Tuesday 7 November 2017

N7 Day celebrating ten years of Mass Effect



The original Mass Effect trilogy began ten years ago today as an Xbox 360 exclusive and BioWare has teased a day of celebrations:

"This year marks 10 years since the release of Mass Effect. In that time, we’ve made friends, fallen in love, and travelled to new galaxies.

We’ve watched our community grow, as all of you shared your love of this universe, wore your N7 with pride, and told us stories about your Shepard and Ryder.

This N7 day, we’re celebrating how far we’ve all come together, and looking back on a decade of Mass Effect. Check back here next Tuesday, November 7, to see all the great surprises, offers, and giveaways we have in store as we celebrate #teN7.

Thank you for coming with us to the stars and beyond. It’s been a hell of a ride. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”


On N7 Day 2016 I embarked on an original Mass Effect trilogy playthrough on Xbox One in anticipation of Mass Effect: Andromeda. All three award-winning titles were available on EA Access. Why EA didn't wait to release the bug-ridden Mass Effect: Andromeda until now speaks to the publisher's fixation with shareholder value and not creativity within the context of commercialism. EA's not unique in this and the approach has culminated in the microtransactions controversy of the past few months. However, I digress from celebrating one of my most cherished gaming franchises.

I was very late to the party, after winning an Xbox 360 S, and bought Mass Effect 3 in 2012. This was tantamount to watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi first! A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are regarded as superior by most fans and critics.

So, finally, I began FemShep's hero's journey from the beginning. It would cement Mass Effect's status as one of the greatest space operas in any medium. Combining the Battlestar Galactica reboot with Star Trek and Star Wars to peerless effect.

I laughed, I cried and didn't want the story to end. Literally, sat feeling emotionally sick at the conclusion in the early hours of the morning. Because character-driven storytelling was front and centre throughout a hundred hours or more. And, for the first time, there was a disabled character, in a video game, I could relate to...

What are your Mass Effect memories? Let me know in the comments below.

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