This is the chilling conclusion to the epic sci-fi series that undoubtedly revolutionized storytelling in video games.
The spotlight of Mass Effect 3 is the story, and all of the decisions you made in the previous games. Everything you did as Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 1 and 2 will now come back to tell your own unique tale of galactic warfare, survival and drama. The things that go on in the story, the romantic pursuits, the absolutely epic battles, and simply talking to NPCs throughout non-combat explorable areas like the Citadel, is completely engaging being accompanied by near-perfect voice acting and the well-tailored atmosphere. At first, the ending of the game was very disappointing for fans due to the lack of closure and nonsense that surrounded it. But just recently, BioWare released an Extended Cut DLC, completely free, to fix this problem and expand upon the previously abysmal ending. With this Extended Cut, Shepard's story finally comes to a satisfying and memorable end simply coated with emotional effects. A downside is that we never get to meet any female Turians, and the Elcor, Volus and Drell races seem much more absent in this installment.
The graphics in Mass Effect 3 are really, really good. The environments are unbelievably detailed complimented by nice visual effects that set a brilliant atmosphere that really suck you into a believable, futuristic sci-fi universe. The planets look really great, with some beautiful environments, and the synthetic and slick looking walls and feel to the indoor/Citadel environments are memorable and interesting. The textures have been increased in quality since the previous games, but sometimes characters' faces behave in a dated way, whether it be jagged, low-polygon facial features or incredibly low clothing textures. The bewildering use of motion blur in this game is also a bit of an annoyance. I usually like motion blur, very much actually. But in Mass Effect 3, it seems only the gameplay sections in combat feature motion blur, but the cutscenes and normal on-foot exploration do not feature it. I was kind of disappointed by this and I would have preferred they either used it all the time, not at all, or only in the cinematics. There is also some other minor issues which consist of odd shadow flickering and pixelation or clipping issues where certain invisible walls can be breached and cause some glitches or access to otherwise unaccessible areas of the game. Some facial expressions and character gestures during dialogue can also be a little off, but rarely.
The gameplay in Mass Effect 3 is unfortunately dumbed down in more areas than it was improved upon compared to the previous two. You can no longer hack anything, and all of the classes don't feel as unique as they did in Mass Effect 1. It seems to have turned the opposite direction now. The classes all still exist, but it really only determines what abilities you can use. Weapon usage and specialities are now relatively the same. Weapon customization is actually pretty good, and is upgraded from Mass Effect 2's dumbing down of the item system. We (sort of) have items in Mass Effect 3 now, that we can use to improve our weapons' accuracy, damage and stability. The combat is more smooth than ever, but the use of 'arrows' telling you where you can go while in cover seems to be 'pointing out the obvious', since Mass Effect 2 managed to use the exact same cover system but not give us on-screen directions of the options we could use. Sometimes it will get in the way of combat and make the screen look overly-cluttered and complicated, when it really isn't. The dialogue options are still as diverse as ever leaving you with full enjoyment for the cutscenes and story, and certain sequences may either pummel you with almost far too many waves of enemies, or really keep you on the edge of your seat. Mass Effect 3's gameplay is a bit mixed, but enjoyable for the 30-ish hour experience.
The music of Mass Effect is at its best in this installment. The battle tracks are just phenomenal and are a treat to listen to while you kick some enemy's butt. It adds so much energy and satisfaction to the gameplay and combat, it's never a dull moment. The indoor and Citadel locations feel great with the light atmospheric music that plays, namely the return of Mass Effect's excellent presidium soundtrack.
The acting performances are great, and everyone does a splendid job being their characters. Unfortunately, Male Commander Shepard still doesn't meet my standards of 'good voice acting' but he's definitely improved a bit since the first game.
The good:
-Unique story branches really give you a personal experience to shape the fate of the galaxy.
-The characters feel so realistic and unbelievably well-made, it's hard to say good-bye to them when the game actually ends and you've experienced all you can with them.
-Atmospheric visuals and areas really feel more humble and look more amazing than the last two games.
-Epic soundtrack to compliment your simple exploration, intense combat or emotional cutscene moment.
-Really good gun customization and smooth combat that rarely ever does anything cheap.
The bad:
-Graphical quirks such as an odd use of motion blur during combat only. I'd rather have it all the time, not at all or only in cinematics.
-Character development isn't as strong, and during the downtime between major missions, your crewmates on your ship don't have much to say.
-Gameplay dumbed down more than it was improved.
-Previously had an awful ending, but was fixed via free DLC. The ending still is a bit jarring, but will definitely emotionally wreck anyone with a heart. :)
-EA Account registration required to play multiplayer on consoles, Origin client + EA Account REQUIRED to even play the PC version at all.
It was really hard to rate Mass Effect 3 as it did so well in other parts but really disappointed in others. But it absolutely did more things good than bad. I'll throw a 9 at this game simply because it's just so unique and is the most absorbing science fiction experience you'll probably ever see for a long time. You wouldn't want to play Mass Effect for the combat, you'd want to play it for the epic unfolding story that goes on through games 1-3. You can't miss this trilogy.