Nothing is Perfect

It has been one of my usual summer traditions to re-play through some of my favorite multi-game RPG series--namely The Witcher and Mass Effect.  With multiple games in each series, there is enough to keep me happily gaming for quite awhile.  Even though both series are my favorites, there are parts of each that I just have to grit my teeth and get through.  It's very, very late in the summer and I recently decided that since I skipped Mass Effect last summer it was time to fire it up again (despite having played through it more than what is probably healthy).  It was during this time that I reflected on the imperfections of the original Mass Effect.

One of my first struggles was figuring out exactly how I was going to re-download the series.  I had bought the first two games on Steam and trying to locate, download, and install all the DLC has always been a headache.  The BioWare Social Network used to be the home of all the DLC, but it no longer exists.  The easiest option was to use my CD key to download the game on Origin.  One of the benefits of using Origin is that all the DLC is now easily accessible and doesn't require the multi-step approach that the Steam version requires.  Another upside is that the "deluxe edition" of Mass Effect was given away for free on Origin at one point--this edition includes both pieces of DLC for the original game--Pinnacle Station and the Bring Down the Sky mission.  Having all the DLC in one place is especially handy for the second and third game as there are multiple pieces of content.  (FYI--there are multiple guides on EA and Steam on how to use your CD key to download the games on Origin.  It's really easy.)

After getting everything downloaded, I settled into my new Commander Shepard.  Did I make any different decisions about how I was going to play?  No; no, I did not.  My adept FemShep will be a paragon and make exactly that same decisions I have made every single time I play.  Le sigh...insanity, right?

What I love about Mass Effect:
--I've always felt that the first game in the series has some of the best sci-fi writing and does the best job of capturing the wonder and magic of space.  Landing on an uncharted world and exploring is always fun (even though driving the Mako...is not) and the visuals in the first game support this feeling.  I've always loved the Feros mission in particular and the Thorian--an ancient, plantlike creature that can enslave organic species and clone slaves?  So cool!

Driving the Mako sucks, but the views are fabulous.

--Big moments.  There are aspects of the main story that always make me grin and that I absolutely love.  My favorite is toward the end of the game when Shepard is pursuing Saren on the Citadel and has to improvise when the elevator is disabled.  Stepping out onto the side of the Citadel tower and seeing Sovereign looming overhead and then fighting through the army of Geth to reach Saren...it's the core of what makes Mass Effect magical.

--Teamwork.  The first game plants the seeds of building a multi-species squad and learning how to work together.  I've always loved the sense of diversity.


What I just have to tolerate and get through:
--Driving the Mako.  There's a joke in one of the later games about the Mako driving like a drunk rhino.  It's true!  You bump and bounce along and try to navigate.  It's painful, but tolerable.

--Old graphics.  I'm sure that there are mods that can spruce up the textures in the first game, but I'm not much for modding.  Much of the game looks fine, but gear and uniforms in particular are dated.

--Combat is so, so horrible in the first game.  There's a moment where it tries to introduce a cover-based system, but it's a lie!  The enemy AI is bad--enemies rarely stay in cover and shoot at you and instead choose to charge right at you.  The basis of combat in the game is trying to survive the press of enemies charging at you.  Sadly, I've never finished the first game on Insanity because the combat is rough.

Invasion of the pixel people!

--Bugs.  Apparently, if you have an AMD CPU (yes, CPU...not GPU) there is a weird graphical bug that effects certain parts of the game.  The textures for your squad and any enemies will disappear and all are turned into weird, blocky black pixel creatures.  This happened during my playthrough on Noveria (once you reach Peak 15) and also on Ilos.  The good news is that it does go away after you play through each area to a certain point (there might be a fix, but it looked too technical for me). 

--Romance means talking.  Everyone knows that the best part of Mass Effect is picking your love interest and then actively pursuing them.  In the first game, simply talking to members of your squad is enough to mean you've actively engaged in a relationship.  It's irritating, but easily fixable with some pointed conversational changes to shut down any unintentional relationships.  ("You talk to Kaidan a lot...you love him!"  It's annoying.)

Sometimes it is good to go back and remember exactly the point where a story starts and the hiccups that happen as it builds steam.  Mass Effect isn't perfect, but it's worth a re-play.  If you are like me, you'll have to tolerate some of the more annoying aspects of the first game, but the story and big moments make it worthwhile.  Just remember...eventually you'll make it to ME2 and it's all worth it!