If 1 was an old TV serial and 2 is prestige TV, 3 is a Hollywood blockbuster. Not a bad one, mind you; it builds on top of solid foundation, so the action and drama feel equally earned and meaningful, if less overtly charismatic.

The biggest loss is that of process. There's no time for walking around and chatting about unimportant stuff, this is War™. Guns just fire, diplomacy just happens, and levity is reduced to a silver lining for most of the game's duration, short interactions tucked away in the ship's (and the story's) crevices. That 7th gen seriousness is a little off-putting once you've played through the trilogy already (the Citadel DLC's several-hour-long slice of life segment is a godsend in this regard) but it works very well, dramatically, as the end of a sci-fi action epic and the conclusion's to the crew members' individual arcs.

Much like in 2, aesthetic and mechanical changes accompany the new tone. Shooting isn't just fun now: it's fantastic. The balance, the rhythm of combat and the visual spectacle make a the action enough of a joy to give most encounters a tension previously reserved for specific setpieces and justify the new (and surprisingly strong) multiplayer mode's existence. That said, Gears of War is not that good an influence for role-playing, and ME3 tips the scale a little too far into Bro territory. Choices are, ironically enough, too involving and significant to feel real. "Do you want a genocide? Y/N" doesn't really hit that hard when its really about this playthrough being your first or a later, more unserious one. And then there's the child in the introduction.

The ending is the pinnacle of this specific issue, but it's also not as bad as the community outrage would suggest. It's as in-keeping with the game's priorities as the Suicide Mission is with 2's, meaning it's sudden and a little disappointing, but with high emotional peaks and some iconic imagery. As far as I'm concerned, it's not nearly enough to ruin a game--and less so a trilogy--with so many strengths.

Reviewed on May 26, 2023


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