This is easily the most intense game of the series. It carries over the same style of gameplay as the last two games, but it immediately emphasizes its qualities as a shooter game moreso than a strategy or RPG game. Most of the game will have you pitted against wave after wave of enemies; you're granted more dynamic control to jump, duck, roll around, and use your cover more effectively. Melee combat is a little more advanced. You still have your squad members to control, special powers to employ, and you can still micromanage your weapons and mods. Combat is pretty decent overall, but the disadvantage is that it's taken on more of the properties of other shooter games, like Kill Zone or Battlefield. It can get very irritating very quickly to find yourself constantly pinned down, outflanked, and overwhelmed by advanced Cerberus soldiers and crazy-powerful Reapers. The battles toward the end of the game are especially insane, you you'd have to really on your toes if you want to survive. I found it frustrating at times, but progress is still good and rewarding enough to keep me going to the end.
After the initial scenes on Earth and Mars, I was quite thrilled to be back in the starship Normandy, to once again direct the ship all around the galaxy freely. With the Reaper invasion, however, exploring the galaxy becomes treacherous; any time you jump to another solar system, if you scan around too much, you'll be pursued by the enemy, and possibly destroyed. While the last two games made exploration rewarding with side missions and resource gathering, your only motivation now is to find artifacts and war assets. In spite of that, there is a lot less to do in the galaxy; there are still many side missions, but it definitely isn't as wide-spread or flexible as the last two games. As far as your team goes, they come to you naturally in the course of the story, like in the first game. A few familiar faces return, and there are a few new teammates. The selection is not quite as big as before, and it feels quite limiting.
The story for Mass Effect 3 is the biggest and most ambitious of the lot. The most impressive thing about the game is that nearly every decision you make in the last two games will impact the gameplay. Every person you let live will come back; or, every person you let die won't. Every good decision has an impact, and every bad decision could hinder you. Best of all, every character you meet along the way, if they haven't died before, will return in some form. Additionally, all the interesting struggles you encountered before - the Genophage, the Quarians' fight with the Geth - are fully resolved, based on your decisions and interactions with the characters. It all contributes to the final fight in the end. As you go along, you accumulate war assets that impact the final battle on Earth (which can be amplified with online play, which increases your galactic readiness rating).
When the final battle occurs, it is probably the coolest space battle I've seen in a while. The ground combat gets intense, until finally, you reach the end. I've seen a lot of hate over this game's ending; many gamers feel cheated and robbed, because there is no happy ending in Mass Effect 3. Depending on your choices, the number of assets you've brought to the battle, and your paragon/renegade rating, you're given the choice if a few different endings. None of them lead to a particularly good ending; whatever you pick will be bittersweet. I personally felt that this was always in the cards; after three games of cheating death and fighting these bloody Reapers, I never expected a straightforward victory. As it is, I love the way the game forces you to make the hard choice; regardless of how "satisfying" it really is, I think it's bold and interesting.
This game is presented with top-quality graphics; it is easily the best-looking game of the series. Everything looks smooth, has sharp textures, and the lighting is not bad. The controls are intuitive and easy to use. Voice-acting, sound effects, and music are all great. This game continues to use a plethora of great-looking settings, props, costumes, weaponry, creatures, and more throughout the game. Multiplayer is included with the game, allowing you to take on waves of enemies with up to three squad members online; it's simple and a bit repetitive, but not nearly as much of a chore as I feared.
This game offers the biggest and most challenging combat of the series. The first game still has the best storyline. The second is still my favorite. The trilogy overall is superb though, and I'm grateful that this third game provides all the necessary closure (no matter how unconventional the ending is). The entire series has immersed me in a fantastic universe full of fantastic aliens, awesome starships, gorgeous extraterrestrial planets, and more, while still telling a quality story with numerous lovable characters. I'd gladly recommend the entire series to gamers, but this third one is best appreciated by fans of the series.
4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Game: Perfect)
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