Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Hard to describe"

So what is all this about destroying the game? Well it all stems from my impression of the demo. Which frankly made me put off playing Mass Effect 3 until now. Right off the start I noticed continuous dialogue with less options and less times where you get to choose what you say. I noticed a rushed intro complete with an old character (Ashley) who they Barbied up for that mass sex appeal... Great. The gameplay is now more streamlined and takes even more from Gears of War series. "A" button is now used for taking cover, rolling, running, and vaulting over cover. Right off the bat you get to choose whether or not to have RPG elements or Action elements or both. Plus there was now added multiplayer... What in the name of **** is going on here?

Well EA obviously wanted the most cash they could possibly squeeze out of this product as they could. So why did I not tear this game appart in the score department? Well... Because bioware still got me fully invested in the story and the games characters. Because they gave me decisions which mattered and of which outcomes I was enthralled by. Because while the ga eplay is streamlined, it kept me entertained and focused on the story. Mass Effect 3 takes a while to get going, but once it does... It's ****ing unstoppable.

There are a lot of flaws in this game, which I will point out in my sectional review (gameplay,graphics,etc.), however I choose to look at what I got out of this experience rather than what I wish I got out of it. The greatest strength of Mass Effect has always been the narrative, and with ME2's story being a sort of an in-between filler which focused mostly on new characters and doing missions for each one, ME3's approach with finality had a much greater effect on me.

The intro to this game is weak, no lie there. The ending is also weak, as everyone already ****ed about for months. This however doesn't ruin the game in any way. There were decisions I made in the campaign that absolutely obliterated the things I got to choose in the other two games. There were multiple endings to missions which were much more powerful than most endings to full games. There were moment between characters which I will never forget. And that is what makes this entry absolutely vital to anyone who has played the past two games. If you've been putting this one off for a while, I suggest you buy it, because there is nothing quite like this game on the market.

Gameplay (8/10):

+Great cover mechanics
+Good variety of enemies which use different tactics
+Awesome weapon customization
+Great assortment of powers
+Pretty simple yet improved leveling up system
+No more scanning planets for hours
+Stellar story
+Decisions heavily impact others

-Galaxy feels small
-**Needs more exploration and side quests**
-Way too linear most of the time
-The very end is weak and rushed, however...
+Everything leading up to it is both exciting and captivating

Graphics (9.5/10):

+Finally, finally we get great environmental design
+Sweet lighting
+Top notch character models and texturing
+Besides a few citadel sections, the frame rate on the 360 version is very smooth
+Great special effects

-no option to turn lens flares and vignetting off
-some animations could use some work, including lip syncing

Sound (10/10):

+Stellar music
+Guns sound loud and powerful, explosions sound awesome
+Voice acting is superb
+Writing is solid for the most part
+Ambient sounds are good (only real - is the dub step sounds of the reapers which is kinda annoying. But didn't bother me too much.)

Value (9/10):

+Got it for 25 CAN bucks
+Even if it was fifty, it's still more than worth it
+30 hours long give or take
+Replayable

-****ing DLCs which should have been shipped with the game and the rushed ending are an issue

Overall enjoyment level (independent of previous scores):

9.5/10