Mass Effect has been one of the more popular video game series in the past decade. This science-fiction shooter has impacted people positively in so many ways. The stories, character customizations, and galaxy exploration all made it a must-own series for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation gamers.
Unfortunately, Bioware received some backlash for their most recent game, Mass Effect: Andromeda. Released last year in March, the game initially seemed like it could do the trilogy justice. However, it drastically fell short of expectations.
First of all, some ideas from the previous titles are reused. The diversity of characters is also lacking in a major way. There’s plenty of hours of main-story plots and side missions to tackle, but it all seems so barren. In terms of the writing, it’s all over the place. There’s even a lot of sexual content that can be too much, particularly when you’re playing in a room full of friends or family.
Despite all the backlash Bioware received for their latest title, they still plan on continuing the series. This was revealed in a sit-down interview, where Bioware’s Mike Darrah went on to say this: “We’re definitely not done with Mass Effect. There’s a lot of stories to be told. We could pull on the threads we put down with Andromeda; we could pull on threads from Mass Effect 3. There’s a lot of interesting space to be explored.”
How this news is received by gamers probably will be mixed. Detractors will point to issues in the last title and probably avoid an initial release, at least until they can see reviews to make sure bugs and development issues are worked out. Proponents surely will chomp at the bit to play a new Mass Effect game, as Bioware tries to rectify its previous mistakes.
Ultimately, continuing to work on this series could work out for Bioware. They’ll just have to get things right in the production phase. Andromeda seemed rushed, leaving fans wanting more. If Bioware can build upon what it did in Mass Effect 3, put an emphasis on solid storytelling, and keep their character selection as diverse as previous titles, then they could be on to something big.
The future of Mass Effect is pretty open. It has so much potential if treated right by developers. Let’s just hope Bioware understands where it fell short and gives gamers something to truly enjoy in the upcoming years.
