I am a HUGE fan of the Mass Effect series and although the ending may not have been what I hoped, it has grown on me...
Good Points-
>Story- as with previous Mass Effect games, I love the story driven gameplay, it's not all about 'shooty, shoot', save the world from annihilation as you would in games like the MW series. This game is one of a dying breed, fuelled by emotion and decisions, in a universe you have really grown to love over the course of 3 games.
>Decisions- The decisions you make in this game are bigger, more influential, and harder. At stages I had to pause the game and go through in my head which decision would be the best for me. Bioware have really tried to put the pressure on you, Commander Shepard, and really emphasise how big his role in the Reaper war actually is.
>Gameplay- More dynamic gameplay and level design keeps you entertained throughout the game. In Mass Effect 2 there were times where you would just feel like you were repeating yourself: get behind cover, shoot some vorcha, advance, cover, more vorcha ect. But at no point during ME3 do you feel like this. The battlefield is constantly changing, more like ME2: Lair of the Shadow Broker, where the spawn point of enemies is constantly changing, meaning you have to readapt to the environment and see it in a different way.
>Characters- The characters we have all built relationships with in the previous games continue to feel authentic and the brilliant voice acting continues to supply that. You really get to feel for the characters more than you can possibly have ever imagined yourself doing so throughout the course of the game.
>Multiplayer- When Bioware first announced multiplayer, I was unsure of what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised. The multiplayer is entertaining and rewarding; I was a little disappointed at the absence of playing as an Elcor, but nevertheless, it was a great addition to the game. The galactic readiness feature pushed me on to get 100% in each theatre of war to ensure I was prepared for the final assault.
Bad Points-
>Ending- It pains me to type this but, due to the, what seemed unfinished, ending, ME3 is not the best game of all time ever :( [SPOILERS!!!] The choices that you make in the end with 'the catalyst' seem a bit confusing and ultimately disappointing, however, this is primarily because you have to sacrifice all you have come to love about the games, it was emotional watching the mass relays blow up, along with the citadel and watching what looked like the end of the ME universe as we know it. My other criticism was that I wanted to see an ending from each characters point of view, what happens to them. [END SPOILERS!!!]
>Minor glitches- Some cut scenes had light issues and the AI would do some stupid things from time to time. Also some sound issues, but that might just have been my TV… Overall, these minor issues seemed irrelevant to me as the game is epic enough to ignore them.
Mass Effect 3 as a whole is a truly epic game, and although I may have criticized the ending, I fully support the decision Bioware made. I have the utmost respect for Casey Hudson and his team who have given so much time, dedication and commitment to making this game what it is, especially with the pressure of the success of the first two games on their shoulders. Should they make the decision to modify the ending or not, I will be fully behind them and I hope they make some awesome, memorable DLC, that will do the final game in a spectacular trilogy justice.