FYI, I only played ME2 and ME3, because ME1 wasn’t out for PS3 when I felt like
playing it. So, this is all about the last two games. Also, for ME3, I played
Citadel, From Ashes, and Leviathan DLC (I skipped Omega). I played as an
Engineer; my most used sidekicks were Liara, Garrus, and Javik. I played on
Insanity. I achieved the platinum trophy on ME3, but not 2.SPOILER WARNING: I am going to litter this with spoilers, so if you haven’t played the game, go play it. That’s all you need to know. Mass Effect is amazing. Go play it immediately.
Mass Effect was beautiful.
I loved the worlds. I loved the set pieces. I loved looking
out from where my shuttle landed and seeing a grand expanse of terrain. The
views were incredible. Whereas most video games place you in a windowless room
to fight through so that they don’t have to worry about creating outside
visuals, Mass Effect creates large open windows and allows the player to see
the world beyond. I loved looking around and admiring the horizon, seeing the
battles unfolding far beyond the space that my character can go. The indoor
settings were even expansive… seeing the inside of the Geth Dreadnought and the
endlessly large tunnels… Incredible.
The graphics were some of the best I’ve seen on the PS3.
On the critical side of the visual spectrum, I will say that Bioware games have always, for me, had a problem with coming to life by way of motion. Whereas in games like Skyrim, the NPCs walk around, sharpen tools, use the log cutter, ride horses, etc… Bioware games, like ME, usually are populated with static NPCs that don’t move much beyond idling animations. I would like to see Bioware work on this, as their worlds are some of the most engaging and immersive ever created, they deserve to have NPCs that feel alive. Why is the same Volgon always in the Embassy when I show up? Why always standing in the same place? Doesn’t he live somewhere? Doesn’t he have other things to do?
The graphics were some of the best I’ve seen on the PS3.
On the critical side of the visual spectrum, I will say that Bioware games have always, for me, had a problem with coming to life by way of motion. Whereas in games like Skyrim, the NPCs walk around, sharpen tools, use the log cutter, ride horses, etc… Bioware games, like ME, usually are populated with static NPCs that don’t move much beyond idling animations. I would like to see Bioware work on this, as their worlds are some of the most engaging and immersive ever created, they deserve to have NPCs that feel alive. Why is the same Volgon always in the Embassy when I show up? Why always standing in the same place? Doesn’t he live somewhere? Doesn’t he have other things to do?
