It's a usual skepticism that grows inside the most of us during the whole lifetime being based on life experience that makes us believe more and more each year passed that things tend to become worse in time. And honestly life gives us a bit more that just a few reasons to justify such attitude. Movies or cartoons we have seen during the childhood become lifetime favorites just because they were seen while we perceived the world around us as the single possible right one. The very same goes for the computer games. Especially the good ones. And, hell, Mass Effect is definitely was very good from the very beginning, undoubtedly.
What do we know about how making sequels of the good games turns out? I'd say there are three major ways of how it works out in the end:
- Bad way. Awesome original idea getting killed by the single (or in the worst cases, by multiple) sequel or long and painfully murdered by the long money milking process. Some examples: Duke Nukem, Prince of Persia, Need For Speed in certain way, Tomb Raider at some point.
- Not so bad way. Original game was great and highly successful so we will make some more of exactly this, adding an auto-increasing number after it's title and may be some sub title, good. After few sequels we could even think of changing it's setting a bit, age or character development. Actually, it's has the obvious pros like prolonging the lifespan of a good thing the game is and continuous improvement of its gameplay and graphics. Some examples: Battlefield, Call of Duty, EA sport games, Football Manager, Counter-Strike.
- Good way. Ok, we have awesome game, we could make money by releasing 20 appearance packs per week, make another four instances of the same game with new side character and two new pistols, wow. But we won't. We will make a new game. When new means the game that won't be compared to the prequel and will stand out for itself. And that game will be terrific. Some examples: Warcraft, Jagged Alliance, Half-Life, GTA, MGS, The Witcher.
Sometimes sequels differs from the original game so much, it just won't make sense to classify them the general way (like UFO -> X-Com: Interceptor), so I'll just leave them be.
So here we are, went all the way from the "what possibly go wrong" mission on Eden Prime to becoming the Galaxy Savior. All three Mass Effect games has the same genre, the same protagonist and more or less the same character around. Combat system was changed significantly in ME2, but after all it feels more like the same through the entire Trilogy. And still we ended up having three completely different games with their absolutely unique feel. They actually differ so much that I can clearly see how they could have been released as three separated games and still become highly critically acclaimed. So, basically, we saw what is rarely to be seen: game becomes constantly better over time while being presented very differently each time (Something to be seen in Dragon Age).
The detailed Trilogy review is still on it's way, so I won't focus on it's pros and cons. At the moment I find it to be more important to add another voice to those asking for another sequel. I'm aware of the fact that it's over for The Sheppard, but BioWare just can't leave their own creation at the current state. What we were fighting for? If we assume that "Synthesis" was the canonical ending then there are at least several obvious
avenues for story to be continued and reasons why should it (SPOILERS).
1. Galaxy is finally at peace - yay! But now it's time to rebuild what was destroyed during the harvest. Surely, no one in their right mind will really think that there won't be new Cerberus (IDEA!) will arise, who will want to use their new state as an advantage and a change to control over the others. Some Reaper cult may arise. Rememeber Deus Ex? How many people didn't like all that synthetics that other people were getting in their bodies? And this could be a real problem for the galaxy in the first years of this new existence.
2. All the spaceflight species now found themselves cut from each other. That's really not cool so everyone will surely develop a new ways of communication, maybe founding a new multiracial colony with lost Citadel functionality.
3. Normandy ended up the hell knows where. Actually, I believe it won't be that easy for them to reach the civilization. That could be a hell of a long way home.
4. Meeting new, pre-spaceflight species or some miraculously saved from the previous harvest pre-Proteans species.
5. Meetings species from the different Galaxy (the most obvious one).
6. Leviathans are still there and, I want to remind, they are way more advanced than any of existing species. Why not to take over the Galaxy once again?
Or some more story, not action, driven plots like playing for some lonely Turian locked up on Earth after the final battle. Playing for the child of Sheppard or some of his crew (a cute and brave Garrus daughter awww...) and the beginning of his way to becoming the next hero of the Galaxy. Come on, no one really knows what actually happened and why are everyone turned into the new lifeforms, why the relays were all blown up? Someone has to find out and that would be very interesting story.
And the reasons:
1. BioWare guys sure know how to make it. I believe, the are actually the one who do (even with Muzyka left). So.. Why not!?
2. The place we got to seems not only as the obvious point to stop the story of Sheppard, but also a really good way to start something new.
3. The universe of Mass Effect is very interesting and has an enormous potential of having more games, books or even movies to be based on. It would be such a waste if it won't be utilized anymore.
I we all will see what species that became real for us and character that we became to know better, than most of real people how surround us, will achieve and for what Sheppard sacrificed himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment