This is it. It all comes down to this. The final chapter in one of gaming’s most beloved and important franchises is finally here and I’m happy to say that it’s worth the wait. Mass Effect 3 has arrived on Earth and with it come the Reapers ready to destroy everything and everyone that you love.
The story picks up after the events of The Arrival DLC from Mass Effect 2, as Commander Shepard has been detained for actions concerning the Batarian colony. The Reapers arrive on earth and immediately target the most peaceful people on earth: Canadians. They level Vancouver and send Commander Shepard looking for a way off the island. Thus begins your journey to unite the planets in an effort to wipe out the Reapers. The story will take you all over the galaxy as you finally get to see the Quarian, Turrian and Asari homeworlds as well as take the fight to earth.
It was nice to finally see these planets and fighting next to your squadmates and their people on their respective planet made the war more personal. Speaking of squadmates, the selection is interesting. Everyone from the previous games show up in one form or another, but it’s weird to me that not one of your new teammates from Mass Effect 2 return to become a member of your team. Tali and Garrus complete their tour of duty with you and a sexed up Ashley or Kaiden and Shadow Broking Liara come back to end the fight by your side.
The remaining members are new to the team, and all are welcome even though there are certain characters I’d prefer over them by my side for the last fight. And from the get go this truly does feel like the end of it all. There’s closure to some major plotlines that go as far back as to the first game, and you have a say in how they conclude.
Mass Effect’s always looked incredible. The first game floored me with how real and detailed the alien species looked and that carried over to the second. The third is darker in tone and each war torn planet looks bleak and battered. There’s a good variety of environments present which include the aforementioned homeworlds and the inside of labs and caves. There are slight nods to science fiction that has come before that would make any sci-fi fan smile (the Rachni cave and the comm chat with Cerberus come to mind). Character design is gorgeous and the attention to detail superb, from the jacked up James Vega to Maria to the Metropolis-like EDI. The game flows perfectly when going from in game action to a cutscene and back without switching to a loading screen between.
One of the most important parts of Mass Effect is, of course, the choices that you have and had to make and there are some HUGE decisions that await you. There are moments are unforgettable, some for being awesome, others for being downright devastating. They’ll stick with you and make you want to replay the game when your done to see if the outcome was avoidable. I’m still haunted by one of the choices I was forced to make long midway through the game. The game will suck you in emotionally, especially if you’ve had the same Shepard since game one.
This is due, in part, to the superb voice cast (special credit to Jennifer Hale who will always be the definitive Shep to me). Each voice actor displays the right amount of emotion during each and every situation. There are moments of corny dialogue, but in an epic space opera like this, those moments are unavoidable. I was worried when I heard James Vega was actually Freddie Prinze Jr., but he delivered a very solid performance (due to being almost unrecognizable). There were moments when characters didn’t pop up during cutscene conversations or when the gun type from the cutsecene didn’t match the weapon from the in game action but they were few and far between.
The other aspect of gameplay is combat, which remains most unchanged from Mass Effect 2. There are thermal clips, a snap on cover system and the ability to pop heads off or take limbs out. A combat roll has been added that for the most part works well, but there were times when all I wanted to do was get into cover, but my Shep ended up rolling right into gunfire.
There’s also a new heavy melee move that wipes out any enemy that has no shields up and the best part of the improved close quarter combat is the ability to pull an enemy from behind cover and smash his face in. There are also turrets, new to the series but staples to the genre, that add variety to the combat. The slight RPG elements remain present – you pick a class, upgrade powers, and abilities with points earned when leveling up.
The weapon upgrading system is a hybrid of the first and second game. The arsenal’s familiar with weapons like the Avenger and Vindicator return but you now you have the ability to customize (to a certain extent) your weapon. I’m happy to say that the customization doesn’t go too far and that the upgrades that you apply are actually useful and not just cosmetic. The same goes for the armor this time around, as different pieces upgrade certain stats.
Mass Effect 3′s a worthy send off to a trilogy that has earned its place in gaming history. Yes, there’s that controversial ending that doesn’t really do it complete justice, but it should have no baring on the 200 plus hours spent from the first game to the last one. Sometimes it’s about the journey and this one is well worth taking.