22306 Shepherd, we will not forget you: 7 reasons the genius of Mass Effect

Shepherd, we will not forget you: 7 reasons the genius of Mass Effect



Ten years have passed since then, as the relay threw the spaceship “Normandy” into the galaxy. There we met with strange races, clashed with the machines of the Apocalypse the Reapers and learned that the YMCA of the steering snaps. Ten years and seems like yesterday. You can love Mass Effect with all your heart or look at the series as krogan — salabianca. But even the most stubborn skeptic has to admit that the classic trilogy BioWare — thing meaningful and distinctive. Why?

He lived a brave captain…

In many ways, the charm of the game rests on the image of the captain, the adventurer. The technique is as old as the world: the closed space of the ship is ideal for the revelation of the characters, and Maritime history is, you ready heroic stories. Take them, add fiction taste — and get the desired effect. The main feature of the approach BioWare is that of the familiar historical books of images they have created something truly outstanding.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

As hundreds of brave leaders before him (or her, if you play for the woman), the hero of Mass Effect is composed of several real prototypes. His name is captain “Normandy” shall first American astronaut Alan Shepard — space for Western he means nothing less than Yuri Gagarin for our. The only difference is that the remember not the phrase “let’s Go!” a pre-launch prayer “Please, dear God, don’t let me fuck up” — “dear God, please don’t let me *** [fail]“. However, to create the protagonist of the epic on the basis of a single personality would be too easy.

Shepard similar to the famous Admiral Horatio Nelson — a man amorous and brave. Like the hero of Mass Effect, Nelson brought home a lot of powerful enemies, which did not prevent him brilliantly to manage the Navy of Britain. Despite a weak physique, the Admiral did not avoid the fight: in one battle he lost an arm in another he injured his eyes — how can you not remember the commander’s stitched in pieces in the lab “Cerberus”?

7 причин гениальности Mass EffectHoratio Nelson and captain Shepard

Other suitable prototype is particularly close to the Americans. During the civil war the northerners made southerners naval blockade to strangle the cotton trade and the importation from Europe of strategic resources. But the gallant privateers managed to evade the patrols and to win in suicidal clashes with the fleets of the enemy. Although their position was unenviable: at home they were considered officers of the Navy, and to the North States — pirates, which entailed the most severe punishment. However on this basis it has developed its own subculture with folk songs, the glorification of the transatlantic flights and legendary personalities such as Rafael sams.

The captain has earned a reputation for clever tactics. In 1862, the British built him a cruiser “Alabama,” which was disguised as a pleasure yacht and was noted for technical innovations like telescopic steam pipe — an analogy with “Normandy” version 2.0 from the same “Cerberus”. It’s not all Parallels: sams brought down more than 60 vessels of the enemy, was wounded in the battle, and after the service of the sea, commanded the land forces. And although his features are much stronger than seen in the Malcolm Reynolds from the TV series “Firefly”, he could be one of the sources of inspiration BioWare.

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7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

But the most striking, being composed of multiple images, Shepard is unique to each player. Vary the details of the appearance, behavior, biography — it is difficult to find two identical commanders from various Mass Effect fans. For developers, of course, a low bow.

King makes retinue

Bad is the RPG, where the light has converged a wedge on the main character. It is important, no doubt, but it is surrounded by no less expressive personality. Despite the fact that the team has identified a long-run method: brought on a single deck most different from each other characters. Here introvert Cayden, alenko, but in its Board turanec Garrus. Terse krogan Urdnot Rex straight as a laser beam and does not hesitate to raise a weapon at the commander. Academic Liara, on the contrary, is characterized by shyness and almost childlike curiosity.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

Representatives of different races, views on war and peace — medley this company give sense of mission and dialogue. Especially where the choice is not limited to the replicas of “good“, “very good” and “excellent“. Each ally perceive Shepard as a person, not a walking set of cliches. And when you have to decide who to leave alive, Kaidan, or Ashley alenko Williams, nervous is not a joke.

In addition to associates, managed and villain Saren was essentially the alter ego of a Shepard. It’s like he’s stuck between the machinery of the Reapers periodically destroy intelligent life in the galaxy and dreams of their own messianism. Take a dive to survive — that is his credo. Otherwise they will not survive no one at all.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

Looking at the scale of the threat, we begin to hesitate, to wonder if the heretic is right? Rare antagonist in a video game becomes so textured and compelling, not to mention sympathy, which he from time to time cause. After the completion of the trilogy and the release of “Andromeda”, it became clear that Sarene designer villains in BioWare broke — they get worse and worse.

An abyss full of stars

The characters are only half the battle. To achieve total immersion required a well thought out universe, the laws which penetrate easily and degrees in physics or biology. This world was invented by the development lead Casey Hudson in collaboration with writer drew by Carpesium. Stuffed his hand in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, both realized that they can create their own space Opera. One that doesn’t used the ideas of George Lucas, but at the same time was no less ambitious.

7 причин гениальности Mass EffectConcept art of a space station Syd Mead (left) and “Citadel” from Mass Effect (right)

Although completely avoid the influence of the pillars of the genre still failed. For example, secret agents spectra from Mass Effect reminiscent of the Jedi, and in the Parliament of the intelligent races on the station “Citadel” felt something from “Babylon-5”. Design locations inspired by the works of Syd Mead and other futurists. And the artifacts of long-vanished civilization, learned to travel by using repeaters, obviously peeped in “Space Odyssey” by Arthur C. Clarke. But Canadians were original in details and elaboration.

Instead of far-away galaxies they described our — sunset XXII century. Humanity found it was not alone among the stars, so with difficulty poured into a community of aliens. In this he was assisted by alien technology from the zero element until a kind of magic, biotics. Living universe doing races, which differ not only appearance, but also cockroaches in my head. For example, the batarians can’t forgive the Alliance’s decision on the disputed territories, Croghan has put himself in the stone age and were victims of genetic experiments, the fresher on his own misfortune created the robotic Geth, rebelled against the hosts. Just a conversation with Tali Zora about her culture, breathtaking.

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It is clear that a couple of people a similar amount of work to master. Drew karpyshyn said in an interview:

Each planet has one primary writer responsible for related texts. But as a leading screenwriter, I checked the consistency of the pieces… All you need for this result, team of writers. To make the first Mass Effect, BioWare has hired more than a dozen writers on full time.

7 причин гениальности Mass EffectDrew karpyshyn, and Casey Hudson

However, epic is not immediately found a similar scale. Originally it was a story about a highly advanced race to inhabit the Earth for growing slaves, that is people. The intent of the Hudson, the conflict had to be based on the struggle for freedom under the leadership of captain Anderson. But the plot came out fine — it had to be adapted to the more serious enemy (the Reapers) and an extended chronology that operates in tens of thousands of years rather than a few skirmishes in space. So, step by step, the game universe has acquired a grandeur comparable with the already mentioned worlds of Star Wars and Star Trek.

“Mako” dirt is not afraid

The thoroughness of the developers was evident in the study of stellar systems, without which the atmosphere of a space adventure would be musty. There are dozens available to visit the planets, and each has its own “legend”. Where the colonists launched the mining, somewhere thriving agriculture, and corners of Paradise, like Virmire be a matter of dispute between the Alliance forces and bandits. For each world invented size, average temperature, gravity, chemical composition, the duration of the day and year — like stuff, but nice. Even if details of a measured surface is nothing to catch.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

On the other hand, many of the planet award for research curiosity: it is possible to gather some resources, here is to clear the Outpost from the Goths. As a development lead, Casey Hudson sees little trick a great perspective:

This is one of the things that makes virtual universe more. You really don’t know what is around the corner and into the next system. Some of the planets are provided with detailed locations, and on the other there is nothing but radio signals.

Wherever Shepard arrived with the team in travel, they rely on military all-terrain vehicle “Mako”, equipped with a gun nozzle for jumps and crazy physics behavior, because of what the ride remembered for a long time.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

A special feeling driving on the armored car across the moon’s surface — the Land and the ability to feel the creation of the Soviet defense industry. This creates a sense of globality, participation in something epochal, not intimate stories, which often suffers from science fiction.

BioWare, for which no shame

Hero, his friends, enemies and the universe where you can hang out at the bar after the shooting with a zombie krogan is, of course, great. But that the game elements worked as a whole, the same is required from the developers. 2007-the year when the first Mass Effect, can be called the Golden age of BioWare. The company is still run by Greg Zeschuk and ray Muzyka, on account of its magnificent Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. And literally all of her undertakings differ in the willingness to do what others guts.

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Risky Association of the action with role-playing system, explicit scenes, famous dialogues wheel, working through the stump-deck and the same with the shooting — all this affects the sincerity of the game no less than joke of the Joker or the appointment of Shepard’s range. But it was in the Mass Effect trilogy we saw in charge of her team, something snapped. BioWare began to adjust, moonlight and smartly to sell DLC. “Live with wolves — wolf howl“, you say. And maybe you’re right.

Out of the game

The beauty of the space epic that the series of role-playing insurgents is not limited. Like other fantasy universes like Star Wars, Mass Effect surrounded by content in all formats and age restrictions. The first thing you should pay attention to the novels already familiar to us writer drew Karpyshyn: Revelation, Ascension and Retribution. All of them are translated into Russian and fill in the plot gaps between the releases of the classic trilogy. If you are curious, how was the career of Anderson, how Saren found the ship “Lord,” where did organization “Cerberus” — please note these books.

A lot of light on the identity of the Ghost, the leader of “Cerberus”, and throws a series of comics with the subtitle “Evolution”. Here we learn that once this man called Jack Harper, he was a daredevil in the spirit of Han Solo, and managed to take part in the First Contact war. So in the world of Mass Effect is named clash between barely mastered space people and the turian race.

7 причин гениальности Mass Effect

Another arch comic “Invasion” — the story of the fate of station “omega” and the old robber-woman Aria T of Look. Here residents base pay for space experiments, “Cerberus”, but the organization itself is not. To help the beleaguered “Omega” Ghost sends General Oleg Petrovsky — he had to arrest the traitor Raymond Ashe and kill the monsters.

Oddly enough, one of the most favored characters in the spin-offs of James VEGA, the Jock bully with the “Mohawk”. About his misadventures, you can learn from the comic “the Prosecution”, and also from the animated film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost, jointly produced by BioWare and Funimation studios. The incident on Fe Prime, the mercenary group “Bloody flock” under the leadership of the krogan with a Ukrainian name, Arcuk, VEGA in the role of Rambo fans will appreciate, if not bothered by the anime style.

Another such will not be

Great can only be seen in the distance. That’s why now, ten years later, much more interesting to go the original game, negativ her mod with HD textures, than to torment the more modern “Andromeda”. Restarting the series in 2017, the developers have returned to the ideas of the first Mass Effect: the study of the planets and travel in a jeep, to meet new characters in extreme conditions. But instead of a championship breakthrough, we got the creative impotence writers and animators. This is unacceptable. Let it is better to discourage the Geth the Citadel!

The author of the text: Alexander Burov

Source: 4pda.ru

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