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General: Mass Effect: The MMORPG?
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com writer Bill Murphy muses about the idea of a Bioware MMO built off of one of the studio's own unique franchises, Mass Effect.
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BioWare has been a company known for its role-playing fare for nearly two decades now. There are precious few developers more revered for their ability to craft a rich and compelling game-world that players love to visit time and time again. From the Baldur's Gate series on, BioWare has become so well known for their role-playing experiences that in recent times players have been wondering when they're going to do something different than their usual epic tales in the choose your own adventure vein.
With the exception of their first foray into handheld gaming (Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood), BioWare has made nothing but single-player console and PC role-playing experiences since 2000. The critically acclaimed MDK2 was the last time the Canadian powerhouse delved into a different genre. Surely they've combined several types of gameplay in some of their offerings. The recently released Mass Effect 2 is more a third-person shooter with role-playing trappings than its prequel was, playing very much like Gears of War with its heavy reliance on cover mechanics.
Read Mass Effect: The MMORPG?
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Woot first to comment lol. Anyway I too am really hoping for a mass effect mmo and i think they could really pull it off too i mean look how in depth mass effect 2 is with everything and thats only opening up parts of the world just think how much exploring you could do if they made an mmo which would prolly be enough to last you a year or two to just explore all the planets without doing the quests lol. I am also gonna buy SWTOR but if and hopefully when a mass effect mmo comes out i will be one of the first to pre order but i think they should finish the trilogy before they come out with the mmo version.
I too am for the genophage XD
I haven't played the ME2 yet, but I agree with this 100%. Although I do think that it's perfect that BioWare cuts its teeth and learns its lessons on the relatively pedestrian adaptation of Star Wars. Then they can really spread their wings and wtfpwn the MMO world with the ME MMORPG.
Then again, by that time we might see World of Starcraft out of that other company that used to be good at single-player games and went into MMOs.
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mass effect online would suck so bad.
the thriving force behind me1 and me2 is the story, in mass effect online everyone would be "THE" Shepherd therefore ruining the immersion the (soon to be) trilogy has.
It's practically impossible to make a good story driven MMO because in story driven games you constantly feel you've achieved something and that you are the moving force...in a MMO you dont feel as unique after saving a colony from dire man-eating bugs because 100 thousand people had done it before you and as you leave the colony you see line of heroes getting ready to do the same.
They are already making this, it's called ToR.
btw like i said they should finish the trilogy then move onto the mmo i think the mass effect universe would be amazing idea for an mmo and i also think that bioware could pull it off.
holy toledo... this is my first time EVER on this site. as i was browsing all the content and reading about all the different MMOs out there i started to think about my latest favorite game of all time, Mass Effect 2, and how it would be an awesome MMO. then, blam, i find this discussion. weird. i just want to say i couldnt agree more. i love Star Wars and will probably be one of the first people playin SWTOR on release day and im a big fan of LOTR lore and ive also been playin WoW for awhile now but, like you, i am completely enthralled with the ME universe and i couldnt even fathom the vast possibilities of an ME MMO... BioWare... please read this and make it so... it would be epic
I agree that it would be a neat idea. The one part i would fear would be similar to what i am skeptical about TOR, the amount of time and story it would take to make all races/classes have their own story would be a bit daunting, then when you play through your 1 avatar, what do you do next? what happens when your story is over?
I totally agree that Mass Effect would make an incredible MMO. I am hoping that Bioware is planning to delve into that once SWTOR has been successful for a few years. If I were them, I would release TOR and then Mass Effect 3 about 6 months or a year later. Then begin development on the Mass Effect MMO. If they did that, it might be ready just about the time that SWTOR has fully matured and the market is ready for another Bioware MMO.
Would have quite a bit of competition from a hypothetically well-made war hammer 40 K MMO FPS however.
I believe we just might see it down the road as Mass Effect is to large of a nest egg for Bioware to leave behind. Also the shear size of the Reaper fleet (a fraction of which is shown at the end of Mass Effect 2) would make it rather unlikely that Shepard and the disorganized factions would take them down in Mass Effect 3. From the looks of it Mass Effect 3 will focus more on Harbinger which is just one of the thousands of Reapers we see in dark space.
I can see this becoming an MMO but taking the TOR path in that you are not Shepard but one of the many people working to stop (or help) the Reapers. There are many factions to join that would support both PvE and PvP (basic example would be Alliance and Cerberus getting in each others way) as well as the idea of starting your own clan as we are constantly reminded of in Mass Effect 2 by NPCs we met in the first game.
I would love to see the story continued after Mass Effect 3 into an MMO that focuses on the war and honestly it seems clear that they would head that direction lets face it we wont see Mass Effect 3 until at least a year or two after The Old Republic goes live (Yes I know they stated an ETA of 2011 but release dates almost always get pushed back.) Which leaves plenty of buffer room for a second Bioware MMO should they start development around the release of Mass Effect 3.
Eh... It's all wishful thinking and I count myself among those who were disappointed when Bioware announced TOR as they were hoping beyond hope for a Mass Effect Onlne but were not surprised with the announcement of TOR and look forward to the MMO.
Because flying a Minmatar ship is like going down a flight of stairs on an office chair while firing an Uzi.
Cool story, but if they're working on a STAR WARS MMORPG, they had better not have any other focus than such.
What an amazingly well written article. Thoroughly enjoyed the read. As for the hope of having a Mass Effect MMO one day, that's just sweet music to my ears.
This reminds me of WoW's new MMO. They said that it's a brand new IP that will allow WoW players to play both games. This inherently indicates that the two games are going to be so different as to not be in competition with each other.
Similarly, StarWars' heavy emphasis on RPG elements and "wow" like gameplay will likely be very different than Mass Effect. From the video's of gameplay I've seen, it doesn't look or feel like Mass Effect. If Bioware should choose to make a Mass Effect MMO down the road, it will not necessarily be in competition with their other gorilla in the room (SW -TOR). There also exists the possibility that Dragon's Age may become an MMO. But in reality, we're talking about things 5-6 years in the future, and that's a lifetime in the video game industry.
As for Mass Effect 2... Let me start by saying that I havn't played console games for 2 years. I was primarily a console player from middle school to the end of college. Started playing MMO's and never look back at the end of college.
Mass Effect 2 is the first game where I'm so hooked that I havn't played an MMO in 7 days. I can reasonably say it's one of the best games I've ever played. I WANT TO talk to everyone. I love hearing what they say. There are a lot of controversial issues in the game (i.e. indentured servant/slavery dialogue on illium). The STORY matters. I dont' have a very good imagination and I'm a realist/pragmatist. I rarily get immersed into a game. Mass Effect is the exact opposite. I feel a part of the game, and I feel my decisions matter.
The Mass Effect universe they've created is so rich and has so much depth that it's perfect for an MMO is less about copy/paste and more about true originality.
Anyone else think the unique team members in Mass Effect 2 are brilliantly designed and engaging?
Winner, winner! Chicken dinner!
Mass Effect MMO would be awesome, maybe too awesome if they pulled it off with the same, or better quality than the single-players.
Let's call it: Massive Effect, olol.
I agree that an MMO would be great. I wrote a blog entry here on this site back at the release of ME1 after I completed it.
www.mmorpg.com/blogs/MMOPlaya/122007/803_Mass-Effect-Would-Make-A-Great-MMORPG-Candidate
Whatcha think? Please keep in mind, I wrote this over 2 years ago
I think after playing a bit with ME2, it would still be quite possible.
After they will have finished ME3 i think there will be the freedom for a MMO.
There are so much untold stories and there are so iconic races that it whould be shame not to try to make a great MMO.
The combat from ME2 should work good in a MMO i think - and add a more coustomizable ship to this and it should work. Maybe there should be only ships for "Teams" (Teams could be a sub-structure in a guild system) and not for every player.
The potential is there ....
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No, No, No, No. This should never be done.
Mass Effect is designed to be a single player game. It was written that way it should remain that way. The point of Mass Effect (as a previous poster mentioned) is Commander Shepard. That's it. Yes it has a full universe but its focused on Shepard, start to finish and that's the selling point and the immersive point - Shepard and the quest for the galaxy.
To create an MMO, then everyone will seek to be a Shepard of some sort, they'll want to save the galaxy and fly the Normandy. There is to much riding on that and I for one (even though I completely love BioWare and I am proud of them) will probably have a full-fledged destroyed experience of Mass Effect and would never be able to look at the same again (and not see it in a good fashion) there's too much riding on that. The key aspect (as stated before) is the storyline Mass Effect 1 to 3, and your choices as every Mass Effect play is different for everyone there's too many variable.
The only good thing I can feel on the Mass Effect MMO side is if it was designed as a Sandbox, much like Star Wars Galaxies (classic) and to be placed BEFORE Mass Effect 1 (or way way way way way into the future when Shepard's deeds are no longer looked at - which probably would never happen - he's a hero after all), when everything has yet to occure, so all we have is the world and nothing else - no heroics, no story. Just you and the galaxy with many others living a life for yourself. That's it.
Id rather see them working hard on SWTOR, bringing new content etc. No need another sci-fi game. Star Trek online is out, SWTOR will be out in 2011, Jumpgate Evolution and Black Prophecy. Thats just too many of Sci-Fi games. Tabula Rasa "played into a box" and then again it was pretty good sci-fi mmo. Problem is that unless there is a huge IP behind the project (Star Trek in Star Trek Online, Star Wars in SW:tOR, Lord of the rings in LOTRO) it may not survive the competition of all kinds of other MMOs on the market. Sci-Fi MMOs are a niche games.
Fallen Earth is a good example that while it may have a core of loyal players (few thousand maybe) the majority of players stick to the games with the Intellectual property behind the project. In other words people stick to things they know. Like almost everyone knows and likes Star Wars, a lot of people like Lord of the Rings and there are a lot of trekkies who enjoy themselves in STO right now.
While Mass Effect has a good story its not as major to have many people to follow it and earn some top place in gaming market. Like I said I'd rather see Bioware work hard on making SWTOR fun and enjoyable, full of story and very fun presentable game, add a space missions and combat as an expansion later on than waste their efforts on a niche game that may not even be popular due to drastic changes that will take affect during conversion from single player to MMO world of Mass Effect. It won't be much different than Global Agenda for example. After all Mass Effect is a lot about shooting.
If they do make a Mass Effect MMO, they need to wait until after the release of Mass Effect 3.
If they can manage to work in a decent story with the MMO I think it could work pretty well. They would need to diversify the classes more, though. In the current games there's not much difference between the six classes.
I wouldn't mind seeing this in the future, if not just to see how well they pull it off.
Yes it would be a fine world (universe) to play in. Those thinking a million Shepards running about wouldnt be the case any more than a million Conans running about in AOC. The limits to a game of this scope would only be limited by the devs imagination.
The more I think about it, the more I actually like the idea of being able to make a custom character of any race.
In the games you've thus far only been able to play as a human. I wanna try playing as a Krogan or something.
I just thought of something.
If Bioware decided to go with Mass Effect MMO, it would be one of the few MMO's that could work perfectly on the Xbox. FFXIV is one mmo that will work perfectly for the PS3.
Due to Xbox 360 (or whatever the new xbox will be at that time), will have a headset/voice support to be able to communicate with other people in your guild/legion.
The more I think about it, the more I believe that a Mass Effect MMO designed for the Xbox and PC, just like ME2, will be perfect.
Here's hoping it happens one day.
If they would do it, it would be as a prequel to the series (or a sequel in a later age), because the choices and the amount of different endings in the series is just way too big.
A ton of the choices in ME1 came back to me in ME2, with the huge choices made in ME2, those will again haunt me in ME3 etc.
If they were to make an mmo set in the same age, they'd have to canonize all of that and thus, butcher the story.
I agree it would be a great idea though; but lets just wait and see how TOR turns out first, I'm sure BW is doing the same.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
No, they'll ruin the entire single player series for me. I don't want other people in my Mass Effect.
Do what you will with Star Wars, that series has already whored itself out to any willing buyers in every way imaginable. Mass Effect would literally be ruined by an MMO installment because the entire appeal of the game would be taken away. No one plays for the amazing gameplay, everyone plays for the story and decisions first gameplay second.
An MMO would have no decision making that impacted anything. Simply taking the universe is also stupid because the factions are not at war with one another unless you want to go back to the past with the first contact war or the krogan rebellion.
It's simply a bad idea.
If SWTOR turns out to be exactly what they claim. You will see a lot more people wanting a Mass Effect MMO because they know Bioware can pull it off.
The gameplay between Star Wars and Mass Effect is so different that you can release both within 3 years of each other and still not be in competition.
I don't see any reason why you can't have "Shephard" like story arcs, decisions, dialogue, and individual story lines, in an MMO. It's a great idea.... but it won't be done for a really long time if at all.
One thing is for sure, after playing Dragon's Age and Mass Effect, I have more faith in Bioware than I ever did before. If I get the same "feeling" playing SWTOR as I did playing Dragon's Age and Mass Effect, I'm sold... for years and years.