Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsThe good, the bad, the ugly
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2015
I was super excited to start playing Mass Effect back in 2012. I was getting ready to buy 1-2 when the online reaction hit about the ending. I read the spoilers and decided I would rather not spend $100+ on a franchise with such a terrible last installment. I kept an ear out for the game, waiting for the price to drop to something I felt like paying.
With the $10 sale, I felt it was time to finally try this franchise.
The Good:
The world, characters, and storyline are all lots of fun. I really enjoyed the fact you could customize your Shepard and, in general, the games are fun. Some of the choices you make are really hard, and if you marathon the games, it really does feel like you're going on this big, epic adventure. Bioware definitely pulled out the stops in creating an immersive, emotional experience.
Gameplay is ok. I think I personally enjoyed 2 the most as far as leveling, combat, and using skills.
Overall I would say I'm a fan and loved the first two games. I'll probably give 4 a look and, depending on the reviews, might buy it.
The Bad:
For the first two weeks, Mass Effect 1 was missing a bunch of files which led to crashes when trying to access certain places. Luckily, origin patched the game so it should work now, but was still very annoying.
The game is just the base games, no dlcs. But for the price that is reasonable. I only bought the From Ashes dlc for 3 because it had a semi-important character in it.
Overall, 1-2 are worth playing. This price is great for them and I would say now that the price is back to normal, it's still worth it.
The Ugly:
Three is a bit of a glitchy, unfinished mess with some backgrounds not even fully rendered. The ending is still terrible, but if you play the game up to the last 15 minutes, it's pretty solid. I took off an entire star for three. It really did kill my enthusiasm that came from playing the first two. You can tell the game was rushed. While there are some good scenes, and the game might be improved with mods, it's just...I feel the criticism is justified. Hopefully Bioware, and more importantly EA, has learned from this and they'll give the devs all the time they need for four. And also not keep changing the creative staff.
Final Verdict: worth paying for, despite EA's greedy business practices and storyline.