Nukezilla Review: Mass Effect 3 (360)

Bioware’s space opera trilogy reaches it’s conclusion as the Reapers have found Earth. Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy set out to get help from the rest of the galaxy but should you sign up for the fight?

Those familiar with the Mass Effect universe will have no trouble getting back into the action. Leaning more towards a shooter and less of an RPG just like in Mass Effect 2, the action is frantic and varied. Taking down the numerous enemies is a treat with either guns or biotic powers, or even both.

Consequences of your actions made in the past two games will affect your game in some pretty dramatic ways. Crewmates lost along the way are gone for good and romances kindled still linger. It’s fascinating to see some choices made back in Mass Effect 1 craft the story being told in 3. Those who are new to the franchise can start a new Shepard, but may be a bit lost. They owe it to themselves to start the journey at the beginning.

Multiplayer makes it’s way into Mass Effect for the first time featuring  4 player co-op missions. Rankings and unlocks come with the XP as usual but the fighting done in the multplayer side can even affect the single player’s story.

360 players with Kinect have the option of issuing voice commands to squad mates and switching weapons. It works decent in a quiet room, if maybe a little slow to respond, but when the battle is raging the controller is a must.

The journey that Commander Shepard and crew have taken is truly epic and touching. The amazing action and deep personal stories and relationships found in the universe is unmatched in gaming. Even though the finale may make some fans set their controllers ablaze, it doesn’t change the fact that Mass Effect 3 is a brilliant game and the Mass Effect franchise is a triumph of game design and story telling.

Mass Effect 3 is a must own.