After a journey that lasted eight years, Mac Walters can breathe a sigh of relief. The lead writer of "Mass Effect 3" and his fellow developers have shipped the finale of their epic trilogy.
It's an adventure that spans several planets and about 95,000 lines of dialogue, give or take a few hundred words. But that size and scope goes deeper. BioWare has hundreds of pages detailing documenting alien species, characters, technology and history. If someone had told Walters beforehand how much content the project entailed, he would have called it crazy.
But it's also a remarkable undertaking. From the start, the "Mass Effect" series was an ambitious project. BioWare planned the saga as a trilogy, but the branching narratives were a challenge. The team wanted to create a franchise where players can take their protagonist and play him or her through all three games.
Decisions in the original had ramifications in the next two games. They wouldn't drastically alter the narrative, but it would change the details. Some characters who are alive in one play-through may be dead in another. Allies may have different reactions to players depending on whether they're playing as a Paragon (good guy) or Renegade (anti-hero).
In "Mass Effect 3," Earth is under attack. The all-powerful Reaper aliens have come to wipe out life in the galaxy starting with our planet. As Commander Shepard, players must rally the other civilizations to fend off the
threat.
The campaign takes players through scenarios that they're already familiar with. The gameplay carries over the refinements of "Mass Effect 2." Players will interact with characters via the dialogue wheel, forge alliances and duke it out with other foes.
The bigger changes occur in the combat. BioWare has evolved the fighting so that "Mass Effect 3" plays more like a third-person shooter with some role-playing elements. To make the controls feel good, they added flourishes like a dramatic omniblade slash. When it comes to the cover system, that's been drastically improved so players can roll in and out of walls and barricades. It feels more responsive and fluid.
The only misstep is how BioWare implements grenades and mines. A dedicated button or a method of aiming would have made them much more useful. Tossing one in the game is ineffective and clumsy.
But "Mass Effect 3" still retains its RPG roots. Players can pause the battle so allies can aim their special powers at foes, adding a strategic element to battles as players command their two comrades across a war zone. Customizing outfits and modifying weapons are still fairly light. Players will have to find the right set that suits their play style.
Although the game mechanics are good, they wouldn't have the same impact without its story-driven half. Walters and his team created a riveting narrative that somehow ties up the trilogy's loose ends.
Over the last three games, players have bonded with these characters. They have a history with them, and they've learned to care about the fates of Tali the Quarian or Urdnot Rex and his people. There's plenty of emotional capital involved and BioWare doesn't waste it, giving players at times heart-rending moments and lighter ones with the crew.
Sure, some fans can rant about the ending and why it doesn't live up to their expectations. There's even a ridiculous online petition urging BioWare to redo the finale. But the "Mass Effect" series isn't about the destination. It's about the journey there. It's about all the choices players made to arrive at that penultimate scene.
Unlike other mediums, video games let players create their own narratives. They become, in effect, co-authors of the "Mass Effect" saga. They helped write this tale. They're the ones who formed relationships with their crewmates. They determined the fate of the galaxy. The story is in the eye of beholder, and for me, at least, the one I told was immensely satisfying.
Contact Gieson Cacho at 510-735-7076 or gcacho@bayareanews group.com. Read his blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei.
'mass effect 3'
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Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Rating: Mature
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