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Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man
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Sunday, September 9, 2012
Mass Effect Trilogy Super Ultra Mega Review!
The Mass Effect Trilogy is one of the greatest accomplishments in recent gaming history. When developer BioWare announced that they were making a new Sci-Fi trilogy, it was pretty ballsy of them to assume all three games would even get made. So it was downright unthinkable when they further announced that all of your character's actions and choices would carry over to the next game and affect the world in which you played. BioWare delivered on it's promise (for the most part) and continued it's tradition of excellence in story-driven games (again, for the most part).
This review will look at each game in the series individually, examine it's strengths and weaknesses and how it progresses the series, as well as attempt to examine the evolution of the trilogy as a whole. A few things that should be noted:
1. The earliest BioWare game I ever played was Knights of the Old Republic. So if in this review I ever make a sweeping blanket statement such as, ". . . was the best thing BioWare ever did," what I actually mean to say is, ". . . was the best thing BioWare did since KOTOR."
2. I played the entire trilogy on the Normal difficulty. I play games to have fun. So if I comment that a certain aspect of the gameplay was too easy, that's because I'm not crazy and didn't try it on Insanity.
3. Beware of SPOILERS!
Mass Effect, 2007
The original Mass Effect was pretty groundbreaking for it's time. The advent of the dialogue wheel allowed for a fully voiced cast and a more cinematic feel than had previously been achievable in video games. Most of the criticism it received was about it's clunky controls and rampant texture popping, but most agreed it was a worthy effort and well worth your time.
STORY
Purists are quick to say that this game has the best story in the series, and I'm inclined to agree with them. It stays pretty true to what I call the "BioWare formula." Nearly all BioWare games share the same basic dramatic structure:
And ME1 does it masterfully! I just about shit my pants the first time I became a Spectre. I was so proud of myself; I wanted to go out and tell random people that I was the first human Spectre. Beyond the formula, this game's story does a couple of things really well:
It's the perfect introduction into the Mass Effect Universe (and yes, I know the game takes place in a single galaxy; when I say Universe here, I'm referring to the metaphysical space in which the Mass Effect series exists). Everything that happens tells you something new about this Universe that you are exploring for the first time. Every character you talk to, from that first Volus you meet on the Citadel to Vigil on Ilos, reveals a new detail. By the time you get to the end, you realize that this galaxy is rich and diverse, and worth saving.
And it establishes that your choices matter. This is the main theme of the entire series. Almost all the big decisions feel weighty and important. It's easy to see how many of these choices will have a lasting effect. The mission of Virmire establishes the precedent that sometimes there's no right choice. The morality system in this game is not as clear cut as it's been in previous BioWare games. Who didn't sit there for at least ten minutes trying to decide between Kaden or Ashley? I know I did. I probably paced the room, too. Choices matter. And by the end, you really feel like you've made a difference, for better or worse.
GAMEPLAY
All Mass Effect games have three basic types of gameplay: talking, shooting, and exploring. I will cover them all here. Since this is the first game in the series, I'll mostly just be giving an overview of what this game did.
Talking
Dialogue was kind of a big deal when this game came out. Sure, other games had been fully voiced before, but this was the first time you could actually carry out a conversation. The dialogue wheel, as opposed to the more traditional text-based mechanics, was a simple, creative solution that allowed scenes to play out in a more fluid, cinematic fashion without removing control from the player. This type of gameplay remains as innovative today as it was when the game was first released.
Shooting
If anyone complained about ME1, it was probably about the shooting mechanics. Controls were clunky and sluggish. The cover system was more-or-less broken. And I agree that it's clunky and broken, but I also kind of like it. See, I think most people look at this game and they think they see a shooter. It certainly looks like one, but it's not. It's a turn-based combat simulator that plays out in real-time. I know that "turn-based" and "real-time" don't really sound like they go together, but this isn't the first time BioWare had done this. KOTOR played out in real-time, but used a turn-based system; your character's stats affected how often you could attack and what kind of damage you'd do. ME1 does it in a similar way. The "how fast you can attack" part is built directly into your gun. You have to time your attacks so that your gun doesn't over-heat. That sounds a lot like a power cool-down timer to me. You increase your damage and accuracy by putting skill points into a certain weapons group. That means that players don't have to rely on their twitch-based shooter skills. Being good at Halo doesn't make you good at this game, maintaining your character's stats and their inventory makes you good at it! It may not be the most exciting way to shoot things, but it wasn't designed to be. It was designed to be slow and strategic. It put the emphasis on the characters and making good decisions (the major theme of the series!) rather than the player's skill.
And if you really didn't like shooting people, you could always choose a biotic or tech based class instead. So . . . yeah.
Exploring
Okay, let's be honest, the Mass Effect trilogy did a lot of things right, but exploring was never one of them. And I can understand their conundrum. Exploration is one of the major elements in any RPG, but in these games you have an entire galaxy to explore! How do you do that in an efficient way that's also interesting and exciting?
ME1 tried it this way: you can land on various planets and roll around them in your armored vehicle. Sounds cool in theory, but after a while, you start to recognize a pattern. There's only about three things to do on every planet. You can mine for resources, you can visit crash sites to collect random alien shit, and you can fight some random mercenaries in a base. At least in this game there was a chance for some loot.
Speaking of which, this is probably the best time to point out that ME1 is the only game in the series that had an acceptable loot system. I'm tired of these non-core gamers complaining that their inventories are too complicated. If it takes me less than an hour to organize my inventory and pimp out my crew with the best gear after every mission, then your loot system isn't worth its salt. That's one of the reasons why I play RPG's, to see what shit I found and if I can use it! Okay, end of rant.
ROMANCES
BioWare games often place a lot of emphasis on characters and your relationships with them. And there's always a few companions in there that are romanceable, if you treat them right. Deep down, I'm kind of a sap, so I'll be giving my thoughts on each of the romances. Well, not each. I never played FemShep, so I won't be touching on the romances exclusive to her.
Ashley
The Ashley romance in this game is one of my favorites. When most video games try to handle relationships, they tend to feel very forced. The Ashley romance feels more natural. You don't just hook up with her because she's hot, nor does she swoon over you because you're the "hero." This relationship is about two people getting to know each other, learning about their strengths and weakness, and eventually accepting the other for who they are, and then realizing you care for them, regardless.
Liara
This is one of those more forced relationships I was talking about. You know, you just meet her for the first time ever, rescue her five minutes later, and immediately she's interested. It just feels rushed. However, the psychic bond that's established goes a long way to alleviating that. And her innocent naiveté makes her pretty endearing. This is also the beginning of one of the more interesting and complete character arcs in the series.
OVERALL
One of my favorite video games ever!
Mass Effect 2, 2010
This game is highly recognized as one of the greatest games on the current console generation. And for good reason. It took many of it's predecessor's successes and improved upon them, creating a fully realized, player controlled, cinematic experience. It also fulfilled the promise that what you did in ME1 would matter in ME2. However, this game is not perfect, and I feel for as many improvements as it made, it also took a few steps backwards.
STORY
I think the greatest achievement of ME2 is that it actually worked. The first game promised that your individual choices would affect the second game, and to many a gamer's surprise, they did! Some of these affects were small, changing no more than a single conversation or an email, but others opened up new side quests, and the big ones altered the state of the entire galactic civilization. Regardless of what you did, the plot of ME2 remains the same, but the devil is in the details. And as players progress through the story, they'll begin to see their imprint on individuals as well as the entire galaxy.
If you look at the Mass Effect series as a single three-act story, each game being one act, then ME2 is the second act in the story. That's usually when a the Protagonist enters a new world, often the opposite of what was previously established. This game does that by removing Shepard from his element and exposing him to the dark underbelly of the galaxy. The Terminus Systems were mostly off limits in the last game, and now they're your base of operations. Cerberus was an organization you were actively fighting, and now you're working with them.
But the best thing this story does is character development. This game is really just one, big character study. Your total number of companions is increased by 50%, and almost all of them are more complex and layered than the previous ones. Nearly every major quest is about either acquiring a new friend or aiding an existing one. To fully survive the Suicide Mission, you'll have to get to know and spend time with every single member of your crew. And as you do so, you start to see a little bit of Shepard reflected back at you. By interacting with your crew, you gain a deeper understanding of your own character.
My biggest gripe about the story is the Antagonist, or perhaps lack thereof. ME2 is a much more focused experience, so it tends to lose sight of the bigger picture. The Reapers are only mentioned from time to time, and you're just kind of crossing your fingers that the Collector Threat is related to them. And anyone who suggests that Harbinger was a better villain than Saren is crazy, because Harbinger isn't an actual character. He's a faceless, threat-less plot devise. Sure, he can "assume control" of his pawns, but that just means that every time you defeat him, you lose a little bit of respect for his power.
This could have been fixed with just giving a little more interaction with the Collectors. The game never lets you do anything besides shoot at them. Can you image getting to talk to one? Do you think Shepard even realizes that Harbinger is doing his control thing? This game is just begging for a scene where you get to talk to a Collector, and then realize that you're actually talking to a Reaper. I mean, how cool would that be?! Something like that would be fun, interesting, and reward players by making them feel like they solved a mystery.
On a random, yet final, note: I really like the character EDI, but was a little annoyed at how she was often used as a plot devise. It just seems like whenever something needed to happen, EDI would just do it. She calibrated the defense towers on Horizon, she guided you through the Collector ship, she fed you ever scrap of information needed to recruit every single companion. I mean, some of these things might have been interesting conflicts that really increased the tension if Shepard would have had to look for his own solutions. But instead EDI takes care of everything. Thanks.
GAMEPLAY
Talking
ME1's dialogue system was innovative, but ME2 takes that same system and absolutely perfects it. The camera is now much more dynamic. Where before, most conversations took place in shot/reverse shot, now the camera will cut to a more varied shot list, and often find more interesting angles. It will often peek through equipment or a hologram present in the environment. Not only does this increase the overall cinematic feel of the game, it also highlights the dramatic graphical improvements it made. This game is beautiful, and just fun to watch.
It further enhanced the dialogue system with the introduction of Paragon/Renegade Interrupts. Sometimes during a conversation, an icon will start to flash in the corner of the screen. This means that you can press a button to literally interrupt the conversation. It also usually means that something badass is about to happen. These interrupts are used to save lives, console friends, trash bad guys, and generally show the galaxy how awesome you are. If Shepard has to interrupt someone, it's probably for a pretty damn good reason. This mechanic is just one more element of control in an already amazing system.
Shooting
This game does away with the old, clunky combat in exchange for more traditional shooter mechanics. At first, I was a bit disappointed by this decision, because it made the game feel more like an action title then an RPG. But I was delighted that they came up with an in-story reason for why the guns work differently. And it doesn't hurt that the controls are pretty tight, and the combat is genuinely fun.
What's more disappointing is the level design. Most of the combat environments are just claustrophobic, little hallways. And there's a clear divide between areas where you talk to people and areas where you shoot at people. It's much less open, in both art design and gameplay.
Remember Feros, back in ME1? That area started out with a small firefight outside the colony, then you went into the colony and talked to some people, then you went around the area solving problems (which involved both talking and shoot), drove the Mako around, talked to a scientist, shot some Geth, then went back to the colony for more talking and shooting. If that area had been in ME2, it would have had a room where you talk to the colonist, then it would load a long hallway where you shoot at Geth to get to the other end, then it would load a new room where you find what you're looking for. After that, it would send you back to the room with the colonists where you'd talk about what you found. Everything is just clearly segmented. The moment you enter a new environment, you're pretty certain whether you'll be talking to people or shooting them. That wasn't the case in the first game.
Starting to see what I mean about for every improvement there's also a step backwards?
Exploring
The Mako is gone, so no more planetary exploration missions. Instead, you'll just be scanning every planet to come across from your ship in hopes of fining mineral resources. These resources are needed to upgrade weapons, armor, and - most importantly - you ship. You'll need every ship upgrade if you hope to fully survive the Suicide Mission. This makes planet scanning a somewhat tolerable annoyance, but nothing more. There's no joy in exploring a new area or uncovering a lost treasure.
I wish there was loot in this game. I really, really miss the loot.
ROMANCES
The only problem with the romances in this game is that your previous love interest is never able to join your crew. This leaves the player with a difficult decision, either wait it out in hopes of being reunited with your love in the third game, or move on to someone new, which may or may not have consequences later on.
Ashley
I thought Ash and I would last forever. After all, I had fully accepted her for who she was, including her laundry list of character flaws, and I thought she had fully accepted me. Imagine my surprise when she all but accuses me of being a terrorist for working with Cerberus. I'm just trying to save the galaxy here, and could honestly use a little support, but she's having none of it. Her brief exchange affectively ends the relationship, in my opinion. But more on that later.
Liara
Liara is the exact opposite of Ashley in this game, and just as surprising. She has been unflinchingly loyal to you, despite the fact that you've been dead for two years. In fact, she's partly responsible for bringing you back to life. Think about it, you died, and everyone else (naturally) went their separate ways. But not Liara. She said, "No, I'm going to get him back." That's pretty comforting, even if you weren't in a relationship with her. It's kind of disappointing that she can't join you on your current mission, but she makes up for it later.
Miranda
This is one of the more shallow romances in the series, in my opinion. Nothing happens that makes me feel Shepard and Miranda actually care for each other. It's feels more like they're using each other. It's like in high school when the quarterback dates the head cheerleader, you know, because they have to. With Miranda being so oversensitive about her genes, you'd think it'd be more helpful for Shepard to stay out of her pants. However, I can't blame him for being . . . distracted by her presence.
Tali
I always liked Tali. I was extremely happy to see her return to my crew, and even more so to see that I could now romance her. Courting Tali felt a lot like that childhood friend that you suddenly wanted to take it to the next step with. It was kind of awkward at first, but in the end, "totally worth it." It breaks my heart every time I play a campaign where I don't intend to romance her, and I have to ignore her advances.
Jack
I never romanced Jack. I guess she's just not my type. From what I've heard, the only thing that I don't like is the implication that you can "fix" her via a romance. But that's made up for ME3.
DLC
Lair of the Shadow Broker
This is the single best piece of DLC that I've ever played for any game. It expands the story, introduces new locations, and reunites characters, not to mention that it looks great and plays amazingly well! I love the car chase gameplay (because every Sci-fi series needs a hover car chase). And to be honest, before I played this, I wasn't really planning on taking a Liara romance all the way to ME3, but this DLC convinced me that I'd really be missing out if I didn't do that. It also fills in some pretty important gaps for her character between the second and third game. This is a must have for any Mass Effect play-through.
The Arrival
Overall, this DLC is kind of boring. It's mostly just gunning through enemies. And the fact that your squad can't join you is rather disappointing, and a bit out of left field for such a character heavy game. However, you do get to talk to a Reaper at the end, which is always cool. And it's vital to understanding why ME3 begins the way it does. It's not my favorite DLC, but if you're a fan of the series, you should probably check it out.
OVERALL
It's strengths vastly outweigh it's weaknesses. An amazing addition to the series!
Mass Effect 3, 2012
The final game in the Mass Effect trilogy released to rave reviews, but received mixed impressions from the fans. Most acknowledge the games technical achievements, but many argue that it is not a fulfilling conclusion to a story they've been engrossed in for so many years. The debate still rages on today, despite BioWare's attempt to appease its fans. Personally, I think it's a good game, but ultimately the weakest in the series.
STORY
I think that much of the controversy that surrounds the ending is misguided. People say they like the game, except for the last ten minutes, but what they don't realize is that the whole story is wrong. They blame the ending, but the problems truly start at the very beginning.
The moment I started playing ME3, I knew that something was wrong. Remember the formula? What's the first thing that happens in a BioWare game? A routine mission goes horribly wrong. ME2 pulled this off perfectly: you're flying around space just looking for Geth, and then a mystery ship comes out of nowhere and you fucking die! What's the first thing happens in ME3? People are talking . . . about things you should already know. Then you kind of . . . stand around, and talk some more about the things you already know. Then the Reapers show up. Okay, that's kind of exciting. But there's no build up! There's no Oh, shit! moment where you realize that everything's about to get fucked. The end of the world is upon us, and everyone's acting pretty casually.
So the plan is to go to the Citadel and get the Council to fight the Reapers. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. This might take awhile, so hang in there with me on this one:
Okay, remember how I compared the trilogy to a single three-act story (people do this with Star Wars all the time)? Well, another way to think of three acts is to call them Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis. The first act (Thesis) is the introduction, the status quo. Act two (Antithesis) is the upside down world, where the hero explores new territory. The third act (Synthesis) is where the hero takes what they've gained from their experiences in the second act and brings it back to the status quo of the first act, and affects change for the better.
I went through all of that because working with the Council makes no sense at all! You did that already in the first game, and it didn't work. Shepard has no reason to believe that the Council will help, or that their help would do him any good. Why? Because the experience he gained in the second act, in ME2, is that he can accomplish his goals by operating outside of traditional channels. The Illusive Man taught him that; he accomplished the impossible, and he did it on his terms. Shepard is now free of TIM's shady influence, and should be looking to save the galaxy - again - on his own terms.
When I first finished playing ME2 I hypothesized that in the third game Shepard would be working for the Shadow Broker. I thought this for two reasons. 1) access to new resources and intel that will be vital to stopping the Reapers, and 2) a new organization that seems like a compromise (or perhaps a synthesis) between the Alliance/Council and Cerberus. After playing the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, I thought this notion was all but confirmed! At least that way, you'd be taking your orders from someone you have an emotional attachment to, instead of some emotionless admiral that you don't really care about. It just makes no sense that Shepard would go back to work for people who screwed him over in the past.
So Shepard is basically handed the blue prints to an ancient Prothean Reaper-killing device, and for some reason he thinks his best bet is to form alliances. Bullshit! Shepard should have been like, "These guys have screwed me over once too often. I'm putting all of my effort into this Crucible thing." That should have been the Main Quest, building the Crucible and tracking down the necessary components to completing it. I agree with the game's sense of scale; you shouldn't be looking for like one scientist or a single heat-sink. You should be looking for a whole team of Salarian specialists or like a top-sectret Turian mass effect drive-core. And then along the way, you make friends who agree to help you with the war. But instead, you do it the other way around, looking for friends instead of focusing on the Crucible. This shit's just bass-ackwards.
I also have a problem with the way the Main Quest is structured. This game is decidedly linear. Instead of being given an overall objective and the freedom to decide which missions to do next, you're basically told where to go every step of the way. You can't even pretend to think that a side quest might be your next best step, because every mission that advances the story is annoyingly labelled "Priority." Thanks.
But at least your choices from the previous games still matter, right? Well . . . yes and no. But overall the way the game integrated past choices was much weaker than ME2. I think a good example of this is the Rachni Queen. That was a big decision going all the way back to ME1, and a lot of people were anticipating it. But regardless of what you did in the first game, there are still Rachni in the third. I guess the developers didn't want to exclude content from people who had made the "wrong" choice. But isn't that the whole point? Choices matter, and there should be consequences for certain decisions you make. I realize that not all your decisions can be world-shattering, but their should at least be something. Here's a few examples of choices that make absolutely no difference in the third game: what to do with the Geth Heretics, what to do with the Collector Base, should the Quarians go to war? I guess Shepard isn't as influential as you once thought.
Is there a positive example of how your past choices affect ME3? Maelon's research data on the Genophage. What you did with that was pretty important. And everyone who survives the Suicide Mission makes an appearance in the game. But that's about it. Everything just boils down to War Assets in the end, but I'll get to that later.
There are some good things about the story. The game has some pretty powerful character moments, and I teared up more than once. Also, the completion of the Genophage and Geth story lines are extremely touching. But I wonder if these elements would have been as moving if the groundwork hadn't already been laid in the previous games.
On a final note, I want to touch on the few new characters that ME3 introduces. They're pretty bland. Almost all the key characters from the past games were not only complex and multilayered, but offered unique insight into the Universe and story. What does James Vega offer the Mass Effect series?
Think of a character like Mordin Solus. What's the first thing that comes to mind? His funny voice, his work on the Genophage, or maybe his musical number? Any of these answers (and more) would be acceptable, because Mordin is a multilayered character. He has hopes, fears, reasonings, philosophies. He's complex and that makes him feel like a real person.
Now think of a character like Steve Cortez. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Probably the fact that he's miserable because his husband died, oh and that he's gay. That's really all there is to him. I don't have a problem with gay characters in my games, but it seems like he was thrown in there just in case Shepard wanted some man-loving. He's even in a vulnerable state; he's just begging to be seduced. But supposedly he's there to fly your shuttle. Do I even need to know who my shuttle pilot is? That's what Joker is for. I almost wish the new characters weren't even there, so I could spend more time with the interesting people.
GAMEPLAY
Talking
The dialogue system in this game actually took a step backwards by removing the middle option from every conversation. I guess BioWare felt it was time that you align yourself with one of the other choices, but the past two games already forced that issue with all the big choices. I should be allowed to still be on the fence about certain issues, or perhaps favor compromise. Also, some entire conversations take place without the dialogue wheel. Yeah, definitely a step backwards.
Lastly, the Paragon/Renegade Interrupts are not nearly as badass this time around. Instead of doing awesome stuff, you pretty much just interrupt the dialogue with, well, more dialogue.
Shooting
If this game did one thing right, it's the combat. The controls are tighter than they're ever been. Shepard is now much more mobile and has more tricks at his disposal. Now, any class can use any gun, but the weight of your gear will affect your power cool-down times, so you have to make tactical choices about what gear you bring into the field. Also, the level design has thankfully opened back up, and can even be used for tactical benefits.
A great addition to the combat is the amount of enemy types. They've never been so varied. Each and every enemy you come across utilizes different tactics and requires you to engage them in different ways. Many of them demand that you to work with your squad to bring them down, which then prompts you to pick a balanced squad for every mission.
If one thing can be said about this game, it's that combat is fun, fluid, and challenging. Oh, wait, except for the turret segments. Those were basically just filler. Every single time you jump into a turret, the story and your entire impact on it stops for thirty seconds while you shoot at random shit. Did you notice that the one time you're shooting the turret at a Reaper, it has absolutely no affect? You just shoot for no reason until the next cutscene plays. Why is that even in the game?
Exploring
After two failed attempts to create an engaging exploration mechanic, ME3 scraps everything in favor of pushing a single button as you navigate the galaxy map to scan for useful resources. Sometimes you'll find stuff. Sometimes you'll find Reapers, forcing you to flee the system you're currently scanning. The aforementioned stuff boil down to three things (none of which you need): credits, fuel, and War Assets. Okay, here we go:
War Assets are one of the worst things about this game. It's an un-engaging system that has little to no affect on the actual game. These War Assets all have fancy names like "Javelin Missiles" or "9th Turian Fleet," but they all boil down to an arbitrary number. All those numbers totaled up are supposed to represent your current military might. But regardless of what your number is, you'll get the same cutscenes for the final battle, and you'll still defeat the Reapers.
Okay, to be fair, the ending will slightly change. There are basically three levels of success. Go in with the minimum number of War Assets available and most of Earth will get destroyed. Go in with a little bit more, and some some of Earth (ie: Big Ben) will get destroyed. Go in with just a little bit more, and Earth will basically be fine. But if you import a campaign and do basically all the major side quests (the ones with your ME2 squad mates), you'll have more than enough to get the "best" possible ending. That makes this system basically useless, but I guess that's a good thing, because otherwise you'd have to fly around the whole galaxy looking for random crap to boost your arbitrary number.
This is really a huge missed opportunity on BioWare's part. Remember the end of ME1? You got an awesome boss fight and one last major decision to make. ME2 took that up a notch, by giving you more choices that directly affected the lives of your squad. Now think of the end of Dragon Age: Origins. Remember how you collected different armies and could summon them to aid you? Well, image mixing something like that with the type of choices you had to make in ME2. You have your "9th Turian Fleet" that you found scanning random space, and you can order it here or you can order it there. But if you make the wrong choice, not only will people die, but entire civilizations will crumble, because everything comes down to this moment, and every race has thrown everything they have into this last desperate act. That's what the War Assets could have been. I kept waiting for something that epic to happen, like the story was demanding it, but it just never happened.
ROMANCES
Ashley
I like Ashely as a character. She's complex and interesting. But damn, she's a crappy girlfriend. I waited all the way through ME2 in hopes of patching things up with her. But after saving the galaxy TWICE! she still questions who's side you're on. Remember that laundry list of character flaws I alluded to earlier? Well, you can add trust issues to it. At the times when you need her love and support the most, she's unable to give it. Eventually, you can get her back on your side, but in my opinion, it's too little, too late. It's a shame too, because she really is a great character. But you'd have to be crazy to stick with that.
Liara
Liara's unflinching affection holds true! She never gives up on you, and she's with you from the beginning till the end, a constant source of support, motivation, and affection. She's smart and sweet, but would tear a living creature apart with her mind if she had to, to save you. What else is there to say about her? She is - for lack of a better word - perfect.
Miranda
Again, I don't find the romance with Miranda too compelling. The fact that she's barely in this last game only solidifies my opinion that a romance with her is just not worth your time.
Tali
Like Liara, Tali's support is unwavering. My only problem is that she first appears kind of late in the game, so you don't get to spend a lot of time with her. Still, she's worth the wait.
THE EXTENDED CUT
The ending to this game sucks. Not because "your choices don't matter." They do; they got you this far. Not because the final choices "are stupid." They're not; they test your resolve by demanding that you give up at least one thing, no matter what. The ending sucks because it lacks resolution. Your final choice does something, but who knows what, and you can only cross your fingers that it's for the best. Luckily, the Extended Cut fixes all of that. Here's what I think of the various conclusions:
Destroy
This is my favorite ending, for a few reasons. It's what you set out to do from the beginning. It allows life to continue naturally, without the interference of some overlord figure. It allows for the possibility of Shepard living. And because I've reasoned all the negative aspects away. True, the Catalyst tells you that choosing this will destroy all synthetics, including yourself because of your implants, but I think he was just bullshiting you. I have several reasons for this.
1) The Geth. We know that Geth programs are stored in serves. In ME2, we learn some of those serves are stored in facilities "between stars." Since the Crucibles energy is carried by the Mass Relays, and since virtually all the Relays are strategically place near solar systems, it's easy for me to believe that some of these hubs escaped the blast. And if you've gotten the Geth this far, then they already have Legion's upgrades, and don't need additonal units to maintain intelligence. Hence, there race still exists.
2) EDI. Earlier in the game, you here a conversation between Adams and Donnely where it's revealed that EDI's processes have fully integrated into the Normandy. This suggests that the ship was space worthy before she was installed, but now would not be space worthy without her. Following that line of thought, after the Crucible fires, we later see the Normandy repaired and fly away. This suggests that EDI is still function in some way, shape, or form.
3) Shepard. This ending still gives you the infamous breath-sequence, suggesting that Shepard lives. If Shepard, who was at ground-zero of the blast, survived, I have a hard time believing it did any real damage to other synthetics.
So, yeah, best possible ending. Am I grasping at straws? Yes. Does that work for me? You betcha! I do wish it had voice-over from a different character. Admiral Hackett is kind of boring.
Control
I also really like this ending. Yeah, Shepard basically becomes a god. And he now controls the Reapers to do his bidding. That's really cool in a fascist, totalitarian sort of way. I think this is a good choice for any Renegade. Probably the most badass of the endings.
Synthesis
This is my least favorite of the endings, not because of what it does, but because of the conclusions it draws. I don't agree with it's ideas. Homogenization and the sharing of all perspectives will not lead to sustained peace, nor will sustained peace lead to utopia. Others will eventually use this shared perspective for their own benefit. This will lead to conflict, which is important, because without conflict, there is no innovation or advancement. A society without conflict will become stagnant, as they have no need to innovate.
Or, at least that's my belief.
Refusal
This is, of course, the least developed of the endings, which is a shame. I don't think there should be a way to "win" while picking this option. That's not the point. The point is to be defiant to the end. But I do think this ending deserves a similar slide-show treatment that the others got. I want to know more about the next cycle. Who are they? How did they find Liara's records? What else did they find? Did they build a Crucible, or defeat the Reapers through some other means? Sadly, we'll never know.
A NOTE ON LEVIATHAN
I have not yet played the Leviathan DLC, but I've read up on it, and I don't think I'll be purchasing it. The origin of the Reapers does not interest me, most because it doesn't matter. Knowing that they started out as giant sea monsters does not tell you how to stop them or help you understand them.
There are many remaining unanswered question about the Reapers. They're armor is nearly indestructible. Their attacks are incomprehensibly powerful. Their power source is apparently infinite. How are these things possible. In a Sc-Fi series that goes into so much detail about how it's technology works, I think these are important questions.
But what really interests me is what motivates the Reapers. See, I don't have a problem with the Catalyst's flawed logic. Yes, it's flawed, but we live in a flawed world, and people use flawed logic all the time (did you not read my thoughts on the Destroy ending?). But it's clear to me that the Reapers take an unholy pleasure in their harvesting. They were built for preservation, but they have become obsessed with destruction.
The mystery of the Reapers is one of the reasons why they're so interesting, so I don't expect all these questions to be answered. But these are the kinds of things I'd like to see future DLC explore.
OVERALL
As far as the story is concerned, this one stumbled coming out of the gate. Yet it's still a fun game, if not the most engrossing in the series. And the fact that this trilogy has any conclusion at all is an incredible achievement.
In Conclusion . . .
Mass Effect is one of the greatest series in video game history. None of them are perfect, but then, nothing is. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and they all are worth playing. They all unfold a galaxy of possibilities before us, just daring us to take the next step. They offer different experiences to everyone who plays them. They have elevated the art of video games many time over.
They are an experience that I will treasure until the end of time.
This review will look at each game in the series individually, examine it's strengths and weaknesses and how it progresses the series, as well as attempt to examine the evolution of the trilogy as a whole. A few things that should be noted:
1. The earliest BioWare game I ever played was Knights of the Old Republic. So if in this review I ever make a sweeping blanket statement such as, ". . . was the best thing BioWare ever did," what I actually mean to say is, ". . . was the best thing BioWare did since KOTOR."
2. I played the entire trilogy on the Normal difficulty. I play games to have fun. So if I comment that a certain aspect of the gameplay was too easy, that's because I'm not crazy and didn't try it on Insanity.
3. Beware of SPOILERS!
Mass Effect, 2007The original Mass Effect was pretty groundbreaking for it's time. The advent of the dialogue wheel allowed for a fully voiced cast and a more cinematic feel than had previously been achievable in video games. Most of the criticism it received was about it's clunky controls and rampant texture popping, but most agreed it was a worthy effort and well worth your time.
STORY
Purists are quick to say that this game has the best story in the series, and I'm inclined to agree with them. It stays pretty true to what I call the "BioWare formula." Nearly all BioWare games share the same basic dramatic structure:
- Act I
- Routine mission goes horribly wrong
- Threat is revealed
- Main Quest is given
- Protagonist is inducted into an elite organization in hopes of ending the Threat
- Act II
- Travel to various locations
- each location contains a single piece of the puzzle necessary to completing the Main Quest
- At some point, there will be a direct confrontation with the Primary Antagonist
- during this confrontation, the true nature of the Threat is revealed
- Act III
- The Lowest Point, in which it appears the Protagonist has failed beyond all hope
- Protagonist redoubles their efforts and receives a Boon
- the Boon often takes the form of the last bit of information needed to ending the Threat, but it also can be an ally or a weapon
- Final Mission, in which:
- Primary Antagonist is overcome
- Threat is ended
- Main Quest is completed
- Protagonist effectively saves the day
And ME1 does it masterfully! I just about shit my pants the first time I became a Spectre. I was so proud of myself; I wanted to go out and tell random people that I was the first human Spectre. Beyond the formula, this game's story does a couple of things really well:
It's the perfect introduction into the Mass Effect Universe (and yes, I know the game takes place in a single galaxy; when I say Universe here, I'm referring to the metaphysical space in which the Mass Effect series exists). Everything that happens tells you something new about this Universe that you are exploring for the first time. Every character you talk to, from that first Volus you meet on the Citadel to Vigil on Ilos, reveals a new detail. By the time you get to the end, you realize that this galaxy is rich and diverse, and worth saving.
And it establishes that your choices matter. This is the main theme of the entire series. Almost all the big decisions feel weighty and important. It's easy to see how many of these choices will have a lasting effect. The mission of Virmire establishes the precedent that sometimes there's no right choice. The morality system in this game is not as clear cut as it's been in previous BioWare games. Who didn't sit there for at least ten minutes trying to decide between Kaden or Ashley? I know I did. I probably paced the room, too. Choices matter. And by the end, you really feel like you've made a difference, for better or worse.
GAMEPLAY
All Mass Effect games have three basic types of gameplay: talking, shooting, and exploring. I will cover them all here. Since this is the first game in the series, I'll mostly just be giving an overview of what this game did.
Talking
Dialogue was kind of a big deal when this game came out. Sure, other games had been fully voiced before, but this was the first time you could actually carry out a conversation. The dialogue wheel, as opposed to the more traditional text-based mechanics, was a simple, creative solution that allowed scenes to play out in a more fluid, cinematic fashion without removing control from the player. This type of gameplay remains as innovative today as it was when the game was first released.
Shooting
If anyone complained about ME1, it was probably about the shooting mechanics. Controls were clunky and sluggish. The cover system was more-or-less broken. And I agree that it's clunky and broken, but I also kind of like it. See, I think most people look at this game and they think they see a shooter. It certainly looks like one, but it's not. It's a turn-based combat simulator that plays out in real-time. I know that "turn-based" and "real-time" don't really sound like they go together, but this isn't the first time BioWare had done this. KOTOR played out in real-time, but used a turn-based system; your character's stats affected how often you could attack and what kind of damage you'd do. ME1 does it in a similar way. The "how fast you can attack" part is built directly into your gun. You have to time your attacks so that your gun doesn't over-heat. That sounds a lot like a power cool-down timer to me. You increase your damage and accuracy by putting skill points into a certain weapons group. That means that players don't have to rely on their twitch-based shooter skills. Being good at Halo doesn't make you good at this game, maintaining your character's stats and their inventory makes you good at it! It may not be the most exciting way to shoot things, but it wasn't designed to be. It was designed to be slow and strategic. It put the emphasis on the characters and making good decisions (the major theme of the series!) rather than the player's skill.
And if you really didn't like shooting people, you could always choose a biotic or tech based class instead. So . . . yeah.
Exploring
Okay, let's be honest, the Mass Effect trilogy did a lot of things right, but exploring was never one of them. And I can understand their conundrum. Exploration is one of the major elements in any RPG, but in these games you have an entire galaxy to explore! How do you do that in an efficient way that's also interesting and exciting?
ME1 tried it this way: you can land on various planets and roll around them in your armored vehicle. Sounds cool in theory, but after a while, you start to recognize a pattern. There's only about three things to do on every planet. You can mine for resources, you can visit crash sites to collect random alien shit, and you can fight some random mercenaries in a base. At least in this game there was a chance for some loot.
Speaking of which, this is probably the best time to point out that ME1 is the only game in the series that had an acceptable loot system. I'm tired of these non-core gamers complaining that their inventories are too complicated. If it takes me less than an hour to organize my inventory and pimp out my crew with the best gear after every mission, then your loot system isn't worth its salt. That's one of the reasons why I play RPG's, to see what shit I found and if I can use it! Okay, end of rant.
ROMANCES
BioWare games often place a lot of emphasis on characters and your relationships with them. And there's always a few companions in there that are romanceable, if you treat them right. Deep down, I'm kind of a sap, so I'll be giving my thoughts on each of the romances. Well, not each. I never played FemShep, so I won't be touching on the romances exclusive to her.
Ashley
The Ashley romance in this game is one of my favorites. When most video games try to handle relationships, they tend to feel very forced. The Ashley romance feels more natural. You don't just hook up with her because she's hot, nor does she swoon over you because you're the "hero." This relationship is about two people getting to know each other, learning about their strengths and weakness, and eventually accepting the other for who they are, and then realizing you care for them, regardless.
Liara
This is one of those more forced relationships I was talking about. You know, you just meet her for the first time ever, rescue her five minutes later, and immediately she's interested. It just feels rushed. However, the psychic bond that's established goes a long way to alleviating that. And her innocent naiveté makes her pretty endearing. This is also the beginning of one of the more interesting and complete character arcs in the series.
OVERALL
One of my favorite video games ever!
Mass Effect 2, 2010This game is highly recognized as one of the greatest games on the current console generation. And for good reason. It took many of it's predecessor's successes and improved upon them, creating a fully realized, player controlled, cinematic experience. It also fulfilled the promise that what you did in ME1 would matter in ME2. However, this game is not perfect, and I feel for as many improvements as it made, it also took a few steps backwards.
STORY
I think the greatest achievement of ME2 is that it actually worked. The first game promised that your individual choices would affect the second game, and to many a gamer's surprise, they did! Some of these affects were small, changing no more than a single conversation or an email, but others opened up new side quests, and the big ones altered the state of the entire galactic civilization. Regardless of what you did, the plot of ME2 remains the same, but the devil is in the details. And as players progress through the story, they'll begin to see their imprint on individuals as well as the entire galaxy.
If you look at the Mass Effect series as a single three-act story, each game being one act, then ME2 is the second act in the story. That's usually when a the Protagonist enters a new world, often the opposite of what was previously established. This game does that by removing Shepard from his element and exposing him to the dark underbelly of the galaxy. The Terminus Systems were mostly off limits in the last game, and now they're your base of operations. Cerberus was an organization you were actively fighting, and now you're working with them.
But the best thing this story does is character development. This game is really just one, big character study. Your total number of companions is increased by 50%, and almost all of them are more complex and layered than the previous ones. Nearly every major quest is about either acquiring a new friend or aiding an existing one. To fully survive the Suicide Mission, you'll have to get to know and spend time with every single member of your crew. And as you do so, you start to see a little bit of Shepard reflected back at you. By interacting with your crew, you gain a deeper understanding of your own character.
My biggest gripe about the story is the Antagonist, or perhaps lack thereof. ME2 is a much more focused experience, so it tends to lose sight of the bigger picture. The Reapers are only mentioned from time to time, and you're just kind of crossing your fingers that the Collector Threat is related to them. And anyone who suggests that Harbinger was a better villain than Saren is crazy, because Harbinger isn't an actual character. He's a faceless, threat-less plot devise. Sure, he can "assume control" of his pawns, but that just means that every time you defeat him, you lose a little bit of respect for his power.
This could have been fixed with just giving a little more interaction with the Collectors. The game never lets you do anything besides shoot at them. Can you image getting to talk to one? Do you think Shepard even realizes that Harbinger is doing his control thing? This game is just begging for a scene where you get to talk to a Collector, and then realize that you're actually talking to a Reaper. I mean, how cool would that be?! Something like that would be fun, interesting, and reward players by making them feel like they solved a mystery.
On a random, yet final, note: I really like the character EDI, but was a little annoyed at how she was often used as a plot devise. It just seems like whenever something needed to happen, EDI would just do it. She calibrated the defense towers on Horizon, she guided you through the Collector ship, she fed you ever scrap of information needed to recruit every single companion. I mean, some of these things might have been interesting conflicts that really increased the tension if Shepard would have had to look for his own solutions. But instead EDI takes care of everything. Thanks.
GAMEPLAY
Talking
ME1's dialogue system was innovative, but ME2 takes that same system and absolutely perfects it. The camera is now much more dynamic. Where before, most conversations took place in shot/reverse shot, now the camera will cut to a more varied shot list, and often find more interesting angles. It will often peek through equipment or a hologram present in the environment. Not only does this increase the overall cinematic feel of the game, it also highlights the dramatic graphical improvements it made. This game is beautiful, and just fun to watch.
It further enhanced the dialogue system with the introduction of Paragon/Renegade Interrupts. Sometimes during a conversation, an icon will start to flash in the corner of the screen. This means that you can press a button to literally interrupt the conversation. It also usually means that something badass is about to happen. These interrupts are used to save lives, console friends, trash bad guys, and generally show the galaxy how awesome you are. If Shepard has to interrupt someone, it's probably for a pretty damn good reason. This mechanic is just one more element of control in an already amazing system.
Shooting
This game does away with the old, clunky combat in exchange for more traditional shooter mechanics. At first, I was a bit disappointed by this decision, because it made the game feel more like an action title then an RPG. But I was delighted that they came up with an in-story reason for why the guns work differently. And it doesn't hurt that the controls are pretty tight, and the combat is genuinely fun.
What's more disappointing is the level design. Most of the combat environments are just claustrophobic, little hallways. And there's a clear divide between areas where you talk to people and areas where you shoot at people. It's much less open, in both art design and gameplay.
Remember Feros, back in ME1? That area started out with a small firefight outside the colony, then you went into the colony and talked to some people, then you went around the area solving problems (which involved both talking and shoot), drove the Mako around, talked to a scientist, shot some Geth, then went back to the colony for more talking and shooting. If that area had been in ME2, it would have had a room where you talk to the colonist, then it would load a long hallway where you shoot at Geth to get to the other end, then it would load a new room where you find what you're looking for. After that, it would send you back to the room with the colonists where you'd talk about what you found. Everything is just clearly segmented. The moment you enter a new environment, you're pretty certain whether you'll be talking to people or shooting them. That wasn't the case in the first game.
Starting to see what I mean about for every improvement there's also a step backwards?
Exploring
The Mako is gone, so no more planetary exploration missions. Instead, you'll just be scanning every planet to come across from your ship in hopes of fining mineral resources. These resources are needed to upgrade weapons, armor, and - most importantly - you ship. You'll need every ship upgrade if you hope to fully survive the Suicide Mission. This makes planet scanning a somewhat tolerable annoyance, but nothing more. There's no joy in exploring a new area or uncovering a lost treasure.
I wish there was loot in this game. I really, really miss the loot.
ROMANCES
The only problem with the romances in this game is that your previous love interest is never able to join your crew. This leaves the player with a difficult decision, either wait it out in hopes of being reunited with your love in the third game, or move on to someone new, which may or may not have consequences later on.
Ashley
I thought Ash and I would last forever. After all, I had fully accepted her for who she was, including her laundry list of character flaws, and I thought she had fully accepted me. Imagine my surprise when she all but accuses me of being a terrorist for working with Cerberus. I'm just trying to save the galaxy here, and could honestly use a little support, but she's having none of it. Her brief exchange affectively ends the relationship, in my opinion. But more on that later.
Liara
Liara is the exact opposite of Ashley in this game, and just as surprising. She has been unflinchingly loyal to you, despite the fact that you've been dead for two years. In fact, she's partly responsible for bringing you back to life. Think about it, you died, and everyone else (naturally) went their separate ways. But not Liara. She said, "No, I'm going to get him back." That's pretty comforting, even if you weren't in a relationship with her. It's kind of disappointing that she can't join you on your current mission, but she makes up for it later.
Miranda
This is one of the more shallow romances in the series, in my opinion. Nothing happens that makes me feel Shepard and Miranda actually care for each other. It's feels more like they're using each other. It's like in high school when the quarterback dates the head cheerleader, you know, because they have to. With Miranda being so oversensitive about her genes, you'd think it'd be more helpful for Shepard to stay out of her pants. However, I can't blame him for being . . . distracted by her presence.
Tali
I always liked Tali. I was extremely happy to see her return to my crew, and even more so to see that I could now romance her. Courting Tali felt a lot like that childhood friend that you suddenly wanted to take it to the next step with. It was kind of awkward at first, but in the end, "totally worth it." It breaks my heart every time I play a campaign where I don't intend to romance her, and I have to ignore her advances.
Jack
I never romanced Jack. I guess she's just not my type. From what I've heard, the only thing that I don't like is the implication that you can "fix" her via a romance. But that's made up for ME3.
DLC
Lair of the Shadow Broker
This is the single best piece of DLC that I've ever played for any game. It expands the story, introduces new locations, and reunites characters, not to mention that it looks great and plays amazingly well! I love the car chase gameplay (because every Sci-fi series needs a hover car chase). And to be honest, before I played this, I wasn't really planning on taking a Liara romance all the way to ME3, but this DLC convinced me that I'd really be missing out if I didn't do that. It also fills in some pretty important gaps for her character between the second and third game. This is a must have for any Mass Effect play-through.
The Arrival
Overall, this DLC is kind of boring. It's mostly just gunning through enemies. And the fact that your squad can't join you is rather disappointing, and a bit out of left field for such a character heavy game. However, you do get to talk to a Reaper at the end, which is always cool. And it's vital to understanding why ME3 begins the way it does. It's not my favorite DLC, but if you're a fan of the series, you should probably check it out.
OVERALL
It's strengths vastly outweigh it's weaknesses. An amazing addition to the series!
Mass Effect 3, 2012The final game in the Mass Effect trilogy released to rave reviews, but received mixed impressions from the fans. Most acknowledge the games technical achievements, but many argue that it is not a fulfilling conclusion to a story they've been engrossed in for so many years. The debate still rages on today, despite BioWare's attempt to appease its fans. Personally, I think it's a good game, but ultimately the weakest in the series.
STORY
I think that much of the controversy that surrounds the ending is misguided. People say they like the game, except for the last ten minutes, but what they don't realize is that the whole story is wrong. They blame the ending, but the problems truly start at the very beginning.
The moment I started playing ME3, I knew that something was wrong. Remember the formula? What's the first thing that happens in a BioWare game? A routine mission goes horribly wrong. ME2 pulled this off perfectly: you're flying around space just looking for Geth, and then a mystery ship comes out of nowhere and you fucking die! What's the first thing happens in ME3? People are talking . . . about things you should already know. Then you kind of . . . stand around, and talk some more about the things you already know. Then the Reapers show up. Okay, that's kind of exciting. But there's no build up! There's no Oh, shit! moment where you realize that everything's about to get fucked. The end of the world is upon us, and everyone's acting pretty casually.
So the plan is to go to the Citadel and get the Council to fight the Reapers. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. This might take awhile, so hang in there with me on this one:
Okay, remember how I compared the trilogy to a single three-act story (people do this with Star Wars all the time)? Well, another way to think of three acts is to call them Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis. The first act (Thesis) is the introduction, the status quo. Act two (Antithesis) is the upside down world, where the hero explores new territory. The third act (Synthesis) is where the hero takes what they've gained from their experiences in the second act and brings it back to the status quo of the first act, and affects change for the better.
I went through all of that because working with the Council makes no sense at all! You did that already in the first game, and it didn't work. Shepard has no reason to believe that the Council will help, or that their help would do him any good. Why? Because the experience he gained in the second act, in ME2, is that he can accomplish his goals by operating outside of traditional channels. The Illusive Man taught him that; he accomplished the impossible, and he did it on his terms. Shepard is now free of TIM's shady influence, and should be looking to save the galaxy - again - on his own terms.
When I first finished playing ME2 I hypothesized that in the third game Shepard would be working for the Shadow Broker. I thought this for two reasons. 1) access to new resources and intel that will be vital to stopping the Reapers, and 2) a new organization that seems like a compromise (or perhaps a synthesis) between the Alliance/Council and Cerberus. After playing the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, I thought this notion was all but confirmed! At least that way, you'd be taking your orders from someone you have an emotional attachment to, instead of some emotionless admiral that you don't really care about. It just makes no sense that Shepard would go back to work for people who screwed him over in the past.
So Shepard is basically handed the blue prints to an ancient Prothean Reaper-killing device, and for some reason he thinks his best bet is to form alliances. Bullshit! Shepard should have been like, "These guys have screwed me over once too often. I'm putting all of my effort into this Crucible thing." That should have been the Main Quest, building the Crucible and tracking down the necessary components to completing it. I agree with the game's sense of scale; you shouldn't be looking for like one scientist or a single heat-sink. You should be looking for a whole team of Salarian specialists or like a top-sectret Turian mass effect drive-core. And then along the way, you make friends who agree to help you with the war. But instead, you do it the other way around, looking for friends instead of focusing on the Crucible. This shit's just bass-ackwards.
I also have a problem with the way the Main Quest is structured. This game is decidedly linear. Instead of being given an overall objective and the freedom to decide which missions to do next, you're basically told where to go every step of the way. You can't even pretend to think that a side quest might be your next best step, because every mission that advances the story is annoyingly labelled "Priority." Thanks.
But at least your choices from the previous games still matter, right? Well . . . yes and no. But overall the way the game integrated past choices was much weaker than ME2. I think a good example of this is the Rachni Queen. That was a big decision going all the way back to ME1, and a lot of people were anticipating it. But regardless of what you did in the first game, there are still Rachni in the third. I guess the developers didn't want to exclude content from people who had made the "wrong" choice. But isn't that the whole point? Choices matter, and there should be consequences for certain decisions you make. I realize that not all your decisions can be world-shattering, but their should at least be something. Here's a few examples of choices that make absolutely no difference in the third game: what to do with the Geth Heretics, what to do with the Collector Base, should the Quarians go to war? I guess Shepard isn't as influential as you once thought.
Is there a positive example of how your past choices affect ME3? Maelon's research data on the Genophage. What you did with that was pretty important. And everyone who survives the Suicide Mission makes an appearance in the game. But that's about it. Everything just boils down to War Assets in the end, but I'll get to that later.
There are some good things about the story. The game has some pretty powerful character moments, and I teared up more than once. Also, the completion of the Genophage and Geth story lines are extremely touching. But I wonder if these elements would have been as moving if the groundwork hadn't already been laid in the previous games.
On a final note, I want to touch on the few new characters that ME3 introduces. They're pretty bland. Almost all the key characters from the past games were not only complex and multilayered, but offered unique insight into the Universe and story. What does James Vega offer the Mass Effect series?
Think of a character like Mordin Solus. What's the first thing that comes to mind? His funny voice, his work on the Genophage, or maybe his musical number? Any of these answers (and more) would be acceptable, because Mordin is a multilayered character. He has hopes, fears, reasonings, philosophies. He's complex and that makes him feel like a real person.
Now think of a character like Steve Cortez. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Probably the fact that he's miserable because his husband died, oh and that he's gay. That's really all there is to him. I don't have a problem with gay characters in my games, but it seems like he was thrown in there just in case Shepard wanted some man-loving. He's even in a vulnerable state; he's just begging to be seduced. But supposedly he's there to fly your shuttle. Do I even need to know who my shuttle pilot is? That's what Joker is for. I almost wish the new characters weren't even there, so I could spend more time with the interesting people.
GAMEPLAY
Talking
The dialogue system in this game actually took a step backwards by removing the middle option from every conversation. I guess BioWare felt it was time that you align yourself with one of the other choices, but the past two games already forced that issue with all the big choices. I should be allowed to still be on the fence about certain issues, or perhaps favor compromise. Also, some entire conversations take place without the dialogue wheel. Yeah, definitely a step backwards.
Lastly, the Paragon/Renegade Interrupts are not nearly as badass this time around. Instead of doing awesome stuff, you pretty much just interrupt the dialogue with, well, more dialogue.
Shooting
If this game did one thing right, it's the combat. The controls are tighter than they're ever been. Shepard is now much more mobile and has more tricks at his disposal. Now, any class can use any gun, but the weight of your gear will affect your power cool-down times, so you have to make tactical choices about what gear you bring into the field. Also, the level design has thankfully opened back up, and can even be used for tactical benefits.
A great addition to the combat is the amount of enemy types. They've never been so varied. Each and every enemy you come across utilizes different tactics and requires you to engage them in different ways. Many of them demand that you to work with your squad to bring them down, which then prompts you to pick a balanced squad for every mission.
If one thing can be said about this game, it's that combat is fun, fluid, and challenging. Oh, wait, except for the turret segments. Those were basically just filler. Every single time you jump into a turret, the story and your entire impact on it stops for thirty seconds while you shoot at random shit. Did you notice that the one time you're shooting the turret at a Reaper, it has absolutely no affect? You just shoot for no reason until the next cutscene plays. Why is that even in the game?
Exploring
After two failed attempts to create an engaging exploration mechanic, ME3 scraps everything in favor of pushing a single button as you navigate the galaxy map to scan for useful resources. Sometimes you'll find stuff. Sometimes you'll find Reapers, forcing you to flee the system you're currently scanning. The aforementioned stuff boil down to three things (none of which you need): credits, fuel, and War Assets. Okay, here we go:
War Assets are one of the worst things about this game. It's an un-engaging system that has little to no affect on the actual game. These War Assets all have fancy names like "Javelin Missiles" or "9th Turian Fleet," but they all boil down to an arbitrary number. All those numbers totaled up are supposed to represent your current military might. But regardless of what your number is, you'll get the same cutscenes for the final battle, and you'll still defeat the Reapers.
Okay, to be fair, the ending will slightly change. There are basically three levels of success. Go in with the minimum number of War Assets available and most of Earth will get destroyed. Go in with a little bit more, and some some of Earth (ie: Big Ben) will get destroyed. Go in with just a little bit more, and Earth will basically be fine. But if you import a campaign and do basically all the major side quests (the ones with your ME2 squad mates), you'll have more than enough to get the "best" possible ending. That makes this system basically useless, but I guess that's a good thing, because otherwise you'd have to fly around the whole galaxy looking for random crap to boost your arbitrary number.
This is really a huge missed opportunity on BioWare's part. Remember the end of ME1? You got an awesome boss fight and one last major decision to make. ME2 took that up a notch, by giving you more choices that directly affected the lives of your squad. Now think of the end of Dragon Age: Origins. Remember how you collected different armies and could summon them to aid you? Well, image mixing something like that with the type of choices you had to make in ME2. You have your "9th Turian Fleet" that you found scanning random space, and you can order it here or you can order it there. But if you make the wrong choice, not only will people die, but entire civilizations will crumble, because everything comes down to this moment, and every race has thrown everything they have into this last desperate act. That's what the War Assets could have been. I kept waiting for something that epic to happen, like the story was demanding it, but it just never happened.
ROMANCES
Ashley
I like Ashely as a character. She's complex and interesting. But damn, she's a crappy girlfriend. I waited all the way through ME2 in hopes of patching things up with her. But after saving the galaxy TWICE! she still questions who's side you're on. Remember that laundry list of character flaws I alluded to earlier? Well, you can add trust issues to it. At the times when you need her love and support the most, she's unable to give it. Eventually, you can get her back on your side, but in my opinion, it's too little, too late. It's a shame too, because she really is a great character. But you'd have to be crazy to stick with that.
Liara
Liara's unflinching affection holds true! She never gives up on you, and she's with you from the beginning till the end, a constant source of support, motivation, and affection. She's smart and sweet, but would tear a living creature apart with her mind if she had to, to save you. What else is there to say about her? She is - for lack of a better word - perfect.
Miranda
Again, I don't find the romance with Miranda too compelling. The fact that she's barely in this last game only solidifies my opinion that a romance with her is just not worth your time.
Tali
Like Liara, Tali's support is unwavering. My only problem is that she first appears kind of late in the game, so you don't get to spend a lot of time with her. Still, she's worth the wait.
THE EXTENDED CUT
The ending to this game sucks. Not because "your choices don't matter." They do; they got you this far. Not because the final choices "are stupid." They're not; they test your resolve by demanding that you give up at least one thing, no matter what. The ending sucks because it lacks resolution. Your final choice does something, but who knows what, and you can only cross your fingers that it's for the best. Luckily, the Extended Cut fixes all of that. Here's what I think of the various conclusions:
Destroy
This is my favorite ending, for a few reasons. It's what you set out to do from the beginning. It allows life to continue naturally, without the interference of some overlord figure. It allows for the possibility of Shepard living. And because I've reasoned all the negative aspects away. True, the Catalyst tells you that choosing this will destroy all synthetics, including yourself because of your implants, but I think he was just bullshiting you. I have several reasons for this.
1) The Geth. We know that Geth programs are stored in serves. In ME2, we learn some of those serves are stored in facilities "between stars." Since the Crucibles energy is carried by the Mass Relays, and since virtually all the Relays are strategically place near solar systems, it's easy for me to believe that some of these hubs escaped the blast. And if you've gotten the Geth this far, then they already have Legion's upgrades, and don't need additonal units to maintain intelligence. Hence, there race still exists.
2) EDI. Earlier in the game, you here a conversation between Adams and Donnely where it's revealed that EDI's processes have fully integrated into the Normandy. This suggests that the ship was space worthy before she was installed, but now would not be space worthy without her. Following that line of thought, after the Crucible fires, we later see the Normandy repaired and fly away. This suggests that EDI is still function in some way, shape, or form.
3) Shepard. This ending still gives you the infamous breath-sequence, suggesting that Shepard lives. If Shepard, who was at ground-zero of the blast, survived, I have a hard time believing it did any real damage to other synthetics.
So, yeah, best possible ending. Am I grasping at straws? Yes. Does that work for me? You betcha! I do wish it had voice-over from a different character. Admiral Hackett is kind of boring.
Control
I also really like this ending. Yeah, Shepard basically becomes a god. And he now controls the Reapers to do his bidding. That's really cool in a fascist, totalitarian sort of way. I think this is a good choice for any Renegade. Probably the most badass of the endings.
Synthesis
This is my least favorite of the endings, not because of what it does, but because of the conclusions it draws. I don't agree with it's ideas. Homogenization and the sharing of all perspectives will not lead to sustained peace, nor will sustained peace lead to utopia. Others will eventually use this shared perspective for their own benefit. This will lead to conflict, which is important, because without conflict, there is no innovation or advancement. A society without conflict will become stagnant, as they have no need to innovate.
Or, at least that's my belief.
Refusal
This is, of course, the least developed of the endings, which is a shame. I don't think there should be a way to "win" while picking this option. That's not the point. The point is to be defiant to the end. But I do think this ending deserves a similar slide-show treatment that the others got. I want to know more about the next cycle. Who are they? How did they find Liara's records? What else did they find? Did they build a Crucible, or defeat the Reapers through some other means? Sadly, we'll never know.
A NOTE ON LEVIATHAN
I have not yet played the Leviathan DLC, but I've read up on it, and I don't think I'll be purchasing it. The origin of the Reapers does not interest me, most because it doesn't matter. Knowing that they started out as giant sea monsters does not tell you how to stop them or help you understand them.
There are many remaining unanswered question about the Reapers. They're armor is nearly indestructible. Their attacks are incomprehensibly powerful. Their power source is apparently infinite. How are these things possible. In a Sc-Fi series that goes into so much detail about how it's technology works, I think these are important questions.
But what really interests me is what motivates the Reapers. See, I don't have a problem with the Catalyst's flawed logic. Yes, it's flawed, but we live in a flawed world, and people use flawed logic all the time (did you not read my thoughts on the Destroy ending?). But it's clear to me that the Reapers take an unholy pleasure in their harvesting. They were built for preservation, but they have become obsessed with destruction.
The mystery of the Reapers is one of the reasons why they're so interesting, so I don't expect all these questions to be answered. But these are the kinds of things I'd like to see future DLC explore.
OVERALL
As far as the story is concerned, this one stumbled coming out of the gate. Yet it's still a fun game, if not the most engrossing in the series. And the fact that this trilogy has any conclusion at all is an incredible achievement.
In Conclusion . . .
Mass Effect is one of the greatest series in video game history. None of them are perfect, but then, nothing is. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and they all are worth playing. They all unfold a galaxy of possibilities before us, just daring us to take the next step. They offer different experiences to everyone who plays them. They have elevated the art of video games many time over.
They are an experience that I will treasure until the end of time.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Conversations from 'The Dark Knight Rises' that Should Have Happened
CATWOMAN
I need a clean slate.
BATMAN
You mean Mexico?
CATWOMAN
What?
BATMAN
Most people looking for a fresh start just go to Mexico.
CATWOMAN
Well, I ...
BATMAN
Are you telling me a cat burglar who filches off Gotham's One Percent can't afford a one-way ticket to the world's poorest country?
CATWOMAN
Well, I'm so bad off that they would stop me at the border.
BATMAN
Two movies ago I told Morgan Freeman to sneak into Wayne Enterprise's secure science devision, and he did it. Now we're talking about a two-thousand mile long fence that is literally crossed illegally every single day. I mean, this isn't rocket surgery.
CATWOMAN
Rocket surgery?
BATMAN
Yeah, it's a combination of rocket science and brain surgery. FYI, I am the world's foremost rocket surgeon. Look, you're supposed to be an intelligent, capable woman. You've even got a fancy cat burglar suit and special cat burglar glasses. Wait, what the fuck do those even do, anyway?
EXT. GOTHAM STADIUM - DAY
BANE
I have here, a note, written in crayon, where Commissioner Gordon calls Harvey Dent a doo-doo head.
CITIZEN 1
Can we see it?
BANE
What?
CITIZEN 1
Can we see the note?
BANE
No.
CITIZEN 1
Then how do we know Jim Gordon wrote it?
BANE
You must trust me.
OFF DUTY COP
Wait, I'll just call him ... Hey, Jimbo, did you write a speech denouncing Harvey Dent?
GORDON (V.O.)
Umm ... no.
OFF DUTY COP
Gordon says he's lying. Let's take him!
BANE
But wait! I have given the detonator to this nuclear bomb to an ordinary citizen, who will use it if ...
CITIZEN 2
Oh, God! Not this again.
CITIZEN 1
The Joker did that like eight years ago.
CITIZEN 2
Guess what, nothing happens!
CITIZEN 1
I'm moving to Metropolis.
INT. GOTHAM APARTMENT - DAY
BANE
We have the fusion bomb.
TALIA AL' GHUL
Good, now we can wait five months and watch Gotham tear itself apart.
BANE
But ... we have a detonator. Why don't we just blow it up now?
TALIA AL' GHUL
No! I want to see Gotham destroyed.
BANE
You know what will destroy it? I big fucking bomb.
TALIA AL' GHUL
Silence! We wait. It's what my father, whom I hate, would have wanted.
BANE
Okay. Just as long as we get out of the city in time.
TALIA AL' GHUL
We will wait here until the final moments.
BANE
What?! Then the bomb will kill us too.
TALIA AL' GHUL
Don't you want to die in the cleansing fire of a nuclear explosion?
BANE
... Do you?
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Expendables 2
Is this really necessary? I mean, do I really have to review this movie for you? Because most of you should already know by now. If you've seen the first one, if you know the cast, if you've seen the trailers, if you understand the concept, if you literally know anything about this movie, then you should know already if you like it or not. I did. I went in knowing exactly what I was in for, and I was excited about it.The Expendables 2 is a movie about shooting people. It's pretty simple, really. The plot is almost imperceptible. All that really happens is characters go places and they shoot people. When the shooting is done, they go to another place and shoot more people. Sometimes another guy, he shows up at the place where the characters are, and then they all shoot people together. It should have been called The Shootables 2. Now don't get me wrong, everyone's motivation is clear. We know why they're shooting people. But how they get from place to place, and how they know which place to go to next . . . the movies not too concerned about those details. It's not really important in the grand shooting scheme of things. It's just a movie about shooting people!
So, yeah, if you like that, this movie is pretty f---ing awesome! You should go see it. If that's not your particular brand of dynamite, why are you even here?
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises: 1st Impression
All of Nolan's Batman films have been very different from each other, both tonally and thematically. The first one was about fear, the second one was about insanity, and the third one . . . was about the ending, I think? My first impression is this film's whole point was to end it. It felt like Nolan didn't want Warner Bros. to give this franchise to someone else, so his only motivation for making this movie was to tie everything up in a nice bow. The sandbox is closed. Go play somewhere else. I can't blame him for wanting to protect his legacy, but that doesn't excuse lazy writing and an overdrawn story.
The whole first act is clunky and left me wondering what the hell was going on. There's about half a dozen new characters of varying degrees of import that you're introduced to, in addition to the catchup you have to play with all the old characters. Eight years have passed since the events of the last film. Bruce Wayne is now a recluse with zero remaining knee cartilage, and is effectively retired from being the Goddamn Batman. That's cool in a sort of The Dark Knight Returns kind of way, but rather than making these infirmities part of the story, it's solved with a weird robotic knee-brace type thing and never addressed again.
Now don't get me wrong; it's not all bad. There's some great performances and exciting set pieces along the way. Tom Hardy's Bane is brutal, intimidating, and uncompromising. And I like that he breaks the Batman. Anne Hathaway's Catwoman was well portrayed, though arguably poorly utilized. Cillian Murphy's return cameo was priceless, and the expected reveal that Marion Cotillard was in fact Talia al Ghul was welcome, though it came a bit too late to care for one way or the other. This all leads to a climactic confrontation that's exciting in the same way that the fight in Phantom Menace is; it's well staged, well choreographed, but lacking any real character.
Then we come to the end, which I've already mentioned is the whole point. It effectively brings an end to Bruce Wayne's story. I guess if you had to do that, this was a fitting conclusion, but the whole idea is rather unprecedented in regards to the source material. Batman never ends in the comic world. He's been around since the 1930's. Would Bruce Wayne ever truly stop being the Batman as long as he drew breath? What about those who argue that the Batman is the real personality and Bruce Wayne is the act? I'm not sure that I, as a fan, can appreciate that they took the character in this direction. Perhaps I would be more apt to accept it if it was part of some larger theme and not the whole point of the movie! It just seems like every conversation was about why Bruce should quite. "You're too old." "You've been out of the game too long." "You're going to get yourself killed." "You deserve peace." Even if Bruce Wayne were to accept these as valid reasons to hang up his cape and cowl (which I don't believe he would) then at least make it a necessary conclusion to one of Batman's themes: fear, rage, insanity, vengeance . . . there's a whole laundry list of things to choose from! The two previous films were good because they explored some of these things. This film lacked any attachment to the core Batman mythos, and it suffered because of that.
But all these points have been from the perspective of a fan. Does the film stack up as a stand-alone experience? If you think yes, then answer me one question . . . how the hell does he get out of the Pit?! The second act finds Bruce Wayne imprisoned in an underground facility called the Pit. He must scale its walls to escape and save Gotham. After several failed attempts, some old guy says he must first fear death, then try it without the safety rope. Suddenly, he can do it. What? I was expecting him to detective the shit out of something, find the escape route that no one else could find, or climb it out of shear force of will. That's how Batman usually does things. But they went the metaphysical rout instead. How does that even work? What boon does he bring back to Gotham? How does this suddenly prepare him for the fight with Bane? He got his ass kicked last time. What makes him think he can win now? Seriously, can anyone explain to me how this works? It just feels like lazy writing.
I'm torn as far as a recommendation goes. I love Christopher Nolan's films, but this one just left me feeling sour. Chances are you've already formed your opinion and what I have to say makes little difference to you. So, in that case, am I crazy? Did I miss something here? Is this film too much genius for me to understand, or did Nolan drop the ball as much as I think? Comment below!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Mass Effect 3: The Extended Cut Delivers!
Last month I finally posted an article about the ending to action/RPG Mass Effect 3 and how it was fundamentally broken as a means of effective storytelling. This came after months of fan-outcry over the abrupt, plot-hole ridden denouement that left them with virtually no closure, no catharsis, and no hope. Well, developer BioWare heard the message loud and clear, and earlier this week, they released a piece of DLC at no additional charge known as the Extended Cut. While the nearly two gigabytes worth of content does not actually change the ending, it does clarify some things and elaborate on others. And it works. It works surprisingly well. WARNING! SPOILERS TO FOLLOW.Many of the "fixes" are easy enough to spot. Plot holes are filled with addition scenes of injuries occurring and orders of retreat being issued. The scene with the Catalyst is extended, giving Shepard time to ask questions and get a better sense of what's going on and what the implications of his decision will be. This scene and this character now feel much more like a part of the Mass Effect universe as a whole, rather than something tacked on at the end in order to bring about the conclusion. An epilogue scene was also added, expanding on the implications of your final decision and how this will affect the galaxy at large, while some of the visuals show the results of previous choices, such as the Genophage storyline. This goes a long way to adding some closure, as well as making the different endings more distinct and individualized. And finally, we see the Normandy repaired and take off, dispelling the fear that your beloved crew was stranded forever.
The most important change, however, is a bit more subtle, I believe. In the original ending, it appears that the Mass Relay network explodes, for seemingly no reason, after the Crucible fires. The implications of this completely break the ME universe. Space travel becomes limited, galactic unity becomes splintered. That's before you realize that an exploding relay will go supernova. Entire planets and civilizations are destroyed. This one detail starts a change reaction that leaves the galaxy broken and (for all we know) doomed. The Extended Cut reveals that the relays do not explode. They are actually carrying the Crucible's energy, relaying it across the network before dispersing it into their individual areas. This leaves them broken but intact and (we are told) repairable. Not only does this negate the above doomsday scenario, it creates a solution that is much more consistent with ME lore. The relays have always been your tactical secret weapon. The Mu Relay and the Conduit were instrumental in your quest to stop Saren. The Omega 4 Relay was both a mystery to be solved and a tool to stop the Collectors. Making the entire relay network part of your solution to the Reaper threat feels thematically appropriate. The science-fiction genre is all about using technology to solve your problem. The ending is now consistent with this idea.
While I have not yet experience all the new epilogues, the ones I have seen have been very good. My renegade picked Control, and then basically became a god. His essence replaced the Catalyst and took over the Reapers. He now uses them to build his ideal utopia and enforces it across the galaxy. It's empowering in a creepy, fascist sort of way. But it fits my renegade because that guy was an asshole. My paragon chose Destroy, ending all synthetic life. But the technology can be rebuilt. And it now seems clear that Shep survives this scenario and will be found when others get onto the Citadel (via the still active Conduit in London). Also, knowing now that the relays dispersed the Crucible's energy, and that the Geth consensus is located in dark space "between stars," it's easy to imagine that at least some of them escaped. That sense of hope is one of the big difference between the original ending and the Extended Cut. If the other choices play out just as well, I will be more than happy. I will be thrilled.
But what's perhaps most interesting to me is how well all of this fits. It's seems to me that this content should have been there to begin with. The extended conversation with the Catalyst, for example, is almost certainly from a previous recording session that was later cut. The question is why? The first answer one thinks is there was simply a time crunch to hit their deadline and their publisher, the notorious EA, would not give them an extension. And most gamers/conspiracy theorists would believe that, I think. But I'm more inclined to believe something else. I think it was cut not for time, but for pacing. In a movie, if the world was about to end, the hero doesn't stop to ask questions. It slows the action down, it releases dramatic tension. No, the hero just does whatever it is they have to do. Pacing. But pacing is a purely cinematic concept, which is why I think this was the real reason. The trend in video games for the past few years has been to make games more cinematic. This is largely because games, as an art form, do not have their own language yet. Games are still a relatively new medium, and as in the early days of cinema when they borrowed the language of theatre, games are borrowing from the language of cinema. This ending controversy is a clear example that video games are ready to move beyond this. Games are an interactive experience; they put the player in the driver's seat. But at the (original) end of ME3, players lose their identity, their individuality, and their ability to coherently interpret the scenario they are interacting with . . . all for the sake of pacing, for making the game more cinematic. The Extended Cut fixes this by putting the player back in the driver's seat and allowing them to experience the game as a game. This solution is crying out for video games to develop their own language, their own way of telling stories and sharing experiences. And BioWare has always been at the forefront of story-driven gameplay. Hopefully they got the message.
Of course, that's how I interpret it, anyway.
Regardless of how you feel about the original ending, the Extended Cut offers great additional content, and as a free DLC, there's no reason why you shouldn't pick it up. Thank you, BioWare, for listening to your fans and responding. You knocked this one out of the park!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Brave
If my last post tells us anything, it's that audiences have come to expect a certain quality from any Pixar film. Unfortunately, Brave does not live up to those lofty expectations. When the movie ended, my friend turned to me and said, "Well, it was good for a DreamWorks movie." I would add that it wasn't even as good as the best DreamWorks movies (ie: Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon). It's not that the movie is bad, it's just horribly, horribly mediocre.Brave tells the story of a young Scottish princess, Merida, who just does not get along with her mother, Queen Elinor. Merida wants to be free and run wild, while Elinor wants her to settle down and be a lady. After a handful of defiant acts of independence, Merida runs away, invokes some magic to change her fate, and you can probably guess the rest from here.
The first few minutes of Brave are exhilarating. Merida is fiercely independent and full of wild, exuberant energy as she explores the Scottish Highlands. She's set up to be one of the more memorable Disney princesses. But the movie is quickly bogged down in cliches. The entire supporting cast is made up of big, dumb caricatures. The comedy is slapstick and the editing is frantic and choppy, making this movie most suitable for children under the age of ten. It's as if Pixar thought we'd lose interest if there wasn't a quick cut or a loud crash ever ten seconds. In all honesty, we probably would, as there's nothing very interesting on screen for most of the movie.
The biggest disappointment is that the story fails to engage its audience on any emotional level. Now, as this is decidedly a mother/daughter movie, I'll allow for the possibility that's I've lost something in the translation. The conflict is definitely there, but the resolution is so forced it's dumbfounding and nearly laughable. It also introduces themes (such as betrothal vs. marriage for love) that have heretofore not been addressed by the narrative. This leads me to feel that the core conflict was not resolved, and that Merida and Elinor's reconciliation is only temporary.
It's disappointing to see Pixar, a company known for its excellence in family entertainment, release something so shallow and droll. If you're wondering where this would fit on the list I created in last week's post, I would have to say down at the bottom, just above Cars.
You'll enjoy this movie if you are four years old, or if you want your four-year-old to be quiet for a solid 90 minutes. I can't recommend this movie to anyone else.
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