I was very late on the bandwagon playing Mass Effect 3. Despite really enjoying the first 2 games I had somehow convinced myself that Mass Effect 3 wasn't going to be very good or I wasn't going to enjoy it or something...I don't know. I can now safely say (upon completion of the game) that I was very wrong indeed.
The game has been out long enough now that there isn't anything new I can say about it. Odds are anyone who wants to know about the game at this point has already either played it, or read about it so I'm not going to go in depth with detail. Instead, I'll waste your time with my feelings and opinions.
It's a beautiful game both mentally and visually. The graphics are on par with anything I've played on the Xbox. Some of the set pieces are absolutely breath taking and the action at times is over the top with awesomeness. From a mental standpoint, Mass Effect 3 picks up right where the first 2 games left off. Excellent storytelling and acting weave a masterful tale that grips you until the very end when it kind of peters out into a little poof. Really, the only disappointing part of the entire trilogy is the very end. I'd hate to sound like every other person out there but the fact of the matter is, the ending just isn't very good. All of the build up and time spent over 3 truly great games deserves a better ending. I'm not going to spoil what happens for the few people who haven't played it yet but it was definitely a disappointment. I had the ending spoiled for me, and when I heard what happened I didn't really get what all of the ire was about. It sounded like a fine ending to me, but when I actually played the game, I understood a lot better. It's not necessarily what happens, but how it happens. It's just a dud.
The gamepay though is spot on. They've taken the basic formula found in the first game and spent 2 games honing it and trimming the fat until they've distilled it down to near perfection. The action is fast paced and exciting, the controls are tight, combat is just an absolute blast. If you have a Kinect you can control your squad mates with your voice, or tell the game when to pick up items and salvage materials with a single vocal command. It's pretty cool, but doesn't really add or detract from the experience. I found myself using it once in a while as a novelty but nothing more.
Sound in this game is excellent. The gun shots hit enemies with the most satisfying of thuds, space ships fly through relays, monsters growl and stomp as they attack, biotic attacks buzz and hum with power. The music is very subdued but fits the game perfectly. It's done in a way that you only notice it when you're supposed to and it's done to perfection.
The enemies are another minor flaw in the game. The lack of variation gets a little stale after awhile. It's a lot of the same basic enemies over and over again with an occasional stronger enemy thrown in the mix. The enemies do use tactics pretty well though. They will duck in and out of cover to fire, use cloaking to get in the middle of your group then lay waste to your team with powerful close range attacks. The game is pretty tough on normal difficulty(which is what I played on) but never so tough that you get frustrated. Each death felt like it was my fault for not using proper strategy rather than AI cheating or overpowered enemies.
In the end, I went into Mass Effect 3 with pretty tempered expectations and came out extremely pleased. Why my expectations were tempered in the first place, I do not know. I loved the first 2 games in the series so it made sense that I loved this one as well. Whatever the reason, I'm glad because it made me enjoy the game that much more. I rented it so I didn't get to try any of the multiplayer but I've heard good things about it. Maybe when I can find it cheap I'll buy it so I can check it out and speak more thoroughly on it then, but for now I'll just say I've not heard anything bad about it. Mass Effect 3 is an almost perfect conclusion to the trilogy. A wild ride for 99% of the game that peters out at the very, very end. Far from enough to keep this game from being a must play though.
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