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10 years ago today: Mass Effect was unveiled to the industry

Mass Effect was actually the first digital game I ever bought... On my friends 360. Figured I was there often enough and we could experience it together. Never got past the first mission. Goodbye £40.

Later rebought it years later for myself and experienced it properly. Had a lot of fun when I did.
 
My absolute favorite game of all time, ive played and replayed this game countless times in the past 9 years, I just wish the xbone back compat version ran better, Though it wouldnt be the full mass effect experience for me without some jank. I would kill for a 1080p 60 fps remaster though
 
I really loved the first game so much. I felt like the sequels were less ambitious than the first game. I often wonder what could've been as well. Fingers crossed the next game brings back some of "openness" of the first title.

Exactly my feelings, i remember when ME 2 came out and while I love that game aswel, it doesnt feel anywhere near as grand and gives me the drive to explore that the first game still does
 

Lucreto

Member
I love the series and each game has its positives and negatives.

Mass Effect had a great story and loved the planet exploration but the Mako hindered the experience. I didn't like the inventory system and most loot was useless. My Shepard could have become a omni-gel salesman. The combat was not the best either.

Mass Effect 2 was a far better game overall, all the little changes made the game better but the lack of planet exploration was disappointing. I have to admit I loved the resource gathering and planet scanning but everything you needed to upgrade can be done too easily and there is no real point on continuing once the Normandy was fully upgraded. I would of liked really expensive upgrades to make use of the overabundant resources. I loved the characters and their interaction with each other. The weapon and Armour upgrade system was better than the first game as well.

Mass Effect 3 I really enjoyed and I have long made my peace with the ending. I was annoyed for an hour or two but I got over it. I loved the darker tone with Earth and the Milky Way under seige by the reapers. I got a slight Suikoden vibe from it starting out with little and slowly building up a force that can take on the Reapers. It's a pity it never fully panned that way. They made an effort to put more RPG elements back in. I liked the idea of the weapons weight so Shepard didn't become a one man army. I missed the planet scanning from ME2 and also the hacking mini games.

I really hope for a remaster with reduced loading times.
 
That first press release is interesting in terms of the ending to Mass Effect 3 - it refers to the conflict between organics and AI in a way that I think was least in the actual games. It's possible the writers of the ending weren't aware of how much the perception of the game and it's themes had shifted compared to their original design docs and intentions.

In terms of ME1, I picked it up randomly having not enjoyed the last few Bioware games that much. At first I loved it, but got quickly tired of the endless fetch quests on the citedal, the copy and paste empty worlds and some really silly combat situations that were just completely unfun (rescuing Liara and the fight it throws you into after that at the top of the lift).

I persevered through the set mission planets as they were actually enjoyable compared to the rest of the game, but didn't have much hope if make it through to the ending. Then I hit Ilos, and from the moment you speak to Vigil to the end I was caught up in the greatest ending sequence in gaming history (until ME2!). That final run up the side of the citedal, the fight with Saren, and then the decisions you make were spectacular. The decision to call in the Alliance fleets in the nick of time to save the Destiny Ascension is the closest so any computer game has gotten to making me feel like I was in one of my favourite sci fi stories (Babylon 5 to be exact). The first game took too long to get going, but Christ that end sequence was truly amazing.

Fuckin' truth. That whole sequence still stands out to me as some of the most intense few hours of gaming I've ever done. You really felt like every second mattered.

I'd put Virmire in there, too. For me, that's where the ME1 home stretch begins.
 

Dennis

Banned
I didn't play Mass Effect until it had been out for about a year though it was certainly on my radar.

I really loved the first game so much. I felt like the sequels were less ambitious than the first game. I often wonder what could've been as well. Fingers crossed the next game brings back some of "openness" of the first title.

The first game had great vision and setting.

The sequels went grimdark and were far more conventionally 'videogame' in tone.
 
ME 1 was a game I rented back in the day but never got into it, then after playing a friends copy about a year later I fell in love the entire thing, the story, the characters, it all fell into place for me.

ME 1 is a game i'll never forget, it's staying there along with the first time I played sonic the hedgehog and gran turismo, a game which scarred me in all the right ways.
 

Wvrs

Member
The best game I ever went into blind.

I was 13 years old in 2008, trying to buy some 15-rated game lol. Employee wouldn't sell me it so I went and looked at the shelf for anything that looked like a half decent 12-rated game, and luckily in the UK ME1 was rated 12.

Bought it, played it, was put off straight away by Eden Prime. Shelved it for a couple of months. Then had an internet cut off at my house for a while so I booted it up.

A week later I'd finished the game, and restarted it to play it all again.

Really gutted there has been no remaster.
 
I really loved the first game so much. I felt like the sequels were less ambitious than the first game. I often wonder what could've been as well. Fingers crossed the next game brings back some of "openness" of the first title.

It's only natural. The first game is a mess, it approaches every subject under the stars and never achieves anything with any of them. The more focused and tone specific natures of the other two were probably a direct reaction to that, and it made them much stronger games, if... well, not always good.
 

V-Faction

Member
If it wasn't for loving KOTOR, I wouldn't have paid this game any mind.
But because I'm a sci-fi guy, I went from 0 to 100 when I saw footage.
This (and Halo) is what got me to ultimately purchase my 360.
It's one of the few games I've replayed fully twice--one paragon and one renegade.
Bioware became one of my favorite companies, and Mass Effect one of my fav franchises.
 

Bergerac

Member
This might sound crazy but that original trailer, not being the biggest Sci Fi or RPG guy at the time, I was just 'Ok I'll keep an eye on this'. Then 0:54 happened. Yup, that BWOMMMMMM sound when the logo hits, sold me on the idea.
 
I got into Mass Effect pretty late (probably late 2009-ish). My friend would not stop talking about it so I borrowed it and I fell in love with the game. Atmosphere, music, story everything was perfect.

Never saw those early screenshots though, kinda funny how much the stock-Shepard changed throughout the development.
 
Still waiting for the HD Remastered trilogy for current-gen before I finally dip into the series for the first time. Was really close to getting the trilogy on PS3 for £11.99, but thought a remaster would come in no time. My patience will wear thin eventually though, but I'm just holding out for a better current-gen release w/DLC. It has to be coming...right?
 
Mass effect and those reveal trailers really captured the spirit of those times, all the possibilities next gen would offer... a shame what happened to the series.
 
I bought an XBox 360 to play Mass Effect and had an absolutely fantastic time with it.... the sequels, less so. The first game actually felt like an epic adventure, especially landing on desolate planets and seeing what was on them with the most gorgeous skyboxes.... especially if you were near a star.
 
I've lost count of how many times I've played this game and I'm sure I'll play it again before Andromeda releases. I also got into this game a little late. I wasn't around for any of the development trailers and previews.

I remember the first couple of hours I thought this game was crap but had nice face animation and graphics for the time. Then it slowly became my favorite game I've ever played.

I just came across this short film that captured some of that original feeling that Mass Effect made me feel. I highly recommend it.

498302788_640.jpg


Erik Wernquist the creator has excellent taste.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH3c1QZzRK4

Mass Effect makes me a little less envious of a future I will never see. Thanks BioWare.
 

Breads

Banned
I wish I was moved enough by the premise to give these EA Bioware RPGs more of a chance. They definitely look and sound the part but I dunno. Maybe I'm spoiled by open world RPGs and meta/ self aware writing - the thing that finally turns me off from ME and DA is how self-important and serious it takes itself and how serious it wants me to take them in turn. I just can't get into it.

DA:I at least had characters I was interested in that helped me finish the story once and for all. I saw nothing for me in the ME series.
 

mejin

Member
I still can't believe how all my expectations and dreams could be crushed so hard on ME3. Bioware really did their best cause no other title disappointed me so much. They destroyed a master piece in my opinion.

Anyway, ME and ME2 were really amazing. Played everything I could, several saves, choices.
 

rpg_fan

Member
I bought my personal 360 for Mass Effect (we had one in the living room already). Loved that game. I replayed it a while back when trilogy came out on ps3. Loved it again. Of course I experienced the disappointment of ME2 all over again as well.
 
Mass Effect is one of the few RPGs I have played through more than once. It may be the only RPG I have played through more than once.
 

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
I was late to the hype and only played ME1 in 2009(or was it 2010?) on PC. Wish I started playing it sooner, but then again, that made the wait for ME2 pretty much non-existent, so I guess it was ok. :p

ME1 made me fall in love with the franchise and despite all the flaws of this game and its sequels, it's still one of my favorite franchise, and I hope MEA continue to deliver.

I'm probably going to start a new trilogy run after N7 day(especially if they show a teaser for MEA) because I'm that weak.
 

ChaosXVI

Member
I wasn't even all that aware of Mass Effect when it was about to come out, but it just happened that my school closed for a snowday the day it came out, and I had plenty of money for whatever because high school job. I figured what the hell?

It was my first RPG ever, so I didn't entirely know what to expect, but the DEEP amount of interesting Lore sold me immediately on the universe...but I got stuck a bunch of times, and kept putting the game down and picking it up again until beating it in 2011.

I loved it, and then immediately beat it again, then bought ME2 and beat it in a week or so. A lot of people complain that they didn't like the change in tone in 2, but I really enjoyed it because it helped convey how dire the situation with the Reapers was becoming. ME2 is more or less tied with Portal 2 for me as 2nd best game of last gen, after Mario Galaxy 2.

I really, really can't wait for Andromeda, for curiosity's sake if nothing else.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Remaster ain't coming.

Breath deep and be free.
 
I am not a big fan of ME think it is pretty overrated, really lacks a lot imo and symbolizes modern bioware nand where they have fallen behind other devs, , but it was an important franchise for last gen.,
 

Ivory Samoan

Gold Member
My favourite series of all time, I will forever love you Mass Effect.

Remaster ain't coming.

Breath deep and be free.

I've finally made my peace with this, I'm fine playing my 360/PC versions until Andromeda.

Played 12 hours a day for 4 days in a row. First time I ever got sick from playing a game.

I had the exact same experience, I literally got the Flu from too much time on the Citadel my first time through.
 

Garlador

Member
Remaster ain't coming.

Breath deep and be free.

No, screw that. I'm going to ask them for a Remaster until my dying breath.

Especially because Mass Effect 1 is one of those "special games" that's worth the effort to do so. So many less interesting, less worthwhile games are getting remastered and churned out, but Mass Effect trilogy is something that not only actually deserves the treatment, it's something that would REALLY benefit from it as well.

Mass Effect 1 was one of my first video game collector's edition pre-orders... and still one of the only ones that surpassed my expectations. The bonus DVD they included was packed with not only great bonus content, but the fact that so much of the art included developer and artist commentary was something I wish EVERY game did.

The scale and size of the game was mind-blowing to me when I played it. Running around the Citadel for hours on end before we actually even kicked off the game proper. Heck, my fiance is still on the Citadel because she keeps exploring and running into people and redoing quests with different save files to see different outcomes.

And Mass Effect 1 had something that ME2 and ME3 didn't have, something I've sorely missed and something I hope Andromeda fixes: The spirit of exploration.

We've all done this. As a boy, and even as an adult man, I stood there looking up at the night sky, counting the stars, asking myself "what's out there?" and dreaming of alien planets full of rocky moons, colorful creatures, and an infinite expanse of possibilities. To set foot on an alien world, to discover the unknown... space: the last great frontier.

Mass Effect 1 captured that feeling PERFECTLY.

It had its flaws, sure. One reason I champion a remaster so damn hard is because the original release was janky and unoptimized, plagued with painfully long load times, texture pop-in, a very rough framerate, screen tearing, and tons of other technical issues that plagued the console releases. The inventory system needs a total overhaul (I spent half that game in the menu turning things into omni-gel). The shooting mechanics were very rough. The Mako controls operated on physics more magical than any space magic in ME3's ending...

... But that doesn't come close to unbalancing the countless things it did right. The story, the lore, the villains, the music, the player choice, the visuals... all worked to created, IMO, the definitive space fantasy game of the video game industry.

I've played through the series countless times, always seeing new things, trying new paths, exploring new possibilities. Even with all that investment, EA will have my money the second they announce a Trilogy remaster.

Get Bluepoint on it.

Not just because I'm selfish and want the games on better hardware, optimized to polish out some of the original's few imperfections, but because I also fully believe this series, ALL of it, is worth re-releasing and promoting for a whole new generation of video game players, many of whom never got around to playing the game those ten long years ago. Especially since some of its best content is still not included in the main package of the game. It's still a fragmented masterpiece, one with important chapters locked off, like a great novel with missing chapters. For that reason alone, a re-release, not even just a remaster, with everything included I feel is paramount.

To me, a remaster is akin to a re-release of Jurassic Park, or E.T., or Back to the Future, or anything in the movie medium that left such a strong impression on its industry. Mass Effect is one such game; it's a landmark game. It raised the bar 10 years ago.

And ten years later, I'm still looking up at those stars and dreaming of setting foot on some distant world with nothing but infinite possibilities lying beyond the horizon.
 

SugarDave

Member
I still remember debating whether to pick up a PS3 or Xbox 360 then stumbling upon the Mass Effect website randomly one night. It looked like the game I had always dreamed of and I was hooked from there.
 

mtodavk

Member
I actually FINALLY got around to playing through the first two games a couple months ago and my instant reaction was. "screw 2015 games...2007 is where it's at."

I remember playing the game on 360 and thinking the movement was a little clunky and shallow mtodavk at the time found that to be unacceptable. After a couple years sitting in my steam library, I started it up on a whim and played through the first two games in about a week...truly an incredible experience. I've been putting off playing the third game just due to how many games are coming out this holiday...well that and I replayed the entire MGS series before TPP came out. 2015 has been awesome year for me for video games.

Now the real question is is the first Dragon Age as good? I started that one a while ago and found the combat to be a little too passive. Does the pace pick up after a while?
 

JeffG

Member
I came late to Mass Effect. I had stopped gaming for over a decade and was doing technical scuba diving as my hobby.

When I started dating my current wife, her young son got the red ring of death on his 360. She didn't want him to be out of a game machine so I bought him another 360 and arranged to have the dead one shipped back to microsoft. Hence I ended up with an extra 360 that I put in the master bedroom. (somewhere around late 2010)

Her boy's had literally close to a hundred games around the house. So I would just grab a game and try it out. I had no idea of what Mass Effect was, but I knew Bioware. (I loved Balders Gate on PC). So I tried it out. First time I put in Mass Effect I was thinking hmmmm combat kinda iffy, graphics kinda iffy. Play a little bit and put it down. Tried it again a couple of months later and this time stuck it out.

Played Mass Effect 1 and 2 without even knowing that I could talk to the characters. (I lost almost everyone on the suicide mission)

When I found out that I missed 3/4 of the game I went back and played it again and fell in love. Waiting for Mass Effect 3 to be released was a very tough thing to do.

I have now play through Mass Effect 1,2,3 ~10 times

(and after Mass Effect I then went and Picked up the Dragon Age games. My game play was play dragon age 1,2 + DLC, then switch to Mass Effect 1,2,3)
 

Taruranto

Member
It was kinda mediocre (how did they fuck the inventory system to much), but it offered an interesting mix of genres and a very peculiar atmosphere.

Too bad the sequels didn't expand ME1 gameplay systems and instead turned into boring space-corridors simulators.
 

Overside

Banned
Such a massive dissapointment. This could have been so amazing had it been the modernization of starflight they first envisioned.

But of course, each sequel got farther, and farther away...
 
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