Opinions on the Dragon Age and Mass Effect Universes?

[AstroManLuca]

What would make a good plot for Mass Effect?

Discovering the Prothean ruins on Mars, the Pluto mass relay, establishing the colony on Eden Prime, and the war with the Turians.

The games already covered the war with the Reapers and there isn't much you can do after, so that's what it would have to be about. Plenty of material to draw on.

 

[dighn]

Dragon age is just generic fantasy stuff.

Mass Effect was Biowares attempt at making KOTOR without paying for the IP. It is very sterile and unimaginative in the end.

DA universe is just terrible. It's like lite D&D. Very little substance to it.

ME is a funny beast. It's a strange mix of semi-hard sci-fi and fantasy elements, which is lacking in the intellectual appeal of hard sci-fi and the charm of sci-fi fantasy. I think Bioware is simply out of their elements here.

 

[alent1234]

in the spirit of the 21st i bet the movie is going to be about fighting batarians and terrorism

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Discovering the Prothean ruins on Mars, the Pluto mass relay, establishing the colony on Eden Prime, and the war with the Turians.

The games already covered the war with the Reapers and there isn't much you can do after, so that's what it would have to be about. Plenty of material to draw on.

And how the other races of the galaxy look at humans as minorities and treat them like shit.

 

[micrometers]

I like Dragon Age 1 and Mass Effect 1


I haven't finish dragon age 2 yet so I need to get on that but after playing through Dragon Age 1, I can say the only thing that really irks me is the... Fade portion of the game.

Mass effect was advertised as unique because it offer FPS with real RPG elements. I was like whoa!! Are you for real? And quickly got into Mass Effect because of the whole ordeal. I love that game and too bad ME 2 and ME3 have to change the RPG feel of it.

as games, ME2 and DA2 are fantastic.

As fantasy worlds...they are not very interesting. Even less interesting than Babylon 5.

 

[micrometers]

DA universe is just terrible. It's like lite D&D. Very little substance to it.

ME is a funny beast. It's a strange mix of semi-hard sci-fi and fantasy elements, which is lacking in the intellectual appeal of hard sci-fi and the charm of sci-fi fantasy. I think Bioware is simply out of their elements here.

Yeah, you hit it on the head, man. It seemed to lack the technical wonder of NASA-sci-fi and at the same time lacked the charm of Star Wars cantina.

instead, it's just cold techno and a super-soldier who never smiles.

 

[Fritzo]

And how the other races of the galaxy look at humans as minorities and treat them like shit.

Yep. There's the foundation for a very nice script there.

I LOL at the comments saying ME is "too sterile and generic". They've included some of the move creative characters and back stories I've ever seen in a game.

- The reasonable and realistic explanations for the technology
- The mystery of how some technology came to be
- The fact that advanced life is harvested every 50000 years, and left these technology seeds so we would advance to fit their needs
- The Salarians were the bastards responsible for abducting humans and UFO reports (lol!)
- Krogans are like sentient cockroaches, so they had to be infected with a plague to keep them from spreading and overtaking everything
- The Volus are essentially like Ferengi from Star Trek
- The Elcor can not show emotions or facial expression, so they have to say what they are feeling before each statement (humored endowment: I found this funny)
- The Asari are kind of like Jedi from Star Wars...they have a mastery of "biotics" (telekenetic powers) and can even have sex/reproduce with any species (HAWT!)
- The 1st game revolves around racism with humans, the second game shows a role reversal, and the 3rd shows everyone coming together only to be separated again.

This is only 1/100th of the plotline. The ME series is probably one of the most well thought out and scripted games I've ever played. There's humor, action, sadness, anger, and you have to make hard choices (I unknowingly sent the girl I just got done banging to hear death on a mission in the first game...I had no idea they would do that!).

I hope to see a ME4 sometime in the future

 

[Gooberlx2]

Meh, I disagree with anyone shitting on the Mass Effect universe. I think it's the most compelling I've seen. I love the games, story, and backstory. I appreciate the semi-hard-fi and serious tone. I don't see the "clinical and sterile" arguments at all. There's quite a diverse setup established, several colorful characters, and a wide open range of possibility.

I never could get in to the DA series. I've heard the story is good, but I just couldn't bring myself to give the game the time investment it deserved.

 

[micrometers]

Meh, I disagree with anyone shitting on the Mass Effect universe. I think it's the most compelling I've seen. I love the games, story, and backstory. I appreciate the semi-hard-fi and serious tone. I don't see the "clinical and sterile" arguments at all. There's quite a diverse setup established, several colorful characters, and a wide open range of possibility.

I never could get in to the DA series. I've heard the story is good, but I just couldn't bring myself to give the game the time investment it deserved.

skip DA:O, and go straight to DA2.

 

[micrometers]

I think what I liked about Babylon 5 so much was that there was some attempt to show real physics in motion. Like the rotating space station or the star fury that maneuvered by 4 jets on the edge.

That is quasi-NASA stuff.

ME doesn't have anything like that on a regular basis. Instead it's, "lookie at this sleek BMW of a spaceship that never breaks down and is just sleek and perfect"

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Yep. There's the foundation for a very nice script there.

I LOL at the comments saying ME is "too sterile and generic". They've included some of the move creative characters and back stories I've ever seen in a game.

- The reasonable and realistic explanations for the technology
- The mystery of how some technology came to be
- The fact that advanced life is harvested every 50000 years, and left these technology seeds so we would advance to fit their needs
- The Salarians were the bastards responsible for abducting humans and UFO reports (lol!)
- Krogans are like sentient cockroaches, so they had to be infected with a plague to keep them from spreading and overtaking everything
- The Volus are essentially like Ferengi from Star Trek
- The Elcor can not show emotions or facial expression, so they have to say what they are feeling before each statement (humored endowment: I found this funny)
- The Asari are kind of like Jedi from Star Wars...they have a mastery of "biotics" (telekenetic powers) and can even have sex/reproduce with any species (HAWT!)
- The 1st game revolves around racism with humans, the second game shows a role reversal, and the 3rd shows everyone coming together only to be separated again.

This is only 1/100th of the plotline. The ME series is probably one of the most well thought out and scripted games I've ever played. There's humor, action, sadness, anger, and you have to make hard choices (I unknowingly sent the girl I just got done banging to hear death on a mission in the first game...I had no idea they would do that!).

I hope to see a ME4 sometime in the future

Those are all tropes and have been done before and it just so boring and unimaginative. The attempts of ME to justify their tech is pretty shitty.

ME has no real anything going for it. It's just a generic sci fi universe with no real hook.

 

[yllus]

The Mass Effect universe, in my opinion, is far and away the best fleshed out sci-fi universe I can think of. Better than Star Trek and Star Wars (which is actually quite terrible in terms of fiction) easily, better than other sci-fi video games I can currently recall.

 

[Red Storm]

Those are all tropes and have been done before and it just so boring and unimaginative. The attempts of ME to justify their tech is pretty shitty.

ME has no real anything going for it. It's just a generic sci fi universe with no real hook.

Looking forward to your 100% original sci-fi story...

 

[AMDZen]

Yep. There's the foundation for a very nice script there.

I LOL at the comments saying ME is "too sterile and generic". They've included some of the move creative characters and back stories I've ever seen in a game.

- The reasonable and realistic explanations for the technology
- The mystery of how some technology came to be
- The fact that advanced life is harvested every 50000 years, and left these technology seeds so we would advance to fit their needs
- The Salarians were the bastards responsible for abducting humans and UFO reports (lol!)
- Krogans are like sentient cockroaches, so they had to be infected with a plague to keep them from spreading and overtaking everything
- The Volus are essentially like Ferengi from Star Trek
- The Elcor can not show emotions or facial expression, so they have to say what they are feeling before each statement (humored endowment: I found this funny)
- The Asari are kind of like Jedi from Star Wars...they have a mastery of "biotics" (telekenetic powers) and can even have sex/reproduce with any species (HAWT!)
- The 1st game revolves around racism with humans, the second game shows a role reversal, and the 3rd shows everyone coming together only to be separated again.

This is only 1/100th of the plotline. The ME series is probably one of the most well thought out and scripted games I've ever played. There's humor, action, sadness, anger, and you have to make hard choices (I unknowingly sent the girl I just got done banging to hear death on a mission in the first game...I had no idea they would do that!).

I hope to see a ME4 sometime in the future

Looks to me like your the only person here who actually played the games

 

[Matthiasa]

Looking forward to your 100% original sci-fi story...

I could do that.. okay to start with.
It takes place in the dimensions 5, 6, 7 and 8 with 8 being a kind of flow or something.
Never-mind how those dimensions are actually defined.
Okay so scientist from dimensions of 2, 3, 4 and 5 along with ones from 1, 2, 3, and 4 go and do something to the initially listed ones. During the process...
ummm wait that been done already.

Okay so we have this...
...
And that is the completely original sci-fi story. Nothing copied or anything, and don't ask for the details again since you will not get them.

 

[AMDZen]

Those are all tropes and have been done before and it just so boring and unimaginative. The attempts of ME to justify their tech is pretty shitty.

ME has no real anything going for it. It's just a generic sci fi universe with no real hook.

The reeper thing ending all civilization every 50,000 years isn't a "real hook" or an original idea? It was to me and to most that played the series

 

[Matthiasa]

Societal endings like that have been a staple of sci-fi since basically forever.
There is always a much greater civilization wiped out with ruins of them being discovered and used.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Looks to me like your the only person here who actually played the games

Even the back story of the evolution of the asari, turians, and the salarians from the Prothean point of view.

"The lizard people evolved? They used to eat flies."

 

[kyrax12]

And how the other races of the galaxy look at humans as minorities and treat them like shit.

I played all three Mass Effect games and I have never really seen Humans being treated like "shit".

 

[NikolaeVarius]

The reeper thing ending all civilization every 50,000 years isn't a "real hook" or an original idea? It was to me and to most that played the series

Yes, because the idea of a great power destroying previous even GREATER civilizations eons ago and then coming back in the near future to destroy the current galaxy is such a original plot line

Looks to me like your the only person here who actually played the games

Thanks for completely erasing the memories of ME1 and ME2 from my brain. I have obviously never played them.

 

[dighn]

The Mass Effect universe, in my opinion, is far and away the best fleshed out sci-fi universe I can think of. Better than Star Trek and Star Wars (which is actually quite terrible in terms of fiction) easily, better than other sci-fi video games I can currently recall.

To be fair, it is one of the better ones in video games (or even TV shows). I'm just extremely critical on sci-fi.

 

[micrometers]

Societal endings like that have been a staple of sci-fi since basically forever.
There is always a much greater civilization wiped out with ruins of them being discovered and used.

lol, I remember how epic Babylon 5 was.

After that, it's just not the same. I'm sure that there are teenagers for whom Mass Effect is super-deep and shit.

 

[vi edit]

Mass Effect was easily one of the most elaborate "original" universes in recent gaming memory. All of the nuances built into the races and the backstory invovled with them (like the Krogans and Salarians who did the research on the genophage). The world itself and how the humans fit in. The overall backstory of the Reapers big-banging and then big-booming civilizations every 50,000 years. Ect. It was just a very immersive, highly detailed world that took a LOT of storyboarding to come up with.

Almost no sci-fi is truely "original". Everything is borrowed and even the best authors will give credit to their inspirations. That's just how these types of things go...books...paintings...music...even video game backstories and style can draw elements from earlier works.

The Reaper concept is very cool IMHO and laid the groundwork for an excellent game franchise.

I really don't think that it's any less complex than the Star Trek universe that spawned off how many movies? If anything, as an entire storyboard it's probably stronger than Star Trek makes for a more cohesive, focused movie rather than a 2 hour long TV episode.

 

[Red Storm]

Yes, because the idea of a great power destroying previous even GREATER civilizations eons ago and then coming back in the near future to destroy the current galaxy is such a original plot line

So then enlighten us, what is this completely original sci fi story?

 

[micrometers]

Mass Effect is elaborate, but I dunno, it seems to be lacking in philosophy. Star Trek had a certain optimism to it, though I never got into it. Babylon 5 got into philosophy or chaos vs order. Star Wars had several themes going through it...I don't detect any philosophical musings in this one.

From the start I didn't like the whole "super-soldier" thing in Shepard...