Bevendre

At the request of a certain chicken man, let’s take a look at one of the best, and most controversial, games of 2012: Mass Effect 3.  Bear in mind that I have not played this game since it was released, and have not touched the DLC, so this review is over the main game alone.

Spoilers, duh.

Mass Effect 3 acts as the final chapter in the Shepard trilogy of the Mass Effect Universe, and ends arcs of the Reapers and Cerberus set up in the previous two games.  Released in March 2012 for Xbox 360 and PC, it was also the first entry in the series to be released on the PS3 at its inception instead of several months, or years later.

Gameplay

Mass Effect 3 takes the third-person shooter, and RPG mechanics of the other games in the franchise, and refines them, melding them together in a more organic balance that overall feels much better than its predecessors.  Where the original Mass Effect felt like an RPG in which you shot things, and the second Mass Effect felt like a third-person shooter in which you manage things, Mass Effect 3 blends the best parts of both games almost perfectly.  The action elements are refined from ME2 with tighter controls and a greater variety of enemies, as well as a greater sense of space and positioning, where there more often seemed to be a sense of verticality to the fights of ME3 than ME2.  Abilities hold much more weight and are very much needed and abusable in ME3 where before they felt worthwhile, but overall unnecessary.  For once the action in a game is actually helped by voice controls (at least on the 360 version with the Kinect) allowing for immediate response from your allies.  Though it’s not necessary to play, it is a fun addition that is worth checking out.

Where the action is refined from 2, the RPG elements come straight from the original, having been largely simplified or removed in the second game.  Where in the original entry most resources had to be selected and managed in terms of weapon and armor choice, and leveling, the second game almost completely removed the need to make a choice as the level cap allowed for a maxed out character in most if not all fields, and there was almost no choice in weaponry.  In ME3 the item management returns to a much lesser, and more manageable extent.  The selection of parts, weapons and armors are varied, but not overwhelming as they could seem in ME1, and allow for choice without requiring a spreadsheet.  The leveling also allows for more character customization, containing more skills and points than ME2, but less than ME1, which strikes a nice balance that requires some input, but doesn’t need to be obsessed over.

The dialogue trees and morality measures that Bioware is known for make their return, and for the final entry in a trilogy tend to not disappoint.  Importing a saved game from ME2 results in a personalized experience that makes every choice and decision made before feel worthwhile and impactful to the game, at first.  More on that when we go over story.

A new entry into the Mass Effect series is the inclusion of multiplayer.  Thank you Bioware.  The multiplayer elements of ME3 are wonderful, albeit somewhat bare-bones.  Although it feels like a fairly typical horde mode it still provides ample fun, especially with friends in an online party.  Maps are generally tight and well designed, often being taken directly from the main game, and the enemy AI is a joy to play against, especially with a group on higher difficulties.  The unlock system is a little wonky, and suffers from a ‘freemium’ build, but it’s 2012 EA and no one expected any different.

Story and Presentation

The bread and butter of any Bioware game is its story, and like its predecessors ME3 does not disappoint.  The fan (and personal) favorites from the previous games make their return, and each carries with them the choices that you made in their lives and actions before allowing for a more personal feel to each one.  While not all characters will join you, it feels good to see what your actions in the past have wrought, and how it changed the lives of others directly.  

The main story in ME3 is set front and center, and the galactic threat of extinction is palpable from the first 10 minutes when the Reapers attack Earth.  While a sense of urgency is generally lost while grinding out side missions and poking about on the various planets and the Citadel, when in a story mission it is hard to not feel a sense of impending dread as the giant death-ships loom overhead with their Inception-booming presence.  The main story of ME3 is memorable, and emotional, especially after playing through the previous 2 games and coming to know characters who may or may not make it out.  Bioware are masters at storytelling and character interactions, and in ME3 gave me not one, but several moments that actually brought tears, especially when Mordin Solus and Legion were involved.  Characters new and old felt organic and at times lifelike, and their actions and reactions served to cement many of the moments in ME3 as the most memorable in the series.  Thresher Maws anyone?

Then there’s the controversy.  While the storyline of ME3 is presented fantastically, the ending is very hit or miss and went against the spirit of the entire franchise, to a point.  Instead of feeling as though every choice you made was impactful and important, instead of seeing the difference that your choices made throughout the games, you are given a rather deus ex machina ending featuring a total of 3 cookie-cutter choices and a character that had never been hinted at, mentioned, or considered before that point.  When I first finished the game the ending did not bother me very much, and I even thought that for what it was it was pretty good.  However, after reflecting upon all the other choices, their impacts, the experiences, the gains, the losses, and everything else that made up the narratives of the three games, the ending of ME3 is disappointing, and people were right to criticize it, and to theorize about it.  However, it does not ruin the game, and does not ruin the dozens of hours leading up to it even if it is disappointing.

The graphics and sound design of ME3 are top notch, especially for 2012.  Every planet feels unified, but each one also feels distinct and unique, carrying with it the culture and history of its races.  The Reapers feel epic in size and scope as they roam about the galaxy and wipe out populations, feeling like an immediate threat with their sound and design.  The music was gorgeous and perfectly fit where it was put in.  I may not remember it perfectly (it’s been 2 years since I touched the game, I should fix that) but I would gladly listen to the soundtrack alone, and that doesn’t happen often with me.

Replayability

You have multiple classes, each with their own skillset and play style. You have dozens of combinations of allied characters to choose from, and different ways to build them and yourself.  You have dozens, if not hundreds, of different choices and outcomes that build up and culminate through 3 games to reach the end of ME3.  PLAY THESE GAMES OVER AND OVER AND OVER!!  

Yes, the ending boils down to a choice between 3 colors, and a varied amount of destruction.  That doesn’t matter.  What matters is everything that leads up to that final choice, and there’s a lot, A LOT to choose from before that point.  The story in all three games can be tackled many ways, and it should.  Even if you don’t want to play through all 3 or you’d make the same choices, it’s still worth another playthrough.

As I’ve already said, the multiplayer actually adds a lot to the game.  It’s fun, addictive, can actually help you in the campaign, etc. etc. etc.  There’s not much on the surface level, but there’s plenty to enjoy and get behind, especially after you’ve unlocked and built several characters.  In its early days with challenges and goals that would span the entire system of players on a console/system it gave a sense of belonging and weight to your individual actions.  I don’t know if that’s still the case, but it’s definitely worth checking out and playing, even alone.

Verdict

Mass Effect 3 is a fantastic game.  It is a beautiful, palpable, wonderful game.  It may suffer a little bit from a less than adequate ending, but the journey in this title alone is well worth the $60 that I spent on it at launch, and definitely worth the marked down price it’s at now.

On its own it stands very strongly, and could easily be called the best in the series in terms of gameplay and story events.  As the ending of the series, it meets 98% of expectations, and blows those out of the water.  For the full experience, play through the series from the start and sculpt your Shepard to your specifications.  It’s worth the time.

If you haven’t done so already, give Mass Effect as an entire series a look.  There’s a lot to love for fans of sci-fi, and even some to love for those who loathe the genre.  The characters are great, the story is huge, and every decision you make feels like it has some weight to it.  It’s one of my favorite series, and Mass Effect 3 doesn’t disappoint me as an entry, even if it does disappoint as an ending.  Despite a rocky end, the journey is well worth every hour I put into the game and the trilogy.

9.7/10