Let me say this first. Mass effect 3 is one of the best games in recent memory. It is ironic because of this that this game also features one of the worst endings I have ever experienced. Now, if you are like me you probably play Bioware games because of the story, and for the most part, Mass Effect 3 is really, really good. In fact, some of the best moments of the series are featured in Mass Effect 3, and because of that, it is well worth a playthrough.
Gameplay is improved. Shepard now has a heavy melee attack that fits in very well into the now faster pace combat. The series has never played better. He can now leap over cover while running, and combat is refined to a level that exudes polish.
Overall, the gameplay is roughly similar to Mass Effect 2, but with more bells and whistles. If you enjoyed Mass Effect 2, you will likely enjoy Mass Effect 3. Crew banter is always present. Voice dialog is superbly acted and animations are give life to the characters, and nearly all of your favorite characters make at least a small appearance. You should know that Mass Effect 3 assumes you played every previous DLC and while I was hugely impressed to see my actions in previous DLCs reflected in the game world of Mass Effect 3, I was a little confused when NPCs spoke of actions I had allegedly taken in the Mass Effect DLC Arrival, which I never played or knew nothing about.
Up until the ending, I was reportedly telling people that like Mass Effect 2, this was quite possibly the best game ever made.
-The Ending-
The ending is the big controversy this game will always be remembered for. It was so largely disliked that disappointed fans raised over $700,000 for charity in hopes of getting Bioware's attention so that something could be done to rewrite or change it, because the way the ending was written nullified all previous decisions by the player and made them irrelevant. Regardless of how you feel about that, personally I respect Bioware's agency to do whatever they please with their game, it does speak to it having controversy. Now, not everyone hated it, and quite possibly you could play the game and say, "I don't see what the big deal was," or you might even be one of the ones who liked it and ends up saying to Mac Walters, 'I loved it. It was heart-wrenching, but I felt it was right for my Shepard.' (source: interview with Mac Walters from Complex Gamer) But you should go into the game with fair warning. If endings like the endings to the stories of Lost or Battlestar Galactica were huge disappointments for you and made those series less enjoyable for you, that 'may' be the case here for you. But you'll have to make up your own mind because I don't want to pre-color your opinion of the ending simply because I personally was hugely disappointed.
-My personal experience-
Without giving any major spoilers, I will say the endings, both original and extended cut, have some flaws in logic, dialog, and writing. If you think people we disappointed because the ending was sad, you were misinformed. It abandons everything you knew about the story and offers you contrived bitter sweetness that feels so manufactured that it might quite possibly break your suspension of disbelief and have you shouting "this is bull*#@!". Personally, my first thought was "did the writers seriously just torch the franchise and run!?" If you were going to play this game for the satisfying conclusion to your Shepard's story, you might be disappointed because you may find there is zero sense of satisfaction or victory in the conclusion, and many argue it ruins replayability for the series. It seems fitting that Brent Knowles, Lead designer of Dragon Age: Origins at Bioware had a very fitting quote on this very subject,
"End on a positive note. This is really important for video games...life in general is full of shi**y stuff happening all the time. When I invest a hundred hours into a game I need to walk away feeling like a hero."
A professor of Literature from Australia who goes by the name of Drayfish wrote probably the most succinct and well written article from disappointed fans regarding the endings. Also, YouTuber Mrbtongue did excellent analysis of why people were disappointed in the style of Red Letter Media. He also addressed the extended cut here. But again, I would suggest just playing through it yourself first because you might end up being in the category of people who actually like it, and these negative fan reactions will likely poison you to the possibility of enjoying it yourself.
Play it first!
But enough of that controversy. Your results may vary.
-Multiplayer-
This is the aspect of Mass Effect that completely and utterly surprised me. Co-operative multiplayer horde mode action that is so addictively fun that you can find countless hours of enjoyment from this. Remember how I mentioned that the gameplay had been polished leaps beyond Mass Effect 2? If you're the type of gamer like me, you may find little enjoyment in competitive shooters like Call of Duty. It just never appealed to me. But working together with a group of friends against excellently designed A.I. opponents while earning loot is quite possibly the best multiplayer experience I've ever had in my life.
You know all the diverse and unique species that Mass Effect has? Well, you get to play them in multiplayer and it's so much fun. And Bioware released several free DLC expansions to multiplayer so there is upwards of 40+ characters to play, and more on the way. If you enjoy co-operative multiplayer action, this is the best I've found to date. 900+ hours so far and still having fun. Highly recommended.
How is this score still a 9? Well, that just gives testament to how epic Mass Effect is as a series, and Mass Effect 3 itself as a game. Mass Effect is one of the greatest game series of all time, and Mass Effect 3 continues that tradition up until it undermines your choices in the final moments. Is it all about the journey? Or does the destination color the rest of the journey that came before?