Because it is not only the cinema in life, and that the video game has always been cousin of the seventh art, Ecran Large returns with nostalgia and envy on some loves spent on console. After Dino Crisis: Mass Effect.
Whether or not it is up to expectations, Mass Effect: Andromeda recalls one thing: the Mass Effect trilogy is a monument in the galaxy of video games. It does not matter that it provoked the anger or the indignation of the fans at its controversial conclusion. The franchise of BioWare studio marked the science fiction adaptations by dragging them into a madly majestic, exciting and exciting adventure that still remains fabulous years later.
And it all started from the first episode, released in 2007.
IN A GALAXY LOINTAINE, NOT VERY LOINTAINE
Mars did not open the doors of Doom's hell but a door of the stars to the Stargate. The discovery in 2148 of the ruins of prosthetic civilization on Mars has offered mankind an incredible technology that makes possible the journey beyond the speed of light. At the same time, the real identity of Charon, the ultimately not very natural satellite of Pluto, is revealed: it is a cosmodic relay, a technological vestige of Prothéens that makes it possible to move quickly to another point of the Milky Way. Man has entered a new era.
Reunited under the Alliance name, humanity meets its distant extraterrestrial neighbors, organized into a gigantic community governed by a space station called the Citadel. This powerful political center is headed by the Council, made up of aliens, which in particular designates agents capable of acting beyond the laws to maintain order in their world: the Specters.
Mass Effect begins several decades after the eyes of humanity have opened onto the universe. Despite its relatively young age and a noble reputation, Man has gained a place within the Citadel, nurturing the many tensions within a community already torn by racism and a painful common past.
In co-operation with the Turks, one of the most powerful races in the community, the Alliance built an experimental vessel called the Normandy. The story begins on board, alongside Commander Jack Shepard, sent on Eden Prime to investigate a new prosthetic artefact discovered by a human colony. It is the first step in what will become a war for the survival of all living beings in the galaxy, threatened by an unimaginable form of life that prepares for its return.
THE GHOST THREAT
Why is this classic a priori mix between Star Wars and Babylon 5 so good? Because it is brilliantly told and installs an exciting mythology, both magical and terribly anchored in human reality. The community gangrened by power struggles and racism, the fragile organization around a political core, the discovery of a terrible threat, the investigation to unmask a high-placed traitor: the story is thrilling, solidity perfectly exciting, with an impeccable mastery of the codes. Epic scenes alternate with twists and confrontations that challenge the protagonists' convictions, transforming the quest for the survival of the universe in search of oneself.
Mass Effect leaves the player the task of choosing and assuming his position in the face of events. From dialogues to the use of points, he can shape the character of the hero around two axes: an icy pragmatism with an aggressive humor option, and an absolute and sometimes naive desire for conciliation, Shepard and his world take shape throughout the stages, leaving the player sometimes confused when faced with difficult choices, or amused when it comes to flirting or on the contrary rearranging a colleague.
Everyone will keep memories of these choices, which leave stunning or sometimes push to reload a game to test different options. See to resume the game an hour earlier in order to complete a secondary quest and save this damn Wrex on Virmine.
Lighter, the possibility of building the Shepard, from its sex to the frame of its face, passing by its natural capacities according to its rank, is also present from the launch of the game. Mass Effect is therefore an object in the image of the player, in which he will insufler the best or the worst of himself.
HE EXTERNAL ADVENTURE
From the metallic Presidium with its embassies and trendy clubs, to the green and disquieting ruins of Ilos, Mass Effect is a fantastic journey. Alien, Starship Troopers, Dune, Armageddon, 2001: The adventure is filled with references that make the Milky Way a gold mine for the imagination. The possibility of visiting the corners of the galaxy according to its desires, by simple curiosity or no desire to carry out the numerous secondary quests, is for many. Some sequences, like the one where the top and bottom are reversed during the climax, are even particularly exciting to play.
But it is mythology that impresses most. The organization of the various alien races, their cultures evoked in the dialogues, and all that the game offers to the curious player (especially in dialogues and accessible discussions) forge a fascinating and enchanting universe, well beyond the adventure itself. The synopsis may be of a simple beast, the adventure is of a dizzying richness, alternately palpitating and heartbreaking.
One of Mass Effect's great strengths is his character gallery, of a crazy humanity that goes far beyond the claimed archetype. Garrus, Ashley, Tali, Liara, Kaidan, Wrex or the Joker driver form an irresistible disfunctional family with Shepard, capable of being funny, exasperating, touching and amazing.
Each of them has a true unique color. History gradually reveals all its dimensions by brewing themes as diverse as magic, militarism, war crimes, genetic experiments, sexuality and especially past wounds but not dressed. The curious and patient player will have the opportunity to discover the character and the past of these superb acolytes, all the more endearing as the game will test this link with a handful of Cornelian choices.
But these second roles are not there to hide an insipid hero: no matter its genus, its head or its nature, Shepard is an exciting protagonist in the sense that it will become the alter ego of the player. His humor, his aggressiveness, his empathy, his sense of duty, his relationship to others (media, unknowns, aliens, religion, money) and even his sexuality are all available and playable cards, offering the possibility of drawing a hero with whom there will be a real bond. Shepard can thus be a racist cynic who sleeps with his subordinate and uses his weapon to solve the slightest problem, or an idealist who tries to reason his enemy to the end.
Apart from a few obvious key moments, the impact of these choices on events is minimal, but the impact of this small freedom is powerful: it allows a crazy, lasting and striking immersion.
LIMITS OF CONTROL
Of course, Mass Effect is not free of defects. Exploration of the Milky Way is too quickly limited, many planets being inaccessible and summarized in a historical and scientific fact sheet. The interiors and exteriors tend to become compliant prints after a few hours of adventure. A part of the secondary missions is a deep boredom. The loading times are too long and curiously arranged. The AI of enemies and teammates is occasionally heartbreaking (the best strategy to save colleagues is sometimes to order them to wait in a corner, safe from enemy fire). The Mako, used in certain phases, is moderately convincing, especially because of its maneuverability and a comical absence of physical reality.
But the sum of these frustrating or disappointing elements can not damage the overall value of an exciting and spectacular game, which surprises at all levels. With its history, its characters, its universe, its turns of situation and its galactic dimension, less simple than expected. The presence of writer Drew Karpyshyn, a sci-fi lover who joined Bioware to work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is certainly not foreign.
The original music of Jack Wall, again much more interesting than the pure utilitarian score, contributes to the adventure of superb colors, alternately epic and enchanting. Pace the metal corridors of the Presidium, choose its destination on the map of the stars or discover the fascinating ruins of Ilos to the rhythm of superb pieces marks the memory.
In ten years, the video game naturally conquered new technological territories, constructed new formulas and crushed the models of yesterday. But in ten years, Mass Effect has hardly taken a wrinkle. Or at least, no wrinkle sufficiently ugly to spoil it, beyond the inevitable and charming patina of time.
The first episode of the cult saga thus remains a formidable odyssey with epic proportions and mythology, which can be replayed in 2017. The release of Andromeda on March 23, in addition to proving that Mass Effect Will continue its route through the stars, is the perfect opportunity to remember it.
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Great, I love this game. It is a great video game series!
yes, friend
I love mass effect three, but mass effect Andromeda won't let me.
Yes, it is a good video games
I really tryed to play this but gameplay is very boring for me, story wasn't so interesting too, not so important but game looks now terrible graphically. Guess this game would be better as a heavy rain style game instead of action rpg.
Got this game for free from origin yet I don't play it.
The only thing I enjoyed was music some tracks are really good.
the force of games Mass Effect and freedom to choose, and this is possible because it is a rpg.
I agree with you regarding the story.
Well I guess I have problem with rpg in general. For many people it is about choices and playing the character you want but for me it is really difficult since I can't do things I want. Skyrim for example has alot of freedom but if you try to kill npc well then "this npc cannot be killed" and then you just try to kill every npc in town to find out how many really die, and it turns out nearly nobody does except nameless guards that have no story at all. It is not just that, many times you have a choice to kill or not to kill but only those, there is no choice to go to police or use non lethal weapon or something like that. This things happen all the time so it kinda feels forced or some kind of ultimatum not freedom.
I know making a truly freedom game would require too much resources but still.. Stanley parable had alot of choices and I really enjoyed the game even so it was about walking in terms of gameplay.
Yes, it's true ,I agree.
for skyrim there are "patches" which allows a lot of things example : kills the villagers, the girls naked, weapons and armor unpublished....