Mass Effect is still the gold standard of video game narrative
As dated as the gameplay can feel, the story is as strong as ever
Playing the Mass Effect series for the first time in 2021/2022 is an exceptionally odd experience. On the one hand, the combat and traversal feel clunky and outdated. It’s certainly not an unpleasant experience, but it’s clear that these are older games. The same is true for the remastered graphics. The art design and overall visual style are both excellent, but the somewhat blocky look of PS3/Xbox 360 era games (even after being remastered) is still there.
But the story, the dialog, and the weight that player decisions have on the narrative in the Mass Effect games create a story experience that still feels like the gold standard for the entire video game industry. Even today, I struggle to think of any games that do a better job in terms of overall narrative. And that’s what I keep coming back to as I make my way through this series — the Mass Effect trilogy may be over a decade old, but its writing and world are just as engrossing as ever.
I never played the Mass Effect games when they first came out. I had a PS3 back when the games were briefly exclusive to Xbox, and had moved on to the PS4 shortly after BioWare brought all three original games to Sony’s hardware. I also stayed away from Mass Effect Andromeda¹ after the poor reviews. I always knew that these were well-regarded games though, and once news of the remastered trilogy broke I planned to buy the collection.
Playing the first Mass Effect was enough to hook me. I’ve heard over and over again how great Mass Effect 2 is, but I’m of the opinion that playing the first is vital to truly experiencing the story. The opening screen, with the story of the Protheans and the titular Mass Effect technology, is almost worth an entire blog post on its own. The story of the doomed early civilizations, the Reapers, and Commander Shepard’s quest to save all sentient life in the universe is nothing short of astounding.
Mass Effect 2 builds on the solid foundations of the first and makes some welcome improvements to combat and traversal. It’s much easier to move and shoot, which makes every narrative encounter feel more interesting (in the first game, I eventually turned down the difficulty to easy so I could blitz through the fights). There’s also a larger cast of characters and more graphically ambitious locales — a nod to the creative leeway and acclaim earned by the success of the first game.²
But throughout all the games, I’m constantly drawn in by how well-crated the world is and how much I’m interested to see how the story plays out. The story makes me feel like my choices have weight, and honestly, what else could I ask from a video game?
In all honesty, playing games from this generation of consoles is a big nostalgia trip for me. It brings me back to playing Uncharted or LittleBigPlanet in my parents’ basement. To the extent that the Mass Effect games look less than modern, I don’t really mind at all. But these games are more than trip down memory lane to a previous generation of consoles. This is one of the most enthralling narrative experiences I can think of on any medium.
¹ The story of Mass Effect Andromeda is partly due to an extremely troubled development process, which this story breaks down in detail.
² As most video game fans know, a successful, ambitious new IP can often lead to an even more ambitious sequel. This is what happened with the Uncharted franchise.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
