Mass Effect 3: Review

It's been quite a while since my last update, been rather preoccupied to say the least but I'm back at it finally, need to flex these fingers. Now I've been an avid gamer for the best part of seventeen years, nearly my whole life in fact, and there's no denying the impact gaming has had over the past decade. I was very fortunate enough to be an early product of the 90's where gaming was in my mind reaching it's peak and entering a new renaissance if you like, and becoming the now immensely popular and universal medium it is today. Video games have now transcended popular culture and our very way of life and have become an integral part of millions upon millions of peoples lives all over the world. It's remarkable really to have been there and seen it evolve from something a minority did as merely a casual hobby or interest whether it was going to the arcades with friends or playing on the early SNES or Sega Mega Drive, to now this deeply fervent and ubiquitous culture with an almost voracious legion (for lack of a better word) of enthusiasts who now literally 'live and breathe' video games. This transition has been the biggest eyeopener for me and how cultures radically change and the public consciousness to now appeal to this mass-market platform of interactive entertainment. The 90's were a pivotal moment for gaming and it's eventual expansion of that I have no doubt. The NES, Mega Drive, SNES, N64 and the PlayStation which I all owned undoubtedly paved the way for what is now the seventh generation of video game consoles with talk of an eighth generation of consoles just on the horizon as a tantalizing prospect for the future. I and I expect many other early gamers never would have predicted how far the gaming industry would actually come in such a short space of time and I only hope it continues to evolve.

Mass Effect 3 is the final installment in developer BioWare's epic, sci-fi trilogy in which you take the role as Commander Shepard once again in a galaxy crumbling and on the brink of total destruction and annihilation against an unstoppable enemy.

Anyways, now to the meat of the issue before I start to go off on a major and I mean MAJOR tangent and bore you with my anecdotes of growing up playing games (that would take up a further ten paragraphs let me tell you). Now, I'll admit as a self-professed 'avid gamer' bordering on obsessive even, I became distracted and veered dramatically away from games and consoles altogether in mid 2011 to early 2012. I started to completely lose interest, and to quote a friend on Xbox LIVE who said: 'Dan, according to your gamer tag it's been like 395 days since you were last online!" and it immediately struck me. Was this just a phase? And then the frightening notion crossed my mind, had I grown completely out of gaming for good? Possibly, after all there is more to life than playing video games but you could NOT tell me that say six or seven years ago, even ten years ago. I had played video games almost religiously back then and it became something of an unhealthy addiction at one point particularly with World of Warcraft...I'll say no more (it's a wonder I didn't get a deep vein thrombosis with the amount of hours I sat on that bloody chair). I then decided to make a conscious effort to try and get myself back into my old hobby by getting a new game which I hadn't done in nearly two years. This new game was Mass Effect 3, a game I was originally going to get on launch day but didn't bother afterwards. I was a huge fan of the first two games and had clocked up in excess of approximately 300 hours playing time combined which is A LOT really. Developer BioWare had expertly and meticulously crafted an inescapable, engrossing and beautifully complex universe in all of its intricacies with a rich and colorful cast of unforgettable characters with the major theme of choice and consequence at the very forefront of each and every installment. 

The first two games were outstanding in there own right, and the sheer attention to every conceivable little detail no matter how minor or insignificant was incredibly impressive. The first Mass Effect released back in 2007 introduced us into the role of Commander Shepard whose face was fully customizable and had immense fun toying around with that let me tell you. Set in an epic, politically charged and fully realized universe which would give even the likes of Lucas a run for his money, Mass Effect was clearly a very ambitious title an definitely a staple of what we have come to expect from BioWare. It had it's flaws for sure namely with the problematic AI  and combat, some minor technical glitches, graphical hiccups and some repetitive side missions but the overall experience was excellent particularly it's deeply engaging story, characters and setting and it provided a very solid groundwork for where the series could go. The core strength of the game was in it's interactive storytelling, using life-like facial animations and expressions to convey this deeper emotional bond with the characters which was unlike anything I had seen in a game before it. It certainly set the bar high, pushing the envelope along with it and fans such as myself were clamoring for the next installment to come along. Mass Effect 2 was the answer, and the developer boldly went with a more streamlined action-RPG experience compared with the first game which was heavily laced with RPG elements such as customizable weapons and armor and a flexible leveling up system etc. This came as quite a shock to me at first but I quickly realized how vastly superior it was to the first game on almost every level. By stripping away certain elements, they focused primarily on delivering a more action-oriented experience and as result provided a more refined experience overall, particularly with the combat. 

Some of the cast of Mass Effect 2, which was something of a departure from the first game in favor of a more streamlined and action experience, a bold and ultimately successful move by BioWare in my opinion.

Anticipation for the final installment was almost palpable, and the fan base had grown exponentially since the first game. Expectations were sky-high, and devotees around the world were all itching for the final chapter in what would be the epic conclusion of the trilogy. I know I had to replay the first two again to get myself back in-sync with the story and remind me how deeply fond I was of the series in general, particularly the characters. Some of these characters had been at your side from the very first game, and it was hard not to have this deeper and profound bond with them. Garrus: the straight-talking, no-nonsense, hard-nosed Turian who you instantly had an affinity for that would later evolve into this camaraderie and brotherhood almost that was completely unique. He was a brother-in-arms from the get-go not to mention having a heap of quotable lines, and he is by far my favorite character of the series without question. Then there was Ashley: a gutsy, feisty Alliance solider with a bigger set of balls (or quads as Wrex would call them) than most men who was instantly likable and of course dare-I-say sexy. Of course how could I forget Wrex: 100% unadulterated Krogan badass-ness enough said really, who also has a list as long as my arm of kick-ass dialogue. There was of course Kaidan, Liara and Tali who also had there own distinctive characteristics and personality traits to set them apart to make for an amazing ensemble who you cared about. With the stakes as high as they've ever been in ME3, I wanted to see what would happen to my squad mates and how this conflict would shape and effect them. No one does a character-driven narrative quite like BioWare does and I had enormous faith in them to deliver on all promises.  

So Mass Effect 3 picks up pretty much where the Arrival DLC from Mass Effect 2 left off with the grim and inevitable arrival of the Reapers, an ancient race of machines who have come to purge the galaxy of all organic life in an endless cycle of destruction that occurs every 50,000 years. Earth's fleets and defenses are all mobilizing to protect the planet from the incoming Reaper threat who are quickly descending on the Milky Way despite Shepard's vain attempt to keep them at bay by destroying the relay in Arrival. Back on Earth, Shepard has been dismissed from the Alliance and arrested pending a trial in which he caused the destruction of the Bahak System killing 300,000 Batarian colonists (Arrival). A few months later, he is met by Anderson who is now an admiral with alarming news that the Reapers are quickly advancing on the Sol System with nearby colonies mysteriously going silent. Depending on your whether you choose to keep Ashley or Kaidan alive in Mass Effect back on Virmire, they will meet you briefly (I must say I love Ashley's new look ooof!) before you have to go before the committee with Anderson about the Reapers. They then get an incoming feed from the UK in which London is being completely devastated by the Reapers. Shepard matter-of-factly declares this isn't about strategy or tactics but about survival. Then an ominous sound is heard coming from the skies above, the councilors turn back at the window in disbelief before a Reaper descends and completely vaporises them with a laser beam. The huge impacts throws Shepard into a wall, and as Timon the meerkat from The Lion King would say "It starts...".   

London's Burning. The Reapers doing what they do best: complete and total annihilation of everything in there path, though Big Ben is spared of the new Reaper makeover...for now.

Now right off the bat you'll notice that the graphics are pretty similar to the second game, though I did notice overall better visual fidelity in particular with the stunning set-piece battles you'll witness. The awe-inspiring backdrops of the Reapers wreaking havoc on the surroundings is jaw-dropping and really does set the tone for this dark and final chapter. Wherever you go, particularly with the Priority missions the gargantuan Reapers are always a constant presence and it really does convey this feeling of a desperate stand against seemingly overwhelming odds. The developer has really done a fantastic job of portraying this mass destruction on a utterly colossal scale, and it really does draw you in from the get-go. Combat is largely the same as in ME2 with some minor refinements including improved enemy AI who now take cover more effectively and employ tactics to flank around you in larger open spaces. It's no surprise BioWare did little to change the overall combat experience since it was already really good in ME2. AI squad-mates surprisingly hold there own in the heat of battle now rather than become an annoyance like in the first game, which will save many controllers being thrown at usually expensive TVs and you having to fight a whole wave singlehandedly which is never fun. The weapons themselves can be fitted out with mods that can be retrieved or purchased to improve accuracy, damage or ammo capacity which prove invaluable in the latter battles. It offers some customization with the armors but it's still limited in comparison with the first game, again emphasizing on a more streamlined experience which works again here. 

Mass Effect 3's main strength and has been since the first game is in it's storytelling as well as it's characters. Depending on whether they survived the Suicide Mission in ME2, all the familiar faces who we've grown to know and love over the course of the series will be making a return here. They literally get thrown at you left right and center almost, it kind of felt really forced and deliberate at first but these characters after all are your emotional tie to the unfolding story and its great seeing some old faces who are all involved in this conflict as much as you are. The likes of Ashley or Kaidan, Garrus, Mordin, Grunt, Wrex, Tali, Liara, Jack, Miranda, Legion, Thane, Samara and Jacob all play into the story with some even rejoining your ship either permanently or briefly. Once again the voice acting is absolutely topnotch across the board, BioWare has to be applauded for finding arguably the finest cast ever to grace a video game series. Throughout the course of the 20-30 hour experience you will be standing by old friends as they try to fend off the Reaper threat which hits a little closer to home both with them and with you. I will say it's probably the most emotionally charged of the three games which in essence it should be, and I will say no more than that with risk of spoiling it all. I can't say I ever recall a game in which I felt so emotionally invested in than Mass Effect 3, after all these are the characters who you have grown to love for nearly five years now and it will undoubtedly tug at your heart strings like it did with me. The game itself as a whole package is probably the best of the trilogy, certainly leading up to the ending anyways which...well I'm sure you've heard has caused something of a storm among the gaming community and for good reason. 

     

Now the ending has been the subject of much speculation not to mention widespread indignation from fans who felt it lacked closure as well as betraying some of the core themes of the series. My personal opinion of the ending was that it was very disappointing, in fact I'm not going to address it in this review but rather a separate and in-depth article later on. However, that being said I don't think the ending should take away from what a truly incredible game this is overall. Mass Effect 3 is a 'fitting' conclusion to one of the most beloved and intricately crafted video game franchises of all time. The ending in it's current state is a massive disservice to fans if it turns out to be the real ending, but it would be unfair to slam the entire game based only on the ending cause the rest of the game is SO good. It provides a great continuity for those who have played the first two games, and I would recommend playing them first if you haven't already before you jump into this one.

4.5/5

The Good: Incredible visuals and sound design, an engrossing and emotionally involved journey to the conclusion, awesome combat and improved enemy and squad AI, top-draw voice acting and writing really bring the characters who have now reached 'legendary' status to life, multiplayer is surprisingly enjoyable and also somewhat integral to the main game.

The Bad: Disappointing and inconsistent climax that lacks closure and betrays the staples of the series. Some frame-rate dips here and there.

The Ugly: Did I mention the ending?