The Reapers have come and they are as unimaginably horrific as Mass Effect 1 and 2 led us to believe. Earth is under attack and you as Shepard must gather all resources you can find across the galaxy to drive them off our beloved mudball. Welcome to Mass Effect 3 where your adrenaline will flow like waterfalls and at times, if you really don’t fight it, maybe your tears too. So join us here at Pinoy Gaming Network as we battle the Reapers and not only save Earth but the entire galaxy.
Mass Effect 3 has a grand storyline which continues from the previous 2 titles. *SPOILER ALERT* Mass Effect 1 has you fighting the Collectors, the so called “heralds” of the Reapers. Mass Effect 2 has you preventing a single Reaper from wreaking havoc in the galaxy. Now in Mass Effect 3, you have to repel an invasion of thousands if not millions of reapers. Mass Effect 3 has two underlying themes to it, desperation and sacrifice. Which I think go hand in hand. You are forced to make decisions that may change the outcome of the war with the reapers, and each decision comes with consequences.
Gameplay wise Mass Effect 3 hasn’t changed much. There have been improvements here and there such as, and thank goodness its gone, we don’t have to explore every single planet of each freakin’ solar system to get 100% completion. Character customization works the same way and even combat remains somewhat the same, complete with the bugs. Your teammates still run into your line of fire and at times get stuck in some random wall. It rarely happens though but when it does, you end up cursing the crap out of your PC or console. Combat still is exciting though as you combine powers with your teammates while doing your pop and shoot tactics.
The object of Mass Effect 3 is pretty much unchanged as well. You need to gather teammates to fight with you. But this time, you need to gather “war resources” too. War resources could be a person, an army, or a group of people that could help you win the war. There’s a special console that lets you manage these war assets which makes for an interesting mini game. Gathering teammates still has that same appeal as the previous 2 titles in which you need to gain their confidence and friendship and follow their own individual storylines. Good news too if you’ve played Mass Effect 2, you can directly import your old character into Mass Effect 3 continuing your old storyline complete with your former decisions.
Graphically Mass Effect 3 is simply stunning. We played our copy on the PC and it is quite impressive. A lot more details has been added to it this time around. Better physics and even better particle handling. There are sections in the game where you can take a look at dust fly across your screen. I just wish there was more chaos in the combat though, meaning I would have loved to see paper fly and furniture blow up instead of just scorch marks on on walls and floors. The environments look very varied yet still very pleasing. We go on missions in frozen tundras to jungles and even deserts. Though not at all revolutionary, Mass Effect 3 still looks fantastic.
Mass Effect 3 has one hell of a voice cast. The voice acting is superb except for a few weird scenes when a soldier yells when he can just speak (calma lang bro, wala pa tayo sa gierra sumisigaw ka na). The music score is right on the button too which changes from tune to tune depending on the situation. The environmental sounds gets old after a while though, especially the music played while you’re on the galaxy map. Heard it in Mass Effect 1, then 2, and now 3. Please replace Bioware, please replace.
In terms of replay value, Mass Effect 3 has loads to offer. You may want to come back and replay the game and make different decisions giving you a totally different outcome.
All in all Mass Effect 3 gets is a premium title we can recommend to all our kababayan gamers. Even if you haven’t played Mass Effect 1 and 2, it’s still compelling enough to play 3. Though, to truly get connected with the characters who may or may not die (di namin sasabihin kung sino madededs), its best if you’ve played 1 and 2.
Graphics – 9
Sound – 8
Gameplay – 10
Replay Value – 8