37 réponses à ce sujet

[MrFob]

I am not sure if Mass Effect has brought anything terribly new to sci-fi but then, what has in the last 20 years?
What is so fascinating in ME IMO is the art as well as the background we get in the codex.
The art (especially in ME1) is simply stunning IMO. The sleek forms, the combination of geometries and the clear color schemes form an overall picture that is seeded in classic si-fi but goes beyond anything we have seen before as far as I am aware. Just take the Normandy as an example.

The background and codex stuff is pretty coherent, given the amount of information we have. There are a few things that were changed over time for gameplay reasons but I like the fact that the writers tried to use as little green rocks as possible to get where they wanted. Add to that a number of neat technical/visual stuff like the foldable weapons and you have another specialty of the universe.

As so foten, it is not a single new invention or feature that makes the ME universe great but the combination of many little things that just add up to create an awesome experience.

[sbvera13]

ME1 had only 1 Green Rock*, and I loved it. Further, that 1 Green Rock is easily forgiven because 1) Space opera's need FTL travel, and FTL travel requires a Green Rock, and 2) said Green Rock was applied consistently with it's in-universe description and limitations. So refreshing in a market where sci-fi and fantasy have become indistinguishable.

*Refering to mass effect fields of course.

[Had-to-say]

Mass Effect is science interwoven with fantasy that flirts with the plausible.

I agree Mass Effect 1 was more immersive. I played the game for about 6 hours until I actually got deep into the main storyline. The game just kinda happened organically for me. Mass Effect 2 was very focused. I think I appreciate how the game differs from the first. It doesn't tell the same story twice and the veil of secretacy is slowly being lifted on the Reapers.

[In Exile]

Eurhetemec wrote...
As for contribution to SF, it's contributed largely in a resurrection of science-fiction as an actual gaming environment. Not science fantasy. Not "science fiction" where there's no actual science, just "scientific-style" stuff, and not just as a vague, unimportant background, but actual SF which has a couple of hyperscience principles, and then goes with real science from there. That's something we've not seen much in games, movies, or TV for a long while. Stargate was the one show keeping that alive on TV.

You clearly do not know science. ME has such a profound hatred for biology (above and beyond the usual convergent evolution idea used to justify aliens in the first place) that it almost boggles the mind. We have space telepathy, imunology fail, an epic hatred for actual research into artificial intelligence...

Not to mention having all technology based off neutrons.

[littlezack]

Yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I love Mass Effect. But its only a hop, skip, and a jump away from being Star Wars in terms of 'science'.

[sbvera13]

All of which is justifiable within the in-universe limitations. Nobody said sci-fi has to extend naturally from real science, but it should FEEL plausible (as opposed to magic/fantasy/technobabble, where anything can happen with a magic wand). Internal consistency is the biggest roadblock to getting that feeling.

Side note, ME2 lost that feeling.  Pistols that sound and look like lasers? Cloaking devices? So long, immersion, we will miss you.

Modifié par sbvera13, 01 juillet 2011 - 05:18 .

[littlezack]

If there's one word I'm tired of hearing, it's immersion. Partly because it's overused, partly because it's almost always surrounded by whining.

Let me get this straight.

In ME1, being able to heal people and hack computers by throwing gel on them...that didn't bother you. All the planets having the same gravitational pull didn't bother you. People creating localized singularities with their mind didn't bother you.

But ME2 rolls around, and cloaking shows up, and suddenly 'Oh no! My immersion is ruined!'

[sbvera13]

Go back to the WoW forums if you're going to be a jerk.  Immersion is al lthe elements ad details that combine to form a magical, critical mass within your imagination that lets the game environment live beyond the actual gameplay.  Movies do this. Novels do this.  Even comic books do this.  Do not mock it, for it is a foundational element of all fiction.  The devil is in the details though, and the debate is merely over what makes a deal-breaker and what the audience will ignore.

See Willing Suspension of Disbelief

[littlezack]

First off, I've never played a game of WoW in my life.

Second off, I get the concept of willing suspension of disbelief. Movies, comics, whatever. Hell, I've even written a couple of books (didn't get published, but hey, it was fun)

I just think it's silly to complain about one piece of random sci-fi magic and then ignore other random pieces of sci-fi magic. Cloaking in ME2 isn't any more unbelievable than a ton of things in ME1.

[Toshir]

Like with all unique sci-fi games with a new IP I see a lot of comparisons with Starcraft.

[In Exile]

sbvera13 wrote...

All of which is justifiable within the in-universe limitations. Nobody said sci-fi has to extend naturally from real science, but it should FEEL plausible (as opposed to magic/fantasy/technobabble, where anything can happen with a magic wand). Internal consistency is the biggest roadblock to getting that feeling.

If you ever took a course in immunology (or evolutionary biology) then the entire quarian race is pure fantasy technobable where anything can happen. ME1 does not pretend immunology is internally inconsistent or the law of conservation of energy doesn't apply, or neurons suddenly stop requiring neurotransmitters.

Edit:

Taking the quarian immune system as an example. It's like saying... the wheels need more Alfredo sauce to cause the external combustion engine to explode the centrigual force to stop the car. It's just pure word salad.

/Edit

If you think telepathy or telekinesis result from a current run through a neutron (i.e. element zero, which is a big WTF by itself) I may have property on Mars to sell you.

The only way ME1 can feel plausible is ignorance. I don't mean this to be insulting; but it is seriously wrong, even in the broadest theoretical sense, for ME1 to be even respectful of science.

Side note, ME2 lost that feeling.  Pistols that sound and look like lasers? Cloaking devices? So long, immersion, we will miss you.

So telepathy and mind-reading was totally kosher, but the second that cloaking technology (which hilarious enough is actually realistic and is being experimented with today) the jig is up?

Modifié par In Exile, 01 juillet 2011 - 07:00 .

[Had-to-say]

Good video for the skeptic.

Modifié par Had-to-say, 03 juillet 2011 - 05:11 .