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[MedHead]

To counter some of your points:
- The readiness system wasn't pointless. In fact, it was the whole "point" of the game. It helped to make things truly stand out as an intergalactic war, leading you to find allies all over the galaxy.

The readiness system did play a role in the game, but not in the way that it should. When gathering forces on the Citadel, one would expect those forces to be shown fighting the Reapers in some way. When one took the time to gather support from various alien factions, one would expect it to be shown to have made a difference, perhaps in the winning of the war, or at least the weakening of the Reaper forces.

Unfortunately, the EMS number was used to determine cutscene choices, with results that had little to nothing to do with what an effective military strength would effect. For instance, if one had a low EMS,

Spoiler

the destruction of the Reapers would result in Earth being scorched

(if memory serves). A high EMS would

Spoiler

save Earth from being burned

. The game didn't present this difference because there was a difference in the number of Reapers in the air, but rather it just happened by what seemed to be chance.

I wouldn't say that the EMS was pointless, but rather that the disconnect between expectations and results in that number made the effort seem wasted.

 

[Shepard]

The readiness system did play a role in the game, but not in the way that it should. When gathering forces on the Citadel, one would expect those forces to be shown fighting the Reapers in some way. When one took the time to gather support from various alien factions, one would expect it to be shown to have made a difference, perhaps in the winning of the war, or at least the weakening of the Reaper forces.

Unfortunately, the EMS number was used to determine cutscene choices, with results that had little to nothing to do with what an effective military strength would effect. For instance, if one had a low EMS,

Spoiler

the destruction of the Reapers would result in Earth being scorched

(if memory serves). A high EMS would

Spoiler

save Earth from being burned

. The game didn't present this difference because there was a difference in the number of Reapers in the air, but rather it just happened by what seemed to be chance.

I wouldn't say that the EMS was pointless, but rather that the disconnect between expectations and results in that number made the effort seem wasted.

Agreed, the payoff wasn't so great in the end. But during the game, it served it's purpose.

 

[Canis lupus]

I hated the way they throw enemies at you., it is one of the reasons I dislike the game.

 

[Hero]

I didn't know the end was considered "bad" until after I read here on Gaf. Maybe, just maybe, they, like me, enjoyed the game?

If you have low standards and you found the ending to be good that's one thing but to act like GAF was the only place that had an issue with the ending is just being ignorant.

 

[MedHead]

Agreed, the payoff wasn't so great in the end. But during the game, it served it's purpose.

What was the purpose inside the game? During my time in the game, I amassed what appeared to be a very large army, but my choices were the same as someone who made no effort to run around the galaxy gathering friends.

 

[Lakitu]

The game is full of problems, so it doesn't hold a candle to the first two. The horrible FOV, no holstering, auto-dialogue, only one hub of which felt disjointed, horrible fetch-quests / reaper-scanning system, bad writing, not enough mission variety (although there are certainly some stand-out ones), James Vega (worst Mass Effect character ever), lack of any exploration whatsoever, multiplayer maps / objectives repurposed for single-player, combat doesn't feel as fluid as say Uncharted (I blame the roll button), lack of imaginative combat scenarios / set-pieces - instead most battles consisted of annoying battles with Atlas mechs and last, but not least, a very mundane end game mission.

Other than that, I think it's good and it made me feel emotionally connected to it's story and it's characters more than any other game which is why the ending is such a kick in the balls, even with the extended cut.

 

[Shepard]

If you have low standards and you found the ending to be good that's one thing but to act like GAF was the only place that had an issue with the ending is just being ignorant.

I never said Gaf was the only one camplaining. Also, It feels this is kinda of a ME2 situation, where almost every thread made it look like a turd, when it was actually voted for best game of the year here. I wouldn't say I have low standards, but we definitely share different opinions on what makes a game good or bad.

What was the purpose inside the game? During my time in the game, I amassed what appeared to be a very large army, but my choices were the same as someone who made no effort to run around the galaxy gathering friends.

As I said, lead you to believe that every ally you made counts and that the fight involved most of the people you found along the three games. You didn't know it made "not much" of a difference until the end.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

That was supposed to be just a fun throwback to SNES/Sega Genesis games

Wait how did I miss this fascinating post?

 

[EmCeeGramr]

ME3 was a mediocre game saved by a very strong middle section and a surprisingly good multiplayer mode. I truly feel that BioWare is under a magic curse which renders them incapable of improving or advancing one aspect of their games without breaking or downgrading another as some kind of development blood sacrifice.

 

[FreeMufasa]

Pre-Patch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gssML_aVmk


Post-Patch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFzrRz6Dc0Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYYYmzr7_A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5J-QDTM8Zk

SERIOUSLY? People threw a hissy fit over the original endings? I thought it was decent and I've been with the series since November 2007.

 

[slightconfuse]

Whats wrong with Kai Lang? i found nothing offensive about him.

the creepy Shepard side quest stuff was bad and pointless most of the time. the orignal ending left me disappointed and wanting some more closure for the story.

Also the lack of any urgann=cy with in the game. the reapers are killing earth yet i have time to find some dudes badge on planet whatever.

 

[MedHead]

As I said, lead you to believe that every ally you made counts and that the fight involved most of the people you found along the three games. You didn't know it made "not much" of a difference until the end.

I think then that perhaps you are misunderstanding what people mean when they claim the EMS was "pointless". If it has no payoff, then it feels pointless. The point during the game may have been to make players think the number would be of great importance, but the end result was that it had little effect on the game. It wasn't completely pointless, but it was certainly underutilized. The internet tends to use hyperbole, so I think that's why it has been deemed "pointless".

Whats wrong with Kai Lang? i found nothing offensive about him.

Why was there a space ninja in a game filled with guns, computers, and bionics? It was a silly move to add him in. Mass Effect had more in common with Star Trek than Star Wars, so adding a Sith lord into the game was ridiculous.

 

[Sojgat]

To counter some of your points:
- Same as ME1 and 2?
- The readiness system wasn't pointless. In fact, it was the whole "point" of the game. It helped to make things truly stand out as an intergalactic war, leading you to find allies all over the galaxy.
- Lack of Polish? Care to give some examples?
- The gameplay had more variety than both 1 and 2. Yet people complain when they changed things a bit...
- The stories that deserved a payoff had a great part in ME3. The only sqaudmates I can think that fit your description are Miranda and Jacob, and both of them had kinda of a conclusion to their stories in ME2.
- Really, I still can't see what's so wrong with the ending, but that's me.

-What's the same, 1 Hub world? ME1 had the Citadel and Port Hanshan (I'd also count Feros), ME2 has the Citadel, Omega, Illium, and Tuchanka.
-It was pointless, all your actions were meaningless, and you needed to grind MP to get the "best" ending.
-some areas looked great some had poor looking skyboxes and cut and paste level design featuring crates.
-In ME3's missions you shoot things in a linear progression. Give me one example of a mission where you do anything else. The combat had more variety, the missions had less.
-Depends what stories you think deserved payoff, and what you consider satisfying.
-You can like the ending, that's fine. Some people do. The original ending simply didn't make sense, and while the extended ending added a little bit of logic, it was still subjectively the worst thing ever.

I don't hate the game. I've completed it 3 times and plan to do so again when all the DLC is a reasonable price. ME3 is flawed in many areas, and has more problems than just it's ending. That's been my view since it was first released.

 

[Sanctuary]

Because the internet is full of posts about how the ending of the game somehow ruined the entire experience. Uh, okay. Extreme hyperbole much?
Personally, the endings were the least of the issues that made me never feel like replaying it again.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Whats wrong with Kai Lang? i found nothing offensive about him.

the creepy Shepard side quest stuff was bad and pointless most of the time. the orignal ending left me disappointed and wanting some more closure for the story.

Also the lack of any urgann=cy with in the game. the reapers are killing earth yet i have time to find some dudes badge on planet whatever.

People hate Kai Leng because he looks like he stepped out of an awful Z-tier sci fi, and they rig every scenario you encounter him until the very last fight so that this douchebag with a ponytail and future katana seems like a credible threat to Shepard, even when it makes Shepard and squadmates look incompetent for no reason.


Oh shit, this guy with a fucking sword is attacking my heavily trained and experienced characters carrying a veritable arsenal of destructive futuristic firepower. Guess they can't aim or shoot him or even think to fight back, because Villain Antagonist here has to do some Matrix moves at me and quip.

 

[slightconfuse]

ill agree on the design but i thought the stuff in the citadel was done pretty well. he is a great foil for thane

 

[Sojgat]

People hate Kai Leng because he looks like he stepped out of an awful Z-tier sci fi, and they rig every scenario you encounter him until the very last fight so that this douchebag with a ponytail and future katana seems like a credible threat to Shepard, even when it makes Shepard and squadmates look incompetent for no reason.

This. Also introducing characters from your side fiction as major players in the third act of a trilogy is just awful.

 

[MedHead]

Because the internet is full of posts about how the ending of the game somehow ruined the entire experience.

It's not as if the ending ruined the previous games, but rather that when replaying the previous games, there is the ever-present knowledge that each of the mysteries hinted at in the first two games will never resolve in an interesting fashion. For similar feelings of post-finale disappointment that somehow sours the previous work, talk to fans of LOST and Battlestar Galactica.

 

[Dreamwriter]

Why are people complaining about the "overheard" side quests? In what way did those make the game worse? I wouldn't call it lazy at all, it's something game developers had been trying to get right since Elder Scrolls Oblivion really played it up as making the world more realistic. And it does, Commander Shepard isn't going to go around talking to every single person in a base, but he could overhear someone grumping about something they need that would really improve security, and think it'd be worth getting.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the game overall - I liked the characters and the story and the exploration and all. And I even thought they did a good job fixing the ending with the extended ending. It wasn't perfect, but it at least explained everything and gave the entire story closure, didn't feel as much like an old "Congraturations, the end!" ending.

Having said that, I still hate the way they changed the game's genre after ME1, I loved ME1, it was a great RPG/shooter mix. I was able to play as a psychic dude while my team mates did most of the shooting, but once you hit ME2, the psychic powers SUCK, and if you are pure psychic dude the game will be much, much more difficult (I ended up replaying ME1 as a Vanguard, and then continuing that through #3). It goes from RPG/shooter to pure cover shooter. And removes the fun Mako sections. I'm glad they got rid of the generic planet missions, though...

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Why was there a space ninja in a game filled with guns, computers, and bionics? It was a silly move to add him in.

I fucking hate Kai Leng, but the idea that there was some space dude who had a sword with him wasn't by itself insane. It could be a future sword, who cares right? I'm running around stabbing people with my OMNIBLADE and some Shepards can phase through solid matter to get a better angle with their shotgun or whatever. Hey, ME2 had a fuckin' space vampire in it. The execution of Kai Leng was just so piss poor.

 

[Papercuts]

Why are people complaining about the "overheard" side quests? In what way did those make the game worse? I wouldn't call it lazy at all, it's something game developers had been trying to get right since Elder Scrolls Oblivion really played it up as making the world more realistic. And it does, Commander Shepard isn't going to go around talking to every single person in a base, but he could overhear someone grumping about something they need that would really improve security, and think it'd be worth getting.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the game overall - I liked the characters and the story and the exploration and all. And I even thought they did a good job fixing the ending with the extended ending. It wasn't perfect, but it at least explained everything and gave the entire story closure, didn't feel as much like an old "Congraturations, the end!" ending.

Having said that, I still hate the way they changed the game's genre after ME1, I loved ME1, it was a great RPG/shooter mix. I was able to play as a psychic dude while my team mates did most of the shooting, but once you hit ME2, the psychic powers SUCK, and if you are pure psychic dude the game will be much, much more difficult (I ended up replaying ME1 as a Vanguard, and then continuing that through #3). It goes from RPG/shooter to pure cover shooter. And removes the fun Mako sections. I'm glad they got rid of the generic planet missions, though...

ME2 really fucked up the powers, but pure biotic Adept is fun as hell in ME3.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

There's "this would really help us on the Citadel / in the Alliance Navy", and then there's "hey we lost a 3000 year old rock or have a personal family crisis WOAH HEY THANKS that means our species' military will, like, do its job now"

 

[MedHead]

Why are people complaining about the "overheard" side quests? In what way did those make the game worse? I wouldn't call it lazy at all, it's something game developers had been trying to get right since Elder Scrolls Oblivion really played it up as making the world more realistic. And it does, Commander Shepard isn't going to go around talking to every single person in a base, but he could overhear someone grumping about something they need that would really improve security, and think it'd be worth getting.

That's not really how it worked. Shepard would walk by a random stranger who was complaining that a rare, long-sought artifact of vast importance was the vital key in resolving conflict among two alien species, and suddenly get it in his or her mind to travel across the galaxy to find this artifact that had been lost for generations. And then, somehow find this artifact, return it to a random stranger who never actually told Shepard these feelings. All this is happening during an interstellar war that could potentially eradicate most life across the galaxy. The result of these efforts was a number increasing in a ledger that ended up not offering much value to the player. Mass Effect 1 and 2 had similar pacing problems, but at least the strangers told Shepard what they wanted, and asked for help in completing the task amongst the already busy Shepard schedule.

Think about how this would play out in your own life. You're a survivor in World War III, and you absentmindedly tell a family member that you wished you could have that pocket watch your grandfather left you, but you knew it was lost in the rubble of the building two hundred miles away. A few weeks later, Brad Pitt, panting from the exertion of running after you, mumbles a few sentences, hands you the pocketwatch, and then walks away. Would that not seem extremely odd to you? What's this guy's angle? Is this watch a fake? How did he know you wanted that? Wait... was he that weirdo who was standing around you a while ago? Why didn't he talk to you before? Where did he get this watch? Why did he just give it to you? Oh well, I guess you'll follow him into the warzone.

 

[Fjordson]

Whats wrong with Kai Lang? i found nothing offensive about him.

He was supposed to be this serious motherfucker and was hyped as this really tough villain the second he showed up. Everyone seemed pretty worried about him...except me since I had zero clue who he was. That feeling more or less stuck throughout the whole game since I guess they were operating on the assumption that everyone already knew a lot about him.

But as someone who hasn't read any of the books or comics I didn't know anything about him so he felt like an odd character to include. He never came off as interesting or particularly threatening.

 

[Angry Fork]

Because if a game has good visuals and is an 'epic' AAA corridor third person shooter then they think everyone must like it. They can't comprehend that someone may have wanted something different out of the Mass Effect franchise.

 

[slightconfuse]

the overheard quest were terrible in DA2 and terrible in ME3 as well. there was no incentive to complete them. the EMR you got was miniscule. plus that was the only side content in the game other than N7 missions

 

[Exodus]

I found the game play was 80% combat, 10% visit planets and scan and another 10% was actual story where I paid attention.

I get that it's because there's a war so fighting is going to be heavy but I liked Mass Effect because it was more Kotor which I originally liked Bioware for.

I just needed more story and what they gave me were flash backs of some kid that I was not interested in. I was kind of disappointed I didn't get my old crew fully back either.

 

[Sanctuary]

ME2 really fucked up the powers, but pure biotic Adept is fun as hell in ME3.

Adept is actually what I played on my one and only clear of ME3, and it was extremely boring. I think the sound effects for the biotics too really hurt the game, because they sounded entirely goofy compared to the first two games.

Yes, Adepts (not all biotics or biotic powers) got moderately screwed in ME2, but then the funnest class in that game was still a biotic--Vanguard.

 

[slightconfuse]

He was supposed to be this serious motherfucker and was hyped as this really tough villain the second he showed up. Everyone seemed pretty worried about him...except me since I had zero clue who he was. That feeling more or less stuck throughout the whole game since I guess they were operating on the assumption that everyone already knew a lot about him.

But as someone who hasn't read any of the books or comics I didn't know anything about him so he felt like an odd character to include. He never came off as interesting or particularly threatening.

But he is the Illusive man's top assassin how could you not fear him. i never got the feeling that everyone knew who he was. it seemed only ANderson knew and he told you what was up.

i havent played Halo 4 yet but it seems that game does not introduce the villian at all.

 

[Kinyou]

I disliked the whole game, to me was the ending just one of many flaws.

The whole "we totally have no time" thing never really worked and I was bothered by how every tid bit of story (Genophage, Quarian homeplanet) just had to be wrapped up. That there are no hub worlds besides the Citadel just adds to that.

Also felt like you never got to bond as much with your crew/squadmates as you did in Mass Effect 1 and 2. Probably because most of them already appeared in the previous games. Liara was just... Liara, Tali just... Tali etc. You didn't even get side missions as reward for talking to them.

 

[Papercuts]

Adept is actually what I played on my one and only clear of ME3, and it was extremely boring. I think the sound effects for the biotics too really hurt the game, because they sounded entirely goofy compared to the first two games.

Yes, Adepts (not all biotics or biotic powers) got moderately screwed in ME2, but then the funnest class in that game was still a biotic--Vanguard.

I don't recall much with the sound, just general lifting everyone away for others to shoot in MP! My main profile was always a vanguard and my secondary was an infiltrator so I agree on that, even though due to the stupid way they make the game difficult on Insanity the charge was not a very good power in 2. In that respect I really enjoyed the changes they made to vanguard in 3.

 

[Dreamwriter]

SERIOUSLY? People threw a hissy fit over the original endings? I thought it was decent and I've been with the series since November 2007.

Because it does a horrible job of explaining anything. Who was this ghost kid? Where did the Reapers come from? Why would a bunch of smart machines killing off people be a solution for machines getting too smart and killing off people? etc. You played through all this complicated story through three games, and in the end they decide you've had enough story, before really ending it? That's what people hated. That and once you make your choice, the ending is so quick and short and so lacking in any kind of story, that it feels almost like the old days of a black "Congradurations!" ending screen.

Compare that to the extended ending, where you have entire dialogue trees with the kid to get the full story, and a lot more stuff after your choice, where your choice actually effects the ending scenes. The extended ending is what the game should have shipped with.

 

[Taruranto]

My problem with the ME series is everything after the first one.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Despite what you think of Shane, he raises the point that it was the best reviewed game of the year if you go by Metacritic. He also holds the opinion if people think it was soooooo good in February why isn't it soooooo good any more?

So clearly reviewers which are responsible for that think the issues you're seeing are not as relevant.

Or my interpretation is that game reviewers fell for the hype yet again and inflate the fuck out of games that have high budgets only to realize that months later that they might have been a bit to quick to give out those 10s. ;-)

Well he would be wrong since the highest reviewed game for 2012 is Persona 4 Golden. But we cant have a jrpg win goty, let alone a vita one.

 

[Rabbit Lord]

I agree with the OP, the ending is garbage but the game is full of other garbage that I never really hear people talking about, such as some big decisions not really mattering and other shit like the space ninja, the dream stuff. I don't know if this counts as the ending but all the Earth stuff was junk. Game felt super rushed. Big let down for my as a huge fan of ME1 and 2.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Keep in mind that for game journalists get these games for free and are often given free swag and taken to cool events with the developers so there opinions are going to be heavily biased

 

[Perkel]

Because they did what good story writer and designer should not to.

Show player everything and complete all sub plots.

They created rachni thing level but because some players might not see it, they came up with stupid story to justify it.

 

[Vespene]

Dude, Jacob Taylor was worse.

Son, don't you be hating on Kanye. He had the best line in the game before he banged femshep.

"Look at this.... Sneaking up to the captain's quarters... Heavy risk, but the prize..."

 

[Sanctuary]

even though due to the stupid way they make the game difficult on Insanity the charge was not a very good power in 2. In that respect I really enjoyed the changes they made to vanguard in 3.

This is probably one of the biggest arguments (that has been disproven time and time again) about ME2 Insanity and Vanguards. It starts out much more difficult, compared to practically any other class in that game, but once you have rank 4 Charge it becomes much easier. After the cooldown upgrades and some health/damage reduction armor upgrades the Vanguard is arguably the strongest, if not tied for strongest with the Soldier on Insanity. Vanguards can go head to head with a Colossus without having to back away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3C8oT4SQ-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXcNFEU0kiY

ME3 took one of the strongest classes and made it almost mind-numbingly broken.

 

[-tetsuo-]

Getting rid of the Mako, instead of fixing it, was a bad omen. A lot of the immersion, variety, and world-building went out with it.

What Mako were YOU driving?

 

[Tookay]

What Mako were YOU driving?

The one that had the possibility of improvement down the line through sensible design decisions and could have added to the variety of the gameplay in sequels, instead of the one that Bioware cowardly did away with in its steadfast mission to turn the seires into a samey corridor shooter.

They threw the baby out with the bath water on so many aspects of this franchise that what was left in the end was a shell of an experience.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

SERIOUSLY? People threw a hissy fit over the original endings? I thought it was decent and I've been with the series since November 2007.

Because there's nothing to it. it's deus ex machina at its finest.

 

[nelsonroyale]

I can't comment on the ending, since I haven't even reached it, but I find the games in this series less compelling as they go on...It is supposed to be about exploring the galaxy but I find the third game has very little sense of exploration. The combat plays like a straight shooter, albeit not as competantly as Gears or Uncharted. I don't even feel compelled to complete the game to be honest.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

ME3 is good. The ending pissed people off. There are contrarian opinions, but i'd say most people believe ME3 was a fantastic game until the last 10 minutes.

 

[GlamFM]

Lucky for Bioware the ending was soooo bad that people didn´t talk about how bad the actual game was.
The ending was absolutely not my biggest problem with the game.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Because it was generally an excellent game bar the conclusion. Tuchanka, and hell even the Earth mission in particular were absolutely fantastic, and a fitting end to the
trilogy. They were tying up plenty of loose ends. They just couldn't cash the cheque they had written for themselves with the Reaper plotline.

Spoiler

Oh waaah, no exploring barren "open" planetscapes with a poorly built bumper car

Honestly Nathan Drake avatar guy, you're not the only one with an opinion.

Keep in mind that for game journalists get these games for free and are often given free swag and taken to cool events with the developers so there opinions are going to be heavily biased

Stop eating Doritos and get your own opinion. That one's pushed so much it's rotting.

 

[Monocle]

Why does Gametrailers think the only problem with ME3 is the ending?

Because they're idiots.

Any person that appreciates gaming can see a lazy, half-hearted, corner-cutting rush-job when presented with one.

ME3 is the epitome of such.

They're idiots.

All you've done here is spout a stream of churlish nonsense. I think I prefer my own opinion: ME3 has some of the best gameplay, dialogue, missions, and character moments in the whole series. It rewards multiple playthroughs with its diverse classes, multiple mission outcomes, and widely divergent Paragon/Renegade actions and conversation options. Some of the writing and voice acting is truly great. EDI is hilarious, Vega turned out to be an interesting character in spite of appearances, and the technician guy in the hangar relates a surprisingly touching story about his dead husband. Lastly, the music is outstanding. ME3 is a great game.

 

[Oni Jazar]

I loved the game ending and all. Sure you can list a bunch of issues but I can do the same with ME 1 & 2. Mass Effect three is my favorite in the series.

 

[bigdaddygamebot]

All you've done here is spout a stream of churlish nonsense. I think I prefer my own opinion: ME3 has some of the best gameplay, dialogue, missions, and character moments in the whole series. It rewards multiple playthroughs with its diverse classes, multiple mission outcomes, and widely divergent Paragon/Renegade actions and conversation options. Some of the writing and voice acting is truly great. EDI is hilarious, Vega turned out to be an interesting character in spite of appearances, and the technician guy in the hangar relates a surprisingly touching story about his dead husband. Lastly, the music is outstanding. ME3 is a great game.

They phoned the whole game in.

All they wanted to do was get it done and get it out the door. There are a number of signs where they could have taken the time to make something special but instead they went with the lazy and expeditious route.

Vega was a throwaway character that took up the spot of an already established character in Mass Effect 2.
EDI...was a tits and ass replacement for Miranda.

The "touching story" about the tech's dead husband was indeed touching and it was something crafted entirely from a bullet point list on a power point slide that was shown in a meeting. Bioware was ticking off boxes and your touching story that shows a "progressive and open minded Bioware" is nothing more than them trying to be a little more elegant when it comes to homosexuality in their games. (which they succeeded at...it was indeed elegant...elegant for Bioware)

I'll stick with being churlish. I'm not going to swallow the shit that Bioware pumped out gracelessly and spoiled a franchise that I enjoyed and thought highly of. It's gentlemen such as yourself and others here that allow Bioware to think they are on the "correct path". There are still people out there that say Dragon Age II was a great game, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Mass Effect 3 wasn't the disaster that Dragon Age II was but Mass Effect 3 is a far more dishonest game than Dragon Age II was. Absolutely nothing you did in the first two-thirds of Mass Effect 3 mattered in the final third. There was some potential for some really great things to happen if Bioware had been more courageous and stuck to their original ideas and concepts.

They blew it. Pretty much everyone knows it now and it's just taking time to sink in. I understand that it's fun and exhilarating to be a contrarian but in this case...you're wrong. Mass Effect 3 is not a great game and it is the very least of the Mass Effect series.

 

[Patryn]

Whats wrong with Kai Lang? i found nothing offensive about him.

the creepy Shepard side quest stuff was bad and pointless most of the time. the orignal ending left me disappointed and wanting some more closure for the story.

Also the lack of any urgann=cy with in the game. the reapers are killing earth yet i have time to find some dudes badge on planet whatever.

What's wrong with him? He seems to exist as literally nothing other than "HEY! IT'S A SPACE NINJA WHO YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE BUT HE'S TOTALLY SHEPARD'S ARCH-NEMESIS!" They build him up to be this massive threat, but he basically does fuck-all in the game, has no characterization and feels horribly shoved into a game that he just doesn't fit. I mean, even the achievement you get for beating him has the description "Defeat an old adversary." How in any way is he old? Shepard encounters him all of three times!

I get that Bioware probably wanted a strong antagonist, but they have to spend some time on actually developing him more than just his appearance.

Then there's the EU stuff, where he's even more idiotic. He breaks into an apartment, and then stops for a bowl of cereal so he can feel that much more EVIL because he's eating ANDERSON'S CEREAL! DUN DUN DUN!

As usual EmCee nails it:

People hate Kai Leng because he looks like he stepped out of an awful Z-tier sci fi, and they rig every scenario you encounter him until the very last fight so that this douchebag with a ponytail and future katana seems like a credible threat to Shepard, even when it makes Shepard and squadmates look incompetent for no reason.


Oh shit, this guy with a fucking sword is attacking my heavily trained and experienced characters carrying a veritable arsenal of destructive futuristic firepower. Guess they can't aim or shoot him or even think to fight back, because Villain Antagonist here has to do some Matrix moves at me and quip.