Mass Effect 3 Review KABOOM!

 Hey guys today I wanted to talk about Mass Effect 3! Yeah scary right? This game has been a very polarizing subject recently, and has come under scrutiny from players around the world. It's the cool new thing to hate Bioware, but the game is not the complete abomination that some may have you believe. While the game has a lot of serious flaws, it's still enjoyable for fans of the series. You can compare Mass Effect 3 to the third Godfather film, it's certainly not the best in the series, but it's by no means the worst game of the decade. If you have any attachment to the Mass Effect series then you probably don't even need to read the rest of my review, just go out and play it. However, if you are on the fence as to whether or not this “game” is worth your time, then you may want to stick around.

Let me just preface this review by saying I am not going to be addressing the ways in which Bioware is pandering to newcomers. If you are not importing a character from Mass Effect 2, then there is little entertainment value for you here. The biggest selling point of the game is seeing how your individual choices play out over the course of three titles. This is the third game in a trilogy, if you have not played either of the first two games then you really have no business playing Mass Effect 3. There are options to skip gameplay or conversations if you are simply treating Mass Effect 3 as a self contained title, but these inclusions are simply a way for Electronic Arts to sucker in the unwashed masses.

                      Not clear on the controversy surrounding Mass Effect 3? Heres a video

Story

So let's just jump right into the Mass Effect plot. In Mass Effect 3 you play as Commander Shepard. However, that's really as far as I can speak about specifics. The thing about Mass Effect is that it revolves around player choice. While my Shepard was a male, and accidentally wiped out an entire alien race, there is no telling what your experience will be like. Perhaps you play as a badass who goes around punching Jessica Chobot in the face over and over and over again, or maybe you are more meek and mild and choose to sleep with the alien girl whose race is clearly a metaphor for the Islamic community. 

 

Whatever your choices have been up to this point, everyone will start Mass Effect 3 in the same position. Your Shepard is on Earth attempting to warn the populous of the oncoming Reaper invasion, when suddenly they arrive in full force and begin demolishing cities. (For those who don't know, Reapers are ancient mechanical monsters who stop by every now and then to wipe out all sentient life. No big deal. ) So things are pretty bleak to say the least. 

Oh Balls

  However, Shepard manages to escape earth and reunites with his crew on his ship the Normandy. The rest of the story revolves around Shepard trying to gather enough resources to defeat the Reapers. While the fast paced opening really starts things off with a bang, the fact that most of the missions turn into menial chores really takes me out of the experience. Mass Effect 2 revolved around Shepard trying to gather a team for a suicide mission, most of Shepard's adventures in 3 consist of stockpiling. You are constantly reminded of the Reaper threat, and the missions never really get to slow down and take in the universe. The best parts of Mass Effect 2 involved the lore, the characters, and the situations. With the exception of one mission involving the Geth (Robot dudes), the actual science fiction in Mass Effect 3 is really weak. 

  The pacing in Mass Effect 3 is all over the place. At one point you'll be fighting off the Reapers on a faraway planet, and the next moment you'll be buying flowers for your sick crew-mate. A lot of the running around seems pointless, and makes you feel a little useless. Why is someone of Shepard's position involved in recon for the war effort? You single handedly have to bring together species who are too stubborn to work together despite being faced with the ultimate threat of destruction. It doesn't make a lot of sense that the hero of the galaxy would casually run around solving people's minute problems. “OH I HEARD YOU NEEDED A FOSSIL OF AN EXTINCT SPECIES! WELL DON'T WORRY, I'LL GET RIGHT ON THAT. IT'S NOT LIKE WE ARE FACING IMMENENT DESTRUCTION OR ANYTHING!” 

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR

  There are also a few moments of horrible fan service that really detract from the overall experience. Remember EDI, the artificial intelligence who essentially ran the ship for you? Yeah, she has boobs and a butt now. Stupid sexy EDI, setting the maturity of the video game community back years. Oh and remember the Elusive Man, the main antagonist who's personal goals essentially boil down to “Yo I'm a space racist.” Yeah, now he has a ninja henchman with superpowers who makes no logical sense, and is seemingly there just so the Dragonball Z crowd will think that there is something in the game that is “SICK.”

Why does he need a sword?

 All of the new characters in Mass Effect 3 suck. I guess your new communication specialist Traynor is ok, but she just basically stands around and says “Commander” a lot. The rest of the new additions consist of a meathead, sexy robot EDI, and a pilot who is consistently thrown into homosexual situations with Shepard. I get that homosexual relationships were absent in the past two games, but you can't say even say hello to this guy without the game assuming you want some of the hottest gay sex that interplanetary travel can offer. Oh and the previously mentioned “meathead” may take to calling you “Loco.” Yeah he's hispanic if you didn't know, and the game takes every chance it gets to remind you. LOOK HE'S SPEAKING SPANGLISH HO HO HO! 

 

There is also a Prothean character that can be unlocked through day one downloadable content, but as I'm not in the mood for being raped any further by Electronic Arts, I opted out of that purchase. The fact that I just purchased a 60 dollar game, and the company now expects me to put forth another 10 dollars for content that could have easily been put into the final product, makes me a little sick.

Sure whatever

 The Mass Effect 3 storyline may not be as strong as either of its predecessors, but there are still enough twists and turns to propel you towards the finale. There is a lot of weird characterization of Shepard involving a child, and most of it is garbage, but for returning fans there are plenty of callbacks to previous titles, and a lot of run-ins with familiar faces. There are also a few touching moments for those who have grown attached to specific key characters. It kept me going despite being tedious at times.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Mass Effect 3 is very similar to that of its predecessor. It is a third person shooter with light RPG elements. Who am I kidding? Mass Effect 3 throws out most of the RPG elements in favor of being a third person shooter. Sure you can still upgrade your equipment and skills, but none of it really matters all that much. There are also a few classes that you choose from in the beginning which will slightly change the powers you have access to in the game. As long as you have some cover and the chance to grow back your face you should be fine. However, the shooting in Mass Effect feels stiff and clunky. Enemies react to your bullets as if it were an MMO, sitting there quietly as you pelt them with numbers. Of course there are modifications you can pick up to make your weapons stronger, but it doesn't really change the fact that the actual battles are boring and frustrating. 

 

The camera angle in Mass Effect 3 is similar to those over the back cameras seen in games like Resident Evil 4. While this type of camera may work in a survival horror game in which the player is supposed to feel trapped, in Mass Effect 3 it can be frustrating as enemies will surprise you from behind and beat you into oblivion. Also the developers decided to map a multitude of commands to one button, which ensures that you will roll when you meant to take cover, and take cover when you meant to roll. The enemy A.I isn't great, and you will find yourself being swarmed on multiple occasions. Also you can't throw back grenades, a “feature” which forces you to leave cover and expose yourself to enemy fire.

Aside from the gunplay, you still travel the universe scanning planets and talking to strangers. The planet scanning is much improved from the previous game. Where you used to scan each individual planet for minerals, in this game you simply send out a beacon that tells you which planets have materials that are worth looking for. If you scan too much Reapers show up and you have to leave the system before they catch you. It's still a bit tedious, and the mini game of running away from Reapers is silly and gets old fast.

Talking to people is still as interesting as ever. The dialogue wheel still makes your decisions feel dynamic and unique. However, I would like to see the wheel change so that it's not always so clear which choice is the “good” choice. I'd like to see where my conscious would take me rather than relying on my eyes.

Something you will notice throughout your adventure is the abundant load times and iffy frame-rate. The load times between each area on the ship take up to about 20 seconds at a time, and since you will be traveling around looking for your crew, it gets tedious. You may get to the point where you will simply skip out on searching for dialogue in order to avoid the harsh reality of the load screens. The frame-rate is also really inconsistent. Occasionally the game will come to a crawl, and once in awhile it will momentarily freeze. The game just feels unpolished and rushed at times.

Ending

I guess I should briefly touch on the ending while we are here. Don't worry I won't have any spoilers for those of you who are still interested in playing through the game. But let's just say that the ending was not as disappointing as everyone makes it out to seem. Actually I really liked the ambiguity to the conclusion, and taken at face value the ending is serviceable. Sure the entirety of the game's “ending” relies on one final decision, but that didn't really bother me. It's about how you get to that final point, not the finale itself.

However this is where we get into spoiler territory.

If the indoctrination theory is correct, then the fans have all of the right to be upset. Selling a game short and delivering the ending through DLC is unacceptable. It's one thing to be challenging with the ambiguity of your ending, but to penny pinch or trick individuals who have supported your series is just something that I can't support. I like the idea of the indoctrination theory, but I do not like the way it is being doled out to us. That said, this theory is simply a theory, and we will have to wait to see if Bioware does indeed “change” the ending.

Multiplayer

OH RIGHT THERE IS MULTIPLAYER. I almost forgot, the insignificance of the multiplayer is almost astounding. What genius at EA decided to add a multiplayer section to this game? It really doesn't add anything. It's the same broken shooting mechanics with up to three friends. Granted, having buddies with you who can revive you and help out actually makes the combat a bit more enjoyable, but ultimately the multiplayer is nothing more than a distraction.

You can pick from different classes just as in the main game, and by playing more matches you can influence your “Galactic Readiness” which is supposed to somehow effect the ending you get in single player? I've heard it's optional, which is great because the multiplayer is not that great. It's serviceable and the ability to collect different classes and species is a bit addictive. It's nice that it's there, but the resources that were put into the multiplayer should have been put towards the single player.

Da Fudge?

Overall Mass Effect 3 is an alright game? For Mass Effect fans it is a no brainer, but for the general public my advice would be to steer clear. The game feels rushed and uninspired. There are still enough interesting moments to keep you marginally interested, but for the most part the game is just average. The enemies are boring and repetitive, the shooting is not fun, and the story leaves a lot to be desired. Sadly this game is probably one of the better experiences I've had this year, only because of the abysmal state of games in 2012. So go out there and play it? Yeah why not? Life is too short. 

  Thanks for reading guys. If you like it, why not pass it along? Stay safe.