Let's get the highly controversial ending out of the way first. Without spoilers, it's fair to say it was a massive disappointment to the vast majority of fans as it first appeared in the game. A fair number of players did actually enjoy it, and a substantial patch was released to address the loudest complaints, so as things currently stand, the final ten minutes of the game aren't such a let-down as many initially found them (you may correctly glean from this that I sat firmly in the 'dislike' camp).



Bookending that, there is also a significant problem at the start of the game if you are importing a character from a completed Mass Effect 2 save, as the codes in which the facial details were stored did not properly transfer. That left customised versions of Shepard, the protagonist, looking totally unlike their earlier incarnations. Another disappointment, and not one for which a decent fix was ever forthcoming.



That said, the rest of the game is still very good. The gameplay is probably the best of the series, improving on successful elements of ME2 and reintroducing the more detailed character progression and customisation offered in ME1. The plot, while a little more contrived than the first game in attempts to tie up loose ends, recalls the epic feel of ME1's finale better than ME2 ever managed, and some of the locations are quite breathtaking.



The characters that fans of the series had grown to love generally repeat their appearances, albeit not always as squad members (players are confined to the squadmates they had in ME1, plus a couple of new characters and one surprise addition). Unfortunately, there is less interaction with them in ME3 than some people might like. Shepard passively eavesdrops on conversations as often as taking part in them, and there is not as much time spent on the main character's romantic relationship as some might like.



Focusing on gunplay rather than wordplay, though, there is plenty to enjoy, not least a very satisfying co-operative multiplayer mode, a first for the franchise. Each MP game lasts something in the order of 20 to 30 minutes, and offers the chance to revisit some of the locations from the single-player campaign, reasons for which have been cleverly woven into the narrative. The game is getting on a bit now, so pick-up games on the MP servers are a lot less frequent than they used to be, but there's still a fair bit of fun to be had there.



All in all, despite its shortcomings compared to its predecessors, this is still a decent game, particularly with the (admittedly sometimes still quite expensive) DLC installed, too.