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Mass Effect - A Love Letter to Trekkies

jake477jake477 Member Posts: 526 Arc User
in Ten Forward
I took a break from STO to play Mass Effect Trilogy. Wow, having played the game after playing STO. The ME trilogy is practical love letter to Trek.
The Systems Alliance is nothing more then a 22nd Century Starfleet. (ME takes place in the 22nd Century), ironically both universe's built their Mars colonies around the same time. MACOs are represented through the N7 program. The Turians remind me of the Cardassians, militaristic heavily armored semi friendly aliens. One happens to be your best friend, Garrus. (Sound a lot like Garrak, doesn't it, that is if Garrak acted more like Cmdr Riker) The Salarians are just as devious as any Romulan if not more so since they poisoned the Krogan, the ME equivalent to the Klingons. The Salarian STG is their version of the Tal Shiar. The Asari remind me of a cross between the sensibilities of a Trill like Jadzia or Ezri with the longevity and psy powers of Vulcans like Spock or Tuvok. The Batarians give the impression of Nausiccaan Pirates we see in ST: Enterprise and the Gatherers from TNG's S3: Vengeance Factor. Cerberus is clearly Section 31, willing to do whatever is needed for the advancement of humanity, one could argue they could be the Mirror Terrans as well, since they use much of the same technology the Systems Alliance uses. Captain Anderson or should I say Captain Sisko built their respective starships, the Normandy and Defiant. Both utilized stealth technology and was a joint project with another species. the Turians in Anderson's case and the Romulans in Sisko's. DS9 and the Citadel....need I say more on that front? The Reapers are the Borg...through and through, not the Geth. The Geth are living machines like the Synths in Star Trek Picard. However in what I like to call "good Trek", the Geth strike me as the TNG Borg in "Descent" when Lore got a hold of them. The Quarians give me a Bajoran vibe, a religious and spiritual people forced from their home planet Rannoch and become the galaxy's refugees, much like the Bajorans were before the Cardassians left their homeworld in DS9. Both the Bajorans and Quarians were very desperate and willing to do anything to get their worlds back, including betraying the trust of other species. Then finally we come to the humans in ME. They are the new comers to the galaxy as were humans in Star Trek. The other species didn't see them as ready to join the greater galaxy, much like how the Vulcans treated Archer and the NX-01. As with Archer, Shepard had to put a face on humanity and make the other races see them as equals. Unlike however Star Trek, Mass Effect found its FTL travel on Mars rather then some genius like Zephram Cochrane. Hell in this game there was even an Earth-Romulan War or should I say "First Contact War" during the System Alliance's early years.

Its amazing how much Trek lore was squeezed into this three part game series. Honestly ME is better then much of the newer Trek content coming out and even copies it to some degree. I highly recommend it for any hard core Trek fan out there.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "This planet smells, it must be the Klingons"

Comments

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    warmonger360warmonger360 Member Posts: 524 Arc User
    the best game I've ever played
    WE SURVIVE!

    aut vincere aut mori pro imperio
    either to conquer or to die for the Empire
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    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,365 Arc User
    Mass Effect is hardly "a love letter to Trekkies". Like Star Trek, it draws upon tropes dating back to the creation of space opera - the Lensman series, the Barsoom novels, Captain Future, et al. It also adds a bit of Lovecraft, with incomprehensible creatures from beyond space to whom humans are (or should be) nothing more than insects. (Fortunately, the Citadel species added something not found in previous cycles - multiple species working together, who are able to crack the secret of data storage from previous cycles and add something new.)

    All its tropes are older than Trek, and are drawn upon by both series (and by countless authors before and since - they're good tropes.)
    Lorna-Wing-sig.png
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    khan5000khan5000 Member Posts: 3,007 Arc User
    Never played the games but I plan on getting the new edition when it comes out next month
    Your pain runs deep.
    Let us explore it... together. Each man hides a secret pain. It must be exposed and reckoned with. It must be dragged from the darkness and forced into the light. Share your pain. Share your pain with me... and gain strength from the sharing.
  • Options
    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,365 Arc User
    khan5000 wrote: »
    Never played the games but I plan on getting the new edition when it comes out next month
    Oh, it's loads of fun. There are two ethical paths to follow, Paragon or Renegade. Remember, though, "Renegade" doesn't mean "evil", it means "pragmatic". (There's one Renegade interrupt to an NPC speech in ME2 I can never resist - a merc going on about if you shoot him, his buddies in the next room will hear, and you can interrupt by agreeing with him and shoving him out of the window of the tower you're in.)

    There are some... issues with the ending of the third, but not enough to dissuade me from wanting to purchase the Legendary Edition and play through the entire thing again.
    Lorna-Wing-sig.png
  • Options
    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    edited April 2021
    Got the Legenary version on pre order So roll on May. I remember a time there was soooooo many USS Normadies in this game every sector, system etc you would find a Normandy some where LOL
  • Options
    warmonger360warmonger360 Member Posts: 524 Arc User
    khan5000 wrote: »
    Never played the games but I plan on getting the new edition when it comes out next month

    you are NOT gonna be disappointed. hopefully they haven't changed any decisions to be made
    WE SURVIVE!

    aut vincere aut mori pro imperio
    either to conquer or to die for the Empire
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    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    The comparison video is just brilliant .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAScSKBDuno
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    warmonger360warmonger360 Member Posts: 524 Arc User
    damn that's impressive. now if only they'd do that with Klingon Academy
    WE SURVIVE!

    aut vincere aut mori pro imperio
    either to conquer or to die for the Empire
  • Options
    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    edited April 2021
    ME Legendary is gonna take a while to download .... 120GB 5 - 7 hours at best depending on who else is downloading at the same time. Might leave it a day or 2

    Based on the previous video the remastered version of this will be epic ....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLlAObjR-gs
  • Options
    legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan
    legendarylycan#5411
         Member Posts: 37,280 Arc User
    120 GB for 3 games from a decade to five years ago?! Okay, so they're upscaled - that's still bloody insane.​​
    Like special weapons from other Star Trek games? Wondering if they can be replicated in STO even a little bit? Check this out: https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1262277/a-mostly-comprehensive-guide-to-star-trek-videogame-special-weapons-and-their-sto-equivalents

    #LegalizeAwoo

    A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
    An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
    A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
    A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"

    "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
    "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
    Passion and Serenity are one.
    I gain power by understanding both.
    In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
    I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
    The Force is united within me.
  • Options
    rattler2rattler2 Member Posts: 58,020 Community Moderator
    They had better have included ALL DLC with all the extra bells and whistles on top of remastering to justify that size for 3 games. MCC probably can justify it because its got 6 games, but Mass Effect?
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • Options
    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    rattler2 wrote: »
    They had better have included ALL DLC with all the extra bells and whistles on top of remastering to justify that size for 3 games. MCC probably can justify it because its got 6 games, but Mass Effect?

    When you pre order you get 40 DLC's included as well as promo weapons, armor, and packs
  • Options
    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,365 Arc User
    Yep, every DLC except Pinnacle Station from ME1 (apparently the code was corrupted, and they couldn't afford a new staff to reprogram it from line 10 while keeping their current price point).
    Lorna-Wing-sig.png
  • Options
    legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan
    legendarylycan#5411
         Member Posts: 37,280 Arc User
    Well, I just picked it up myself - so in two weeks I'll finally be able to see why everyone's been crowing about this game series for years.

    Though, i did play a demo of one of the games years ago, and I do recall being very impressed with its combat system...sure as hell beats the hell out of STO's by light-years.​​
    Like special weapons from other Star Trek games? Wondering if they can be replicated in STO even a little bit? Check this out: https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1262277/a-mostly-comprehensive-guide-to-star-trek-videogame-special-weapons-and-their-sto-equivalents

    #LegalizeAwoo

    A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
    An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
    A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
    A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"

    "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
    "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
    Passion and Serenity are one.
    I gain power by understanding both.
    In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
    I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
    The Force is united within me.
  • Options
    rattler2rattler2 Member Posts: 58,020 Community Moderator
    Mass Effect was pretty much the height of Bioware storytelling. Choices matter just as much as gear. And not only that, but they made it so that your choices in ME1 also had an impact on ME2. Unfortunately some of that was undone in ME3, but I mostly blame EA for that. Think that was about the start of the meddling phase of EA, or at least the first high profile one before the fiasco with Star Wars.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • Options
    legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan
    legendarylycan#5411
         Member Posts: 37,280 Arc User
    At least they apparently managed to avoid the 'DA2' issue with this series' sequel.​​
    Like special weapons from other Star Trek games? Wondering if they can be replicated in STO even a little bit? Check this out: https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1262277/a-mostly-comprehensive-guide-to-star-trek-videogame-special-weapons-and-their-sto-equivalents

    #LegalizeAwoo

    A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
    An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
    A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
    A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"

    "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
    "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
    Passion and Serenity are one.
    I gain power by understanding both.
    In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
    I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
    The Force is united within me.
  • Options
    spiritbornspiritborn Member Posts: 4,263 Arc User
    shadowfang240 wrote: »
    At least they apparently managed to avoid the 'DA2' issue with this series' sequel.​​

    Though to be fair from what I've heard Dragon Age 2 was rushed badly so it's not case of them intentionally trying to make a game that had over use of copy/paste environments, gameplay that was generally too easy and story that needed more "time in the oven".
  • Options
    rattler2rattler2 Member Posts: 58,020 Community Moderator
    And the less said of ME: Andromeda... the better from what I heard. Interesting concept, but execution apparently left much to be desired.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • Options
    legendarylycan#5411 legendarylycan
    legendarylycan#5411
         Member Posts: 37,280 Arc User
    Yeah, you can tell by the fact they didn't even include the game in the 'Super-ultimate-all-in-one' bundle that they're trying to forget ME: A even exists.​​
    Like special weapons from other Star Trek games? Wondering if they can be replicated in STO even a little bit? Check this out: https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1262277/a-mostly-comprehensive-guide-to-star-trek-videogame-special-weapons-and-their-sto-equivalents

    #LegalizeAwoo

    A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
    An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
    A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
    A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"

    "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
    "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
    Passion and Serenity are one.
    I gain power by understanding both.
    In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
    I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
    The Force is united within me.
  • Options
    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    rattler2 wrote: »
    And the less said of ME: Andromeda... the better from what I heard. Interesting concept, but execution apparently left much to be desired.

    Was the only ME title in never bothered with
  • Options
    jonsillsjonsills Member Posts: 10,365 Arc User
    I've played ME: Andromeda. Not bad, really. It doesn't fit in with the other ME games, though, because Our Heroes left the Milky Way galaxy some time before the conflict with the Reapers even began. They've barely heard of the Spectres, they don't share the Citadel's Fantastic Racism against AIs, and Shepard was still just another Systems Alliance officer with little actual fame outside the service. Therefore, it wasn't included in the remake of the trilogy - it was more of a spinoff, not even sharing any characters in common.
    Lorna-Wing-sig.png
  • Options
    rattler2rattler2 Member Posts: 58,020 Community Moderator
    While the story of ME:A isn't bad, its a lot of the behind the scenes drama, and some of the technical aspects (apparently stiff animations being the biggest) that I've heard of that bring it down.
    db80k0m-89201ed8-eadb-45d3-830f-bb2f0d4c0fe7.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ExOGQ4ZWM2LTUyZjQtNDdiMS05YTI1LTVlYmZkYmJkOGM3N1wvZGI4MGswbS04OTIwMWVkOC1lYWRiLTQ1ZDMtODMwZi1iYjJmMGQ0YzBmZTcucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.8G-Pg35Qi8qxiKLjAofaKRH6fmNH3qAAEI628gW0eXc
    Yang Xiao Long wrote:
    I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something CRAZY happens again?!
    The nut who actually ground out many packs. The resident forum voice of reason (I HAZ FORUM REP! YAY!)
  • Options
    eazzieeazzie Member Posts: 4,000 Arc User
    If the 120gig initial download wasn't bad enough. It is being reported what there is also a day 1 patch (1.1) and thats being reported as being huge too .... sigh
  • Options
    khan5000khan5000 Member Posts: 3,007 Arc User
    Been playing and enjoying it so far. Halfway through ME2
    Your pain runs deep.
    Let us explore it... together. Each man hides a secret pain. It must be exposed and reckoned with. It must be dragged from the darkness and forced into the light. Share your pain. Share your pain with me... and gain strength from the sharing.
  • Options
    starswordcstarswordc Member Posts: 10,963 Arc User
    jonsills wrote: »
    khan5000 wrote: »
    Never played the games but I plan on getting the new edition when it comes out next month
    Oh, it's loads of fun. There are two ethical paths to follow, Paragon or Renegade. Remember, though, "Renegade" doesn't mean "evil", it means "pragmatic". (There's one Renegade interrupt to an NPC speech in ME2 I can never resist - a merc going on about if you shoot him, his buddies in the next room will hear, and you can interrupt by agreeing with him and shoving him out of the window of the tower you're in.)

    There are some... issues with the ending of the third, but not enough to dissuade me from wanting to purchase the Legendary Edition and play through the entire thing again.

    I tend to classify Paragon/Renegade as more idealism and cooperativeness vs. cynicism and going it alone. Interrupts really aren't a good illustration; probably the best illustration is how Shepard deals with Khalisah al-Jilani in ME1. The Paragon approach has Shepard play diplomat, e.g. playing up the turians' involvement in the SSV Normandy's construction and calling this a good thing (Admiral Hackett calls you after and really likes this approach). Renegade has two possible outcomes: either go full-on human-nationalist, or punch al-Jilani in the face from annoyance.

    Also,
    Paragon interrupt in the Overlord DLC to pistol-whip the main villain across the face FTW
    "Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
    — Sabaton, "Great War"
    VZ9ASdg.png

    Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
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