Game Story Review - Mass Effect Trilogy

As promised, here is my review of the storyline spanning the entire trilogy of this epic, sci-fi adventure series. First, let me just say that I played the bundled trilogy without any additional DLC or outside media (web comics, etc.). My Commander Shepard was a male soldier with an average rating of about 90% Paragon and 10% Renegade. I played every side-mission in each game, and finished each game’s storyline, loading my character from one game to the next until the final credits rolled.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get to it.

Premise

This series of games follows Commander Shepard, a human space marine in a universe where humans are the new kids on the block among more than a dozen distinct alien races and cultures. The primary storyline is focused on the Reapers, synthetic lifeforms that are set on subjecting or destroying all intelligent organic life. Shepard’s adventures begin with the discovery of the Reapers and end with a final battle over the fate of the universe. Along the way, Shepard makes many friends and enemies, and gains a reputation as the most capable lifeform in existence.

Review

An alien invasion intent on destroying all life is certainly nothing new. What sets Mass Effect apart is the mind-blowing variety and variation that has been pre-scripted into it. Every major choice (and quite a few minor choices) have long-term effects throughout the entire series. For example, there’s an alien bounty hunter that you can recruit in the first game. At one point, this alien becomes a danger to the team, and it’s up to you whether you kill him or talk him down. I chose the diplomatic option, and was rewarded with this alien not only making appearances in later games, but playing a major part in several subplots, all of it fully voice-acted and scripted. This is why I felt the need to explain exactly how I had played the games, since it had such a large effect on my personal experience.

That being said, I think that there are a few comments I can make on the game that will be true regardless of what specific choices are made by the player. For example, the characterization, both in dialogue and motivations, was amazing. I won’t go into too much detail on the dialogue system since I’ve already dedicated an entire article to the subject, but I will say that I’ve started playing another Bioware RPG since finishing Mass Effect, and I already miss the organic conversations of Mass Effect rather than the one-sided monologues delivered by voice actors that are desperately trying not to sound like they’re having conversations with themselves.

In addition to the writing, there’s a lot to be said for the cinematography and overall presentation in the game. The lighting, camera angles, and music all work together to create appropriate emotional responses to each scene, whether it’s a humorous argument or the death of a beloved character. Speaking of character death, the game really excels at portraying the sweet poignancy of the death of a friend, and it’s a tribute to the writers, actors, and developers that I got a little choked up during each of those scenes.

OK, now that I’ve praised the game a little for its amazing storyline, let’s address the elephant in the room. While gamers and reviewers have raved about the amazing writing and storytelling of Bioware games and the Mass Effect series in particular, the ending of the trilogy has garnered reactions ranging from mild disappointment to violent outrage. Ever since I started reviewing the storyline in games, I’ve been getting requests to give my own opinion on this sensitive subject.

For those of you who haven’t played the series, let me explain what happens. After two games of building up the Reapers as the ultimate threat to life in the universe, the third game focuses on the desperate struggle to survive the invasion and culminates with Shepard standing at the heart of the Reaper’s control center. Dozens, if not hundreds, of little decisions have been made by the player to get to this final moment of confrontation. And that’s part of what makes this ending so disappointing.

The final outcome of this unprecedented, branching space epic comes down to three choices that are totally unaffected by anything the player has done up to that point. Whichever choice you pick here determines your ending, which, to be honest, isn’t all that different from the other endings. I’ve heard that there’s DLC to pad out the epilogue, but as I said, I’m reviewing the original game series without considering the damage-controlling bandages or purposefully withheld plot elements that developers charge additional money for.

So, what’s my reaction? Well, first I have to say that I was anticipating some kind of stumble at the finish line, just because of the amount of attention that it got in the gaming world. As a result, I felt myself inwardly flinching as the game came to its conclusion, and I probably didn’t have as violent of a reaction as those who finished the game without prior warning. That being said, I will admit that while I was frustrated with the abrupt ending, I think that the final game in the series made a bigger mistake than wrapping everything up with a “Choose Your Ending” conclusion.

As I mentioned earlier, the majority of the third game is focused on trying to confront the Reaper menace. Nearly every mission, side-quest, and conversation is focused on building your war assets as you strengthen your coalition forces for the final confrontation. I loved this idea of mustering the troops, and I worked hard to get every last soldier, resource, and ship for the war effort. By the end, I’d maxed out my navy strength bar, and the game told me that my assembled forces had an even chance of winning an outright battle with the Reaper fleet. This was especially rewarding since so many of the war assets that I’d acquired were the results of decisions I’d made in the previous games, giving the sensation of unexpected dividends for wise choices made in the past.

And yet, when it all came down to it, the game ignored all of my hard work. I was brusquely informed that my navy was not strong enough, and that the fate of the universe would all come down to a trench warfare section and a MacGuffin device. In my opinion, this was worse than the final, three-choice ending. The developers effectively negated all that I had done over the course of the three games, just to shoehorn in the climax that they wanted to use. For a game series that had been so open to player interpretation up to that point, this felt like a betrayal, and I played the final mission with the begrudging petulance of a child in the backseat of a car headed to the grocery store instead of the promised game store.

I guess the only remaining question was whether this ending ruined the entire trilogy for me. The short answer is no. I put over a hundred hours into the world of Mass Effect, and I felt like I was well rewarded for the most part. The fact that it ends on a sour note is unfortunate, but the overall experience was good enough to bring me back for another play-through some time in the distant future. Don’t be surprised if I stop before that final mission though.

What was your experience with this series? Do you agree with my observations? Leave a comment below and suggest another game storyline that you’d like to see me review.