Mass Effect
Mass Effect logo
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game Third-person shooter
Developer(s)	BioWare
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts
Platform(s)	Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs, iPhone
Official website	http://masseffect.bioware.com/

Mass Effect is an award-winning, bestselling series of science fiction RPG third person shooters developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released on the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The first game in the planned trilogy centers around a player created character named Commander Shepard and their mission to save the galaxy from Sovereign, a member of a race of AIs known as the Reapers, and its followers, including the brainwashed Saren Arterius. Sovereign plans to allow the Reaper fleet currently trapped in extra-galactic dark space to invade the Milky Way and destroy all sapient organic life, continuing a mysterious cycle of destruction.

[edit] Games

A trilogy of games is planned to be released, each continuing the game's story in chronological order. The second game in the trilogy is slated for release in late January 2010. The Mass Effect series combines science fiction, action game and role-playing game elements, with the main series games being third-person shooters. The protagonist can use two AI-controlled squad members in battle; which consists of members he has recruited, from various places and for various reasons, and taken onto the Normandy.

[edit] Main trilogy

• Mass Effect (2007): The first game in the series was originally created as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 but was later ported to Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The game focuses on the protagonist Commander Shepard's quest to stop Saren Arterius from leading an army of geth to conquer the galaxy, learning about the far greater threat posed by the Reapers in the process, Saren having been enslaved by the last Reaper left in the Milky Way. Mass Effect was received with critical acclaim by many critics and has obtained a fan following.

• Mass Effect 2 (2010): The second game in the series, currently under development and scheduled for a release on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29 in Europe.^[1] Very few details about the game have been revealed other than Casey Hudson, Project Director for BioWare, stating that "players should keep their save files, because decisions made by the player in the first game will continue to have influences on their character in the sequel."^[2][3] It is known that, while the Reapers will play a part in the story, another adversary, known as Cerberus, a secret military project formed by the human Systems Alliance that went rogue in Mass Effect, has been expanded on. Shepard is also said to be on a "suicide" mission.

• Mass Effect 3: The third game in the series is planned for a release date TBA in 2011.^[4] Casey Hudson commented that Mass Effect 3 "will be easier because we don't have to worry about continuity into the next one."^[5]However, decisions will still be imported from Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3, as to keep continuity within the series.^[6]

[edit] Related games

• Mass Effect Galaxy (2009): An iPhone game, designed by BioWare to expand on the Mass Effect universe. This game differs from the other games because it has a top-down view, rather than a third-person view; the story follows the protagonist Jacob, a new character who will appear in Mass Effect 2.^[7]

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] Novels

• Mass Effect: Revelation (2007): The first novel based on Mass Effect, the plot is centered around then-Lieutenant David Anderson and tells the story of how he came to know Saren. It expands on the history of the Mass Effect universe and reveals in detail how Anderson failed to become the first human Spectre.

• Mass Effect: Ascension (2008): The second novel based on Mass Effect, the plot centres around protagonist Paul Grayson, a member of Cerberus, who is in charge of raising a biotic girl named Gillian. It is set approximately two months after the ending events of the game.^[8]

[edit] Comic

Mass Effect: Redemption is an upcoming four-part comic book mini-series that will be released beginning in January 2010. It is set shortly before the opening events of Mass Effect 2, and will be related to downloadable content that will be produced for the game.^[9]

[edit] Film

Ex-Marvel CEO Avi Arad recently obtained the rights to create a film adaptation of the game. It is reported that it is still in planning and that Arad will be looking to attach a writer, director, and studio to the project. ^[10]

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main Game Series Characters

Note: Characters in series may not be in a sequel depending on their fates in the previous game.

[edit] Spin-Off Game Series Characters

[edit] Novel/Comic Series Characters

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mass Effect official website
• Mass Effect Wiki, an external wiki