Mass Effect 3 - Don't fear the Reaper(s)

 

Whether you like it, hate it or are completely indifferent to it, there’s no denying the fact that franchise milking has overrun the gaming industry today. Fewer developers take risks with new IPs, concentrating instead on the games that rake in the bucks. In practice, it’s sound business strategy, but after a while, customers begin seeing through all the smoke and mirrors and come to the startling conclusion that this is the same game they played last year or the year before. 

The reason I broke out into this impromptu monologue is because Mass Effect 3 firmly belongs in that category. Does that mean it’s a bad game? Not at all. It just means the game is commercialized, simplified and way too predictable, but at the same time still manages to deliver a solid inter-galactic action adventure.

Who brings a Mech to a gun fight?

The reason I’m calling this game an action adventure as opposed to an action RPG is because the Role Playing Game elements are virtually non-existent in Mass Effect 3. Choosing different classes means you’ll have access to different abilities, sure, but every class can proficiently wield any weapon in this game making the whole system a tad redundant. The whole leveling up aspect is also very straightforward and barebones, which can be a good thing if you’re more of an action junkie. 

The Mass Effect series has always been more of a linear experience as opposed to a Skyrim and this game is no different. Now I know every game world cannot be as vast and alive as Bethesda’s playground but ME3’s game world just felt very cardboard like and fake. The Citadel, one of the game’s central hubs where players can undertake side quests or shop around for better weapons/armour felt terribly dull as it was populated with static NPCs or characters whose animations and dialogue looped every time you pass them by. This made me feel like I was playing a game as opposed to inhabiting a living, breathing world where my choices would make a difference.

This is gonna hurt

Things do fare a bit better as far as gunplay is concerned, since this series has now evolved into a third person shooter, so anyone who’s played Gears of War will feel right at home here. You take cover, shoot, occasionally pop out of cover, shoot some more and move on. It’s been done before, but gunplay feels solid and polished, so that’s always a plus point. Things become far more intense and interesting when you add your biotic powers into the mix or combine your powers with your squad’s abilities.

Squad AI is relatively self-sufficient and they can take care of themselves during combat. However, if you aren’t too confident of their abilities, you can actually chose the powers they use in battle or even send them to a corner of the map to flank enemies. Enemies in Mass Effect 3 come in different shapes and sizes, but their behavioral patterns are more or less the same. Every hostile race you encounter has foot soldiers who basically are your fodder for most of the game. Accompanying them are enemies with better firepower, like soldiers equipped with rocket launchers or mini bosses who can absorb a serious amount of damage.