One of the best game (games) EVER !!
A legendary sci-fi saga... slightly overrated.
Mass Effect was my proper introduction to BioWare's titles. I admit, I'm usually not a science fiction fan but I do enjoy compelling stories and lore. I haven't heard anything different than praise for both the trilogy and the studio, outside of their newer products, so I decided to give it a chance. For my first playthrough, I went straight into insanity difficulty and 100% of the whole saga.
First thing first, the legendary edition on PC is not... legendary at all. While the package is a convenient way for new and returning players to experience the whole trilogy, including all DLCs, there is surprisingly little customisation for graphics options, which for a game in 2021 released by a AAA company is unacceptable. No quality-of-life improvements. There is no FOV slider, even tho the third-person camera feels extremely claustrophobic. There is forced mouse acceleration and no option to change it. Support for an ultrawide aspect ratio is not what was advertised. You have to install mods to make it a proper playable experience. Often the framerate drops for no clear reason from solid 140 to 30 FPS (all the Mako sections in ME1 and The Citadel in ME3; ME2 was stable all the time).
Additionally, ME: LE requires the new EA Launcher, which is even worse than Origin for several reasons, including always-online DRM, reports for saves getting nuked and not being able to get achievements. When I launched ME2 for the first time, all the achievements were unlocked in the menu which prevented me from actually getting them on the Steam/EA App. This bothered me because I wanted to 100% and I almost gave up. The only way to fix it is by uninstalling EA App and downloading Origin's exe from a random Redditor.
The story is exceptionally well-written and intriguing. What makes the story great is throughout the sage, the player is presented with many situations that don't just have a straight answer. Instead, it creates a grey area that makes you think about the choice you're about to make and how it will impact the story later. Some choices in ME1 will affect the story in ME3 which adds a lot of replay value. What makes the Mass Effect trilogy special and enhances the story are the squadmates. Each of them is unique with their backstories, flaws, and how they can interact with Shepard. There are some well-written characters like Liara, Tali, Garrus, James etc... and there are characters like Jacob, Ashley or Kaidan who are extremely annoying. And yes, they did indeed make the alien squadmates better than the human ones. BioWare misanthropes - confirmed.
Sadly, everything else about Mass Effect is either mid or straight-up bad.
Common problems in the trilogy are the controls, combat, AI and the OST. The controls are clunky and the spacebar is used for taking cover, sprinting, use and all other actions. Combat is serviceable, nothing special, except for the biotics which are like magic powers. You can very easily become OP even on the hardest difficulty, no matter which class you choose. Enemy and squadmates AI is... terrible. The soundtrack is again, nothing special, it does the job but I expected something more spectacular, more epic to complement the story and cinematography.
Mass Effect 1
My first impressions were very positive - being put quite quickly into the action while also learning about the world and lore at the right pace, without being overwhelmed. A hard task which most RPGs usually fail at. It introduces the player to the fundamentals of the universe and society step by step and has choices that control the future of not only this game but the next two.
The very worst part of Mass Effect 1 is the site content. You're given a Mako, an all-terrain vehicle that controls very poorly, and you're driving to random __cpLocations just to press "accept to get x resource", and then leave. There are plenty of planets to "explore" but they are most of the time reused environments. Side missions are also extremely repetitive. Combat and movement are very clunky. And for some reason, there is way too much inventory management. I would advise new players to just skip everything optional and focus on the main story unless they want to get all the achievements.
Mass Effect 2 - a step forward
Objectively the most polished title in the trilogy. The gameplay reaches its peak (at least when it comes to controlling and managing your allies), and the characters, which are the best part of all of Mass Effect, are so heavily focused that there are more missions related to the companions than the main story. However, almost all of them are basically about daddy issues. Like legit - almost all your squadmates would ask you to help them deal with some kind of problem connected with their fathers. At this point, it's even a meme in the ME fanbase.
The gameplay was okay, nothing too special. There are remnants of the awful side quests, but they've been reduced to mobile game quality, so it's at least a hell of a lot faster to get through. Not enjoyable though. What I hate the most about ME2 is adding what I would call mini-games, additional to the mini-games when hacking/bypassing. Now you don't just select a __cpLocation on the galaxy map and teleport to it. Now you have to move the ship with the mouse, send multiple probes to different planets to get resources and pay for fuel and probes. Completely unnecessary feature, which I skipped with some simple mods.
Mass Effect 3 - two steps back
ME3 feels very rushed and unpolished. While I think it has the best missions and story in the saga, the gameplay itself is way clunkier than the other two. I encountered multiple bugs and glitches, including enemies spawning on top of me. Very often I would not hit enemies because of invisible walls or broken hitboxes. The annoying galaxy map mini-games from ME2 were brought back but changed a bit. Now you will scan different clusters for planets with resources or missions, instead of launching multiple probes on every planet you encounter. A lot of people don't like the endings but I did enjoy them all. I think they conclude the saga pretty well.
The most infuriating thing in ME3 was the new enemies. Almost all of them are bullet sponges, which can destroy you in a few shots/hits on the highest difficulty. A lot of them are like aimbots and they can shoot through objects. Like the previous games, the majority of the fights are not challenging at all but there are a couple of simply unfair fights unless you manage to break the AI.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my time with Mass Effect and doing a 100% playthrough. The story, characters and RPG elements are strong, while everything else is just serviceable at best. It is worth getting the whole package but beware of possible problems and annoyances, most of which can be fixed with mods.
Mass Effect was my proper introduction to BioWare's titles. I admit, I'm usually not a science fiction fan but I do enjoy compelling stories and lore. I haven't heard anything different than praise for both the trilogy and the studio, outside of their newer products, so I decided to give it a chance. For my first playthrough, I went straight into insanity difficulty and 100% of the whole saga.
First thing first, the legendary edition on PC is not... legendary at all. While the package is a convenient way for new and returning players to experience the whole trilogy, including all DLCs, there is surprisingly little customisation for graphics options, which for a game in 2021 released by a AAA company is unacceptable. No quality-of-life improvements. There is no FOV slider, even tho the third-person camera feels extremely claustrophobic. There is forced mouse acceleration and no option to change it. Support for an ultrawide aspect ratio is not what was advertised. You have to install mods to make it a proper playable experience. Often the framerate drops for no clear reason from solid 140 to 30 FPS (all the Mako sections in ME1 and The Citadel in ME3; ME2 was stable all the time).
Additionally, ME: LE requires the new EA Launcher, which is even worse than Origin for several reasons, including always-online DRM, reports for saves getting nuked and not being able to get achievements. When I launched ME2 for the first time, all the achievements were unlocked in the menu which prevented me from actually getting them on the Steam/EA App. This bothered me because I wanted to 100% and I almost gave up. The only way to fix it is by uninstalling EA App and downloading Origin's exe from a random Redditor.
The story is exceptionally well-written and intriguing. What makes the story great is throughout the sage, the player is presented with many situations that don't just have a straight answer. Instead, it creates a grey area that makes you think about the choice you're about to make and how it will impact the story later. Some choices in ME1 will affect the story in ME3 which adds a lot of replay value. What makes the Mass Effect trilogy special and enhances the story are the squadmates. Each of them is unique with their backstories, flaws, and how they can interact with Shepard. There are some well-written characters like Liara, Tali, Garrus, James etc... and there are characters like Jacob, Ashley or Kaidan who are extremely annoying. And yes, they did indeed make the alien squadmates better than the human ones. BioWare misanthropes - confirmed.
Sadly, everything else about Mass Effect is either mid or straight-up bad.
Common problems in the trilogy are the controls, combat, AI and the OST. The controls are clunky and the spacebar is used for taking cover, sprinting, use and all other actions. Combat is serviceable, nothing special, except for the biotics which are like magic powers. You can very easily become OP even on the hardest difficulty, no matter which class you choose. Enemy and squadmates AI is... terrible. The soundtrack is again, nothing special, it does the job but I expected something more spectacular, more epic to complement the story and cinematography.
Mass Effect 1
My first impressions were very positive - being put quite quickly into the action while also learning about the world and lore at the right pace, without being overwhelmed. A hard task which most RPGs usually fail at. It introduces the player to the fundamentals of the universe and society step by step and has choices that control the future of not only this game but the next two.
The very worst part of Mass Effect 1 is the site content. You're given a Mako, an all-terrain vehicle that controls very poorly, and you're driving to random __cpLocations just to press "accept to get x resource", and then leave. There are plenty of planets to "explore" but they are most of the time reused environments. Side missions are also extremely repetitive. Combat and movement are very clunky. And for some reason, there is way too much inventory management. I would advise new players to just skip everything optional and focus on the main story unless they want to get all the achievements.
Mass Effect 2 - a step forward
Objectively the most polished title in the trilogy. The gameplay reaches its peak (at least when it comes to controlling and managing your allies), and the characters, which are the best part of all of Mass Effect, are so heavily focused that there are more missions related to the companions than the main story. However, almost all of them are basically about daddy issues. Like legit - almost all your squadmates would ask you to help them deal with some kind of problem connected with their fathers. At this point, it's even a meme in the ME fanbase.
The gameplay was okay, nothing too special. There are remnants of the awful side quests, but they've been reduced to mobile game quality, so it's at least a hell of a lot faster to get through. Not enjoyable though. What I hate the most about ME2 is adding what I would call mini-games, additional to the mini-games when hacking/bypassing. Now you don't just select a __cpLocation on the galaxy map and teleport to it. Now you have to move the ship with the mouse, send multiple probes to different planets to get resources and pay for fuel and probes. Completely unnecessary feature, which I skipped with some simple mods.
Mass Effect 3 - two steps back
ME3 feels very rushed and unpolished. While I think it has the best missions and story in the saga, the gameplay itself is way clunkier than the other two. I encountered multiple bugs and glitches, including enemies spawning on top of me. Very often I would not hit enemies because of invisible walls or broken hitboxes. The annoying galaxy map mini-games from ME2 were brought back but changed a bit. Now you will scan different clusters for planets with resources or missions, instead of launching multiple probes on every planet you encounter. A lot of people don't like the endings but I did enjoy them all. I think they conclude the saga pretty well.
The most infuriating thing in ME3 was the new enemies. Almost all of them are bullet sponges, which can destroy you in a few shots/hits on the highest difficulty. A lot of them are like aimbots and they can shoot through objects. Like the previous games, the majority of the fights are not challenging at all but there are a couple of simply unfair fights unless you manage to break the AI.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my time with Mass Effect and doing a 100% playthrough. The story, characters and RPG elements are strong, while everything else is just serviceable at best. It is worth getting the whole package but beware of possible problems and annoyances, most of which can be fixed with mods.
A collection full of masterpieces and to explain how good these are would not bring it to justice go play and experience it yourself
A long and immersive journey from the beginning till the end.
Mass Effect 1: A really great start to the series for me, got hooked pretty fast. The game being only 10-11 hrs long still manages to be really fun due to it's various and unique characters who you can interact with and have different conversations depending on your dialogue choices, improving the bond you share with them by taking them with you on battles and what not. The game does feel a bit janky but since it's still an old game I'd say it does great. Loved that you don't you have to worry about running out of bullets. Not a lot of complaints tbh, it was a great game
Mass Effect 2: Now this was my favorite in the trilogy for many reasons, while not being perfect in any way, it is still incredible and improves upon everything from the first game. The story is a lot longer now, with even more characters, new features, new armor etc.., The best part about this game for me was the story and the character interactions, i absolutely enjoyed recruiting all the various squad mates and travelling the galaxy meeting different species. Love how the loyalty missions for each of the squad mate reveals their backstory, their character and their purpose, all of this fleshed out them even more and i actually cared a bit for them which inturn motivates you to actually do their loyalty missions and explore the game instead of rushing through the story. Coming to the story, I think it absolutely peaked in this game, the story is also more fleshed out, and it kept getting interesting throughout the game. The paragon and renegade feature was good with how it affected your character and the people around you and the story itself, it feels more real and personal with how you personify your character. The ending was great as well. Again, not a lot of complaints for this one either but if i had to nitpick, I'd say the UI in this one was weird at first, thought the UI especially on the squad tab during fights was good enough in the first game, idk why they changed it but it's whatever. Unfortunately they started implementing bullet count from this game which again, isnt a big issue because you can find ammo everywhere in the game so it's pretty much super rare you actually run out of ammo, since you also carry like 4-5 weapons, running out of ammo is of no concern at all. I guess that's the only "issues" i found with the game tbh. All in all its the best one in the series and i absolutely loved every second of the game.
Mass Effect 3: ME3 changed up a LOT, bioware really said fuck it and went balls with this one. The combat now is more fast, engaging with even more enemy types and armors and weapons. The gameplay feels like you're playing gears of war which is just fucking amazing honestly, at first i didn't get used to the camera angle but you get used to it fairly quick. They added a few more characters but for the most part it's the same characters from the previous 2 games. A lot more character interactions and throwback to the previous games. The graphics look stunning and the combat feels great, they also added a few more Armor sets, the blue and gold "knight" Armor was my favourite. The story starts right off the bat, the game doesn't waste any time reminiscing and puts you into the action after the first cut scene. The story does get even better in this one right up until the end which I'll talk about in a sec. This one just like the previous one improves on its predecessor and also changed a bunch of shit, and most of the changes are good, but there are some changes i didn't like. For example the journal in this game is mad infuriating to me, firstly the side missions don't get their own tab which makes it confusing to keep up with them, not to mention some side missions are time sensitive which is not an issue by itself, but what makes it infuriating is that if you miss doing that certain side mission it still stays in your journal, everytime I open my journal i still see those missions listed up. The missions themselves were boring, most of them are just errands, like go scan this planet or get this item and give it to this guy in this place bla bla bla, I only did those side missions to get a 100% walkthrough but like I mentioned about the time sensitive missions, but it's not possible to do a 100% walkthrough unless you're following a guide. Now even with this issues, i still think this game is 5/5 because the story and the characters overshadows the bad parts of the game a lot. I never expected the game would be perfect by any means and the issues i mentioned were minor and had no significant affect in my experience. Going back to the ending, a lot of people i came across really didn't like the endings they give you, some call it lazy writing others called it straight garbage which to some extent I agree but personally I didn't care much about the ending, don't wanna be that guy but I think the journey is far more valuable and memorable than the ending, at least for me. Not saying that i wasn't curios as to how it ends but to say it made the game bad is just wrong I think. I went with the control ending because that seemed the safest and best option for everyone so I'm happy with the ending and have no complaints on that, yes it could've been better but it is what it is.
Mass effect will be one of the best experiences I've had playing a videogame. One of the most immersive and entertaining games you'll come across. The fact that each dialogue option you choose has some sort of affect in the story and the collective decesions you make in the previous game gets carried on to the next game which makes interaction that much more interesting. Appreciate that in the 3rd game you still meet your previous squad mates to check up on how they're doing but the game doesn't force them into the story for any kind of fan service. There's a lot of replay value in this series. I will most definitely replay it some other time, but for now I'm gonna let the joy of having played this game just simmer down a bit. Overall mass effect will always be one of my favourite games of all time and I'm more than glad to have spent the amount of time I did in the game.
Mass Effect 1: A really great start to the series for me, got hooked pretty fast. The game being only 10-11 hrs long still manages to be really fun due to it's various and unique characters who you can interact with and have different conversations depending on your dialogue choices, improving the bond you share with them by taking them with you on battles and what not. The game does feel a bit janky but since it's still an old game I'd say it does great. Loved that you don't you have to worry about running out of bullets. Not a lot of complaints tbh, it was a great game
Mass Effect 2: Now this was my favorite in the trilogy for many reasons, while not being perfect in any way, it is still incredible and improves upon everything from the first game. The story is a lot longer now, with even more characters, new features, new armor etc.., The best part about this game for me was the story and the character interactions, i absolutely enjoyed recruiting all the various squad mates and travelling the galaxy meeting different species. Love how the loyalty missions for each of the squad mate reveals their backstory, their character and their purpose, all of this fleshed out them even more and i actually cared a bit for them which inturn motivates you to actually do their loyalty missions and explore the game instead of rushing through the story. Coming to the story, I think it absolutely peaked in this game, the story is also more fleshed out, and it kept getting interesting throughout the game. The paragon and renegade feature was good with how it affected your character and the people around you and the story itself, it feels more real and personal with how you personify your character. The ending was great as well. Again, not a lot of complaints for this one either but if i had to nitpick, I'd say the UI in this one was weird at first, thought the UI especially on the squad tab during fights was good enough in the first game, idk why they changed it but it's whatever. Unfortunately they started implementing bullet count from this game which again, isnt a big issue because you can find ammo everywhere in the game so it's pretty much super rare you actually run out of ammo, since you also carry like 4-5 weapons, running out of ammo is of no concern at all. I guess that's the only "issues" i found with the game tbh. All in all its the best one in the series and i absolutely loved every second of the game.
Mass Effect 3: ME3 changed up a LOT, bioware really said fuck it and went balls with this one. The combat now is more fast, engaging with even more enemy types and armors and weapons. The gameplay feels like you're playing gears of war which is just fucking amazing honestly, at first i didn't get used to the camera angle but you get used to it fairly quick. They added a few more characters but for the most part it's the same characters from the previous 2 games. A lot more character interactions and throwback to the previous games. The graphics look stunning and the combat feels great, they also added a few more Armor sets, the blue and gold "knight" Armor was my favourite. The story starts right off the bat, the game doesn't waste any time reminiscing and puts you into the action after the first cut scene. The story does get even better in this one right up until the end which I'll talk about in a sec. This one just like the previous one improves on its predecessor and also changed a bunch of shit, and most of the changes are good, but there are some changes i didn't like. For example the journal in this game is mad infuriating to me, firstly the side missions don't get their own tab which makes it confusing to keep up with them, not to mention some side missions are time sensitive which is not an issue by itself, but what makes it infuriating is that if you miss doing that certain side mission it still stays in your journal, everytime I open my journal i still see those missions listed up. The missions themselves were boring, most of them are just errands, like go scan this planet or get this item and give it to this guy in this place bla bla bla, I only did those side missions to get a 100% walkthrough but like I mentioned about the time sensitive missions, but it's not possible to do a 100% walkthrough unless you're following a guide. Now even with this issues, i still think this game is 5/5 because the story and the characters overshadows the bad parts of the game a lot. I never expected the game would be perfect by any means and the issues i mentioned were minor and had no significant affect in my experience. Going back to the ending, a lot of people i came across really didn't like the endings they give you, some call it lazy writing others called it straight garbage which to some extent I agree but personally I didn't care much about the ending, don't wanna be that guy but I think the journey is far more valuable and memorable than the ending, at least for me. Not saying that i wasn't curios as to how it ends but to say it made the game bad is just wrong I think. I went with the control ending because that seemed the safest and best option for everyone so I'm happy with the ending and have no complaints on that, yes it could've been better but it is what it is.
Mass effect will be one of the best experiences I've had playing a videogame. One of the most immersive and entertaining games you'll come across. The fact that each dialogue option you choose has some sort of affect in the story and the collective decesions you make in the previous game gets carried on to the next game which makes interaction that much more interesting. Appreciate that in the 3rd game you still meet your previous squad mates to check up on how they're doing but the game doesn't force them into the story for any kind of fan service. There's a lot of replay value in this series. I will most definitely replay it some other time, but for now I'm gonna let the joy of having played this game just simmer down a bit. Overall mass effect will always be one of my favourite games of all time and I'm more than glad to have spent the amount of time I did in the game.
The Volus deserved a spot on The Council!
ME3 was my least favourite of the trilogy, that's changing after playing the legendary edition with all the DLCs, it's probably my favourite now (beating ME1) it's a shame that the game feels so empty without the DLCs though, the basegame by itself lacks closure on many aspects and the relationships between the crew feel rather lifeless, which doesn't help the before mentioned closure. The Citadel DLC brings me nothing but joy, such a breath of fresh air amidst the chaos and stress. As much as I love the OGs and their aesthetic this is one of few well-made remasters, where the game keeps its original charm and aesthetic while making it more "pleasant to the eyes."
This is my fav game oat (even tho it’s a trilogy) I’m gonna rate every game individually as well, but this edition is like, the best things ever. A remaster of all 3 games plus all dlc’s included, it’s literally perfect, I absolutely love this game to death, I don’t think anything is ever gonna too this.
sorry, i tried getting into this game i just can't
Best game series you'll ever play.
I love reading sci-fi novels and epic fantasy and, playing the Mass Effect trilogy at the time, it felt like one of the best of them.
Three of the best sci-fi games ever made and their expansions all in one place, with fantastic modding on PC and very few changes that actually detract from the experience? Sign me up.
cant get into ME1, some places have overleveled enemies and take me like a death to finally complete the roadblock
Keelah Se'lai.
Top tier game like kotor in my eyes. I really hope they can bring back this franchises.
As someone who never played any ME untill ME LE I can only say wow what a jurney, great story, great caracters. They just don't make them like this anymore.
ME1: (17h, 8/10)
+ concise plot with a fascinating twist and a lot of impactful decisions to make
+ vast space setting that has some great worldbuilding to offer
+ decent shooter combat without annoying resource management
+ excellent soundtrack all around
+ at least 3 great companions who more than make up for the couple dull ones
- rather bad character creator
- unnaturally rushed story developments particularly at the beginning and end
- very poor dialogue system considering its importance (prompts not matching what is said, easily skipped choices, awkward transitions)
- disappointing exploration with only a handful of interesting, unique environments and lots of copy-pasted assets
ME2: (23h, 8/10)
+ significantly better space exploration with many diverse locations
+ great character loyalty missions
+ amazing final mission testing the bonds of one's crew
+ improved shooting mechanics and streamlined weapon management
- overly reduced RPG elements (inventory, skills)
- tedious resource mini game
- fairly inconsequential main story that may feel like a collection of side quests in the overarching narrative
ME3: (28h, 8/10)
+ respectable effort at involving the player in a large-scale war and finishing the previously stalled narrative
+ satisfying send-offs for almost all of the many companions
+ best DLC in the trilogy by far
+ beautiful and cinematic set pieces
+ decent weapon upgrade system that sits between ME1 and ME2 in complexity
+ faster movement
+ least annoying resource gathering
- no more hacking mini games at all
- only one persistent area aside from your spaceship
- controversial ending choice that isn't foreshadowed well
DLC:
ME1 Bring Down the Sky: interesting and somewhat important, dull gameplay (7/10)
ME2 Normandy Crash Site: short and uninspired mission (5/10)
ME2 Zaeed: rough companion with an alright story attached (6/10)
ME2 Kasumi: great mission and fine companion (7/10)
ME3 From Ashes: forgettable mission but very involved character (7/10)
ME3 Leviathan: solid storyline with horror elements and important lore for the main conflict (8/10)
ME3 Omega: drawn-out action centered around an unlikable character, nice visuals and gameplay (7/10)
ME3 Citadel: remarkable fan service with great self-referential humor and a perfect opportunity to say goodbye to the cast (9/10)
+ concise plot with a fascinating twist and a lot of impactful decisions to make
+ vast space setting that has some great worldbuilding to offer
+ decent shooter combat without annoying resource management
+ excellent soundtrack all around
+ at least 3 great companions who more than make up for the couple dull ones
- rather bad character creator
- unnaturally rushed story developments particularly at the beginning and end
- very poor dialogue system considering its importance (prompts not matching what is said, easily skipped choices, awkward transitions)
- disappointing exploration with only a handful of interesting, unique environments and lots of copy-pasted assets
ME2: (23h, 8/10)
+ significantly better space exploration with many diverse locations
+ great character loyalty missions
+ amazing final mission testing the bonds of one's crew
+ improved shooting mechanics and streamlined weapon management
- overly reduced RPG elements (inventory, skills)
- tedious resource mini game
- fairly inconsequential main story that may feel like a collection of side quests in the overarching narrative
ME3: (28h, 8/10)
+ respectable effort at involving the player in a large-scale war and finishing the previously stalled narrative
+ satisfying send-offs for almost all of the many companions
+ best DLC in the trilogy by far
+ beautiful and cinematic set pieces
+ decent weapon upgrade system that sits between ME1 and ME2 in complexity
+ faster movement
+ least annoying resource gathering
- no more hacking mini games at all
- only one persistent area aside from your spaceship
- controversial ending choice that isn't foreshadowed well
DLC:
ME1 Bring Down the Sky: interesting and somewhat important, dull gameplay (7/10)
ME2 Normandy Crash Site: short and uninspired mission (5/10)
ME2 Zaeed: rough companion with an alright story attached (6/10)
ME2 Kasumi: great mission and fine companion (7/10)
ME3 From Ashes: forgettable mission but very involved character (7/10)
ME3 Leviathan: solid storyline with horror elements and important lore for the main conflict (8/10)
ME3 Omega: drawn-out action centered around an unlikable character, nice visuals and gameplay (7/10)
ME3 Citadel: remarkable fan service with great self-referential humor and a perfect opportunity to say goodbye to the cast (9/10)
still an unparalleled masterpiece - has its issues but they pale in the face of the overwhelming quality of this trilogy and the superb worldbuilding of the mass effect universe. simply a must play
I think this remaster lacked a few things (they did not add back in queer romances that were already made, but removed due to backlash from media on the first game, Jack & Tali are very clearly queer women and it's strange they would release legendary without adding femshep's romance with them...thankfully the modding community is passionate & hardworking lol) BUT adding ME3's default femshep to all 3 games is HUGE and QOL improvements on ME1 were especially needed, making a game that was pretty hard to recommend much more accessible for new players. The mass effect series saved my life, and it was lovely to revisit the trilogy via such a nice remaster. I go back to it again and again when I feel homesick.
alll thhe gamed are better
Idk man its comfort food for me
Only one word can describe this saga: legendary.
I don't think I ever felt that attached to a character (and, in general, a game, narrative, etc.) as I did with ME. F*cking amazing!
I don't think I ever felt that attached to a character (and, in general, a game, narrative, etc.) as I did with ME. F*cking amazing!
All the greatness of the originals done up with fresher graphics and 4k. BioWare didn't miss with this one.
it's only the best trilogy in gaming history, period
This review contains spoilers
ME1
i don't know why but at some point everyone soured on Mass Effect and i'm not really sure why. my only complaint is that in this remaster they didn't include the cut gay romances in the first game that they have voice lines for, but that's an easy mod
video games are art
There just aren't enough words to describe what this trilogy can be.
It's fun, irritating, comedic, dramatic, hopeful and existential all at once. I don't think I'll ever forget roaming Noveria as somber music plays, or spamming Garrus' chat button in the sleek walls of the Normandy SR-2's main battery in hopes he would pay attention to me, or being on Rannoch to witness a new beginning, and a second chance for two races of people.
I ran into characters like Garrus, Tali, Liara, Legion, EDI, Samantha, Joker, Wrex, Grunt, Thane, Miranda, Steve, Jack, Kaidan, Ashley, Kasumi, and god knows how many side characters, each of them leaving a hole in my heart as Das Malefitz played for the first time.
To tell you the truth, though, this trilogy isn't perfect. It never has been, it never will be. For some, especially RPG haters or just more "pure gameplay" driven people, it can take a lot to forgive what this series does wrong. As for the ending, I modded the original ending out to replace it with Audemus' Happy Ending mod at the suggestion of a friend, though i do know of the actual endings and no other word can describe them other than "horrid".
But that isn't real. It never will be. As much as we would like to pretend the Citadel DLC was the true ending to a trilogy, we're left wondering, confused, and definitely angry. Though I do genuinely wish things would've gotten better, I think it helped me settle on a word to describe the Mass Effect Trilogy: unforgettable.
As an ending to this review, I think of what Mass Effect's overall theme was. To me, it was radical love, and by extension forgiveness. I won't call any shots right away, but I can only hope BioWare will take the fans who forgive to heart and make something truly special with Mass Effect 5, whenever it comes out.
It's fun, irritating, comedic, dramatic, hopeful and existential all at once. I don't think I'll ever forget roaming Noveria as somber music plays, or spamming Garrus' chat button in the sleek walls of the Normandy SR-2's main battery in hopes he would pay attention to me, or being on Rannoch to witness a new beginning, and a second chance for two races of people.
I ran into characters like Garrus, Tali, Liara, Legion, EDI, Samantha, Joker, Wrex, Grunt, Thane, Miranda, Steve, Jack, Kaidan, Ashley, Kasumi, and god knows how many side characters, each of them leaving a hole in my heart as Das Malefitz played for the first time.
To tell you the truth, though, this trilogy isn't perfect. It never has been, it never will be. For some, especially RPG haters or just more "pure gameplay" driven people, it can take a lot to forgive what this series does wrong. As for the ending, I modded the original ending out to replace it with Audemus' Happy Ending mod at the suggestion of a friend, though i do know of the actual endings and no other word can describe them other than "horrid".
But that isn't real. It never will be. As much as we would like to pretend the Citadel DLC was the true ending to a trilogy, we're left wondering, confused, and definitely angry. Though I do genuinely wish things would've gotten better, I think it helped me settle on a word to describe the Mass Effect Trilogy: unforgettable.
As an ending to this review, I think of what Mass Effect's overall theme was. To me, it was radical love, and by extension forgiveness. I won't call any shots right away, but I can only hope BioWare will take the fans who forgive to heart and make something truly special with Mass Effect 5, whenever it comes out.
Total Playthrough Time: 175h
FemShep, Colonist Sole Survivor
Infiltrator, Insanity
ME1 Started: 11/11/22
ME2 Started: 12/01/23
ME3 Started: 23/04/23
Trilogy Finished: 19/08/23
I just hope Post Mass Effect Depression doesn't hit so hard this time
FemShep, Colonist Sole Survivor
Infiltrator, Insanity
ME1 Started: 11/11/22
ME2 Started: 12/01/23
ME3 Started: 23/04/23
Trilogy Finished: 19/08/23
I just hope Post Mass Effect Depression doesn't hit so hard this time
These 3 games took me for a journey that changed my life completely. From starting 1 to 3 I was obsessed. Whenever I had the chance I’d play it was super addicting. Gameplay is phenomenal and 3 has to be my favorite because of how fluid everything is just wish you were able to use older teammates but I understand why they didn’t. Won’t say much more or I’ll be here all night but this series is amazing I can’t wait for the next one. Kaiden’s my boo bear.
I will split these up into 3 mini-reviews: one for each title. I will dive into these in more detail in my Xbox 360 reviews, as that was where I first played each Mass Effect game.
Mass Effect
While the game is showing its age, especially in the gameplay department, this universe is one of the most detailed and fascinating ever created. There are so many incredible scenes, and from a storytelling, world building, and lore perspective, this IS the best Mass Effect game. It is my personal favorite of the trilogy...
They did an excellent job remastering this one and making it much more playable. The Mako controls were much improved from the original release. It was also my first time playing any of the DLC for these games - the one in ME1 was alright, but nothing special, especially in comparison to the others in ME2 & ME3.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Mass Effect 2
Characters, characters, characters... while the first game had a great cast as well, and has ME2 beat severely in its main plot, the cast of characters in ME2 are beyond fantastic. I love almost each and every one of them (there are always a couple exceptions)!
Playing through ME2's DLC for the first time...gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it was fun and exciting to experience new Mass Effect stories and missions... but I am also angry at Bioware/EA for not including these in the main release. They are integral to the story and shouldn't have been optional. The Shadow Broker, Arrival, and Overlord missions were incredible and elevated my replay of the game immensely. I loved playing through them for the first time!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Mass Effect 3
I almost didn't play this one... I had such a negative impression of ME3 on release, I almost just stopped at ME2. The wounds of being utterly disappointed and despising this title still ringing in the back of my head from a decade prior...
So I never thought I'd say this...but I'm glad I decided to replay it. With a new perspective and understanding of what this game was going into it, along with the additional DLC components (Citadel DLC is hilarious and a great love letter to all Mass Effect fans), I came away from one of my most hated games of all time, with a new respect and appreciation for it.
This game has so many amazing payoffs to the entire series. And its emotionally impactful moments are powerful ("Someone else might have gotten it wrong"). These are the things I'm glad to have re-experienced as I didn't value or appreciate them during my first playthrough all those years ago.
I will say though... the DLC in this one, just like in ME2, should have been part of the base game... it is utterly reprehensible that the goddamn Prothean team member was Day 1 DLC back then! This was also my first time seeing the "improved" ending, as I beat it back on the Xbox 360 when it had a single ending: just different colors...red, blue, or green. It was horrendous back then... and while it still isn't great in my opinion, it is better at least.
Unfortunately, there are still more than a few major issues I have with ME3 that haven't gone away (Kai Leng, Deus Ex Crucible, Star Child, lack of party members, RPG elements stripped entirely away), but there is a lot of great stuff in this too, that I underappreciated at the time.
Final Score: 4/5
Mass Effect
While the game is showing its age, especially in the gameplay department, this universe is one of the most detailed and fascinating ever created. There are so many incredible scenes, and from a storytelling, world building, and lore perspective, this IS the best Mass Effect game. It is my personal favorite of the trilogy...
They did an excellent job remastering this one and making it much more playable. The Mako controls were much improved from the original release. It was also my first time playing any of the DLC for these games - the one in ME1 was alright, but nothing special, especially in comparison to the others in ME2 & ME3.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Mass Effect 2
Characters, characters, characters... while the first game had a great cast as well, and has ME2 beat severely in its main plot, the cast of characters in ME2 are beyond fantastic. I love almost each and every one of them (there are always a couple exceptions)!
Playing through ME2's DLC for the first time...gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it was fun and exciting to experience new Mass Effect stories and missions... but I am also angry at Bioware/EA for not including these in the main release. They are integral to the story and shouldn't have been optional. The Shadow Broker, Arrival, and Overlord missions were incredible and elevated my replay of the game immensely. I loved playing through them for the first time!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Mass Effect 3
I almost didn't play this one... I had such a negative impression of ME3 on release, I almost just stopped at ME2. The wounds of being utterly disappointed and despising this title still ringing in the back of my head from a decade prior...
So I never thought I'd say this...but I'm glad I decided to replay it. With a new perspective and understanding of what this game was going into it, along with the additional DLC components (Citadel DLC is hilarious and a great love letter to all Mass Effect fans), I came away from one of my most hated games of all time, with a new respect and appreciation for it.
This game has so many amazing payoffs to the entire series. And its emotionally impactful moments are powerful ("Someone else might have gotten it wrong"). These are the things I'm glad to have re-experienced as I didn't value or appreciate them during my first playthrough all those years ago.
I will say though... the DLC in this one, just like in ME2, should have been part of the base game... it is utterly reprehensible that the goddamn Prothean team member was Day 1 DLC back then! This was also my first time seeing the "improved" ending, as I beat it back on the Xbox 360 when it had a single ending: just different colors...red, blue, or green. It was horrendous back then... and while it still isn't great in my opinion, it is better at least.
Unfortunately, there are still more than a few major issues I have with ME3 that haven't gone away (Kai Leng, Deus Ex Crucible, Star Child, lack of party members, RPG elements stripped entirely away), but there is a lot of great stuff in this too, that I underappreciated at the time.
Final Score: 4/5