Umbasaborne
Banned
So i love mass effect (the trilogy). Andromeda sucked, and was an insult to the series legacy and its fans. But there are good idea’s even in that game that can be siphoned. So, when mass effect 4 launches in 4 (5?) years, what improvements and features would you like to see.
1.) writing that is better than andromeda, and on par with the original trilogy:
my favorite thing about the trilogy is the writing, world building, and character work. I felt so attatched to my squad in 1, 2, and 3 that i genuinely had an emotional reaction when something bad happened to them, or when i had my final moments with my romance choice before the finale.
Don't get me wrong, there are hints of decent writing to be found in andromeda, hidden amongst the awkward poor writing, but what we need is writing that is consistent the whole time, and that makes you feel emotionally attatched to the crew around you. That is the heart of mass effect
2.) strong characters both old and new:
as mentioned before. Your crew is the heart of mass effect. How well they are written and performed plays a major role in the quality of the experience. The next mass effect game needs some familiar faces from the trilogy (liara, wrex, ect...) asWell as brand new faces who are equally as well written and who will leave a lasting impact.
We need more new characters who are like miranda, mordin, or samara were in mass effect 2, and less who are as bland as liam kosta and cora from andromeda.
But even andromeda had a handful of decent characters. Peebee, drak, and vetra all had decent moments and a lot of potential. If it fits the story, why not give them another go around?
3: reduce the scope to something smaller, and more personal:
this desire served a dual purpose. The story doesn’t need to be about the fate of an entire galaxy, your character (shepard?) doesn't need to be the chosen one. A smaller more personal story would allow the character moments that make mass effect great to truly shine. Relationships would feel more personal. And the stakes would be less about the galaxy, and more about those around you. Like mass effect 2’s suicide mission.
the other side of a smaller scope is getting rid of open worlds. In my opinion, the open worlds of andromeda added nothing to the game except for tedious trips between boring fetch quests that ultimatley got in the way of the rewarding story moments. In mass effect 1 uncharted worlds were a decent idea but the execution was middling at best.
I think the sweet spot would be something between god of war and mass effect 2. Have explorable hubs that lead into missions whose enviroments are open linear, like god of war or new tomb raider. The slightly more open enviroments would facilitate the next change.
4.) bring back andromeda’s mobility and combat, but dont forget the ability wheel and squad control:
If there was one thing that you can say was universally great about andromeda, it was the combat. No longer were you confined to waist high cover, you could dash, jump, hover, and your abilities felt stronger and more impactful than ever.
Bring that back, but add the power and weapon wheel from the trilogy. I liked being able to control when and how my squad used their abilities in the trilogy and it was sorely missed in andromeda.
5.) expand romance:
romance options are a huge part of what makes the mass effect games
Great, and they greatly enhance your emotional attachment to your crew. I think they can be so much more though. It would be neat to be able to do things like go on dates, get married, hell even have the option to have a kid if the plot could facilitate that.
As of now, its slightly dissapointing to put the work into those romance paths only to be rewarded with a sex scene. They could be much more than they are, and i hope they are in the next game.
6.) the most controversial thing i want, bring back Commander Shepard as the Main playable character:
i know, i know, how would it make sense you might wonder? He died in my ending though. Yes, i get all that, but mass effect is full of weird space magic. An interesting thing might be if commander shepard some how comes back and a lot of time has passed like the teaser implies.
You can have a whole man or woman out of time angle going on as well. It would give weary players a familiar base to ground themselves with, while also providing a satisfying conclusion to Shepard's story. There is also the interesting aspect of how that would affect your relationships if you romanced liara in the trilogy, to come back to her 600 and some odd years later
I do think there is room for a new protagonist in mass effect, but for this game, the game that bioware needs to bring back fans. Bringing that character back for one last victory lap and giving him/her a satisfying finale would go a long way in achieving that goal.
1.) writing that is better than andromeda, and on par with the original trilogy:
my favorite thing about the trilogy is the writing, world building, and character work. I felt so attatched to my squad in 1, 2, and 3 that i genuinely had an emotional reaction when something bad happened to them, or when i had my final moments with my romance choice before the finale.
Don't get me wrong, there are hints of decent writing to be found in andromeda, hidden amongst the awkward poor writing, but what we need is writing that is consistent the whole time, and that makes you feel emotionally attatched to the crew around you. That is the heart of mass effect
2.) strong characters both old and new:
as mentioned before. Your crew is the heart of mass effect. How well they are written and performed plays a major role in the quality of the experience. The next mass effect game needs some familiar faces from the trilogy (liara, wrex, ect...) asWell as brand new faces who are equally as well written and who will leave a lasting impact.
We need more new characters who are like miranda, mordin, or samara were in mass effect 2, and less who are as bland as liam kosta and cora from andromeda.
But even andromeda had a handful of decent characters. Peebee, drak, and vetra all had decent moments and a lot of potential. If it fits the story, why not give them another go around?
3: reduce the scope to something smaller, and more personal:
this desire served a dual purpose. The story doesn’t need to be about the fate of an entire galaxy, your character (shepard?) doesn't need to be the chosen one. A smaller more personal story would allow the character moments that make mass effect great to truly shine. Relationships would feel more personal. And the stakes would be less about the galaxy, and more about those around you. Like mass effect 2’s suicide mission.
the other side of a smaller scope is getting rid of open worlds. In my opinion, the open worlds of andromeda added nothing to the game except for tedious trips between boring fetch quests that ultimatley got in the way of the rewarding story moments. In mass effect 1 uncharted worlds were a decent idea but the execution was middling at best.
I think the sweet spot would be something between god of war and mass effect 2. Have explorable hubs that lead into missions whose enviroments are open linear, like god of war or new tomb raider. The slightly more open enviroments would facilitate the next change.
4.) bring back andromeda’s mobility and combat, but dont forget the ability wheel and squad control:
If there was one thing that you can say was universally great about andromeda, it was the combat. No longer were you confined to waist high cover, you could dash, jump, hover, and your abilities felt stronger and more impactful than ever.
Bring that back, but add the power and weapon wheel from the trilogy. I liked being able to control when and how my squad used their abilities in the trilogy and it was sorely missed in andromeda.
5.) expand romance:
romance options are a huge part of what makes the mass effect games
Great, and they greatly enhance your emotional attachment to your crew. I think they can be so much more though. It would be neat to be able to do things like go on dates, get married, hell even have the option to have a kid if the plot could facilitate that.
As of now, its slightly dissapointing to put the work into those romance paths only to be rewarded with a sex scene. They could be much more than they are, and i hope they are in the next game.
6.) the most controversial thing i want, bring back Commander Shepard as the Main playable character:
i know, i know, how would it make sense you might wonder? He died in my ending though. Yes, i get all that, but mass effect is full of weird space magic. An interesting thing might be if commander shepard some how comes back and a lot of time has passed like the teaser implies.
You can have a whole man or woman out of time angle going on as well. It would give weary players a familiar base to ground themselves with, while also providing a satisfying conclusion to Shepard's story. There is also the interesting aspect of how that would affect your relationships if you romanced liara in the trilogy, to come back to her 600 and some odd years later
I do think there is room for a new protagonist in mass effect, but for this game, the game that bioware needs to bring back fans. Bringing that character back for one last victory lap and giving him/her a satisfying finale would go a long way in achieving that goal.
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