The last game in the Mass Effect Trilogy brings about the epic conclusion to Commander Shepard's crusade against the Reapers. The story picks up a short while after Mass Effect 2 and opens up to a Reaper Invasion on Earth. Shepard who was relieved of duty is reinstated to jump back into the fight and end the Reaper threat once and for all. Faces new and old from the previous games return in a glorious fashion. Like the games before it, you can import your character and either change his class/play-style or remain what you were before.
Most of the gameplay and elements are carried over from the 2nd game. The interface remains the same however leveling up your characters provide even more progression specifically when they hit the fourth level of a skill tree where 2 options are presented. You can also now dodge roll as well as interact with ladders, jump across short gaps etc. The different ammo types return as do all of the powers. Equipment wise you can change your armor pieces at the cost of your health but they do bring improvements to other stats such as Weapon Damage, Power Damage, Shields, etc. While you are given more weapons, you can decide on how much to equip as the overall weight of the weapons can affect the recharge speed of your Powers.
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| The gameplay interface remains mostly intact with no changes |
The concept of choice is ever important since this time it decides the fate of the galaxy. Paragon and Renegade options during cutscenes/conversations return and the character development is amazing as usual! The Galaxy Map/travel function is largely the same with the removal of buying probes. While traveling you can scan the area to see if EDI (the VI intelligence of the Normandy) picks up anything. These usually amount to assets for the ongoing war, objects for side missions or fuel deposits. However constant scanning alerts the Reapers and will cause them to chase you, with being captured resulting in a Game Over. Speaking of the War Assets, those are added towards your overall Military Strength which plays a role in the final stretch of the game and can be viewed at any time while on board.
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| The Galaxy Map split up into various sections. |
Side missions are picked up ever so often by overhearing conversations on the Citadel and can be completed for credits, assets and experience. Mass Effect 3 also introduced a Multiplayer mode which unfortunately due to my current Xbox Live status (i.e. Not a Gold Member) I was unable to see what it was like. However what little I saw is that you are given the option between various races and character classes. Much like what you can do with Shepard and the squad, you can customize the armor look and level up each race within the classes provided. There is a store option which gives you access to purchase packs which grant new classes, races, ammo and weapons. Only 2 weapons are allowed and setting up a match includes location, your opponent's race (choose from Cerberus Operatives, Reapers and Geth), and Challenge level which is from Bronze to Gold.
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| An example of the new way to develop skill trees. |
Trilogy Notes:
Being a part of the Trilogy set, Mass Effect 3 came with a code for the Online Pass. This giving various Multiplayer packs for free which I unfortunately--as mentioned above--was unable to experience.
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| More Romance!! |
I really have to hand it to Bioware and the success they've had with the Mass Effect Franchise, they definitely outdid themselves with creating memorable, dynamic characters and putting so much emphasis on choice. Whether this is the end of the franchise is not known at the moment although there have been reports of the next game being in the works, this definitely provides an ending to Shepard's saga. Despite the controversy the ending caused (which I won't get into), the Mass Effect Trilogy is a definite accomplishment to how games are perceived today. The graphics looked amazing, the score was epic and it definitely felt more cinematic in the 3rd game than the previous 2 did.
Should you Play this Game?
Yes, Mass Effect 3 brings about the epic conclusion to Shepard's fight against the Reapers. If you've played the previous games, then this is definitely a must if you wish to see how it all ends.
