…do hate the combat changes making it an action game…
I also feel weird they removed the hud pause system in MEA. But Im' not sure it would work as well because the MEA combats are a lot more dynamics, a lot more fluid, that means that such pause system usually doesn't fit very well pure real time action, the transition between pauses and non pause quickly break rhythm, action dynamism, more.
Still I'd like a lot have the option, but not sure I would use it as much.
I wish it had, say, Mass Effect 2 combat,
Mass Effect 3 combats are quite better than those of ME2, you have bizarre tastes in my opinion:
- There's a lot more weapons choices in ME3 and that's far to be a detail.
- ME2 abused weirdly of plenty totally artificial covers in many combats areas, very weird, problem solved in ME3.
- The cover jump to another cover is a cool tool and no way you are forced to use it if you hate it.
- The ME3 roll in any direction is much better and more easy to use than the weird roll of ME2.
- ME3 merges much better than any other games in series, interesting enemy AI and combats design probably with addition of scripting or stuff like that. ME1 is just weak on that in comparison of all titles, and ME2 is quite inferior for enemy AI and often scripts are too visible and a bit ridicule.
- Like ME2 design of combats is the most polished of the series, this building a quite better diversity than both ME1 and MEA. But ME3 is even better thanks to a better balance between dynamism and positioning.
- The companions manual healing is a cool plus.
- The ammo restore management is much better implemented in ME3, in ME2 there's countless time you are seeking tediously for some ammo, if not sometime do some tedious walk back.
- and Im' pretty sure I could find more showing the clear and significant superiority of ME3 combats in comparison of ME2 combats.
but other than that, I fully recommend it.
Myself I don't recommend it yet until they have cleaned a lot more their auto saves and non saves system. I replayed the first planet using as an introduction, and it's a great area to explore every corners alas with the weird saving it spoil a lot of the fun.
Otherwise I agree it fully worth a recommendation, but I would add that in my opinion it's not one of those RPG almost mandatory to play for a RPG fan.
I've been playing and enjoying it for about 78 hours so far
As a slow player I put about 100H to finish it and still had many stuff not done.
For me the first 30H hadn't been great. The main reason are:
- Habitat 7 is the best planet if you ignore it's small area in comparison of other planets. But the no saves system and the awful auto save system wasted most of my fun at first play.
- Then I played a lot of Eos and then Voeld, a choice error, they have the less good writing quality, this making their filling less fun. They both use very similar designs, deserts both hot/cold, similar threatening climate system, similar enemies bases systems. That was a play choice error, but I hadn't the right reflex to check more planets and merge more smartly plays of multiple planets to manage myself a better diversity.
So the first 30H, perhaps a bit more, was ok but nothing great and not much stuff really good, just a pleasant time killer. Then I started Havarl, perhaps not a much better writing, but a quite better gmaeplay based on walk than vehicle gameplay of most planets.
And then I chained with Kadara and Elaaden, that have the best writing, and both succeed build the feeling of alien mood, Kadara with astute use of some colors, and Elaaden because of an unusual desert design a lot more unusual than Eos. Add to that second city hub that opened. That phase of play was a great fun for me, it was about 40-50H of great to good fun. Then the moon planet broke the charm, explore more Voeld to colonize it was still just good time killing, I made a few multiplayer sessions through the missions linked to single player which was ok fun but nothing great for me, and the final isn't bad but not that great either.
So at end my first play was about 50H of good to great fun and 50H of just fairly good time killing. But Im' pretty sure I could have managed it much better to make the whole more fun.
Also I under exploited the crafting because I refused do a lot of scanning with vehicle, the problem is if I avoided an element tedious for me, I also didn't get much fun from polishing equipment.