10 Iconic Moments That Defined Mass Effect As A Series

By Philip Haynes / February 12, 2015

BioWare's epic sci-fi trilogy ushered in a new era of narrative in video games throughout the last generation, and Mass Effect is now easily one of the most important franchises in all of gaming - especially looking forward. Fantastic storytelling that put moral choices in the hands of the player made this element of narrative interaction itself an element of gameplay, connecting players to the world of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy in a very meaningful way. It was by no means the first game to do moral choices, but its execution was above and beyond anything else. Save data from one game could be imported directly into its sequel, meaning that players didn't just shape one story with their decisions - they shaped an entire trilogy. Granted, BioWare did make a bit of a mess of the ending, but there's no denying the studio's ambition when it comes to storytelling - they crafted an incredibly well thought-out, diverse universe with an intricate mythos that could easily be (and in some ways already is) expanded upon in books, graphic novels and future games. The story of Shepard's battle against the Reapers is simply one of the best the gaming medium has ever produced, and it's worth celebrating that fact. There are several iconic moments that define what Mass Effect is all about - whether they're emotionally charged, action-packed or just plain funny.