Mass Effect 3 Review
Score: 8/10
Mass Effect 3 is the last installment of probably one of the biggest gaming series to date. Where Mass Effect 1 eased you into the wonders of the ME universe, Mass Effect 2 allowed you to get into the nit-grit of it all, with an improved combat system, yet with weaker story telling compared to its predecessor. Neither game was perfect, still the two of them together were part of an impressive story, one I spent hundreds of hours exploring, leaving no rubble unturned, punching pyjaks and journalists, or telling them they had better realize just how much they owed the Alliance fleet who gave their lives for them. Well, I told the journalist, not the pyjak.
Possibly the main feature of the Mass Effect series is the ability to make choices that will reflect on how the story goes, not only for the game you are playing, but also for its successors. If you decide to kill or help someone in the first game, they might show up not only later on, but also in Mass Effect 2 or even 3. All your choices are remembered and you can import your beloved FemShep to the next installment of Mass Effect. Because, let's face it, we all know the real Shepard is female.
With such a well crafted story and gameplay, the third and last of the series had a lot of expectations to live up to. Did it? The short answer is: yes, aside from the ending. The long answer is... well read the rest of the review, but be aware that it may contain spoilers.
The Story
If you wondered whether Mass Effect 3 was going to answer all of your questions about the story lines that unfolded in the previous two games, rest assured, it will. You will be able to resolve the situation with the Genophage, with the Quarians and Geth, and more. You will find that making choices in this game is a lot harder than in the previous two. Many of your decisions will have huge impact, a lot more than they did in the previous 2 games.
While all your decisions are imported into ME 3, BioWare still forced some of those decisions to go their way. You might have decided to give the Council's seat to Anderson in ME 1, and while Anderson will be a Councilor in ME 2, you will find Udina took his place anyway in ME 3. If you decided to sack the Council in ME 1, ME 3 will have a new one with a brand new set of aliens assorted with a Turian, an Asari and a Salarian, rather than having one composed exclusively by humans. So yes, at the start you might feel that some of your important decisions have been set aside, but that's also where it ends. Once the (re)introductions have been made, every other choice you made counts.
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