Almost exactly a year ago, I started my 5th replay the Mass Effect trilogy with the then-newly made remaster, Legendary Edition, effectively finishing and summing up my thoughts on the collection back in January of this year. Since this was a bit before I actually decided to do longform reviews of games I've finished on this site - well, most of them anyway - it meant that 2 and 3 had a one-sentence long log, and I never did anything for 1, so I'm gonna try and do that whenever I feel like it.

One thing you can say about the first game from word go, is that it's ambitious. Both studios of Bioware are apparent about the influences of works that shape them when creating games, and no more is it evident than with this. Star Trek is an immediate reference point, especially given that it has numerous nods, similarities in species, and even VA castings, but you can also see Babylon 5 wrinkle itself in with some of the species and locales being rather in-line with how they're handled, even Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, that one critical and financial failure of a movie Square during their Soft days released all those years ago, was used as inspiration for some of the design for the various ships. It's a melting pot of sci-fi influences, some of which I probably even missed out on despite jumping in on the series since late 2014, and while admittedly the lines cross over to just straight up copying it wholesale, it ultimately feels like it's own thing, if that makes any sense. It won't be the first time you're seeing what a Krogan, Asari, or even Quarians and Hanar, but the intricacies and mythos behind those species tend to differ in big and small ways.

Even disregarding the worldbuilding and overall mythos of the first entry, just the general structure of the narrative is near-focused, aiming for those movie-like experiences. Specific camera angle compositions, how the plot unfolds as you go along, it might not be the first time Bioware tried their hand with sort of approach, but it's definitely the point in which Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn, Jack Wall, and the rest of the crew leaned all in with the look and flair that it had to offer. The reveal of Sovereign in its esoteric, practically Lovecraftian mystery and booming presence within a conversation talking shit about you and several others never fails to get me in awe, and that conversation with Vigil, as you drive towards this AI through a desolate and abandoned ruin of a planet, with the music playing and slowly crescendo in volume as you go along, all unfolding the backstory of it and the Citadel itself is damn near a top 10 spot of personal favorite moments in gaming history. Saren is also easily my favorite game-specific villain of the original trilogy, having an underlying presence and influence within most of the MacGuffin Planet spots, the buildup and implications as to what happened to him and why exactly he's doing the things he's doing. He has some Dumb Shit Moments and writing hacks, make no mistake, but to me it doesn't get as questionable as Collectors in ME2, nor does it get mind-bogglingly stupid and asinine as what happens to Illusive Man/Cerberus in ME3.

My stance and views on this can also apply with the gameplay side of things. I don't think it's quite unpopular anymore to say ME1's mechanics have actually held up pretty decently, especially with the remaster ironing out most of the kinks, but I do think it's still unpopular to say it's the best in the whole trilogy. Yes, I know, 2 and especially 3 are more polished and streamlined, but do they let me build and modify my characters to such a degree it actually feels like my approach in combat is radically different instead of only being a slight change? Do they have a near-consistent therapeutic loop of hub -> planet explorations -> main plot -> repeat, without feeling like something about it is missing or coming loose? Do they let me do endless ragdolls with Biotic powers, having different Tech-based abilities mess with enemy layouts, as well as making each gun feel a little more distinct from one another? And despite my ire with Paragon V Renegade, do the sequels at least achieve some sort of semblance of choice differentiation, that doesn't come across as jilted and nonsensical if you go from one side to another? Not really! Only this allows for all of that! Again, this was my fifth time going through the games, and each time I do a new class run I find something different to do and plan out on in the first game, yet rarely get that feeling in the sequels. I'll gladly put up with the obvious reuse of assets and mundane sidequests since at least the core action is something I get major kicks from.

That being said, it ain't perfect, nothing is. The top review on this site frames this game as being Copganda, and while exaggerated in parts, truthfully some of the details are either close to, or exactly like that, getting egregiously worse as you go along in the series, coming from someone whose political knowledge is rather below average all things considered. The framing is supposed to be that you, under the whims of the Systems Alliance board within just shy of four or five decades worth of first making contact with other aliens, are under their jurisdiction and weight, even causing issues and problems as you try and do things to bring something to light or stop it, only to get shoved aside and never taken seriously. Like, sure, it works for the most part, but when it doesn't, boy does it show. It will never sit right with me how a Paragon route will just have Shepard begrudgingly tell a Clear Asshole Bigot to stop being that because "they're being mean and hurtful >:(" without uh, any sort of effort or even oomph to... ya know, tell them off due to them being a Clear Asshole Bigot? It's pretty conservative in that regard. Before anyone mentions it, yes I know Renegade routes can devolve into a near-conservative stance as well, but not only is this an aspect that gets sanded off in the later games, it also stands to reason that the critique and aspect of how messy and borderline insane the politics and general norm of Mass Effect's social bubble - shit, Bioware game in general really - are still valid regardless. And to reiterate, overall I don't find its intensity of this to be that immediately present, it's just some aspects that stick out like a horrific, mutilated thumb that makes me question if someone took a second look at what was happening. On that note, let's talk about Ashley.

Probably the most controversial companion in the trilogy, it's tricky to unpack why exactly she doesn't fully work. The intent is... sorta clear, being a reserved being due to growing up in mainly human-dominant environments, as well as having a backstory that's supposed to help fuel her preconceived biases and flawed thinking, but the way it's handled is extremely messy. It teeters between this flawed yet understanding and easily changing line of thinking, even going as far as to call out the racism and self-superiority of a clearly shitty group of humans impromptu, yet falling into these pitfalls herself by making comments like this without a second thought, even being overly hostile to Liara, an Asari you rescue and recruit, solely cause her mother's in leagues with Saren... despite the fact that the two are practically distant once the game starts, and there being little to no way she can even be able to communicate and conspire with them to begin with there's only like, one time where I can buy the snaps Ashley makes towards her, when triggering an encounter that occurs when you romance both of them, but even then I feel like it's still a bit much. Even though the sequels makes an attempt to at least make her more understanding to have her break from this mindset, it's something that takes a major pill to swallow and put up with regardless.

As for the rest of the party members... they're pretty good, though I also have some issues with them. Backing up to Liara, she's supposed to be the loredump for the Asari, as well as this rather meek and rather reclusive scientist that helps to explain some of the happenings with the Protheans. Thing is though, they leaned too hard on the expository dialog, leaving her own sense of identity to be rather muddled, which is unfortunate since the moments with her in the story can be REALLY good. I'm also just, insanely annoyed as to how much they try to push her as being a Major Player, but that's for way later. Kaiden Alenko... you know Carth Onasi from KOTOR1? That one character that's actually pretty good but his problems and issues are at the forefront to such a degree people understandably call him whiny and annoying? Well, take all his appeal, throw most of it out and make him really boring, turn him super complacent and not nearly as much of a bellyacher, and that's pretty much Kaiden. He even has Raphael Sbarge back as the voice for him. Garrus is probably my favorite, being someone within the Citadel's security yet never quite understanding the weight and ramifications his actions can cause, their either being reaffirmed by Renegade checks, or challenged and making a case that ends never justify means by Paragon checks. Wrex is a hardass to damn near everyone he meets, but considering his species, the Krogan, are essentially on a ticking clock of doom due to the Genophage, a weapon that affected the livelihood and rampant upbringing of the species' fertility rate, and he's the only one that pretty much gives some amount of shit about it at some point, it's not too hard to fault him on... mostly, since this comes to ahead in the famous Virmire Standoff, and whether or not you have to shove him off or successfully calm him down depending on how you talk to him, as well as completing a personal quest of his. Tali is another exposition dump for what and how Quarians operate, but at the very least she has an actual arc available revolving around her Pilgrimage - Quarian's rough equivalence to the passage of adulthood - and how you can make her feel a bit at ease about it, even helping her out in one occasion. My thoughts on Bioware's companion writing have changed dramatically as I expanded and delved deeper into WRPGs, but still, I like most of this crew still. Can very much leave Kaiden and Ashley though.

Despite the extremely, extremely messy nature this game, and the series, can be on numerous occasions... I seriously find it hard to dismiss my adoration for it, and especially this game. Whether it's that damn nostalgic beast, genuine love and appreciation for the good shit, some mixture of the two, I don't know anymore, all I know is that it's earned a spot as being one of my favorite games ever made. Til the next run, you strange yet fascinating piece of media.