Mass Effect 3 is the final game in the original trilogy that concludes the story on Shepherd and his fight against the Reapers. The game has a fantastic opening where the Reapers arrive on Earth and Shepherd is tasked with finding help in order to repel the Reapers. It raises the stakes and has a sense of grandeur and epicness which sets the atmosphere for the rest of the game. If you've played Mass Effect 2 and have a save file ready, then you can import that character or if you wish, create a brand new one. Importing an existing character has benefits such as your starting level being the same as the level you finished with in Mass Effect 2, and of course, all the major decisions you've made in the previous two games will carry over which is pretty cool. Mass Effect 3 is a third persona shooter RPG hybrid. Compared to the first two games, there is a stronger emphasis and improvements made to the shoot mechanics, but they still average out to be okay. The handling does not feel as satisfactory as an actual third person shooter but once you get used to it, it is fun.
There is a cover system, however, the button used for cover is also the same one to run and vault over obstacles which makes it a bit awkward to use at times. There are five different types of weapons: sniper, assault rifle, pistol, shotgun and heavy weapon. You can carry up to five weapons at once but carrying more will mean your powers will recharge slow due to the weight. Each weapon can have up to two mods which improves the weapons in ways like reducing recoil, increasing the amount of ammo and higher damage. You can find these mods throughout the levels or purchase them from shops. In addition to shooting, Shepherd can use biotic powers. The variety of powers that you can use depends on which class you picked. Three powers can be hotkeyed to a button, or you can pull up the radial menu (which freezes the action allowing you to take your time) to select a power and enemy to use it on. Awkward platforming sections are introduced which feels shoehorned in and completely unnecessary. Levels have a lot more verticality added to them now. There are also dream sequences that slow the game right down.
In each mission, you can take two squad members to back you up. You will need to play some way into the game in order to recruit all characters which comprises of both returning and new characters. While the game itself gives you a lot of freedom in when to do things and where to go next, once you enter a level, it is a linear path to the objective while blasting your way though enemies. Sidequests are not as involved as Mass Effect 2. They come in a few types, including ones where you "overhear" other characters speaking to activate a fetch quest. There are Cerberus related missions which involves fighting waves of enemies on an enclosed map. Then there are the meatier sidequests which add a bit to the story. Some sidequests can be permanently locked out if you continue too far into the story. Wrapped into the story is the Galactic Readiness mechanic where you need to complete as many story missions and sidequests in order to increase your readiness. You need a certain amount in order to unlock the "best" endings.
Mass Effect 3 streamlines the Normandy mechanic but it still isn't perfect. While selecting planets is the same as in previous game, it's still a chore moving the ship manually to different star systems. Scanning planets for resources only takes once, however, before you can scan a planet you need to scan the system first . Doing this will attract the attention of the Reapers, who will turn up very quickly on the map and you need to exit the planet system otherwise it is game over if they touch the Normandy. Afterwards, you will need to wait a while before the Reapers disappear and while it makes sense as a story element, it's annoying as a gameplay element. The story for the most part is great. You soon take control of the Normandy and characters join you. You do get to see what happened to the characters from the first two games though it always feel like a contrived coincidence when you meet them during a mission. Each character you meet will go through a life or death situation (or a sacrifice) against the Reapers but this is also where you have the freedom of choice in shaping the fate of several of the characters. Shepherd will be travelling throughout the galaxy trying to unite the various races and forgive past sins. In this aspect, Mass Effect 3 does a great job.
There are heaps of epic moments and expands on the backgrounds of a lot of the galaxy's races. Things that were alluded to or briefly mentioned in previous games are fully fleshed out and it is engaging. The storytelling and deep lore continues on the high note that the series is known for. Unfortunately, the ending is where it leaves the player unsatisfied. Even with the free Extended Cut DLC which fleshes out the ending a bit more, it felt truncated and the Reaper's motivation for killing all organic lifeforms is weak. This isn't helped by an annoying final level where it puts waves upon waves of enemies against the player. It felt overly long and dragged the ending out. It ends up throwing multiples of the hardest enemies to kill in the game at the player, multiple times. Sure it is the final battle but it just felt cheap. The graphics are good but there are varying degrees of quality within the facial animations and features. There are frequent framerate drops, during cutscenes of all places. It's distracting and disappointing. The framerate drops during combat isn't as noticeable but it is still there. Overall, Mass Effect 3 is still a brilliant game. The combat is satisfying and the story is fantastic (until the somewhat average ending). It is an engaging game and frankly, a lot of fun. The inclusion of multiplayer will increase the longevity of the game but the single player story alone is worthwhile.
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