take him/her through this amazing well crafted story is met with praise and respect from your companions or the death and extinction of entire alien species. The voice acting is perfect while the soundtrack never fails to bring out your emotions. Plus Bioware releasing free multiplayer DLC with more to come just makes this experience worth every penny. I would give this game a 20 out of 10 but thats off the scale and thats all you need to know.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So much of a game, so much to say, but I think I'll start before it even released. The Cerberus Daily News feed was supposed to have new articles immediately prior to the release of the game. Instead, it got a couple tweets of news, for fewer days than was originally promised. This would have been massively disappointing, were it not for the Emily Wong tweets. For those who weren't following, twitter became a live news source for the initial invasion taking place in Southern California. The story IT told was really cool and helped set the tone for the game itself. As for the game, the single-player portion may not have explored as many of the characters as I'd have hoped, but it DOES give the humor and OH *#^@ moments that I've enjoyed since the beginning in 2007. Finally however, there are plot inconsistencies that creep in to break some of the fiction. Things like Shepard restraining a Justicar and not being killed for it, or the Batarians learning FTL travel...from ruins on a planet in a different star system that required them to know FTL travel to get to in the first place. These are relatively minor but still, that sucks. They are the small blemishes that slightly mar the campaign as you attempt to save the galaxy. Then comes the part where you save the galaxy. At the end of ME1 and ME2, I had a sense of excitement for what the future held in the ME Universe, and how I could save it. There are NO endings that allow you to do that. With the destruction of the mass relays, (which for some reason doesn't necessarily destroy the systems they reside in) there is NO hope that the galactic community can continue to exist as it had because they are isolated in their own systems. I have no problem with Shepard being killed in the process, soldiers give their lives for lesser causes, but no matter what I do, the Citadel and the relays are destroyed, fundamentally altering how societies can interact. Garrus can't return to Omega to clean house after the war and Tali can't go back to her home world cuz they're both stuck on Earth. Or at least they should have been since they were in my squad and NOT on the Normandy which, oh yeah I forgot, had retreated to either FTL or a relay jump for some reason and ALL of my squad was there and not with me somehow. The last 20 minutes of the game, however you decide to end it, are disappointing. No matter what you do, you can't save the Citadel, you can't preserve the galactic community, and you're crew ends up in the exact same forest (though to Joker's credit, he was able to crash the SR2 delicately enough so as to NOT disturb any of the trees). Other decisions that don't matter but probably should have... ME1: Save the council or let them die. Anderson or Udina Save the Rachni or don't ME2: Blow up the Collector base or give it to Cerberus 3 of those decisions come in the final 10 min of each game, they are all among the most influential decisions Shepard ever makes...but the councilors all speak to you in the same manner. Udina will always be the human councilor, Anderson will always be an Admiral, the rachni will either be the ones you saved or some others will fill in the blank, and Cerberus will gain technology for the base or from salvage. DISAPPOINTING! Multiplayer was ok, tho I never got excited for the combat or gameplay of Mass Effect. In the campaign, I happily set it to story mode and blaze thru enemies so that I can get to the conversations quicker. But about the conversations and multiplayer...I felt as though there were fewer lines of dialogue in ME3 compared to ME2. I understand there is only so much room on 2 discs for content, but how much more fulfilling could the campaign have been if the multiplayer portion wasn't included? Could there have been more dialogue from characters left off the Normandy? Could my choices have made more of an impact? Could Tali have had an actual face instead of a stock internet photo? I may be wrong about the amount of dialogue created, but I'm not mistaken in my disappointment with many of the features I had hoped for. Overall a 7. I almost cried in my 1st playthrough when I thought I could save the Geth and the Quarians and ended up driving my good friend to her death. I've had to collect my jaw from the floor many times, and the humor of Joker, EDI, Wiks, and Mordin are amazing. But despite putting over 120 hours into a single character, no matter what I did or chose was enough to save the galaxy.… Expand

Don't get me wrong. The game is as good as its predecessor...except that the endings are awful and most of them are the same. Will Indoctrination DLC get a better ending or not? We're going to find out.

I'm changing my previous review in light of the new Extended Cut. I'm changing it to ZERO!

Despite the Extended Cut this game still has the worst ending in the history of video games. They actually took the time to polish the turd instead of addressing the numerous and serious flaws in the game. Bioware has completely lost all credibility in the last few years. Not only because their new games are rushed and come nowhere near the level of excellence they used to, but because they treat their fanbase like **** and lie to them.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game was absolutely great until the ending. It was a terrible ending to end an amazing series, but that doesn't mean the game deserves a bad rating. Although I agree about the day 1 DLC, they don't force you to buy it! I also disliked how none of my decisions made any difference in the end, sure the geth are now extinct, and if I had chosen to, so would the rachni, but it never really mattered for the ending. They only supplied more resources for building the Crucible. So anyone that complains that the game is crap, try and make a game that's better than it, and you'll probably be shot down, just like your trying to do to Bioware and Mass Effect 3. So the game is pretty good until the ending, so don't let all the negative reviews stop you from buying the game.… Expand

This game starts out well but finishes terribly. I didn't think it was possible for a story to have such powerful momentum and crash miserably into a wall. Aside from that, the game has some serious bug issues. I played ME2 on day 1 and never encountered anything quite as awful as the bugs in this game. On top of that, the side missions are a joke and I think are there just to distract you for a few minutes at a time, essentially forcing you to stick to the main story. This wouldn't have been so terrible, if the main story didn't end so terribly and lose all credibility.… Expand

A fun game with a bad ending is a bad game. I would say the same for TV show of Movie. If the last act is very poorly done. I would give low marks.. The fact the quality drops so suddenly, so late in the game is more shocking than anything else.

I would not recommend this game to anyone.

First of all, just because you don't like EA doesn't give you the right to give this game a 0. Same goes with the DLC. Just don't buy the DLC, it's not hard. Now for my short first impression review:

I'm about 3 hours into the game and so far I am very impressed. The combat feels smooth and has some extra features (hit markers, better cover system, new weapons system, etc.). Compared to Mass Effect 2, I think the combat feels WAY smoother and way more natural. So far, I like the story. Everyone is raging and saying "all you do is save the galaxy again." So what? That doesn't make it a bad story. I'm really enjoying it. I like to meet new companions as well as old ones. I've noticed a few bugs with the game, but nothing worth docking score. The lighting in the game looks really good and it helps bring life to the graphical engine. The sound is pretty good too. Overall, I really like it so far. This isn't an actual review, but I will post one at the end of the week when I beat it.… Expand

Played it for 6 hours straight last night, and the time flew by. An immensely enjoyable experience. Everything that made Mass Effect 2 great, but without the annoyances and immensely smoothed and polished up in many areas. Unfortunate that EA released day 1 DLC, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is one of the best games of the year so far. A fitting end to the trilogy.

Brilliant game, haters are gonna hate. The game is a true successor to the series. Just read the professional reviews. Not the nerd rage going on here. You want the day 1 dlc, skip your coffee for a few days.

Utterly boring. The most boring game in a long time. Bioware has gone deeply downhill since EA's interference. Keep rushing games. Not much made any sense, surely not the ending.

While Mass Effect 3 has been on the end of some, lets face it, pathetic criticism lets get one thing straight; Mass Effect, as a series, has never been more than a stellar plot with solid, but not exemplary, game mechanics pushing it along. I understand a LOT of people will be frustrated with Mass Effect 3 an its shoddy delivery but lets grow up a bit shall we? As I said the gameplay as always been basic and functional at best, and Mass Effect 3 deliveries the best game play experience of the trilogy. Its still not brilliant, but it is better. Plot wise I will agree that the ended is quite ham fisted, and liberties have been taken with continuity for the sake of accessibility. Making it the weakest of the series from a story telling perspective. So Bioware have got it nearly half right, and as a result have created a half decent and dreadfully over hyped game. Wait for a price drop, or rent if you must.… Expand

I've finish Mass Effect 3 and i can't undersant why so many controversy about the final of this game. The end is breathtaking like the game istelf. This game is fantastic in all the ways and i loveed it. The graphics aren't the best i've seen but they
 are still good, the sound is good to, but the best things are the magnific 
story and the gameplay. The combat is awesome and  in this game it is  better a  thousand times than in the previous game.I've imported my story from the past 2 games and that is awesome, but this game is the best of them all, i mean seriously this game is an absolutely fantastic game.  This is a game that is very emocional because in the 3 games we created amazing friendships with some of the caracters, in my case i created it with Ashley, my lover, and Liara and Garrus, my two best friends.  Mass Effect 3 was the first game that i played that maked me cried, thank you Shepard, for everything. And to end this review, the most famous line of Mass Effect 3, and maby of all the three games:
This is it isn't it? REVIEW: 10/10… Expand

This is for all of the people that don't like the game. I'm not a critic, and I never review games, movies, or anything, because I let people form their own opinions, but I felt this game justified it. A common complaint is that the animations are stiff. The animations have always been stiff, in every mass effect game. It's a term that (to my knowledge) was coined by Zero Punctuation, called the "BioWare Face" how if you look closely enough you can almost see the characters going over the stage directions in their head. This was coined back during the Mass Effect 1 days. Another complaint is that there was DLC on launch. Is this really a problem? This allows for more story, and if you don't like it, don't get it, it's not a necessity to finish the game. For the argument of poor writing, it's not as good compared to 1 and 2 by any stretch of the imagination, but it is by no means poor, it's still good writing, it's just not great writing as seen in past BioWare RPGs, but are any games that are as good as they were a couple of years ago.

I'm not going to say get it or not, but if you are a true fan of the series you will at least rent it, don't let everyone make up your mind for you. I got the game and I love it, but a lot of people hate it. I say invest a few hours and a rental into it, if you don't like it, you can send it back, but I don't think you will be disappointed.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a touchy subject for all fans of the first two in the series. The amazing thing about this game is that it is an emotional investment, every choice that is made appears to have far reaching consequences, or at least thats what we had believed. In Mass Effect 3, by the end of the game, all the choices you made really dont change the ending all that much, which is disappointing in a way but understandable because the whole series is about one goal and the ending must be the conclusion of that goal. so as to why people are so angry... i am not too sure.

the whole game, minus the ending, is very well paced, very fun to play and pretty well written. i find the major flaws to be the lack of conversation choice, which seems to guide the player into certain paths due to the lack of choice, but its definitely not hand holding. All in all, if you played the first two and imported that character, then i am sure you will have a great time. you have invested years into this series, it had to end somehow. my only big big gripes are with Biowares laziness, in not showing talis face directly, which when shown indirectly it is a photoshopped stock picture of a girl, and the after credit scene, also a stock photo. if you are investing years and years in a very in depth series, dont cut corners like that, you can write a whole species history and back story no problem but cant design your own winter landscape? righttttttt.

play this game if you loved the first two.… Expand

If you're reading this, than hopefully I am speaking from 1 gamer to another. There is no doubt that the Mass Effect series is one of the best trilogies I've ever played, and if you like video games, you are doing yourself a great disservice by not picking this up. All of the poor reviews on this game are due to the day 1 DLC that Bioware released, and some misplaced sense of gaming pride. Speaking as a hardcore gamer that has played the game and didn't buy the DLC, it is absolutely not necessary or pivotal to the experience. The DLC is more or less an extension on an already phenomenal game, and will only be purchased by fans of the series. Regarding the actual game, the characters are voiced by an all-star cast. The game's score is fantastic and fits the game's sci-fi atmosphere. The combat is tactical and fast paced. The story is so great that you will actually want to listen to conversations and cut scenes instead of skipping them like you may do in other games.

The bottom line is, if you are a true gamer like me, don't listen to all the smoke that these reviewers are blowing. Mass Effect 3 is a fantastic game, and it is a shame if anybody takes the poor user score on this game seriously, because they are truly missing out on one of the best gaming trilogies of this generation.… Expand

Yes, okay, I get it, it wasn't fair or right that they released Day 1 DLC, especially when its content adds a lot to the story. That was a fault on their part, but that doesn't justify giving this game a ridiculously low score. Anyways, now to what's important, this game is phenomenal. I've been following this trilogy from the start, and Bioware has combined the best elements of both Mass Effect 1 and 2, and has masterfully meshed these elements it into an emotional, epic, and beautiful final chapter to the Mass Effect trilogy. The scale of this game is absolutely huge, not in a Michael Bay sense (where it's all for the purposes of BAY-SPLOSIONS), but to make it feel like a truly desperate attempt to fight the Reapers, with each race playing a vital role in the survival of the galaxy. This desperation is just as evident in the much-more-explorable-this-time-around Citadel, with citizens left and right all talking about their personal stories and experiences with the invasion. And most of these are long, detailed conversations that you simply overhear while walking by! The combat has been noticeably improved, with the guns packing a bigger punch and the cover system allowing for much more mobility (though occasionally , like many cover-based shooters, you can unintentionally get caught up on a wall). The levels have been improved, with more verticality and more diverse locales. The RPG elements are a perfect hybrid of ME 1 and 2 (not unnecessarily deep [ME 1] but also not way too streamlined [ME 2]) The characters are much more expressive and emotional, especially Shepard (I play as male Shepard), who feels like a more human character this time around. I have NEVER choked up during a game or movie before, but I did it on more than one occasion throughout this game. I'm not to go into very much detail about this, but rest assured, you will be rewarded (or maybe punished) for the choices you made in the past 2 games. They do carry a lot of weight which is fantastic to see.

It is obvious that the people over at Bioware have not sold out (yeah yeah, ok get over the Day 1 DLC) and has poured their heart in soul into crafting one of the greatest (if not the absolute greatest) games of this generation.… Expand

Having played many hours, I have to say that this is much more than an amazing game. The things that haters say aren't how the say. They're giving 0 all the time just to troll. Mass Effect 3 mixes awesome story, great and fast gameplay, unforgettable characters and moments, etc. Stop comparing it with the other two games, and not say that it has to be similar than the first Mass Effect. In Mass Effect there was no war, so you could explore the galaxy freely. But how you people want this on Mass Effect 3? We are on a massive galactic war against the Reapers, and you think that Shepard and his crew can, for example, get on the Mako and visit some planets? Earth is being destroyed, and the game has to adapt to the story, so please, think and stop saying stupid things just to troll.

Mass Effect 3 may not be the best game ever made, but it's one of the best of this generation and an epic and brilliant ending to the trilogy. So now, let's go take Earth back.… Expand

The culmination of a great series which has as the greatest disappointment that it is actually coming to an end! This is a game of amazing choice with only a semi-linear path from Mass Effect. through Mass Effect 2 and 3. Definitely the most defining game series that I have played with peerless Combat/RPG elements and a Grand Scale yet emotionally moving and relevant storyline. Bioware deserves every accolade for having the vision and ability to craft this series from beginning to end. I have to say from a Metacritic's point of view that I'm dismayed by the consumer backlash on here which appears to be mostly out of spite regarding jealousy and dismay over Day 1 DLC. Childish IMHO! This is a great game and deserves to be reviewed without the flame war! The gaming world would be far poorer without Bioware's input… Expand

A remarkable game in every way...... except for the endings, every single one is bad, and your choices end up not mattering. Truly a disappointment of a monumental scale. BUT I still give a 9 because everything up until the last 10 min was the single greatest game i have ever played.

Just to give some perspective, its not a 0 or a 1 nor is it 9 or a 10 Graphics- Above average some unpolished animations but not completely horrendous Gameplay-again above average , NOWHERE near Gears of war or Vanquish I would say about the same level as Uncharted 3 Sound- Again above average nothing amazing or memorable but its not rubbish either Story- this is where it gets dicey your CHOICES impact parts of the game in some interesting ways but the ending is essentially the same regardless of what you do. The ending is very very disappointing and a bit of a kick in the n*ts I have no desire to replay it. Its on the level of crappiness as Lost and The matrix trilogies, there is no closure and brings up more questions. I would advise long term mass effect fans to hold on to their money and wait for a price drop or buy secondhand you owe to yourself to finish this trilogy, but don"t go in with high expectations. In many ways its a lot like Dragon age 2 a massive disappointment as far as its predecessors are concerned but a decent game nonetheless

And yes the DLC issue is messed up the character you get in my opinion is one of the best and explains quite alot, get it if you are a fan skip if you don"t care for the lore… Expand

Epic, chilling and suspenseful are the three words that first come to my mind when I remember this game; however, fans are no doubt going to be disappointed about the ending of this fantastic series which simply deserved something much more satisfying. Yet, no other game in recent memory has given me chills so many times throughout the story. One last gripe I have with the game is it doesn't quite show you all of the the war assets that you have spent all game collecting, making the ending and the beginning the weakest parts of the game, leaving an astonishing middle section that will have you in awe and ready to take back earth.… Expand

An utterly incredible game with a few minor issues and a controversial segment that (understandably) ruffled a few feathers. Gameplay feels tight and well paced, an excellent upgrade from Mass Effect 2. The amount of detail Bioware put into this game for the fans is staggering: no character, no moment, no decision from the previous games was left untouched.

Issues mainly stemmed from the occasional buggy cutscene and from the almost non-existent mission tracking. The latter made side quests frustrating all too often.

What must be remembered when playing this game is that Bioware never set out to create a game in which you make your own story. This is their story of Mass Effect and Shepard. What you get to decide is not what that story is and how it will ultimately end, but how that story is told. I couldn't be more grateful for that.… Expand

Even better than the already near perfect Mass Effect 2. If you enjoy a rich story with awesome characters and smarter than the typical blow everything up shooter then the Mass Effect series is for you. I can't imagine anyone calling themselves a gamer wouldn't love this game.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Everyone loves a good sci-fi game. And that's just it, this game is amazing. The mechanics are fun, the lore is fantastic, and as one of those people that has been following Commander Shepard's exploits since that fateful mission on Eden Prime, I cannot say the same for the story. Where Mass Effect 1 and 2 had several outcomes possible, with choices made affecting the world you experience in Mass Effect 3, I simply can't imagine playing the game without having experienced 1 and 2 first. However, that illusion of choice is shattered with the ending. Despite having 3 branching choices at the ending, and preparations of war to make throughout the game, every choice ends in a similar fashion.

Don't get me wrong, the game leading up to the end is amazing, and gives you a real sense of severity that this invasion brings, with every civilized race in the galaxy feeling the Reaper's wrath. But, with so much empathy invested in Shepard's story, and his relationship with his peers and possible love interests, the ending was a huge blow. Under any other circumstance, this ending would have been perfectly fine.

Ending aside, this game is quite amazing, but if you're someone who gets sucked into the world and the characters, and grow to CARE about the outcome, this will likely be hard to swallow. You have been warned.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A good game until you reach the end. The ending is so poorly written that I can not conceive it was written by experienced professionals. The ending ruins the whole series.

The game has multiple good elements but seems to fall short in other areas. Some of the minor issues include: The fact that the choices of sacrificing people to save others is trivialized by the poor presentation and that every second conversation from Shepard sounds like a poorly veiled come on to other characters.

An especially low note in the game is Kai Leng. Kai Leng is a horrible stereotyped Mary Sue which nearly ruined the game. His boss battles are lame and should never have been included. The game designers failed to follow a basic game design rule: If you don't want a PC killing a NPC then don't have them fight. Simple, no? They follow this with the Illusive Man (uses holographs instead of being there in person) but they fail with Kai Leng. Just when you thought that cliched character was the worst part the game in roles the game's ending. It involves a ghost child AI which is the citadel but was never foreshadowed. (Nor does it make sense as there would be no need for Mass Effect 1 or 2 if this was true. After all an AI secretly existing in the Citadel could easily notify the Reapers without the need of outside Reaper prompting). Besides this obvious flaw the game then presents 3 possible endings: 1) Mass murder of all synthetic life 2) Take control of the Reapers
3) A childishly simplistic option of merging synthetic and organic life without wiping all current beings. How this is possible is never explained nor does it make any sense in the end.
Also the Mass Relays are destroyed in every ending and the Normandy crashes in every ending. This is disheartening but also means that you have destroyed the main means of intergalactic transportation and destroyed every spaceship in the galaxy. Hurray? So in closing all the endings means you have saved galactic civilization by destroying all galactic civilization. WTF? This game if viewed individually would be a 6 or 7 out of ten. When viewed in light of what it does to the series a 4 is generous.… Expand

Everyone's complaining about the ending, but I don't give a **** about that. The game itself is pretty bad overall. There's almost no RPG in it and the action part is pretty clumsy and tiring. Better not waste time playing this and play Binary Domain instead if you want a good story in a GoW-like 3rd person shooter.

I got the ps3 version, which I now regret deeply, due to the somewhat laggy experience. The games progress and story is totally ok, aswell as the fact that you can just plow though if you want, or run about doing errand and scanning and god knows what to build up your army.

The lag I mentioned? As far as I have experienced, its occurring mostly in the "in between moments", like in the Citadel and in the cutscenes. And its totally killing me in the menus at some points, but so far I have not seen it in combat. *knock on wood*

Now dont get me wrong, its not a bad game, despite the fps issues. That (alongside some other minor bugs) is the only really bad thing if you ask me. I love the fact that you can choose if you want to do it like an actiongame, a story experience or something in between. The class choices are the same as before. If you want to get it, get it for xbox or pc, not for the ps3.… Expand

Mass effect 3 is awesome and dont let any of these trolls tell you differently. emotionally engaging and technically excellent, you wont find another experience like it. one of the best games of all time

The game is just brilliant. I've played 1&2 as well and although 3 seems a bit easier, I still love it. I am only disappointed that there are so many pathetic people, who scores that game so badly, only because of ending. DO NOT BE STEREOTYPICAL. Not every ending has to be happy. C'mon! I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND MASS EFFECT 3!

I love this game and Bioware games in general. Great story, great characters, I actually felt regret when I had to make a tough call in the Geth storyline. I haven't finished yet and I've been playing constantly since it came out- tons of content! Would have given it a ten, except I deducted one point for the DLC BS they pulled, and 1 point for the multi-player, which I can't access because I don't happen to know any other players, and public games are inaccessible to first-time players (tried to join one and was immediately booted, presumably for my level). But, as far as the gameplay goes, this is among the best I've ever played.… Expand

The game was beautiful. The gameplay was tight, the characters were well realised, the story was great. I loved every second of my time with the game and the multiplayer aint half bad and i can totally see Bioware going with it somewhere in the future. I personally liked the ending and found it really interesting, however i can understand why people may not like it, but these reviews suggesting the game is worth a 0 or 1 is ridiculous because the rest of the game was fantastic and well worth my purchase and I bloody loved it!!!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. PLEASE READ. I first wanna start by saying I understand everyones disappointment with the ending. But thats not why I'm writing this, I dont want to sit here and feed you line after line of clever ways to say the ending was bad. So to kick it off, first the graphics are the main reason i gave this a 9/10 in fact i wouldve done a 9.5/10 but this obviously isnt a .5 scale. The reason for this is that although the major portion of the graphics are good you'll soon see that there are some framerate issues (and i played on the 360 with the discs installed on my harddrive) not only will the game be framerate glitchy but it will also have sound cut in and cut out during cutscenes. Now theses problems obviously can be overlooked but the reason they "muddy" the experience is because overall the game is soooo impressive and when you add in these framerate issues and graphical hitches it easily stands out. Now for the story obviously you know the gist of it by now. (Reapers attacking Earth, and the rest of the galaxy, you play as Commander Shepherd and have to gather other races to help you defeat the Reapers blah blah) now what Bioware has done with the story in this third installment is very impressive. From the writing to the voice acting and the way its delivered is all top notch. My only problem with the story though is..yup you guessed it, the ending. NOO im not going to put down the ending harshly like everyone else has. But i will say FAIL BIOWARE. I'm not tryin to "hate" but obviously once you get to the ending you find that there are 3 different choices you can make..AND STOP!..first off why have RPGs adopted this "choice" fettish at the ending of theyre games (Fable 3, Dragon Age, Fallout etc..) and expect the player to approve of them, we get it we made choices throughout the whole damn game developers, now roll a cutscene that puts all of our choices into affect and sums up the story and allows our ending to be distinctly different from other players. Was that hard...i dont think so. Its not that the ending is broken i mean it sums up the story descently but i couldnt help but feel as i walked up to those three paths on the Crucible, that one of my favorite game franchises was giving in to the "pick a path and see what happens" kind of ending. So i think thats enough of "dogging" the story. But i wanna say one thing to people who think the ending ruined the triology. If you think thats true you arent a true Mass Effect fan, if 15 minutes of a 200 hour overall experience (combining all 3 games) ruined the series for you..I feel sorry for you. Mass Effect is an amazing franchise and deserves all the praise it can get...And a quick little suggestion if Bioware changes the ending. I suggest releasing a free DLC ending that if you like it you can enable it to override the current ending and then play through the game with the new ending. Thanks for Reading!!… Expand

Being the best gaming series I have played it is a sad day when you reach the finishing line and it is as horrible as it is. I love the Mass Effect games, heart and soul and I've played them through countless times. This rating is purely to voice my utter dissatisfaction with how the game ends. I'm not one of those that want a good happy ending and it is not because of some gay sexscene (seriously, do journalists actually believe the crap they are putting out??). It is simply because the current ending (NOT endingS, mind you) makes absolutely no sense. Why is there no difference between the endings? WHY doesn't my choices make any difference what so ever. In a stroke of sheer genious BW implements transfer of savegames which all amounts to a **** nothing come the absurd end. I never write reviews but I love this game to damn much to not make my voice heard. This game doesn't deserve this, it should have top ratings.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game... It is easiily a solid 8.5/9 for me as it goes, at least up until you hit the last 20 to 30 minutes of the game and it quite literally all falls apart. The game itself:- The combat mechanics are a lot more shootery than I am used to but still fun and enjoyable, and they feel like a natural evolution. The dialogue and interactions with NPCs is deep, rewarding, and emotive IMO (I totally fell in love with Kaidan all over again, and the game made me really miss Ashley too). And the locations like the Citadel feel bigger, more live a the massive places they are supposed to be. The graphics are decently done (though not fantastic). And the quests and storyline while on the short side is solidly done. And then we hit that ending. An ending so horrific that I couldn't face doing another playthru (importing my other 5 Shepards into the game. An ending filled with plot holes so big you could fly a house through them. I was critical of Dragon Age 2's ending, but at least it was coherent and made sense even if it wasn't great; this ending is just an incoherent nonsensical mess. The ending quite literally ruined the game for me, ruined the trilogy for me. It's that bad. It's that bad that it doesn't just ruin the game or the trilogy, but it literally destroys the whole franchise's future. It literally ends all galactic civilization with no clear reason for it. It felt like Bioware was taking out their anger about the game/script being leaked on the fanbase, and giving us a giant F'U with this ending. I don't mind at all that Shepard had to die, to be honest I kind of expected that he wouldn't make it out of the trilogy alive. But to destroy all galactic civilization too? And as a consequence the whole franchise? It boggles my mind. I can't in good concience give this game any more than what I gave DA2 (a 7 btw), just because of this appalling ending.… Expand

This game series was one of the good ones, where personal decisions and actions influenced a vibrant and expansive galaxy. Unfortunately, the random freezes, overly streamlined storyline, and Dues Ex ending which disregarded everything that made this game series great sours the overall experience. Until some of the glaring issues are addressed I'd give this one a pass.

I loved this series! I've put so many hours into the each of the games, hearing that they will all factor in during the grand finale. However, this was not the case. The story telling was good in this game the same as it was in all the others. Until the ending. *spoilers* Once i reached the ending i was given 3 options. All pretty much the same. No matter what combination of War Assets achieved. You could beat this game with 0 War assets and have the same ending I did. Also, the choices I made were not reflected at all. Which was Biowares big deal for this series. I am severally disappointed. On the good side. Combat was amazing the best its been in any of the other games. But that's about the only plus side to this game. Very Sad. Very sad.… Expand

Can't believe how Bioware can get as lazy as that; they HAD 2 GREAT SERIES (Mass Effect and Dragon Age) full of potential and suddenly they become lazy, self entitled, money hungry and do stuff half way and then sell it as DLC. I mean using photos on GOOGLE? How stupid can you be? The same happen with dragon age 2, they did it lazily wanting to get as much money as possible and destroying their series. I just hope people stop buying from them so as to see if they change a bit.

ALSO NONE OF ALL YOUR CHOICES MATTERED! So mad, i hope bioware gets destroyed… Expand

I loved every mass effect game up to this one I enjoyed this ones gameplay and combat but the story writing and endings hurt. such a great series has ended in literal sadness for a series I really and truly loved.

Like many of the people here, I've been a fan of the series since day one. I fell in love with the awesome storyline, the vast amount of decisions and the immense depth in the characters. When I heard that you can import your character to Mass Effect 2 and 3 I nearly climaxed.

But about the third installment, I loved nearly the entirety of it. I don't find the "3 shots to a weak spot to kill a reaper" thingy at all distubing. The codex (read it, 0 voters?) said that there are different classes of reapers, and the one on Rannoch was obviously a lesser one. I don't get all this "dead squad members coming back to life" - hassle. In my first game (I was young and foolish) Wrex died, and remained dead in the third. Clearly some players experience bugs, corrupted savegames or just a deep hatred for everything EA that they have to complain about everything.

The reason I give this game a 7, and not the 9 it would deserve is for the ending. Seriously, Bioware?
I loved the feeling of the whole galaxy having one common enemy, and everything in me longed for the moment we blow the reapers sky high, only to learn that in the end the reapers weren't necessarily evil.
Why, oh why Bioware did you have to confuse the player at the very last moments?

The ending was a steaming pile of excrement. Not at all "a worthy conclusion to Shepard's tale" as some claim. A cheap Deus Ex ripoff, without any information on what happened to the crew you spent HOURS AND HOURS to get to know.

Oh btw, the whole thing with the multiplayer required to get the perfect ending?? What went wrong with you, Bioware...… Expand

10/10, endings included. I completely understand the ending leaving people feeling hollow, and for that I am sorry. It's obvious to me now that the majority of people do not understand the endings and how they work into the universe. What Bioware has done is both a writing and marketing masterpiece, leaving an entire series of dedicated fans continually discussing permutations and possibilities. I am certain we will see 'the Truth' in some form of DLC, and that makes me all the more excited. If you want an immersive experience and an excellent (albeit unfinished) conclusion to an amazing sci-fi series, get this game. And please, take every little detail in, no matter how small. Hopefully, you will comprehend the masterpiece that Bioware has provided us.… Expand

this game is the flop of 2012. Mass affect 1 is rather then 3. Mass affect 1 is het best.
no more a game from bioware of EA this game is Poor writing.

I must agree with many others, the ending ruins the game. I was skeptical that the ending could indeed be as bad as everyone has claimed-I was wrong. Gone is the choice that exemplified this series. Gone is the hours of fun (not work) that preceded this game. Gone is the sense of accomplishment, however minor, that marked the completion of the previous Mass Effect games. Truly, what disgusts me about this game is I feel betrayed by the developers. The sense of control over your character's actions, and the consequences of your decisions are for naught. In the end, nothing you have done matters. If you are new to the series, flip a coin for every choice; they are meaningless. Once I was an ardent Bioware supporter, no longer. My ties with bioware are cut, beginning with credit from Gamestop for this game, followed by a cancelling of SWTOR and a refusal to play any other Bioware games.… Expand

Mass Effect 3 is an amazing game with excellent characterization, story and gameplay. There are occasional bugs, and the endings are deeply flawed, but there is no question that this is a journey worth taking. For more details on my perspective, visit my review at: http://edwardcheeverreviews.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/mass-effect-3-review/

After 7 playthrough of ME and 6 of ME 2 a nearly 400 hours and bunch of buck i spend on this franchise iË

In a sense this game is like you're on a roller-coaster and at the end your feet catch a wire somewhere and get cut off. It was fun right there till the end, and now you're just like f*** that s***. Other than the ending my biggest complaint about this game is that they totally screwed up the "Mission Journal" (those of you that have played know what I'm talking about), however that can be overlooked. Other than that the only thing left to complain about is how much less dialog choices there are compared to previous games, but I can overlook that too given how good the game is other than the ending(of course). There's more things I could complain about, but after that it's just more being nit-picky than anything else.

Also contrary to popular opinion the day-one DLC is not actually crucial to the game, it certainly adds to the experience, but it needs to be criticized for being overpriced more than anything else.

In summarization: the game is almost a masterpiece up until the surprise Cleveland Steamer you get at the end.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am a massive ME fan I loved the first two games and played them countless times and put so many hours into these games and I was obviously excited when ME3 was announced thinking of what to expect from one if not the best sci fi games of all time. Then I played me3...I am not even going to speak about the ending as I think everybody has that covered. But this review is about everything else that I was annoyed with. In ME3 it felt rushed not like the other Mass Effect games because they were so well thought out and you could lose yourself in the great adventures that Shepard and the crew got into. Picking the way conversations flowed and picking to be a bad a$$ or a good guy in certain situations. It felt like Bioware got bored or ran out of ideas for ME3 and just pushed you all the way to the end with no real structure to the game. There wasnâ… Expand

When I see all these glowing reviews by game websites giving it nigh perfect scores, its glaringly obvious that their integrity and objectivity is compromised. In fact its almost comical how much the websites try and cover for its flaws. My favorite was one where they condemned bioware changing the endings because "oh its art you'll ruin it by changing the ending." I like to think that if somehow a 6 year old drew a big turd on the Mona Lisa, the museum would do everything it could to restore the painting by TAKING OUT THE BIG TURD ON IT. What they are really praising isn't the game it is the amount of money they received in advertising from the game's publisher. Mass Effect 3's ending (because its really only one) is a slap in the face, a total disgrace to the brand. Whoever the lead writer was for the ending, and whoever gave the okay for that crap needs to be fired. Furthermore I've never encountered an ending that made me hope for a cliched "It was all a dream" sequence as much as this one. This ending is so poorly put together it is on par with the likes of Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, wer're talking total plot and lore breakdown. The final offense was the after credit sequence which just adds insult to injury. The only person that could of made a poorer ending was George Lucas.… Expand

The game would have been better if I waited until it was $10 because DLC is getting expensive. They made a pretty interesting platform for a game, but EA/Bioware have only a good concept of a game. After playing the 3rd of this trilogy I understand the concept. The problem without good closure for a concept is that unlike a book or movie I would not pay for an incomplete cinematic ending in an interactive game. The plot holes are not what a player should use to write his/her ending. As a dedicated fan I trusted the vision of the writers so much that I completed the first 2 games numerous times. Honestly they should have been shorter. How many times was I lead to believe my choices would matter? Before ME3 there was a lot of buzz from Bioware that I should believe my choices would matter. The choices, replays, times I wanted to engage myself with fictional moral choices were numerous, and it was that much time my life and money was wasted on these hacks.… Expand

Having played both previous ME games multiple times, this latest series feels like a complete slap in the face. I was already put out by the lack of deep character interaction, tiny team roster and military style emotionless mission grinds, but I never expected the ending to utterly destroy the ME franchise. ME3 made me a very sad panda.

The game was 10/10 until the end. The game itself had some flaws, particularly the new characters were not as fleshed out/ interesting as they could have been. But it also had some of the most satisfying, unbelievable triumphs I've ever witnessed. The Rannoch mission and its multiple conclusions convinced me that "this is the greatest game I've ever seen." Sadly, the ending killed it- but its still "bearable" as long as you can accept that you get the same crappy ending regardless of your choices in the previous or current games. Hopefully DLC will include more options/ more epicness for the ending.… Expand

The most important parts of a story are the beginning and the end. The end fails so completely that it can't be reasonably scored as an enjoyable game at all until it's fixed.

And give us Tali's face in the game, not in a damn picture. How lazy can you get? I can photoshop Tali from a stock picture from the internet myself. Years and years of game development and that's your answer to a huge reveal like Tali's face?… Expand

Don't get me wrong, ME3 is an AMAZING GAME! It's just the ending that pisses me off. I've spent five years on this franchise working hard making all the right choices in order to have a closure that suits my expectations! However, the ending made me feel as if none of that mattered! I've lost interest in continuing the game or even replay it anywhere in the near future. I was also frustrated by BW's Day-One DLC policy! It made me feel cheep! As if I'm nothing but money-milking machine for the Big Gaming Kahunas. THE ENDING MUST BE CORRECTED! BW is a great company that makes great RPG's. I'm confident that they won't disappoint their fans for long. Maybe!… Expand

Great story, excellent gameplay... WORST ENDING EVER. This feel like a slap to the face to every Bioware fan that invested time in this game. The ending could be described as follow: PAY FOR THE NEXT DLC TO KNOW THE REAL ENDING! Absolutely and terribly disappointing.

Mass Effect 3 is a mere shadow of the game that its predecessors were. There are so many glaringly poor design choices made throughout. Things that worked perfectly well in Mass Effect 2 have been "fixed" so that the overall experience is frustrating. From side quests being dumbed down to poorly updated quest entries on the journal to the limited speech options, it is almost like Bioware wanted to ruin this game.… Expand

I know the game had to end at some point, but this could have been implemented in a much better way. The writers made every decision made in the previous games, and even in this game, mean absolutely nothing. There are "multiple" ending, but all of them have the same basic outcome.

The last 15 minutes destroys the game and the entire franchise. The end contradicts the entire series and makes any future DLC irrelevant. It's far better to just pretend the mass effect series ended at ME 2.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is with a heavy heart I feel obliged to negatively review mass effect 3, I loved the series and ME3 does everything right up until the final ten minutes. The conclusion they have provided for this loved trilogy is nonsensical, leaves glaring plot holes and hammers home the fact that nothing you have done in the last one hundred and thirty odd hours of gaming makes any difference or impact to the ending, which is ridiculous in a game where the nature of choice and consequence is a key theme.

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

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

Follow the Retake mass effect 3 campaign, raise some money for a great charity and maybe convince Bioware to fix what could have been a great game and an amazing send off to the series.… Expand

This should have been the crown jewel in the ME trilogy, 90% of the game play was great, but the ending stinks on ice. I also think that Miranda should have had a greater role in the game, been a member on the crew. I find the idea of her and Ash sharing a room to be comic gold. Bioware needs to improve the ending and give us what was promised, an ending where our choices make an impact. Not one where everything essentually blows up and nothing makes sense. This also needs to be a free DLC, I paid for the whole game, I have no objections to paying for extras, thats why I bought the CE, but to pay extra for the 'true' ending would add insult to injury… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't get me wrong, the Mass effect experience is awesome in more ways then one. Telling us our choices would have an impact on the ending and that we would get 15 - 17 different endings is PURE BLISS!!!. Getting to the end of the game and finding out that not only is there only three very veery similar endings, but they completely butchered the lore of mass effect and managed to piss off this fan with the last 10 minutes of the ending. No longer will I be purchasing DLC, games nor any mass effect memorbilia that i was planning on getting until this situation is fixed and hopefully soon. Bioware, you have let me down completely.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Huge Mass effect fan. Took five days off of work to play Mass Effect 3. Great game until the last ten minutes of the game. Where the story does. Complete 180 and your choices don't matter. Ruins the whole build up of the series.… Expand

While I enjoyed Mass Effect 3 and would recommend it for people to try out, the ending was a crushing blow to the face: none of my decisions mattered, nothing was explained, all the endings were virtually identical, Bioware used a "in your face, deus ex machina" to wrap it all up. The ending did not stay true to the game, the trilogy or the fans. Worst of all, the ending ruins any replayability for most fans. Of course there were several positive things to the game, but since many are considered spoilers I will not be posting them. It's painful for me to do this, but since the ending is truly all that stays with you (and not in a good way) I must give this game a negative rating.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved the original mass effect and mass effect 2, I must've played through both at 6 times making different choices because I wanted to see how they played out in ME3. For the first 98% of the game it was great, clearly oriented towards previous mass effect fans, but great nonetheless. And then I saw the ending. We were promised multiple endings, we got the same ending with a different color explosion no matter what. We were promised that our previous choices would change how everything played out, and yet no choice we made is in the least bit relevant in the last 20 minutes or the final choice. We were promised that it would end like Lost 'with more questions than answers', and yet Shepard apparently commits space genocide because of the most flimsy excuse ever and with big enough plot holes to drive an aircraft carrier through. Furthermore there is no indication at all of how any other character or race fared after you destroy the very fabric of galatic community, so cross any kind of closure off the list as well. Apparently this is due to the writer thinking the ending needs "Lots of Speculation" but he's the one who told us it won't end with more questions than answers. If I wanted to speculate I'd never of bought the game, that's what my imagination is for. Bioware lied to us through their statements and that's just not acceptable. Furthermore since nothing I did in any of the previous games matters once I get to the end of ME3 they've retroactively ruined any replay value of not only ME3 but ME and ME2 as well. How could I possibly care about any choices in those games now when I know for a fact it's all irrelevant to how it all plays out? I'd also like to state I didn't need an ending where shepard lives happily ever after (though I do challenge the concept that a hero dying is somehow better writing), what I wanted was an ending that A) made logical sense B) reflected the decisions I'd made in some way C) If shepard had to die at least make him die for something good, not dying to kick off an era of starvation and unrest. I gave you the benefit of the doubt with DA2 Bioware, I gave you the benefit of the doubt with the day 1 DLC character, but this is the last straw. Unless they fix this I can't recommend this game to anyone, play ME and ME2 if you want, but since the way it all plays out is based on "Everyone like lots of speculation" you're better off imagining the end up yourself and saving the $60, it'll almost without a doubt still hold up better than the real ending.… Expand

Mass Effect 3 is a revamped version of ME2 combat and nothing more. Virtually none of the choices made in ME1 or ME2 are taken into account, and a fresh ME3 characters game experience is nearly identical. Plots holes and generally a lack of vision with the 3 possible endings make any invested effort a waste of time. If I had to sum the game up I would say "lazy" is about right, with a dash of "the ILLUSION of choice", since you don't actually impact the plot with your choices. The sheer number of public domain images you can google (or find on getty images) that are used in the game are shocking (is it really so hard to draw your own picture of an alien for Tali, or use some of the great user images out there? Rather than use a getty images, barely photoshop'ed picture of a human?).

The gameplay was fun. The multiplayer was the most enjoyable aspect for me. Story wise, this is not a "Bioware" game as we remember the golden era of quality Bioware games. It's just not the same company anymore. Mass Effect 2.5 is worth a rent, at best.… Expand

Mass effect is my favorite next gen console series.
but mass effect 3 is a middle finger to the fans who have loved the series since day one.
unless something is seriously done to fix this game i will never buy from bioware again.
they were my favorite company and now they are my most hated.

The game mechanics have been improved from ME2 with improved AI on higher difficulty and the inclusion of better melee attack capabilities. Quest/sub-quest UI is one of the issues a player will contend with. As well as some cover issues.
The game's story telling is very well executed until the last few minutes because it reduces the whole series re-playability. There are still some bugs that Bioware will have to deal with across all platforms to make the game more enjoyable. Multi-player is fairly decent but needs some more development into it to make it worth playing on its own.… Collapse

Worst ending to a series ever. Thanks for making none of my choices made in any of the 3 games ultimately matter. What the hell was the point either saving/destroying the collector base anyway? Oh, that's right....there was none. You know what else? What happened to the expansive dialog wheel, or even FACIAL EXPRESSIONS? Why does everyone on the game look like they are made of wax? Epic fail. Bioware has now permanently lost a customer with this mess-up. I don't say this just because of how Mass Effect 3 turned out, I say this because they have been consistently releasing ****ty games in the past few years. I guess this is what happens when you sign on to the EA team. R.I.P Bioware.… Expand

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

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

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

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

The 30 hours of enjoyment you'll get from most of the game are not enough to justify the final emptiness it will leave you with. It is simply not worth it.… Expand

Up until the ending, this game is an 8.5, due to a myriad a minor issues like too much auto-dialogue, a worthless journal, some gameplay issues and a weak intro. It's ruined by the ending, which really is as bad as you've heard. It's 5 minutes pretentious, non-nonsensical garbage masquerading as avant-garde, postmodernist Cosmicism that negates all the decisions you've made, forces Shepard to speak and act out of character to enact one of several virtually identical and equally ridiculous endings. It offers no explanation, no closure, no sense of accomplishment, no epilogue and makes absolutely no sense. All it does is leave the player feeling betrayed and robbed.
I can't believe this ending was created by the brilliant writers of the first two games. Oh wait, that's because it's not: those writers write for The Old Republic now. It's not enough that you're expected to pay for day one DLC, if you want decent writing you have to pay a monthly fee for their MMO. I blame EA.… Expand

Simply not worth 60 euros. I would have expected this kind of experience from some smaller and less established publisher - not Bioware. The game was in overall balless and shallow. I didn't mind the ending (although it sucked) but the fact that there were so few really good scenes in this play.

The ending of this game ruined over 5 years of Mass Effect gameplay. The developers are dishonest, deceitful, and have done an enormous disservice to their fans. The people who say they like the ending are not objective or smart enough to see the enormous plot holes and inconsistencies with ANYTHING pertaining to this game.

People take the ending of this game far too seriously and don't judge it based on its own merits- They expect a flash-bang ending, boom, shoot the bad guys and go home just like the first two. They don't want to think. They don't want to get philosophy in their explosions. They take this stuff far, far too seriously.

I have been a huge fan of the entire Mass Effect trilogy. Most of ME3 carries on the trend, allowing the player to continue identifying with Commander Shepard...until the ending. Unfortunately, all decisions, choices, actions, and events leading up to the finale have no impact on the ultimate end. In addition, though Bioware specifically stated there would be "wildly different endings" and that the multiplayer would be completely non-obligatory, those statements are false. The multiplayer is essential to gain significant war assets required for the "best" (same ending, slightly different final scene), and the "wildly different endings" is one ending with three different colored explosions that all do the same exact thing with the same exact result.

#RetakeMassEffect

Hold the Line.… Expand

Great game, but slightly disappointing compared with ME2. The thing I loved about ME2 was the believable world the game took place in, the character development and the feeling that there were real consequences to your actions. ME3 has far less depth, with side quests simply being fetch quests initiated by overhearing NPC incidental conversations. I was also annoyed by how easy it was to skip passed prominent characters from ME2 without ever meeting them. (Got an email from Thane, but by the time I returned to Citadel it had already been invaded and I can only assume he died, because he never was in that hospital) The addition of multiplayer makes up for a lot of these sins, which although it is just horde mode with no pvp, I'm finding it highly addictive. I don't agree with calls to change the ending, it is what it is, but can't shake the slight feeling of disappointment it failed to live up to the promise of ME2. Still great game that I would recommend to anyone.… Expand

pathetic ending to a great franchise. i loved all the games and played all of them. spent countless hours keeping my self updated on this franchise. but in the end they give us the worst ending in gaming history

In a vacuum, this game doesn't suck. Objectively, it was the weakest of the 3 and that is why it deserves the low rating. Therefore in context, this was just not a good game. Likely you already know the ending was so bad that it overshadowed so much of the rest of it. In an RPG, the story is kind of important to the overall enjoyment of the game. Part of the problem is that the story was so weighed down from the previous 2 games that it collapsed under the weight. Nothing was new. It was boring and predictable in quite a few places. Somehow planet scanning even got worse! Also, there were major flaws that mechanically drug it down also. I don't recall a single mini-game. It was just walking around pressing "A" button. Without giving anything away, the mechanic in the downtime makes Sheperd an eavesdropping weirdo. He just walked around like a creepy guardian angel. The multiplayer is surprisingly fun and the combat is better in someways, but on the whole, its just not as good as its predecessors. That is what I think bothers so many people. I pre-ordered the CE from amazon. Currently, I am torn about sending it back and just forgetting the whole thing ever happened. Swing and a miss.… Expand

There was something disturbingly familiar about the ending before me. the three choices was all deus ex machina

"you're the reaper, shepard"

the truth split my skull open, a glaring green light
washing the lies away.
all of my past was just pointless choices, words hanging
with no meaning.

i was the reaper

funny as hell, it was the most horrible ending i could think of.

This game does not belong on the shelves of public video game stores. It might as well be half a disk, since the disk itself you'd be getting would have essentially the same amount of content and care put into it. For all I know, the game may be fantastic. It might. However, I'll never know as long as it's incomplete.