Mass Effect 3 Review

The original Mass Effect was one of the reasons I got an Xbox 360 back in 2007. I enjoyed the game and it was one of the first games I can remember actually finishing all the way through without getting bored and moving on to other things. Now with Mass Effect 3 (ME3) from BioWare, I have just completed a trilogy of games.

ME3 begins with you making the decision to either play multiplayer missions or the single player game. If you choose single player, you will then have the chance to either import your Commander Shepard from Mass Effect 2 or go with a new Shepard (there is an achievement for completing the game 2 times or once with an imported Shepard as incentive). After your choice, you get to spend time tweaking your Shepard (male or female) to look however you want. After that you are thrown into the struggle as you find Shepard being called into a meeting to discuss the Reapers just when the Reaper invasion hits Earth. After escaping, the rest of the game is about trying to stop the Reapers and taking back Earth, which will require a lot of help from wherever you can find it.

I enjoyed ME3 immensely. For any fan of the franchise and of Shephard’s journey to stop the Reapers, it hits all of the right notes. The addition of Kinect voice commands adds to the immersion factor and takes some of the play-stopping controls out of the mix when interacting with squad members. Though I will say one of my dogs didn’t enjoy the number of times I yelled “First Aid!” at my TV. The cover-based combat is easy enough for those who aren’t skilled with shooter games, but deep enough to be fun if you are skilled. Of course the story is also great along the way with highs and lows, twists and turns.

All of the characters you have come to know and love are here (unless they died in a previous installment of the trilogy and you imported your character). In many ways, the entirety of ME3 is a farewell to the series as there are many instances where you come across characters you helped (or stopped) in the previous Mass Effect games and they remind you of the good ol’ days before the Reaper invasion. It isn’t necessary to have played the other two games in the series, but it will add depth and make you connect with the characters even more.

There are a couple of things that you should be aware of, some good and some not as good. The multiplayer part of the game does play a part in your single player campaign. As you play multiplayer missions, you will raise the galactic readiness of the military troops fighting the Reapers, which seems to help determine how hard the final missions of the game will be. Take some time to play at least a few multiplayer missions, they are fun even if it takes some time to get used to combat only focus and working together with other human players. One drawback to the game is the number (and duration) of loading screens. Ttravel from one system to another? Loading screens. Go from one level of the Citadel to another? Loading screens. Travel from one deck to another on the Normandy? You got it, loading screens.

As repetitive and time consuming as the loading screens are, they can’t detract from Mass Effect 3 being a great game – both for single and multiplayer. There have been complaints about the ending, but I was satisfied. After almost 40 hours of single player campaign and another 5 – 10 of multiplayer, I felt I definitely got value for my money. Mass Effect 3 is a fitting end to the Mass Effect trilogy, which I give five Mick Happies. Go save the galaxy, soldier.