Damn...
Occasionally, I won't follow a game series at all. I'll know next to nothing about them, maybe I hear a few people chatting about it, it pops up in forums periodically, but ultimately, I lose track of it. But then I turn around a few years later and
This shit happens.
It becomes an extraordinary trilogy of epic proportions, with a badass tagline like "TAKE EARTH BACK", and I'm always like, "How the fuck did I miss out on this?"
That's precisely how I felt when I first saw that trailer. I knew of Mass Effect, but I didn't know much about it. I deeply regret not getting into it sooner. Over the short time I've been playing Mass Effect, it already means a lot to me. It's all I do with most of my free time (besides writing the reviews for my devoted readers), my friends hate me because it's all I talk about... y'know, standard addiction stuff.
Mass Effect 3 was an exhilarating blockbuster of gaming. Everything that was great from the previous titles came together and was polished to perfection. From beginning to end, it's a high-staked, action-packed blast.
The game starts off on Earth for the first time. Right in the first cutscene, the shit hits the fan and the Reapers attack Earth. As Shepard reluctantly flees the dying planet, you see a kid climb into an escape shuttle that is immediately shot down and ignites into a fiery explosion, letting you know right off that this installment is not going to be a blissful, deep-space romp. It's gloomy, it's dark, it's doomy. I don't think it's any real spoiler to say that a lot of people die, both the unnamed and the named. It's a much more emotional game than the others which is, I think, where this game excels beyond most. Most games are about the action and yadda yadda, but I can't think of a game of this type that's as emotionally driven as it is. It makes you feel for what's going on and actually drives you to form a veritable hatred toward the Reapers, which then only further heightens the emotions. After following these characters for 50+ hours, you start to really care about them and want to see them live which makes it all the more painful to see them die. I dove through the story, not desperate for the gunplay but to find out what would happen next.
One of my favorite things about this game is the sound. Playing this game warrants the use of a surround-sound, badass stereo-system. The sound effects are amazing. Bullets cut the air and whizz by, spaceships blast into hyperspeed like never before and Reapers produce an earth-shuddering rumble.
And speaking of which, the fully-orchestrated score in this game is immaculate and perfectly heightens the action as well as reminding you of the dark and emotional undertone. My favorite piece being the one that plays as you helplessly watch the Reapers ravage your home-world.
And speaking of which, the fully-orchestrated score in this game is immaculate and perfectly heightens the action as well as reminding you of the dark and emotional undertone. My favorite piece being the one that plays as you helplessly watch the Reapers ravage your home-world.
See this for reference.
It all makes for one hell of a cinematic and gripping experience which is hard to describe until you're playing it yourself.
The cutscenes are as great as ever, but the coolest thing about them is that every cutscene flows seamlessly with the gameplay. Never is there a loading transition. It's somewhat amazing. I can't think of many other games that are like that, and it doesn't break up the tension nor does it the combat.
And speaking of the combat...
It's fucking incredible in this game. The battles feel so much closer than they ever did. Diving out of the way of incoming brutes is enough to get your adrenaline going.
The combat just flows so well. The gunplay is tuned up and perfected. It doesn't feel like I'm sporadically flinging bullets towards my enemies, but rather like I'm taking my targets down with precision and tactics. I also love the addition of the "heavy melee" which is just plain radical. Plus, you can finally curb stomp those fucking Husks.
Unlike the previous installment, this one succeeds at changing up combat more effectively with levels that have intermittent shockwaves exploding down the hallways or ones with giant flashing lights that obscure the battlefield every few seconds. It's awesome and it keeps the game from feeling repetitive. As for the Reaper fights...
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I can honestly say that the one on one Reapers battles were among the best moments in gaming I've experienced over the course of this generation. Frantically rolling out of the way of massive blasts that annihilate anything it touches as the behemoth utters it's haunting groans. These battles are of apocalyptic proportions. I was on the edge of my seat, completely wired during each encounter.
As far as technical shit goes, for one, the graphics are phenomenal. The controls feel better than the previous installments, taking cover isn't finicky as it would sometimes be in the others. The navigation is improved again from the second one. When I was first using it in this, I thought it made it almost too easy, but I think it works very well, overall. Also, the maps are easier to read too. As well as labeling every area, it also lists significant characters under each area's name. That way, you spend little time combing the area, trying to find that one guy that you want to speak with or forgot the location of.
Not to mention, this game has one thing that every RPG should have: a hot-keyed save feature. All you have to do is hit the back button and 'ping!' game saved. It's interesting because I saw that exact idea printed in a Game Informer article awhile back in a list of "Things Every Game Should Have". I guess someone was actually taking notes.
I generally had little frustration upon death. For the most part, I felt like I deserved it whenever I died, not like I was cheated by some bullshit mechanic or glitch which tends to be the case frequently in other games.
Speaking of glitches, in my experience, I found that this game was surprisingly devoid of them. Not once did I see so much as a clipping limb. That's pretty impressive for a game on this scale. I can stomach the graphical issues, but the ones that involve losing significant amounts of save data...
Not surprisingly, the characters aren't elaborated on much in this game. That's generally expected of a third installment in a trilogy. The first is where they're all introduced. the second is where all of the character development takes place and the third is where all of the action goes down.
I didn't see every character from the last game reappear, but that was probably due to something I missed on this play-through... oh well, there's always next time.
Something that is pretty nifty in this game is the dialogue that happens between the characters that actually exclude Shepard. Rather than just stick to their respective posts all of the time, characters will venture about the Normandy and there are plenty of times where you can walk in on a conversation and just listen to it play out. These interactions range from hilarious to dead serious and are not limited to just the normandy, it occurs during combat as well.
One of the most poignant moments in the game is right before you start the final suicide mission. Rather than just the usual "it was an honor" sort of thing, each character gives a unique speech, my favorite of these being the one from Garrus ("Meet me in the bar"). Again, this is only effective in even the most remote way if you're invested in the characters, which, after playing through all three games, I don't see not happening. To invoke that sort of feeling can only be done by master writing which is backed up by what's among of the most solid cast I've ever seen in a video game that improved with every succeeding game.
So, is there anything I disliked about this game or is this just some sort of overselling of it because I just picked up a new sponsor? Well, there were a few nit-picky things that I didn't like, but they're almost not worth mentioning. But, hey, since you've read this far, you probably care at least a little, so I'll speak my mind.
I found that when I imported my female character from ME2 she looked pretty weird. I have no idea why that is, but she looked quite different from the face I'd gotten used to over the course of the first and second game. The game gives you the opportunity to touch it up, but I wasn't able to get it to look quite right. This was only a one time issue though, my male character looked fine.
Probably the only real complaint I have is that the game takes too much narrative away from the player. In the other games, Shepard very rarely spoke without first being orchestrated by the player to tweak the conversation in certain directions and shape your attitude. In this one, it's much more limited. I guess the game assumes things based on the personality you've already established, but I'd prefer to have total control like before.
These games go above and beyond and stand to represent everything that a game can be. It's an intelligent and heavily story-driven plot that could be used to silence any allegation claiming that video games are all violent, murder-fests.
It all makes for one hell of a cinematic and gripping experience which is hard to describe until you're playing it yourself.
 |
And yes, the game is as badass as all of this promotional artwork.
|
The cutscenes are as great as ever, but the coolest thing about them is that every cutscene flows seamlessly with the gameplay. Never is there a loading transition. It's somewhat amazing. I can't think of many other games that are like that, and it doesn't break up the tension nor does it the combat.
And speaking of the combat...
It's fucking incredible in this game. The battles feel so much closer than they ever did. Diving out of the way of incoming brutes is enough to get your adrenaline going.
 |
| Severe amounts of pain in 3...2... |
 |
| Do you have any idea how long I've ben waiting to do that? |
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I can honestly say that the one on one Reapers battles were among the best moments in gaming I've experienced over the course of this generation. Frantically rolling out of the way of massive blasts that annihilate anything it touches as the behemoth utters it's haunting groans. These battles are of apocalyptic proportions. I was on the edge of my seat, completely wired during each encounter.
As far as technical shit goes, for one, the graphics are phenomenal. The controls feel better than the previous installments, taking cover isn't finicky as it would sometimes be in the others. The navigation is improved again from the second one. When I was first using it in this, I thought it made it almost too easy, but I think it works very well, overall. Also, the maps are easier to read too. As well as labeling every area, it also lists significant characters under each area's name. That way, you spend little time combing the area, trying to find that one guy that you want to speak with or forgot the location of.
Not to mention, this game has one thing that every RPG should have: a hot-keyed save feature. All you have to do is hit the back button and 'ping!' game saved. It's interesting because I saw that exact idea printed in a Game Informer article awhile back in a list of "Things Every Game Should Have". I guess someone was actually taking notes.
I generally had little frustration upon death. For the most part, I felt like I deserved it whenever I died, not like I was cheated by some bullshit mechanic or glitch which tends to be the case frequently in other games.
Speaking of glitches, in my experience, I found that this game was surprisingly devoid of them. Not once did I see so much as a clipping limb. That's pretty impressive for a game on this scale. I can stomach the graphical issues, but the ones that involve losing significant amounts of save data...
 |
| >mfw |
I didn't see every character from the last game reappear, but that was probably due to something I missed on this play-through... oh well, there's always next time.
Something that is pretty nifty in this game is the dialogue that happens between the characters that actually exclude Shepard. Rather than just stick to their respective posts all of the time, characters will venture about the Normandy and there are plenty of times where you can walk in on a conversation and just listen to it play out. These interactions range from hilarious to dead serious and are not limited to just the normandy, it occurs during combat as well.
One of the most poignant moments in the game is right before you start the final suicide mission. Rather than just the usual "it was an honor" sort of thing, each character gives a unique speech, my favorite of these being the one from Garrus ("Meet me in the bar"). Again, this is only effective in even the most remote way if you're invested in the characters, which, after playing through all three games, I don't see not happening. To invoke that sort of feeling can only be done by master writing which is backed up by what's among of the most solid cast I've ever seen in a video game that improved with every succeeding game.
So, is there anything I disliked about this game or is this just some sort of overselling of it because I just picked up a new sponsor? Well, there were a few nit-picky things that I didn't like, but they're almost not worth mentioning. But, hey, since you've read this far, you probably care at least a little, so I'll speak my mind.
I found that when I imported my female character from ME2 she looked pretty weird. I have no idea why that is, but she looked quite different from the face I'd gotten used to over the course of the first and second game. The game gives you the opportunity to touch it up, but I wasn't able to get it to look quite right. This was only a one time issue though, my male character looked fine.
 |
| And in case you were wondering, she had sex with this. |
The Ending
Ah, yes. The highly controversial conclusion to the franchise. Do you really want to know what I thought about it?
Satisfying.
Yep.
Not giving anything away here, but you can all suck my dick because I thought the ending was fine just the way it was. I'll admit it was somewhat disappointing not fighting Harbinger, but the fanbase went way fucking overboard with the hate for it which morphed into pure antipathy. I think it stemmed mostly from over-analyzation, which is when plot holes can emerge and then from there, it just became a trend (like people that hate Twilight). I suppose I may have felt different had I been following the coverage of Mass Effect 3 before it was out and seeing all of the promises, but I didn't because I wasn't into it back then and thus, my opinion is my own.
I didn't necessarily like the ending, but I approved of it and, honestly, if I'd never heard anything about how much of an inhumanity to man it was, I never would've thought twice about it.
Besides, I was far too wrapped up in the exhilaration of the last act and excitement on completing the trilogy to care. I was practically shaking as I walked up to the terminal.
I looked around on the internet to try and understand what it was that was so abhorred because when I beat it, I honestly had no idea what the issue was. Much of what I found was pleb; either over-analyzation or just nit-picky, like, "Well, I didn't like it!"
I looked around on the internet to try and understand what it was that was so abhorred because when I beat it, I honestly had no idea what the issue was. Much of what I found was pleb; either over-analyzation or just nit-picky, like, "Well, I didn't like it!"
As for people bitch that it didn't have enough closure, I say fuck you. Too much closure demystifies it. It'd be like if at the end credits of Inception they just showed the top fall over. Moreover, these same people were also saying that the ending demystifies the Reapers mythology too much. So, please make up your mind before you open your mouth.
Furthermore, an Extended Version DLC and one exact year later, this issue is somewhat dead and no one seems to care anymore, which stands to reason that it was indeed an overreaction.
All in all, this game is a masterpiece and the fact that I've got the thesaurus open here, looking for synonyms for "amazing" is testament to this. Any complaints in this game I could voice are inconsequential and are overridden by the greatness of everything else in it. Bioware really went all out on this game and it shows. Games don't get much closer to perfection than this. Well done. This is one of the best games to come out on this generation and I'm kicking myself for not getting it sooner.
10/Fucking 10 - Just about flawless
I'm going to take a moment here to reflect on the trilogy as a whole, considering how tightly wound they all are and I'll grade it accordingly.
Mass Effect is essentially the fusion of already well-loved genres such as shooters or RPGs. It takes the best of other genres and combines them to achieve perfection. If that's not enough, throw in fantastic writing and some of the most likable and believable characters in gaming.
These games go above and beyond and stand to represent everything that a game can be. It's an intelligent and heavily story-driven plot that could be used to silence any allegation claiming that video games are all violent, murder-fests.
Games that are done similarly are few and far between, but I tend to prefer them immensely I've always been partial towards games where the plot comes first and the gaming, second and Mass Effect is just that. Games of this caliber are always classier and more memorable as it's story-lines stick with us and we become emotionally invested in it rather than just wired in, wasting some aliens, which, don't get me wrong, I'm fine with, but those generally lack a lasting impression.
Bioware never decided that what they had was "good enough." They knew there was always room for improvement and didn't play it safe by sticking to what they know works. It comes off as being a game that exists for no other reason but to communicate a compelling story, not just so someone could get rich, which is amazing considering they're now owned by EA.
So while people on the internet will be whining about how they "deserved" a better ending, I will give Bioware a sincere thank you for giving me one of the most memorable gaming experiences of this generation. Mass Effect is a monument of gaming, through and through.
Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some Reapers who require my bullets.
Bioware never decided that what they had was "good enough." They knew there was always room for improvement and didn't play it safe by sticking to what they know works. It comes off as being a game that exists for no other reason but to communicate a compelling story, not just so someone could get rich, which is amazing considering they're now owned by EA.
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| Where did we go wrong? |
Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some Reapers who require my bullets.
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