One of the best parts of the redesign is the simplicity in which I can post now – I have a clever idea, or inspiration to write something, I’m more or less an internet connection away from making it happen.
My recent time-waster these days has been Mass Effect. Not Mass Effect 2, but the original. I tend to be behind a generation when it comes to video games not starting with “Left 4 Dead” or “Resident Evil,” and to be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn’t have given attention to Mass Effect if not for the amazing theatrical trailer that they showed during the AFC championship game that made me go “whoa.” So I went out and picked up the first one, since it’s a Platinum edition, and inexpensive, to acclimate myself to the story, and prepare myself for the day in which I too, move onto Mass Effect 2.
And I love the game. I’m currently on my second go-around, to go the more renegade route, as well as unlock a few XBOX achievements on the way. But I came to the realization recently of what Mass Effect is, basically – Mass Effect is the sci-fi version of Secret of Mana.
That’s not a slight in the least bit, since I absolutely adored Secret of Mana back in the day too. But on a primal, basic level, they’re very similar games, and I’m more or less just trying to see if I can open some other eyes. If I made the statement:
You and two companions travel around to try and save the world.
I’m basically describing the main point of both games.
Now I know a lot of people play with customized characters, but the canon is default, male soldier, John Shepard. He is the protagonist from Secret of Mana, with limitless physical ability, but zero magic (Tech/Biotic) capabilities. Your support characters are essentially how you wish The Girl and The Sprite to be; Liara, and her maxed-out Biotic capability is pretty much The Sprite if you only liked to use destructive black magic, or you could use Wrex, and have a combination of offensive biotic power, as well as an effective fighter. And the same goes for Tali and her max-Tech to assist in battle or hack synthetics, or you can have Garrus, and his combination of tech and fighting capabilities. Granted, this leaves Ashley and Kaidan as the odd-men out, but they’re there for sex anyway.
In both games, the AI controls the two support characters at all times, but you the player have the ability to take control of when they use their special powers, and what they have equipped. The only genuine difference is that in Mass Effect, you can’t take full control of the side character.
The Normandy is the equivalent of Flammie, except you have a guy voiced by Seth Green to summon, instead of using the drum from The Karate Kid II.
You travel to a variety of terrains from cold, lush vegetation, and intergalactic (Remember where you get Luna?). You buy your crap from creatures that aren’t always human. Both games feature corrupt governments, societies, and questioning of morals. Both stories culminate with traveling to sites of an ancient civilization, to where the true antagonist is revealed.
The evidence is there, and I invite others to agree in my line of thinking. There’s nothing wrong with either game, but let’s not go get hasty in thinking that Mass Effect was something so revolutionary, when basically the same game existed almost seven years ago, in Secret of Mana. In fact, the only real difference I can think of in the two games is that Mass Effect does not feature a cameo by Santa Claus. Unless I’m not looking hard enough.
