Mass Effect 3 Review

Assessing the work done by Bioware, you realize that the six-month delay of Mass Effect 3's release was necessary. Thanks to it, the game turned out to be so rich. And although some features were not fully implemented, it's still worth playing, because most of the answers can only be found here. And of course, the battle with the Reapers will be more than exciting.

The much-advertised slogan "Save the Earth" is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The game actually lacks epicness. In fact, in the second part, the player felt like part of something bigger than just the Normandy crew, but in the third—unfortunately not; here, you're a lone wolf solving other races' problems for the sake of saving your own. The cutscenes are impressive, but still, Shepard doesn't do anything supernatural while "saving Earth," most often relying on diplomatic skills rather than shooting in all directions.

All game missions are very dynamic and well thought out. They don't fall into the "kill and fetch" category, and each one offers many choices that will significantly affect the entire game.

As for the story, it's fully revealed and leaves only a few questions after completion. Since the writers decided to disband Shepard's team from the second game, in the sequel we'll rely on a couple of companions from the first part and one new character. Of course, we'll see old acquaintances, but these will only be brief alliances for the duration of a quest.

One of the new story features is background dialogues that can be overheard on the Normandy or in the Citadel. You'll have to listen carefully, as you'll have the opportunity to support one of the arguing sides (which can also affect the game as a whole). With great charisma and influence, Shepard can inspire people to overcome difficulties rather than scatter in fear. The secondary quests you can get this way will be more than boring—fly to the other end of the galaxy and bring something back. Like it or not, you'll have to explore the whole galaxy, and hopefully you'll find that interesting.

If you remember, in Mass Effect 1/2 we had access to a wide variety of star systems to explore. In the third part, there won't be such abundance, although the star systems are scattered all across the galaxy at once. At the same time, some of them are already occupied by the Reapers, and the closer you get to the finale, the worse the situation on the fronts will become. But there's no need to rush, and before the final battle begins, the player (hopefully) will gather an army strong enough to defeat the Reapers.

The protagonist's stats haven't gone anywhere (if you import a character from ME1 and ME2) and they'll be more than enough for the toughest situations. The "difficulty of completion" promised by the developers will torment you only during the first couple of missions, until you buy a more powerful gun, after which the game becomes much easier. For each available talent, the Commander will get a couple of new abilities that can be fully unlocked during the game. And speaking of innovations, throwing grenades and a strong melee attack are definitely things that were missing before.

Looking at it from all sides, the gameplay of the third part is different from the second, and you'll have to get used to it. Controlling the protagonist has become more difficult, as they don't "stick" to every surface that looks like a possible cover. It's frustrating, because of this, Commander Shepard can end up under crossfire at the most unexpected moment.

The roll mechanic is also poorly implemented: now, instead of normal movement, Shepard will tumble in all possible directions, but not where you actually want to go. Maybe this is just a problem with the initial version, but who knows if Bioware will ever fix it.

As before, we're given a wide selection of weapons and armor, as well as upgrades for them. There's no extensive customization in the single-player campaign: two upgrade slots and a meager set of actual upgrades (if you buy truly valuable and useful things)—that's all. The promised features ended up in the multiplayer mode.

Since Shepard is now cut off from Cerberus funding, you have to buy weapons and armor yourself, so choose your equipment carefully: weapons you're familiar with from the second game may have had their stats drastically changed.

Overall, the design of all the menus and windows in Mass Effect 3 is worse than in the first two games. Why did they have to redraw a great interface and reinvent the wheel? Especially since it takes time to get used to it—time you'd rather spend actually playing.

The new version of the Unreal Engine has greatly expanded the developers' possibilities. Locations have become much larger and more varied, often featuring several "vertical levels" you can climb to use the tactical advantage against your enemies. To add some variety, stationary turrets have been placed on the maps, and it's highly recommended to use them.

Graphically, the game looks a bit worse than Mass Effect 2, but overall the visuals are acceptable. The main problem is low-resolution textures, strange lighting and shadow effects, as well as weak anti-aliasing and filtering. All other effects are done at a high level.

The ending that everyone was waiting for in the Extended Cut, just like the original finale, will satisfy only a small portion of players. Yes, they showed a whole bunch of new slides and cutscenes. Admiral Hackett gave a pompous speech, as is customary in such cases. But BioWare only slightly lifted the veil of mystery over "that very ending" that fans were hoping for.

It seems we'll have to buy a pile of DLCs for ME3 and Mass Effect 4 to find out how things turned out for our old friends from the first three games. And of course, no one doubts that Shepard will return to the game one way or another.

But what BioWare really delivered on is the multiplayer, which, even though it consists of just one mode (survive waves of enemies), is well-executed and will truly test your combat skills... especially on "Platinum" difficulty. A large number of maps, even more playable characters, and tons of weapons, armor, and equipment will please even the most hardcore players.

For each mission, we earn in-game currency, which we'll spend on purchasing in-game items. Don't rush to spend your money right away—it's better to save up a few hundred thousand and buy an elite pack, which will immediately unlock new characters and great weapons. Of course, it's hard to achieve glorious victories with the first available class, but over time you'll learn the mechanics and be able to participate successfully in tough battles. And don't forget that active participation in multiplayer battles increases the galaxy readiness rating, which ultimately boosts your chances of getting the best ending.

So, what's the result? Commander Shepard is officially alive, the "final part of the trilogy" has become a new continuation of the series, and players are sending waves of hate to the developers for the dull, repetitive endings. But is that really why people play Mass Effect? It's an excellent sci-fi space RPG with great gameplay and a fantastic connection across all three parts of the series. That's what you should keep in mind when looking at, let's be honest, the weak game endings.