Mass Effect 3
The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked
In many ways, Mass Effect 3 is the culmination of the player’s long journey across BioWare’s created universe, finishing things off with your favorite characters and putting you into the climactic final showdown with the Reapers. In fact, the game starts with the Reaper hordes decimating Earth, while the rest of the game is about building the armada to fight back once and for all.
Along the way, Shepard encounters nearly ever party member from the previous two games, as long as they were still alive, as well as brand new characters. Shepard’s task was to try and negotiate with each of the alien races in Counsel Space, trying to get them to support humanity’s battle. This took the party to some incredible new locations, like the Krogan home world of Tuchanka. And with each new world came a new set of choices, as well as the ramifications of choices from the past two titles. Emotions definitely ran high throughout the story, as the final game in the trilogy made you say goodbye to certain party members in truly heartbreaking ways. However, there was dissatisfaction from some fans on the game’s ending, which BioWare, in turn, tried to improve with DLC later on.
Shooting and combat felt tighter and snappier than ever before, allowing Mass effect to finally stand toe-to-toe with other shooters of the time. It was easier than ever to pull off your various abilities and those of your allies. Meanwhile, it’s easier than ever to get around the battlefield with streamlined spring and cover mechanics and a new dodge roll. The smoother gameplay definitely factored into Mass Effect 3’s surprisingly fun multiplayer mode called “Galaxy at War.” In multiplayer, you’d team up with friends or other players to survive waves of enemy AI, almost like a horde mode but with a set amount of waves. There were a ton of different character classes that let you play as the different races of Mass Effect, and plenty of weapons and items to unlock.
Mass Effect 3 contained some of the series’ most memorable and heart-wrenching moments. The entire experience was truly a sendoff to Commander Shepard and their crew, giving you one last hurrah around the universe. It’s a game that means much more to those who’ve been on the entire journey, rather than new players, and ending issues aside, it serves as one unforgettable conclusion.
