With most of the hubbub having died down, I wanted to give my thoughts on the very divisive Mass Effect 3. I love the Mass Effect series, and Mass Effect 3 is my favorite, and in my opinion the best, game in it. I think that Bioware did an amazing job crafting an epic, emotional finale that beautifully wraps up Shepard’s story. I think that the characterization is the best of any of Bioware’s games and my only complaint about it is that I wish there was even more. I do not think that the game is perfect, with the original endings, a few plotting and pacing decisions, and the fact that a lot of the characters, particularly the companions from Mass Effect 2, get less focus than we would have liked being my main issues with the game. However, I think that the DLC (especially Leviathan) and the Extended Cut endings address the biggest issues well enough that the problems I had, though not solved, are diminished enough that they don’t bother me anymore.
I also disagree with those people that claim the game betrays the themes of the previous games, the importance and triumph of the individual in particular, and invalidates the myriad decisions made throughout the trilogy with the endings. I personally think that the endings reinforce these themes and, with the Extended Cut, give a decent amount of closure for the big decisions that you’ve made. Are they perfect? No they aren’t; I would have loved to find out a bit more about how the major characters end up and what happens to the galaxy after the end of the game, and there are things that I would change about the game, like the emotion-baiting dream child and the Catalyst only getting revealed at the very end without the Leviathan DLC.
Mass Effect 3 isn’t perfect, but it is a resounding success given how ambitious it is. I do understand why people who don’t like the game don’t, and the very real flaws can be very disappointing. That said, I think calling it a failure is vastly exaggerating the game’s issues, and it transcends a lot of its criticism, like being a rip-off of other third-person shooters. For its many flaws it has far more successes, and I would give it and the rest of the trilogy my highest recommendation. Give the series a run through and decide for yourself if it was worth it or not; for me, it absolutely was.
Imperfect, But Phenomenal for What It Is
With most of the hubbub having died down, I wanted to give my thoughts on the very divisive Mass Effect 3. I love the Mass Effect series, and Mass Effect 3 is my favorite, and in my opinion the best, game in it. I think that Bioware did an amazing job crafting an epic, emotional finale that beautifully wraps up Shepard’s story. I think that the characterization is the best of any of Bioware’s games and my only complaint about it is that I wish there was even more. I do not think that the game is perfect, with the original endings, a few plotting and pacing decisions, and the fact that a lot of the characters, particularly the companions from Mass Effect 2, get less focus than we would have liked being my main issues with the game. However, I think that the DLC (especially Leviathan) and the Extended Cut endings address the biggest issues well enough that the problems I had, though not solved, are diminished enough that they don’t bother me anymore.
I also disagree with those people that claim the game betrays the themes of the previous games, the importance and triumph of the individual in particular, and invalidates the myriad decisions made throughout the trilogy with the endings. I personally think that the endings reinforce these themes and, with the Extended Cut, give a decent amount of closure for the big decisions that you’ve made. Are they perfect? No they aren’t; I would have loved to find out a bit more about how the major characters end up and what happens to the galaxy after the end of the game, and there are things that I would change about the game, like the emotion-baiting dream child and the Catalyst only getting revealed at the very end without the Leviathan DLC.
Mass Effect 3 isn’t perfect, but it is a resounding success given how ambitious it is. I do understand why people who don’t like the game don’t, and the very real flaws can be very disappointing. That said, I think calling it a failure is vastly exaggerating the game’s issues, and it transcends a lot of its criticism, like being a rip-off of other third-person shooters. For its many flaws it has far more successes, and I would give it and the rest of the trilogy my highest recommendation. Give the series a run through and decide for yourself if it was worth it or not; for me, it absolutely was.