I’ve been rummaging through the web for additional Mass Effect 3 critiques for most of the morning, and am finally ready to share the results in our third review round-up for the game.
GameSpot gives it a 9.0/10:
Mass Effect 3 has its flaws, but they’re of minimal consequence in a game this enthralling. By filling the Milky Way with vibrant, singular characters, the series has given you a reason to care about its fate. Ostensibly, Mass Effect 3 is about saving the galaxy, but a galaxy is just a thing–an idea, an abstract, a meaningless collection of plutinos, planets, and pulsars. But the game is actually about saving people. And there’s a big difference there. Watching cities burn from orbit tugs at your heartstrings; watching a beloved companion die cuts to the bone. Whether you possess a storied history with the series or come with a clean slate, Mass Effect 3 expertly entangles you in its universe and inspires you to care about its future.
Ten Ton Hammer gives it a 77/100:
I love this series, and I still enjoy this game. But I don’t enjoy it because Mass Effect 3 is a great game; I enjoy it because of the scenario and characters built up over the last few years. Standing alone, Mass Effect 3 is a cover shooter with a few decisions and side quests to complete along the way while the Reapers take their sweet time incinerating Earth. As much as I love chilling with the old cast once more, I can’t believe I have to prove myself to the same clans whose asses I’ve saved over the past few games time and time again, and STILL people are like, (Reapers? Don’t know what you’re talking about Shepard.)
Huffington Post gives it a 4/4:
“Mass Effect 3” lives up to every promise BioWare made when it launched the series in 2007. It delivers a tightly focused, urgent adventure while still letting you pursue your own path through it. It wraps up the stories of all the memorable characters you met in the previous games. And it makes you pay the consequences of decisions you may have made five years ago.
Now that I’ve reached the end, I want to replay the entire trilogy and see what I missed the first time. I cannot think of a higher compliment.
AZ Central doesn’t score it:
I have very mixed feelings about Mass Effect 3. It is part of my favorite gaming franchise of this generation and does a masterful job of telling Shepard’s story. It has really fun and rewarding gameplay that adds key features.
It has a very deep and interesting mythology that is filled with great characters and good writing. But in the end, all I cared about was how in the world Shepard was going to defeat the Reapers and end a galactic prophesy.
Gaming Lives gives it a 9/10:
Whilst the ending of the game wasn’t what I’d expected (and baffled me a little), I now want nothing more than to drive to my brother’s house and reclaim my Mass Effect 1 & 2 for a new adventure through the trilogy. It’s a bittersweet experience in both completing the game and knowing that my Commander Shepard won’t be going on any more adventures, but they say it is best to end a series on a high, and wow, what a high Mass Effect 3 turned out to be.
Gamersmint gives it a 5/5:
Overall, Mass Effect 3 is the perfect ending to a great series which’ll leave a lasting impression on you. The outcome of war is never pretty and the game makes no effort to change that. Friends will be lost, sacrifices will have to be made, but Command Shepherd can still save humanity and much more. It is upto you as the player to enable him to do so, or else everything you’ve stood for in the past games, and everything which is worth living for will be lost. Handling such a mammoth task is an experience which isn’t worth missing out on for anything else, and everyone should play this game. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
GamingUnion gives it a 9/10:
Mass Effect 3 is a very special game. It brings all the elements together to create a package that’s like a dream for fans of the franchise and should be for fans of the genre and beyond. The integration of core personalities throughout the campaign works very well and it’s a marvel to see how the decision you made so long ago can have their consequences realised in such telling fashion. Mass Effect 3 should not be missed.
GamingTruth gives it a 9.75/10:
Mass Effect 3 is genre defining, and can even be considered generation defining. This is the ultimate franchise that sits very high on a pedestal that other great franchises are perched on. Even though it is still early in the year, this game will not be out of the (Game of Year) conversation at any time. This puts the exclamation point on the series, and fans of the franchise will not be disappointed. Even if you’re new to the series, now is the time to dive in. Even though it is strongly recommended that you start from the very beginning, there is very little wrong with this iteration, and what the series gets right. This is the kind of game that you really don’t need a review score to know this is going to be worth the money, and it was definitely worth the journey across the galaxy.
GamingBolt gives it a 10/10:
Mass Effect 3 is everything Mass Effect and BioWare fans hoped it to be. It’s epic, it’s touching, it’s personal, it’s thrilling, it’s deep, it’s stylish, it’s flashy. there aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe what a marvellous achievement Mass Effect 3 is. It will grab hold of your attention right from the very first minute with its epic and jaw-dropping opening sequence, and won’t let go till the emotional, bitter-sweet and satisfactory endgame. Without a doubt, this is a game one and all should buy.
FPSGuru gives it a 9.0/10:
Is Mass Effect 3 the perfect game? It certainly comes close. With sci-fi giving way to lousy fantasy shows and movies in mass media recently, Mass Effect 3 reminds us that awesome sci-fi does exist in the world and gamers will respond with joy. Any fan of the genre even if you are not a gamer should check out Mass Effect 3. As for us gamers, we have a lot of months to look forward too with this title.
Short and Sweet Reviews gives it a 9.25/10:
Mass Effect 3 is another great game from the guys at Bioware, its a shame that this is the last game of the series. With the best visuals and the tightest gameplay, its easily the best game of the series. Its worth the full price of admission and more.
Pixel Apocalypse gives it a 4.5/5:
Despite a few issues with the graphics, a couple of annoying crew members, and a few (cheap kills), I enjoyed the hell out of Mass Effect 3. Bioware played my heart strings like a fat Samoan does a Ukulele. The conclusion of Shepard’s fight with the Reapers left me happy, sad, tired, and emotionally numb all at the same time. You can’t ask for anymore from a game. It’s one of the best finales we’ve seen in video games, and Bioware should be very proud of the product they have shipped. Mass Effect 3 is an absolute buy for all of you not currently boycotting EA or Origin. It is an early contender for Game of the Year, and absolutely a must play experience in 2012.
And Examiner gives it a 5/5:
Mass Effect 3 isn’t without its flaws of course. New players to the series are asked to make a set of choices about previous decisions when they begin blindly, decisions that can negatively impact one’s story dramatically. Side quests in the game can also be annoying. Walking through a crowded area and merely overhearing a conversation will trigger quests at a frustrating frequency. Unlike the prior game, all missions are lumped into the same category in Shepard’s journal, making it difficult to figure out what’s important and what’s not. The occasional system freeze (Xbox 360) and user interface bugs pop every now and then as well.
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