Media Minute

Quite possibly the greatest science fiction video game trilogy of this generation (or ever, in my opinion), the Mass Effect series is a well-known and critically acclaimed game series developed by Bioware.

The player begins the series as Commander Shepard, a soldier of the Alliance Navy as they fight against the Geth Collectors and eventually the Reapers before the galaxy is completely destroyed.

One of the things I love about Mass Effect is the customization. Players are able to customize their own Shepard, from gender to backstory, which will change how characters view your version of Shepard. Choosing a backstory will change character dialogue as well as give your personal Shepard their own quest to complete. For example, my Shepard was an engineer and a war hero. My friend’s Shepard was a soldier that would do anything to get the mission done.

Mass Effect has been praised for their character development. What’s really great is that the characters aren’t generic soldiers from the ‘80s. They’re diverse, important and have their own developmental and story arc. Each character can give their input on the previous mission and, over time, will open up to Shepard and share their back stories. Each squad member can be guided by Shepard in many ways. My squad mates (well, most of them) felt like my good friends and (without spoilers) it can be sad to say goodbye.

The story sounds simple, but is actually quite complex. Many decisions you make in the game make huge impacts on the narrative. For example, the player can decide between two different choices in each dialogue, Paragon (good) or Renegade (bad). As you build up Paragon and Renegade points, the player can choose new dialogue options, which can help avoid catastrophic battles or get your squad mates killed.

I’ve played Mass Effect for roughly 200+ hours and I still keep finding new things in the game. The story changes based on the decisions I’ve made and each of my play throughs are different. I can make the smallest change and it could lead to my squad mate(s) dying. I love Mass Effect almost as much as I love my girlfriend. When playing it, I actually feel like I’m saving the galaxy. I recommend that everyone should play Mass Effect and be the hero this galaxy needs. We are Commander Shepard of the S.S. Normandy, soldier of the Alliance Navy and savior of the galaxy.