Suskie's Mass Effect 3 review

I saw the ending (or at least one of them) online and honestly didn't think it was nearly as bad as everyone is making it out to be. The biggest offense to me is how the plot barely progressed since the first game. I haven't played 2 or 3 and don't feel like I missed anything content-wise.

This probably has a lot to do with these so-called "game journalists" hyping the series up as something that is supposedly bridging the gap between games and film. I never really bought this so even if I was a fan of the series it really isn't anything that I would lose sleep over.

Suskie, I should say that your constant talk about how good the game is aside from story is a real hook for me. I am going to hold out until Summer, when I'll have some more time, but then I'll pick up Mass Effect 2 and 3 and the first game be damned. And it's all because of your convincing reviews, my friend.

Thanks, Zipp, and I'm glad to hear it. Though if you're skipping right to ME2, I'd urge you to take Genj's advice and look up a Let's Play of the first one. ME1 hasn't aged well in comparison to its sequels, but its story is still pretty phenomenal and you really don't want to settle for a half-assed version of it (which you'll be getting if you download the interactive comic that comes with ME2).

Sportsman: Yeah, that's what I was getting at about people having unrealistic expectations. I do think that the series explores ways of telling stories that other mediums couldn't, but stories are linear by nature.

The comment about not aging well surprises me, since most people tell me that Mass Effect is way better than part 2.

//Zig

Complicated answer, Zig. ME1 is still my favorite game in the series. It's got the best story, the broadest scope (ME1 has always felt like a playable science fiction novel to me, and a big part of that is how expansive its universe is), and the most distinct visual style. On the other hand, it's also the least polished of the three, with certain elements either not holding up by today's standards (like the combat) or just not working well to begin with (like the horrible vehicle controls and the overambitious uncharted planet missions associated with them). BioWare's frantic struggles to correct these issues have sent the series in a different, more action-centric direction, and while the series has improved mechanically, they've also cut down on some of the elements that made ME1 so special in the first place.

The simplest way I can put it is that while I love all three games, ME1 is the one that feels the most distinctly like an RPG. It'll always be my favorite for that, regardless of the many changes BioWare have made for the better.

This deserves a thread bump, trust me:

Apparently the next stage of the ReTake campaign is to send BioWare lots of cupcakes.

The plan is to have them be in three different colours, but all the same flavour. XD

Heard about that. Whether or not I agree with it, this is the sort of protesting I can get behind.