Not going to argue one side or the other, but I will say that what engine the games run on is pretty irrelevant to whether or not they are viewed as one game. If it seems relevant to you, however; you should know that all three games were developed on unreal engine 3.
Played the trilogy years after, you are sucked into this universe ! So much charisma from every character ! It's like Metal Gear Solid level of epicness, times 10 with a much clearer story !
It's really an underrated part of the trilogy. From epic themes like the suicide mission to the ones like vigil and uncharted world's... they really know how to set the mood.
+General Maul "An end once and for all" for me it is the best piece of all the trilogy the people just think if it bad cause it is related to the ending (whatever I liked the endings, well... That isn't the word but like any other ending, it is what it is and yeah it is an end I approve). Leaving earth and An end once and for all are very likely but the epic touch of the last one touch me (reaper's sounds of the leaving earth are good touches too)
+Vk Cefiro I do believe as well, ME3 has the Best soundtrack. ME2 do feels bladeruner-ish and it fit perfectly. But the nostalgic piano on ME3 is amazing
I'm with you. I am kinda disappointed that ME:A got pushed back to next year, but at the sametime, I'm fine with they need more time to work on it. I'm hoping for Dragon Age Inquisition style open areas to explore.
I remember just skipping through the mass effect franchise because it looked a bit cheesy on the surface and too lengthy to play but boy was I wrong. Never thought it was even possible to be so invested in a game. My favourite series of all time
Mass effect remastered collection comes out on may 14 Friday and mass effect remastered collection we’ll be on ps4 and Xbox also ps5 I Hope 🤞 one day coming out on switch next game as new dragon age then after that next mass effect 5 games in series
This game had it all. I laughed, I cried, I felt happiness, I felt wrath, can't think of another game that gave me so many hours of pure joy playing it. Totally addictive. I hope someday HBO will pick up the rights to this masterpiece and give us a mass effect tv show
The original is still my favorite, i do hope Andromeda takes the best from each game, i want it to be more of an RPG again with lots of customization and i agree on doing something else than saving the Galaxy again, i want to explore new planets and meet new races with their own problems.
Same here. The original one was something else! I remember pausing game, taking a round around my house after completing the mission on Vermire! No person can handle such intensity in one straight sitting! xD
Well I was completely fine with how they did MASS EFFECT 1. the only people that had issues with MASS EFFECT 1 were the HALO players. The original idea for 2 was going to be Shepard's kid but was later down the line scrapped.
+mrbrainchild76 Well I suppose your right about the whole clunky thing but I got use to it. But the complaints I got from the HALO players is it was boring and dull. People felt you spent way to much time in the Mako or running around in the Citadel and not getting much action out of MASS EFFECT 1. I kind of felt BIOWARE caved in to the GEARS OF WAR crowd and had it less RPG and more 3D person shooter. Just my personal thoughts. I like many others did like MASS EFFECT 2.
12:45 Last two hours!? Try the last 10 minutes! Everything was fine until I pressed that damned button in the Citadel and went up to meet the Star Child. Everything before that was MORE than fine. It was the best damned game I'd ever played. That ending though...
The best game in the trilogy was the first one. It didn't quire live up to it's intended scope, but it was ground breaking for what it did. Sure it had bad mechanics in certain arenas, but it was the first game. The sequels were streamlined to remove most of the "boring" bits, but that also took away from portraying a living breathing galaxy. The Citadel was almost a joke (having been destroyed in the first game. There were fewer side quests, and fewer NPCs at any given location you visited. The urgency was ramped up, and it lost the feel of the more "mundane" side quests that made the world not all about you. Mass Effect, the original game is the best of the franchise, and I consider it the pinnacle of Sci fi games, period. It's too bad, the sequels were merely a refinement of what worked and not a triumph to achieve the original vision.
I have to agree, while 2 was my favourite for many different reasons, the streamlined nature of 2 and 3 really took away from the atmosphere of ME1. Exploring in the Mako as bland as it was told me far more about the galaxy of Mass Effect than 2 and 3 combined. ME1 was about exploring an unknown universe with many secrets which were lost in the sequels. Something magical about that game.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. ME1 was the superior game in terms of story, mechanics, and exploration. It was a truly innovative RPG. ME2 and ME3 both regressed to a more standard shooter in the same vein as Gears of War or Halo
All I must say, Mass Effect Title Screen Music, Mass Effect 2 Suicide Run Music, and Mass Effect 3 Leaving Earth music really had me in love with the series.
So basically MEA didn't deliver anything you hoped for. Aside from early bugs and the facial animations we got a great combat system but a whole lot empty content. Your expectation about exploring new worlds and meeting exciting characters became a simple "Why came to Andromeda" and "What you doing here". I've heard a thousand times "I didn't fit back there", "I wanted something new or a restart" or "it seemed a good idea". The few interesting things like how the remnant got there, what was the kett really doing here, who sent the arcon and the benefactor plot and how they killed all leaders wasn't explained. After i beat the game i was really surprised when i realized i cared the most for the Ryder Family secrets and the benefactor plot and for the Movie Night. I think this says enough.
Me 1: best story, galaxy building, the one that felt the most RPGish Me 2: funnest gameplay, best characters tied into the story, pacing, decisions really matter for the end Me 3: best gameplay, graphics, the most balanced overall Personally, Mass Effect 2 is my favourite game of all time.
Great video! I'm glad someone else appreciated how responsive ME3 as a whole really was to your choices. For me it's definitely best ME1 > great ME3 > still good ME2. Although I'm sure we'll never get back most of the amazing '80s retro-future atmosphere and in-depth RPG feel of ME1 that got scrubbed sterile in ME2, I'm looking forward to the return to ME1-inspired exploration of both characters and environments in Andromeda.
This has got to be one of the best videos about videogames that I have ever seen in my life. I was a little late to the ME franchise and started playing it short before they released the ending DLC, so by the time I played ME 3 it was released and I got it. However, since I wasn't part of the group that was asking for a better ending I didn't consider that the team was crushed by the response to the original ending. I gotta say, watching this vid actually made me feel like there are still some devs out there that genuinely care for the players.
As for mass effect 3's ending even if they had colors that did the same thing I think they could have done a better job with it. Destroy: Destroys the Reapers but also causes destruction and chaos everywhere, killing millions but ending the Reaper. Control: Control all A.I. effectively ending the Reaper problem but removing control from millions of machines (e.g. Geth) Synthases: It will be a trick. When Life fuses with machine they get indoctrinated. Technically its not a lie. ;) Shoot: Depending on your war assets it will end in three ways: 1. Low: You get completely decimated, basically ending the same way it does already. 2. Medium: You win, but at a heavy price, the death toll is catastrophic, and it will take years for life to go back to normal. 3. High: You kick a** and win the war with no major consequences. The only happy ending. Also, If you pick Shoot, have a harbinger boss battle. Low: impossible to beat, just hanging on until you die. Medium: Very hard, but the bigger they are the harder they fall. High: Difficult, But easier then medium. Oh yeah, and f*** God Child, Make him Harbinger. He was always the Big Bad of the Series. Personally, this is how I think mass effect should have ended. Do you agree?
In twenty years, we're not going to be talking about the combat, or about the ending. We're going to be talking about the characters and about the stories we were told. (paraphrased) So many times YES! My heart sank when Dr Solus met his end. I so much did NOT want to kill Wrex. And the romances mattered to me. There is no other game where the characters and their arcs made me care so much for characters I wasn't even playing. THAT is the true legacy of Mass Effect, and I hope the new game goes all-in on that.
I loved ME1's feeling it made me feel like I was living my own almost Star Trek story. It was epic and left me with so many questions the first time. Random spheres on planets, genophage curing, discovering new races. It was an amazing game and still definitely in my personal top 10
What? You want ME:A to, "do away with the grand and epic storylines" (15:02). But then, you completely contradict this in the summary by saying, "when we look back on ME we're gonna think about the characters it created and the stories it told" (15:20)! You can't have meaningful characters without story. Without a plot to become engrossed in, to care about. Asking for one, without or separated from the other, is irrational. As you yourself said, the heart of ME universe is both, put together - the characters AND the story.
Why are people so negative, a lot of work has gone into this. The only thing negative about it is that we didn't support their game enough and unfortunately didn't help out create along the developers into the best game the world has ever seen
I played Mass Effect as a complete package with (nearly) all the DLC in 2012. Was a total blast. 3 is my favourite because it just executes its ideas so fluidly, which is more than I can say about 1 which feels stilted and awkward. 2 meanwhile is well-made, but in the grand scheme of the story it's ultimately pointless, a filler episode to pad the time until the Reapers show up. I was surprised that the Citadel DLC wasn't given more of a light here, considering that it's effectively the fun final send-off with the characters that fans were wanting out of 3.
Mass Effect is the only game where I have felt like I was the main character. This game has touched almost every emotion in me, from joy to sadness, and heartbreak to be trail. I have never played a game where I felt the need to consider my choices every time. I have grown so attached to these characters that it is unbelievable. I hope Andromeda will be just as great as Shepard and his crew. Mass Effect today, Mass Effect tomorrow, Mass Effect forever. R. I. P. all the beloved soles that will not make it to the Andromeda galaxy.
What a thoroughly honest and objective exposé of not only the ME series of games, but also of the tight-knit community of fans the series nurtures. Fans not only of Mass Effect, but of Bioware, as well. Well done, and thanks.
The gripping storyline, graphics, great soundtrack, relatable characters and futuristic feel is what has made me love mass effect (on PC). always used the main male Shepard model as he just felt right along with the voice
not a word about the soundtrack? i mean thats what keeps giving me chills everytime i hear any of its music and makes the story so much more emotional and emphasizeable
So many memories...I remember walking into my local GameStop to pick up the ME3 PC version and end up walking out with the collectors edition signed by the developers who showed up greet customers. Of all the DLC you've mentioned you've forgot the most important....Shadow Broker, so good. I miss Liara and Garrus, my two best friends.
Don't normally comment on youtube videos - but i really enjoyed this and am excited to see more of these. Feel free to do more Mass Effect / Star Wars related history videos!
"There should be dozens maybe even hundreds of planets to explore" I laughed my ass off. yeah sure, if you consider scanning dozens of planets exploring
Without question, the Mass Effect series is my favorite trilogy in gaming, and the 3 titles stand among my all time favorites. Some of the moments and dialog will stay with me perhaps for life. Liara and Tali were my favs, and Lair of the Shadow Broker is probably my favorite dlc content of all time. I fully plan on building out a new pc utilizing the 1080ti or TitanX and Mass Effect:Andromeda will have the honor of being the first game in my new 4k ultra settings, 60fps and above system.
The feels, I bought every game on its release, it's always had the best and most memorable music to back up every situation.... Love this game franchise so much
+InfinityGore X1 Backwards compatible games save to your HDD anyway, they could have it where you just put in any of the game discs and it starts the game.
I absolutely love Mass Effect and I feel it got better as you went through the series. I have to admit; the ending of Mass Effect 3 made me tear up a little. They really hit the spot with it :'(
Excellent video. While gameplay and all those gaming details certainly matter, it's the stories and characters that ultimately drive a game franchise like this. And that's why I still play the trilogy today and will probably play Andromeda like crazy for years.
While I like the ME trilogy in many aspects, I however don't like the main story that is suppose to span all three game which is stopping the Reapers. ME2 is about stopping the Collectors and that doesn't add to anything, it doesn't stop the Reapers as we see in the Arrival and ME3 the Reapers are the door step and Shepard wasted a lot of time resources on basically a side plot. Which is sad when you think about. ME2 is still a great game (gameplay is great, characters are generally great and a good number of sidemissions are great too), it's just a terrible middle game in a trilogy from a story point of view. ME3 basically can't happened the way the story played out, because if the story followed the previous infomation and lore from ME1 and ME2, the Reapers would have conquered the Citadel, turned off the relays and killed of the Galaxy, which means Shepard would have died with the rest of the humans and the ME3 story also have other story problems here and there as side from the Ending. I still like ME3 because the gameplay is great, a good number of characters are well written.
The thing I love about Mass Effect was the consistent storytelling and how each time I play it's unique even if you make only a few different choices in the next playthrough it still feels different and unique to you because it's your experience I didn't have a problem with the 3rd game's ending after the Extended Cut and even if the Endings weren't ever choice based I still felt like my choices mattered because they came full circle in the 3rd game my hope is that Andromeda will share a similar experience even if it's not "Galaxy Saving" as long as it like the first 3 with the same Protagonist for Andromeda 2 and 3 or whatever I'll be happy my fear is that it won't be consistent and go the way of Dragon Age where your a different hero each game and the experience feels disconnected.
That ending almost killed the franchise for me. Completed ME1 a few times, ME2 a million times and ME3 twice, after I got it in 2012 I didn't play it for years after my 1st completion. It genuinely felt like a slap in the face.
The Original is till my Favorite then 3, and 2! But I Love Mass Effect! And I was on that 2% Not Complaining about the ending on 3! I Loved the ending! I got the bets and good choices cince Mass Effect one released! Ima be first in line when ME Andromeda drops!
As a hardcore fan, the Mass Effect series has been an emotional roller coaster. But I would never take it back! I made tons of amazing friends, I even met my boyfriend through this game. Can't wait to do it all over again with Andromeda.
Great video ,I loved this series so much. I even wrote fanfiction once, Can't wait until Andromeda I think it's good that they are not showing much info as too many times we see developers promise what they can't deliver
"when we look back at Mass Effect we won't think about the combat or the endings, but the characters and stories it told" we won't think about the combat? That's pretty sad for a video game (you know, something you sit down and PLAY).
The story built up the relationships and the ending was very emotional because you saw all the people just before you died in an ending that technically made sense. At least me3 had that going for it.
The Crew... They become friends they have emotions, you live and die with each squadmate, when Thane died I bawled like a baby. When in the extended cut for me Liara got hurt and ManShep starred at her I knew that it was at an end...once and for all
Mass Effect 3's story still isn't over. There is a certain mods in development, and once we're done with development, every ME fan will want to go for another ride through ME3.
I loved the expansive organic exploration and sense of scale/isolation on mass effect 1. Mocking the repetition of the cabins etc is nonsense that misses the point in what it was all about, scanning planets in mass effect 2 was dull/repititous and empty. Mass effect menu and upgrade system was deep and extremely uniquely brilliant, it was possible to save any proggress anywhere so it didnt matter that it was indepth, i gained a far more deeper/meaningful and tactically deep experience from mass effect 1 than the rest. By far the best organic soulful mass effect ever.
This game has literally changed the way I am looking at RPGs now and since this trilogy, I didn't enjoy any other game as much (storywise) as Mass Effect. I am very happy that even though I started Mass Effect 1 about year before Mass Effect 3 got released, I have avoided spoilers - all of them. I didn't know anything about story before I played it myself. Then Mass Effect 3 came out and I have enjoyed it too! Even though ending was very criticised, I liked it. I do understand the critics, but I love stories with sacrifices. No rainbows at the end, no happy ending, holding hands... Bittersweet ending, where alongside with beutiful music, known faces turining to you and make you realise what hell you must've gone through to accomplish all this. No ending was evil or good which is also great for me. Each ending represented ideologies other characters were following and even though indoctrinated, controlled - they were right after all. Then the Extended Cut came out which I love! BioWare gave us this for free, listened to their fans and put their own money and time to give us what we wanted. No other company would've done this for free. I'd say more - no other company would've admited that they made a mistake. This is why I like BioWare so much. For me, Mass Effect trilogy with all DLCs and Extended Cut has more re-play value than any other game. It's always nice to rescue Liara on Therum again, or spend some time with Garrus, shooting to the bottles or just to catch up with other squad mates on the ship and at the end - throw out 'another last one' party with whole crew on board and take group picture before heading to Earth for the last call (this is how I played it - Citadel party before the point of no return). Best trilogy ever! :)
Man, I only ever played the extended cut, and it seemed to me like one of the best endings of a video game ever. It was so beautiful it made me cry. The original cut must have been really different. On the other hand, I thought Citadel totally didn't fit with the rest of the game's tone.
Citadel DLC Is a kind goodbye of the trilogy and I think should be played after beating the game almost once cause it is a bit break tension immersion of that part but it isn't a bad DLC! I really laughed with it and enjoyed that DLC like the most, that one and Leviathan are the best DLC of ME for me.
I love it, thats all. Every episode has their potential and weakness, but the story, the characters, the soundtrack and the atmosphere made this masterpiece the most captivating game I have ever played. I cant wait for Andromeda
I came into ME2 and was so excited I did something I never do and that is go back in time and try the original Mass Effect only to be Let down so far that I did not complete the game. Call it features and difference in game Play so I never got in on the Cary over feature mentioned. Moving on I played to completion ME2 a few more times hoping and waiting for ME3 to be released but that was to my dismay as i watched a few videos that gave away the ending of the game. This was a crusher for me and I to this day did not finish ME3, I just could never get passed knowing the ending. You said something that may just bring me back to Mass Effect and that is the 5 year mission of exploration, well not as specific as that, but you get the idea. I want more of a "FireFly" or "Star Trek" feel to the game play. F the universe and Earth for that matter in Mass Effect, let me just Explore and decide how that goes on my own. Sure give me cool toys to play with and some evil dudes to eliminate from my space and let me just invite a sexy crew member back to my stateroom for some ya know. Now seriously Im still in love with my ME2 game play and can let go of my ME3 letdown, but I hope they got the picture and make the game what we all want it to be. Nice video, well done.
Mass Effect created an incredible universe and one that, unusually for games, has a great deal of internal consistency. I have to say it remains, for me at least, the best trilogy of games ever made.
The best game I have played . I have played all three game and i felt very bad because of the ending. the characters are the best thing mass effect has to offer .they are so memorable that I almost consider them my friends
Mass Effect is hands down one of the greatest games of all time
Yup.
franchise yes but game..add a 2 at the end of that and il agree
I tend to look at mass effect trilogy as one game.
hyun028 There gameplay varies heavily so i don't understand your logic. Sure its a trilogy but the engines and Gameplay are quite different.
Not going to argue one side or the other, but I will say that what engine the games run on is pretty irrelevant to whether or not they are viewed as one game. If it seems relevant to you, however; you should know that all three games were developed on unreal engine 3.
Best game series ever. I love it more than I thought it was possible to love a game.
Mass Effect is love, Mass Effect is life.
100%
couldn't agree more!
Played the trilogy years after, you are sucked into this universe ! So much charisma from every character !
It's like Metal Gear Solid level of epicness, times 10 with a much clearer story !
+Rasuke11 m8
And the music is soooooooooooo good.
I love editing Mass Effect videos because I get to listen to the music all day.
It's really an underrated part of the trilogy. From epic themes like the suicide mission to the ones like vigil and uncharted world's... they really know how to set the mood.
+General Maul "An end once and for all" for me it is the best piece of all the trilogy the people just think if it bad cause it is related to the ending (whatever I liked the endings, well... That isn't the word but like any other ending, it is what it is and yeah it is an end I approve). Leaving earth and An end once and for all are very likely but the epic touch of the last one touch me (reaper's sounds of the leaving earth are good touches too)
Hell Yeah !! I listen to club afterlife and galaxy map theme every day
+Vk Cefiro I do believe as well, ME3 has the Best soundtrack. ME2 do feels bladeruner-ish and it fit perfectly. But the nostalgic piano on ME3 is amazing
Obviously love Mass Effect, love the lore, the character and setting. Absolutely brilliant
I'm with you. I am kinda disappointed that ME:A got pushed back to next year, but at the sametime, I'm fine with they need more time to work on it. I'm hoping for Dragon Age Inquisition style open areas to explore.
i dont like the wait quest tho
+matthew evans Do you love the 3 endings?
Kelly Chambers?
That's it, bag 'em and tag 'em.
Not now, Shepard!
Not in the middle of a fight!
I will destroy you!
Enemies everywhere!
Now is not the time!
Brilliant mini documentary on my favourite video game trilogy, nice one Jake.
Thank you!
+Jacob Dekker you gotta do more of these
I remember just skipping through the mass effect franchise because it looked a bit cheesy on the surface and too lengthy to play but boy was I wrong. Never thought it was even possible to be so invested in a game. My favourite series of all time
Mass Effect Remastered... because it needs to have Me and Gabby
Budget.
I wonder where they'll get it now...
Hello, I'm from the future and exactly that is happening!
Your wish just came true
Mass effect remastered collection comes out on may 14 Friday and mass effect remastered collection we’ll be on ps4 and Xbox also ps5 I Hope 🤞 one day coming out on switch next game as new dragon age then after that next mass effect 5 games in series
it’s a great remaster
Ending of ME3 aside ... Mass Effect is one of my favourite franchises ever made.
do more history videos like this
bump
We have three more planned! One week for the next few weeks I believe.
Have you seen Danny O'Dwyer's EFMS series on GameSpot?
They may not have the best reviews on average, but i have hope they can do history videos of games.
+
This game had it all. I laughed, I cried, I felt happiness, I felt wrath, can't think of another game that gave me so many hours of pure joy playing it. Totally addictive.
I hope someday HBO will pick up the rights to this masterpiece and give us a mass effect tv show
hbo seems like the perfect choice. Since they handled another rich and expansive world with game of thrones really well
The original is still my favorite, i do hope Andromeda takes the best from each game, i want it to be more of an RPG again with lots of customization and i agree on doing something else than saving the Galaxy again, i want to explore new planets and meet new races with their own problems.
+Tyler Bouman Absolutely. Or think about Mordin and Wrex. Loved them.
Shadow Broker Liara was the bezt
Same here. The original one was something else!
I remember pausing game, taking a round around my house after completing the mission on Vermire! No person can handle such intensity in one straight sitting! xD
Well I was completely fine with how they did MASS EFFECT 1. the only people that had issues with MASS EFFECT 1 were the HALO players. The original idea for 2 was going to be Shepard's kid but was later down the line scrapped.
+mrbrainchild76 Well I suppose your right about the whole clunky thing but I got use to it. But the complaints I got from the HALO players is it was boring and dull. People felt you spent way to much time in the Mako or running around in the Citadel and not getting much action out of MASS EFFECT 1. I kind of felt BIOWARE caved in to the GEARS OF WAR crowd and had it less RPG and more 3D person shooter. Just my personal thoughts. I like many others did like MASS EFFECT 2.
Truly the best games I've ever played, hands down. Kinda got tears on my eyes.
12:45
Last two hours!? Try the last 10 minutes! Everything was fine until I pressed that damned button in the Citadel and went up to meet the Star Child.
Everything before that was MORE than fine. It was the best damned game I'd ever played.
That ending though...
“Dozens or even hundreds of planets to explore in andromeda”? Bet you feel played, bud lol.
The best game in the trilogy was the first one. It didn't quire live up to it's intended scope, but it was ground breaking for what it did. Sure it had bad mechanics in certain arenas, but it was the first game. The sequels were streamlined to remove most of the "boring" bits, but that also took away from portraying a living breathing galaxy. The Citadel was almost a joke (having been destroyed in the first game. There were fewer side quests, and fewer NPCs at any given location you visited. The urgency was ramped up, and it lost the feel of the more "mundane" side quests that made the world not all about you.
Mass Effect, the original game is the best of the franchise, and I consider it the pinnacle of Sci fi games, period. It's too bad, the sequels were merely a refinement of what worked and not a triumph to achieve the original vision.
I have to agree, while 2 was my favourite for many different reasons, the streamlined nature of 2 and 3 really took away from the atmosphere of ME1. Exploring in the Mako as bland as it was told me far more about the galaxy of Mass Effect than 2 and 3 combined. ME1 was about exploring an unknown universe with many secrets which were lost in the sequels. Something magical about that game.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. ME1 was the superior game in terms of story, mechanics, and exploration. It was a truly innovative RPG. ME2 and ME3 both regressed to a more standard shooter in the same vein as Gears of War or Halo
All I must say, Mass Effect Title Screen Music, Mass Effect 2 Suicide Run Music, and Mass Effect 3 Leaving Earth music really had me in love with the series.
So basically MEA didn't deliver anything you hoped for. Aside from early bugs and the facial animations we got a great combat system but a whole lot empty content. Your expectation about exploring new worlds and meeting exciting characters became a simple "Why came to Andromeda" and "What you doing here". I've heard a thousand times "I didn't fit back there", "I wanted something new or a restart" or "it seemed a good idea". The few interesting things like how the remnant got there, what was the kett really doing here, who sent the arcon and the benefactor plot and how they killed all leaders wasn't explained. After i beat the game i was really surprised when i realized i cared the most for the Ryder Family secrets and the benefactor plot and for the Movie Night. I think this says enough.
How can you say you dont want a story when its the story that forms the bonds you so desire?
Me 1: best story, galaxy building, the one that felt the most RPGish
Me 2: funnest gameplay, best characters tied into the story, pacing, decisions really matter for the end
Me 3: best gameplay, graphics, the most balanced overall
Personally, Mass Effect 2 is my favourite game of all time.
Great video! I'm glad someone else appreciated how responsive ME3 as a whole really was to your choices. For me it's definitely best ME1 > great ME3 > still good ME2.
Although I'm sure we'll never get back most of the amazing '80s retro-future atmosphere and in-depth RPG feel of ME1 that got scrubbed sterile in ME2, I'm looking forward to the return to ME1-inspired exploration of both characters and environments in Andromeda.
10:30 missing class the next day. when gta5 came out, my campus was EMPTY the next day LOL
This has got to be one of the best videos about videogames that I have ever seen in my life. I was a little late to the ME franchise and started playing it short before they released the ending DLC, so by the time I played ME 3 it was released and I got it. However, since I wasn't part of the group that was asking for a better ending I didn't consider that the team was crushed by the response to the original ending. I gotta say, watching this vid actually made me feel like there are still some devs out there that genuinely care for the players.
Love this video, one of the best I've seen from gamespot :))))
Thank you so much! We have more videos like this planned.
As for mass effect 3's ending even if they had colors that did the same thing I think they could have done a better job with it.
Destroy: Destroys the Reapers but also causes destruction and chaos everywhere, killing millions but ending the Reaper.
Control: Control all A.I. effectively ending the Reaper problem but removing control from millions of machines (e.g. Geth)
Synthases: It will be a trick. When Life fuses with machine they get indoctrinated. Technically its not a lie. ;)
Shoot: Depending on your war assets it will end in three ways:
1. Low: You get completely decimated, basically ending the same way it does already.
2. Medium: You win, but at a heavy price, the death toll is catastrophic, and it will take years for life to go back to normal.
3. High: You kick a** and win the war with no major consequences. The only happy ending.
Also, If you pick Shoot, have a harbinger boss battle.
Low: impossible to beat, just hanging on until you die.
Medium: Very hard, but the bigger they are the harder they fall.
High: Difficult, But easier then medium.
Oh yeah, and f*** God Child, Make him Harbinger. He was always the Big Bad of the Series.
Personally, this is how I think mass effect should have ended. Do you agree?
That was a perfect video for a one of the Greats in video game history. Exceptionally well done video.
Thank you!
In twenty years, we're not going to be talking about the combat, or about the ending. We're going to be talking about the characters and about the stories we were told. (paraphrased)
So many times YES! My heart sank when Dr Solus met his end. I so much did NOT want to kill Wrex. And the romances mattered to me.
There is no other game where the characters and their arcs made me care so much for characters I wasn't even playing.
THAT is the true legacy of Mass Effect, and I hope the new game goes all-in on that.
I agree. Thank you so much for watching!
Mass Effect consumed my soul and made me cry like a child. But it's still my favorite game series. Great video btw!
I loved ME1's feeling it made me feel like I was living my own almost Star Trek story. It was epic and left me with so many questions the first time. Random spheres on planets, genophage curing, discovering new races. It was an amazing game and still definitely in my personal top 10
ME1 is always my favorite. Best story, loved the wide open enviroments, and sound track was killer.
What? You want ME:A to, "do away with the grand and epic storylines" (15:02). But then, you completely contradict this in the summary by saying, "when we look back on ME we're gonna think about the characters it created and the stories it told" (15:20)! You can't have meaningful characters without story. Without a plot to become engrossed in, to care about. Asking for one, without or separated from the other, is irrational. As you yourself said, the heart of ME universe is both, put together - the characters AND the story.
Why are people so negative, a lot of work has gone into this. The only thing negative about it is that we didn't support their game enough and unfortunately didn't help out create along the developers into the best game the world has ever seen
Finally, someone sees the truth.
I liked the Mako planetary exploration. More fun than scanning. If it wasn't for the Mako, I wouldn't have discovered that cool orb on Eletania.
I played Mass Effect as a complete package with (nearly) all the DLC in 2012. Was a total blast. 3 is my favourite because it just executes its ideas so fluidly, which is more than I can say about 1 which feels stilted and awkward. 2 meanwhile is well-made, but in the grand scheme of the story it's ultimately pointless, a filler episode to pad the time until the Reapers show up.
I was surprised that the Citadel DLC wasn't given more of a light here, considering that it's effectively the fun final send-off with the characters that fans were wanting out of 3.
One of the most significant things from Mass effect and on my gamers life was that party with all of your squad mates and the picture at the end
Mass Effect is the only game where I have felt like I was the main character. This game has touched almost every emotion in me, from joy to sadness, and heartbreak to be trail. I have never played a game where I felt the need to consider my choices every time. I have grown so attached to these characters that it is unbelievable. I hope Andromeda will be just as great as Shepard and his crew. Mass Effect today, Mass Effect tomorrow, Mass Effect forever. R. I. P. all the beloved soles that will not make it to the Andromeda galaxy.
Mass Effect is the best universe ever and I hope they keep making entries for it
Thank you!! This is the best Mass Effect explanation I have watched. Right after finishing the trilogy (again). You are awesome!
What a thoroughly honest and objective exposé of not only the ME series of games, but also of the tight-knit community of fans the series nurtures. Fans not only of Mass Effect, but of Bioware, as well. Well done, and thanks.
The gripping storyline, graphics, great soundtrack, relatable characters and futuristic feel is what has made me love mass effect (on PC). always used the main male Shepard model as he just felt right along with the voice
not a word about the soundtrack? i mean thats what keeps giving me chills everytime i hear any of its music and makes the story so much more emotional and emphasizeable
So many memories...I remember walking into my local GameStop to pick up the ME3 PC version and end up walking out with the collectors edition signed by the developers who showed up greet customers. Of all the DLC you've mentioned you've forgot the most important....Shadow Broker, so good. I miss Liara and Garrus, my two best friends.
Good to see everyone is on the same page of love for mass effect as me, thanks Gamespot
Don't normally comment on youtube videos - but i really enjoyed this and am excited to see more of these. Feel free to do more Mass Effect / Star Wars related history videos!
Thank you so much!
my fave was ME2 and Miranda
"There should be dozens maybe even hundreds of planets to explore"
I laughed my ass off.
yeah sure, if you consider scanning dozens of planets exploring
very well done Jake
Thank you so much!
I just started playing ME1 for the first time yesterday. This is a great history lesson.
Without question, the Mass Effect series is my favorite trilogy in gaming, and the 3 titles stand among my all time favorites. Some of the moments and dialog will stay with me perhaps for life. Liara and Tali were my favs, and Lair of the Shadow Broker is probably my favorite dlc content of all time.
I fully plan on building out a new pc utilizing the 1080ti or TitanX and Mass Effect:Andromeda will have the honor of being the first game in my new 4k ultra settings, 60fps and above system.
I'm still salty af about Mass Effect 3's ending. They should go back and remake Mass Effect 3 one day.
The feels, I bought every game on its release, it's always had the best and most memorable music to back up every situation.... Love this game franchise so much
This video made me cry. I remember all the great nights I spent playing this game.
A very will written and produced video, cheers mate.
Well done GameSpot! this was a really well made video :)
really want 2 and 3 for xb1 backwards compatibility
Here's for hoping! Those two along with ES Oblivion, and I can die happy.
+Burger King not sure what the hold up is with these games seeing that 1 is already there and its been over a year now
+InfinityGore pretty sure I heard they worked out that a fw months back
+InfinityGore X1 Backwards compatible games save to your HDD anyway, they could have it where you just put in any of the game discs and it starts the game.
+sean andrews I'm pretty sure the 1st multi disc game was released for backwards compatibility the other day
I loved the Mako. Haters just don't know how to drive!
Lol
I absolutely love Mass Effect and I feel it got better as you went through the series. I have to admit; the ending of Mass Effect 3 made me tear up a little. They really hit the spot with it :'(
Excellent video. While gameplay and all those gaming details certainly matter, it's the stories and characters that ultimately drive a game franchise like this. And that's why I still play the trilogy today and will probably play Andromeda like crazy for years.
While I like the ME trilogy in many aspects, I however don't like the main story that is suppose to span all three game which is stopping the Reapers.
ME2 is about stopping the Collectors and that doesn't add to anything, it doesn't stop the Reapers as we see in the Arrival and ME3 the Reapers are the door step and Shepard wasted a lot of time resources on basically a side plot. Which is sad when you think about.
ME2 is still a great game (gameplay is great, characters are generally great and a good number of sidemissions are great too), it's just a terrible middle game in a trilogy from a story point of view.
ME3 basically can't happened the way the story played out, because if the story followed the previous infomation and lore from ME1 and ME2, the Reapers would have conquered the Citadel, turned off the relays and killed of the Galaxy, which means Shepard would have died with the rest of the humans and the ME3 story also have other story problems here and there as side from the Ending.
I still like ME3 because the gameplay is great, a good number of characters are well written.
Like a magazine feature in video form. Keep up the good work.
Favorite game series by far! So looking forward to new entries to the series :D
Nice edit Jake. My favorite games ever, I really liked the ending too...
Thank you! It's one of my favorites as well. So excited for Andromeda!
The thing I love about Mass Effect was the consistent storytelling and how each time I play it's unique even if you make only a few different choices in the next playthrough it still feels different and unique to you because it's your experience I didn't have a problem with the 3rd game's ending after the Extended Cut and even if the Endings weren't ever choice based I still felt like my choices mattered because they came full circle in the 3rd game my hope is that Andromeda will share a similar experience even if it's not "Galaxy Saving" as long as it like the first 3 with the same Protagonist for Andromeda 2 and 3 or whatever I'll be happy my fear is that it won't be consistent and go the way of Dragon Age where your a different hero each game and the experience feels disconnected.
Nice video ...He had a hard time with ME3 but thanks to Hudson for creating this universe.Best trilogy I ever played.
That ending almost killed the franchise for me. Completed ME1 a few times, ME2 a million times and ME3 twice, after I got it in 2012 I didn't play it for years after my 1st completion. It genuinely felt like a slap in the face.
One of if not the best game trilogy.
The Original is till my Favorite then 3, and 2! But I Love Mass Effect! And I was on that 2% Not Complaining about the ending on 3! I Loved the ending! I got the bets and good choices cince Mass Effect one released! Ima be first in line when ME Andromeda drops!
Totally totally like me! Haha finally I see someone that doesn't hate the ending and prefer the first one! Shepards 4 Evah haha
me too. the indoctrination theory makes the ending one of the best ever.
As a hardcore fan, the Mass Effect series has been an emotional roller coaster. But I would never take it back! I made tons of amazing friends, I even met my boyfriend through this game. Can't wait to do it all over again with Andromeda.
I'm crying tears of blood after watching this from the Peebee Loyalty mission.
Great video ,I loved this series so much. I even wrote fanfiction once, Can't wait until Andromeda I think it's good that they are not showing much info as too many times we see developers promise what they can't deliver
I got nostalgic seeing it ... wow, just realized again how powerful the series was to me personally
thank you for bringing back all these memories .
I am commander Shepard, and this is my favorite documentary on the citadel.
"when we look back at Mass Effect we won't think about the combat or the endings, but the characters and stories it told" we won't think about the combat? That's pretty sad for a video game (you know, something you sit down and PLAY).
The story built up the relationships and the ending was very emotional because you saw all the people just before you died in an ending that technically made sense. At least me3 had that going for it.
The Crew... They become friends they have emotions, you live and die with each squadmate, when Thane died I bawled like a baby. When in the extended cut for me Liara got hurt and ManShep starred at her I knew that it was at an end...once and for all
great video, really enjoyed it made me want to go through and play them again
Mass Effect 3's story still isn't over. There is a certain mods in development, and once we're done with development, every ME fan will want to go for another ride through ME3.
Star Wars:Knights Of The Old Republic is my favorite game of all time so ME is naturally also up there. I got so lost in all three games.
EA corporate made them change the ending from what they had planned because it was leaked. The ending they used was hastily cobbled together.
The Mako was *awesome* and I'm so happy it's back in Andromeda. I fucking loved bouncing around in that thing.
Bioware head office is in Edmonton. Their Montreal location was opened in 2009 to assist with existing projects according to Wikipedia.
Just beat the trilogy my favorite was 3.2.1
Nah it's 1,2,3 😂😂😂
actually, it's 2, 1, 3 :D
No No 2,3,1
2, 1, 3 team
2, 3, 1
I loved the expansive organic exploration and sense of scale/isolation on mass effect 1. Mocking the repetition of the cabins etc is nonsense that misses the point in what it was all about, scanning planets in mass effect 2 was dull/repititous and empty. Mass effect menu and upgrade system was deep and extremely uniquely brilliant, it was possible to save any proggress anywhere so it didnt matter that it was indepth, i gained a far more deeper/meaningful and tactically deep experience from mass effect 1 than the rest. By far the best organic soulful mass effect ever.
I'm honestly suprised that characters weren't emphasised more in this. Arguably the best thing about Mass Effect is it's characters.
I've never been as hyped up for a game as I am for Mass Effect Andromeda.
As a huge Battlestar Galactica fan, I really enjoyed playing Mass Effect 2!!
Can't wait to explore and kickass with Ryder. Hopefully, he and His companions are as Awesome and as rememberable as Shepherd and his crew.
This game has literally changed the way I am looking at RPGs now and since this trilogy, I didn't enjoy any other game as much (storywise) as Mass Effect. I am very happy that even though I started Mass Effect 1 about year before Mass Effect 3 got released, I have avoided spoilers - all of them. I didn't know anything about story before I played it myself. Then Mass Effect 3 came out and I have enjoyed it too! Even though ending was very criticised, I liked it. I do understand the critics, but I love stories with sacrifices. No rainbows at the end, no happy ending, holding hands... Bittersweet ending, where alongside with beutiful music, known faces turining to you and make you realise what hell you must've gone through to accomplish all this. No ending was evil or good which is also great for me. Each ending represented ideologies other characters were following and even though indoctrinated, controlled - they were right after all. Then the Extended Cut came out which I love! BioWare gave us this for free, listened to their fans and put their own money and time to give us what we wanted. No other company would've done this for free. I'd say more - no other company would've admited that they made a mistake. This is why I like BioWare so much. For me, Mass Effect trilogy with all DLCs and Extended Cut has more re-play value than any other game. It's always nice to rescue Liara on Therum again, or spend some time with Garrus, shooting to the bottles or just to catch up with other squad mates on the ship and at the end - throw out 'another last one' party with whole crew on board and take group picture before heading to Earth for the last call (this is how I played it - Citadel party before the point of no return). Best trilogy ever! :)
fantastic video
I played all 3 in a row. It was absolutely amazing.
Man, I only ever played the extended cut, and it seemed to me like one of the best endings of a video game ever. It was so beautiful it made me cry. The original cut must have been really different.
On the other hand, I thought Citadel totally didn't fit with the rest of the game's tone.
Citadel DLC Is a kind goodbye of the trilogy and I think should be played after beating the game almost once cause it is a bit break tension immersion of that part but it isn't a bad DLC! I really laughed with it and enjoyed that DLC like the most, that one and Leviathan are the best DLC of ME for me.
I love it, thats all. Every episode has their potential and weakness, but the story, the characters, the soundtrack and the atmosphere made this masterpiece the most captivating game I have ever played.
I cant wait for Andromeda
I came into ME2 and was so excited I did something I never do and that is go back in time and try the original Mass Effect only to be Let down so far that I did not complete the game. Call it features and difference in game Play so I never got in on the Cary over feature mentioned. Moving on I played to completion ME2 a few more times hoping and waiting for ME3 to be released but that was to my dismay as i watched a few videos that gave away the ending of the game. This was a crusher for me and I to this day did not finish ME3, I just could never get passed knowing the ending.
You said something that may just bring me back to Mass Effect and that is the 5 year mission of exploration, well not as specific as that, but you get the idea. I want more of a "FireFly" or "Star Trek" feel to the game play. F the universe and Earth for that matter in Mass Effect, let me just Explore and decide how that goes on my own. Sure give me cool toys to play with and some evil dudes to eliminate from my space and let me just invite a sexy crew member back to my stateroom for some ya know.
Now seriously Im still in love with my ME2 game play and can let go of my ME3 letdown, but I hope they got the picture and make the game what we all want it to be.
Nice video, well done.
Mass Effect created an incredible universe and one that, unusually for games, has a great deal of internal consistency. I have to say it remains, for me at least, the best trilogy of games ever made.
I wish they could make another Knights of the Old Republic game. I miss good star wars games so much.
Awesome video. really in depth and refreshing..
loved mass effect 1s exploration I hope it comes back
The best game I have played . I have played all three game and i felt very bad because of the ending. the characters are the best thing mass effect has to offer .they are so memorable that I almost consider them my friends
the background music was on point!!!!