» Review: Mass Effect 3

FOR THE RECORD: The option to play as either female or male Commander Shepard has been available in all three Mass Effect games.

The Mass Effect space opera trilogy has been building to this.

The Reapers – an artificial species with massive weaponry – make their way through the galaxy, eliminating all organic life every 50,000 years. And that time has come again.

The first two Mass Effect games dealt with the looming attack, as you played as Commander John Shepard, leading the charge to prevent the interstellar Armageddon. They were only appetizers for the coming banquet.

As Mass Effect 3 begins, the Reapers have crossed into our solar system and have begun the relentless destruction. You’re called to investigate a found Prothean (the last species that tried and failed to stop the Reapers) weapon that was under construction when the last cleansing occurred. You also are charged with uniting the known galaxy in the fight.

This means that you’re back aboard the Normandy space vessel. Also back are many of the members of species that you fought alongside in the previous two games (unless they happened to have died in those games.)

When beginning, you are given the choice of starting anew or importing your character from Mass Effect 2 and all his baggage. For the first time, you can also choose to play as a female Commander Shepard.

Also new is the opportunity to choose how to experience the game.

In the traditional gameplay mode (called Role Playing), the game is played after customizing your character and with the ability to choose your responses from a dialogue wheel during cutscenes. These choices influence your progression toward being either “compassionate” or “ruthless” – Paragon or Renegade.

The second mode (Action) focuses more on the battle, with the conversations playing out as cutscenes with no interaction.

The final mode (Story) gives you more control of the interactive story, while de-emphasizing the actual combat (much like an interactive movie).

At any time in the game, you can adjust the gameplay mode if you find the one you’re playing is not satisfactory.

Selecting a character, you can tweak the abilities by choosing from six player classes – Soldier, Infiltrator, Adept, Engineer, Vanguard and Sentinel. Each has unique powers to give a different experience to the adventure.

As you make your way across the galaxy, you re-team up with past squad mates. As they are added, they become available for deployment on missions, each offering theirt skillsets. Only two squad members are allowed per mission, so selecting them for their strengths is necessary.

When deployed, you exercise control over what weapons and abilities are used by your squadmates. Using a selector wheel, you can assign shortcuts to specific abilities that can be used in fighting enemies. You can command squadmates to attack specific enemies, move to specific locations or regroup with you. The abilities have a recharge rate before reuse.

Adding to the difficulty in fighting the Reapers is opposition by the shadowy Cerberus terrorist group, whose leader (The Illusive Man) resurrected you in Mass Effect 2. The group is also seeking the Prothean technology for its own ends.

The Galaxy Map returns, allowing you to plot which sectors of the galaxy to travel to. Gone from this game is the ability to travel to small planets and moons and mine them for minerals, like in Mass Effect 2. I guess if the galaxy is being destroyed, the last thing you need to be doing is mining for ore.

However, there is time for love, as Mass Effect 3 allows players to engage in romantic relationships. Following the proper path in conversation exchanges can lead to liaisons between missions.

A first for the series is multiplayer action, with four-player co-op missions available to purchasers of new copies of the game (requires an unlock code). Playing earns experience points, leading to new weapons, characters and upgrades.

Mass Effect 3 is a satisfying conclusion to an outstanding series. The epic storyline paints a broad picture of galactic warfare and close friendships that ties the experience together in a fitting coda.

Platform: PlayStation3/Xbox 360

Manufacturer: Electronic Arts

Rating: Mature

Score: 9 chilies