Bioware’s last chance to revive iconic Mass Effect series and reputation?

[Picture courtesy of jayvee]

In an exciting time for gaming which has seen the release of the much-anticipated game Resident Evil 8 “Village” there is further reason to be excited with the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition this week. The space epic spanning a trilogy of games will return with updated graphics and a fresh coat of paint delivering one of the most iconic Sc-Fi games to a new audience while reliably bringing back loyal series fans.

However, there is no doubt that this next release despite being a remake of the original 3 games is an important one. With Bioware gaining flack for the ending of the third game back in 2012 as well as the spinoff game Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017 from both fans and critics. However, there is no doubt that if done right the Remake could increase standing with the fans before the next crucial game.

This being the next title planned to follow on Mass Effect Legendary Edition so far named “The Next Mass Effect” after a recent trailer at games event E3 earlier this year. With the trailer itself dropping references to both the Mass Effect trilogy and Mass Effect: Andromeda, as well as fan-favorite characters Liara Tsoni and none other than original game protagonist Commander Shepard.

A Victim of Its Own Success?

There is no doubt that throughout gaming like many other facets, breakout success is hard to duplicate. And with the triumph of Mass Effect 1&2 previously it was always going to be had to re-create, with the second game-winning game of the year in 2007 and the first piloting third-person combat in a Role-Playing Game (RPG) respectively. In a time where combat was clunky in the early RPG’s in the 2000s due to technological limitations.

These great leaps as the series were harder to make and with a skyrocketing fanbase of gamers demanding the standards of the 1st and 2nd game the third fell flat. With the overall solid game coming to a sour and divisive conclusion which tore apart a fanbase between the colours of Blue, Green, and Red.

Since then, like most companies, Bioware has been tried to recapture the magic back in 2017 with spinoff release Mass Effect: Andromeda, but despite good combat, the game felt like a mismatch of the original series in the fan’s perspective. This and some questionable face tracking which made simple facial movements like smiles look creepy made Bioware's Mass Effect: Andromeda a laughing stock among the gaming community. And made the majority of the gaming scene think that 2017 was the last hurrah of the popular series.

So, is this Bioware’s last chance? Well in my opinion it’s a yes, as a gamer who loved the original trilogy and ate up content surrounding it after 2017 it felt like an end of an era. With Bioware’s bounce-back game for the series falling flat on its face in comparison to its former self. However, if both the re-make and next game are done right then Bioware has the opportunity to claw back the golden age of the late 2000s early 2010s.

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