An immersive, brilliant and satisfying journey that's held back by well known flaws and a lackluster ending. No spoilers
Well, does Bioware pull it off? Or does it fall flat on its own giant ambition? Let's find out.
Graphically, Mass Effect 3 isn't much of a step up from Mass Effect 2. As games and role-playing games in general have continued to push the limit of it's 'coming-of-age' consoles; Mass Effect 3 still manages too look allot like Mass Effect 1 & 2 graphically, which is disappointing. Thankfully! Mass Effect 1 & 2 never looked half bad to begin with, so I can still live with the only meager upgrade to its graphics.
What is disappointing about the presentation in general though, is the lack of unique art style that was so stylishly executed in Mass Effect 2.
I loved the BladeRunner-esque seedy style to Mass Effect 2's environments. Omega, Nos-Astra and Tuchanka, just to name a few.
Mass Effect 3 has an entertaining colour pallet, but sometimes a disarranged one. Lacking no amount of focus in its tone of impending doom (which it does so well at driving towards).
Though some nice touches added here and there are worth mentioning, like the refugee slums and the "have you seen this person" posters hung in sections of the citadel. Also Tuchankas crumbled mess of a planet is still engaging.
Aside from 'artistic approach' in presentation issues, their are some just plain hokey issues that hold the game back as-well; Lip syncing is weirdly off, textures are incredibly blurry up close and some bad pop in appeared quite frequently. Bugs were consistent in my first play through, some of which even caused me to restart my console which is a let down. Though minor, these problems were consistent throughout the Mass Effect series so leaving them out of topic would be foolish.
Luckily the atmosphere still remains perfectly intact. Honourable mention to Clint Mansell who composed the soundtrack, it was done very well and I was never once let down in this general area. The companion of techno synth and futuristic echo drums still works and always provides the perfect tone for fire fights. The return of some of the soundtracks from the previous two games is a warm welcome aswell. Vigils theme still sends chills up my spine.
The voice acting, once again is pulled off, put simply, brilliantly! This is where the Mass Effect trilogy stakes it claim for being better then the best. Never did I once find a lazy performance or a badly written character. The voice acting never slips up and had me in tears in some parts. Hands down, the best voice acting in gaming, Bravo Bioware.
Game play wise, Mass Effect 3 is still flawed, but not in an experience hindering way. Unfortunately, the 'A' button is still the binding for roll, sprint, cover and activate. Yes! It is as annoying as it sounds. Cover also has a tendancy to be a tad sticky, but this was forgivable as It is no less playable, sticky or not.
Shooting is 100 % flawless, enemies take impact to bullet hits realistically and headshots now add a bloody explosion that is devilishly satisfying. Aiming works smooth and quick and I found it easy to switch my reticule between enemies without my miss feeling cheap. Powers are back as to be expected and have a nice *wob* sound to their impact. It's brutal.
The RPG elements have been beefed up since Mass Effect 2 aswell, and this is a worthwhile addition considering Mass Effect 2 greatly lacked in this area and added little replay value. Levelling up a skill now provides you with three "tree like" options; this doesn't drastically change a skill, but does leave room for re-playability. Weapons can now be upgraded with mods, scopes and silencers. Also returning, is the ability to level up weapons, which is a nice addition, though still not to drastic.
Still, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a full blown RPG, But definitely worthy of being categorized as one.
The dialogue wheel takes a bad hit in Mass Effect 3, I was unfortunately almost always greeted to only two dialogue options and 1 question with an occasional investigate option. This is a major disappointment; conversations now feel less fleshed out and more linear. But in a way, this is to be expected in the finale of a trilogy which is doing its best to end a trilogy not flesh out characters to much. So I was able to look past this and still enjoy what my Shepard had too say and how I was replied to.
The gem of Mass Effect, as we all know, is the story! Bioware definitely had their hands full with this mother load of a story. All the recently added characters to wrap up, all the relationships and decisions that were to alter how your game played out and not to mention the insane fans at the throats of Bioware, questioning every decision they made. Well I can assure you ladies and gentlemen, this one doesn't let down, in fact, it surpasses what you could of even hoped for, emotionally that is. Everything is wrapped up nicely and the fleshed out characters that we all know and love, are a well placed backbone for some dramatic moments.
In the end, everything is wrapped up cleanly, with the characters and with some stand-out moments that will stay with hardcore fans, for an incredibly long time.
Their's an unfortunate downside to this masterpiece of a story, I'm sure the few people reading this were waiting for me to get to this part. Well...
Did I like the endings?
No I didn't. While a neat idea for any Sci-fi game, Mass Effect 3 was not exactly set up for this type of ending. Hardcore fans will be left with a sour taste in their mouths and the general fans playing it will be left perplexed. The lack of closure was definitely a let down and not seeing my decisions come to a unique ending was a strange move by bioware.
The sore reaction of fans is understandable.
In the end Mass Effect 3 is a terrific final instalment to a terrific franchise, that contain some problems that have always plagued the trilogy and hold it back from greatness. My firm belief, is that we should take Mass Effect 3 as a third part of a trilogy and not a game itself, which by that I mean, if you have not played Mass Effect 1 & 2, their really isn't a reason for you to buy this game, unless you're interested in the action. For the fans upset about the endings, I do agree, you have a right to be, but I still believe you should be more appreciative and humble to Bioware for providing this gem of a trilogy.