Only Commander Shepard stands in the way between total annihilation and peace throughout the Galaxy
I recommend anyone interested in Mass Effect 3 to play and finish the other two games, for starters all your personal choices would not carry across to 3 and the story would feel like watching a movie at its climax instead of its start.
The story is amazing, as always Bioware have created a masterpiece that expertly weaves character development with the overarching story. Every little interaction I had with my crew members felt meaningful and including that bro moment with Shepard and Garrus made the game so much better.
If you are new to the story, you play as Commander Shepard (Either Male or Female), two times saviour of the galaxy and commander of the Normandy, perhaps the best stealth ship in the entire Earth forces. Shepard has been called to action once again as an ancient race called the Reapers invade Earth, from here the story takes multiple twists and turns and you see all your decisions from the previous games play out. There has been controversy over the ending of the game, I won't give my personal opinion but I will say that it shouldn't impact greatly on how good the rest of the game really is (Bioware is making a free dlc add-on to flesh out the ending for those that were upset).
Unlike the first game, three is sort of a mixed bag, like two it has opted for the Shooter/ RPG route instead of the RPG/Shooter route (BIG DIFFERENCE). However Mass Effect 3 is definitely an RPG, all the dialogue, equipment and side quests make it a true Western RPG experience, but the second you enter combat it is very clear the game is a Shooter (Segmented regenerating Health and all). But that's just an observation as I really love the gameplay, I loved the gameplay in the original , I loved it in 2 and I love it in 3.
The Gameplay is heavily weighed by what class you choose at the beginning of the game, each class reflects original fantasy classes e.g. Soldier-Warrior, Adept-Mage, Engineer-Rouge/Thief. Then there are combined classes like Vanguard, Infiltrator, Sentinel, etc. Each class is unique and they offer new ways to control the battlefield. Everything else plays out in standard shooter fare with cover, ammo, shields and melee takedowns. Thanks to the world, customizable weapons, armour and powers gameplay never gets boring and the game will never stop throwing new challenges your way.
The Multiplayer is well thought out and unique as it can actually contribute to your single player performance. It is a wave based horde mode that pits you and three others against any one of the three main enemy factions in the game. Similar to the single player you must choose a class, each class and race have unique abilities and the entire team must play in harmony to succeed in battle. You can easily swap class outside of a match and the learning curb is not too steep, that being said do not attempt higher levels unless you absolutely know you can handle them. The multiplayer is a good distraction and having a free update with more characters and maps is great incentive to keep playing.
Mass Effect 3 looks amazing, everything from the look of the weapons, the sheen of your armour or the variety in scenery and Aliens just makes me smile. It is an amazing looking game and is excellently complimented by the brilliant voice-work and the epic soundtrack that resonates throughout the game.
Mass Effect 3 is a fitting end to Shepard's Journey, I was happy to finish it and I already want to play it again, this series was not so much about the ending as it was about the journey getting there.