Which is the Best Mass Effect Game?

Which is the Best Mass Effect Game?

The Mass Effect trilogy is one of the most well know, well-loved and arguably best trilogy’s in gaming. There are many high points throughout all three games but I’m asking the question which is best? I’ll put it down to categories to find the best Mass Effect game in my own humble opinion.

 

Plot.

It’s important to understand what plot actually is as it is pretty confusing. The plot is the events that make up the story and these events will relate in a sequence to create the story. This isn’t the same as premise which is the idea of what is going to happen. So with that in mind we can quickly eliminate ME2 from this category as thinking about it, it barely even has a plot.  The premise is to stop the Collectors but the events don’t really lead up to this ultimate goal. The side stories with the characters and loyalty missions are interesting but don’t build up to the Collector threat in any way.

 

So we have ME1 and ME3 and personally I think ME1 has a better plot. ME1 certainly has the most coherent narrative of the trilogy and while ME3 has the more epic and emotional moments ME1 has the events build on top of each other to build the plot and impact the characters. I also think the twists work better in ME1 and I’d be remised to not mention that infamous ME3 ending. So the winner here is ME1.

 

Protagonist.

Which game did Shepard the best? I understand he/she is a blank slate to project ourselves onto but I’d argue the character still needs to grow as a result of the experiences throughout the trilogy. ME2 Shepard doesn’t really grow at all and as I said earlier is not really relevant to the plot. So once again I’m left with ME1 and ME3.

 

ME3 is interesting as we do get to experience Shepard’s loss of sanity at parts of the games through his stresses and pressures of what he’s doing. The dream sequences in particular appear to focus on this but the interactions with characters on the Normandy (the one where Shepard snaps at Joker stands out to me) show how he’s being affected by what’s going on. ME1 also does well with Shepard as this game really makes us feel the progression of the character from soldier to Spectre and then throughout the plot. This was a tougher one to call but again I think I’ll need to go with ME1 as I think Shepard has more relevance on the Plot in ME1 than in ME3.

 

Side Characters.

It probably sounds like I’m just going to say ME1 is better in every way, maybe say that the second 2 games are just pandering to the filthy casuals who have the nerve to play the games the hard-core and far superior gamers like. Yes that was a joke and ME2 wins this category without question. All three games are excellent in this category but I feel that ME2 was the one where they got the most focus and development, especially through loyalty missions for the squad mates.

 

I liked the characters in ME1 but I didn’t find myself getting really attached until ME2. You deal with things that are far more personal in ME 2 and as a result these characters begin to feel far more real. ME3 meanwhile has those characters return but you were already so invested because of ME2.

 

There are anomalies of course, a lot of these characters weren’t even in ME1 and the first game had squad mates that weren’t accessible in ME2. The difference is I found the plot more interesting than side characters in ME1 while in ME2 the side characters and their stories could easily make their own game.

 

Visuals.

I don’t mean graphics when I say visuals, I mean which game had the most interesting environments and style. ME1 had an interesting style with its grainy look to make it look like an old Sci-Fi television show. ME 2 and 3 meanwhile discarded the grainy look and overall went for brighter colours.

 

ME1 has the advantage of having all those worlds to explore in the Mako, the issue however is they pretty much all looked the same. ME2 had the most interesting locations to explore with the Citadel, Omega and Illium. ME3 only had the Citadel while ME1 meanwhile also had multiple explore able worlds with the likes of Noveria. For the places you visit and the ones I remember most I’m giving this one to ME2 for having the most interesting visual locations.

 

Emotional Impact.

Which game got those feels going? Well in all three games characters can die and they all have monumental choices to make. All three have emotional impact but really ME3 cannot be matched in this regard. This game had some of the saddest deaths I can think of in my time gaming, Not just individual deaths impact you either, everything is on such an enormous scale and worlds being destroyed and possible extinction is something that really has Shepard on edge.

 

The sad moments are big but the lighter moments can but just as emotional. Chances are if you’re playing ME3 you enjoy the camaraderie and friendship between characters and moments like shooting bottles with Garrus can be just impactful as any other. These games make you feel like you’re really attached to these characters and moments like this really highlight that so without doubt ME3 wins this one.

 

Gameplay.

These are games so gameplay is important. The shooting element is obviously important in a game where you shoot bad guys and ME3 naturally has the best shooting mechanics. They refined the shooting in ME2 which has already refined the shooting in ME1 and added some good new features such as the ability to roll and the improvement to the melee system. I also thought ME3 had the best level design in terms of what you had to do as you played through. The focus on verticality was nice as it made the levels feel less like walking from shooting gallery to shooting gallery and put greater emphasis on a tactical approach. Despite the occasional turret section ME3 combat was best without doubt.

 

ME3’s gameplay falls down with the more auto dialogue included in the game however. ME2 was better in this regard I felt as was ME1 however the interrupt system makes me prefer ME2 as you can impact conversations in more proactive ways. Overall though ME3 didn’t have so much auto dialogue that it made the game feel like I wasn’t contributing and having less focus on the paragon/renegade system was a positive so this category is ME3’s.

 

Verdict.

This blog post hasn’t been very conclusive has it? Each game has won 2 categories and I genuinely didn’t plan it like that. Maybe I could do more categories but I think what it shows is it depends on what matters most to you in a game. My personal favourite is ME3 but a strong argument could be made for any game in the series. I guess that makes sense really, it’d explain why the series is so popular with such a large range of gamers and why people cared so much about controversies such as the ending. If nothing else it proves gaming can tell epics as well as anything else if you’re dumb and still won’ believe it so that’s something.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thecoolstuffblog12/1807956062763462

Top 6 Favourite Television Shows

Top 6 Favourite Television Shows

Ahh the humble television, a staple in every living room. Its big black screen stares at us and we all enjoy its wonders and delight. Sometimes we use it for movies but more often than not we watch television shows. These are my personal top 6 of all time.

 

Number 6. Friends

It was difficult to pick my favourite sitcom. It was between Friends and Two and a Half Men. I went for Friends because it’s a very easy watch pretty much all the time. It’s that show I like on in the background or when I’m feeling a bit like wasting time. It’s fun and light-hearted with enough character to make you want to come back.

 

The show simply resolves around the lives of six friends who live in New York. It’s as simple as that. Perhaps the biggest positive is each member of the cast has a unique and definable personality. Despite this however they were quite unique in both their personality and interactions. Each friends interacts with each friend differently and it is highly enjoyable to watch.

 

Being a Sitcom it wouldn’t be very good it the com bit didn’t hold up. Fortunately though there are plenty of chuckles and laughs to go around and while the studio audience is a little enthusiastic, it still is a funny show.

 

That’s not to say it doesn’t have its conflict and drama and it does done well most of the time. Whether it’s the smallest little thing or something quite crucial in their lives I am usually interested to see how they deal with it and figure things out. With five of the characters I do genuinely find them likeable enough to want them to be happy.

 

This leads me onto my biggest issue. I don’t like Phoebe. I get she has quite a tragic history and all but I just don’t think she’s a likeable character, hell sometimes she seems almost spiteful to her apparent friends. Her random outbursts and comments I usually don’t find funny, they’re not witty or clever, just random. Of all the Friends she’s the one I wouldn’t feel like I could rely on and that’s completely missing the point of the show. It wants you to feel like you know these people, except with Phoebe I wouldn’t want to.

 

The other little thing is I do think they can overdo the drama at times. Usually they have enough comedy to balance it out but some episodes are a bit devoid of humour and they do drag. This is a nit-pick however as over all 10 series these episodes are few and far between.

 

Okay, Friends isn’t perfect but it wasn’t really supposed to be. To me at least it’s just a happy feel good show and one I’m happy to stick on while browsing through the channels.

 

5. SpongeBob SquarePants

This was a weird show. I always described watching SpongeBob as showing you what it’d be like to be high and with some of the strange lines and visuals this show had to offer it is not difficult to see why.

 

SpongeBob SquarePants was a show about … SpongeBob SquarePants as he went about sometimes crazy adventures or sometimes just his daily routine. He was joined by his friends in what I thought was a delightful kids show.

 

SpongeBob was supposed to be funny. I watched some recently and I genuinely thought it was. It wasn’t even like it was a bunch of dumb humour either, there was some surprisingly smart comedy in here. A mixture of the funny dialogue, unique characters and outright strangeness made a funny show that still I can still watch to this day.

 

The characters in the show were great, each one was individual and had a fun and interesting personality. While not the most complex characters you’ll ever see, with SpongeBob being happy, Patrick being dumb etc they were never one dimensional characters and each one had their own individual charm, even the grumpy Squidward and the evil genius Plankton.

 

I think the thing SpongeBob does so well is be strange and random but heart-warming and endearing with it. This world makes no sense, the stories make no sense and the characters are mad and don’t make sense but at the same time the characters are likeable enough and the jokes funny enough to make it a genuine joy to watch.

 

The show also has a unique visual charm. It doesn’t look like underwater at all but again the visuals are strange and colourful and a very good compliment to the humour. The animation isn’t the best you’ll ever see but it’s certainly good and the colours are fun to see. It is a fun show and while I don’t exactly watch it very often these days it is definitely worth a look if you want some fun comedy and want to see what it would be like to be high.

 

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

To be specific the series that aired between 2003 and 2009. Like many kids I grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They were cool, they had cool ninja fights. They were funny and clever, what more could a kid want.

 

In my mind nothing. I watched the show, had the comics and had the action figures and the video game. What made the turtles so popular? A huge part of it was obviously the turtles themselves. The four turtles were all very different and thus I think every kid had at least one they could relate to. On top of this you genuinely believed in the connection between these brothers. They worked well together as a team but they still had their conflicts, just like real brothers do. Despite being turtles you could see the human connection between them.

 

Emotions are all well and good but let’s be honest, the best thing was the action and comedy. The turtles kicked ass, as we all know ninjas are cool. The show was never boring, it knew just how much discussion to have before going to the action packed or funny scenes.

 

The side characters were also great. Master Splinter was a brilliant wise mentor, Casey Jones was a cool and enjoyable character and as a young boy April O’Neil was probably the first female character who I thought was completely awesome. 

 

The villains were also really good. Naturally, The Shredder stands out as the best villain. He was just what I want in The Shredder. He was a badass fighter, he could easily take on anyone in a fist fight but he was also incredibly smart and cunning. He wasn’t just a big dumb oaf with no motivations like in the new film. This Shredder was interesting and he was part of a plot twist that left my young mind completely gobsmacked.

 

The foot clan looked cool, the purple dragon gang were an interesting foil for the turtles and Casey Jones and Hun I remember as a decent villain. I also like the animation, it almost looked like an anime but the sharp lines and colours I though served the action scenes well.

 

Throw in some interesting stories, excellent actions scenes and some fairly intense moments this silly concept of turtles that somehow mutated into humanoids and learned ninjitsu became a worldwide phenomenon and I sit here now wanting to find the series and watch it again.

 

3. Arrow

Hey look a show that is still on. Good for me! Arrow is about the DC character Green Arrow and his crusade to save his city. We also get flashback of his time stranded on an island in the Pacific that turned him into the warrior he is today.

 

Arrows biggest positive for me has always been the core characters of the team. They’re all very well developed, have interesting backstories and bounce off each other extremely well. Oliver Queen is a brilliant character, acted well by Stephen Amell we really feel his internal conflict and determination to do the right thing. John Diggle is like our eyes into this world. He’s from a world without super heroes and see’s the madness in what’s going on. He is also reliable and like a brother to Oliver and has become a fan favourite for good reason. Finally there’s Felicity, a quirky and clever character who is slightly more positive than the other. She’s funny and comedic but also the one person every character can turn to when they need help or are struggling with their many burdens. She’s great and I think I love her.

 

The side characters are also interesting and the show has done a great job at taking the ones I didn’t like and making them relevant and interesting such as Thea and Laurel. On top of this there are some great villains. The big bad of each series has always been a hugely memorable villain, my personal favourite of course being Slade Wilson.

 

I write a review for Arrow every week so I won’t go on any longer. It’s got a great dark atmosphere, some cool stunts and characters who are believable and interesting. Go and watch it … now.

 

2. Robot Wars

Robot Wars was a fantastic show, another show I had the merchandise for. It was a very unique concept at the time, teams built their very own fighting robots and battled them in a gruelling knock out competition.

 

The great thing about the show was its unpredictability and action packed battles. It was great to sit down and watch the two machines battle. It was also enjoyable to see the individuality and creativity that went into each machine. Furthermore the camaraderie and entertainment from the teams in the pits was a joy to watch.

 

Robot Wars was action packed. It bought out a real primal enjoyment watching these machines smash each other to bit, almost like how the Romans may have felt watching gladiators. It was simple but it was just really good entertainment. It had some iconic house robots, a good presenter in Craig Charles and some of my favourite commentary ever by Johnathan Pearce. There’s not much else to say, I’ve done a whole post on Robot Wars. If nothing else it’s a lot of fun.

 

1. Top Gear

I’m really going to miss Top Gear. This show did something that no other show I’ve seen did. Despite starting out as a humble car show it transcended its motoring audience and became a true television giant. What made Top Gear so great?

 

The chemistry between the hosts is what really made Top Gear. Most of its viewers didn’t watch it for the cars and facts, rather because Clarkson, Hammond and May were extremely fun to watch. It was never forced, they were clearly mates and always bantered back and forth as such. It was watching three big kids messing about in fast cars and I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

 

Even the individual films were great. It wasn’t serious enough to be dull but each presenter got enough passion across to make basic cars tests enjoyable and interesting. A lot of credit also has to go to the creator and producers, they came up with a lot of creative challenges for the three to partake in and while it was always a variation of buy a cheap car each challenge felt unique and thus hilarity would also ensue.

 

Another big part of the show’s popularity was obviously The Stig. A funny little idea became such an icon to television. How just a silent man in white suit could be so iconic is beyond me but there was something oddly surreal and funny about watching him. Whether it was Clarkson’s facts or Stig’s strange choices of music he was great addition to the show.

 

There were so many memorable moments in Top Gear that I couldn’t even begin to list them. To me Top Gear was the epitome of entertainment. There was never a single episode I didn’t enjoy and it’s such a shame to see it go. It really was the best tv show … in the world!!!