Though I’m normally enthusing about my love of SF TV entertainment, today I’m going off on a tangent and revealing my other love; computer games. My favourite, and by far the most played, is the Mass Effect Trilogy. Mass Effect 3 has already ended and you may be scouring the web for any hint of the new title to be developed in the same universe. However, whilst you’re waiting for Bioware to indulge us in news, here’s some good reasons to return for another play-through.
1. Insanity
Have you really pushed yourself to the limit with ME3? If you’ve played through as a veteran, then it’s time to up the anti. In a practical sense, Hardcore and Insanity aren’t very different from one another, and if you’ve done the former, the latter’s not hard. However, completing on Insanity does give you a nice extra medal award.
2. A New Shepard
One of the great things about ME is the ability to tailor your Shepard. Make your lead male, female, straight, gay, renegade or paragon. Make different choices, take different conversations. It might not necessarily change the outcome, but it sure opens up some new, funny and exposing conversations as you journey to save the universe.
3. New Content
Mass Effect 3 was quickly followed by several DLC’s, including Leviathan and Retake Omega. I’ll take any excuse to get back into the game, but extra content’s certainly a lure. Plus, with Aria and the female Turian Nyreen becoming squad-mates as you fight for Omega, this one’s a winner.
4. Protheans
Thought you knew everything about this ancient race? Think again. Download the Prothean DLC, rescue Javik from his stasis pod and you’ll realise that there’s A LOT we’ve taken for granted. Bioware have done a great twist with Javik, and if you play through with him as a squad-mate, he’ll add an entirely new angle to the universe.
5. Crew Conversations
In Mass Effect 1 and 2 you always knew where to find your crew members, but in ME3 they move around the ship after each mission. Clicking the spacebar on them will reveal new conversations with Shepard and other members of the crew. Keep clicking so you don’t miss out new information – you might even discover just how Liara keeps her ‘tentacles’ in place.
6. Discover New Things
The first time I played through ME3 it was a rush; I couldn’t hold myself back, I wanted to know what happened. The second time I took more time as I realised that I’d missed several key characters because I’d acted out my duties in the wrong order. The third time I thought I couldn’t possibly discover anything more, and then I found out I’d entirely missed Kasumi’s side quest and Liara’s father was revealed. Play again and again, there’s lots more to find!
7. Hamsters
The universe might be brutal, but there was always one cute fluffy thing on the Normandy and that was the hamster. But, what happened to Shepard’s pet? If you pop down to Jack’s old hideout, you might just be able to find this space faring rodent once again.
8. A New Lover
Another great thing about ME is the ability to woo your squad-mates. In the final game, there’s plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with a range of people, aliens and human. Fallen for Tali? Think Diana’s curves need to be freed from that ridiculously tight skirt? Or, perhaps it’s time to help Cortez deal with the loss of his husband. Another play-through’s the ideal time to fall in love all over again.
9. Decide Upon a New Fate
There are four endings to Mass Effect 3, and though you might’ve watched them on YouTube, there’s nothing like actually experiencing them yourself after a long and thrilling journey. Whether you decide to destroy the reapers or think synthesis is a better option, changing your final decision offers a new and huge reward.
10. Because it’s Awesome
I can’t believe that I dithered all those years ago about buying ME1. It was on offer at £10 but I knew nothing about it. I was bored, had work to do, but downloaded it on a whim. Now I’m hooked….to the point of owning several character models. Playing through again is not just a chance to kill a couple of hours, but to enjoy the incredible universe of Mass Effect and all that it offers.
Gee. It almost reads as some uninspired PR drivel from Bioware. You could have also mention that
1) The third game is rushed, shallow and unimpressive when compared to the storyline of the first installment and the brilliant ending of the second;
2) that the three main endings, before or after the EC, are lousy writing at its finest, and the fourth is merely Bioware giving a finger to the fans;
3) the Javik DLC, while interesting, was nothing but a day-one cash-grab, and it clearly shows a lot of what’s wrong with the gaming industry these days (seriously – the game had this huge thing from the Protheans since the early minutes of the first chapter, and they put the last survivor of a race extinct fifty thousand years ago as a paid, day-one DLC? That’s low, even for current DLC policies).
Don’t get me wrong, I love the first two Mass Effect games, and I even conceded in buying the secong game’s DLC (again, a practice that I truly despise) because I had bought it cheap and thought it deserved it (and it did). Mass Effect 3, however, was too disappointing. I’ve tried twice to get a complete playthough after the first, but I always giving up after the Rannoch missions (one of the two spots where the plot is actually very good, the other one being the Tuchanka missions). The ending is so shooter-y and the writing so inane and riddled with plot holes that it sadly taints the whole experience.
Hey John,
I know there was a lot of criticism over ME3, but I for one REALLY enjoyed it. ME1 set the tone, ME2 developed the story, and I felt that the final episode spun a great ending. Okay, there were some plot holes and questions left unanswered….but you can’t have every answer to the galaxy.
As for DLC’s…it’s a common practice for companies these days and to be honest, I really don’t mind spending some extra cash to support firms so they can keep making new games. In terms of Javik….there really wasn’t any reason to have him at all, so I understand why they did it as a DLC and not in the main game.
I’m glad you enjoyed the first two. I, for one, loved the ending and am happy to play it over and over.
I’ve enjoyed ME3 up to a point – like I said, the Tuchanka and Rannoch missions were really well done, with both endings being very powerful (seriously – I really jumped in my chair when the thresher maw cutscene began). But there were a lot of themes in the previous games that would have made a lot more sense for the ending. Well, the issue has been debated, fought and cried over many times over the last year – no need for me to keep the rant 🙂
As for the DLC, well, I got the Collector’s Edition (something I don’t regret even not liking the ending), so I got to play it as I installed the game. I don’t particularly like the DLC policy because it usually is rather overpriced, but all right – I also paid for “Lair of the Shadow Broker”, and it was money relatively well spent. But day-one DLC really get on my nerves, especially when a AAA game already costs 60 dollars/euros to begin with (pricing seems to be the same here in Europe). It always seems like they left contet out on purpose to charge a bit more on something that is already rather expensive to begin with.
But yes, Mass Effect is a great game. Must play it again one of these days – if not for the adventure, at least for the elevator chats.
(and despite my initial snark, it’s always nice to see someone writing about games in a science fiction portal)
I do agree that bringing out a DLC on day one is rather cheeky. I actually got the game a few weeks later (I knew I’d be playing it and I had TOO much work) so it didn’t seem so obviously bad to me.
There’s always something to moan about too…..lots of people hated those elevator chats. I loved them and was disappointed to see the loading screen replaced in ME2/3! 🙂
Are you kidding? Since my old days in Worms Armageddon that I hadn’t laughed so much with a game as I did with ME1 whenever Wrex was under the spotlight. His chat with Tali (incidentally, both my favourite characters) in the elevator about how each race messed up and paid for it was priceless.
(in the meantime I’ve played Portal, by far the most amusing game I’ve ever played. But still: Mass Effect’s elevators made for some very funny moments)
Oh well. I really have to go though that game again.
I’m on my second playthrough of the trilogy, and currently working my way through ME2. Really enjoyed going through ME1 too (so glad they finally released it for the PS3), even though you know of the events that are yet to happen. I just love the story of the trilogy! In the way some people will go through a Movie/TV boxset or read a particular book once a year, the whole trilogy is worth going through again every so often. Will probably go through it again in the run up to whenever ME4 will be released.
I totally agree; I’ve played through the trilogy several times. The only annoying thing about ME1 is the plant-based roving around…..that can get pretty repetitive. Still, seeing the events unfold on Virmie, deciding who to romance etc always keeps me interested.
I love the story. It’s so detailed and intricate, and there’s SO much the team thought about in terms of universe back story, alien race histories etc. Currently working my way through Battlestar Galactica boxset and then I’ll be back to play ME1/2/3 all over again. 😀