Synopsis
If there's a better game than the stunning conclusion to Electronic Arts and Bioware's science fiction Mass Effect series, Mass Effect 3, I can't remember when I've played one. Released March 6, 2012, Mass Effect 3 is simply amazing. Excellent graphics, brilliant voice acting, a compelling storyline, and sound plotting combine to create some of the best story telling in a video game I've ever seen.
For those new to gaming, the Mass Effect series is an epic sci-fi talky in the vein of Star Trek and its reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. The mechanics of the game operate (with variations and tweaks along the way) as a third-person shooter for combat sequences, and choosing between different dialogue options in role-playing sequences.
Playing Commander Shepard in a not-so-near-future two centuries from now, players directly control Shepard and are supported by two computer-controlled teammates drawn from a larger pool, as in Bioware's previous game Knights of the Old Republic.
Humanity has been brought to the stars courtesy of an ancient faster-than-light device discovered on Mars. On the way to doing so, have encountered various aliens. The series enjoys a lively, believable sci-fi world filled with many curiosities, all of which add to the general enjoyment and immersion in its world.
Shepard discovers the unpleasant truth that not only are the organic species of the world not alone, but the ancient supermachines that share our universe play out deeper than anyone could have imagined. Every fity thousand years, these machines, the Reapers, swoop down and take the organic civilization head off by completely eradicating the dominant (i.e., potentially threatening) race of organic life.
For a while, Shepard was the only one to take the threat very seriously. Now, in that season's finale, Shepard's prophecy has come true and the Reapers have invaded. Earth has been fired upon and Shepard must lead a counterattack. Interesting stuff on an epic scale, with lots of thoughtful little details woven into the fabric.
One consequence of all this epic-ness, is that the role-playing element has essentially been reduced to a glorified choose-your-own-adventure, with significantly less choice than players of Bioware's previous games would have liked. The storyline here is set: you will save the galaxy or die trying.
Satisfying gameplay. Not as visceral or immediate as the Gears of War series, say, Mass Effect 3's combat is still adrenaline-pumping. The repetitive nature of the enemies is annoying, however. One of the antagonistic human factions seems shoehorned into every encounter, one suspects less for plot reasons and more because it's simply simpler to use the same model over and over again. Disappointing for a title of this caliber.
One of the role-playing game holdovers that Mass Effect 3 continues to have is the ridiculous money system. After each successful mission, you receive a whopping 12000 credits or more from the Alliance. It would be more realistic for Shepard to be given practically unlimited resources, but to do so would violate one of the central acquisition dynamics of role-playing games.
Compounding the error, one of Shepard's subordinates observes that they indeed have practically unlimited resources thrown at them. Players can keep that in mind when scraping together enough money for a better assault rifle. Players of previous Mass Effect games may be disappointed by the limited nature of the previous characters' cameos. Yet many of them are at least given an interesting appearance, and, in fact, each one I've experienced so far rises to the level of an interesting emotional experience. It's not as easy as it seems to achieve that with everything else this game needs to do.
A female Shepard (voiced by the amazing Jennifer Hale) rescues Liara's potential love interest. Actually it was back in character Ashley saving Liara, thanks to Bioware forum commenter Heretic19 for the correction. Jennifer Hale remains amazing Multiplayer, greeted with suspicion by fans of the series, turned out to be an enjoyable load.
You team up with up to three other players to fight waves of enemies like in Gears of Horde War's mode. Thus, you gain "Galactic Readiness" in the main game for your final push against the Reapers. Mass Effect 3 combines perfect mechanics with successful story telling in creating an emotional connection with the characters. When the end credits rolled, I was sad to leave Shepard's world behind. 98/100 (An abrupt ending knocks two points away from a perfect score) Available on Xbox 360 (the version I played), PS3, and PC.
Minimum PC Specifications
OS : Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1, Win 7.
Supported chipsets: NVIDIA 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce 9300, 8500, 8400, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.
CPU : 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU).
RAM : 1GB for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista/Win 7.
Disc Drive : 1x speed.
Hard Drive : 15 GB of free space.
Video : 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support).
Sound : DirectX 9.0c compatible.
DirectX : DirectX 9.0c August 2009 (included).
Recommended PC Specifications
CPU : 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU).
RAM : 2GB for XP / 4GB RAM for Vista/Win 7.
Disc Drive : 1x speed.
Hard Drive : 15 GB of free space.
Video : AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB or greater, NVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB or greater.
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible.
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