The finale of this trilogy is both well-paced and straightforward. In terms of well-paced, there are enough side quests from the main story missions to engage in such as exploring the universe with the good o'planet scanner, this time spiced with Reaper wormies that will chase your Normandy around like a cat and mouse game. However, the planet scanner mini-game is stripped down to just a single anomaly per planet, making it quite straightforward in this manner, comparing to the rather tedious mineral harvesting in the second game.
I like how the story is set up in such a way that the rivalries between species such as Turians VS Krogans and Quarians VS Geths in the first two installments are resolved here via intricately planned player choices right from the first game. Combat is mostly similar to ME2, but with new awesome enemy varieties such as the Brutes, Harvesters, Atlas Mechs and the bloodcurdling Banshees, it just got more challenging and definitely engaging.
Most of the diplomatic and trading errands are reduced to the Citadel, but I felt it's not a bad thing as it's more focused, since the Reapers are supposed to wreak havoc everywhere else in the solar system. The finale mission is rewarding in terms of effectively scaled combat pacing with well-deserved cinematic breaks, and when it boils down to the ending scene, you will find that every small "quest" you resolve throughout the game contributed to how "good" you can get your ending. But what I find annoying is that you have to complete the multiplayer objectives as a means to get the best ending for the single-player, which is very time-consuming and distracting from the main campaign if you're focusing on the story. Nevertheless, Mass Effect 3 features both impressive and inspiring gameplay moments and also ties up a lot of loose ends for a trilogy.
KingLim