Mass Effect 3

⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Wow what a journey it's been with these games. In the first i loved the universe and story but didn't love the characters, and in the second I loved the characters but thought it took a step back with storytelling. All the while i was a little lukewarm on things like presentation, music and gameplay mechanics.

All of those things were perfected in the finale. I am BAFFLED by the majority of pundits saying 2 is the masterpiece; to me it's not even close. This game is an absolute triumph from the opening scene.

For those unclear, this is a sci-fi story about a galaxy at war. In this game, you are tasked with uniting all races while under siege from the enemy. Choices you make starting with the first game play into how all of this unfolds and will determine the fate of the universe. Obviously the scope of something like this is almost comically huge, and yet the progression makes it all make sense. You don't start off as the most important person in the universe. The first game starts to teach you about the history of the universe as you start to befriend people from different planets. The second game sees those relationships through, and the third is the culmination: the outcome of every planetary issue through the lens of those relationships. It really is brilliant storytelling, keeping the scope huge yet keeping the focus on characters you truly care about.

I really can't say enough about this game. It is epic, emotional, personal and genius. The action scenes are so well choreographed and the music and sound design blow your socks off. The relationships are perfectly organic, and after three games Tali, Garrus and Liara feel like family. The issues the different species are going through feel so real and difficult. I had to make a tough decision to resolve a conflict and it's no exaggeration to say I felt a little ill the rest of the day. This game moved me on several occasions. Don't even get me started on my girlfriend Tali. I have replaced my bedside photo of Jess with a photo of her and will love her forever. Keelah Se'Lai!

Within the first hour I wondered if this would be an all-timer for me, and midway through I knew. There are just so many incredibly emotional moments, the culmination of so much time spent in this world. I think this is among my top 3 single player games ever along with Red Dead 2 and Last of Us, and one of my favorite pieces of art ever produced. I had an incredible time chatting with Becky about literally every aspect of the game, whether she wanted to or not, and I'm excited at the thought of more games being made in this universe. BioWare is again right back in my good graces and I'm looking forward to starting Dragon Age 3. I am still unsure about how much I loved the power you hold in this game, especially the power to kinda ruin moments if you're unsure what you're doing. I can't believe that decisions I made in ME1 are still with me today - I hardly even knew what I was doing then! But my story was personal and my own, and that's special.

So if you're a sci-fi fan looking to get sucked into another world, this is the series for you. I should also express the importance of getting the legendary edition as it had some of the best quests and arcs in the series, and aside from a few minor things, looks and plays like a modern game. This has been one of the most rewarding playthroughs I've experienced and I'm hopeful I'll have the chance to talk to you guys about it once you've played through.