Mass Effect 3 is a truly unforgettable experience that has much to recommend it as the best game in the trilogy.
For those already familiar with the journey of Commander Shepard and the Normandy, it is likely of no surprise that Mass Effect 3 takes place not long after the ending of Mass Effect 2, where Commander Shepard's team successfully resolved the issue of the mysterious abduction of human colonists. Per the Mass Effect 2 Arrival DLC, Commander Shepard starts off the game in confinement, accused of unnecessarily destroying a Batarian colony to delay the coming Reaper invasion. Before very long, Earth is attacked, and Shepard is summoned from jail and sent off on his journey to save Earth and the galaxy from the Reaper threat.
Along the way, Shepard will have to recruit help from the various races across the galaxy met in earlier games, from the militaristic Turians to the reclusive Quarians. Because of the diplomatic tensions between races and each race's own self-interest, this is a daunting task that presents many moral dilemmas along the way. As a result of the war, Mass Effect 3 has easily the darkest tone of the series. There are many instances where a decision you make will lead to tragedy, such as the death of a beloved comrade. These events are beautifully presented and leave a powerful emotional impact which is perhaps the game's greatest strength. The writing in the game is absolutely superb, certainly up to Bioware's typical standards.
The story still has plenty of high points despite the darkness, such as when your squad is triumphant in a long pitched battle with a large Reaper, seeing your victory as it crumbles is incredibly satisfying. If you wish, as in previous games, Commander Shepard can pursue a love interest. While this feature does not seem as fully fleshed out as it was in Mass Effect 2, some of the moments you share with your partner are incredibly touching. There is also plenty of humor and occasional comic relief in the game to lighten the dark mood, presenting a nice emotional balance between the highs and lows.
The story does have its issues, and other than the ending, these are relatively minor. In some instances (like the start of the game) characters are introduced which it is assumed the player already knows of, even though they were not present in previous games. As it turns out, these characters were introduced in other various media, like graphic novels, which most people likely did not read. It is also important to briefly mention the ending. While difficult to discuss without spoiling anything, the ending is disappointing, leaving far too many questions and minimalizing some of the choices made throughout the series. In my opinion, it is not bad enough to ruin the great experience of Mass Effect 3, but if you play Mass Effect 3, prepare for some disappointment there. The impending DLC should offer some improvement, but time will tell in that regard.
Supplementing the great story is a much-improved combat system. Mass Effect 3 plays as its predecessors did, as a third person shooter with RPG elements, and this time Bioware has finally nailed it. Taking cover movement between cover has been streamlined, as it is now very easy to get into cover and safely navigate the battlefield. Environments have now been opened up and given a more unique layout from battle to battle, ensuring a more exciting experience in pitched firefights. Unfortunately, the AI of your squadmates and even enemies at times remains as dull as ever, so don't expect much improvement in this regard.
The game's trademark combat methods have also been improved. Biotics have been upgraded so that when two different powers are combined on the same enemy, explosions can be created which cause high damage to the enemy and any other nearby foes. This makes biotics great fun to play around with. Similar enhancements have been made to the tech powers, but these are a little harder to pull off. Further adding to the improved combat is the depth of the weapon system. It is now possible for any class to use any weapon, but weapons are now assigned a weight value. Higher weight means your character's powers regenerate more slowly, and more powerful weapons are given higher weights. This presents an interesting dilemma when setting up a character between weapon strength and power cooldown, one not present in previous games.
Enemies are about the same as previous titles, but thankfully more varied than the endless humanoid armies faced in Mass Effect 2. The Reapers present a very varied enemy class, from humanoid creatures to large Brutes which are essentially large bulldozers on the battlefield, combat is more varied than it ever has been in the series. Even the humanoid enemy classes have been given flavor. For example, one such enemy carries a sword and runs around the battlefield, using superior agility to avoid damage and wreak havoc on your party is if it gets too close. All in all, Mass Effect 3 has greatly improved the combat to the point where any weaknesses come in the form of only minor bugginess from time to time. Combat no longer holds the game back, though the lack of vehicle sections this time around is a bit disappointing, as this would have created even more variety.
The main mission structure in Mass Effect 3 is unchanged from previous games. Main story missions advance the plot, and usually deal with a major diplomatic issue or important battle against the Reapers. The only side quests that take you to new locations are N7 missions, which are usually short combat-based romps. The other side missions usually come in the form fetch quests, which is very disappointing, and as a result the game doesn't feel as open as its predecessors. Completing missions grants you war assets, which are kept track of on the Normandy and directly affect your odds defeating the Reapers at the final battle. The importance of these missions is often proportional to the amount of war assets at stake. The choices you made in previous games regularly present themselves as war assets, which is a nice way of roping in the thousands of different paths to Mass Effect 3.
Unfortunately, your success in the final battle may be directly affected by how much you like playing with other people. Multiplayer influences a "readiness rating" which, as a percentage, is multiplied by your total assets to give your actual effective assets. For example, if I have 8000 assets, at 50% readiness (default) this reduces to 4000 effective assets for the final fight. If I play some multiplayer and increase this to 75% readiness, my war assets now total an effective 6000. People have figured out that it is impossible to attain the best ending without some multiplayer to boost your effective assets (which influence your ending), which is to some extent unforgivable if Mass Effect is marketed as a single player game. With future DLC this may no longer be the case, but as a matter of principle, it seems the best ending should be attainable through normal gameplay
The multiplayer itself is good, but not great. It operates as a four player co-op mode where you and three others fight off waves of familiar enemies and complete objectives to earn credits along the way. Earning credits allows you to purchase packs, which contain new characters, new weapons, and character training. Multiplayer is the only mode where you can play as other races (other than the human Shepard), which is something to experience at least once. Different levels of difficulty exist to challenge your squad, and higher difficulty settings reward more credits, so as you become better at the game it is worth it to try harder settings. The multiplayer's biggest flaw is a lack of variety, as without much of a story you have seen pretty much everything rather quickly. It is still fun enough to play quite a bit of, but there is little else noteworthy or memorable about it.
Finally, it is important to note how the game performs. Graphically, it is the best in the series. Texture pop-in has been reduced but not altogether eliminated, which is a positive step at least. Environments are varied and occasionally beautiful and extremely atmospheric. Frame rate stutters mar combat on occasion, but not often enough to cause major issues. The sound is top-notch, as are the voice acting and dialogue, with every aspect uniformly excellent. The music, sound effects, and voices are all excellent, and when combined with the frantic combat and top-tier graphics it is easy to lose yourself in the world Bioware has created for you.
For all Mass Effect 3 does right, from its improved combat to its excellent story and appearance, its questionable ending still looms above all else, which is unfortunate. Mass Effect 3's other problems range from minor to sometimes moderate in nature, and only occasionally detract from the quality of the experience. All things considered, Mass Effect is certainly one of the must-play games of 2012. I recommend you play through the excellent Mass Effect 1&2 prior to embarking on the journey presented in Mass Effect 3 to obtain the full experience, but even as a fresh player you will no doubt love almost everything Mass Effect 3 offers you.