Mass Effect Trilogy reviews

Awesome series and great bundle for an awesome price :)

If you love Mass Effect then you'll love this 3 in 1 package. A great sci-fi RPG, very long and great playability with all the ending options that can lead into the next game.

Yes, I'm one of “those” former fan of the Mass Effect franchise. The first two games are absolutely FANTASTIC. Immersive storylines, memorable characters and (in the case of the second game) a very satisfying combat system. I've played both games at least 6 times each. Loved every playthrough of it.

Then came Mass Defect 3. The storyline was still overall awesome as well as general gameplay mechanics, that is until the heavy reliance of online multiplayer to get readiness points to supposedly get a “good” ending for the game rears it's ugly head. Yes you can still get those points in single player, but the game is basically giving you a big nudge to play online to make it easier for you to get said points. This is an annoyance to someone who doesn't have an Xbox live Gold account and who doesn't want to pay extra money to get it.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW

The infamous ending is the biggest nail in the coffin however. After spending literally years of my life and about $300 as well as a huge emotional investment in these games I was suddenly given a pitiful 3 choices by some sudden deus ex machina character never before mentioned over the fate of the galaxy. And boy did those choices suck on so many levels. Plot holes ruptured, a choice of what color of doom do you want was given and suddenly it was all over. The free DLC Bioware made to supposedly “give a better sense of understanding and closure” was an insulting half-baked attempt at appeasement. Apparently according to an insider from Bioware the ending was arbitrarily chosen by Casey Hudson without input from any of the other writers of the game (this has been quickly but weakly covered up by the concerned parties) and it shows BIG TIME. For a game franchise touted as being all about choices made by the player, in the end those choices are made void by the ending of what was otherwise my ex-most beloved game series ever. I know I'm personally being drastic, but I've sworn to myself never to buy a Bioware game ever again.