Cheese Rolling

As someone who never played the original Mass Effect when it released in 2007, nor either of the sequels, the remastered trilogy was the perfect opportunity for me to give the franchise a shot and see why it has such a huge following. After putting close to 100 hours into this franchise, I can safely say that it is an excellent series that lives up to the hype, and each game is great individually. In this all-in-one review from a newcomer’s perspective, I’ll break down the specific areas of each entry that I enjoyed, as well as the areas that did not sit well. To encapsulate the series overall, it’s a third-person action/RPG that features real-time combat featuring guns and special powers that might as well be magic. However, the real meat of the game is in the story — lead character Commander Shepard (male or female, as the player chooses) will meet well-written teammates and develop relationships with them over the course of all three games. These bonds aren’t the only things that carry over, however. Shepard’s actions in one game will affect situations in the following sequels, so the sense of building a specific Shepard and their legacy across a hundred hours is really something special.