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Editorial Mass Effect: A Narratological Review

DarkUnderlord

Professional Throne Sitter
Staff Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
28,343
Tags: Mass Effect

<p>TNO decided to take a look at Mass Effect but not from the usual game point of view, instead by taking an in-depth look at its story (He originally posted this in our forum but why just leave it there?). <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=201">Here's what he came up with</a>:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">These are good subversions, but they aren't pulled off properly. Humans are still 'special', and one of the endings of the game lets you put them wholly in charge. Whatever choice you make humans become the top dog, as all of the other species get mauled by the terminators. The reveal of the real big bad (the 'Reapers') does set them up as nasty villains ("slaughtering all life in the galaxy? peh. We've done that repeatedly for millions of years.") But no explanation is ever offered for why they bother doing this - Bioware hides behind alien inscrutability (you can't possibly understand, beyond your comprehension etc. etc.) Maybe sequels will satisfy this, but I don't hold my breath for this explanation being any good.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">[...]</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">One thing that deserves a rant are the SPECTREs (Special whatever and Tactical Reconassaince, or whatever the backronym was.) Another part of Bioware's formula is having a leet crew of kewl people who have absolute power to protect the established order by any means necessary (see the Grey Wardens). This trope is rammed into the game with barely any justification. Intelligence services? Sure. Black ops? Fine. But mankind has never done this 'special dudes who are cool and answer to no one' as the best way of doing these things. Why would wider alien community (of multiple species) agree to this sort of thing? What if one of them discovers a plot device of doom and goes crazy?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Crazy is good.</p>
 

Sceptic

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
10,871
Divinity: Original Sin
Very nice article. The analysis of the plot and plot coupons in particular is spot on. A few comments though:

making the alien-friendly choice stupid (should you risk your only chance of stopping the doomsday mcguffin to save the alien councillors?)
This is pretty silly. It's the end game and it's a Bioware game. It was painfully obvious at this point that each and every choice would lead to stopping the bad guy and that there was zero risk involved. The only reason to not save the council is if your Shepard is a dick.

Particular props to Jennifer Hale
Yes.

and (to a lesser extent) Mark Meer
No, fuck no. If Mark Meer can voice act then I am Cleveland Mark Blakemore. Hale manages to give some character to otherwise horrid lines; Meer manages to butcher even his good lines. His delivery is the reason I had to abandon my first run 10 minutes in and restarted with a female Shepard.
 
Self-Ejected

Kosmonaut

Lost in Space
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
4,741
Location
CCCP
Kudos for this great review. And even more great that the admins rescued this gem from the anonymity of the forums.

Expecting more reviews from TNO. This gives a lot of incline to this prestigious magazine.

:thumbsup:
 

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