Mass Effect 3 reviews: Some casual observations

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Yet another triple-A title has received wildly conflicting reviews: professional critics seem overly generous with perfect scores, while players use unfairly low ratings to spite game creators over certain decisions.

The PC version of Mass Effect 3 simultaneously dons grades of 93/100 and 25/100 on Metacritic, though we imagine neither is accurate. As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere between both extremes.

Unless you have faith in a particular source, finding said truth requires you to digest an encyclopedia's worth of info. Although we don't review them, we've been known to partake in a PC game from time to time.

As such, we've spent a few hours reading reviews in our effort to decide whether Mass Effect is worth the investment. Here are some common opinions we've found among Webgoers (professional and otherwise):

• If you enjoyed the first two games, you'll probably like ME3 too. How much you'll enjoy it isn't certain, so don't buy the game with hopelessly high expectations.

• ME3's greatest selling point seems to be that it succeeds in offering closure, which is rare in a day when so many companies release uninspired annual clones.

• Because it focuses on delivering closure, you'll likely want to experience the previous titles (especially ME2) before ME3 -- despite BioWare's claims to the contrary.

• Multiplayer is debatably the weakest link. Many agree that ME3's combat improves on ME2's and while multiplayer is fun, it's just a tired wave-based survival mode.

• Negative reviews tend to complain about some combo of ME3's "dumbed down" experience, its day one DLC, lack of polish on PC or the forced use of EA's Origin.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/47683-mass-effect-3-reviews-some-casual-observations.html

 

[Burty117]

It's day one DLC is actually the most offending thing on the list, so not only do you buy 3/4 of a game but the DLC is BIG! Like massively affects the story line kind of big, I'm sorry, but I'm not buying this game now until I can get a copy which DLC for a much lower price than it is now.

 

[Mister_K]

Burty117 said:
It's day one DLC is actually the most offending thing on the list, so not only do you buy 3/4 of a game but the DLC is BIG! Like massively affects the story line kind of big, I'm sorry, but I'm not buying this game now until I can get a copy which DLC for a much lower price than it is now.

Most likely have EA to thank that. Looks like Bioware is loosing it with the fans, such a good company. Well Valve and ArenaNet are the only worthy and "fair" companies left for me... Possibly Rockstar too...

 

[TomSEA]

Second big game release in a row for BioWare this has happened to, the first being Dragon Age 2. Would imagine they have to be getting a little nervous about that.

I take with a grain of salt anyone who puts a "zero" down as a game score. No released game is entitled to a zero score. That just tells me there are likely a lot of very young, instant gratification kids throwing up zero's for spite or to pile on, just because they can.

But I have read some of the more serious and well-written user reviews and it does seem that this release certainly isn't measuring up to the hype or the quality of the first two games. I bought the game but haven't played it yet. Guess I'll just have to see for myself.

 

[Guest]

Write it off to the saying: opinion are like a holes, everybody has one. Nuff said.

 

[Burty117]

I wish I could quote on a mobile.

Anyway I think your right, it seems EA are very good at destroying the soul of good company's (DICE, Bioware, Free Radical, Crytek to name a few).

I just wish Bioware would stand up and stand proud for creating a good game and sell it how they want and intended it to be, if they don't want to publish it that's fine, it's Bioware, I'm 100% sure someone else will be more than happy to publish there games, but it's all about the money...

 

[Darth Shiv]

Yeah as a big mass effect series fan, gotta say it sounds disappointing that the marketing is blatantly focused at counting the cash. Guess I'll be waiting til it is reasonably priced bundled with the DLC. Can play Skyrim until then

 

[Guest]

Mass Effect 3 is a good example of how game developers and publishers are starting to care more about their investors than end-users.

 

[Guest]

Lets hope The elder scrolls crew never becomes a part of EA. At least their still some hope in the RPG genre.

 

[Guest]

A point of clarification. Another major point of contention that may explain the extremely low user score on Metacritic is opposition to the COMPLETELY optional same-sex romance options. As a Mass Effect veteran that hasn't yet gotten their copy of ME3, I can't comment on other possible drawbacks, but rating a game down on the basis of homophobia is just completely backward and has no place in this day and age.

"http: // www.forbes .com /sites/erikkain /2012/03/06/ mass-effect-3s-gay-romance-option-leads-to-user-backlash-on-metacritic /" <--- Remove spaces and quotes.

 

[princeton]

http://i.imgur.com/itZ7d.jpg

Nuff said.

 

[PinothyJ]

Burty117 said:
It's day one DLC is actually the most offending thing on the list, so not only do you buy 3/4 of a game but the DLC is BIG! Like massively affects the story line kind of big, I'm sorry, but I'm not buying this game now until I can get a copy which DLC for a much lower price than it is now.

The Day one DLC is the content that came with the Collector's Edition so there IS no case here that Bioware have to answer to. If you bought the CE you get the game, all the extra crap you are never going to read more than once (if that), and DLC that completes the package. Anyone who did not preorder (which some of the DLC was given out with preorders) or fork out for a CE have no one but their own dumb selves to blame.

QQ less, internet…

 

[Guest]

@princeton

Thanks for that. As someone who REALLY tried getting into Mass Effect and couldn't get around the crappy mechanics of the first game I started to feel left out with such a fan base drooling over this series. Since I'm a huge fan of TTGL and I've played Deus Ex I can pretty much walk away from this gaming culture phenomenon that is the M.E. trilogy and say, "Nothing new here that wasn't renamed".

Plus, you know, **** EA an all that.

@Burty117

I recommend you google a new and interesting article titled, "Goodbye BioWare, Hello Indie".

 

[Wendig0]

I'm really glad I didn't buy this when I was in gamestop earlier today... I didn't play the first 2 games, but the advertisements for this 3rd installment were really appealing, and I almost bought into the hype. Thankfully that little voice in my head told me to take a deep breath, go home, and read the reviews first. Thank you to the TS community for helping me save $60 + $10 for the DLC.

 

[Guest]

Wendig0 the only right thing you did was not playing the third one first.

 

[Burty117]

pinothyj said:

Burty117 said:
It's day one DLC is actually the most offending thing on the list, so not only do you buy 3/4 of a game but the DLC is BIG! Like massively affects the story line kind of big, I'm sorry, but I'm not buying this game now until I can get a copy which DLC for a much lower price than it is now.

The Day one DLC is the content that came with the Collector's Edition so there IS no case here that Bioware have to answer to. If you bought the CE you get the game, all the extra crap you are never going to read more than once (if that), and DLC that completes the package. Anyone who did not preorder (which some of the DLC was given out with preorders) or fork out for a CE have no one but their own dumb selves to blame.

QQ less, internet…

But thats the whole point, you have to pay more for the game than a standard release?
If you buy the "Normal" version your getting a cut down game?

What happens if I don't want to pay for crappy drawing books and 2 page comics? What happens if I want just the "FULL" game?

Day one DLC completely ruins the point of "DLC" as it is supposed to be the kind of material that gets released after release day, Bit like how DICE did BF3 and Back to Karkand, But this is a Major part of the story line completely missing from the standard package unless you pay extra.

How DLC was done on ME2 makes more sense since none of it was actually story changing, just some extra bits and missions on the side.

 

[Guest]

The first game was brilliant. The second game was simplistic, repetitive, and extremely formulaic. The reapers are the most uninteresting villains ever!

 

[gplayersv]

I loved the first two games from the series and I think the 3rd will be just as good (haven't bought it yet). It sucks that the game isn't present on steam, certainly a lot of money lost that way.
I can understand EA pushing origin to battle steam, and I believe that without this aggressive strategy they wouldn't have a chance against steam, so what can you say... we the gamers suffer unfortunately. And when I say suffer I don't really mean suffer, it's just that we're forced to use origin which wouldn't be such an issue if it had a decent site and pc client. Try navigating on their web site to find deals... At this moment if I go to store.origin.com I'm redirected to some german page, wtf? I'm in europe but not german.
So I can live with steam, gog, gamersgate and even origin (even though I would prefer just steam), but please make your website and pc client user friendly EA.

 

[Guest]

@burty117

Seriously you can't expect to pay half the price of the people who bought the CEs and get the full package. That's the way it works. People who are buying the CEs are getting usually robbed dry and that free DLC and other digital goodies on top of physical collectibles just sugar coats a bit the robbery. We know it but what the hell we are geeks who tend to do geeky things like paying for overpriced plastic dragons etc.

So to sum it up, It's not day 1 DLC. The only thing I would criticize Bioware on is that it should leave it exclusive to people who bought the CEs but then the same people that whine today about it being day 1 DLC would whine why they can't buy it.

I am sick of this crap...

 

[ramonsterns]

Guest said:

So to sum it up, It's not day 1 DLC.

But it is.

You have an argument against that? Too bad, it's wrong, period. DLC launched on release is day 1 DLC whether or not it was made after, during, or before the game was actually finished.

 

[Guest]

@ramonsterns

It's my CE bonus content so no it's not day 1 DLC. Let me rephrase that, if it wasn't available for you to buy it and it was exclusive to the owners of CEs would call it day 1 DLC?

 

[Burty117]

Guest said:
@ramonsterns

It's my CE bonus content so no it's not day 1 DLC. Let me rephrase that, if it wasn't available for you to buy it and it was exclusive to the owners of CEs would call it day 1 DLC?

Well Bioware are calling it "DLC", On all advertising for the CE version it is considered "DLC" and you can even buy the "DLC" separately for the normal version.

I'm pretty sure its DLC.

And it is day 1 DLC, don't get me wrong, I agree that we are geeky and like to buy the special editions, I did for ME2 for instance, But the fact that the DLC is so major to the storyline it's a completely different ball game. Its like taking out 1/4 of the game and charging people from day ONE to play it. Seriously...

 

[ET3D]

Wendig0 said:
I'm really glad I didn't buy this when I was in gamestop earlier today... I didn't play the first 2 games, but the advertisements for this 3rd installment were really appealing, and I almost bought into the hype. Thankfully that little voice in my head told me to take a deep breath, go home, and read the reviews first. Thank you to the TS community for helping me save $60 + $10 for the DLC.

Go buy the first one then. You'll get a good game for a much better price.

 

[TitoBXNY]

This is one of those franchises that I don't mind getting on day one. There's so much that one can take though, being forced to get Origin and charging extra for day on DLC is a slap in the face. How greedy can a publisher get. I feel like there's disturbance in the Bioware force, DA2 was a huge disappointment for me and I just canceled my SWTOR subscription due to boredom.

 

[Butch]

I am a big ME fan. I enjoyed both ME 1 and 2 but I will be waiting on ME3 until I can get it as a package with the DLC at a reasonable price. I just do not think we should support this day one DLC model. If publishers continue down this route soon we will be paying $60 for a "enhanced demo" and then another $60 to buy the content to actually finish the game. Or games will become very short like 10-15 hrs and end with no closure so that you have to buy he next "installment". It's a bad road we are on here and if we gamers do not stand up to this soon we can expect this trend to continue.

With that being said, making these AAA games is very expensive and publishers have an obligation to their shareholders to make money. Its business and I understand and support that. But we have to remember that traditionally companies try to squeeze every dollar they can from the sale of their products and will push right to the edge to see how far they can take it and then back off just a little. Minimize cost/Maximize profit. So, the ONLY WAY we can fight this is to stop supporting the publisher when they push too far. Is day one DLC the pushing too far? Only you can decide that.