Mass Effect 3 review

Why does the side say that ESRB rated it for "Mild Violence"? That is surely not accurate! XD

I completed Mass Effect 3 a few weeks ago, a really enjoyed the storyline and the themes of sacrifice and friendship throughout the game's story. Although, having a great story, the free roam doesn't really feel like a true free roam, as mentioned before in other user's comments, the lack of truly explorable worlds the detail of options available to do in these worlds, gives Mass Effect 3 a very short "shelf-life". After gaining most of the achievements and completing the side quests to gain greater war assets for the ending, I grew very bored of the game and struggled to find anything to do. In short, very good story which really captures the drama and emotion you experience throughout the game, however, dull free roam and lack of interesting and difficult side-quests, make Mass Effect 3, a play in between big releases game.

The extended ending still fails to fix the real problems, and as the name suggests simply makes it longer. The endless focus on the finale also detracts from the other, perhaps bigger issues that the game has, such as lack of real sidequests, explorable worlds and vehicles which still leave it feeling, unfinished, messy and badly written.

I was okay with the original ending, and I don't like the fact that Bioware had to change their ending because some people didn't like it, but I can admit that these endings are better (though dammit I wish I knew which one was the "good" ending). Whatever. Regardless of the endings, the mass effect games are my favorite games of all time, and in a lot of ways, this one is the best of the bunch. Great review, though I personally would give it a ten.

Google Deus Ex Machina. Just do it.

Wait why are reviewing the game now?

The extended ending thing was DLC just this week, that's why.

I actually liked Extended Cut less. It had me right up until the moment Bishop started narrating a montage of still images. 1.9GB and all they could manage was a clip show? Plus, the original intention (which I liked) was to leave the Normandy crew to settle and repopulate on an Eden-like planet. To just show them up and picking up 5 minutes later lessens the impact of that original scene.

Why does this not surprise me...

I play for the story. I enjoy the game play, but it is the ending that will tie it up for me. Unfortunately Bioware screwed the pooch on that one. Everything else is fine, but seems rushed. We could of had all these side missions deal with, maybe an extra 5 to 10 hours alone with all the crap we had to find, but hey whatever. The combat was great, i don't know why everyone said that they had issues with combat, i never had any. And i still can get over how people could accept that god awful ending, the first batch, so easily. Its like reading harry potter and think, oh look he finally defeated voldermort and saved everyone, then go to the next chapter to read that it was all a dream of a dying abused child underneath the stairs. Yeah, that is what it felt like. Think about, enjoy that feeling of despair and hurt? Thats what it felt like. See, where final fantasy 13-2 leave off with a twist ending, at least you know what you got and they tell you there is more to come. I was generally please with it, if somewhat confused on the story. Not like the surprise baseball bat to balls that ME did to us. Anyways. I can't play it a second time. I tried, but knowing that everything i will do amount to 'nothing' to change the ending, just killed it for me. Even with this new 'Extended Cut' it did nothing to make me want to play it again. Oh at first i was fine. Ok, they cleared some things up. But they still didn't exactly explain why synthesis works or why Catylast had this backwards ideal in the first place. I mean geth are fighting against them too, disproving that point entirely. Then there was the cut scene when your friends decided force Joker to leave. Gee thanks buddy for leaving my ass behind. The slide show didn't even make things better for me, lets add green to it or the reapers in the back ground. What i really want to point out is just how stupid Bioware truly is. I mean we gave them an out! A fucking theory on Indoctrination on Shepard , thus making it possible for them to make a new DLC and continue the mission. But no, they stare at it like it is some sort of fucking 4th dimension monster out to get them. I mean for fucks sakes man, we gave you something to work with and you just ignored it. fine. Then the Refusal ending comes, and instead of using the oh so useless Military Rating system to gauge our chance against the Reapers, they flat out say, nope you lose, eat you loser. Don't tell us what to do. Artistic Integrity!!! That only had at least 2, maybe three different endings to work with. If it was time constraints, we could of waited MONTHS for them to finish it up. If they could figure out an ending they want, they could of just gone to fanfiction.net or spacebattle.net or whatever fanfiction site there was and pulled up hundreds, nay, thousands of stories with dozens of would by writers and asked them to make an ending for them. I can promise you that they could of came up with a better ending that shit. You know what. Fuck Bioware. They fucked up Dragon Age 2. They fucked up Mass Effect story for me. They just fucked up. I'm done with them. Fuck them assholes and fuck EA for fucking them up. Who wants a ME3 game before i toss it into the fire bin?

I do. Mail it to PO Box 86134, Tucson AZ 85754.

I do. Mail it to PO Box 86134, Tucson AZ 85754, I'll replace your postage.

Sold, give me a few days so i can find a way to send it to ya. Give me about a week since i don't have a dime on me. I want this piece of crap out of my sight.

Cool; I will refund your cost to ship it. And: hey man, sorry you hated the game. I am much less emotionally invested in the storyline, so I'm willing to give it a try. But I do appreciate that you were disappointed, and that's valid. I haven't finished ME2 yet...maybe I will feel the same when all is said and done...anyway my real name is Phoenix Michael (for the envelope)

Gothcha...wait phoenix? Why can't my parents named me something mystical! D:<

Yeah Esteban has a point, Phoenix is an awesome name.

Finally just finished the game, and I agree with everything you say. I still feel fucking sick to my stomach.

Looks like a few people haven't actually played the EC yet. I'm one of the people who hated the original endings. Not the choices, not the AI/Child Reaper King, but the fact that you don't see what happens to the overall universe after you make your choice. So, the EC pretty much cleared up most everything for me. Synthesis is my favorite ending now. I know there's an ethical dilemma here about forcing the option on the entire galaxy, but... that memorial wall scene... man tears. That's pretty much all I wanted. To know that the sacrifice was worth it. The galaxy will be okay.

Im sorry, but am I the ONLY one who noticed that the extended cut shows a quarrians face!?

I noticed it too. I kind of want to replay with the synthesis ending just to see that ingame. Then again if you romanced Tali in ME2 and ME3 she reveals her face in the form of a picture frame. My opinion is that they look way to pretty and to much like the artist interpretations.