Mass Effect > everything.

[luciazephyr]

foxfirefey suggested I join up here when I got a little squeeful about Mass Effect 2 in my journal.

Can we talk about how goddamn amazing the world-building in ME2 is? I know ME is the only series I've ever played where I cared enough about the game world to sit and read through some of the in-game encyclopedia. The universe BioWare created is so vibrant and rich.

I mean, there's history. Like, really important history that genuinely colors the game. The Batarians are almost universally brusque to you. Why? It's not just racism against humans; it's lingering resentment over humanity's colonization of the Skyllian Verge, which the Batarians were trying to get a foothold in. The Council ignored the Batarians claims to the region and let humans go in. Race tensions lead to the Skyllian Blitz battle between humans and Batarians.

All of that just to explain why Batarians are a bit shirty with you. It barely has an effect on gameplay, but BioWare set up all that background anyway.

And that's just one thing they did! Anyone else pour over the Codex entries on the various races to see their different social structures? If you're aware of the turian promotion system, the fact that Saren went batshit crazy evil is colored completely differently. Who promoted him? Did anyone get punished for what he did? Is that maybe why the turian Councilmember is a dick to you?


I'm in the middle of playthrough and I'm shocked all over again about how much work BioWare put into this series. Amazing stuff.

Anyone else head-over-heels for Mass Effect too?


(Tangentially related, one of the BioWare dudes confirmed there's going to be a trailer for ME3 with FemShep. YAY JENNIFER HALE.)

Comments

[cavocorax]

I agree! I love Mass Effect ddue to all the effort they put into the world. There's just so much info! I have to admit that I haven't poured over everything as meticulously as it sounds like you have, but now I want to pick the game up and go through it again.

(To be fair, I'm not too far into it as I get limited tv time and I want to finish Portal2 before resuming anything else. I think I've collected most of the party and started some of the character quests, but it just feels as though I've barely scratched the surface).

But the game is amazing. It looks great. The characters are interesting and flawed. You get to make decisions without being sure about the consequences, much like a real commander. It's so completely immersive.

I hear that they are going to make a DragonAge pen&paper game. I wish they would do the same with Mass Effect. I'd love to make my own character and explore the universe. <3

[sqbr]

Woo Mass Effect! I love all the background detail in Mass Effect and Dragon Age, they really feel like worlds your character is traveling through not sets designed just to tell a particular story.

[kitters]

Mass Effect is my second-favorite game series right now. :DDDDD I'm currently on my second playthrough of ME2 using Femshep. I made her look like Megan Fox. Ahahaha... /bricked

But yeah, I love the Mass Effect universe. It feels real. I almost expect to walk out my front door and see flying cars whizzing around. XD

[lian]

I love the lore & possibilities of it so much I'm sometimes frustrated by the realization of it, you know? Probably a weird way of showing love, but I kinda love the idea of the Asari especially, and how they're actually represented is in such a weird commonplace gendered way...idk... that leaves me always a little disappointed. But on the other hand, I am a squeeful bag of squee about Mass Effect, omg! Haha. I love it SO MUCH. I don't quite know what I'll do when ME3 has arrived and the journey is over, aaaaaaaaaah.

I suppose my favourite moral conundrum is the genophage and the "Krogan question", so to say. Mordin's loyalty mission is just...such a great combination of emotional&intellectual dilemma, in away. [hope this is not to spoilery!]