By, Sean Frank
I remember hearing about the Mass Effect trilogy and how great it is. It’s just one of those franchises I always meant to get around to but never have. I picked up Mass Effect 3 for the Wii U a few months back and finally gave it a spin. I am so happy that I did. It turned out to be one of the best games I ever played and an impressive achievement. Through a combination of player choice, npc conversations and beautifully executed cut scenes, this game creates a vivid and poignant story.
The story is about Commander Shepard and his or her (you get to pick the gender) fight against an ancient synthetic force called the Reapers. An interactive graphic novel fills you in on the plot details from the first two games. It even pauses periodically to allow the player to make a decision. It is a nice gesture that gives you an investment in the saga before the game begins.
The game begins with a surprising immediacy. There is a chaotic battle occurring in the background as the player is introduced to the combat controls (third-person cover based shooter). This feels much more natural than the common use of training grounds in most games. Eventually, the world opens up and the game’s two hubs are introduced.
The two hubs are the Normandy space ship and the space-station city The Citadal. The Normandy allows the player to get to know their crew through direct conversations and ones you hear in the background. This adds depth to your crew-mates and illuminates their relationship with your character. The Citadel’s main feature is it’s abundance of NPCs. Their discussions give you a sense of the game world at large and the many smaller conflicts occurring within the larger one. One unexpected touch is that some of the NPC conversations also advance with each visit to The Citadel. Much of this content will only be experienced if the player explores and interacts with the environment. I admire this technique because it creates story elements that require input from the player. This gives you an incentive to explore and a reward for doing so.
While the dialogue adds depth to the story, it is the cut scenes that push it along. These cut scenes are beautifully executed. Dramatic camera angles, slow motion, and a compelling musical score create emotional moments. I was constantly surprised by their impact. Even though they are extremely well done I think it is the preceding conversations and instants of player choice that really elevate them. Everything works in concert to give the player an emotional stake in what happens. Because of this; when the cut scenes play out; I am not passively watching them. I am watching them with expectations and hopes of what will happen. What does happen is not always predictable but it does feel well earned.
While the ending is not necessarily predictable and many have an understandable problem with it, it worked for me. Ultimately, Mass Effect 3 is a science fiction saga that asks big questions by focusing on the small ones. The fate of a galaxy looms large but the relationships feel just as important. Is the crew just soldiers who follow your orders or are they your family? Are you just a commander willing to do whatever it takes or a hero unwilling to sacrifice their humanity? The journey offers many paths and many answers but it is the stops along the way that elevate this to a piece of popular art.