Mass Effect 3 is all style over substance. Improvement's and new features are rendered meaningless in the end.
( in my opinion). All of this, however, appears to be nothing more than window dressing with the game's pre-determined outcome and sacrifice of player interaction in favor of narrative, leaving me, for one, feeling as a passive spectator.
Initially, I was introduced to the Mass Effect universe through the current game's predecessor Mass Effect 2. I enjoyed that game so much, I purchased the original Mass Effect to experience its story and to see how the consequences of my Shepard's actions would play out in Mass Effect 2. Unfortunately, the player's decisions in Mass Effect 3 seem meaningless in the end. I was left with the feeling that, whether I played the game as a complete Paragon or Renegade, the end will always be the same. In fact, I would not be surprised that a player could push on with the final mission regardless of the size of allied forces available. This is unlike Mass Effect 2, for example, where you can have disastrous consequences if you mistime the launching of the final mission.
As for the player's interaction with game, it is actually sacrificed in favor of storytelling through extended custscenes and scripted play, leaving the player feeling like a passive spectator. This idiosyncrasy was established from the very beginning with the Reaper invasion of Earth.
This is not to say the Mass Effect 3 is a bad game. The combat is exciting and, perhaps, is at its best at this chapter of the series. The game's characters, particularly the ones from the first two games, add greatly to the game's enjoyment. However, the game's ponderous and unsatisfying ending make all of the games innovations meaningless. Ironically, the dialogue at the end discussing freewill sums up my disappointment in the game. Essentially, if we do not have free will life is meaningless. The same can be said for a game, if the player's in-game decisions are scripted or result in a pre-determined outcome, then all of the player's actions are meaningless.