Mechanically-speaking, it is the best Mass Effect game, period. Gunplay is as good as it can be given its base, classes feel more balanced, the weapons are even better as opposed to the last game where some weapon classes really only had one or two weapons that were really viable, and using powers is fine-turned to perfection. This mechanical refinment is most noticeable in its (initially) much-hated multiplayer component: despite it being clearly a tacked-on addition for quick cash grab, its gameplay loop is fundamentally strong, to the point that it even has a diehard fanbase who still play it today.
What most people find lacking about this entry is the story, or specifically the ending. As a doomsday story, it does an adequate job of showing just how everything begins to fall apart in the sheer terror of cosmic proportions that defies logical understanding--much attention is given to the attention, especially thoughout the Citadel and the some of the mission contexts. With all the DLCs installed, it really works as a nice closure to many of the bigger lore questions that were laid down by the previous two titles.
However, if there is one caveat to this impending apocalyptic story, its enormous scale consumes all. The first Mass Effect was a great foray into a new, exciting world, a universe that felt real and fascinating to learn more about. The second game turn it upside down and explored the darker side of the same universe, offering perspectives not present in the predecessor, but nevertheless tied to its origin. In both cases, the focus was on player-motivated exploration of this fictional diegesis, whether in-game or outside through various tie-ins and fanfics. However, the focus on destruction of the entire galaxy in this third entry means that everything is now tied to the larger, gloomy fate of the world, with every storyline ultimately tied to resisting against an unbeatable calamity. Everything is urgent and immediate, and there is no real space for anything else to breathe. Perhaps this is why the smaller side quests in this game are terrible designed (the ones Shepards literally "eavesdrop" on people complaining on the streets to acquire), since any smaller branches feel out of place if they are not swept up by the bigger issue at hand and ultimate race towards the ending--which left a lot of people disappointed.
This was the first time I played this with the Ending Mod and Citadel Epilogue Mod installed. I thought the extended ending was fine (or at least, not something that offensive that one feels justified sending death threats), these two mods really gives a closure the series deserves. It's not perfect: the dreadfully expository and simplistic ending of the original is still there; however, at the very least, the mods make the players feel like they achieved something meaningful.
What most people find lacking about this entry is the story, or specifically the ending. As a doomsday story, it does an adequate job of showing just how everything begins to fall apart in the sheer terror of cosmic proportions that defies logical understanding--much attention is given to the attention, especially thoughout the Citadel and the some of the mission contexts. With all the DLCs installed, it really works as a nice closure to many of the bigger lore questions that were laid down by the previous two titles.
However, if there is one caveat to this impending apocalyptic story, its enormous scale consumes all. The first Mass Effect was a great foray into a new, exciting world, a universe that felt real and fascinating to learn more about. The second game turn it upside down and explored the darker side of the same universe, offering perspectives not present in the predecessor, but nevertheless tied to its origin. In both cases, the focus was on player-motivated exploration of this fictional diegesis, whether in-game or outside through various tie-ins and fanfics. However, the focus on destruction of the entire galaxy in this third entry means that everything is now tied to the larger, gloomy fate of the world, with every storyline ultimately tied to resisting against an unbeatable calamity. Everything is urgent and immediate, and there is no real space for anything else to breathe. Perhaps this is why the smaller side quests in this game are terrible designed (the ones Shepards literally "eavesdrop" on people complaining on the streets to acquire), since any smaller branches feel out of place if they are not swept up by the bigger issue at hand and ultimate race towards the ending--which left a lot of people disappointed.
This was the first time I played this with the Ending Mod and Citadel Epilogue Mod installed. I thought the extended ending was fine (or at least, not something that offensive that one feels justified sending death threats), these two mods really gives a closure the series deserves. It's not perfect: the dreadfully expository and simplistic ending of the original is still there; however, at the very least, the mods make the players feel like they achieved something meaningful.