io9: Why Mass Effect is the Most Important Science Fiction Universe of Our Generation

[Kanaric]

Mass Effect.... io9 is ing retarded. The Mass Effect universe is ridiculously similar to Babylon 5 why is it more meaningful a story?

The game is good the universe is not unique.

[saxdude]

May not be "unique" but its better than most of the "big" Sci fi universes around.

[Magicman2051]

"Better" is too vague to be applied to anything, as is "big".

It is a science fiction setting, like Babylon 5 and the Foundation series etc. etc.

Each of them have their own merits but if you're going to try and rank them you should first develop an absolute scale, as opposed to just saying "better" or "big".

[saxdude]

Each of them have their own merits but if you're going to try and rank them you should first develop an absolute scale, as opposed to just saying "better" or "big".

By big I guess I mean those massive ones like Star Wars and Star Trek, Not so much foundation series and what have you. But your right not really definable. Anyway its my opinion so yeah.

[Magicman2051]

Exactly, I'm not going to disagree when someone claims that Mass Effect is good, similarly chances are I wouldn't disagree with someone who said Space: Above and Beyond was good. I debate them on the specific merits of the fiction but not on their personal opinion.

[saxdude]

Well my explanation on the Aliens is the reasons I consider the Mass Effect universe to be better than, especifically, Those 2 big brand Sci fi universes. To be honest though I havnt read foundation nor seen Babylon 5 so I cant form an opinion on them, feel free to counter my points on the aliens.

[Kanaric]

May not be "unique" but its better than most of the "big" Sci fi universes around.

Debatable. Video game fanboyism if it was a novel series you wouldnt care.

By big I guess I mean those massive ones like Star Wars and Star Trek, Not so much foundation series and what have you. But your right not really definable. Anyway its my opinion so yeah.

It doesn't even compare to those or even series like Dune.

Mass effect will grow but I wouldn't compare it to the "big" universes yet. It doesn't yet even compare to smaller lesser known universes like Farscape in non primary media material.

These universes have a plethora of comics and novels dating back YEARS. this is also forgetting series like known space and others. Mass Effect is small and like ANY video game universe likely will have a limited following and be forgotten in 10-15 years like Wing Commander.

Wing Commander had a movie, tv series, upwards of 8 games, comics, and novels. Mass effect doesnt even compare to THAT yet. How much will I bet most people here haven't even heard if it? A lot. If they heard of it they don't know about these facts about it. That franchise was the most powerful franchise of its era, Mass Effect is not even close to it.

[Magicman2051]

Farscape was awesome. I remember the first time I spotted an Asari I couldn't help but make comparisons to the Delvians.

[Kanaric]

Farscape was awesome. I remember the first time I spotted an Asari I couldn't help but make comparisons to the Delvians.

The thing is only people who play games, and rpgs, know and care about mass effect. My brother or the guy living in his flat in chicago and goes to bars on the weekend and only maybe plays madden but likes sci fi and watches Star Trek doesn't care.

Mass effect is small. Its not even am opinion at this point its relative. You have to be into Rpgs and gaming. Until it has a movie or tv show and more than just a book only gamers read plus web comics you can't compare it to anything that has had massive appeal.

Like I said compare it to wing commander. Once the publisher stops caring about the IP (EA FOR BOTH GAMES) it is over and nobody cares anymore. That is an inevitably for a game.

Even an inevitable falling out between Bioware and EA would likely end it. Im guessing some Bioware people have IP rights that could kill the franchise like what happened to SMAC. Another series that I would compare to mass effect that had books only gamers read + web comics. Once the games ended everyone stopped caring.

[saxdude]

Debatable. Video game fanboyism if it was a novel series you wouldnt care.

As opposed to movie fanboyism? seriously? Maybe but what does that matter if I cared or not about the novel? Its a video game and I care about the story it tells.

It doesn't even compare to those or even series like Dune.

Mass effect will grow but I wouldn't compare it to the "big" universes yet. It doesn't yet even compare to smaller lesser known universes like Farscape in non primary media material.

And Just how so? I dont get this true fanboyism of Star Wars/Trek series, they are not nearly as good as they are made out to be. riddled with plotholes that would make the reaper hole completely forgivable. Im not saying its the best Sci Fi universe in the world but its a pretty good one, especially for the medium it was concieved in.

These universes have a plethora of comics and novels dating back YEARS. this is also forgetting series like known space and others. Mass Effect is small and like ANY video game universe likely will have a limited following and be forgotten in 10-15 years like Wing Commander.

Wing Commander had a movie, tv series, upwards of 8 games, comics, and novels. Mass effect doesnt even compare to THAT yet. How much will I bet most people here haven't even heard if it? A lot.

What because they have a lot of comics and books they are suddenly better now? How is that reflection of the quality of the games? Have you even read the star wars comics that come out, each and everyone of them proclaimed canon by lucas even if they contradict the very foundations of everything else in the universe?
Its not the best universe by a long shot, but IMO its better than what most proclaim as the Sci Fi of our generation. Star wars is riddled with plotholes and uninteresting characters and universe. Wasted potential. And star trek was simply a no go to me, really uninteresting. I would say why but I have to go and its really a matter of my personal interests.

Its not a matter of bigger sales, its a matter of the quality of the universe and to me the universe of mass effect and the creatures it harbors just seems overall to me more interesting than anything those former series had to offer.

[Kanaric]

Movies have millions of fans, conventions, cross media synergy, and years of appeal after release.

Nobody cares about Wing Commander which had many times the appeal and material than Mass Effect: fact.

Nobody cares about Ultima.

Nobody cares about Zork.

Those movies that have appeal are multi film franchises with hundreds of novels, comics, and even tv shows. How does mass effect compare? It doesn't.

Reality is in front of you, don't be blinded by your love for a game. In 15 years nobody is going to care about Mass Effect outside of nostalgia. This is jus using reality as a reference. The appeal if game franchises rarely last. I think Final Fantasy has only had long term appeal. Which had movies, tv series, conventions, music, and EVERYTHING a true cross media material has like a Star Trek. Mass Effect is NOWHERE near that. AT ALL.

This is a franchise with 2 games and a couple of pulp books setting up sequels and web comics sequels. Get with reality here.

Look at DND too. Movies, tv series, books with known authors like RA Salvatore. Does mass effect even count as a microbe compared to that franchise? It does not.


Like I said look at Wing Commander. Odds and history are in favor of my argument. What do you have on your side?

Not saying mass effect is bad or anything. You are just deluding yourself. Look at the franchise as a whole. It is minor. Will it grow? Probably. However it has yet to enter even the appeal Wing Commander, a forgotten dead franchise, has reached yet you have the arrogance to compare it to long established franchises? That is fanboyism by definition.

/thread

[Inhuman One]

I got to agree on it not being remembered 10 years from now, unless they are really going to milk it with all kinds of spin offs. Would be a bad idea, after ME3 it should just be finished.

It's better to have a franchise thats good from beginning till the end instead of having it go on untill nobody cares about it anymore.

Movies indeed do have a more lasting appeal, more than tv series as well.

[saxdude]

Not saying mass effect is bad or anything. You are just deluding yourself. Look at the franchise as a whole. It is minor. Will it grow? Probably. However it has yet to enter even the appeal Wing Commander, a forgotten dead franchise, has reached yet you have the arrogance to compare it to long established franchises? That is fanboyism by definition.

Im the one speaking with arrogance? Why cant it be compared to franchises like those? sure its not as famous and it will fade away while those stay. But can you say that for that reason they have better storylines, better creatively crafted universes? seriously what is holding up Star Wars besides a massive unrelenting sense of nostalgia?
My point isnt that Mass Effect is the most important Sci fi game or series of any generation. Its not that great. What Im saying is that its universe IMO is massively more interesting than star wars and star treks universe, spin offs, movies and comics be damned. If your argument is that because it has an enormous fandom its better constructed than your the one thats being deluded and arrogant. Proof of it is right there in how every starwars release gets more and more income even if they have been publicly butchered by the fans themselves, they keep going back to it for the sake of it being star wars.

[The Dude]

Debatable. Video game fanboyism if it was a novel series you wouldnt care.

I thought about this the other day. The whole commander shepard thing would make for a pretty horrendous novel haha. The plot in general. "Intergalactic alien machines come to wipe out all life and the hero must stop then."

It's just a sci-fi take on your classical dark lord's world destroying army vs noble hero story. We've seen thousands of its type, and the last time anyone really got away with it was Robert Jordan with Eye of the World.

[Knight of Heaven]

Seems like you played a different game then, theres humans everywhere on those planets.

just becaus ethere is humans there they are hardly a majority man. horizon it was a human colony, you goyt to visit alot of human colonies in thegame. hence for there is humans. But defenitly there is more aliens in mass effect series then humans. I dont know where you get that ideia.

[the_mango55]

Nobody cares about Wing Commander which had many times the appeal and material than Mass Effect: fact.

I would love to see sales comparisons between the two.