Retronauts Episode 545: Mass Effect
...I should go
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the SSV Normandy. Its continuing mission: to land a space buggy on strange new worlds; to seek out alien artifacts and ancient ruins; to boldly blow the hell out of pirates everywhere!
Alright, I kid, but as a huge Star Trek fan I (Diamond Feit) couldn't resist connecting my favorite utopian space opera with BioWare's 2007 science-fiction role-playing game Mass Effect. It's hardly a one-to-one comparison, as the heroic Commander Shepard is much more of a soldier than an explorer, but any game that lets you fly around outer space and engage in diplomacy will always remind me of Star Trek's vision of a united Earth joining an interstellar Federation and doing just that.
Host Jeremy Parish, guest Wes Fenlon, and I certainly note Mass Effect's resemblance to Star Trek on our podcast this week, but we focus on sharing what it is we love about this ambitious RPG, how we handled its infamous morality system, and gripe about Shepard's underwhelming romantic options in this game compared to the sequels (at least as human partners are concerned).
Note that we focus on the original Mass Effect in this episode, though a few points from the sequels do come up in conversation. Also since I streamed my experience playing this game, you can check out this YouTube playlist to watch my entire run.
Description: Captain Jeremy Parish assembles a crack team of galactic heroes (Wes Fenton and Diamond Feit) to venture into territory never before explored by Retronauts: BioWare's sci-fi role-playing classic Mass Effect. Romance options and plot branches abound!
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MP3, 58 MB | 1:59:59 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Audioboom
Artwork for this episode by John Pading and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy (this one thanks you for your extra effort).
