Editorial Eurogamer retrospective of an old classic

[Monolith]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect

<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/">Eurogamer</a> have suddenly realized that there were games <b>before</b> Dragon Age and justifiably honored...<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mass-effect-retrospective">Mass Effect</a>.
<br>
<br>
<blockquote>A game with a lot of information to impart better be good at it, and Mass Effect is, for the most part, thanks to a good conversation system where you use the analogue stick to point to possible responses. You don't always get six options, but there are six possible positions for the options to appear in, and each is a particular flavour of reply; charming and intimidating comments, for example, are always top-left and bottom-left respectively when they're available.
<br>
<br>
Because you already know the tone of the option you're pointing at, BioWare can also be economical with what you're actually clicking on, so each option is represented by a few words. While you may click on "Let's go", Shepard may say "We should get this f***ing show on the road mof***ers." This was an awesome move, because unlike many of its RPG predecessors you don't feel like you've already answered by the time you hit the button; you direct exchanges rather than waiting for your character to mouth the sentiment you've just expressed with the A button. (Incidentally, in order to avoid even the slightest story spoiler, I have invented dialogue for the above examples. Mof***ers.)</blockquote>
<br>
I wonder if you need DosBox to get that thing running nowadays.
<br>
<br>
Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">The usual</a>

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

The Hype-Machine for ME2 is being rolled out of the hangar.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

And also, however much you love the game - and I love Mass Effect - you have to admit that the cover mechanics were a bit 2006. It was 2007!

 

[Monolith]

And also, however much you love the game - and I love Mass Effect - you have to admit that the cover mechanics were a bit 2006. It was 2007!

2006/2007, I hardly remember thee, days of yore.

 

[snoek]

I thought mass effect was p. ok, way less cliched than dragon age at least... dragon age was like the pandora's box of cliché, how boring can fantasy actually get...

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Mass Effect was a snoozefest. Didn't finish it, thank god for that.

 

[racofer]

Never liked that game. Not enough shaders or sex.

 

[Longshanks]

2007? Back in the Dark Ages. Wasn't Bush still president?

Anyway, best defense of shitty real-time combat ever:

But BioWare was right to go shooter, even if it fell a tiny bit short, because it also serves an important narrative function. In a vast, ponderous galaxy where the smallest units of time and distance are years or tens of thousands of kilometres, the immediacy of gun combat reinforces that scale: engagements are over in a matter of seconds, even if you insist on the optional granularity of constant micromanagement; mere specks of space and time in a universe with bigger problems. As Douglas Adams pointed out, space is big. Mass Effect respects that.

Well, maybe not best. But it's p. amazing.

 

[relootz]

 

[dragonfk]

But BioWare was right to go shooter, even if it fell a tiny bit short, because it also serves an important narrative function. In a vast, ponderous galaxy where the smallest units of time and distance are years or tens of thousands of kilometres, the immediacy of gun combat reinforces that scale: engagements are over in a matter of seconds, even if you insist on the optional granularity of constant micromanagement; mere specks of space and time in a universe with bigger problems. As Douglas Adams pointed out, space is big. Mass Effect respects that.

Truly there is no limit to human stupidity.

 

[.Sigurd]

Old classic? ahahahhahahaa

 

[circ]

As Douglas Adams pointed out, space is big. Mass Effect respects that.

Hehehe I love it. Space may be big, but Mass Effect isn't. Unless MR EUROGAMER never went to the non mission critical planets and just imagined that HEY THERE ARE 100 PLANETS IN THIS GAME. SO LATER I CAN EXPLORE THOSE AND THEY WILL ALL BE DIFFERENT AND NOT JUST LAZY FRACTAL CODING GONE HORRIBLY WRONG WITH THE EXACT SAME THREE DUNGEONS ON ALL OF THEM. GOTY. Even if you somehow thought that though I don't know how, how could you even call the main planets big? Token shopkeeper and then static models doing jack shit, go outside, drive around for 5-10 minutes IN THE EXACT SAME ENVIRONS WITH DIFFERENT COLORED WEATHER EFFECTS. OMG MASS EFFECT IS HUEG!!@!11!LOL!

 

[Jim Cojones]

Because you already know the tone of the option you're pointing at, BioWare can also be economical with what you're actually clicking on, so each option is represented by a few words. While you may click on "Let's go", Shepard may say "We should get this f***ing show on the road mof***ers." This was an awesome move, because unlike many of its RPG predecessors you don't feel like you've already answered by the time you hit the button; you direct exchanges rather than waiting for your character to mouth the sentiment you've just expressed with the A button. (Incidentally, in order to avoid even the slightest story spoiler, I have invented dialogue for the above examples. Mof***ers.)

Is this a troll site? A gaming version of The Onion?

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Because you already know the tone of the option you're pointing at, BioWare can also be economical with what you're actually clicking on, so each option is represented by a few words. While you may click on "Let's go", Shepard may say "We should get this f***ing show on the road mof***ers." This was an awesome move, because unlike many of its RPG predecessors you don't feel like you've already answered by the time you hit the button; you direct exchanges rather than waiting for your character to mouth the sentiment you've just expressed with the A button. (Incidentally, in order to avoid even the slightest story spoiler, I have invented dialogue for the above examples. Mof***ers.)

Is this a troll site? A gaming version of The Onion?

Sadly, no.

 

[janjetina]

Eurogamer has always been a refuge of mentally deficient individuals, i.e. target audience of games like Ass Effect and FOS 3.

 

[ghostdog]

Space is big... Space is huge...
Dude! My hands are huge! They can touch anything but themselves. (He puts his hands together) Oh, wait.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

SPACE IS HUGE! THAT MEANS IT HAS HUGE GUTS!

 

[Hobbit Lord of Mordor]

As memory / attention span shortens (becoming senile/infantile), the past gets closer, and 'old' becomes more recent. The Age of Decadence.

 

[Gragt]

Space is big, like Ron Jeremy's cock.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Space is big, like Ron Jeremy's cock.

A miniature giant space hedgehog?

(Sorry, playing BG atm)

 

[Dyspaire]

There weren't a lot of classic games released for Win 3.1, so it's nice to see one of the best get some love.

Sure, at the time it was a bitch to configure, and the framerate was atrocious, but with modern hardware it's not unheard of to get 15-17 fps now; a totally playable rate for such a deep, tactically complex crpg like ME.

It still amazes me that the programmers were able fit over 100 highly-individual and gloriously-expansive, fully-realized planets onto a mere seven 3.5" disks.

I remember it taking over 20min to unpack all the graphics files... probably another 30min to get the midi and the digitized voices working at the same time. It was so worth it though.

With such a truly novel and daringly-original storyline, I would have played the game to completion for that fact alone. But my fondest memories come from the hours I would spend laboring over the tactical minutia found in the incredibly complex combat system.

Really nice to see this forgotten classic so fondly remembered.

 

[Kingston]

Those were the glory days, I tell ya.

 

[Xor]

Coming up next week: Dragon Age retrospective! A review of the classic game Dragon Age! 11/10 A++!

 

[Excidium]

What a load of shit.

Preparing the ground for ME2 reviews, it seems.

 

[SerratedBiz]

And also, however much you love the game - and I love Mass Effect - you have to admit that the cover mechanics were a bit 2006. It was 2007!

Holee sheet I thought you were trolling.