“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”-Martin Luther King Jr.
Help determine the fate of the galaxy in Mass Effect 3
The massive black machines descend from the skies over Vancouver, Canada. Two kilometers high, these sentient machines are here to serve a single purpose: wiping the galaxy clean of all intelligent organic species.
The beings known as the Reapers have returned. It has been about 50,000 years since the destruction of a race has occured at their hands, and they are back to continue the cycle. Only an alliance between almost every other race in the galaxy could have a chance at defeating these machines. That is how the story of Mass Effect 3 (ME3) begins.
The illustrious Commander Shepherd has been grounded on Earth for a few months. He/she has been through more than most people go through in a lifetime, and it’s not over yet. Almost everything Shepherd has been fighting for has been focused towards one cause: stopping the Reapers from returning. Shepherd has been warning the races of the galaxy for years, yet most have refused to believe him. This all changes, of course, when the vanguards of life’s destruction descend upon our planet. The Commander must leave Earth on the U.S.S. Normandy (Commander Shepherd’s ship), but before he or she leaves, Admiral Anderson (Shepherd’s mentor, and friend) tells Shepherd to bring every race, and all the fleets he or she can muster.
The tone of ME3 is set right at the beginning of the game, and the desperation never quits. The player is constantly reminded of this impending doom, and this is the motivation to stopping it. One of the main features of the ME series has always been the story. Anyone playing the game can shape Commander Shepherd in his/her own image by the choices they made. For example, let’s say the player must interrogate someone for information. He/she could choose to beat it out of him, bribe him, or appeal to his good nature. Many choices the players have made in the previous two games have been imported to the third. This makes the story more enthralling.
The stakes have never been higher than in ME3. Instead of just deciding the fates of people and squad members, the players must decide the fates of whole races of aliens and humans alike. Almost every big choice in ME3 will have an effect on the future of the entire galaxy, and this gives all these decisions weight.
In addition to uniting the galaxy, players will continue to build relationships with their many squad mates. If players have played the previous ME games, they have already spent about 40 to 60 hours with many of these characters. Gamers actually connect with these people as if they were real. Partners like Garrus Vakarian and Tali’Zorah have been with Shepherd every step of the way, and model real friendship for gamers. The players can also explore many romantic paths throughout the series, seeing every love story they have had collide in a fight for their character. Rest assured, ME3 can provide gamers with an epic and gregarious adventure.
Next to the story of ME, game play is an afterthought, but the action game play in ME3 is stellar. Every game has allowed freedom in how to fight enemies by allowing the player to choose from six classes. Every class has unique powers to use in ME’s third-person gunplay, and all these powers are centered on combat, biotics, and tech. Biotics are the blue mind powers of the ME universe (similar to telekinesis, only on an over the top level). Tech involves powers related to freezing, burning, and weakening targets as well as creating robotic assistance on the battlefield. Finally, combat has abilities that improve gun statistics, slow down time, and gives the ammo of guns elemental abilities. There are three classes based on these branches, and three hybrid classes.
The game play of ME3 is nearly the same as it was in Mass Effect 2, with some well-added modifications. Shepherd is now far more agile, able to roll and run faster during battles. An emphasis on vertical combat has been introduced by the multitude of ladders, and jumping within the game. Also, the cumbersome planet mining system has been reduced to a simple “war asset” system. The Normandy sends out scan waves in a system, and tells players if there are war assets to be found. However, if players scan too much, a Reaper may chase them out of the system.
As players progress through the game, they will be able to level up and strengthen their character in a fairly simple RPG system. ME3 is third person shooter (a shooter controlled with an over the shoulder perspective), with an injection of RPG components. Experience points (XP) are gained from many things, and then can be used to buff the player’s statistics and powers. Another slight RPG aspect is the customization of the many guns acquired in ME3. Gamers can tweak the statistics of weapons by adding physical attachments to them. If someone wished to have an assault rifle do more damage and be more accurate, they could simply attach a barrel extension and a scope to it.
Besides the jaw dropping single player experience, ME3 supports an online cooperative multiplayer component. The multiplayer is a simple four-player battle against 11 waves of enemies (similar to Gears of War’s Horde Mode). Plenty of games have done this before, but ME3 does it in the best way I have ever played. There are six maps, three enemy types, three difficulty levels, and all six classes available in the multiplayer. However, unlike the single player campaign, multiplayer allows people to play as different races from the ME universe. Gamers can play as the powerful biotic Asari (a blue skinned, all female race), the tech savvy Salarians (a skinny and stereotypical- alien looking race), the agile Drell (an amphibious lizard-like race), and the hulking Krogan (best described as a giant bipedal toad). All of these races give a much-needed flare to an otherwise overused, multiplayer system.
Two things really keep this multiplayer venue addictive: the level up system from the single player and the currency system. After every match played, the players earn XP and credits. These credits can be used to buy packs of items, which are comparable to baseball cards. Players buy one, having no clue what they will get. One pack may give one player a new weapon and the next, a new character.
ME3 is a fantastic conclusion to one of the greatest franchises of this generation. Anyone can pick it up and have a great time, but it is a much more riveting experience for those who have played the previous two titles. This leads to ME3s one major flaw: it’s ending. I don’t want to delve too deep into the details (to avoid spoilers), but it was not the conclusion the ME series deserves. The whole ME franchise has been based around a gripping narrative and heavy intervention from choices the players have made. The ending does not follow this ideal and ends up falling flat in a game that is so fantastic. It has no finality or closer and is riddled with plot holes to boot. No matter what a player does throughout all three games, they will get an ending that is 95% the same as every other ending. Despite this, ME3 is already a contender for game of the year, and will always have a special place in my heart.
Rating: ★★★★★
