 Save the galaxy like a boss. Commander Shepard, a new human Spectre, uncovers a complex plot that ultimately involves the entire extinction of sentient life in the galaxy. Unfortunately, the leaders of the galaxy are skeptical. It's up to Shepard and a small band of multi-species allies to prevent the coming Reaper attack.
1. Gameplay
 Never. Mass Effect takes this previous concept of video games and narrative storytelling and leaves it a shattered wreck. The player has a multitude of choices in how quests are accomplished, and the results of those quests will vary depending on the player’s sense of morality and objectives. Those players who believe in the classic “ends justify the means” argument will find there is plenty of opportunity to profit off of the downfall of others for the sake of the player’s ability to complete missions. Those who believe that the means justify the ends or that people are ends, not means, will have plenty of opportunity to try and save everyone in the galaxy.  Even though it will be an uphill battle. But as I mentioned before, these choices are ultimately meaningless if there are no consequences. Fortunately, Mass Effect has taken these into account as well. Not only do the player’s choices directly impact the outcome of this game they will also have a direct impact on the next two games in this series as well. You read that correctly, the exact choices that a player makes will directly change the way that the next two Mass Effect games are played. That means that if the player chooses to kill someone important in the first Mass Effect game, that character will not come back in the second or third.  Like this guy. Thirdly, and this only adds to the awesomeness, sometimes the “good” choice isn’t the best choice. Players that actually pay attention to the conversations and think about the decisions will find that sometimes the choice that will benefit themselves and the galaxy in the long-term will not be the choice that seems beneficial in the short term. Sometimes the player will even discover that the “lawful” action isn’t the best action either, and that illegally transmitting information to a secretive information broker will likely aid the player in this game’s sequels. Smart players will focus on the long term results, not just the short term benefits.  Sometimes it's about more than just humanity. Mass Effect is a beautiful creation. Aside from the amazing variety of options and high-stakes consequences, the game plays like a smooth science-fiction movie. Cutscenes are beautifully rendered and fully dynamic. At the beginning of the game, the player chooses how they want “Commander Shepard” to look. Male, female, white, black, asian, etc. All options are available to the player and the game changes to include how the player looks. The Shepard in cinematic cutscenes will look exactly how the player designed Shepard to be. It’s a truly beautiful thing.  Compare this armor (an early picture) to the ones above (later pictures) for both Shepard (center) and Ashley (far right). As if those weren’t good enough, the developers took the time to create a detailed, deep storyline with compelling characters that interact with each other in a realistic way. This game isn’t just about how everyone interacts with Shepard, it’s also about how everyone interacts with each other. This game goes into great detail showing how different alien species view each other, how the politicians view the military (and vice versa), and how those species within the boundaries of civilization view those who live outside said boundaries.  Not all of those interactions will be friendly. I could write an essay on how amazing this game is, but the reality is you’ll just have to trust me. This game is easily in my “Top 10 games of all time” list.
I should also mention this: you will not be 100% satisfied on your first playthrough. I’m not saying that you won’t have enjoyed the game (you almost certainly will), but I’m saying that you will undoubtably realize that there were things you could have done better or conversations you wish had gone another way. Fortunately, you can take your character on a second playthrough of the game to correct all of your past mistakes. You can also attempt a playthrough using the opposite morality of what you first chose (meaning that if you chose to make the “good” decisions, you can choose to make the evil ones on the second attempt). There are two DLC, but both are extremely short compared to the rest of the game.
The planet exploration got boring after a while as well. There are only so many empty wastelands I can explore in the Mako before the process gets redundant to the point of tedium. There’s no way I would have completed the exploration missions without a map and guide that I got from the internet. 2. Parental Notices
 Pew pew pew! Weapons can be upgraded with different types of ammunition. Some ammunition types will poison enemies while others will freeze or burn. Enemies that are killed as a result of these extra effects will disintegrate into the bright color of the effect used on them.  Well, it's certainly easier to clean up. The violence is minimal and gore is almost completely absent. Any time an enemy is hit with enough force to send him flying, that enemy will flop onto the ground like a rag doll for a few moments before, eventually, getting back up. There is one exception. In one mission the player has to fight against crazed Rachni, a weird sort of spider-bug creature. In one cutscene, a rachni drives its claw straight through the chest of a human scientist.  Eww, chunky.
 Wait, what? But c’mon, I found the idea that this scene would be controversial as unbelievably idiotic. First of all, take two seconds to actually watch the scene. It’s not particularly explicit, really. You’ll see some butt and side-boob, but take two seconds to compare that to Fable II, Duke Nukem Forever, Dante’s Inferno, etc.  Smooth as silk. Except for those weird jagged edges. If you’re saying in your head “But Carmine, that doesn’t excuse this particular scene. I don’t want my kids to see it!” that’s fine. But to be honest, I thought this scene was actually a good thing and, if anything, it should be used as an example to teach our kids what sex and sexuality is all about. Mass Effect’s romance options may not be the most realistic things ever (no dates, no gifts, no dances, no awkward kisses, etc.), but each of the romance plots show that relationships occur after multiple conversations provided that both parties have common interests.  Wait, I actually have to talk to girls in order to get them to like me? Since when? And, more importantly, the end result of a mature, consenting romantic relationship between two adults is almost universally going to be sex. The scene included in this game isn’t some sort of minigame or an example of a conquest or something meant to be funny, it’s supposed to be serious. One more thing to note about the scene; it can be easily missed. If the player doesn’t talk to the love interest enough, the scene will not occur. The player will actively have to go to the character and have a conversation (saying the right things) in order for the romance to take place. It’s not difficult, but it is easy to overlook considering how much there is to do in the game. Aside from that, sexuality does come up a number of other times in the game. First, the player will have a number of missions that will involve the gentleman’s club known as Chora’s Den. The player can sit down and watch an exotic dancer move. However, all of the dancers are fully clothed and there is no mission-based purpose for watching the dancers.  If this were Grand Theft Auto, "relax" would have a lot of innuendo attached. There is an Asari matriarch known as Matriarch Benezia who ends up being one of the game’s antagonists. She wears a dress that accents a serious amount of cleavage.  I'm not sure which was more distracting, her chest or that spot on her chin that looks like a ghotee. If the player asks the right questions to his Asari squadmate Liara, he can learn about how the Asari mate. The Asari are a race of all-female aliens who have the odd ability to mate with a member of any other species of any gender. The mating involves some sort of combination of the minds of the couple. Because only the mental “essence” of the mate is necessary for reproduction, Asari children are all born as female Asari. I’m still not 100% sure of the details, but that’s the overall idea.
The different clubs will have purple substances that are almost certainly some sort of alcoholic beverage (or some futuristic equivalent). However, neither the player nor any of the other characters can partake of these substances.  Looks like a weird combination of Coke and Gogurt. The player can use a substance called “medi-gel” to heal himself and his squadmates. However, “medi-gel” is never actually seen, it can only be picked up from containers and used via the player’s omni-tool.
 It's better than losing every time though. 3. Other Factors
 There are no atheists in foxholes. One of the characters, Ashley, will mention her religious beliefs and her beliefs in a creator. The player can react to these beliefs in a multitude of ways, from saying that he/she believes in a creator as well, to belittling her for her beliefs. The ultimate result is an interesting intellectual discussion of how God and religion could exist in a space-faring species and how religious beliefs take into account other creatures. One of the missions involves infiltrating a cult and trying to talk the leader into returning to the Alliance for psychiatric help. His military experiences have made him mentally unstable and, for some reason, he has created a cult of biotic-enhanced humans and aliens who treat him as some sort of prophet. While religion is never explicitly mentioned in the mission, the biotics refer to him as “Father Kyle”. One conversation-based mission has to do with a Hanar, a jellyfish-like species of aliens, that is proselytizing in the Presidium district of the Citadel. A member of C-Sec, the Citadel’s police force, is trying to get the overzealous Hanar to leave but to no avail. The player’s conversation choices in resolving the mission don’t involve the player agreeing with the Hanar’s message.  I never had much in common with the "Enkindlers" that the Hanar was preaching about. A few characters will make references to the “maker” or other creationist deities. However, these are few and far between.
 What? You want me to file paperwork an "after-action" report? I've got your report right here. It’s a very odd system that makes little sense, but evidently the system works. It is extremely difficult for anyone to attain “Spectre” status, and the player is the first human to make it into this elite group of enforcers. As a Spectre, the player will have the ability to do some pretty horrific things. However, these are not explicitly anti-law (for the reasons stated already). There are some missions that have to do with law enforcement. First, the planet Noveria is essentially a haven for big corporations. It is a place where these corporations are able to do the research necessary to forwarding their products regardless of what the research is and how it is conducted. The corporations are notorious for breaking galaxy law, but the secrecy of the entire planet makes it almost impossible for the Citadel to enforce laws and regulations on the corporations. This leads to some very difficult situations (there’s an entire section of the plot that has to do with a bioweapons experiment that goes wrong), and Shepard will have to deal with the uncooperative populace in order to forward the player’s agenda. On Noveria, the player will deal with a sort of mayor figure who happens to be using his political power to shake down a few of the less corrupt citizens. He can use Noveria’s laws and regulations to shut down a business while “investigations” are conducted. The player has the ability to have the mayor arrested or work with the mayor to further harass the citizens (for profit, of course).  You have the right to remain silent, anything you say... There is also a Hanar within Noveria that asks Shepard to smuggle weapons illegally into Noveria. Since the player is not searched by Noveria’s security force (the player is a Spectre, after all), the player could easily sneak in a weapons shipment with no consequences. The player can choose to do so, refuse the task, or turn in the Hanar to Noveria authorities.
 Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Newton. This completely illogical driving style has been the brunt of internet humor for quite some time, leading to some very amusing pictures.  Pic related.
 It's a stretch either way. I'll leave it up to you to decide for certain. This process is explained in Mass Effect, but only to a vague degree. Biotics do seem to be biological or technological in nature, however the specific process is not explained in detail. Normally, this vagueness would result in it falling under the category of magic. However, despite the somewhat vague explanation, the lack of any sort of ritual or spirituality surrounding biotics precludes it from being considered magic. As a result, magic is not a factor in this game.
The Geth have the technology to take living humans and turn them into “husks”, some sort of synthetic(ish) zombie that will attack the player. The husks can emit bursts of energy from their bodies that will bring down the player’s shield and health.  These husks aren't dead. Don't be fooled. There is another creature called a “Thorian” that can somehow create “Thorian Creepers”. These creepers are like husks but greenish instead of blue. I never fully understood how the creepers were created, but there is the distinct possibility that excessive exposure to the mind control pollen from the Thorian would be enough to mutate a human into a creeper.  Like a husk, but less blue. Genocide The driving motivation for the player’s actions is the fear of a galaxy-wide genocide. The Reapers, an advanced race of intelligent machines, evidently has a cyclical history of wiping all sentient life in the galaxy out of existence. The specific motivations for the genocide have not been mentioned, but an ancient race known as the Protheons (the last great race to be decimated by the Reapers) has left fragments that describe how the previous genocide took place.  Like the hand of Death reaching for its prize. Human Experimentation A human corporation that develops new weapons has an established presence on the planet Feros. The corporation has been conducting illegal experiments using the Thorian mentioned above. The corporation purposefully established a human colony right above the Thorian in order to discover the Thorian’s effects on humans and human colonies. They did so without informing the colonists of the Thorian’s presence, which can lead to the death of all of the colonists.  Craaaawling iiiin my skiiiiiin... There is another organization, known as Cerberus, that captured an Alliance veteran after he survived an attack from a Thresher Maw, a very large and extremely deadly creature. Cerberus conducts horrible experiments on the veteran, including injecting Thresher Maw venom directly into his veins. Thresher Maw venom is extremely poisonous and usually fatal, but somehow the veteran managed to survive the experiments. The psychological toll on the veteran was extensive, and he eventually goes on a revenge-fuelled rampage to kill all of the scientists that tortured him. The player has the opportunity to talk the veteran down from his killing spree in time to save the last Cerberus scientist. Speciesism One of the common elements throughout the game’s many conversations is the idea of speciesism, which is essentially racism but between different species. Humans are seen as aggressive, brutish creatures who take advantage of the generosity of the other species. It’s a bit like how Europeans view Americans (and in reverse as well).  If Europeans were aliens, of course. This sort of discrimination is much more complicated than just the way that humans interact with aliens. Interaction between different species of alien is often pockmarked with discrimination and stereotypes. The council races (Asari, Salarians, and Turians) see themselves as superior to non-council races, non-council Citadel races (those who are peaceful enough to engage in commerce on the Citadel) view themselves as culturally superior to non-Citadel races (usually those too aggressive to interact with other species effectively). The end result is a series of extremely complicated decisions and conversations. Despite working directly for the Citadel, the player’s experience with Saren and the Reapers will often be outright dismissed by the council as unsubstantiated conspiracy theories (even though the Council would have acted had those same claims been made by a Council race). Suicide After the player manages to find the entrance to the Thorian’s nest area, the leader of the human colony at Zhu’s Hope will appear and, after an internal struggle, will shoot himself in the head to prevent himself from attacking the player.  For a suicide, he sure seems to have been posed. Why the player couldn’t simply incapacitate him like the player does for the other colonists is beyond my comprehension. Mind Control The concept of mind control will be brought up in Mass Effect frequently in the main storyline. The Reaper “Sovereign” has the ability to “indoctrinate” those sentient beings that find themselves within its proximity for any extended period of time. Even strong-willed people who have no love for Saren or Sovereign are quickly indoctrinated. The indoctrinated are willing to fight to the death to forward Sovereign’s will. The Rachni Queen also has the ability to control the mind of aliens. It’s not clear if she is able to control only weak / dying creatures or if she has the ability to control any nearby creature. She only uses her mind control to communicate to Shepard through a dying Asari agent.  A phone call would have worked too. Or a letter. Cloning The Thorian (previously described) somehow has the ability to create clones of creatures with which it has imprisoned. It makes a few clones of an Asari through which it communicates with the player and, eventually, attacks the player.  Asari are all blue, not pea soup green. Slavery Slavery still exists in the galaxy. While it is never 100% clear what use aliens have for slaves (evidently we still don’t have enough robotic manual laborers), the player will encounter a few missions that involve slavery in some way. For the most part, it’s the player killing Batarian slavers.  Batarians and humans aren't on good terms. However, one mission involves an Asari who hires the player to find her sister. It turns out that her sister was sold into slavery and the Asari wanted the player to kill the sister (I’m not quite sure why or how she was going to get the player to do this). Either way, the player can choose to let her go (for some money) or report her to authorities. Forced Extinction The player has the opportunity to enforce the mass extinction of an alien race. The “Rachni”, a sort of bug-like race, was responsible for nearly wiping out all life from the galaxy before alien intervention prevented what seemed like an inevitable catastrophe. The player finds a Rachni queen who claims to understand what went wrong with her species previously and promises to work to prevent such events from occurring again. If the player does not believe the queen, the player can choose to kill her and permanently remove all Rachni from the galaxy.  It's a win-win situation. Euthenasia If the player chooses to eliminate the Rachni queen, the player will have no problem with killing the spawn of that queen (which can be found in the very same laboratory). However, if the player spares the queen, she will ask the player to euthanize her spawn. Evidently, she believes that her spawn are beyond saving, and as a result are a danger to the galaxy. The player has no choice but to comply with her request. Hostages There are a number of missions where the player will have to rescue hostages from their hostage takers. In one particular mission, humans who have been denied medical treatment for their biotic implants (which have resulted in horrible cancers) take a politician hostage. The politician denied their claims for medical help, and as a result the humans were given the unfortunate choice between a slow, painful death or forcing the politician to understand their plight. The player has the opportunity to talk the biotics down and (hopefully) resolve the situation.  The resolution isn't always clean. Weapons of Mass Destruction Nuclear weaponry is involved in the story in two different missions. In the first, the player must disarm a nuclear warhead that was placed in a spy satellite. The satellite has ended up on a planet far from its original destination, and as a result poses a political danger to the Alliance (who originally designed the satellite to be used against another alien race, with which the Alliance is now allied). If the player accepts the mission, the player will have to disarm the nuclear bomb within a very short time window before the bomb detonates.  Seems like the initial fears about Sputnik have finally been confirmed. The second mission involving nuclear weaponry occurs towards the end of the main storyline. The player discovers Saren’s main science base, and decides that the only way to effectively remove the evil research that Saren was working on (most of it having something to do with mind control) is to nuke it out of existence. The player does just that.  Poof. Mercenaries The concept of for-hire killing machines will occur multiple times throughout the game, but most of these incidents are subtle. The player will have to fight and kill multiple nameless “mercenaries” as the player progresses.  Like this one. The player will also have the opportunity to receive payment for killing certain characters. In one particular mission, the player is hired by a female gang leader to remove the rivals that overthrew her position and began using the gang’s power to deal drugs. She offers to pay the player for killing the thugs. The player can choose to accept the money, accept the mission but refuse the money, or refuse the mission entirely. Gene Therapy
There is one conversation-based miniquest that the player can listen to a discussion between a woman and her brother in law. The woman’s husband died of a heart condition, but she is pregnant with his child. The brother in law wants the woman to have her child be genetically modified to remove the possibility of the same heart condition occurring in the child, while the woman believes that the procedure is dangerous and unnecessary. The player has the opportunity to help them decide which option they should choose.
3 Comments
5/9/2012 04:39:15 pm
There's 1 conversation-based miniquest the person may tune in to attorney at law from the girl and also the woman's buddy within legislation. It is very interesting to read.
Jonah Mann
4/8/2013 02:53:44 pm
I do agree that the romances in the ME series are one of the better portrayals of sex in video games. What stands out to me most of all however is the way the romances have "matured" over the games. I watched the romance scene between Shepard and Ashley in ME1, and the way that they acted towards each other did not feel very serious or emotional to me (it felt somewhat like they were just using each other for sex). Leave a Reply. |
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