Mass Effect 3 Angry Review
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Platform: Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1 Offline Player, 4 Players Online
Angry Joe takes on the horrible ending to the Mass Effect Franchise. How does the third game stack-up to the previous two? More importantly, is it worth your money despite the way it ends?
This is the Original Photo taken by Matthew Leete before and after Bioware Photoshopped it (Click):
SPOILERMajor Spoilers in this image:
And:
SPOILERMajor Spoilers in this image:
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613 thoughts on “Mass Effect 3 Angry Review”
I completely agree with everything in the review, though I would like to add one annoyance to the game’s multiplayer.
You are basically forced to play multiplayer if you want a decent ending. I don’t really enjoy online multiplayer in general. It’s just not my thing. But if you don’t play it, then Bioware gives you an even more shitty ending than the others.
I think I may be the only one upset over this though XD
I agree, i hate the endings anyway but it is worse if you dont grind multiplayer for hours just so you dont go into the final battle with 50% of the forces you have worked hard to collect!
I 100% agree with Angry Joe. I was quite disappointed that Wrex did not rejoin your squad after curing the genophage. He was one of my favorite squad mates and probably the most interesting and he even won an award for being the best companion according to gameinformer. I was happy Liara made a return as she was my favorite because she is hot and powers come in quite handy. Your squad in this game sucked and were boring and you didn’t get any from ME2. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT. This is just my opinon. I pray they make the improvement in the 4th game.
The ending to the franchise might seem to be lacking but take a look at this article and watch the video, they make some very good points. While I do admit that I was disappointed that my War Assets did nothing in the end, this article greatly reduces the pain.
And I forgot to post the link:
http://alexjuice.com/features/gaming/251-mass-effect-3-ending-explained
well… if the Shepard’s Indoctrination theory is truth, is possible that the rumor about the ¨truth dlc¨ could be truth, which means we have to pay for the real ending
http://www.gamefront.com/rumor-mass-effect-3-dlc-the-truth-due-in-april/
Really, if people would rather believe that the entire series was “just a dream”, still nullifying the entire trilogy anyway, than accept the current ending, something is wrong here…
EXACTLY.
The fact that fans are reaching out for ANYTHING that isn’t the ending that we got really just goes to show how bad it is. Plus, an App released for the Ipad called ME3: The Final Hour pretty much says outright that they really intended to end the game this way – the indoctrination theory was pretty much shot down.
They also state that they don’t intend to release post-game DLC, it will either be before, or during the play through of ME3.
I held out a thin hope that Bioware was actually going to release free DLC that magically ‘fixes’ the ending, but it’s not gonna happen. What you see is what you get. Why they thought it was a good idea to end it like this is anyone’s guess.
Of course, the app describes the process of the game before it was released, so it didn’t cover the shitstorm that the ending created. So if you’re really desperate, you can hope that they’ll still release an ending fix after they witnessed the fan outcry.
As for me, I’m done with Bioware now. I hated Dragon Age 2, thought ToR was immensely boring, and now they ruined the ending of ME3 – perhaps the entire franchise, in an attempt to be artistic or whatever. It massively backfired in their face, and I for one, don’t intend to give them another chance.
Honestly, as much as I dislike the ending and would like BioWare to change it, I would rather have BioWare not change the ending mainly due to principle. I’m a firm believer of the creator owning the content that they make, and whatever they put out is whatever we get.
The only obligation any creator has to his consumers is to make a good product. Now, some may argue that the ending means that the Mass Effect games are no good anymore, and that’s entirely their prerogative. And, yes, while I do understand and relate to the disgruntled fans, my own ethics won’t allow me to demand that BioWare change the ending that they intended, no matter how terribly put together it was.
Oh, and regarding the stock photo for Tali, while I understand why some people are upset over BioWare’s laziness regarding her reveal (I also feel a bit underwhelmed about that), I can’t be the only one who liked Tali and romanced her because I -genuinely liked her as a character-, Right?
I mean, she’s probably one of the few game characters in any franchise that I can think of that grows throughout the series, starting out as a shy child in ME1, a more mature lassie in ME2, and becoming a full adult by ME3. Her reveal of her face always seemed secondary to me because I really did enjoy her as a character. BioWare missed a huge opportunity with a platonic relationship with her, like two lovers who can never be together as the simple touch of your hand past her protective suit would kill her. Oh well, still a good character.
All this talk about how BioWare was lazy with revealing her face, and how everyone is going “Man! I wanted to see her face! Way to screw us over, BioWare!” makes me feel a bit disappointed in the fanbase, as if all that mattered was her looks. Damnit, people, I liked Tali for who she was! Not just because I was curious about what was under that mask!
I would really like to see your take on the Mass Effect 3 ending with the “Top 10 reasons why ME3′s ending sucks ass”. It’s interesting to see everyone’s take on it.
While I’m not as enraged by the ending as some people, I didn’t really enjoy it either. It just sort of felt…empty, like nothing I did in the end mattered. It didn’t wrap up the sprawling, epic story, it didn’t let me see the consequences of my overall actions, it didn’t give me any sort of closure regarding all the intricate relationships I developed with the characters in the end. It was just…there. That’s it. Here’s the ending, and goodbye.
Some people say that all we wanted was a happy ending, but that’s BS. Really, at this point, everyone knew that Shepard was going to die, he’s practically Space Jesus at this point. The main issue isn’t that it wasn’t a happy ending, but that it was barely an ending at all. As I said before, it just sort of ends, leaving everything that you’ve worked for hanging, never to be resolved.
I really do hope that if they do plan on putting out DLC ala Broken Steel, retconning the ending and letting Shepard live or seeing the results of your actions in the end, that they won’t charge for it. I don’t really know if I would buy post-ending DLC at this point, as on one hand I want to have a more satisfying ending, but on the other buying something like that sends the wrong message to the corporate manipulators.
The following is from another website:
“Important note: By not playing any multiplayer at all, your galactic readiness rating stays at 50%. This means that your effective military strength will be cut in half. For example, even if your military strength is 6000, your effective military strength is only 3000 if your galactic readiness is still at 50%.
Another important note: The only difference between the last two endings in each list is if you choose to save Anderson from the Illusive Man during the Paragon moment at the end. If you have maxed out Paragon/Renegage to save him, then you only need 4000 effective military strength to see the cut-scene of Shepard taking a breath at the end. If you don’t or can’t save him, you’ll need 5000 to see that scene.
Following is the effective military strength you’ll need in order to see all of the different endings.
Saved the Collector’s Base in Mass Effect 2
Effective Military Strength under 1750 – Earth is destroyed regardless of the decisions you’ve made
Effective Military Strength of 1750 to 2049 – Save the Reapers and Earth will be saved
Effective Military Strength of 2050 to 2349 – Become a Reaper and Earth will be saved
Effective Military Strength of 2350 to 2649 – Destroy the Reapers and Earth will be somewhat destroyed
Effective Military Strength of 2650 to 2799 – Destroy the Reapers and Earth will be destroyed
Effective Military Strength of 2800 to 3999 – The Galaxy and Earth will be saved once you’re able to create synergy
Effective Military Strength of 4000 to 4999 – Destroy the Reapers and Save Anderson from the Illusive Man to see that Shepard lives (Requires max Paragon/Renegade to save Anderson)
Effective Military Strength of 5000 and higher – Destroy the Reapers but unable to Save Anderson from the Illusive Man, you’ll see the clip where Shepard is alive
Destroyed the Collector’s Base in Mass Effect 2
Effective Military Strength under 1750 – Earth is destroyed regardless of the decisions you’ve made
Effective Military Strength of 1750 to 1899 – Become a Reaper and the Earth will be destroyed
Effective Military Strength of 1900 to 2349 – Destroy the Reapers and the Earth will be somewhat destroyed
Effective Military Strength of 2350 to 2649 – Become a Reaper and the Earth will be saved
Effective Military Strength of 2650 to 2799 – Destroy the Reapers and Earth will be saved
Effective Military Strength of 2800 to 3999 – The Galaxy and Earth will be saved once you’re able to create synergy
Effective Military Strength of 4000 to 4999 – Destroy the Reapers and Save Anderson from the Illusive Man to see that Shepard lives (Requires max Paragon/Renegade to save Anderson)
Effective Military Strength of 5000 and higher – Destroy the Reapers but unable to Save Anderson from the Illusive Man, you’ll see the clip where Shepard is alive”
So wait, the Synergy option doesn’t even appear if you have less than 2800 EMS? Furthermore, it’s suggesting that it’s the best option of the three? What the hell?
And with Tali. Since the first Mass Effect i have been wondering what was behind that mask, and in Mass Effect 3 they had the perfect moment to show her face, but they didnt, instead they showed it through a damn picture.
I wanted to see Tali talking to me withis face no some damn photo of her!I am so pissed!Thanks for nothing Bioware!
I pretty much agree with Joe’s review, except i thought the beginning was sorely lacking. It was all rushed and you had to read the books to have a sense of understanding about what was going on. It could have greatly benefited from about 10 minuets of story buildup before the reapers came.
I’m also sort of surprised nothing was mentioned about the running animation, i’m not sure about the boy Shep, but Femshep ran like she was a paraplegic with her pants full of poo. The inability to holster your weapon also really got to me, as did the loading speed and pace of combat. It took me until mid-game to finally make peace with that stuff, and i was only able to because i wanted to love Mass Effect Three so badly that I just ignored and forgave it.
FemShep animation is an example of what happens when you use male mocap for female characters, bone structure differences are too big to have it still look good (for instance pelvis has totally different shape).
AJ, this has to be one of your best reviews!! Absolutely loved it, and agreed with all your points!
I apologize for posting 3 times but im MAD.
But for additional reasons.
Im playing thru ME 1 for the first time now….now I am a regular at certain stream sites on Twitch tee vee. So I have seen ME 3 played thru with different endings.
BUT now aftert this BS mess…. im finding it hard to continue playing ME 1.
This is the kinda stuff that makes you not want to even play a Series…
Yea maybe ME 2 is worth it and I might since its 19 bucks…. but im so peed right now.
Im kinda miffed at Angry Joe (still love ya !) but….
JOE called this kinda thing in one of his videwos… and bioware took it 1 step further. but some DEFENDED them not putting in content on release (which was on DISC) you knew there was BS going on.
Joe really needs to address this and be honest… stop coddling this company… if we lie down and take it expect every game to have “DLC” to get the REAL ending…
ANGRYJOE – seriously if you love MASS EFFECT series…. do a VIDEO discussing this directly as what it is corporate tom foolry… and how they should proceed to fix it in light of this mess.
THIS isnt about the quality of graphics fo ME 3… its HOW they are treating their customers….the legacy of ME, and how they will operate in the future….
kinda important topics
http://kotaku.com/5894186/mass-effects-producer-promises-well-keep-listening-and-new-content-that-brings-closure
ANNOYING! See they planned this: They set themselves up to “give a real ending” but with DLC. 10 to 1 they will charge. THIS is corporate BS at its best I think Angry Joe was wrong not to lower the rating.
BIOWARE and crew are ffff–ing people in their face and people love them for it.
This means…other companies willfollow because the fans are taking it in the a** and buying the game for 70+ dollars.
They win.
I just can’t understand why so many people are acting like the end of this game, the 10-20 minute sequence (as disappointing as it is) can not only ruin this game, but the entire Mass Effect universe for them. I hated the ending too, but the moment I finished Mass Effect 3, I just wanted to go back and replay the other two again, because I just wanted to watch the whole 3 part trilogy play out again.
*spoilers*
It’s because it literally did ruin the Mass Effect universe, destroying the mass relays, destroying the citadel, and isolating the different races essential regressed the entire franchises to the pre-prothian discovery technology with no hope of recovery. It would take decades to travel to a neighboring system in a universe that is build on instantaneous travel between any system. It was just a complete and utter disaster, though i do think a lot of people are too hard on it. Yes the ending was one of the worst endings i’ve ever seen, but the journey to the ending was still really fun.
I actually like the ending. It’s was epic and big. Still, I found the first game to be the best. 2nd one was good and interesting. The 3rd one, I love the mission story lines.
The opening of your video sums it up well, Joe. The game was funny, sad, exciting, fantastic… up until that end. And I’ve got no desire to jump right back in an replay ME3 either. It’s like they intentionally tried to piss people off with that ending, I can’t wait for your video on it.
Besides that… I don’t think ME3 is as good as ME2. It’s good yes, but somehow ME2 feels like it has more to it.
I was expecting this review to be biased based on the ending. However, it turned out to be honest and fair. I think ME2 was the better of the series, because of the feeling you get from working as a team. It’s nice to be surrounded by well scripted characters that you care about. I find this game similar to the Saints Row 3 review, because this series lost touch of its roots. As a developer you need to know what your audience respects mostly about the particular game. This game changed too many things that didn’t need to be changed. It’s like the new YouTube layout, leave YouTube alone if it’s not broken!
I just don’t know what to say, i heard the ending was terrible but i just thought that it was people bitching (SPOILERS) because he died, but then i heard joe and i got it, it’s insulting, what hapened in the ending where he survived, is he he stuck in the remains of the citadel? and what about all the relations you build up in 3 games with the characters? what the hell, the wors’t part is that now, i wan’t a DLC to fix this cause i want the series to end well since i loved the first two,BUT WHY WOULD WE NEED TO PAY FOR IT ???
Bioware, we trusted you! THANK YOU JOE FOR OPENING MY EYES
Lol the start is exactly the expressions feelings i got when i played this game. I even cried a little when legion did his thing.
i have to disagree with you joe
i thought the ending was one of the best i have seen
everything lead to this point
a desperate struggle for, not only Shepard’s survival but the survival of the entire universe
everything lead to this. the final desperate confrontation between Shepard and the elusive man and the realization not not matter what you did this was not going to end well for anyone, with everyone you cared about gone the rest of the galaxy not far behind. why does there have to be a good ending.
also life isn’t fair its only a game get a life and so on and so on
For the umpteenth time, people are not complaining about the endings just because they’re not happy! I’m a Witcher fan, and that series has always been bleak beyond belief!
Sorry, this point annoys me. People are annoyed mostly because of the lack of closure, leaving on a cliffhanger and showing nothing of how things are playing out. They’re annoyed at the Catalyst, the leader of the Reapers dictating how we do things; they’re annoyed about the plot holes…. (What happened to Reapers each being individuals and sentient, how did Anderson and TiM get there, if the kid’s right, why did the Geth not rebel against the Quarrians or attempt to wipe them out?)
Sorry for the anger, but I’ve heard this again and again, and it’s starting to really annoy me. Some people just wanted a happy ending, sure, but the majority just want a well written one
I hated the ending. And i don´t really understand why couldn´t have an option for a good ending. I think that people should be able to choose.
Im proud of your work Joe! That you mentioned the ending, despite what people think of it. I think it´s strange that no other reviewer touched the subject. I was so glad that you had…
Im proud of your work Joe!
That you mentioned the ending, despite what people think of it. I think it´s strange that no other reviewer touched the subject. I was so glad that you had it in your review, and the montage bit with your reactions, i think many people can relate to. anyway, great job! Keep em coming!
i think i saw some screenshots of a mass effect fps
In case you missed it in BSN the players are pretty much united against the ending, hell they raised over $57k for charity ( http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play ) and keeping the issue alive at the forums.
Welcome to the fleet Joe and
HOLD THE LINE
Would love a DLC that focuses on missions with you and your love interest. The banter and flirting with Tali during the Geth mission was hilarious.
to be honest them being lazy and using a stock photo for tali’s face pissed me off more then the ending
what the hell first they ruined dragon age now mass effect, come on bioware you’re running out of franchises to flush down the toilet >:(
People, this game is 25 hours long, whereas ME2 was 60 hours long. We shouldn’t be expected to pay 79.99 for such a short game. It is quite the slap in the face.
25 hours is not a short game. Just because its shorter than ME2 doesn’t mean it’s not worth the price charged for it.
Both this game and Mass Effect 2 were around 25 hours. You people who claim that it took 60 hours must have went afk a lot.
I agree with everything Joe. Now, after i completed the game and saw the ending i first thought it was okay, but then i thought about it, and i then realised that it sucked balls, but i dont think that it is the real ending. If you see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYgr1rqEec you get some reasons for why it probably isnt the real ending. Now i dont know if its true, but i thought about it, and i saw what the guy means. You guys should check it out. Now, even though it would be pretty stupid to make a DLC ending, but if they do it better be free. I also heard rumors that the ending was rushed, and a little bit after the game has been released in Japan i have also heard that they may conscider to change the ending.
You’d wish it was rushed wouldn’t you? :p
Judging by the leaks that happened some time back and what is said in the “Last Hours of Mass Effect 3″ app for iPad (behind the scenes, made by Geoff Keighley) the ending was known pretty early on, sure they experimented a bit with the Illusive Man being a combat boss and having “players suddenly lose control of Shepard’s movements and fall under full Reaper Control”, but the final bit with the catalyst doesn’t seem to have change much more than that you initially could ask him more questions.
I kind hope we’ll have some free DLC in a month or two that is the real ending :p
Me too. I may hate it when the story of a character in a game series that i like is rounded up, but if they do it, they should at least give it a good ending that we can remember, so i hope Bioware makes a new ending that gives me and other fans of the franchise satisfaction.
I hated the ending so much. I think I sat there for 30 minutes after the credits finished just crying my eyes out.
BUUUT theres hope! Check out this thread on the BioWare forums and see for yourself Joe! Just read the first post though.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/9727423/1
Joe we need your army, A group of people that is growing quickly on the Bioware forums are pushing for a rewrite of the ending one that won’t cost us anything as far as money or points etc. we need the angry Joe army’s help. we have a charity drive going for child’s play which you can find out more on the forums *mainly the ME3 Campaign discussion (spoliers allowed) * as well as gathering the attention of Bioware in general, rewrites of the endings by fans, pointing out what we hated about the parts in the game. but we need more people, we need a leader for a lack of a better word. you are a talented person who inspire and informs the masses. we need your help Joe wee need the A.J.A. if we are going to Retake Mass Effect. until then “Hold The Line!” Bioware won’t be easily swayed but we are not giving up to them.
ME3 itself was amazing. Very emotional, filled with all kinds of ..seemingly difficult decisions and drama. Followed by a developer that took acid, then wrote the last few minutes of the game and expected everyone to accept it cause “its bioware baby!”
day 1 dlc, irritated me, but the character is ..unique, the gun is quite good. doesnt bug me anymore.
i hope bioware fixes this @#$@# mess of a ending though. I hope its not a lead on dlc that makes no sense (if they do anything). Still a big part of me thinks they trolled us big time, and just want all this chaos n negative stuff to build up to ME4: heal the galaxy.
I loved this game and even with the crappy ending I still love it.
It seems there is a free app for itouch/ipad for ME3 that can link to your account that gives a mini game to improve your EWR galaxy to Galaxy….going to try it.
Loved the black dynamite reference, NOW DONT INTERRUPT MY KUNG FU
I think Bioware made us “hate” the ending on purpose. I believe the mentioned inconsistencies were supposed to be noticed, as evidence that shepard was indoctrinated. This wasn’t the real ending: http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-analyzing-the-indoctrination-theory/2/
Its sound crazy but I haven’t played any of the mass effect games…But watching your review has intrigued me…I want to start off by playing the first one so I think I’ll wait if they release the first three games in to one package…And thanks for mentioning those like me who agreed that the dlc problem should affect the score
Great review Joe and I completely agree . . . except for multiplayer. My friends and I have had a lot of fun with mp, especially on the higher difficulties. It’s a lot of fun trying to figure out the perfect combination of classes, races, maps, for each of the 3 different types of enemies. Although it is still a hoard mode with campaign areas, it makes sense. You are defending the areas Shepard has already been through and hey, who knows, maybe co-op missions will be in a new DLC.
[...] previous two. AngryJoe reenacts everyone’s reaction during the game in the first minute of his ME3 review [...]
What did you do to only have 6 squadmates with the DLC? By the end of the game I had about 8. Are you sure some of your people didn’t die and you just forgot?
Actually 7 (in one playthrough)
Javik
Garrus
EDI
Ashley/Kaiden
Liara
Vega
Tali
He may have overlooked Tali because she joins so late in the game
Here’s a recent post by Casey Hudson that could be a sign Bioware’s going to pull a “Broken Steel” of some sort:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/324/index/10089946
hi guys I want to ask a question, you can romance tali if I play as femshep? is she a squad member? please someone can tell me, thanks
Unfortunately no, Tali is straight.
Here’s what I didn’t like about ME3, other than the ending and the stuff mentioned in the review.
*Minor Spoilers*
1. Too much stuff from outside the main games of ME1 and 2.
The game follows “The Arrival” DLC so if you haven’t read about it or played it, you’ll be confused. The game also mentions a lot of events from the DLC’s and characters from the DLC’s play pretty important roles in certain quests.
There are several things and characters that made me go, “did I miss something” or “am I supposed to know this guy?” For example, Udina is earth’s diplomat to the council but I selected Anderson, so what happened there? When you first meet Vega, he acts like he knows Shepard but I he wasn’t in the previous games or the DLC’s. There’s also Kai Leng, everyone talks about him like I should know about him but I have no idea who this guy is other than the fact that he’s a very dangerous assassin.
2. This is partly mentioned in the review but my complaint is a bit different. The reasons why ME2 characters can’t join you are really flimsy. It doesn’t really make any sense why Liara can join you despite the fact that she has a ton of other stuff on her plate but the ME2 characters can’t join you. Liara is the Shadow Broker and she’s doing work on the Crucible, that’s way more work and way more important work than what characters like Jack and Grunt have to do.
3. The Reaper invasion doesn’t make too much sense to me. I really don’t see how they can wage a ground war against the Reapers when the Reapers can just fly into space and blast them from orbit.
4. A lot of mysteries, hints and clues in previous games that are linked to the Reapers or a way to defeat them in previous games are disregarded. Remember the ME2 mission where you recruit Tali where she was investigating a sun that was aging like a million times faster than normal and it might have something to do with the Reapers? Not in ME3. Remember that Derelict Reaper the size of Sovereign that was killed by a huge mass driver, which they found, 37 million of years ago? Not mentioned. Remember how they salvaged Sovereign and reverse engineered a bunch of tech from it? Didn’t play a significant part in the story.
5. Mark Meer’s performance. I think Jennifer Hale’s performance has always been better but the difference is much bigger here. Male Shepard is just too indifferent. There’s just much more life and emotional investment in Jennifer Hale’s performance. Male Shepard’s cold attitude was OK in the last two games since it made him seem more professional but it doesn’t work in this game when there’s so much at stake. When characters are stressed and truly pushed to the brink, they should expose their humanity more. Male Shepard just sounds like a robot while Female Shepard sounds like a real human being.
SPOILER tag because although this “ending” is not in the game it was apparently how Drew Karpyshyn (Lead writer of ME1 and Co-lead writer of ME2) had planned out. Also ending spoiler for ME 2
From what I have read the Original ending was going to be related to dark matter. The reason for the cycle is that Dark matter is building up through out the galaxy (like the sun on Haestrom) and if it isn’t stopped it will destroy ALL life in the galaxy and the Reapers were created to stop it. The reason the Reapers are so interested in humanity is that with our wide Genetic variance they think they can finally create a reaper capable of stopping the Dark Energy build up but they are running out of time hence why they started harvesting humans with the collectors in ME 2 instead of just waiting until they got there (It also explains what Harbinger meant when he said “We will find another way” to the Collecter General as the collector base was destroyed in ME2.
The final choice was going to be Sacrifice Humanity and let the Reapers finish there work or destroy them and try to find another way with what little time there was.
I read that this ending was scrapped because it leaked out or something and Bioware felt they needed to change it for some insane reason (although these are Internet sources so take with a pinch of salt).
About side quest: you don’t have to do what you said in review.
You can just scan all sectors for artifacts, then return to Citadel. All characters that you can interact will be shown on map. It’s not very precise but saves lot’s of walking and you can spot them thanks to this double bow, circular thingy.
I was very disappointed with the Tali face reveal too. I actuality did not romance tali (or anyone for that matter) but she was my favorite character second only to Garrus. I just adored her naive but strong and confident personality. Plus she was very useful in combat. The funny thing is however… that bioware spends all this effort working on these characters so you literally fall in love and fight for them, then act all surprised when we see them handled so lazily and with such disregard. That being said however tali and the rest of the old gang were still as inspiring and well done as ever. In the end mass effect 2 was far more immerse and involving. Mass effect 3 was still a very good game with its own highlights despite its fumbling at finish. I look forward to my second play-though as a femshep adept.
p.s. I’m surprised you picked tali for romance (not to say i don’t approve) I would have pegged you as picking Miranda (I thought she was a bosh’tet personaly) XD
Nice review. Really agree with most points except for EDI. I really liked her character a lot. She is really funny and you have a lot of phylosophical conversations with her about life as a AI and life in general.
Javik, Vega and Ashley were a lot less interesting. Which in case of Javik is a real dissapointment.
8/10? pretty generous of you.. the whole thing just screamed laziness to me which seems to be bioware’s new take on their games these days. The sad moments felt spoon fed like they were written by a 14year old. and here are reasons for ending
1. The director himself said he wants to leave it for open interpretation and discussions. Right… in other word, a cheap and lazy attempt to have it remembered by having a unexplained ending. Wow, real creative… downright praise worthy. Only discussion I hear on internet though, is of how much the ending SUCK BALLS, not how mysterious and interesting it was.
2. Room for DLC. I don’t think bioware is stupid enough to think they can get away with a substitute ending DLC. But they sure as hell with attempt to say ‘the new DLC will provide alternate explanation from different angle’ which will be enough for brain dead consumers(which seems to be 50% of humanity) to swallow as a must-have.
3. This one is theory, but maybe.. just maybe, the director was a fan of star trek? So the mass effect became the sacrifice for the glory of star trek’s outlandish sci-fi element? If it was, it was terribly executed indeed.
Once again Joe, I completely agree with you. You never fail to show how much you care about gaming. As for the ending, I believe a “years later” thing is coming, because I remeber Bioware stating a few weeks ago: “You might want to keep that save file for ME3.”, which tells me something else is coming.
As everyone else has said, great review!
Probably won’t be getting it, judging by how important DLC looks to be to the storyline (And my Xbox is kinda out of range of the ‘no, we’re *not* moving this thing’ family router).
Thing is…if ME3 were on Steam (Which my more mobile PC uses) ? I’d rebuy the whole series.
Sorry, but Mass Effect 3 will probably never be on Steam. You need Origin to buy and play it. Even the singleplayer. This game just makes me so mad, especially how the PC version is marketed.
Hey Joe, I actually found a video that explains what is going on with the endings (sort of). Copy and paste “Mass Effect 3 – Shepard’s Indoctrination” without quotes into YouTube search. Apparently all the whole entire !@#$ing trilogy of Mass Effect is just Shepard in a mental hospital!?!?! Thought it was a great game but after watching that video it kinda gave me 2nd thoughts of the level of “badassery” the story had. Great review!
Dude, you haven’t even read the theory have you? It says everything after Shepard got hit with the Harbinger beam is a hallucination.
Seriously.
One of the things I don’t see anyone mention is…
Where are the “bosses” or epic large scale “big” battles?……
Example: Thresher Maw ME2, The probes that crashed in to the engine room aboard the Normandy ME2, The final battle HUGE robot on the collector ship ME2, oh and HARBINGER for Christ sake.
In your codex it tells you “Harbinger is thought to be leading the attack on earth” WTF that would have been cool if not to fight but to see. Even if it was just a “Hey look at that” moment.
I’m sorry epic fights DO NOT equal “Just put down 5 in place of 2 brutes or banshees and those are your “bosses”. The few times you get too kill a harvester could have been more memorable if the build-up were better, but as it is with the lack of build and the environment being so closed in ( not in general but those parts) it just didn’t seem “epic” but more “Oh, something else to kill in my way.”
Perhaps someone can put it a little better than I did but you hopefully can relate with that one part of my personal disappointment.
that dude with the sword was “kind of” a boss fight
I would say facing a reaper head on is a friggin large scale boss fight. Asn yes, I’m calling that a boss fight, I spent like 45 minutes on that part…..
Look for “Marauder Shields” on youtube. ^^