So, I recently finished a month long replay of the entire Mass Effect series, starting with one Shepard throughout the entirety of the series, and I have to say, the Mass Effect series holds up so well, I am surprised how much trash I seen thrown the direction of Two and Three, despite.. well, we can get back to three by the end of this.
Overview:
The series in generally really does a good job of flowing into itself in a way that is downright impressive for games that were developed so distant from each other, especially in the case of Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2. From the effect of Wrex, to the virmire survivor you meet later on, to even the people on your ship at the start of the game before its destroyed. Its an impressive attention to detail that I haven't seen replicated in any game to this day.
With that in mind, by going on in watching youtube, you can find that many of these differences are superficial, with many choices leading to the same dialog coming from different characters. But, perhaps that isn't as important as the illusion of it all, because the average player isn't going to really see that.
With all of that said, lets move on to the first game
Mass Effect 1:
Mass Effect 1 is a damn impressive game for its time, and an even more impressive leap for the company of Bioware, who's previous games could come nowhere near the scale of this game. Establishing the entire universe in a few words in the intro, you aren't given much time to acclimate to the universe, instead being thrown right into the deep end, and that's for the better. The universe shines through on every world, with every world having something to add to the universe, even if it is just an odd space cow.
However, with all of this impressive world building, Mass Effect 1 suffers from a snails pace for the 1st act. While Eden Prime is an explosive start, any momentum that was built up by it is brought to a screeching halt by what seems like an hour long fetch quest on the Citadel. Despite feeling like a fetch quest, this hour of citadel time is so crucially important to the series that the entire series collapses without it. You meet Garrus, Tali, and Wrex during this time. You first learn of the reapers. You learn of the reoccurring incompetence of the council. Its during this time you start to learn more about Anderson, the most important non-party member of the entire trilogy, I would argue. So why does all of this exciting stuff feel like a slog that I just want to get through to get to the game proper? Well, I would argue its one of the key tenants of mass effect failing. One of the biggest parts of Mass Effect is the fact that if you play the series multiple times, you'll have a different experience every time based on your choices, and I would argue this is one of those games where it actually lives up to it, except on the hour long Citadel Jaunt. Its the same every time because its such a key to the series. If you change anything, Mass Effect falls apart. So its not ideal, but it is, in my opinion, necessary.
Moving on, Mass Effect is a slow burn compared to its two sequels, and it can be felt out almost immediately. Its game play also feels stiff compared to the later games, still feeling bogged down by old school RPG ideas. While some of these ideas, such as weapon modding and the more varied amounts of builds are good, at the same time the weapons are very superficial feeling when changing, and some classes are blatantly better then others to the point that you might as well not pick them for ME1 if you don't want to have a very, very miserable experience. While I don't want to go into too much detail of each world to not spoil the entire thing for anyone who has not experienced the wonderful universe of mass effect yet, I will say that Virmire is again, a standout mission in what otherwise feels like a lot of midgame padding to get to an explosive encounter at the end.
However to say that the payoff is worth it is an understatement. The final battle of ME1 is something truly wonderful, with the fight against Saren being a standout as far as boss fights in the series go, at least in my opinion.
This leads us right into the next game
Mass Effect 2:
Mass Effect 2 is an odd game. Game play wise, it feels like a devolution you would expect from the third game in the series, not the second. Story Wise, it has very little baring on the overall plot of the ME trilogy other then the establishment of Cerberus. Despite that, its still a fantastic game. However, this is in spite of those flaws, because ME2 is carried by one thing, and that's its characters. Mass Effect 2 is a game that is so character driven, I would argue that I haven't really seen any game like it. Every single character is likable in their own way, and even the ones that are traditionally considered boring have missions around them that grip you until the end.
However, Mass Effect 2 stumbles very quickly in its gameplay department. The weapons, while more varied then Mass Effect 1, feel like they limit you to about 2 guns per category. The powers are far more fun to use, with Biotics beginning to finally come into their own during Mass Effect 2, but there's very much an optimal path.
To address the elephant in the room, I'll say this. In my opinion, the loss of the Mako was an improvement to the series. The Mako dragged down ME1 and despite every world IN Mass Effect 1 adding something crucial that would carry over later down the line, the simple fact of the matter is that the removal of the Mako allowed Bioware to focus on something that I think really set Mass Effect apart. The action scenes, the set pieces are fantastic in ME2. For all its flaws, the assault on the collector base is the second best thing in the entire series, and I would argue one of the greatest levels in gaming. Its also one of the few times in gaming where if you fucked up, you fucked up hard, and your going to carry that with you into Mass Effect 3
Despite seeming mostly negative, I still loved ME2, and think it layed the ground work for the most controversial game in the trilogy.
Mass Effect 3
Oh boy. Everyone and their mother has an opinion on Mass Effect 3, so I'll just come right out and say mine.
Mass Effect 3 is an amazing piece of gaming, a climax to the series, a masterwork in consistency for decision based storytelling, and my second favorite game of all time. With the DLC.
So, lets start off ignoring the elephant in the room, don't worry, we can get to him later. Mass Effect 3 was developed in a very short time frame compared to the other games in the series, and despite that, its gameplay is by far the best in the series. Soldiers feel strong as hell, changing weapons for every situation and having heightened senses that make them the best shot for shot gun class. Vanguard, the class of my Shepard during this playthough, is one of the most fun ways to play a shooter I think I have ever experienced, with you zipping all across the battlefield, taking down groups of foes at a time, its a complete blast.
So, Mass Effect 3 has some of the highest highs and the lowest lows of the series, but I believe the good outweigh the bad. The two biggest plots minus the Reaper plot are brought to satisfying closure. And yet, Mass Effect 3 has a lesson for you, that being good is not always the most optimal path. If you pay very close attention in this game, you find out one thing. Curing the genophage is not your most optimal option if you let wrex die in Mass Effect 1. Letting Wrex die in Mass Effect 1 makes Mass Effect 3 easier. Its something I really appreciate, and a small touch a lot of people seem to miss.
So, the elephant in the room. The ending. I'm not going to defend it, its bad. Arguably better with the extended cut, but still not great. But at the same time, I don't think any ending would have ever lived up to the expectations we had set out. And it doesn't invalidate everything else great about the game, because by god this game made me cry at least three times.
As for a brief aside, the Mass Effect series is best played these days on PC, mostly because of Mass Effect 3s improvements being felt the most there.
If you are really, really into what you have played at this point, the citadel DLC is mandatory for some of the funniest, best writing in the series and a sense of closure that the ending doesn't really give you.
In closing:
Mass Effect is my favorite game series of all time, if not containing any of my favorite games of all time, and this replay reminded me why. Loveable characters, gameplay that has aged surprisingly well, witty writing all add up to a universe that, if it wasn't for the next few bungles in the series, could have very easily become a huge sci fi franchise. Regardless, I still love it and recommend ME1-ME3 Playthrough to everyone that hasn't played them before.
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