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Mass Effect 3 is considered by many to be the worst in the trilogy about the adventures of Captain Shepard. I recently decided to replay it. And during the playthrough, I noted to myself that I really enjoyed the game. And not only from the plot or gameplay, but from every component of this game. Of course, it is worth noting that without DLC the game will lose half of its charm, if not even its value. So I propose to analyze each component of this game and draw a conclusion for yourself. Possible spoilers.

Plot

The game begins with the reapers making their long-awaited attack on the earth (as well as the entire galaxy). Captain Shepard is returned to his Normandy and entrusted with the task of gathering all the forces that are possible to recapture the Earth. Also, along the way, drawings of an ancient Prothean weapon (the Gorn) are discovered that can defeat the reapers. Throughout the game, we are faced with tasks: to unite the entire galaxy, prevent Cerberus from carrying out its plans and find out the origin of the reapers. In all these matters, his faithful team will help him.

The plot is interesting to follow. During the passage, we will meet many old acquaintances from previous parts. We also see the culmination of the main conflicts of the series (quarians versus geth, for example). The story is coming to its logical conclusion, and it ends on a high note. This game cannot be spoiled. Only you decide everything. Sometimes I was simply surprised when I learned that Miranda could survive, and the quarians or geth (by choice) did not have to die at all.

The DLC also didn’t let us down; it turned out to be very original and interesting. Consider only a living Prothean who views all races as primitive forms of life. Sometimes you don’t know what to expect from him. Javik is a very lively and interesting character, whose phrases can be taken into quotes.

Or DLC Leviathan, the mysterious atmosphere of which can captivate and make you interested in the books of Robert Lovecraft. And which reveals the secret of the reapers.

The Omega DLC allows us to once again plunge into the atmosphere of this station and feel nostalgic about Mass Effect 2 and the times when we wondered who this Archangel was.

The peak of all the celebrations occurs during the Citadel DLC, which gives us a little break from the reapers. This DLC is filled with great humor and cool music. And its ending causes a slight sadness. Against the backdrop of the entire game, the DLC is perceived as a separate story, in no way connected with the main plot. And the final party....It's worth playing.

And so it is everywhere, each DLC or quest has its own story, which smoothly leads us to the main conflict and the last battle. The game is very sad and this makes it very beautiful. The ending is very well set up. It is not a typical happy ending, as in many games, which makes it very original and dramatic. Of course, it could have been done differently, more in the spirit of the series. However, Bioware managed to make a very strong ending that will be remembered for a long time.

Characters

Shepard has plenty of partners in this unit. Everyone is charismatic and very “alive”. Everyone has their own problems that we can help them with. It’s especially pleasing when they sometimes interact with each other, which gives the main story its own unique charm.

It's a pleasure just listening to the characters. Everyone will share their inner experiences. And it’s up to us how our team will cope with them.

Thanks to well-written characters, you always want to return to Normandy. After completing the game, this place becomes truly native, and partners become true friends.

The game also often pleases with “special scenes” in which we communicate in our cabin (or on the citadel) with some character. Scenes like this are sometimes worth their weight in gold.

One of the most memorable scenes

One character is especially good here and his name (or rather his last name) is Shepard. In this part he is truly alive and you really empathize with him. After all, the problems of the entire galaxy are on his shoulders. Shepard is truly a living person in whom you believe. It's a very amazing connection between the character and the player, when you perceive Shepard as part of yourself.

Final run to the portal

Shepard's frequent nightmares

Gameplay

The gameplay has not changed much since the second part, but this does not stop the developers from creating situations in the game that are sometimes in no way inferior to AAA shooters. Despite the fact that the gameplay is closer to a shooter, it still remains an exciting RPG. Of course, the game has a lot of action, such as the battle with the reaper. However, this does not in any way affect what happens outside of battles.

And outside the battles, two large locations open up before us, which we have to visit. More specifically, the Citadel and Normandy. These two locations are made so well that there’s nothing to complain about. It’s enough just to walk around the presidium and just listen various stories characters, and sometimes even take part in them. Normandy, of course, is also not deprived of pleasant moments and dialogues.

Sometimes you get aesthetic pleasure from some locations. Everything is done with taste. And more than a few times you are surprised how in the distance some seemingly soulless backdrop comes to life and takes a direct part in the gameplay. All this sometimes results in incredible moments that will be remembered for a long time.

Present in the game great amount locations, both combat and peaceful. It’s a great pleasure to see them, because everything in the game is interconnected. Most of the levels are done perfectly, which keeps you from getting bored throughout the game. The game has a soul, and it can be felt literally everywhere. All this makes a huge impression and forces you to listen to every line of dialogue, explore every nook and cranny and not miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in this world.

Music

The music in this game is amazing. It sets the tone for the entire game and sounds continuously until the credits. Every important episode, accompanied by excellent music. It is very difficult to remain indifferent to the game when a truly excellent soundtrack reaches the player.

Her name is simply Soldier. She looks about twenty-five short haircut, pretty. She talks to a clerk outside the human embassy on the Citadel, an old space station that has become home to the Galactic Council.

She married Asari, and now she wants to find out what happened to her family in order to get her daughter back, who, in turn, they want to give into custody. For interracial marriage, those are the laws. The other asari on the other side of the counter nods her head in understanding, but can’t do anything - there’s too much paperwork. Since the Reapers began attacking Earth, too many refugees have appeared on the Citadel. We'll have to wait a little.

Perfect ending ( Mass review Effect 3 - MultiSales)

Every time I find myself at the station, I try to find out how the Soldier is doing. Without realizing it, I observe from the side and listen to conversations. I really wonder if she was finally able to see her daughter. And finally, she is happily informed that all formalities have been settled. A happy mother is filled with happiness. And, oddly enough, me too. Even though Shepard didn't even try to start a conversation with her, for some reason this woman's story plays a huge role for me. This is a bright stroke of happiness against the background of an overall picture painted in gloomy tones.

The Soldier's story is just one tiny detail of Mass Effect 3. The guys from BioWare have always been able to competently weave such nuances into the overall picture. There are quite a few of them in the final part of the largest and most epic sci-fi RPG of this generation.

The Perfect End (Mass Effect 3 Review - MultiSales)

The Reapers, a race of ruthless creatures that have been exterminating all life in the galaxy for 50,000 years, have reached Earth and are launching a full-fledged, stunning attack. At the same time, the opposition organization Cerberus has started something, the quarians and geth are waging their own confrontation at the very edge of the galaxy, there is no agreement in the Galactic Council, and everyone wants to set each other up. In general, the situation is stalemate.

In the current gaming industry, where sequels and downloadable add-ons rule the roost, Mass Effect 3 is a rare guest: the final chapter. It's time to put an end to the story of Captain Shepard.

The need to stretch the finishing line allowed the developers to concentrate on characters and story, while still leaving the opportunity to combine gameplay styles and borrow ideas from other genres.

2 years have passed since the release of Mass Effec 2, the game turned out to be successful and left a warm mark on the souls of players, finding new fans. But let's get to the point. For 2 long years we languished in anticipation of the release of ME3, and this day has finally come, many people have already completed the game to the end, discovered different endings and so on. And here it is before us.
Story. The ME series is famous not only for its world, a mixture of shooter and RPG, but also for its good plot; the third part of the game was not deprived of a plot either. It lies not only in recruiting a large army, we need to unite different races, warring and friendly, synthetics and organics, and direct the full power of the union against the reapers, simultaneously building an ancient device that will help us defeat the enemy. In a nutshell, the plot turned out to be good, there are many sad moments, sacrifices and experiences, but there is one but, and this but is the end of the game. It somehow doesn’t fit into the game itself, it doesn’t give any answers to the questions of where the citadel and relays came from, fortunately it says who the reapers are and why they are here. Quite a satisfying ending, but I wish it was better.
Characters. The characters are the second advantage of ME3, but not in all respects; they returned to us old acquaintances whom we knew from the 1st part of the series: Liara, Ashley/Kaiden, Garrus. And they added new ones. Of course, the characters are wonderfully developed, character, behavior, lines, everything is done with soul and makes you rejoice, in some places you are surprised, for example, when EDI acquired a body and began to show a sense of humor, Grant’s fight alone with the rachni, and the self-sacrifice of the Legion and Mordin. But it didn't work out. No matter how strange it may sound, there are fewer dialogues, if earlier we could talk with the Joker after each task and listen to his dissatisfaction, then in the 3rd part, he had fewer replicas, mostly phrases, the same applies to others characters.
Graphic arts. Of course, how can we release a game of this scale and such a studio as BioWare with poor graphics in this day and age? The picture looks decent by today's standards. And again, nothing is without flaws, the low-resolution textures were a little let down (This is only for the PC version, where the maximum return is usually expected from the graphics than on consoles), but thank God there aren’t so many of them, but still, it spoils impression when pixels and so on are sometimes visible on the suit. In terms of effects - the graphics were a success, the effects really look beautiful, considering that this is Engine 3.5, which was not tinkered with by Epic, but by BioWare, beautiful implementation of the hair - they look decent, and not crookedly polygonal as it was before. In general, the graphics were a success.
Replay value. Considering the appearance of multiplayer in the game, this parameter has grown in the ME series. I haven't played multiplayer myself, so I'll skip this part. The single player campaign can be played through a couple of times to achieve different game endings and explore the world in more detail. But over time it begins to become boring, there are still no such significant ramifications as, for example, in The Witcher 1/2, which can be called a minus, but BioWare can be forgiven, the game is more about action than a non-linear RPG.
Gameplay. The gameplay was successful; combining a 3rd person shooter and an RPG produced an interesting thing. Combat scenes look something like in: cover, rolls, spring, blind shooting, close combat, etc. However, as in all modern 3rd person shooters. In addition to shooting, we are given the opportunity to twist the plot, choose certain solutions, and have the opportunity to level up the character and party members. The gameplay came out good and dynamic.
Animation. Without a doubt, the animation of faces and emotions has risen head and shoulders above that in the previous parts, more expressive cheekbones have appeared, the muscles on the face began to noticeably change with any emotions - this is all good, but the way the animation of movement has changed is simply terrible, when the characters move forward the body doesn’t move a bit, only the legs run, there is almost no swaying of the torso, it all looks unnatural, as if something was inserted into the back and it doesn’t move, the same impression is created if you look at your feet, the main character does not runs along the ground, and seems to float in the air, moving its legs, although no matter how strange it may be, the sideways and backward movements look natural. But over time, you push forward and try not to lower the camera down in order to avoid discomfort. but overall passable.
Sound. The sound effects are done with a bang, of course, at first it’s not customary to hear how old weapons sound in different colors, but the sounds are decent and good, the voice acting is, as always, excellent, it’s good that there is no Russian voice acting. The sound effects are done decently, so there are no major quibbles.


And so, the final part:
Story 8 - The ending itself spoils everything, but it will do.
Characters 8.7 - lacks some dialogue,
Graphic arts 9 -Looks decent, but there are some problems regarding textures.
Gameplay 9 - Dynamic, interesting, but lacks a little variety.
Animation 7 - Excuse me, but the way the characters move is simply terrible; in the previous parts everything looked more natural and beautiful. It is worth noting the facial animation, which draws out the crooked movement.
Sound 9.5 - Personally, I have almost nothing to complain about.

Bottom line 8.7/10

Thank you all for your attention, I will be grateful if everyone liked everything.

Mass Effect is a popular space RPG series. The original trilogy tells the story of Captain Shepard and his team, who must save the galaxy at the cost of their lives. In this article you will learn all the details about the third and final part of the Mass Effect 3 saga.

History of creation and year of production

After the release of the second part, many fans still had questions regarding the fate of the main character and other characters, so the developers decided to put everything in its place and finish the trilogy beautifully. Let's understand a little about the storyline of Mass Effect 3.

Game plot

The action begins a couple of years after the events of the second part of the series. Captain Shepard is on Earth, but not of his own free will - he was put under house arrest due to his connection with Cerberus. However, there is no time to investigate the case, since humanity and other races are faced with a more serious problem than the affairs of the defendant. It's about the approaching reapers. The hero is called to the Council to listen to proposals for fighting enemies. However, at this moment everything does not go according to plan, and Shepard and the team must flee the planet due to an attack by the reapers. At this moment, the captain again sets off on a dangerous adventure across the galaxy on the illegally stolen Normandy and in the company of his assistants. The first task is to find help in the fight against the reapers. This is where the gameplay begins Mass games Effect 3.

Beginning of the passage

From the first minutes the player is immersed in the familiar gameplay. It's still a third-person shooter with additional abilities and companions. The game immediately sets you one of the main tasks - to gather allies in the fight against the invaders. To do this, you will have to help different races, solve their problems and resolve conflicts. The ending of Mass Effect 3 depends directly on your actions and relationships with other characters.

Planet sequence

After the invasion of Earth and an emergency escape, Shepard is forced to travel to Mars. There, the heroes find the scientist Liara T'Soni, and with her they gain access to a drawing of a mysterious weapon that can help in the fight against the reapers. After this, you will go to the Citadel to notify the Council about the discovery and make a decision. After this turning point, the plot begins a long race through the planets. During the passage you will find new friends, make enemies, and learn a lot about other races. From time to time, the heroes will fly to the Citadel and report on the work done. The only negative that will await the fan is the lack of Russian voice acting in Mass Effect. 3. Therefore, we do not recommend turning off subtitles if you do not know well English language. The text part is completely translated into Russian.

Companions and quests

Each planet presents a set of tasks and unique characters. The hero may even get involved with some of them romantic relationship. By the way, this feature was also in the previous part. Disputes and conflicts will arise between team members, so Shepard will have to take one side or the other. Ultimately, you will lose the support of either side, but will get another fighter as your partner. Also, some heroes may die - it all depends on your actions, so we will not describe the only scenario out of several.

The locations, unfortunately, remained completely linear. If there are still branches in the peaceful zone, then the combat areas are made in the form of corridors. Moreover, all the corridors are quite narrow. Because of this, Mass Effect 3 loses a lot in action and gameplay.

The strongest point is the story and characters. We advise you to focus on this part of the game.

Late stage

After hundreds of quests and a dozen planets, the plot leads the player to the location of the Cerberus base. It contains the last part for the weapon against the reapers. However, the head of Cerberus got ahead of the heroes and warned the invaders that dangerous weapons were being prepared against them.

At this time, the reapers on the captured Earth built devices to transfer the dead bodies of people to their base. Shepard, in the company of the Alliance and all allies, goes to give the last battle to the reapers. As the battle progresses main character loses close friends and a lot of military power. But in the end he gets to the Citadel, where he meets the Illusive Man, the head of Cerberus. At the same time, the docking of the weapon and the reaper ship takes place.

After awakening, Shepard finds himself near a mind called "Catalyst". This is where the final climax of Mass Effect 3 begins.

Choice of ending

After a conversation with "Catalyst", it becomes clear to Shepard why the reapers were sent to attack Earth and what price will have to be paid to save the world.

The original game has three endings. With the release of the Mass Effect 3 DLC, there are 4 of them. Depending on your choice, you can completely destroy the world, merge with the mind to control the cycle, or take control of the reapers.

final grade

Now it’s worth talking about graphics, mechanics and other aspects that you will have to interact with throughout the entire passage. Despite interesting story, the game is full of flaws (Mass Effect 3 mods can fix this situation). They start with linearity and monotony of levels. The second disadvantage of the game is the understatement of the plot. Many expected the final part to answer all the questions that they did not receive in the end.

One of the main disappointments is the careless attitude towards the story of the character Tali Zora. The creators still showed the heroine’s face under the mask, but approached this as irresponsibly as possible - they took a photo of a random girl.

Despite this, the developers from BioWare tried to improve the combat system, character leveling and graphics. Texture resolution on PC was reduced, but this did not affect the overall positive impression of the graphics. You will learn the details of the plot not from the endings, but from the adventures in multiplayer. This decision of the developers also did not find a positive response in the gaming community.

Conclusion

The mood of the saga changed from positive and hopeful to hopeless and gloomy. The completion of the epic trilogy should have been larger and more detailed in terms of plot development. However, this will not prevent you from fully enjoying the story and gameplay of Mass Effect 3. Especially for those who love space themes and stories about the salvation of humanity.

Genre: Action/RPG

Mode: Single-player, Co-op

Developer: BioWare

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Platform: XBOX 360, PS3, PC

Recently, two entire AAA game trilogies have been completed. The first final is last year's Gears of War 3. Which, as it turned out, could not get out of the shadow of its predecessors. Appeared on store shelves today Mass Effect 3 and showed everyone how to do a big finale.

It was not for nothing that I touched on Gears of War 3, both games involuntarily invite comparison in two key points: the ending itself and growth compared to previous parts. But first things first.

So, if anyone doesn’t know, Shepard, after his resurrection from the prematurely deceased, destroyed (or destroyed - depending on who, but I will mention Shepard as a man) the Collectors base and, at the same time, in one of the downloadable add-ons, delayed the Reapers’ invasion at the cost of a whole star system owned by the batarians. After this, Shepard is sent to Earth, his shoulder straps are torn off (officially this time) and the ship is taken away, dispersing the team. The hero himself ends up on trial. However, Shepard is tried only formally in order to avoid war with the batarians. Everything would be fine, but the Alliance begins to receive messages about the approach of something big and extremely unknown. This is where the third part starts - without further ado, the Reapers, sweeping away all orbital defenses, attack the earth, creating a bloody hell for miserable people. About the same thing is happening throughout the galaxy (the same batarians as a civilization are almost gone). It is clear that we need to unite in the name of the fight between the beaver and the donkey. Now Shepard's goal is to unite galactic civilizations for the sake of at least some resistance to the Reapers.

Meet Alliance reporter Diana Allers. If you didn't recognize it - the character of Jessica Chobot, IGN journalist

I would like to talk about the plot for a long time, but, alas, it is absolutely impossible to do this without spoilers, and this is certainly good, because the number of spoilers is an indicator of a good script, and the plot of the game stands head and shoulders above the first part and at least two higher than the second. By the third part, the developers finally realized that solving the family problems of party members somehow does not fit very well into the picture of a war with intelligent machines decompressing everything living by force just brutality. Therefore, all the events of the game, be it story missions or additional quests, are overwhelmingly aimed at fighting the Reapers. Therefore, the game is perceived as more holistic, there are no plot gaps or dead zones, and sometimes you don’t notice where the plot is and where the side quests are.

The atmosphere of the game has gone even further into the land of pessimism and hopelessness, even Shepard, who in previous parts declared his intention to decisively divide by zero any force that opposes galactic civilization, now often thinks about what kind of wood he would like to make for himself coffin. And this is, of course, a plus, this is what the story is based on - the characters’ worries about a possible imminent end, their, in general, almost unfounded belief in victory, when it’s time to go crazy and collect puzzles in the country before a giant cuttlefish appears in the sky - all this, of course, creates a correct and interesting drama.

Separately, I would like to highlight the course of the war itself. The game includes such a concept as the “readiness” of the galaxy for effective action against the Reapers. This is as follows: on his campaign, Shepard receives resources in one form or another, be it a friendly fleet allocated to help humanity, or a group of scientists, or an army of mercenaries, and so on. In fact, the outcome and the fate of the game’s heroes depend on the galaxy’s readiness for war. Agree - it looks much more convincing than the dependence of the survival of teammates on personal problems (Mass Effect 2).

Finale of Mass Effect 3

And here, just, I want to compare Mass Effect 3 with Gears of War 3. Where Epic Games decided to get away with a simple “everyone lived happily ever after” scheme, rolling out, in fact, a simple craft, inferior in every way to the previous parts, BioWare decided expand the game higher and wider. What was bad about the first and second parts of Mass Effect? The first is dull gameplay, extremely tedious additional quests, the second is a scant storyline that is absolutely unrelated to side quests. The third part is free from all these shortcomings. True, with some reservations, such as, for example, the gameplay, which, although much more fun than monotonous running around with a stupid combat system, is essentially the same Gears of war, and quite, sorry, neutered, and third-party quests, although they fit in well into the script, but still some of them are essentially not far from the second part - we land, shoot at everything that moves, press a button/talk to %npcname%, fly away. Although there are some quite interesting ones.

The opportunity to twist love-carrots has not gone away, and in the most piquant versions.

The character development system has also improved. After a very wooden leveling in the first part and a very sad and meager leveling in the second, leveling in the third (even though it is its development) offers much more freedom and variety. Let me explain: the set of experience and the skill tree are similar to what was in Mass Effect 2, only the skills themselves have been increased, there are more stages of their development, and even each skill, as it develops, can go further in different ways - starting from the fourth stage, we are asked to choose two upgrade options, for example, improving physical training you are free to choose to increase your health and shields, or increase your weapon damage. It’s a long way from purebred RPGs like the recent Skyrim, but there is progress compared to previous games in the series.

The next stone for Gears of War 3 will be the finale of the trilogy, namely satisfying the information hunger of players. BioWare, unlike Epic Games, took the trouble to answer almost all the players’ questions, and if during the credits of GoW3 it was quite possible to sit with a puzzled face, thinking to yourself: “Damn, maybe I missed something and when they explained something important to the plot, I walked around for tea?”, then after completing Mass Effect 3 there is no smell of anything like that. Everything looks logical and complete, there are no contradictions. Quite noticeable dissatisfaction is caused by the ending itself, but that’s another story and, as Casey Hudson put it in response to numerous requests from fans of the series to add another version of the ending: “The ending of the game is the only correct one, and requests to change it only prove the players’ love for the series.”

Battles in Mass Effect 3

But where Mass Effect 3 decided to imitate the brainchild of Epic Games is in game mechanics. The fact is that the gameplay of the third part is the gameplay of Gears of War, and in its alpha version. As it became known shortly after the announcement, the third part will allow Shepard to do everything the same as Phoenix, namely somersaults, active use of cover (however, this was also in ME 2) and more active melee combat. So, where the mechanics of GoW worked perfectly and almost predicted the player’s intentions, Mass Effect 3, apparently, is trying in every possible way to prevent him. This is especially annoying for high levels difficulties when, instead of jumping to the side and then sprinting, the character sticks to the wall, exposing himself to fire. But if you close your eyes to this, then in comparison with the other games in the series the third part looks good, especially considering that, at the request of the workers, BioWare returned an extensive arsenal and various sets of armor. Plus, as promised, there is the possibility of customizing weapons in the form of gadgets that in one way or another affect the performance characteristics of the barrel. A small thing, but nice.

BioWare knows how to choose good camera angles, oh they know how!

And now about something interesting: Mass Effect 3 has multiplayer for the first time in five years, and it’s quite entertaining. The easiest way to describe it is in two words: Gears of War, horde. But compared to the horde, the cooperative here looks more attractive. So, there is a team of four people, each of whom is free to choose gaming class and the character's race. Classes, in fact, as in the game, are divided into specific skills (soldier, engineer, biotic and their derivatives), and races have different sets of these skills. Such a team will have to survive the attack of eleven waves of the enemy (represented by such factions as Cerberus, Geth and Reapers) in one match. Based on the results of the match, players receive experience (of course, for leveling up their character) and money, with which they can purchase various sets of equipment, the contents of which are selected randomly depending on the cost of the set and include such goodies as new weapons, upgrades for them, perks for one match and new characters. By the way, EA wouldn’t be itself if it didn’t allow you to buy such kits for real money. Everything looks simple, but with proper team actions (and here are all the conditions for them), the game is very fun.

Nevertheless, BioWare has regained its reputation as a developer of not just good, but great games, which was somewhat undermined after the release of the second part. Mass Effect 3 is a wonderful game. It didn’t make any revolution, but nevertheless, I’m sure that it will leave its mark on the history of video games, at least as an example of a competent approach to creating a space opera.

Mass Effect 3 endings

Finally, I would like to talk about the very ending that so excited the community of fans of the game. Since you opened the spoiler, you have already completed the game and seen the ending, but, nevertheless, I will still describe it. So, we have three options: with the help of the Prothean device, Shepard can destroy all synthetics (Reapers and Geth), he can take the Reapers under his control and, finally, he can bring the galaxy to a new stage of evolution, creating a life form in which living and synthetics live in symbiosis. Everything would be fine if it weren’t for three BUTs: Shepard dies in any option (although no, not in any option - with a sufficient level of troop readiness in the first option, he still survives, but this is not enough), ALL relays are destroyed, which literally throws back the development of technology centuries ago, and if you consider that they were built by the creators of the Reapers and there is simply no mention of their reconstruction, then it is not a fact that everything will return to normal at least someday, and, finally, these three endings do not look impressive. Essentially, this is the same video with different illumination of the reapers and different semantic load, and even the video is not the best. Especially after the cheerful happy ending of the first part and, dare I say it, the magnificent finale of the second. Well, if you are one of those who demand a normal ending, then BioWare has not yet decided what to do. So, gentlemen, we hope and wait, but for now the ending is the main, but perhaps the only failure of the game.

Skill tree. Simple and clear.