MASS EFFECT: Still a MASTERPIECE 15+ Years Later (Retrospective Critique)

[@me5969]

I know a lot of people disagree but this is by far my favourite. The Lovecraftian element to the Reapers, the retro Sci-Fi music. The eerie Sci-Fi horror music. The lonely sense of insignificance on the uncharted world's. The fact you could armour up all your squad ect.

[@OrbitalHUB]

...and the best, most emotionally impactful story ingredients. The structure of the whole thing is wonderfully done. The first one is the best, no doubt.

[@robertharris6092]

Its the only one thats an actual RPG.

[@x0gucx]

Started playing it on game pass after so long and it's really good. On part three and it's amazing the amount of people you see again and interact with again because of side missions by 3.

[@MrFaorry]

Same really. Loved ME1 far more than the other two, it was the most rpg of the trilogy while the other two devolved into corridor shooters which stripped out some of the more interesting elements. Hell even guns were better in ME1 where you had the cool sci-fi energy guns which overheat rather than being clip fed only for ME2&3 to make all guns shoot bullets again like every other game out there. I know people seem to agree that ME2 is the best of the trilogy but imo ME2 is the worst.

[@spencerstevens2175]

​​@@robertharris6092yes. That is why the combat complaints don't really hold up. It's not supposed to be based on your skil as a player, but your characters skill with certain weapons etc. You miss a ton because Shep is under leveled etc etc.

[@AndreaDelRiva]

The project director himself said (Kasey Hudson), this level of story telling and design "may never be attempted again". Since 2012, with ME3, I believe only the Witcher franchise was able to recapture this magic. I really do miss these type of games and quality, and none on the horizon seem to fill the black hole left by Bioware except itself.

[@jamesbartlett5640]

I'd say last one was properly RDR2.

[@dylanmonstrum1538]

​@@jamesbartlett5640 Not in the slightest. One is a story, and the other is a massive alternate universe with several books worth of lore, branching stories and and hundreds of choices, being able to make your own character with his own background etc. I adore RDR2, I have a tattoo from the game. But no man, they're not comparable. He was talking about a new game having a new universe and more and etc etc, not that a game won't be big and have a good story.

[@AndreaDelRiva]

@@dylanmonstrum1538 Precisely. RDR2 is a beautiful game, but what Bioware did with ME games, is yet to be seen again. From character creation with back ground story, then the paths in the game, Renegade or Paragon, and all the different outcomes depending from it. And all 3 games carry over those decisions witha a galaxy reacting depending on that. it is mind boggling thinking of the amount of work that went down only for that, in addition to everything else you get from the game. I guess Bioware set the bar too high for the competition.

[@jamesbartlett5640]

@@dylanmonstrum1538 Still an RPG game, guess one game is Hogwarts Legacy just its not as long as Witcher 3.

[@dynastes4938]

It is a shame really. The Witcher did not recapture the magic for me either. ME is absolutely one of a kind.

[@Erenzilable]

When replaying LE I’ve realised that me1 is relatively timeless. When you boot up me3 you immediately feel the 2012-2013, it’s similar to a lot of stuff from 2012. Me1 on the other hand feels like nothing else.

[@noctoi]

Exactly. I notice the dated graphics for about 5 min, then I'm so engrossed in the story all the signs of age of the game just melt away.

[@noheatagent2161]

I played the first mass effect game in the legendary edition for the first time this month. And the first thing I felt 4 hours into the game is "this game feels so big how am I gonna play all the missions and get all the equipment". Which is a good thing since games nowdays feel like "that's it?".

[@GTAVictor9128]

I honestly feel like ME3 is the worst graphically due to having that grey filter applied to it. ME1 & 2 felt fine, yet ME3 felt dated.

[@noahduncan5998]

What always gets me about Jenkins's death is just how little reverence there is for him. Not only is he killed by the first enemy of the first mission, the cutscene can't be bothered to spare him time to even show him falling down. To be clear, I mean that this is hilarious.

[@Fissiccisst1]

They do keep his name on the plaque at the end of ME3 for those lost that served on the Normandy. I do find it odd how easily he dies though, as if his armor didn't have shields at all cause those scout drones don't do a lot of damage

[@robertharris6092]

​@@Fissiccisst1 gameplay is almost never lore accurate.

[@KheldarLars]

​@@Fissiccisst1 And that's why I take his armor the moment we land on Eden

[@scrpld7111]

I think that Jenkin's death is just a joke from Star Trek that always when some random soldiers come along with the mission they will die first and the main characters continue the story.

[@MistahJay7]

I heard it was a reference of some mmorpg game that some username called Jenkins died charging into battle immediately.

[@DMaarten1980]

Since the changes in the LE, i love Mass Effect 1 even more ❤️

[@spiderchaw5153]

2007 what a year to b alive

[@Piketom1]

I pulled the copy of the complete edition for 360 I bought when ME3 came out to try the differences between the original Mass Effect and the legendary edition. Wow! So many little things that add up to a massive improvement in gameplay.

[@TheHailstorm77]

@@Piketom1 yeah but BioWare should’ve added Andromeda into this trilogy and actually call it the Complete Edition. So many ME fans really wanted Andromeda to be fixed with horrible facial expressions like the first ME 1 and so many glitches and bugs. Granted ME 1 did have a lot of bugs too but a lot of janky movements as well but with this LE, they should’ve fixed all the problems in Andromeda as well not just mainly ME 1.

[@magnusprime962]

@@TheHailstorm77Most of those problems already were fixed in patches.

[@TheHailstorm77]

@@magnusprime962no they weren’t dude or players would go back to Adromeda which explains why BioWare pulled back on the next Mass Effect. Have you seen the latest KZbin reviewers? They say the game still sucks. The expression on the faces still look funny. It’s so bad it went on Clearance and I got it for $7. It’s the worst ME series.

[@dynastes4938]

LE was the best thing that could happen to Mass Effect. All three games play very well and I simply love experiencing them anew once a year. Has become somewhat of a tradition for me xD

[@bowweezzell]

In Kaidan's defence, he IS Canadian.

[@jackal8176]

I actually really like the fact that theres still a boss fight after sarin offs himself it really showed how far he had fallen while indoctrinated and showed how advanced the reaper tech was.

[@DanielSan1776]

Idk if you know, If your Paragon or Renegade isn’t high enough you have to fight him So back to back boss battle

[@lidular]

One of the things people rare seem to mention is the almost lovecraftian horror of ME. One of the reasons I fell in love with the game is because of the mystery. Each of the main mission, except vermire, has an element of unknown horror. This is also why I love the leviathan dlc so much, it has the same feel, and I really hope ME 4 goes back to that a bit more

[@revan3970]

Just started another play through of LE. These games never get old for me. Sci-fi epic storytelling at its finest. Please BioWare find this quality again for Dreadwolf and ME4.

[@brucewaynetheplayboy8080]

The Changes in the Legendary Edition made Mass Effect 1 the best game in the trilogy

[@GigaChadDuPlessis]

Not even lol. Mass effect 1 is still very shallow. And sticking to the main story can see you finishing it in like 5 hours. I loved me1. Even when it 1st came out. But me2 is still the best one

[@rickysanchez42084]

Lmao calm down fam

[@CopeAndSeeth]

Cope

[@Rapunzel879]

An outrageous claim.

[@Jay_draco]

@@GigaChadDuPlessis

[@maddyo2589]

Omg...the grenades. I lose more grenades trying to reload than actually using them! So funny you brought that up! Also, I have to say I need to try to Renegade Shepard into threatening to toss Liara in a volcano! It has been missing from my life

[@starlord1637]

I'm playing renegade Shep my first time I always played paragon since 2012

[@superwhiteboy619]

14:42, you forgot to mention kadian was a kid (like 16), and the man he killed was a total POS who beat the hell out of him and his classmates and he ultimately killed the man in self defense

[@RandomWandrer]

I really liked Kaiden and his arc. Sure I like Garrus, but Kaiden is my bro!

[@StarWarsGeek_03]

@@RandomWandrer Finally someone who actually likes Kaiden like I do. Don’t get me wrong he’s not the greatest character or the most fleshed out character, but he’s not nearly as bad or annoying as most people tend to think he is

[@mountainaccident2001]

​​@@StarWarsGeek_03 and hes lowkey so funny. one of my favorite lines of his is on Noveria where hes like, "mom was right, i should have brought a sweater!" 😂 hes such a wholesome goofball.

[@StarWarsGeek_03]

@@mountainaccident2001 yes this. His voice actor Raphael Sbarge is a great and a very underrated actor and voice actor, another one of the characters that he voices that is often hated and misunderstood is Carth Onasi from KOTOR! I love both Kaiden and Carth Onasi as science fiction video game characters!

[@captainvinno]

​@@StarWarsGeek_03 and scorch from Republic Commando. My first playthrough I had him as my romance option. It sucked on Virmire cuz I only used ash and kaiden at that point. I used ash's skills with the sniper more but kaiden was my mans. I literally sat there for 5 minutes deciding who to sacrifice

[@AvengerAtIlipa]

I really like the subtle Reaper foreshadowing in the various codex entries throughout the game. For example, Therum has large deposits of fossil fuels -- indicating a widespread, ancient ecosystem -- despite appearing to be a desolate, volcanic wasteland.

[@sleepyatdawn7648]

The uncharted worlds provided some of my favorite exploration moments in gaming. They didn't have clutter and feel truly hostile and devoid of life. Like a planet.

[@deepakrao5553]

100% agree it would have been nice of they had continued it in ME 2

[@titan20111]

As I just recently played through the trilogy for the first time, the lack of planetary exploration as in ME1 was disappointing in ME2 when I first played it; an expanded concept of uncharted worlds would’ve been phenomenal in ME2. Imagine a recruitment mission in 2 where you have to land on an uncharted planet and search for the squadmate

[@tiseenderwelke]

you will love starfield

[@HumbleHonkingEnthusiast]

​@@tiseenderwelke💀

[@MistahJay7]

@@tiseenderwelke Lmao Ironically Mass Effect did it better

[@vinceA3748]

Agreed. This series is a masterpiece. One of the greatest game series ever made. One of the few games that actually depressed me when I finished it. I was down because I didn't want it to end. I wanted more. Plus I was a little ticked off that I couldn't get the ending for Shepard that I wanted.

[@wilegfass]

What you said about the characters in ME1 vs the others is so right. I remember not particularly caring about Garrus in ME1 (loved Wrex though), but in ME2, just realizing he is Archangel and he joins your squad as a friend, as opposed to Cerberus people potentially spying on you, just made me like him so much more.

[@AleksandrPodyachev]

I played the original version of Mass Effect and I remember that when I was playing as a sentennel, the reticle expanded beyond the screen when I moved around with a sniper rifle

[@unceasingcape]

Honestly I first play this game in Iraq. It was 2007 and a Soldier in the battalion showed me this game. Since then, I've been a super fan!

[@Deridus]

I was at Fort Drum in 2010 when ME2 was released just weeks after my wife picked up the OG Mass Effect. We competed for Speed Runs in ME1, and many crew members we could keep alive in ME2. When ME3 dropped, I was super stoked for it. Be safe out there, pal.

[@GTAVictor9128]

30:26 - Funnily enough, a rare glitch can happen where the squadmate is completely invisible in the cutscene, making Shepard look like they jumped into the beacon for the sake of it 😂

[@riftshredder5438]

I got into Mass Effect after I found out it was from the makers of Knights of the Old Republic, and I'm so happy I did

[@antoniocounts1]

No one can really disagree, the first playthrough is magical, especially if you do everything.

[@moralybankrupt3653]

Ashley's feelings are based on her families experiences. If you get to know her she changes her mind.

[@EternalNightingale]

This is definitely one of those games I’d wish I could lose memory of and re discover again I remember playing it till the am when legendary edition dropped on inanity difficulty and then going onto ME2 and 3 and getting those trophies

[@vaniellys]

Mass Effect 1 is ma favorite in the series, mainly because of its story and AMBIANCE. It reminds me a lot of Halo Combat Evolved from 2001, starts as a colorful sci-fi but ends has dark sci-fi.

[@stafdhaese]

That conversation with sovereign gave me chills the first time Also i found that the ilos location at least the beginning was to much of a maze i allways get lost

[@REDLANTERN1780]

recently replayed the trilogy and Ive fallen in love all over again. I want so much more out of this universe but...... I know in my heart that the good days of Bioware are long and truly gone. Whatever next game comes out it will never be the same.

[@user-73a]

ME4 will be woke, hopefully Bioware gets shut down before it releases

[@11555Rambler]

Mass Effect was always woke lol

[@hisgreasiness]

The first in definitely the best. It's a game that isn't on rails, has great pacing and the soundtrack was outstanding. The following games were a bit too cheesy, although I still enjoyed them thoroughly.

[@robertharris6092]

Its the only game that is an actual RPG.

[@troywinston]

STILL my favorite games, trilogy after all these years. I still play it 6 days a week as the "assistant" for my daily workout sessions (this on an elliptical...gaming on an elliptical, it works...trust me...awesome workouts, great gaming time!), so I'm in it for hour & 14-20 or so, each day. I still...STILL find new stuff almost daily. I'm excited about every day to play through these stories. My wife and I had some Mass Effect themes for our wedding (back in 2012). While we don't go overboard...it is one of our favorite things. Love these videos, Big Dan. Thank you!

[@Rapunzel879]

Sounds amazing! Have you found out about Ish from Omega and his connection to Jacob and Miranda? (in ME2)

[@RenegadeRanga]

Think I played the trilogy 5 times through at minimum including once I got the legendary edition. As discussed at length no one was happy with the ending with Shepard not living, at least until legendary. The story, the action, the romances, the off the charts talent of the cast. Let's not forget the citadel DLC as a thank you and swan song to the fans. What a journey.

[@chrisxcrozz5186]

This Game has that Certain "Magic" you get every time you make a new playthrough even today ❤❤❤

[@booster6068]

I can say without a doubt that Mass Effect is one of my favorite series that I've ever played. I never played the original games because I always thought it was like halo, and I never cared for halo, but since playing the legendary edition I've realized how great the story telling and game is, let's hope ME4 can live up to these Masterpieces.

[@RedCrusader-ph2vk]

Now THIS is the video I've been waiting for. Absolutely loved the videos on ME3, and ME2. Can't wait to watch this one.

[@that_benji]

Hands down my absolute favorite game series of all time.

[@righteousgaming5207]

My own experience with the saga was rather unique. I was handed the third game when I was like 12 and had no idea what I was holding. I played mass effect 3 without having any context on the reapers, galactic council, and overall lore. Being so young I didn't fully understand how the morality scaling was really affected by choices, and having no save to import I had a lot of pretty mid conditions to work with. For example, you don't get grunt, jack, or thane appearances, Mordin is replaced by that hackjob salarian, and the geth vi is the console you interact with. After I beat the game I figured there was no need to replay the game until I played ME2 a few years later. When I finally played a full imported gameplay all the way through for the very first time, I couldn't believe how much had differed from my original bland playthrough. I've played them repeatedly for nearly a decade now, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about the lore, however I've seen immense war asset lists that I've never been able to achieve. If you've read till now I'm comfortable confessing that until recently, I did not know that there were any missions outside of the main story missions. I'm currently starting a new save to attempt to make every conversation, side mission, and exploration event. But I need you to think about this. I played mass effect 3 originally without any context, and I've still to this day (about 8 years playing mass effect one) I have never done anything outside of Noveria, Virmire, ect. I am honestly very excited to see just how much I've been missing.

[@ClovisGuy510]

Awesome, you've done retrospectives for every mass effect game in the trilogy

[@chantier24]

I discovered this trilogy with the Legendary Edition. ME1 surprisingly still holds up to me considering the fact that both the quests and side content are unique. The dialogues actually mean something and the choices you make truly have consequences for the most part. Some AAA games today tried to recreate that but failed. Some things I despised about it is the bullet sponge effect of the ennemies on Insanity, which is ridiculous when you hold the best maxed-out assault rifle in the game and shooting 11+ headshots at a single enemy. The other thing is how I got locked from side quests because I did them after stealing the Normandy back from the Citadel. At least give me an option to contact the NPC related to the quest. Apart from that, the game is truly a gem.

[@Agrahim]

In the past three years I've replayed Mass Effect 1 on 3 different systems: Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One. Great game, loved it when it first came out and the Legendary version makes it even better. Great video, made part of my workday go really fast.

[@Skotzenn]

I finally beat the trilogy a couple months ago (admittedly with endgame mods) after having attempted it a decade earlier. It was tremendously satisfying, and had it not taken hundreds of hours to get through I would've jumped right back in and played it through with a renegade Shepard. Easily Bioware's greatest work. I hope they can recapture the magic in the next installment.

[@alexanwhat]

Can't even sit through a 30 min episode but you bet I'm gonna watch this 1 hour video of my fave trilogy while enjoying some good pizza 🗣🍕

[@dylanmonstrum1538]

Hell yeah man, pizza... Yeah, I'm gonna order some too actually. I wasn't sure what I felt like, but a peperoni pizza would be awesome right now

[@edielungreen]

If you complete Citadel missions, Noveria, do side missions that award Paragon/Renegade points, and invest ability points into Charm/Intimidate as they become available BEFORE going to Feros, you should have enough points to pass the speech check to talk down Ethan Jeong… that is, if you’d rather not just shoot him

[@AvengerAtIlipa]

You get more renegade points for threatening to shoot him than for actually shooting him. Edit: Which is hilarious imo

[@Rapunzel879]

Orrrrrrr... you can exploit the bug where you talk to Lorik Qui'in on Noveria, the one that has the evidence against Anoleis. You can max out both renegade and paragon by simply keep going back to him.

[@rPk0hu]

Still hilarious how it takes more Charm/Intimidate points to convince a corporate stooge to stand down, than it is to help Saren briefly fight off Sovereign's indoctrination.

[@Deception975]

@@Rapunzel879 Yea, but that takes 5 points in either/both to do. You can only get 4 free points (1 for becoming a Spectre and 3 for 10%, 25%, and 75% of paragon/renegade) per playthrough. So, that won't help. Because it's charm/intimidate that allows you to gain access to those speech checks, not paragon/renegade. Granted, what I do is a renegade run, and use paragon exploit with the lost data module that the Pyjaks find. To get the 4 free points in both charm/intimidate. Next game, become Spectre again, getting the 5th free point. Then do the Lorik exploit to get 8. One more playthrough for the max of 12, in both charm/intimidate, all free. Then a 4th game, of how I actually want to play. But still max both paragon and renegade. Because they both give bonuses. Such as: health regen, power damage increase, power cool down, etc.

[@Rapunzel879]

@@Deception975 I don't remember how, but I was able to max out both paragon and renegade in one of playthroughs.

[@RiffsNRuns]

I was always fine with the Saren ending. I mean sure, you still need to fight. But if you don't talk him into it, it's a 2 stage boss fight. So he doesn't do everything for you, but it's a big help.

[@adamgardner3768]

ME1 is honestly one of the greatest games of all time, we’ll never see another game like it again. One of my favourite things is the voiced codex 😩 like, I’m learning all about these things and it feels like it’s IN universe.

[@billdover3165]

You know I have friends who haven't even played the Mass effect series and I keep telling them they're missing out on arguably one of the greatest games ever invented in my honest opinion. Mass effect has stood the test of time and will continue to do so going forward. Hopefully my friend values our friendship and plays the game and if not then I'm out one less friend.

[@angryfilmgamer570]

Mass Effect 1 has always been my favorite in the series. There's obviously things done better in the new games, but ME1 always stuck out to me the most. As a Star Trek fan I love how it's the game that felt the most like an episodic series. With tons of stories taking place on many different worlds. The dated and simplistic environments even look like sets you'd see from the Star Trek shows. Whenever Hackett would contact me with another assignment I'd get excited and seeing those little stories were just so much fun. The main story is also just so great! And the locations of Noveria and Virmire are still some of my favorites in the series. Especially Noveria. I also really love Bring Down the Sky. It's not connected to the main story, but it's such a brilliant simple story that feels like episode. I guess the reason I love ME1 is because of how episodic it feels. That being said, there are things I wish were different like Feros and Therum. They're no where as interesting as Noveria. And I did wish that there was more variety in level design for the side content. But all and all its still my favorite.

[@bensinex7725]

On squad mates, it helps a lot to RP and do a bunch of side quests in between the main missions. Really helps make it feel like the crew is bonding with you over a length of time rather than going from 0 to 100 over the course of like 5 missions.

[@brunomadeira8432]

I gave my X360 and ME copy to my brother before I had the time to play it and only got around it with the Legendary Edition. You could see some technical limitations but oh boy, no doubt, a AAAA masterpiece, just the pacing, story and delivery more than make up for the barren planets and the keepers. Loved it some much that only stopped after beating the The Archon.

[@user-73a]

You played every call of duty released in the last 15 years but "didn't have the time" for 1 completion of Mass Effect? I worked 2 jobs since 2005 and still found a way...

[@brunomadeira8432]

@@user-73a I didn't play every CoD. In fact I didn't play most of them as I'm not really a fan. It's nice but doesn't make my day. The last I played were MW (the original) and Black Ops 1. Tried BO 2 but didn't enjoy the setting. I usually don't play games when they come out. I buy them used (when discs were more common) or discounted and went a few years without gaming at all. I played Legendary and Andromeda after building a new PC after several years without playing anything.

[@justinbullock6799]

I didn't get into mass effect until the legendary edition and I have to say you definitely do the best videos I've watched so many of your videos to learn how to get through the game.

[@Joker_JAK]

I never thought I could love a game franchise so much. I wouldn't call myself a "hardcore gamer". I enjoy playing games, but not all the time. There are many games I loved in my youth, but going back to them as an adult just isn't the same. I can't even play them. Mass Effect is the exception. I have completed the entire trilogy dozens of times. I still enjoy every playthrough. And I keep finding things I've never seen before despite having played it so many times. I am so grateful we got the Legendary Edition.

[@Adamas_83]

The ME trilogy is all about the controller + tv + couch gameplay for me. It's purely due to the 360 I began my journey on so many years ago. So much of Mass Effect's magic comes from the feeling that you're playing a movie in real time so a big screen and a comfy seat maximize the experience. My kids even want to watch every time I start a new playthrough. Of anything I've ever played, ME1 is the single game I wish I could wipe my memory and play for the first time again.

[@essurio]

The tactical pause menu is a great idea and I love it in any game, especially those that even give some kind of lore reason for the slowing or stopping of time during it.

[@kalimaxine]

I don't think Kaidan is boring at all. But to each their own.

[@TheSocratesofAthens]

I am a newcomer to the series. I first played it on Legendary Edition. What I can say after playing all the others is that this, by far, is my favorite. I was actually disappointed by what came after (yes, this includes Mass Effect 2). The world was so open albeit empty at times, and the story unfolded stepwise rather than subjecting me to mind-numbing action all the time. There was action but it was also balanced by exploration and thought-provoking quests and dialogue. You actually felt like you were in a galaxy, not in an arcade. I wish that the other games had built on the mechanics developed in the first game rather than tearing them out to make way for a cover-based action game.

[@howl_with_the_wolves]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Rapunzel879]

Interesting, as I absolutely love this game, but it strangely turned out to be my third favorite game in the trilogy. Combat, level design in gerneral, is weaker in this game, NPCs aren't as developed as in the sequels (they are pretty one-note). Mako exploration is mind-numbingly boring, and inventory management is as tedious as in any RPG. The sequels have greatly improved on most of these.

[@Casio163]

The video I was awaiting for by Big Dan. Finished the other two ME reviews this week.

[@bearsgarage272]

Recently downloaded the legendary edition and doing my first ever playthrough. Man this game has me hooked. For a 15+ year old game, it's more enjoyable that what we got with starfield and I really love the cosmic horror themes of the reapers.

[@dvorah9429]

Mass Effect is still a masterpiece? Always has been.

[@Spalthersaar]

Always will be

[@Sailor_alan]

I always loved the original trilogy, even if sometimes janky in control. Legendary made 1 much more user friendly.

[@lewisalum4369]

I personally love ME3 as with the changes to the ending provided a fantastic conclusion to one of the greatest series in gaming.

[@jamesbartlett5640]

Just completed the trilogy for first time recently and what a game it is, shame they took away my nuclear weapon in ME3 as it been perfect against the banshees. Now I need ME4 so that I can see Liara and our blue children.

[@juliangrant6181]

Thank you for making these amazing videos🙏🏾 as someone who deals with severe depression, your mass effect/ DA videos always put a genuine smile on my face. Keep up the amazing videos, I look forward to seeing this channel grow❌🧢💯

[@Rapunzel879]

There's no "depression" in "Mass Effect"!

[@roseheart270]

Noveria there is another way to get the garage pass: give the hanar smuggled item to the CEO.

[@tazmanceltic]

Probably one of, if not the best trilogy of games ever created. I will never forget the first time i seen an article in an xbox magazine all those years ago and i knew right then and there it was going to be a revolutionary experience and i wasn't disappointed.

[@Bat-Twenty-Two]

I don't need the Legendary Edition to rate ME1 = ME2 > ME3. Even with everything that ME2 gets right, there's something about the wonder and loneliness of visiting those many planets and systems with their histories that give the first ME a charm of its own.

[@PrinceSheogorath]

Shep: “you can still redeem yourself!” Saren: “damn bro you right”

[@MantraHerbInchSin]

I loved the feeling of exploring in this game... Now it feels a bit too slow at times for me, but come on... Just how many times have I played this game, and I always need to find everything too!

[@turbofanlover]

I have always liked Ashley far more than Kaidan. The dude has never survived any of my 15+ playthroughs of ME 1...lol.

[@GangstarComputerGod]

Tried Starfield for a week and all it did was remind me how amazing ME is. So I played that for 6th or 7th time and still love every minute.

[@festus_panda8138]

MAN KAIDEN HATE STILL BOILS MY BLOOD I LOVE BRO

[@iliketohearmenmoaning]

Absolutely love these videos Dan, love to see one about Andromeda or other series too one day possibly. These videos are your best work yet.

[@richardgaldos6901]

Ive always really liked Ashley and think people are way too harsh on her. (In ME1 at least) the problem with the ME1 human companions isnt that they are worse written then the alien. Its the fact they are humans. People want something unique from their companions so they gravitate towards the aliens out of principle for being different. Still Mass Effect 1 is my favorite of the series. I just love the story the most and I never feeling like Im being shaft with "i wish they did more with this" that the other games have in some elements

[@tylertheguy3160]

I usually save the colonists on Feros but I feel like using the gas grenades can be a bit of a pain and I never really have enough of them so I pretty much always just charge in and use the close quarters attack to knock everyone the fuck out.

[@dmc6833]

ME1 hits different after you complete the trilogy. Loved the barren planets and freedom of exploring the Citadel compared to the later installments. Also, ME1 i look at as Wrex Show! The other companions from ME1 have a better arc in later games except for Wrex. It's nice to have him in your party almost all the time in ME1 because he has the best dialogue in the game!

[@regalcartoon5932]

I prefer to use the power wheel rather than hot keys mainly because it gives me all my options and gives me a second to think about what I want to do. So if I’m close to death and out of ammo and medi-gel with an enemy right in front of me I can pull up the power wheel and think about what power would take away the small amount of health they have left. Or I can just take a breather and think about an escape plan in difficult situations where I appear to be cornered.

[@Yurioh]

thanks for this video. i really like the story telling focus of ME1 over the gameplay focus of the later entries. as many noted ME1 also has this eerie feeling of mystery and insignificance which is funilly enough enhanced by the mako parts. the ambience of ME1 is unmatched.

[@mopotter9394]

I've watched a couple of your videos and enjoyed them, will be checking the others out. I have been called obsessed with the Mass Effect Series, by some of my friends. I played ME1 on my 360 over and over from it's release date making each game with different choices until ME2 came out and then I would bring a character over to start the new game. I was thrilled to see the results in both ME2 and ME3 even the ones that were not super important. At least once I had Helena Blake "walk away" and I found her in 2 as a social worker, which I enjoyed. And the other choices with her in other places. It was these that increased my enjoyment so much. Sure the big choices were great or sad but the smaller ones made it feel more real, at least for me. MA3 was played a 3 times. All I will say is I enjoyed the game until the end. I did not enjoy the 3 options, and the idea that the best ending was a burnt body that might have taken a breath, and the idea that suddenly the Luke/leia mental bond was there for Shepard and Liara knows it. I heard some people were using the Citadel as the ending and I did try that, but my brain couldn't wipe the memory out. I had the 3 books, and for me all it would have taken was an announcement on the Normandy, "We found Shepard". ME1 was the first game I actually stopped playing and stared at the screen for 5 minutes or so when I was on Virmire. Then I played again and made a different choice and then I played again romanced one and left them behind, because it was the right choice. I'm pretty sure I had a few tears were shed. I have the legendary version on my PC, and I have a mod that changes the ending so Shepard can die, or live depending on the way I play. :)

[@nathantower5565]

Can't be throwing stones in glass houses about DJ Khalid Dan lol. I definitely wanna see more about the old trailers and development footage

[@MistahJay7]

I like the first part of Noveria but the Peak 15 section is probs my least favourite part of the game. Just drags on forever and I swear there are like 50 thousand elevators and the Rachni are just annoying to fight.

[@Deception975]

You can acquire Wrex's family armor and still kill him on Virmire. Having completed the quest prior, just allows you to defuse the situation more easily. It doesn't guarantee him calming down.

[@kainepeterson6638]

It’s so wild because like, it’s so evident Drew Karpyshyn and Chris L’etoile favored quarians so heavily 💀 the Salarian and Turian codex entries a two or three paragraphs. The quarian ones are like 2 1/2 pages each. Makes sense why tali is an exposition dump cuz there’s so much lore

[@Blackout201_]

This might be the only proper game that´s this old that I never played up until recently and I loved every second of it. That´s usually rare for me and I tend to enjoy older games more that I have some sort of nostalgia for but not for this one. This one still holds up. I just came to love those old, big, but in comparison to today small, RPGs.

[@Wigglez323]

Why did you do these in reverse order? “Because hey man. I do what I want”. I have nothing but respect for this

[@monthc]

I have to say I find the text on Eletania more evocative than any cutscene I can imagine. I think trying to render that visually wouldn't have hit as hard. I'm glad it's the way it is, personally.

[@acenull0]

I thought that the legendary edition would come to Switch too. It didn't 😭so I cant replay my fav series. Mass effect is so much fun and is most definitely a masterpiece. I love being Shepard and saving the galaxies

[@GreenDinoRanger]

I recently just started playing a modded trilogy playthrough, and it felt like I was experiencing Mass Effect for the first time again. The first game is just incredible, beginning to end (Mako aside).

[@ZrodyApo]

After so many years and even before the Legendary Edition, ME1 was and still is my favorite game of the franchise. There's also plenty of mod support and new addition that makes it better every day, like the LE1 Diversification Project among others.

[@SageofStars]

This is a take I like. Honestly, can't find it now, but saw someone directly stating in an hour long video on how Mass Effect 1 is worse than Andromeda in a story telling sense, trying to talk about how little you see of the effect of your choices, and how the characters are static unless you look at them through a lens of how they'll develop as the series goes on. It was mostly horn swaggle, if you'll forgive the swear, as you yourself talked about in this video.. Lots of small quests have entirely different scenes and context in THIS game if you make a different choice, and the bigger ones can have different cutscenes if you do something different, allowing each playthru to be that much more unique. Better, the paragade system, as reductive as it has to be, allows for a Shepard that is one of 3 ways, Caring, Business, or Ruthless. Ryder, for all that the four stats TRIED to give you some unique stuff, there's only about 5 lines of dialogue in the entire game that will change based off your stats in the four personalities, and those are oddly generic no matter what. Most interestingly is that the companions differ, not just based off missions your own, but based on which group you bring, giving them some good personality too. Whereas in Andromeda it might acknowledge a certain pairing in some driving conversation, but otherwise they never seem to have thoughts on most missions unless its REALLY important for them personally. That said, yeah, Mass Effect 1 is a classic, and much as I'm STILL disappointed they have not fixed Overkill(The description is a lie, maxing it out makes it not do anything on use), it's still a fantastic game, and I'd love to play it again sometime.

[@jordonatkinson824]

Only played it for the first time last year and it’s the best game I’ve ever played hands down

[@TheThirdStreetSaints133]

Before playing Mass Effect for the first time in December 16th 2023 (1 year ago) I played the hell out KOTOR 1 & 2 so when I first played Mass Effect and I heard Kaidan speak I was like "Carth Onasi!?" but yea Bioware knows how to make great stories with their own or known IPs. Sci-Fi/Futuristic Stories are just my favorite because of exploring space and different planets (KOTOR & mass EFfect) or seeing how interesting Earth is (i.e CYberpunk 2077) Those 3 games have been at the top 3 of my RPG games lately. I just love it! Bioware first got me into KOTOR then Mass Effect! I cannot wait for Mass Effect 4 (or 5)

[@FallenPasha]

Hey, random question. I don't really enjoy the boring stuff in ME1. It's it worth playing through it to import my save into ME2 or do I lose nothing but starting a new ME2 game? Thanks

[@Rapunzel879]

It's worth playing. It's incredible.

[@captainvinno]

The krogan in 1 are OP AF

[@berges104]

Completed a ME1 run through last night around 3am. 43 hour run. Had to pull out the 360 and games and find a wired controller (couldn't find my chargers for wireless). I had the itch that I haven't had since before Andromeda. I still really enjoy the unlimited ammo/cooldown. Sort of a big deal, not running out of ammo when pinned down.

[@jmarx3943]

Mass effect 1 is still my favorite out of the trilogy, even though 2 and 3 do some things better.

[@kuntilanakhybrid404]

the best game i ever play 1. Mass Effect Trilogy 2. The Witcher Trilogy (The Witcher 1 not so much) 3. Dragon Age Trilogy 4. Skyrim

[@pietrorasputin52]

I have to argue with you about Ashley Williams. I think she got even better as the trilogy progressed. She had to deal with someone she trusted and cared about joining an organization that for all she knew and heard was utterly evil. I loved the hospital moments between her and Shepard as the series progressed. It was her dealing with someone who she felt had honestly betrayed her and journey to being able to feel like she could trust him again. I found her journey and dynamic with Shepard very interesting...especially if she was/is your love interest. How do you deal with loss and betrayal of that magnitude?

[@livrk8005]

2 problems I still have with mass effect LE 1. Why isn't Garrus and Tali a LI option in ME1? 2. Why isn't it called "calibrated edition" instead of "legendary edition"? (Saw that one in the comments once and Thought it was so perfect)

[@JimmyThree-Balls]

For the calibrated edition they would have had to give me2 and 3 the treatment me1 got

[@PopeDuwang]

That’s for the 30 Year Anniversary Edition. Mass Effect: Re-Calibrated Edition

[@Stolaz83]

I wasnt sure if i was missing ash and liaras loyalty quests. This video was helpful

[@adamtaylor5274]

Awesome job as always, Big Dan!

[@scrpld7111]

I remember back then when ME1 and ME2 was released and I was thinking about playing Mass Effect. I'm glad that I did play the first game first because the story is the best in ME1. I was really blasted away when the Reaper was revealed in ME1 and Saren was just under indoctrination. Too bad they didn't use more of that indoctrination idea. Ofcourse the game mechanics are a bit clanky in the first Mass Effect.

[@zachthompson9976]

25:24 😅OMG!! 🤣THANK YOU so much!! This alone would be well worth the like and subscribe! I had no idea fox "reported" on ME LMAO! Despite playing every game at launch It's wholesome to know fox was already doing God's work back in 2007 😅🤢 Their such clowns!

[@ConnorKrause-s2c]

I'm convinced Noveria(turning in evidence to anoleas), Feros(kill the entire colony without helping them),Virmire(killing wrex yourself then dumping him) then Therum last is the canon Renegade path. Doing Bring Down the Sky before Ilos, don't let Balak escape. I did save the Rachni Queen to unleash them on the galaxy and saved the council for my own gains, hoping to earn their trust. First played Mass Effect in 2013 and it is still my favorite series all this time later. 🤔