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[showes13]

showes13 wrote...

My Mass Effect 3 score: 90/100
What I loved about ME3 is the detailed story and how it all came together. I loved how you could form relationships with those on your crew, and your love interest. I thought it felt even more meaningful and deeper than the previous 2 games. I liked how we got to know Shepard, the fact that she is just human and she is dealing with emotional struggle as well. She was not just this superhero, but a real person who is desperate trying to hold it all together.
Up until the ending this was honestly the best game I've ever played, and I've played a LOT of games. None of them got me as involved where I felt like I was really part of it like ME3 did.
The reason the ending didn't do it for me is because of how dark it was. My interpretation is it was a dream in which she fight with reaper trying to indoctrinate her. And we are left to assume that after she either fights it off or gives in, she is dead and reapers win. Since we are not told otherwise, and it ends as such, I guess I don't want to just assume she gets right back up dusts herself off, and puts an end to the reapers for real. Unless we get told otherwise in future DLC.
My problem with such a grim ending is that it kind of ruins replay value, knowing that you are doomed no matter what. It also kind of makes me depressed. It's not like reading a sad book or watching a sad movie. Sure maybe I will cry after a sad movie, but it was only a few hours of my life and i will get over it. This game has had me involved over the course of several years and well over 100 hours of play. I am so much more attached to Shepard and ME universe than any character from movie or book. So it hurts so much more to know everything Shep has done was in vain and everyone is doomed. Especially that there was no precedent set for this, I mean up until now Shep survived against all odds, so we kind of had this instict to feel that she somehow survives because she has always persevered even through death.
I like how games let us escape reality for bit, and be a hero and save the world and feel happy. Let life teach us about the harsh realities, let games be our escape from that. Let them gives us hope, not crush it.
All you'd have to do is add one happy ending, just for those of us who need it and can't deal with the grim reality. If this were to happen ME3 would undoutebly be my favorite game of all time. But without that happy ending, I just can't have the same feelings about it, because it took me several days to just get back to a state were I want to get out of bed after the depressive ending, and I could not bring myself to play the game again if this is the only way it all can end.

sorry to repost, just had to edit some things, add a little bit, so that it makes more sense what I am trying to say.

Modifié par showes13, 23 mars 2012 - 07:20 .

[pokk]

 Just finished playing the game.

Overall impression: solid priority missions, terrible main plot, forgettable dialogue. Mass Effect 2 was better. 

Likes:
- Extremely well-scripted priority missions. I can tell a lot of effort was put into designing these missions.
- More weapons customizability than Mass Effect 2
- The weapons having a weight penalty system
- Nice relationship between EDI and Joker
- Anderson's last conversation with Shepard in the Crucible was well done.

Dislikes:
- Kai Leng. His role in the game made him seem like the galaxy's greatest loser. Like one of those failed antagonists you typically see in JRPG. No gamer would feel remotely threatened by this joke assassin.
- Dialogue with squadmates and other NPCs. Too much autodialogue made it difficult to feel anything for these characters. Scriptwriting seemed very rushed apart from the priority missions. Meeting characters on the Citadel was a mind-numbing experience:

• Find said character
• Choose one dialogue option with said character
• Revert to "Hey, Commander" or "Hello, Shepard" or random autodialogue

- Go fetch quests.
- Cameo appearances of ME2 squadmates. With the exception of Mordin and Thane, the other characters' storylines seemed like bits of one-off fan service shoved into the main plot. For instance:

• Miranda's quest was... underwhelming. Considering how hyped-up her father was in ME2, I imagined him as some intergalactic mafia boss or at least some powerful figure in the ME universe. And saving her sister again? That's just old.
• Samara's quest was more fulfilling but it's ending didn't feel logical. Her daughter remains in the monastery... alone??? With limited food and a trashed building quite possibly without any electricity, I don't see how she's going to survive.

- Role of Cerberus in ME3. Mass Effect 2 was interesting partly because you're working for a shady organization that's supposedly evil but has understandable goals (advancing humanity). The player was working in shades of grey and in situations of ambiguous morality. In ME3, morality became black and white - Cerberus = evil, Illusive Man = crazy. I would have liked to see Cerberus and the Alliance grudgingly work together in ME3.
- The ending. That just seemed like a rushed job to tie up the plot.

• Getting the Illusive Man to commit suicide - really? Saren killing himself was unrealistic enough.
• The reaper backstory introduced by the Catalyst was just pure illogical - "we kill you so you won't create AIs to kill yourself".
• The Catalyst taking the form of the dead kid, and the whole conversation as a plot device seemed like a sad attempt at making ME3 seem deep and philosophical. In other words: it felt out of place.

- Poor introduction sequence. I didn't really care for the child that died in the introduction. Consequently, I was annoyed that I had to play through those nightmare sequences after each priority mission. Yes, it wasn't touching, heart-rending and all that. It felt like a cheap emotion-inducing plot device.

Modifié par pokk, 23 mars 2012 - 08:39 .

[dianadotd]

Context:
Since so much of our opinions is based on our experiences, I thought I'd give a little background into the type of player I am as well as what my expectations were.

I'm an avid, but not die-hard, fan. I read some of the comics, but not the novels. I bought the story DLC for ME1, and all the DLC for ME2. I waited for the releases of ME2 and 3 trying desperately to balance out eagerness for details with preserving a spoiler-free experience. The games had a story that hooked me across ME1 and ME2, and gameplay that supplemented a really cool and rich environment. I was ready.

Overall:
I liked it a lot. It felt suitably epic and dire. I loved all the little details on the new Normandy, how the crew moved around the decks and there were always neat little easter eggs and conversations to have. The Normandy Family was always one of my favorite aspects across the ME trilogy, and this was the best execution of that. It invested me in Shepard's influence on their digital lives.

I was minorly disappointed in the lack of acknowledgement to fidelity to ME1 characters that was promised in some press releases. Not a deal breaker or game ruiner by any means, but I guess my expectation in that regard was not met.

I can't comment on the multiplayer portion because I don't have a gold account on XBOX Live, nor do I care to get one. I played it a little during the demo phase, but it wasn't an attractive addition to me. I've been picking at the Datapad iPhone game to raise galactic readiness. As an employee of the advertising industry, the marketing tactics involved in all this media integration is interesting, if a bit hollow. Having my galactic readiness in the red and knowing its a detriment to my game doesn't inspire me to seek out ways to improve it, it makes me cynical that I'm being nickel-and-dimed for not a really tangible benefit. Though I did get the Collector Edition game including the From Ashes content, withholding this on Day One is a crap move. It feels like the DLC character also could have had a greater impact on the story, but was deliberately neutered to preserve its "Oh it's just optional!" facade.

Cons:

• The Citadel sections were tedious. I wasted at least 15 hours returning to places trying to find or turn in quests. The Primary section of the journal never told me when I'd actually found what I was looking for, so I could only tell if I'd found items for Citadel folks was if I toured every single area multiple times. Terrible UI.
• I hated not being able to compare guns in the stores. The interface on the workbench to compare equipped guns to others was great, but I had no way of knowing if any gun in the store was better than one I had. I just had to hope it was so.
• I found myself missing some quests and areas that were probably shuffled over into multiplayer. In ME2 there were N7 missions, Cerberus missions, and lots of things in between that let me explore other planets outside of the delegated important ones. A few of the war assets found just by scanning seemed really interesting, and I would have liked being able to get down there and liberate them myself from enemy forces.

Pros:

• Character development was downright rad. I had never been more invested in my Shepard's story. Shepard was a little bit of a bland everyman in 1 and 2, so the added humanity and uncertainty was nice.
• How I missed you, Grenades.
• The decision-making was intense. More than once was I was sitting pensively, controller in hand, carefully weighing options before proceeding. Comparing notes on decisions with my friends illustrated how rich and varied things were, because none of us were playing it the same way.
• The new Reapers and added Cerberus enemies finally started to give an impression of boss fights, though usually in a quantity-over-quality sense. I did have to actually formulate strategy, because even on ME2 Insanity was I able to Hide and Kill pretty much everything with persistence.

The Ending:
The perpetual elephant in the room. Did I hate it? No. My main problems with the ending were really just the weird plot holes (the destruction of the relays = stranding everyone without their knowledge and where did the Normandy even go?). Shepard's sacrifice is acceptable to me (though saddening) because I'm just that sort of angsty doof who thinks that's like the ultimate form of chivalry.

It did feel ...off. Taking everything at face value leaves more questions than answers, which sort of defeats the purpose of The End of Shepard's Story.

Frankly, I think some ending anger was caused by misconceptions on what we think Bioware promised us. The semantics of "Your decisions will affect everything!" was translated to the endings, when it really affected the decisions you made throughout the game as a whole leading up to the ending. But I can understand the heated debate, especially from a closure standpoint (of which there was little).

I dunno. I'm still thinking about it, and working on a second playthrough. So something still went really really Right to continue my level of investment. It's more of a bittersweet interest versus the frantic obsession I developed on ME2.



tl;dr = I'm a decently invested fan who dug it a lot. I still recommend it to my friends, and eagerly await them to finish their own playthroughs so we can talk about it. It's still my favorite series of this console generation.

[Aszal1n]

I’m not a forum person (usually prefer reading than posting) but as Bioware asks for feedback, why not as this game leaves a strange feeling behind…

Finally finished the game yesterday (about 50h with import from ME1) and back reading comments on forums. Though the ending is a bit enigmatic for me (more on that later), the game is still fantastic.

 The good stuff:

• Graphics: I don’t really care about graphics when I play a RPG so let’s say they’re good and set the mood quite well. Very well thought armor design where the different parts come together nicely.
• Music: as good as ever, if not better. Fits perfectly in most situations.
• Gameplay: lots of improvements here, especially during fights where enemies now try to outflank you, good choice in weapons, upgrades and skills. Liked the weight system.
• Story: overall story is a real emotional rollercoaster through good writing. Thanks!
• Tuchanka: the arc Sur’Kesh-Tuchanka (and the diplomatic issues between turians, salarians and krogans) was one of the best gaming moments I’ve ever had. Great!
• Nice interactions between characters during missions, feels more alive that way.
• Plenty of references to the books and the first 2 games (but that’s what you expect while playing a third game in a series)

 The annoying stuff (it’s worth mentioning but I can live with it):

• Little bugs here and there but nothing gamebreaking, except maybe some ammo upgrades or skills not doing what they’re supposed to do. But you must already have a lot of feedback on this so I won’t go into details.
• The journal: totally useless except for the Codex.
• Dog on the Normandy: I was expecting something in the lines of the dog in DA:O or DA2 but as it is it could as
  well be removed…
• The introduction felt a bit shallow but it’s short enough to be overlooked.
• I’m a PC player and I can tell you that adding more and more functions to a single key is not really a good idea - that nearly lost me a couple of fights.
• I didn’t really expect to learn everything about the Reapers; would have liked part of what you chose to keep secret was about them but, as it is, it’s not really fulfilling, it’s simple and strange at the same time...
• Would have largely preferred Emily Wong or even Kalissa on board than some random Diana Allers we’ve never heard of before…
•  I feel the game is too focused on retaking Earth. I had uneasy feelings at some points to arrive somewhere and ask people to abandon the fight for their homeland just to follow my lead and retake Earth. Didn’t feel really logical considering the diplomatic relations between humans and some species.
• I missed the longer interactions you could have with your party in the other games. It’s nearly as if you have to romance somebody to get more than a couple of lines from her/him.

 The bad stuff:

• Thessia: this is supposed to be the homeland of the most advanced race in the Galaxy and we just have a single lousy mission on it???? Giving the part played on Tuchanka, I was waiting for something incredible as it is the last planet visited before striking Cerberus and the end.
• ME1&2 were all about beating the odds by succeeding in uniting different people, different species. It’s still true in ME3 but with a strange feeling surrounding it. I believe it’s because everything you do is converted into numbers, but I would’ve liked to see something like an army of krogans charging, protected by asari biotics and
  turian snipers. This is a (too) simple example but I hope it gives a basic idea…
• Harbinger: after Sovereign’s destruction, my understanding was that he was the main guy among the Reapers, maybe even the original one. I might have been wrong, but with that in maind, I feel he was underused.
• Lore: I’ve read the first three books and all the codex entries. I have to say those reads were quite interesting, setting a solid universe and it’s quite sad to see that all this lore is being just simply put aside in the end, along with all the relations you had with your squadmates. It's just as if nothing mattered and can be quite frustrating.
• Choice in the end: I didn’t see multiple endings, I saw 3 variations of the same one. Sorry, but just changing the fate of Earth or Shepard’s fate doesn’t make for different endings. The end also felt too guided, just like in DA2 where whatever side you chose, well, too bad, both are bad and you have to kill everyone. ME3 left me with the same feeling: no reflection at all of my choices in the ending…
• Multiplayer: didn’t really want it, don’t care about it… until… you realize you have to play it otherwise you can’t access the “best” ending (and I thought I did great with a renegade import to achieve 3568 EMS in the end…) ME3 is supposed to be FIRST a single-player action RPG, I can’t see why I should have to play MP to experience the full content of the SP campaign. What will happen when MP dies and nobody can raise their awareness anymore? Can we imagine (hope for?) an EMS limit dropped to 3500 for example?

 As I write this, I don’t know yet if I will play MP, but I sure hope that this MP part has not taken resources that could have been put in Thessia and the ending… Talking about the ending…


The ending:
I guess it deserves a paragraph for itself as it is something I’ve not made my mind upon yet… As far as I can think about what happens, I can roughly see two ways to tackle the ending.

• You take whatever is thrown at you for real:

this one is hard for me as I have to admit that you managed to do something that nobody has ever done to me (I’m 34 and have been playing PnP RPG for over 20 years so I’ve seen tons and tons of scenarios, even written a few…): for the first time in my life, I don’t understand an ending, and that’s including books, games, movies etc… I also don’t know if you need a PhD in psychology or philosophy to understand it, but that flies way above my head (sorry, I prefer science), and believe me I tried to think about it, about the choices we had to make, about a hidden meaning with organics and synthetics, but nothing felt logic in the end… Sorry, I can’t manage to put it together.

So, after this, I’m not surprised some people end up complaining…

• Now, we can try to think a bit about it and that’s what I thought while making my “choices” at the end:

among the 3 choices, I chose destroy as my main choice (I came back later for the other 2 to see if something was different) as the other 2 choices were TIM's and Saren’s ways and my Shepard tried to stay true to her beliefs. You also can notice some dark flashes and strange noises you could hear in the dreams so I concluded that, as a lot of things don’t make sense, Shep could be in a dream, meaning the Normandy’s run is just a vision of hope, but that is a really, really long shot.
I stumbled on the forums on the “indoctrination theory”: I have to admit it make sense and could be great writing if it was first planned, but this also means another thing and that’s what I believe: the game is not finished[/b]… I will just assume it’s because you were out of time… 

I don’t know, those are speculations of course, but when you wait for a real ending and a closure, you feel kind of disappointed. What happened to people? Are you ok with just seeing you got rid of the reapers and not caring about the state of the galaxy?
Well, sorry, but that’s not enough for a project of this size. If you want to wrap up every loose end as you said, each character (at least the main ones) needs a word in the end: that's closure. I would even accept it as it was done in DA with some text as long as it's clear.


And I guess this is the other reason people complain: fans don’t really want to pay for something that should have been in the game at release…

As you want a final mark, I would give ME3 around 85% give or take 10% depending on the analysis you can make over the ending: it can be crap or genius depending on the way you see it and probably on what happens next.
The game is absolutely tremendous, the journey is great, and the end will be remembered, but not really as it was meant to…

And I thought I finally found a series that would top the Baldur’s Gate’s series for me… Close, but just close, for
the moment…

And that was supposed to be short... Thanks to those who stuck til the end. I don’t know what Bioware has in store now, but I still have hope for some closure. I don’t need a rewrite, I even think it could be a mistake, but it definitely needs a proper conclusion, reunion of the important characters...
I would just be sad if all was planned to release a DLC for it…

Modifié par Aszal1n, 23 mars 2012 - 11:31 .

[Cratto]

So much of Mass Effect 3 is very, very good. Tuchanka and Rannoch are possile the two best levels levels of gaming i've played. They're emotionally engaging and brilliant to play, as is thessia where you genuinely feel your sheps pain at failure. The key side missions are well placed and add to the story. For 90 % of it I would rate me3 as one of the best games ever. The war assets system is really clever and makes you want to explore and fomplete the quests because they matter. Even the crucible story works (for much of it) and the refusal to have a big boss battle at the end is both brave and works completely.

There are minor flaws: graphic faults (back of heads and characters looking away in coversations - especially during the first liara shep talk); there are too many hub / collect missions on the citadel. And some of the cameos from previous squadmates feels a bit empty or throwaway (taylor for example). And I was a bit shocked by the treatment of ashley - from hard as nails nco to busty femme in f*** me boots.

The there are the big flaws: the first is the shafting of single players. Basically having a system that means you have to play multiplayer or buy dlc to get the best endings is poor. Very poor. Worse is to deny it.

And then there's the ending. There are hints - the death of the child and dream sequences stuck out in what is an excellant writing. But you didn't expect the final few minutes. In an instant the mass effect trilogy is reduced to rubble. Canon dumped, one of the best enemies reduced to pointlessness, and it comes completely out of the blue. Shocking.

Up until the moment shep gets on that elevator me3 is a great game. But the ending and the treatment of single players turn it into a very poor one. Thankfully one can be fixed easily, the other cannot and will linger beyond any re-write.

In the build up some compared mass effect to star wars and star trek. In the end this was rather apt. The third installment of star wars was half great and half bad (and casper the genocidal ghost (not mine) felt a bit like jarjar binks), and star trek tv series have consistently been let down by their final episodes.

An a* game ruined in a moment. So in the end a failing grade. A shame. A damn shame.

[Awildawn]

Ok
No thorough review : I loved the game, I loved how you got sidequests, I love the fact that ME3 allowed my Shepard to cross path with a lot of old acquaintances and sometimes it was a bit sad (Thane, Conrad, Miranda...), loved the end of the world ambiance (the soldier mum, the teenager waiting for her parents)...
realized a bit late in the game that I was playing at normal level so I can't comment on the more tactical aspect (well being invisible and headshoting was fun !)

It was beautiful : cinematics and cutscenes gave me multiple Woooaaah moments (sounds, graphics everything), you really made your universe shine here.

To me the ending was satisfying... mainly because I'm a huge Dan Simmons fan and that the explanation behind the reapers needed to be almost divine since the geths were already machines who had rebelled. The story needed another explanation and my ending (synthesis) satisfied me. It could have been more detailed but maybe you needed to keep some place for futur installements.(prequel or post apocalyptic stories... indoctrination is a cool theory too but you'd need an incredible fourth installment in the Shepard saga and I don't think this will happen.)

[learie]

It's a great shooter.
Would have preferred the RPG elements to have been maintained.

[Heather Cline]

What I hated about ME3

The auto-dialogue that we had no ability in the story mode or full RPG mode to have the dialogue wheel in many places felt like it was NOT my Shepard but now Bioware's Shepard.

The way femshep walked and ran. She did have a more feminine gait but her toes pointed outward and when she ran, she ran like a man.

The big ass plot hole dealing with Dark Energy from ME2 was never addressed in ME3. It should have been addressed instead of thrown to the way side.

The poltergeist head problem with Traynor where her head does a 180 when you stand behind her to talk to her and hear her auto dialogue.

The head problems with Liara when you first speak to her on the Normandy.

The way Aethyta looked in ME3. She looked like a random Asari and not like she did in ME2.

The photoshop image of Tali

The texture popping issues that have returned that were present in ME1 now in ME3.

The horrible lag issues in the armor locker when trying on different armor pieces or armor sets. 

The game not being optimized as it should have been giving it a rushed feeling.

The lip syncing problems with the game during cutscenes or dialogue wheel scenes.

The lack of planet exploration via ME1.

The lack of Mini-games

The lack of actually being able to talk to a person who gives out a quest. Instead we have to overhear most of the quests and go do a fetch and return like DA2. Hate that.

The way Anderson's skin tone and face looks all washed out

The old persons hands being put on femshep and even Conrad Verner when they aren't anywhere over 30 years old.

The continual hair color changes from ME1 to ME2 and ME3. Example Conrad was platinum blonde in ME1. Dirty Blonde in ME2 and now dyed blonde in ME3. Bailey was dirty blonde in ME2 and now brunette/blondeish in ME3. Or Udina's hair gone from peppered grey to black/brown.

Lack of in depth character development for Samantha Traynor especially leading up to the so called romance for her which was horrible and lack luster.

The immersion breaking romance scenes for Traynor/FemShep where Traynor is in the shower in her freaking underwear and FemShep enters the shower fully clothed. NO ONE does that in real life unless drunk or high on drugs or both.

The immersion breaking romance scene between FemShep/Liara where Liara is totally nude but FemShep is still in underwear throughout the entire scene.

The fact that Liara doesn't recognize that you romanced her in ME2's Lair of the Shadow Broker and calls you a friend when she should be calling you her lover, bond mate, or something similar throughout the series until you make a commitment. No one does that in real life either. Could be considered on again, off again couple is better than the whole friendship thing.

The removal of the trial for Shepard that we were told was to be in the beginning of the game.

The lack of options for dialogue with the AI space/starchild and telling him off and choosing a different path than the ABC ending we got.

Chobot added NOTHING to the game as Diana Allers she shouldn't have been there. You should have brought back Emily Wong she was an interesting character, far more than Allers.

Freddie Prince Jr VO sucked. He was playing a Latino but sounded more like a white man playing a Latino.

Mordin's VO was not Mordin at all didn't sound like him, didn't even remotely have the proper inflections.

The planet scanning and the Reapers appearing even in systems they didn't have any control over and were not supposed to be present. Really a let down.

The weight system it was horrible. It could have been done so much better. Limited people to maybe 2 or 3 weapons total depending on class but they had the right to choose which weapons to take with and it didn't have to effect cool down rates.

Multiplayer, it's annoying and it is required to get the so called best ending of the game even if claimers are to the contrary. There are many people stating this and it's been proven true.

The fact that resources were diverted to MP and the entire SP game suffered. Just look at the lack of dialogue wheel and the use of interrupts instead of the dialogue wheel or no dialogue wheel at all and that goes back to auto-dialogue.

The fact that Joker's face looks all chunky and distorted compared to his ME1 and ME2 appearance.

The lack of interactability with Ash in the game if you killed off Kaidan in ME1.

The lack of being able to have Wrex back in the squad even temporarily.

The sidelining of various romances from ME2 for those who liked them.

The inability to romance anyone for femshep for f/f romances other than Traynor, Liara, or Allers. Many of us wanted the option to romance Jack or Miranda. Yeah... thanks a lot.

The lack of any other hub worlds other than the Citadel.

The cut content from Anderson at the ending for femshep saying she'd make a good mother.

Day 1 DLC for those who didn't get the collectors edition of the game. It only added 45 minutes of content and wasn't worth 10 dollars. It was worth more like 5. Compare it to the 3 hours a piece DLC content from DA2 that's 6 hours total of extra content and each were 10 bucks a piece. Yeah not a fan of the price for such a crappy DLC.

The lack of replayability due to the ending because there is no reason to replay because all the so called endings are exactly the same there is no difference. Thus leaving us with only 1 ending when we were promised 16 different endings that were to vary wildly depending on our choices through all 3 games. There was so much potential that you could have gone from black to various shades of grey to the pure white happy ending. Also this ties into the inability to have that happy ending for the hero if we so chose it to live out her or his life and have those children.

Joker, the ship in hyperspace jump for no reason. Your entire squad who were on earth which means every single squad mate some how magically on board the Normandy.

Joker leaving the fight and leaving Shepard to die instead of sticking around like he did in ME1 and ME2.


Things I did like...

The return of Wrex and the ability to talk to him though he couldn't be even a temporary squadmate.

Some of the funny moments with Wrex and Joker and EDI.

The little things with Liara when I ignored the whole friendship thing.

The friendship with Vega, which was surprisingly well done.

The friendship with Cortez also well done.

The return of Chakwas always loved her character.

The death of Mordin and Legion respectively both well done.

The return of Kasumi, Miranda, Jack, and Samara all well done.

The death of Udina never did like him.

The ability to make Kalisha Bint Sint Al-Jilani finally see reason and stop being such a b*tch

The closure to the Bring Down the Sky DLC if you let Balak go and you could convince him to help you in the war against the Reapers.

The final scene with Liara when romancing her on earth.

My overall score of the game is a abysmal 10 out of 100. This game was hyped up to be the best game in the series and falls so flat in every single area except combat.

This game is the worst game of the year.

Modifié par Heather Cline, 24 mars 2012 - 01:53 .

[JDMiller5150]

The game as a whole, I give 8 out of 10. I docked it 2 points for the following reasons.

1: I had just finished playing ME2 (To perfect my chances of winning the impossible war) so I was pretty familiar with the control schematics. I was initially upset that my ME2 custom character couldn't be imported, but then I was astonished that the NEW custom face for ME3 just looked much much better.

From there, things got a little complicated. It was about 5 minutes into the tutorial/opening level when I realized that Shepard was doing an awful lot of talking without my consent. I was used to frequent dialogue circles when interacting with characters. It sort of took me out of the game for a bit, but It was a minor thing to be worried about.

Then, after you board the Normandy, I STILL was unable to get acustomed to the new (and numerous) features of the ship. It wasn't until about my first or second hour of playing where I could try and understand all the new rooms, tools, crewmates, and vocabulary. ALL OF THAT took me about 6 hours to really understand what its all for. (I.E. "Galactic Readiness", the resources, the purchasing of weapons and intelligence, upgrades, new members, new structure of side quests, and even how to use my vague and frustrating journal.)

I tried my best to enjoy the game inspite of all that, and I did so successfully. 9/10 I say with all that in mind.



Then...

2: The ending.


8/10



I was left heart broken at the end of the game. The replay value of the entire series was shattered to pieces.
I couldn't wait to start over again and play through the first game to last. And then I realize how pointless it was. All the hours of gaming coming down to 3 choices. THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT CHOICES COMING DOWN TO A FINAL 3?!?!

I didn't sleep well that night. I still cant.

dont make me dock another point. I should really be giving a 7.5 out of 10, but I just love the series too much.

Thats my review.

[Luzarius]

Before the ending: 10/10

With Current ending: 8/10

10/10 if the ending provided the following info:

1. what happened to the normandy? jungle planet?
2. how did shep get back on earth after choosing destroy?
3. a little bit of closure like a DAO ending epilogue, what happened to the characters, to shep, what was the aftermath like? I would be fine with 2D art with emotional music like DAO ending.

Thanks for reading.

[JMA22TB]

The Mass Effect trilogy was a watershed moment for the entire video game
industry, a journey that swept millions under it and became a wonderful
example of what I will claim to be both art and product.

First let's start with the product.

Mass
Effect is a video game. It's a role playing game but it still involves a
gun, people, robots, and big ugly things to shoot. There is no question
that from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 3 that aspect of the game went
from good to great to incredible. Mass Effect 3's combat system is
something that anyone who makes a third person shooter will look at as
one of the first templates in the future. The wheel system, powers, and
the cover mechanics make missions and even multiplayer very fun to play.
The gameplay balance is not broken by any stretch - in Mass Effect 3
every class you can play in both single and multiplayer has its
challenges and advantages and no one who plays a certain class is
screwed compared to another.

Next we have the design and
animation. This is a triumph of the video game industry that only got
better as the series went on. The character models became more
sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing. The design of the level areas
went from rather bland and too big to rich, snug, and varied. The sheer
amount of detail that we see play out during conversations, camera
angles, and body language is really on a different level than anything
you see before it. LA Noir has the facial expression technology, sure,
but Mass Effect's level of immersion and the overall setting is
brilliant. You get to choose where to go, but it's right in the sweet
spot between railroaded, like platforms and linear JRPGs, and humongous,
like Bethesda games.

Of course, the voice acting must be spoken
of. This might be the most wonderful part of the Mass Effect trilogy and
what drives the love that millions of people who know the story inside
out has for the game and its characters. Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale
both did incredible jobs as Commander Shepard, with the supporting
characters arguably being the best supporting cast anyone has ever seen.
The list goes on and on of great supporting characters - Garrus,
Tali, Zaeed, Ashley Williams, Kaidan Alenko, Kasumi, Miranda, Grunt,
Wrex, Kirrahe, Mordin Solus, Thane Krios, and many, many more. It's mind
boggling how well voice acted the Mass Effect series is and how well
versed the scripts are for each character.

Now for the art.

The
story of the game is both its greatest hope and, ultimately its
greatest tragedy. Mass Effect, the original game, set the stage and the
potential for what could have been the most glorious science fiction
story in video game history, surpassing even Star Wars as the definitive
story of space, heroes, villains, and a journey to victory over
impossible odds. The Empire in Star Wars was a government ruled by evil
men and the Rebels were scrappers that ended up winning because of their
spirit and determination. That does not hold a candle to what could
have been a single resourceful man or woman leading entire governments,
races, and galactic civilization against an existential threat that
would have completely destroyed everything anyone could hold dear,
making impactful choices along the way that could have shaped the galaxy
and saved it from a threat undefeated for millions of years.

That
would have taken the bar for science fiction victories and raised it to
a level that might not have ever been matched again. I do not say that
lightly, and I say that because of the total package the audience would
have recieved. You do not watch it happen. You MAKE it happen. You're
pulling the trigger, telling the bad guy you're going to stop him, and
making choices that change the setting and people around you. You hear
your own character and all the others speak, you choose what you say and
your morals. It is an experience that takes everything you could want
in a story-driven game and lays it out before you.

And that's
where the tragedy begins. The only conclusion anyone who looks at the
story, from a structural standpoint, is that as the series progressed,
the story became more autonomous to the game released, not to the
overall narrative. The Collectors are not foreshadowed at all in Mass
Effect, nor the major Illusive Man character, or the threats that either
could be. The Crucible device from the third game is not referenced at
all in the previous two games, nor a significant adversary Kai Leng. A
DLC mission sets the stage for the third game that must be purchased to
be aware of or participate in during the second game. Unfortunately,
there are many, many more examples of how the games do not connect to
the overall narrative but that is not even the most tragic part. While
the disconnect created from the first to second game was relatively
negligible, the disconnect the third game created to the others was
exponentially larger.

The Reapers, who were clearly portrayed as
alien, unknowable, and much more powerful than anyone in the galaxy,
are diminished from the ultimate predator to servants of a single mind
that is not introduced until the very end of the game, with a small
amount of foreshadowing midway through the story. Sovereign, the first
Reaper introduced, makes absolutely no indication of this "We are each a
nation, independent, free of all weakness." This truth revealed negates
all three descriptions - they are members of a nation, dependent, and
do not possess free will! 

Which, of course, leads to the ending.
Upon closer examination, the truth, however tragic, is that there can
be little surprise, in a narrative sense, that the ending to Mass Effect
3 became what it did. While the constant theme of desperation persists
and increases on the part of both Shepard and his or her allies, the
chances for victory did raise as well. If a player builds alliances and
their friendships well enough a fleet that dwarfs any kind of battle
scene we've witnessed zips one ship after another onto the screen and
the audience is left with a sense of awe. If there's any way to beat
these Reapers, it's going to be in those possibly thousands or even tens
of thousands of ships. While the odds were steep, the reader-writer
contract at this point demanded choices, based on the previous
narratives that could achieve victory, defeat, a sacrifice that could
have led to either, surrender, or any number of options.

Instead,
after all those choices and friendships, allies, and wonderful moments,
the player is shown, by any logical account, the worst case scenario.
After being brought to the brink of death a brand new character is
introduced that raises at least ten times as many questions as answers,
giving Shepard only three possible fates with far more strings attached
than benefits. The entire galactic rapid transportation infrastructure
is destroyed, the fleet you bring is stranded on a ravaged planet in a
system that cannot support the likely millions of people that possibly
survived the fight, the hero dies in nearly all cases, and only four of
his friends' whereabouts are accounted for. It can only be assumed that
the ending resulted in a galactic dark age, with most of Shepard's work
undone, and as much closure as wanting to know what a loved one wanted
to say to you before they are killed by a moving car right before they
say "I love you" the first time.

It is an uncharacteristic way to
end the saga for both previous games, introduces questions that ought
never to be introduced in a story at such a critical time, and, quite
appropriately, has outraged an ever growing number of people who have
witnessed it. Unfortunately, none of the choices of the journey
ultimately matter - they are just stops the hero makes on the road to
destiny that leads to the complete destruction of everything and
everyone they ever knew, with no answers why or how.

Conclusion

While
the video game Mass Effect might be the crowning achievement of
building what it takes to tell a great story for the video game
industry, that is all that can be said about the experience after the
story quite literally blows up in the audience's face. It was nearly
unlimited potential, with the best and most copious supporting cast and
most memorable characters in science fiction to date, rendered moot by
the frankly ignorant way of ending the story.

While I certainly
recommend the experience to anyone who wants to see great potential and
the template in the future of video games as a story telling medium, I
cannot recommend the Mass Effect trilogy as a story worth investing in.

I
strongly believe that Mass Effect will be both the first place to look
for a format upon which a greater story will be told in the future in
this medium and also the greatest cautionary tale of what happens when
that story goes astray.

Will Bioware tell that story? It's hard
to say. A broken heart is something few who feel it can ever truly
forgive and Mass Effect 3, as of this writing, is still breaking hearts
by the thousands. Will the people who trusted them to tell that story
trust them again? It becomes harder to say by the days that pass.

While
they have promised to clarify and provide closure to the ending, that
might be the final nail in the coffin of the story experience -
clarifying and providing closure for an ending that goes against the
character of the entire experience is not a compromise or an effort to
go back to the roots. It is pouring salt on an open wound, providing yet
more support for the Catalyst that ought never to have been introduced
in the first place.

The good news, however, is that a
storyteller in the future has a wonderful example to follow and plan to
emulate and improve upon as far as the structure and product. Should
that storyteller heed the caution of that example though, they will see
their story ascend to the glory and triumph that the Mass Effect trilogy
could have been.

[sharkteeth]

Dear Bioware,
I have been a major fan of the Mass Effect series ever since the first game came out. Now that I have finished Mass Effect 3 I felt compelled to write this review because I found the ending to be…disappointing. I chose the perfect synthesis ending where I romanced Tali, this is the ending that I shall use as the basis of this review. Also i give this a 88/100( just for the ending)


The Game:
Let me start this by saying that the bulk of the game was beyond exquisiteB). Truly this game deserved to be the final game of the trilogy. The graphics were amazing, the battles were flawless, and the story line was seamless…then there was the ending:(.  It was so disappointing that I feel like I need to list the reasons why it was so bad.

The Plot:
In the simplest words, the ending did not meet the standard of the rest of the game. I admit that having the main character sacrificing himself for the rest of the galaxy works for some games (Shadow of the colossus, FFX, Halo Reach, Persona 3) but it really doesn’t fit Mass Effect. People are angry for Shepard’s death because he was their unique character, people have fought and bleed with him for three games and to see him die was heartbreaking:crying:. It's like you tried to put a B- ending with an A+ game. It just doesn’t work like that. Plus it completely ruined the tempo of the last mission. The retake earth mission was just awesome and action packed, from the first touchdown to the sprinting to the beam as Harbinger shot at you the feeling of desperation and hope grew and grew…the ending had none of that. It’s like sprinting a championship marathon just to trip at the end.

The Plot Holes:
There are so many issues with plot holes in this ending that I actually thought I was watching Star Wars Episode 1:pinched:(You have no idea how much it pains me to say this, it’s like I plunged a knife into my chest and carved out my own heart).

Let's start with the most glaring plot holes, what the hell was the deal with the catalysts taking the form of that little kid from the beginning of the game? It is some kind of mind reading thing where the catalyst took the form of something that would mean the most to Shepherd? If that is the case then, if players decided to undergo a romantic option, should it not take the form of a romance option like Tali, Garrus or even Miranda?

The next plot hole is where in the hell is Harbinger for all this? In the second game he was pretty much the official leader of the reapers so why didn’t we see more of him in the third game? Wouldn’t it make sense if he appeared just as Shepard made his decision? Sure he shot at you in the end but beyond that we never see him again.

Next why did Joker try to run from the energy wave? Did he think it was bad or did he just fly the ship just for giggles? As he was running it looks like he was going through a relay, when did he go through one? Then when he crashes the Normandy onto the planet what planet was that? Was that earth or some new one that they never found before? Once they are on the planet safely the rest of the crew comes out… where the hell did they come from? I thought all the squadmates were on earth. Did they take a Kodiak up to the Normandy for some reason after Shepherd went to the citadel?

Next, one of the most glaring of plot holes was the synthesis itself. Now I know that it’s supposed to “merge” organics and synthetics together but how does it do that? I normally don’t follow the science behind the games but it seems that the idea was just yanked from midair in this case. Is it magic? Did the blast open up a hole to the fade or something like that, because this is Mass Effect people not Dragon Age.

Plot Consequences:
This is where the endings truly failed the game. The whole basis of the Mass effect trilogy is that our choices shape the world around Shepherd. That’s why players spend hours upon hours meticulously go over their choices in order to get the universe that they want. The endings of Mass Effect 3 seemed to completely ignore the player’s previous choices and give them a choice of three premade endings that were barely any different from one another, that was a slap to the face . Then came a punch to the gut that made me furious…they didn’t bother showing the consequences of our choices. The developers completely ignored the major issues with the ending. What happened to the rest of the humans? What are the alien armies going to do now that the mass effect relays are gone? Will they stay in the sol system or are they going to try and make it back home? What about the geth? Then there are the people on the Normandy, what happened to Garrus? Did he return to Palevon? Did he retire to a beach? What about the love interests? I romanced Tali in my file and I **** well want to know her reaction to Shepherds death. Is she sad? Is she dead? Does she move on? Does she become the next galactic billionaire? I don’t know because the ending of Mass Effect three didn’t bother with showing the reactions of the crew!

I know that there is already a remake to the ending in the works and I desperately wish that it is everything that I hope it will be because right now the lack of closure to the Mass Effect fans is practically an insult to them.

With all respect to you,
Sharkteeth

Modifié par sharkteeth, 24 mars 2012 - 04:13 .

[Moosasarous]

5/5

I do not like the endings. That being said. The game is fantastic. I recommend it to my friends and I am not going to let one cutscene ruin the other 99% of quality in the game. Maybe the best game I've ever played.

I could go into way more detail, but that's all that needs to be said: 5/5

Modifié par Moosasarous, 24 mars 2012 - 05:20 .

[Linnea Jenner]

It was a fantastic game, pure perfection – apart from the ending. So based on that it was only the last 5 minutes or so that were disappointing I'd give it 92/100. It would feel a bit unfair to give it less when the rest of the game was so well made.
 
What I liked. How certain choices in previous games affected ME3 was at times fantastic (I'm gonna say at times because I haven't had enough time to fully compare different playthroughs), it really made you feel as if you affected the world, for example the dynamic between squadmates&Eve vs Wrex/Wreav were entirely different.
   You really did a good job making it feel urgent to complete missions, which was entirely fitting considering the imminent reaper threat, it was a very intense game with no quiet moments at all. It was also good that some side missions couldn't be done after certain points (Barla Von got shot/vanished after the cerberus attack on the citadel, hope I'm not praising a bug here!) as this also added to the sense of urgency.
   The doomsdayish feel was very well conveyed and detailed.
   The PTSD patient in Huerta Memorial hospital and her therapist was a great addition. I went back repeatedly to get the full dialogue. It is things like these that makes Mass Effect so great, such attention to detail is what makes the universe so immersive. Give whoever came up with the PTSD patient a raise
   That the npc's throughout the game (but mostly towards the end) hinted at the end for Shepard made for a worthy farewell and good closure for the hero.

What I didn't like about the game in general. The RPG element isn't as fully developed in ME3, there's not as many conversation options and choices. Even on the RPG setting it reminds me more of various action games rather than an RPG, as a lot of the time when you click on a charachter you get an entirely predetermined dialogue, for example a lot of conversations with the squadmates on the ship are like this. With random NPCs this is ok, but it's especially a shame with the squadmates, as they're such an integral part of the game.
   The choice whether or not to let the rachni queen live in ME1 and whether to keep the collector base in ME2 felt like really big decisions at the time - but ultimately they didn't have much impact
What I didn't like about the ending. Whereas I'd much prefer multiple endings I can accept a more set number of them, provided that they are not riddled with plotholes. Writing is an art, and in this case bioware has let themselves down as their art is usually of a very high standard. Perhaps especially because of the expected high standard there's such a reaction to the ending. The plotholes is my biggest issue with the endings - everything else is secondary.

Modifié par Linnéa Jenner, 24 mars 2012 - 09:21 .

[Pappi]

I'd give it an eight out of ten, alone it is 9 out of ten, but it wasn't as good as its previous game, number two. The inclusion of squad loyalty missions would have beefed it up for me. I missed those. :3 I'll give a more detailed review later.

[IainD]

I think I would have to give this game two separate ratings one based on it as an individual game and one as the conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy.

As an individual game I would score it at 87/100

The story builds throughout starting from that level of pure hopelessness when the small boy was killed through the shock at seeing the devastation on Pallavan to the bittersweet deaths of certain ME2 squadmates with your expectations that you can beat this galactic menace and that you really do have a chance. that mounting tension is maintained and escallated through to the final assult upon the reaper forces on Earth and then just when you are ready for that turn of the millenium fireworks display finale we get an ending consisting of a roman candle. The whole 3 choice ending as such a massive let down that I felt physically sick.

Apart from the endings I only had minor problems with the game it's self. The quest journal was poorly implimented and the cover vault use button would frequently do something I wasn't expecting but that still did not stop the game from being on the whole pretty good. Just to be clear I am deducting 10% for the poor ending give us that millenium fireworks display ending and you have perhaps one of the best games of all time.

As the conclusion to the Mess Effct trilogy 37/100

Mass Effect was billed as the traditional trilogy style experience. In ME1 you lay the ground work as you go from small player in the big pond to understanding your place in the universe and finding that you have a part to playin saving the galaxy.

ME2 you die and get brought back. I even enjoyed that plot device for removing your assets and friends finding that there is a bigger menace than than just Saren, Sovereign and the Geth. Finding out that the Reapers really are coming that that Geth actually really just want to live and let live and it's our perceptions that are colouring them all build towards your understanding of your place in the universe and give you a reason to bring it all together to save as much of it as you can.

In ME3 you finally arrive at the end game. The Big Bad is here and you are in the fight of your life and it's so much worse than even you could imagine. So at that point you have us desperately seeking a non-conventional solution as conventional warfare simply is a holding action. So far so good. You've hinted at things out there. We've seen the results for previous cycles superweapons the great rift and the reaper corpse being one of them. So when you bring it all together at the end we find ourselves with this slim chance if we've gotten all the pieces in play to be able to stop this once and for all and right at the end we have the choice of three options all of which involve doing what we are told by the biggest mass murdering psychopathic AI of all time and we blithely go with that?! All the choices, the decisions all are for nought? Where is the closure? I don't mind dying at the end of the game if that death is going to mean something but right now with the ending we have it is an insult to people who played all 3 games and invested their time and emotion into the entire series.

The worst bit is I was excited about this game. I pre-ordered the collectors edition within hours of it being announced but when I finally finished my play through it made me wish I hadn't bought ME1.

That's not a bad ending. That's a tragedy

Modifié par IainD, 24 mars 2012 - 10:35 .

[Stinkface27]

I keep trying to write an enormous essay, but I don't think anybody would read it. (No offense to anyone who did write one, just saying - I certainly couldn't read these all even if I spent all week doing it.)

I'll just say that this game overall was incredible. Heartbreaking ending, but mostly just because I'm crushed the series is over. I genuinely believe that the "indoctrination theory" is correct and that these talented writers DID NOT just dropped the ball at the last, critical moments of this masterpiece.

With that assumption, I give this game a 95/100.

There were so many amazing things about this game, vastly improved upon from ME2. I feel like this was *almost* a perfect merge of the things I loved about both previous games. 

The MUSIC was incredible.  Gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. The setpieces and vistas, especially the new worlds and Earth were breathtaking. The squad was fantastic, the interaction with and between them was more than I had ever hoped for. The weapon and armor selection was great, almost as much fun as ME1 and thankfully not nearly as stark as ME2. The voice acting was masterful, as usual - but I felt like all the actors had gotten even better in this game.The overall feel of the game was epic. The final inevitable battle against the unfathomable might of the reapers. Great stuff.  

My only real issue was the use of the same button for every single action in the game. Really, I have no idea how this got around quality control. It made for a very comical, jerky gaming experience. I really can't begin to count how many times I died attempting something as simple as sprinting and ending up trying to revive a companion or rolling instaed. Really silly and easily avoidable, in my opinion.

Less important issues were the lack of significant side questing and something in-line with the Mako. 

I also took issue with how amazing default Male Shepard looked versus any custom-made Shepards of either gender. I imagine that somebody decided that since most people play Default Shep, that they might as well focus all energy on making him look good. Fair enough, I suppose - but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Really though, Bioware - great game. The sadness we all feel is proof of your success. And though the ending might not have been what everyone wanted (in my opinion, that remains to be seen), but the journey was well worth the ride.

[Shadowrun1177]

I've been debating for sometime if I was going to write a review for Mass Effect 3, the last fan/player review I wrote was for Dragon Age 2. I'm gonna start by saying like many other fans I'm very disappointed in the ending to Mass Effect 3. For the most part I think Mass Effect 3 is a great game and great end to the Mass Effect trilogy. I'm not sure if I believe in the possibility of the whole Indoctrination Theory that's been going around the forums even though I think it could explain a lot of the ending. I am frimly in the Retake Mass Effect 3 camp though in that I believe the endings should be changed or at least have more choices add then the Red, Blue, Green we are currently given.

Ok, now I'm gonna start the meat of my review with what I love about Mass Effect 3. I've done several play throughs of Mass Effect 3, because I wanted to give it chance. I really loved the story and pacing of the game for the most part. There are some really memorable moments in the game from Mordin and Thane's deaths to Legions self sacrifice to make each Geth and individual being. Even EDI's character development and romance with Joker showed her becoming more "human". As usual I love the romance in Bioware games and felt they were really well written and add to the connections I felt to the characters I did romance. I even felt a little jealous of the Tali/Garrus romance while playing male Shepard's who hadn't even romanced Tali in Mass Effect 2. A side note I didn't romance Garrus on any of my Femsheps always thought of him as friend only for my male and female Shepard's. Also I felt while the game dark it wasn't overly dark like I felt Dragon Age 2 was, there were moments of laughter among all the death and destruction brought by the Reapers.

Some of my favorite moments in the game where spent with characters I've known since Mass Effect 1. Like the shoot off between Garrus and Shepard on top of the Presidium, or chatting with Liara about her childhoot digging up parks looking for ruins.

Now on to the things I felt mixed about. These are things I felt a little mixed about as they weren't really bad, but felt a little incosistent to me. Like the planet scanning/ Reaper alertness, there were times when it seemed like the alertness level jumped from little to no alertness to full alertness with just a couple of pings and other times where it didn't jump as quickly. Maybe it was meant to that but it just felt inconsistent to the way the meter moved from none to alert. The N7 missions felt like filler more then anything honestly, they didn't really seem to have a story point to me other then giving you upgrades and even assets they somewhat felt out of place to me. I probably could of done without them and would of liked if at least to me they felt like they more of a connection to the over all story.

Now onto the bad. I'm not gonna start with the endings, but with something else though it is connected to the ending. The EMS system and Bioware saying that we could get a "prefect" ending without doing multiplayer which I assume they meant the "Shepard Lives" ending, could be wrong and they consider getting the three choices at the end  "prefect". Going off my assumption of the "Shepard Lives" ending, it wasn't the case even doing all the side missions and scanning. I wasn't able to get a high enough EMS score without playing the multiplayer which felt like Bioware lied to after they stated the "perfect" ending could be attained without doing multiplayer jut by doing all the side stuff in Mass Effect 3. Now I will add that I could be wrong about this and it could be possible to get the "prefect" ending without multiplayer and something about my choices made it impossible for me to get anything higher they 4500 in my playthroughs without multiplayer.

Now onto the endings or should I say ending cause that all it really was one ending with three different flavors(colors) really. First Anderson's death I'm really mixed about this part, part of me loved the scene and part of me really wished there was a way to prevent Shepard shooting Anderson and therefor his death. I know you can stop TIM from shooting Anderson in the head if your Paragon/Renegade or EMS with interupte is high enough, but again part of me would liked the chance to prevent TIM from making Shepard shoot Anderson. All this ties into how I feel about the ending in general which I'll explain once I get to the ending proper.

The whole "god child" thing seems to come out of nowhere even though I'll admit, I think there was the conversation with the Prothean VI on Thessia that seems to hint at it with it's mention of the there being a pattern to the cycles. Still the way Shepard just seems to go along with the "god child's" logic in there only being the three options he gives just doesn't seem to fit Shepard whose fought and beaten the odds more then once. He's even just proven the "god child" wrong about synthetic's and organics always fighting against each other by bringing the Geth and Quarians together. EDI is another standout contradiction to his logic, she's a synthetic who enjoy's working with organics, is willing to fight along side them, loves, and is willing to die for an organic Joker. She even tell's Shepard an organic helped shaped who she is the most.

The endings, I'll admit I've only done destruction on most of my playthroughs and synthesis once. As others have said the endings are basicly carbon copies of each other minus a color change and a few details. The one thing I really expected to feel after completing Mass Effect 3 I didn't feel. That was feeling like I was a hero, the samething happened to me in Dragon Age 2, by the end the whole Champion of Kirkwall didn't feel like it meant anything. That's my biggest disappointment with Mass Effect 3 really. Mass Effect 3's ending choices didn't feel heroic to me cause of the consquences attached to them, all lead to a galatic dark age with the destruction of the Mass Relays. Add in the now stranded fleets you bring too help you defeat the Reapers or the fact that Relay's blowing up is suppose to be really bad. Then add to the fact that the only two other options Synthesis and Destruction lead to something definately don't feel is heroic in any way shape or form. I mean what gives Shepard the right to choose synthesis for an entire galaxy of beings who may not want it, or to commit genocide and kill EDI and the Geth. I think there should of been a fifth option I say fifth cause I consider there to be 4 endings as it stands right now with there being a chance for the Reapers to win. The fifth ending should of been an ending that allowed you to save the galaxy, not destory EDI, the GEth, or the Mass Relays and gotten rid of the Reapers.

The whole ending cinematic with Joker running from the Relay exlposion and landing on some planet, just doesn't fit to me I can't see him abandoning the fight and leaving the Sol System. Add in that squad mates you may of taken with you for the final charge sudden appear to have boarded the Normandy and abandoned the fight also. I expected Joker to be flying the Normandy in space blasting away at the Reapers with the main gun which I would think could do some damage to them since if I remember correctly it's based off Reaper tech, and it sure did a number of the Collector's mothership.

That's all I'm gonna say for now if I think of more later then I'll add it, since I'm doing more playthroughs.

Modifié par Shadowrun1177, 24 mars 2012 - 03:30 .

[NormanRawn]

social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10557005

this review describes our concerns nicely

[shepLJ]

Ok, finished the game - insanity mode - the ending is still bad. This time though I am full paragon, final conversation with the ILM I get a renegade option to shot him before he kills poor old Anderson who subsequently falls unconscious. For those of you who wonder whether Anderson is dead or alive - the trilogy has never been scared of the staring eyes of the dead.

I am not buying the whole indoctrination theory. I still feel it is the illusive man who is indoctrinated and when he gets close to Shep and is trying to persuade him/her - the oily streams occur. The God child as so many seem to call him is a reaper - albet the first and oldest (AI) " Plenty of dialogue to clear that one up - especially in the lines i- "it is our solution to choas.(Organics are chaos- Synthetics are order) The created will always rebell against the creator and the around the mulberry bush we go - as organics rebel against being harvested and made into reapers.

The only "win/win solution is synthesis - an absolute end to harvesting -As surely harvesting is the desolute need of the Synthetics to be reunited with the creators - organics ( reflected in the story of EDI, the geth and the Quarians).

Still if you have loved Shepard and the journey as I have, there is no way you would want to part with all you loved ones - yet the paragon Shepard would sacrifice him/herself for those he/she loves and an end to the reapers. EDI 's choice to reprogram her core to Duty/love/sacrifice vs Self preservation reflects the theme.

Control as an option is dodgy - perhaps they all are - except destroy but we only have the reaper AI's word for it that the 3 options are as they are presented.

A more congruent choice would be that Shepard has proven that Syntheics and organics can become allied - yet the reaper AI with all its knowledge and power did not see it an an alternative solution - the Reapers seem to be aware of everything else - logic in the story crumples to dust.

Despite the technology to record everything and anything with the Omni tool - we are assuming that only Shepard was privy to the dialogue with the Reaper AI - so Joker fleeing with (my first play through - both of my final battle crew mates and in my second - vega and liara respectively are on the ship) is just bizzare. Apart from Joker - Liara would not leave Shep with the paragon playthrough (remember the chat in Shep's cabin and the record that she gave Shep). Unless liara was using Shep just for his/her genetic taits for future children - but the Asari reach child bearing after 300 years unless they have plenty of partners - don't know about anyone else but Shep and Liara seem to spend the majority of their time apart. Liara is only 109. I did at least get my damned fish.

The Reaper AI seemed to get into some fortune telling - "your children will" - well with any kind of different ending I am sure the Galaxy will have learned the lessons of synthetic life.

Love the story arc of Tali/ Genophage/cerberus downfall and the Asari homeworld.Samara stories. The Banshee's scared the beejeebas out of me - Shep or not! Relationship between Shep and Liara was beautifully done = still strangely disconnected at times but maybe because the Asari are not human so just seems strange.

A lot of plot holes though which were disappointing and the change in formula to the game was very disappointing.

Joker may run away if he knew Sheps choice and it was to destroy all synthetics - but again we are clueless as to his motivations. Some say he is fleeing through a mass relay but all I saw was the Normandy trying to outrun the blast radius.

Disappointed about Karl Reeger - felt he and Tali would have made a great couple.
Disappoint for Ken and Gabby - still clueless after all this time.

I felt it was bizzare to need a renegade action to kill the ILM when my Shep was full paragon. I get the switch with the Reaper AI but wondering why the hell it was so powerless on the citadel - ? couldn't summon Harbinger to smear Shep all over the floor.

Some of Miranda's dialogue with Shep was strange - ? I did not romance her so maybe the context wasn't there.

Face import didn't work - fortunately I was able to recreate my Sheps face easily and I felt the animation was very good - My Shep looked just that little bit older which fit with the story.

Really enjoy killing Lieng.

Battle of London was murderous - I had something like 6 freaking Banshees on insanity mode - yikes.

The game was unbelievably short - it felt like it was third of ME1 and half as long as ME2 - I hate it when wonderful games that are new evolve into mainstream commercialism - the diehard RPGamer in me cried.

I experienced freezes in which I had to reload - annoying to say the least.
Graphically I was impressed - the art work was truely breathtaking in many, many moments.
The breadth of emotion was also inspiring.

After it all though - I still want my Shep to have a happy ending - have misery if you want but happiness is much needed - and littel blue children and all my gang please.

[nierial]

Plan and simple loved the game, hated the ending, won't play again or Buy DLC unless this is fixed to depressing

[Emerald Rift]

 The game was a 9/10 for me until the ending which knocked a few points down to around 5/10. The journel needs fixing as it's terrible at the moment since you have no idea if the quest has updated. 
Also please fix the EMS rating because I shouldn't have to play multiplayer (and play £40 for Gold) to get the best ending. Especially when it was stated that multiplayer would not affect the single player <_<

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

60/100.  It feels strange to give such an otherwise great game such a low score, but ME3 was the culmination, the finale, and so despite all of its excellent gameplay, its ultimate success or failure as a game depends on whether it provides a decent conclusion.  It does not.  The ending was atrocious and an insult to the trilogy.

First of all, the "problem" that synthetics will eventually destroy organics isn't supported by the game.  While it's comprehensible enough as a standalone idea, it certainly isn't a concept undergirding the Mass Effect games.  In ME2 we make an ally in Legion and are rewarded for trusting EDI.  In ME3, the concept of peace and harmony between organics and synthetics is taken to all new levels.  Legion sacrifices himself.  A true alliance is forged between the geth and the quarians, despite centuries of conflict.  And, quite tellingly, Joker and an embodied EDI actually fall in love.  Where is the conflict so extreme that it can be solved only by one of three choices, each of which is utterly unacceptable?  The ending is so unpleasant partly because it requires great sacrifice to solve a problem that isn't really a problem at all. 

Secondly, the inevitability of Shepard's death is unacceptable (inexplicably surviving the destruction of the Citadel at the cost of killing the geth and EDI doesn't count as surviving).  While something can be said for the idea that the hero must sacrifice himself in order to save the galaxy, that is not something for which we have been prepared.  The doom of the protagonist must be implied throughout the series, it must be hinted at, so that when the time comes, the gamer must see that it was inevitable.  Here, we were unprepared, and that's just bad storytelling.  Throughout ME3, characters consistently spoke of what they would do when the war is over, when the reapers are vanquished.  Shepard made plans with his friends.  All of this serves to undercut the idea that doom is coming, with no solution apparent, and therefore that death is certain at least for the player, if not for everyone.  Instead, the player is assured that while there is a great battle coming, there is a chance, however slight, of success.  To take that away at the end leaves the player baffled and betrayed.

A terrible ending to an otherwise excellent trilogy. 

Modifié par Res Ipsa Loquitur, 24 mars 2012 - 08:02 .

[BaffoStyle]

3/10

simply Mass Effect 3 has the worst shooter part in a Triple A production, a futile RPG part and a bunch of bugs and graphic problems who I can't understand why there are here.

Some quest are good and also the scripture of the "historical" characters (WTF why a jersey shore's PG is here?) is awesome.

Al least, the most important part of this game (the end) is a massive failure, taking all good stuff of this brand and throw it into a big, dark hole.

Modifié par BaffoStyle, 24 mars 2012 - 07:57 .

[varel1]

Score 4/10 (EAsily the worst game of the trilogy, ME2 was the best).

The bad:

The abysmal ending,
Far too much of Liara,
Very poor treatment of the ME2 characters,
Little replayability factor
The entire game felt rushed, with too much emphasis on action and not enough meaningful dialogue.

The good:

The graphics.

Summary

All in all a major disappointment, though, in my opinion, it was better than The Witcher 2