Mass Effect 3

Title: Mass Effect 3
Media: Video Game (Xbox 360 version)
Rating: Four and a Half Spaceships

Mission Report:
I should probably start with all the negative points first, so I can end this review on a  good note. This game had a problem from the first game... they just threw you into things! Well, sort of. It was better than the original Mass Effect, since you knew the main storyline much better and had more knowledge of the universe then you did, but still! It was still throwing, and no explanations!
I had no idea why Shepard was suddenly in "retirement". Now I know it probably has to do with the Arrival DLC (downloadable content) and all relating lore and stuff to it... in fact, I'm next to sure about it! But I didn't during my first playthrough! The fact that I really know now, is that I've now played the Arrival DLC, and read comics and a mini-story which seem to indicate it. But even then... I'm not 100% sure about it.
But the Arrival DLC storyline does cause issues later on. In at least two side-missions/stories, this story is important. But I had no idea what they were talking about, and/or what was going on!!!
Here, it was like the people at BioWare were expecting you to have gotten and played the Arrival DLC. Bad move on their part! Not everyone gets the DLC, or even play the other games! It made things less enjoyable in a few parts.
Also, this James Vega character... I had no idea who this guy was, why he was there, how he knew Shepard, etc., etc., etc.! I did not care for it! At least, in Mass Effect 2, you had dossiers! But this guy... he was just thrown on you, no previous knowledge! The most I could find out as soon as possible was that he was an arms master, but that was what the game called him in his talent points section. I was good and ticked! Now I know more, thanks to comics and the Mass Effect: Paragon Lost movie, but still...! He was just thrown on, no warning or really any real previous information, except for somehow knowing Shepard, and then we learn he's an arms master! ARGH...!
Also, you don't get to fly around the galaxy right away. You are thrown automatically into missions for a couple of missions. For a while, I was worried that the exploration and flying around bit had been kicked out. Luckily, it was not. But I was worried for a bit.
Also, you don't get to pick your teammates right away. Okay, maybe that I shouldn't have been grumpy about, because it's like that for every game, but I was more ticked this time around.
But the super-duper point dropper?
THE ENDING!
Yes, you read that right... Mass Effect, the game with a very good storyline structure and general storyline, had a BAD ENDING!
Now, okay, I'm going to admit it. I haven't played the game with the DLC which was BioWare's answer to the tons of fans who also complained about the ending (nice going, fellow M.E. fans!). I'm hoping it makes things better, but it's a "we'll see" moment...
Now, I don't think I've gotten my vibe through about the ending. It was terrible! They kill Shepard! KILL HER/HIM! And it's a choice at the end... but either choice ends to KILLING Shepard! OH MAN, SERIOUSLY?!? I hated the ending! Hated it, hated it, hated it!
Now to the good parts.
Yes, there were good parts. LOL!
The game was fun. I had lots of fun playing it. The action was good (though the special effects were so good, I didn't often look directly at the Reaper spawn. :) ). The gameplay was good.
We got to see a bunch of familiar characters. Whoever from your team survived from Mass Effect 2 showed up in one way or another. Though most of them were not playable, but they were still big parts of the story.
However, Garrus and Tali came back... and they were both playable! I was delighted! Garrus and Tali had been my team, whenever possible, ever since the first Mass Effect. So playing with them again... yay!
Also, we get a different special treat... characters from the books showed up! In a side-mission, Kahlee Sanders showed up! And the main minion of the Illusive Man was Kai Leng! Both are from the books! SWEET!
Except for the beginning, the push-on of James Vega, and the ending, the storyline was good too!
Since I haven't finished the game with the DLC package for the ending, I can't give you a review for a game with that.
But for a game without the DLC... here's the final "all in all": all in all, this was still a good game! It just has some issues.

Ender's Game

Title: Ender's Game
Media: Movie
Rating: Four Spaceships

Mission Briefing:
Years ago, aliens attacked, and almost destroyed humanity. 50 years later, humanity is picking and training kids to be warriors in order to destroy the alien threat, despite the fact that the aliens haven't attacked since the last war.
Ender is one such kid. But he's been selected as humanity's only hope. He is sent from Earth to two different schools. But one primary way to learn and train is by playing games.
But, for Ender, life is going to be no game, though it is centered by games...
Even more than he might realize!

Mission Report:
Oh. Man.
This was good.
It has been years since I've read the book this is based on. But it has been years since I've read it. But that didn't stop memories from popping up. It made things both annoying and helpful.
The movie itself was pretty good. The action and dialogue was good. And there was a meaningful moment to it. But, since I've read the book and know what the shocker secret message is and where it's supposed to be, I think the impact of that moment was lost.
Also, the in-movie script was pretty well-done in some places. Again, there was memories of the book interfering and making things annoying. I felt upset at the lost of some details. But I feel like the conversation between Ender and the alien at the end was pretty good... if you didn't have the money to do the actual mental conversation (I actually remember there was one!). Good for close moments.
All in all, this was a good movie.

Mass Effect: Deception

Title: Mass Effect: Deception
Media: Book
Author: William C. Dietz
Rating: Two and a Half Spaceships

Mission Note: This book takes place in-between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Mission Briefing:
This book stunk!
The new author got a bunch of facts wrong! A lot centered on the quarians and their culture (for one thing, he got the freakin' name thing wrong!). Also, salarian females popped up way too often, when they're supposed to be rare! True, in real life, concidences (sp?) like that happen, but it was still not good mojo in the book! And some details were a little left out, as well as characters! True, people come and go and die, but there wasn't even an explanation about what happened to Gillian's old quarian friend Lem! Seriously, people!!!
As for the book? I felt like, a couple of times, that it was basically a machine gun! William C. Dietz was basically killing characters that didn't come up in the next game! So, who cares? I get that it can happen in real life, but still... seriously!!! He basically murdered most of them! NOT GOOD MOJO!!!
However, as you can see, the book got some points.Thing is, the actual book enjoyment level, forgetting the lore glitches, was actually at the average level.
So, all in all, worst book in the Mass Effect series!

Mass Effect: Retribution

Title: Mass Effect: Retribution
Media: Book
Author: Drew Karpyshyn
Rating: Four and a Half Spaceships

Mission Notes: This book comes in-between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Mission Briefing:
This book was better than I thought it was going to be. I read the back of the book, and knew there was going to be some disturbing parts that I wasn't going to really read. And I was right.
But it didn't take up as much of the book as I thought it was going to! Also, the rest of the book was good! And there was a lot of highly-enjoyable parts! I honestly thought this was going to be one of my least fave books, at least in this series, but I was proven wrong! And, ho boy, am I glad to say that!
All in all, this was a good book, even when some parts had to be skipped. Well done, Drew Karpyshyn!