Mass Effect 3 (SPOILERS)

Before I start anything, this is not going to be like a professional review of a game. I'm just a fan, sharing some thoughts on the awesome game Mass Effect 3.

I don't have a capture card or any means of taking a screenshot from my 360 for
my badass red-haired Ingrid Shepard, so this default look will do~ 

I still haven't the chance to play the first Mass Effect series because I still couldn't find around KK. It sucks. So I just have to be contented with Mass Effect 2 and 3 for this moment. 

Now, the first thing I wanna say is that Mass Effect 3 definitely kick some virtual asses; improved graphics, more engaging story-lines, epic moments, and lots of funny stuffs as well (Joker and EDI's stuffs mainly). I really like the graphics in this game, the details are a lot better in my opinion. It gives out that outer space feeling, capture the essence and add up to the sombre atmosphere of ME3 in which a raging war with the Reapers is taking place. The facial details and expressions have also been improved, giving a sort of realism to the characters. I have to admit I kinda go crazy with the custom look section, I created a purple-haired Shepard once just for the laugh of it, but yeah, it didn't really go with the game. It's weird seeing a purple-goth woman talking all serious about Reapers in a game that is supposed to be very dark and deep. 

Story-lines are great! I think my favorite moment was that one with Thessia falling and Shepard looking all defeated. It really makes me feel sad and broken as well. As I've imported my character and save game from ME2, it was also very painful to see how some of the most beloved characters in ME2 died in this game. I was particularly heartbroken with the death of Legion. I don't know why, but I think I failed to accumulate high renegade points (my Shepard is a bit of an ass), so I failed to make both the Geths and Quarians to make peace. I shot him three times and before he succumbed to death, his last words actually wanna make me cry. I feel guilty afterwards. It frustrated me actually, since Legion was quite dear to me. Always thought he was very innocent. Just like the previous installment, this game played on emotions quite well. This got me invested.

The gameplay had also been improved. Thank goodness there was no more scanning planets for resources, those things take waaaayyy to much time. But for my crews I would do anything. Even if it meant having a sore thumb and forefinger for all those scanning. The Reapers chasing mini-games was okay, I guess. Heh. I also liked the whole running and evading jumps and all. It gave a little more flexibility to gameplay and it was fun. Unlike in the ME2 where Shepard would slow back after a bit of running and s/he cannot evade in open spot by jumping away. 

There were a lot of complains and anger at the endings. There were like three ending options; synthesis, destroy and control. My first playthrough I went for Synthesis, because when the Reaper mentioned about synthetic lives will be destroyed by choosing Destroy I fear for EDI's life, and I didn't want to Control the Reapers and prove the Illusive Man was right all along. So I chose Synthesis, which I think is the most noble decision at that time. It was a sad ending actually. My Shepard sacrificed her life in order for her friends to live another day and without fear, to be at peace with the other species and all. I think having the organic and synthetic lives be at peace with one another was the best way to end the whole stuff. Besides, my Shepard had been fighting for the galaxy, resorted in some vile ways that had forced her to lie to the Krogan and sabotaged the cure for Genophage as well as sacrificed Legion and his entire Geth species (and I don't think the Geth deserved to be destroyed at all!), had pulled out some difficult decisions and accepted all the hatred for them, just to make the galaxy save from the Reapers.

Now, I know we all want a happy ending. I'm still searching for a way to raise my EMF to 5000+, but I don't think that's possible without the multiplayer online. And I could only play singleplayer. So, I just made do with this Shepard. I think the imperfect ending is actually very fitting. Because for once, not everything is going to be perfect in the world. One of the thing that I really loved Bioware for is that the sense of realism they put into the choice and decision making. Every decision made there would be good and bad consequences, sometimes you just can't have both ways. It was frustrating, yeah, but still no one can really deny that it was still epic. 

My Shepard was a hard woman, quite reclusive and absolutely unforgiving. She was never one to make her emotion shown except for the ones closest to her, she never utter appreciation openly but secretly cared for all her teammates and friends. When she was given the three decisions, she chose the one that she thought would be good for all the species in galaxy. She cared for EDI and cherished that humanity inside EDI, and she wanted both Joker and EDI to be happy. She held Legion close in her heart and had a nagging ache for sacrificing the whole Geths just for being defensive of their existence. She saw herself that synthetics have every right to live just like everyone else. She chose Synthesis so both organics and synthetic lives would finally be one, being the final evolution of life. The mass relays were destroyed, cutting off all ties between so many races in the galaxy, but maybe this was for the better. 

  

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