Mass Effect 3 - Review

So the conclusion of the Mass Effect trilogy is here and many thousands of you have been plugging hours into the superb finale since its release on 9^th March.

Once again you lace the boots of the ever manipulative Commander Shepard as you attempt to unite the whole galaxy under threat from the sinister Reapers. These are a race of synthetic executioners tasked with wiping all biological life from the galaxy and have returned with vengeance. At the beginning of the game these giant insectoids have got their claws into Earth and it’s time for the backup to be called.

As the adventure unfolds you will be tasked with resolving interplanetary conflicts, character challenges, war and peace. All the while you’re risking life and limb to stop the destruction of the galaxy and out race the human-supremacy group Cerberus.

Ultimately a lot of your previous decisions have a massive impact on the ways you are treated, the people you meet and the decisions needed in this final instalment. That’s not to say that the game isn’t designed to take on the new players though either; the world is littered with codex pages used to explain the history of the worlds around you and outline all the details needed on major locations and characters.

One of the best feature of the game though is it’s ability to let you play out those decision you all made 5 years ago, back in 2007 we could never really knew how a single wrong step can really come back to haunt us – but now we do!

In itself Mass Effect 3 is quite an achievement. The industry has become obsessed with yearly updates and long-term franchises so it’s quite a rarity to see a final chapter being released. The end has come but it really is worth the wait. It’s has actually given Bioware some freedom to dig deep into their bag of tricks a craft a well handled adventure of epic proportions. The actually game is far more diverse than previous instalments and handles the many different genres with an exceptionally high standard of gameplay.

Speaking of this the gameplay is superb; the controls are easy, precise and well thought out. The screen hud is almost non existent and doesn’t affect the view of the gamer nor do the objective markers or the dictation pointers. In fact it is exceptionally easy to pick up and play with a much more fluid cover mechanic that helps make levels easier to traverse than ever before.

The overall gameplay hasn’t changed too much from Mass Effect 2 but has been tweaked to help make the whole experience more robust. You now carry weapons based on weight and each of these can be modified to improve individual characteristics or their aesthetic look. It’s a good system that helps bring some much needed depth to the combat mechanics.

The AI is one of the most upgraded aspects of the third instalment and that’s saying a lot considering the AI in Mass Effect 2 was fantastic in itself. It now acts in an almost human way deciding how it attacks, when and even goes through some well orchestrated routines to flush you from cover.

The enemies are more varied than before and move in a much more realistic manner – whether they use shields, strength or stealth each one brings a new dynamic to the table. One of the nicest additions to the gameplay is the introduction of smoke grenades that make close quarter combat more hazardous than ever. Even running a game through on normal difficult springs up its own surprises and I found myself replaying more turbulent sections on a fairly regular basis.

One of the big factors found throughout the Mass Effect universe is the constant abuse of eye-candy. Granted the glorious visuals make all the different species look fantastic but do we really need the camera to concentrate on peoples ‘best assets’ every time a cut scene kicks in. It’s great to build relationships with the NPC’s but sometimes Bioware flirt with views a little too often; especially when the facial animations have gotten so much better too. Incidentally lip syncing is still pretty bad.

The only other frustration I have is that sometimes the dialogue options can be a little ambiguous. It becomes second nature to know where on the selection is the Paragon/Renegade option instead of knowing from the text options provided. Sometimes this is only a wording issue but there have been cases when a simple ambiguous statement in the dialogue puts you in a rather tricky situation. All in all this is a fairly minor issue; especially when you feel the scope and size of the game in front of you.

Another simple but effective upgrade has been the scanning system. Instead of scanning individual planets the Normandy now scans an area and notifies you of any areas of interest as well as their specifics. With each scan comes a chance roll that works out whether or not the Reapers have detected your activity. Should such an alert occur then the player must rush from the specific system before being caught by the Reaper ships. It’s much more proactive than the system from Mass Effect 2 and is actually quite enjoyable because it has a bit more pace than before.

The game is very loyal to the player’s decisions and in some cases too loyal. A mistaken decision from 3 years ago can cause so much backlash it can sometimes seem like you might regret it forever. Well over half of the plot development comes in the form of cut scenes that relatively tie up the story plots based on your decisions in the other instalments which can feel a little disjointed.

I can’t tell you anything about the single player end game as I have not experienced this yet in my playthroughonline and again this is something I’ve avoided for spoiler reasons. I really wouldn’t listen to these people until you’ve judged the ending for yourself; I like to make my own decisions about a game and so should you. What I can say though is that I’ve loved every minute of my playtime so far and would recommend this to anyone with a passion for RPG’s and action games as well as fans of the previous outings.

One of the bonus additions to this instalment is the inclusion of cooperative online multiplayer. This comes in a very similar incarnation to Horde mode from the Gears of War series and pits a 4 player team against waves of enemies and objectives in order to gain experience and upgrade themselves. This is fast paced, fluid and feels like a great addition to the single player campaign with the same array of enemies and tactics. Each character chooses a race and a class before setting out and gains experience as they progress, which they can put towards customisations and upgrades. There are several levels to choose from and each have their own specific tactics from wide open spaces to tight close quarter corridors. While many believed that this was going to feel like a tacked on extra it actually holds its own very well and can provide many hours of enjoyment – especially if you wish to master all the different classes.

Overall the whole experience is exhilarating for both fans of the series and newcomers. There is plenty to keep you occupied here and has enough depth for a second or third playthrough. It really is a damn shame to see the end of the Shepard sage after all these years but it is one that satisfies on so many levels. Mass Effect 3 is definitely the best game in the series and could already be a contender for game of the year this early on. If you’re new to the series now is as good a time as any to jump in and if you loved the last two games then what are you reading this for…. Go out to buy it and play it!