Highlights

  • The Mass Effect trilogy, while highly respected, was not free from jokes and memes born from janky physics or quirky dialogue.
  • Mass Effect 4 can learn from past criticisms and humorous elements, using them to innovate and captivate modern players.

The Mass Effect trilogy is often regarded as one of the most prolific franchises in modern gaming. Having debuted on the Xbox 360 back in 2007, the series quickly became a staple known for its well-written dialogue, engaging action gameplay, unique and immersive sci-fi universe, and emphasis on player choice. However, along with the respectable and dramatic elements of the game, there were also some silly elements that the community quickly responded to with memes and other endearing forms of flattery. Though the Mass Effect games are still highly respected modern classics, they were not free from jokes.

Many different elements were often joked about in the original Mass Effect trilogy. These range from such things as character models and their physics, snippets of dialogue, or specific side missions. Although these memes can be seen as a term of endearment as most of these jokes are coming from actual die-hard fans who have spent enough time in the game to notice such things, they still offer a glimpse at elements to be improved. With the unique opportunity to take notes from the series, Mass Effect 4 can learn a lot from the memes of Mass Effect's past.

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How The Community Can Improve Mass Effect 4

Identify Areas For Improvement In Past Games

Released in 2007, Mass Effect became popular during a unique time in community content creation. Platforms like YouTube were full of fan edits and playful videos, bringing attention to various elements and characters in the Mass Effect trilogy. Some of the most highly talked about elements include:

  • Character models (especially faces)
  • Certain dialogue
  • Cutscenes
  • Side quests
  • Unique interactions

At the height of Mass Effect's popularity, it wasn't uncommon to find memes or spoof videos referencing quotes from Commander Shepard, Garrus, or other party members. Often one would find a player making jokes related to Garrus' calibrations or Shepard's favorite store in the Citadel. Though these are mostly just playful community content, they also draw attention to areas that could be improved upon to achieve a more serious tone in future games.

How Mass Effect 4 Can Learn From The Memes

At this time, it is still unclear exactly what the direction of Mass Effect 4 will be in terms of story, tone, etc. If BioWare opts to continue with a similar tone as the original trilogy, there will likely be a combination of light humor along with the more dramatic storytelling that takes center stage. This allows Mass Effect 4 the opportunity to improve upon past criticism and humor while still finding ways to call attention to them.

For example, the character models and facial animations could innovate to current-gen standards, but perhaps there is some line of dialogue that pokes fun at the series' past shortcomings.

The same goes for the dialogue that was so heavily featured in memes. Mass Effect 4's dialogue is expected to be as rich and in-depth as the original trilogy, perhaps even more so. At the same time, it could be fun if some of the classic lines of dialogue that stood out to fans make a return as an Easter egg.

Mass Effect 4 has been long awaited and the expectations of fans have only grown over the years. After the disappointment of Mass Effect:Andromeda, the next entry will need something that feels classic and calls back to the series' origins while still being innovative and captivating for modern gaming. Taking some notes from the community may just help it get there, and improving on a few of the more immersion-breaking memes may help with that.