Review Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare made in over a decade

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Mass Effect

TwentySided always have some fun stuff. <a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=2066">This time, it's Mass Effect</a>:
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<blockquote>Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare has put out in over a decade.
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…but it’s still a great game.
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This isn’t like KOTOR, where every other person you pass is waving you down and stuffing a laundry list of tasks into your hand. Mass Effect makes it very easy to jump on the central rail and ride it all the way to the closing credits, and if you want more to do you have to go looking for it.
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This is actually a really good idea. In the past I’ve seen complaints from players who became mired in the maze of sidequests and lost track of what they were supposed to be doing or what their overall goals were. The approach used in Mass Effect lets those folks stay on task, while leaving players like me free to take the scenic route.
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But the game is not without its faults, and I am going to enumerate them in excruciating detail in a later post. Partly because I think this needs to be done, but mostly because I build up my self-esteem by pointing out the faults of others.
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And let us not forget that I would have played this game ten months ago if it were not for those fumbling, ignorant dolts at EA spiking the PC version with <a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1656">a bunch of self-defeating DRM</a>. Nice going losers.</blockquote>
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/Waits for later post.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</a>

 

[Xor]

Re: Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare made in over a dec

Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare has put out in over a decade.

In before Volourn.

In the past I’ve seen complaints from players who became mired in the maze of sidequests and lost track of what they were supposed to be doing or what their overall goals were.

In other words, morons.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Best review ever.

 

[hiver]

Andyman

here is another one:

It wasn’t until near the end of the game that I began to realize just how much content I was missing.

ahaha haha ha...!

 

[Volourn]

ME > KOTOR

 

[Balor]

You got your 'heart' wrong.
It should be: "ME <3 KOTOR"

However, it may be possible that you meant:

"ME <3 <====3 KOTOR II"

You and your annoying mistypes, Volly.

 

[Tigranes]

I love how there is always someone ready to try and convince Volourn, it's like they think it might work.

 

[Jaesun]

ME > KOTOR

As a Role Playing Game... how so?

 

[Forest Dweller]

ME > KOTOR

As a Role Playing Game... how so?

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect

It's slight though.

In terms of character customization systems: Kotor>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

 

[Lurkar]

ME > KOTOR

As a Role Playing Game... how so?

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect

It's slight though.

In terms of character customization systems: Kotor>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

I call bullshit on the first. Mass Effect didn't have a morality system. It had a "You get these points depending on if you use intimidate and charm, and I guess we'll just throw you them completely at random as well, too" system. I'm sure at one point there was a core idea behind what constituted as "renegade" and what constituted as "paragon," but that idea was nowhere near the actual retail version of the game.

 

[MetalCraze]

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

I would say they are equal. Morality of kids.

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

It is nice to see that Kotor is better at this at least.

 

[Forest Dweller]

ME > KOTOR

As a Role Playing Game... how so?

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect

It's slight though.

In terms of character customization systems: Kotor>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

I call bullshit on the first. Mass Effect didn't have a morality system. It had a "You get these points depending on if you use intimidate and charm, and I guess we'll just throw you them completely at random as well, too" system. I'm sure at one point there was a core idea behind what constituted as "renegade" and what constituted as "paragon," but that idea was nowhere near the actual retail version of the game.

I meant how it was integrated into the story. What I hated most about Kotor was the whole light side/dark side dichotomy (either being a complete goody-two-shoes or a complete dick) and how the game constantly tried to force you into one of the two possibilities, leaving little room for gray. It's the increasing presence of gray in JE and ME that made better "morality systems." I guess I should have clarified.

 

[Vibalist]

I can't even get myself to read this. Am I right in assuming that this guy is another "edgy" asshole who has finally gathered up the courage to say some slightly bad things about a game he probably would have given 90% a year ago?

 

[Forest Dweller]

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

It is nice to see that Kotor is better at this at least.

WAT

 

[Mister Arkham]

I can't even get myself to read this. Am I right in assuming that this guy is another "edgy" asshole who has finally gathered up the courage to say some slightly bad things about a game he probably would have given 90% a year ago?

Not quite, but Shamus Young gets off on the whole "edgy asshole" thing quite a lot these days... and screaming at the top of his lungs about DRM like a petulant toddler. It's kind of a shame; he used to be a decent and fairly funny writer.

 

[racofer]

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

I would say they are equal. Morality of kids.

In terms of better story and quality of writing: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass>Mass Effect>Jade Empire

It is nice to see that Kotor is better at this at least.

Yea, as in 4 y.o. < 5 y.o. < 6 y.o

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

I would say they are equal. Morality of kids.

ME's did produce a fair deal of unintentional lulz though.

 

[MetalCraze]

Bioware games are mostly about being comedy.

 

[Karl]

Re: Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare made in over a dec

In the past I’ve seen complaints from players who became mired in the maze of sidequests and lost track of what they were supposed to be doing or what their overall goals were.

In other words, morons.

The way it's phrased, yes. But there is a kernel of truth in it. NPCs that act as some kind of quest dispensers, filling your quest log with a dozen or more entries in the first hour of the game, are not uncommon in RPGs and by and large a bad design choice.

 

[Dark Matter]

In terms of more mature morality systems: Kotor<Jade Empire<Mass Effect.

I would say they are equal. Morality of kids.

As far as moral ambiguity goes, ME is at least on par with Fallout.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

I just hope EA are going to remove the activation limit soon. I installed ME before, then uninstalled it when I completed three playthroughs. When I install it again, I'll have used two activations out of five. When I've used five, that's it. I'll have to phone EA's £10-a-minute-hotline.

This is a worry to me because I have a habit of replaying my old games once every year or so.

 

[PennyAnte]

Mass Effect is the worst game BioWare has put out in over a decade.

Just a grammatical nitpick - the wording of this sentence can mean that ME is the worst game that spent more than 10 years in production. It should be the worst of the games that Bioware has put out during the last decade or so.

 

[elander_]

As far as moral ambiguity goes, ME is at least on par with Fallout.

It would be much better if they tried hiring a decent writer. The quality of dialogs and the way the story is told is so amateur and uninspired.

 

[Volourn]

No.

But, you should hire a writer as your post is of poor quality, and is uninspired and amateur.

 

[elander_]

Poor Volourn, being a troll because people don't like Mass Effect crappy dialogs.