Before you start reading this I will let you know I have no new facts and am probably in the same boat as you. This article is more summarising what we do know and what I would like to see from the next game set in the Mass Effect universe.
So we know that development started for this game at the end of 2012 making it two years into its development cycle, obviously this isn’t too informative because we have only been teased about the scale of the game. We know that exploration will be closer to the first game, where you can land on planets and search for anything of value.
So far they have been rather secretive about the project, hopefully, things will change at E3 this year (I know, if time permitting, I will be tuning in for the conferences). Most of the information we do have is from San Diego Comic Con, where the Mass Effect team leads held a panel.
There we found out that first of all the Mako all-terrain vehicle was returning and getting a full redesign. In Mass Effect 2, which had a two-year time gap from the first installment, they had stopped using the Mako and replaced it with the Kodiak dropship. This could mean that the game is set before the events of the current games, or it could also be that the Kodiak’s Mass Effect technology no longer works after the events at the end of Mass Effect 3, involving the Crucible, and the Mako is still functioning due to it using an engine to operate.
A lot of people have been hoping that you will be able to select what species your character will be. This is something I like the idea of, I may still go with the Human character myself although, it is a step in the way games should be going. This will allow for more variety in how the game will progress, it will also prevent similarities in replays and allow for unique gameplay from player to player.
At Comic Con it was revealed that you would definitely be able to play as a Human character, they said that at the time they hadn’t decided whether this would be the only option but they were considering the possibilities.
One big question that people asked was, “what is going to happen with Shepard and the crew of the Normandy?” Being quick to reply to tweets after the announcement on Twitter BioWare said that Shepard would not feature in the next installment. This statement was slightly changed a Comic Con, when the team said that Shepard and his crew might be present in the game. Although he would not have anything to do with the main plot. I think that erasing the characters from the games would be a pretty bad idea. I’m not saying that I want everything to be the same, just that some of the characters would remain the same, even if just for cameo appearances.
A few chat options like this would be nice (RIP Mordan)
Timeline
We still do not know when the game is going to be set, some people have speculated that the game would be set during the First Contact War, following a supposed leak of the name Mass Effect: Contact. This would mean that the setting would be before the events of the original games, when Humans first made contact with Turians sparking a war which almost wiped Humans out. Until finally a truce was made and Humans given an embassy on the Citadel. It was not long before these rumours were shot down.
In my opinion, however fun it would be to fight during the First Contact War I am happy that this is not the setting for the game. First of all because it would completely write off everything that you have done in the past games as that would be future events which you will be unable influence. Secondly, it would mostly be about Humans fighting with the Turians and the other species would not possess a large role in the game, this is the biggest flaw as the different races are one of the best parts of the Mass Effect Universe.
The place on the timeline I’d like the game to be is about a generation after the Crucible events (a Human generation, of about 50-100 years, rather than an Asari one, of around 1000). This could allow players to import game saves from past games allowing them to follow on from the events in their playthroughs, this way people will already have an investment in the world, yet all the main characters will be fresh faces.
Following this it would be interesting as different species would appear in different ways depending on your choices in the past games. You could have the Quarians working with the Geth to rebuild their home planet Rannoch, you could have the Krogans suffering or cured of the Genophage, even the Reapers could be working with you to protect the galaxy from whatever it is that could be worse than them –which is kind of scary. I am really looking forward to finding out more about what happened to the Quarians following the other games.
Whatever it is that they decide to go with I look forward to it and hope that they don’t mess it up!
What do you think about my ideas? What would you like to see in the next installment of Mass Effect?
The only thing we can do now is wait until E3 and hope we find out more then.
Published: Feb 26, 2015 08:22 am