The End is Here
One of the biggest complaints about this game was the ending. Now, I understand that a brief cgi sequence after the final credits roll is enough reason for complaint, one thing I think that should be understood is the entire 20 something hour experience that is Mass Effect 3 is the ending. Without spoiling or ruining any facets of the entire ME trilogy, I would say that when you make the last choice in the game, I personally felt satisfied with what happened, how it happened, and how my Shepard got to that point.
Now that the biggest so called "problem" with Mass Effect 3 is out of the way i can actually discuss the content of the game. The game play is essentially the same as ME2, I found nothing really revamped or changed, which is a good thing, so there should not be any expectations of a re-haul of the game engine. The online portion of the game is fun, you are part of a four man squad that has to survive waves of enemies. Progression in the multi player game will have an effect on your single player campaign, and I will leave it at that. Die-hard CoD or Battlefield veterans will probably scoff at ME3 multiplayer, but it is what it is.
The purpose of Shepard's mission in ME3 is to basically trot around the galaxy patching up things for different alien species so he can accumulate a large war effort against the Reapers. Helping you along the way is a core roster of ME characters. At first I was not too happy about the group, considering that almost all of the ME 2 cast was not in the game, but after a while I grew to appreciate the team. I enjoyed 2's cast, but there were so many characters you did not really get to utilize them enough. In Mass Effect 3, the roster is staggered when you get new characters, so you at least use each character a few times whether you want to or not.
I know that each ME experience for everyone is going to be different for everyone. I completed 2 with every character alive, so I experienced a majority of them with their cameos in 3, and they all have a play a important role. I unfortunately screwed up a loyalty mission in 2, and after discussing ME3 with a friend I realized I missed out on a scene altering action sequence. This alone makes me want to go back and play through ME2 all over again, so this game has replayability written all over it.
One of the few issues I had with this game was the side quests. Simply put, running around the galaxy will eventually lead into Shepard overhearing random conversations. These conversations are usually about "Oh man I really wish I had this McGuffin, which is inconviently located across the galaxy." Being the stand up guy Shepard is, he apparently is willing to travel in search of random objects for random people in Reaper infested space. That sounds like it would be fun, but its not. You basically have to outrun Reaper ships on the overview space map, and scan planets for the items. No real missions where you land on a planet and shoot things. Its also essential to do this because it all accumulates to the war effort. Its boring, mindless, and stupid. I would have preferred if they brought back those awkward driving six wheeled tanks from the first game.
Overall, Mass Effect 3 is a worthy game in the trilogy, what boils down to whether you will enjoy the game depends on if you can get over the fact that it is not Mass Effect 2, and if you are willing to accept that the ending might not nessicarily be what the fans had in mind. Overall if you want a exciting experience that really does alter over how you played Mass Effect 2 (and the choices you made in the ME1 digital comic) play this game. Do not be discouraged by the negative opinions on trivial things.
