Mass Effect 3 feels like a frustrated writer spitting on the previous games in the series because he had to work on a sequel to someone else's work.

Mass Effect 2 is a darker game than Mass Effect 1, but both games are "Space Opera" adventures. Mass Effect 3 is not a Space Opera, it is a war story begrudgingly told in space. It's not impossible to do a genre pivot like that well, but Mass Effect 3 doesn't do that well. Mass Effect 3 feels like the (new for this game) writer's gritty unrelated war story wearing the skin of the Mass Effect series grotesquely stretched over it's face because it's not the project the writer actually wanted to be working on. Plot hooks and intrigue as to the true motives behind the Reapers and overarching narratives from past games are completely thrown out for derivative and uninspired motivations delivered by ridiculous deus ex machinas that weaken the past games and their stories by association and retrospective context. While there are some nice character moments with companions from the previous games if you import a save file, the game at time feels outright contemptuous of being part of an ongoing story and like any "happy outcomes" made possible or easier through past decisions are handed over with a scowl like the writer's hand is being forced. Shepard no longer feels like your character and simply the writer's pre-written protagonist, any pro or anti Alliance, Council or Cerberus sentiments you pushed in past games thrown of the window for the pre-assigned ideals and beliefs of the new writer's ideal player character.

The gameplay can't even save Mass Effect 3 if you enjoy playing the series on a higher difficulty. Sure, the gunplay and usable powers are some of the most fun they've been in the series, but the enemy and encounter design comparative to previous games is a tedious, unfun slog of drawn out encounters that take the weakest points of Mass Effect 2, the various arenas of wave survival into bullet-sponge bosses like on Horizon, and seem to base every other combat encounter on the same template.

The only things that come close to saving Mass Effect 3 are two truly incredible DLC in the forms of the Omega and Citadel DLCs, which are easily two of the highest points in the series, but even if you save them for last to end on a high note you're still going to have your spirits dampened by the infamously terrible ending that throws away three entire games worth of decision making for a choice between three pre-canned endings.

The multiplayer used to be fun for a laugh with friends, if not particularly deep or fleshed out, but it's been over a decade since the original version of ME3 released and LE3 removed the feature entirely so it's difficult to enjoy now.

Mass Effect 3 is overall an insult to the two games that came before it, only worth trudging through if you're commited to seeing your Shepard's story through to the end.

Even if it doesn't wrap up the trilogy in a very satisfying way I think this is a great game.
My major gripes with it are that the game feels incomplete and short without Citadel and Omega DLCs and that the dialogue and choices have been somewhat simplified. The latter especially feels like Shepard is a more flat character that for some reason just cares about saving earth no matter what past you chose for them in past games.
Still has some amazing characters, locations and missions which save it from being a failure in my eyes.

I'm not going to go in depth here, but essentially, Mass Effect 3 is a mostly disapointing finale to the trilogy. The game lacks RPG mechanics and dialogue choices. On a whole, it feels more linear and driven by combat, rather than primarily focussed on interesting storytelling or character building like the previous two entries in the series. Your decisions in this game (and decisions from elsewhere in the trilogy) feel inconsequential here, and the ending is thoroughly unsatisfying. After all these years, I'm still bitter about it.

brings back some of the baby that was thrown out with the bathwater in mass effect 2. Weapon mods, being able to choose between reload or overheat weapons, and has some improvements of its own. The missions are all insanely fun and varied, (for mass effect standards) combat is smooth, and the story mostly maintains its quality alongside me2 and 1. But the dialogue options are really bad this time around. You can barely talk with your companions on the ship which is a huge step down where 2 had them as the stars of the show, front and center. It also follows the recruitment formula from 2, but changes it to be amassing an army for a big push which is cool, but i'm less likely to get attached to the fuel deposits I got for the war meter than I am to these guys that u have full conversations with, do quests individually for, and overall me3 just feels like its less personal and more focused on being huge. Also some of the good/bad options made no sense, why are some of these in those categories? I'm seriously a renegade just because i've never been afraid to say what's on my mind at any given time of day? i'm a renegade because i've never been afraid to talk about anything? Anyways, the DLC content was amazing. Citadel DLC was some of the best content in the series. I think the very last part of this game was kind of eh, even though that final mission was pretty cool, the last choice and cutscene is weird. I didn't hear much from this series but even I knew that ending was heavily criticized and now I see why. This was a cool series tho, now im gonna eat pizza and watch some suits. I wonder what louis litt is gonna get up to this time!

this had a mass effect 3 times larger than the first two on my sexuality

i need a krogan gf
i will cure her genophage
i need a salarian gf
i will fertilize her eggs
i need a kai leng gf
i can fix her

The finale to an epic, I finally understand why the series is so beloved. All games in the trilogy have clear flaws, but it draws you in for an adventure that will not be forgotten. A melancholic conclusion tinged with happiness that the characters I spend 102 hours with across 3 games have concluded their ultimate goals. The combat is better than ever, but the RPG elements are lacking in key areas like stats and overall character progression, feels more like a corridor shooter now that's lost most of its charm from the first game. I'm already pining for another experience that can rival this trilogies scope and tone. Highly reccomend. (Finished at 12:03 AM)

People give this game so much shit, but I have always defended it. Some of the criticism is definitely valid, the writing is not as strong as the first two games, it is clear there was meddling from above to get this game out quick. But I still think, especially with the Extended Cut, it is a solid end to the trilogy. People complain about the ending, which of the three colours to pick–the whole game is the ending. It's the culmination of the trilogy, and it fulfills those demands. Yeah, Kai Leng sucks or whatever. The crucible is a cop out, sure. But everything with the Genophage and solving the Geth/Quarian conflict and not to mention the DLCs are all great. Despite all the problems, I think the gameplay is the tightest and seeing the culmination of your friends throughout the series makes it easy to overlook all that.

This is my favourite of the series and I won't apologize for that. It's the most special of the trilogy to me. It's the first game to ever make me cry. The deaths of Mordin, Legion, and Thane are all so sad and I think really well-handled. Also Garrus is the canonical LI.