The World of Myth Magazine

In the world of video games, one major genre has been the role-playing action titles. Skyrim, Fallout, and Dragon Age, all made a significant mark on the gaming community. But none seem to compare to the long-lasting and dramatic story behind Commander Shepard's conclusion in Mass Effect 3.

Anyone playing the home game knows I have a deep love for role-playing games in general. I love the emersion the worlds bring to the screen. I love the stories, the character creations, and the open-world concepts. But I also appreciate games that come with a not-so-complicated combat and button system while still keeping the action in the front. And in this regard, Mass Effect 3 is defiantly one of Bioware's best performances.

The rather emotional story highlights the dramatic conclusion to Commander Shepard's war against a race of artificially intelligent, highly advanced synthetic lifeforms hell-bent on destroying all living beings in the known galaxy. The Reapers, as they are called, attack with overwhelming force, annihilating everything that stands in their way.

Throughout the entire series, Commander Shepard, playable as either male or female, learns of the Reaper's intentions and their coming invasion and tries in vain to unite the galaxy's numerous species in defense. Despite all his warnings and the proof he provided, he could not inspire the races to prepare. And as seen in the opening scenes of Mass Effect 3, the Reaper invasion force moved in with little opposition.

Fortunately, one of the Commander's long time ally and friend, an Asari scientist Liara T'soni, discovered plans for a superweapon on Mars, designed by an ancient race called the Protheons. These Protheans had been the dominant species in the galaxy in was termed the last cycle. Though they were a concurring race, the Reapers destroyed them, which ushered in a new galaxy era.

With the help of friends acquired throughout the trilogy, Shephard leads a crusade to stop and ultimately destroy the invaders. But to do so leaves the character fighting the politicians from each race as much as the real enemy. And in the desperate attempt to gather forces together, Shephard must perform side quests to satisfy each race's people. This becomes even more difficult as a terrorist-style organization named Curberus pursues its agenda to make humans the dominant race in the galaxy.

Mass Effect 3 combines a rich thought out conclusion to a long adventurous story with tons of great action and suspense. Along that journey, you gather friends and allies, new technology and weapons, and even upgrades to Shephard's infamous ship, the Normandy SR-2.

This series finally brought into play several famous voice actors such as Seth Green as the Normandy's pilot, Martin Sheen as the leader of Cerberus, and Freedie Prinze Jr. as marine James Vega.

Graphically I found the gameplay to be smooth given the platform it ran on. At that time, the Xbox 360 was one of the best consoles on the market, and the near cartoon-like graphics fit the game well. Admittedly, some of the scenes were a bit choppy with lag, but it was no game-breaking issue, which was huge as the action was fast-paced and the framerate astronomical for its age. During combat, the player could run from cover to cover, shooting enemies from a safe hiding place. Although, one exciting factor was how height on the battlefield played a part. If you, or the enemy, had a high advantage, hitting the mark (or getting hit) was easier.

In conclusion, I found the 3rd game in the Mass Effect series to be the finest of them. Bioware took the best parts of each past game and improved upon it, making what I think is a memorable and well thought out title. And with that, I give the game a solid four stars. It has an excellent replay value, smooth controller layouts, and one of the best RP stories I've played.

So there it is, my take on Mass Effect 3. But don't take my word for it; if you have the chance, check it out.

As always, if you'd like to request a game or have comments or suggestions, you can email me at wickedwisdom66@outlook.com. Till next time, play on.