Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Ass Effect or Mass Effect 3 Review


ASS EFFECT
For a game that vehemently denied any sort of gay gameplay, Mass Effect 3 made a 180.  I mean, the galaxy can be saved by a giant penis, you can romance any gender, and one of the possible endings is Adam and Steve (and some other dude) in a place very much like the Garden of Eden.  Let’s give a big, gay hooray.  All this however, is just rainbow sprinkles on the icing of the deliscious confection that is Mass Effect 3.

NOSTALIGIA EFFECT
If you have played any of the other Mass Effects and transferred your saves to the third installment this game is going to take you some wrenching situtaions that will pry tears from your eyes and cheers from your lips.  The galaxy is at war, a war it cannot win and the game pulls no punches.  People die, cultures are decimated and destroyed and worlds are shattered.  Your character, Shepherd, has been fighting this war for a while with a few companions and the galaxy has ignored his warnings.  Shepherd has seen friends die and so has the player, and these weren’t just red shirts; they were fully fleshed, living beings you have spent hours with (at least 60 if you played the first two games).  Shepherd has reached out and touched every part of this galaxy in big and small ways, you have done this, and Mass Effect 3 has not forgotten, and it will show you the progression.  It is fantastic and tragic and beautiful in small conversations or bombastic battle scenes the story is your story.

POSSIBLE EFFECTS
Even if you have never played Mass Effect before the game is very welcoming, allowing you to play as you like, not good or not interested in shooters then play it in story mode where battles are much simpler, bored with cutscenes and decision trees play in action mode, if you like chocolate in your peanut butter then play it in role play where you get to do both.  Add in different difficulty levels within these choices and six character classes that play very differently; the game loves you for who you are.  Everyone gets different variations of the main story based on if and how they played before, but even neophytes get a compelling story.  There is also cooperative multiplayer in which you play as soldiers fighting the war against the Reapers which is connected to you single player experience.

VISUAL EFFECTS

The game looks great, the locales are varied and interesting, moody space ships, lush jungles, the red sands of Mars; it’s breath taking and the Shepherd you make, male or female looks fantastic and stars in every scene.  The voice acting is top notch and the music very effective.  All around the game is solid and a pleasure for most of you sense (I haven’t tasted it, so…).

AFFECTION


Mass Effect 3 is a vision of what video games can be, emotionally engaging, mentally engaging, and a whole lot of fun.  If ever I were to use a tapestry metaphor I would have to with this game in that it blends character choices from at least 45 hours of gameplay, companions with humanity, personality and emotion,  meaningful character customization that allows you multiple ways to play, themes of friendship, heroism, war, and family, a stunning art style, and beautiful sound  into a breathing universe that is a wonder to explore.  Or, like a really cool tapestry with colors and pathos and stuff.

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