By Scott Jeffrey
Mass Effect 3 has become one of the most heavily criticized games since its release last Tuesday. I for one have actually got very little to criticise this game for. With so many user reviews feeling let down or cheated, I have to say I feel quite satisfied with this product, and found the end of the Mass Effect Series to be lasting and bittersweet.
With so many games that pick you up and carry you away with their story, Bioware have become masters of doing this to the point where you just seem to never hit the ground. When I picked up Mass Effect 3, I found it nearly impossible to put it down. Every plot twist, every old character and nearly every side mission, has something that will make a player who has actively followed the story of Commander Shepard and his crew since Mass Effect 1 stare at the screen in awe.
I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but it is gripping. Never before have I felt so much pressure when making decisions in a story conversation. Mass effect has always has multiple endings and multiple storylines, all which can be based from decisions and conversation options. In this third and final installment, shit gets real and the stakes are the highest they have ever been. Earth is at risk and the majority of the time, it’s you the player that decides whether earth is going to get bloowed up.
The actual missions are a ton of fun. The combat feels as slick as ever with three different game modes to choose from. I like that Mass Effect 3 can be played just like a shooter, this is the control style similar to the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. Also I like that they still have their regular rpg shooter style because that is how I am used to playing the main campaign. I love searching around and I love slowplaying missions and weighing conversation options, it is a quality and style of gameplay that Bioware has become synonymous with and I am glad they didn’t just convert it over.
Now I have heard many responses that EA has ruined Bioware, now you can see some touches of EA encroaching into Bioware tradition, this is mostly with use of the online pass and allowing for the shooter style of gameplay, the game still feels quite good and as if I am playing a classic, So I personally do not harbor these concerns.
The multiplayer is quite fun. It is sort of a rip off of horde mode, in gears of war, but with a few objective based waves added in. The first time I played I remember laughing out loud as I ripped apart a geth in a multiplayer match using a shockwave biotic. Being able to use guns and biotic powers to crush enemies, is something very cool in multiplayer. The system of having a character with upgraded powers and having to unlock weapons and character races by saving up money from completing waves to buy supply crates, is also an interesting incentive to play. I still covet a krogan soldier, which I just can’t seem to get out of a crate yet. I also like that by playing the multiplayer it can have an effect on your single player campaign, by clearing the system of foes in multiplayer you can increase your readiness for war, meaning potentially the end battle will be an easier one.
Visually this game was pretty spectacular. The rendered footage is jaw dropping and the cinematics are big screen quality. During the gameplay everything has a slick and futuristic look, I did encounter a few glitches, and unless you can install this on the 360 platform expect a fair amount of loading times and disk changing.
Soundtrack was amazing as always. Mass effect has always had music that may as well be straight out of tron, and Mass Effect 3 has a soundtrack that would even impress Daft Punk. This was kind of to be expected though as it was written by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a dream OST/ Black Swan OST), a world class composer.
Overall I am just really impressed with this game, everything about it has been an enjoyable experience, my only real gripe is that some more side missions and content could have potentially been added, I guess that is what the DLC will be for though I suppose. I was able to finish my first mass effect play through in about 26 hours, doing most of the side missions. This is an average to long game in terms of many xbox 360 titles, but it didn’t seem to have the bulk of single player gameplay, that Mass Effect 2 did. Mass Effect 3 allows you to start again keeping all of your character stats from your first play through, which I have begun to do, only to see what choices I could have made and what I potentially missed.
Score: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Story/Writing: 10/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Overall: 46/50
Take Away Thought: Borrow or purchase the first two if you can. These games allow you to import a character from the first game to the second game to the third game, so you can essentially play the same character all the way through, with all the choices recorded on each. I would recommend this game and series to anyone. Even hardcore FPS(First Person Shooter) players can get into an RPG (Role Playing Game) this style, and with such high quality voice acting and story, nobody should have to miss out.
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