Mass Effect 3 Review

The Paragon (good) and Renegade (evil) side to each choice remains in tact and as with the previous game, these clearly marked paths often lead players to polarize Shepard. If there is a criticism of this morality system, it's that ambiguity falls to the wayside - there is usually a good or bad choice. That being said, what has been built here works well enough to create interesting situations, ones you'll quickly become invested in.

What started off looking like quite a tame experience becomes anything but. Mass Effect 3 will have you making decisions which question your moral fibre - especially if you decide to play through as a renegade for the hell of it. It's rare that a game is able to affect emotions in this way, but it's all because of how choice enters into the equation.

Regardless of which route you take, your journey through the Mass Effect universe will feature plenty of crisscrossing the galaxy on missions largely dictated from the game's Citadel hub world. The Citadel as a hub is nothing new, but this iteration is far more ambitious than before, facilitating the lion's share of Mass Effect 3's mission gathering. This expansion is a welcome change, because it feels like a much more dynamic, living city. It always feels like there's something to find or somebody speak with on the Citadel's various new layers.

After leaving the Citadel to go out into the field, Mass Effect's third-person combat starts to truly shine this time around, thanks to a handful of minor refinements and incremental improvements. For starters, the meat and potatoes of the cover-based, squad-directed system hasn't changed. What has changed is the close-up melee combat, which now features powerful, cinematic strikes if you hold down the button. Additionally, roll and diving maneuvers make Shepard much more mobile on the battlefield - even the running has been sorted out. These minor changes make Mass Effect 3 feel more fluid and versatile than ever. That being said, the clunky close-quarters encounters of old remain, so nobody is going to confuse Shepard with Marcus Phoenix.

There is of course, also the decision you need to make regarding the kind of character you want to play as. You may want to go all traditional shooter and plump for a Soldier, but Mass Effect's lore allows for much more interesting combinations through engineering and biotics.

While Mass Effect 2's over-arching goal was to gather a squad ready for any eventuality, this time around Shepard is tasked with rallying the galaxy's vast and disparate military resources for the final showdown with the Reapers. This is represented by gaining 'War Assets' after completing different faction missions. For example, clearing out a Cerberus base will result in a portion of defectors joining Shepard's overall military roster. Since virtually every action results in some kind of asset accumulation, Mass Effect 3 effectively encourages players to go off the main path and explore.