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Video Game: Mass Effect

Format(s):	Video Game,
Genre(s):	Third Person Shooter, Action RPG

In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization.
In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars.
The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.
They called it the greatest discovery in human history.
The civilizations of the galaxy call it...
MASS EFFECT

Mass Effect 1 was, originally, a Space Opera RPG/Third Person Shooter game for the Xbox 360 and PC created by Bioware, which also created Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, and Neverwinter Nights. The second chapter, Mass Effect 2, was released on X360 and PC in 2010, and for PlayStation 3 in January of 2011. Mass Effect 3 was formally announced on December 11, 2010, at the Spike Video Game Awards. It will see a simultaneous release on all 3 platforms on March 6th, 2012 in North America, with releases in Europe and Australia on the 8th and 9th. Its first trailer is here

The series makes heavy use of a large number of science fiction tropes. Nearly every aspect of the setting is well thought-out, with hefty amounts of technical, cultural, and historical background data provided by an Encyclopedia Exposita. It's a Reconstruction of the Space Opera.

The games' protagonist is Commander Shepard, who, in true Bioware fashion, is customizable right down to their sex. A distinguished military officer, Shepard is selected to become the first human Spectre, an elite group of galactic peacekeepers given carte blanche to go about their job as they see fit. Unfortunately, nothing about the review process goes as planned, and Shepard is soon thrust into a life-or-death struggle with Saren Arterius, a former Spectre, who plans to seize control of the galactic capital with the help of an immense warship named Sovereign and an army of robotic Geth. Nothing is as it seems, however, and soon the very survival of organic life is at stake due to the shadowy threat of the legendary Reapers.

The franchise is a Third Person Shooter combining the regenerating shields and integrated vehicle sections of Halo, the stop-and-pop cover mechanics of Gears of War and Wide Open Sandbox exploration elements as you fly around the galaxy in your Cool Starship, the Normandy SR-1. RPG Elements are present in the form of a Class and Level System for your party members, in addition to new guns and armor. Gameplay elements, and their revisions for the sequel, saw a mixed reception.

Like previous BioWare games, Mass Effect employs a Karma Meter with two moral endpoints. Essentially, the meter measures the player's place on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism; Paragon choices move toward Idealism and Renegade choices toward Cynicism. Most responses tend to be either nice or mean ways of saying the same thing ("I'm sorry, but please tell me what happened" versus "Get over it and tell me what happened"), but as you climb each meter, you unlock new conversation options which can take things in a completely different direction ("I'm an Action Survivor too, let's bond"; "Get A Hold Of Yourself Man! Quit Your Whining!"). The Railroading on dialogue choices may be annoying, but it helps hold the plot together: whether you choose to play Shepard nice or mean, s/he is still a hero either way.

The Paragon is the more humane, compassionate, diplomatic end of the spectrum, one who tries to solve problems and disputes as peacefully as possible, or at least with the motive of protecting the innocent, but shows little if any pity towards corruption or immoral actions. Paragon dialogue also tends to take a more cooperative, egalitarian stance to the other sentient species of the galaxy and the Citadel Council.
The Renegade is a more ruthless hero who believes in solving problems and disputes by force, intimidation, and an "I Did What I Had to Do" philosophy, preferring to kill the enemy at all costs and allowing petty immoral acts to slip by to achieve the bigger goal. Renegade conversation options tend to show little regard for the council and more of a "humans first" position.

These choices are omnipresent, as every conversation in the game is interactive and most give a chance to score Paragon and Renegade points. Yes, Paragon and Renegade: you can climb both sides of the scale simultaneously. Instead of each choice pulling you in one direction or another, there are separate meters for Paragon and Renegade, and choosing towards one does not change your position on the other. This allows much more complex characterization; there's no reason you can't play (say) a moral xenophobe who is Paragon towards humans but Renegade towards aliens, a True Neutral character who adapts to fit each situation, or even alternate every time you're given a choice, although the game does encourage committing to either end; the first game unlocks the highest levels of conversation skills (in the first playthrough, at least) and unique missions for characters with high morality of each type, while the second ditches the conversation skill by only allowing certain (more beneficial) dialogue options to be unlocked by a high Paragon/Renegade score instead.

The classes presented to you are divided up between three affinities: Combat, Tech and Biotic. Combat classes have abilities based on amplifying their weapons and own reflexes to make them more vicious in combat. Tech classes counter the opponents' technology (jamming their weapons, overloading their shields, sending out attack drones) and hacking Mecha Mooks to attack their own. Biotic classes project the eponymous Mass Effect with their own bodies, giving them Mind Over Matter powers that are based on warping space and gravity and providing biotic barriers. Shepard can choose one of three specialized classes for maximum effectiveness in one style, or one of the three hybrid classes, sacrificing the full range of options and abilities of either class type for maximum flexibility. Your own team tends to be an eclectic mix of all three and you are only allowed to take two members with you on any given mission, so choosing which ones would be helpful for the circumstances is vital (Generally, the best way to counter those affinities is with those same affinities on your squad).

In addition to the games, the series contains four prequel/interquel novels: Mass Effect: Revelation, Mass Effect: Ascension and Mass Effect: Retribution written by Drew Karpyshyn, one of the writers for the games. As a result of Karpyshyn moving from working on Mass Effect to working on Star Wars: The Old Republic, the fourth novel, Mass Effect: Deception, was written by outside writer William C. Dietz. It was released on January 31, 2012.

The series also contains several comics: Mass Effect: Redemption, Mass Effect: Evolution, and Mass Effect: Invasion are graphic novels that consist of four issues each, while Mass Effect: Incursion, Mass Effect: Inquisition, and Mass Effect: Conviction are short 8 page stories. A fourth multiple issue comic, Mass Effect: Homeworlds is due to begin in April 2012, with each issue focusing on a main character of Mass Effect 3.

There is also a game for the iPhone titled Mass Effect: Galaxy and another two Mass_Effect: Infiltrator and Mass Effect: Datapad are set to be released. A movie

and an anime

have also been officially announced. The fandom is unsure how to take this.

The series has a character sheet, which also had to be split. The pages for Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 are here and here.