Gaming

What I want from a new Mass Effect game – Reader’s Feature


Mass Effect – how would you revive it?

A reader lays out what he wants to see in a new Mass Effect from BioWare and lists what he think BioWare got wrong about Andromeda.

We haven’t had a Hot Topic about favourite developers in a while, but when the question comes around again I’m going to be a bit stuck for what to say. Normally I’d just instantly answer BioWare and not think about it for a second. But lately I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

Anthem has been a disaster and it’s pretty obvious EA are going to pull the plug very soon and may well do the same on BioWare itself, given how Mass Effect: Andromeda went down as well. Apparently, their next game is a new Dragon Age, but we haven’t seen anything about it and I’m a little worried it doesn’t really exist outside a few vague ideas and bits of concept art. If it was anything more than that wouldn’t we have seen it? Even if just as a leak?

Whatever’s going on there’s even less news about a new Mass Effect, which is what I’m primarily interested in. This feature started off as a Hot Topic reply because my answer would’ve been Mass Effect 2, or the whole trilogy if that was within the rules. But much like with modern Star Wars it’s becoming increasingly hard to hold on to your love of the originals when their memory is being trampled on by the newer entries.

I’m increasingly of the opinion that the answer to the Star Wars problem is they just shouldn’t have made more than three films in the first place, but I don’t think things are ever that clear cut with video games. Andromeda was a bad idea poorly realised, but I would certainly like to see a new game of some kind, that was able to take advantage of modern technology and gameplay innovations.

But it’s got to be something that actually resembles the original and wants to be like them, rather than just trying to turn itself into a generic action game with a Mass Effect logo on top. For me the most important aspects are as follows:

  1. Good story – The one in Andromeda made no sense, wasn’t interesting, and didn’t have anything to do with the previous games.
  2. Good characters – I didn’t like any of the characters in Andromeda and that killed the game dead. Everyone was trying way to hard to be funny and irreverent, but they just came across as obnoxious goofballs.
  3. Interesting locations – the Andromeda galaxy was not an interesting place to visit, with none of the sense of history and culture of the planets in the previous games. No interesting new races, nothing.

What Andromeda did get right is the action, which I wouldn’t really change at all for a new game. It’s fine as it is but as long as it’s competent that’s all that’s really needed. Mass Effect needs to be a game about exploring and adventuring with your crew of likeable companions, the action is just the cherry on top. Andromeda had none of that.

It threw away all the development of the alien races from the original games, made no attempt to make sense of the… perplexing ending and was basically a spin-off rather than a sequel.

I want to see an actual sequel that can replicate the achievements of the original trilogy and can add to it. Mass Effect needs its Force Awakens, because it’s already had its Solo.

By reader Dougal

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.