Mass Effect 5: 10 Fan Demands We Need To See
It's time to let players be the Asari commando they've always wanted to be.
After the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the decade-long sci-fi series has officially been put on hiatus. With the developers at Bioware Montreal being transferred to support the main Edmonton team on their upcoming game Anthem, it doesn't look like fans will be getting any more Mass Effect any time soon.
But that hasn't stopped players from debating what they want to see in the next title, whenever it may come. Andromeda proved to be a divisive new start for the franchise to say the least, and whether or not the sequel continues to build upon the foundation that Andromeda established or whether it will throw everything out to start over from scratch is completely up in the air.
Either way, there are plenty of ways to make Mass Effect 5 a true return to form. Despite what you think about the ending of the third game, Andromeda was the first true dud the series has seen so far, and its glaring problems have been pointed out by fans since release.
Going forward, EA needs to take the time to listen to the players if it wants to reinstate the franchise's pedigree in the gaming world, and it should start by looking at these essential fan demands.
10. Drop The Focus On Open Worlds
Although the original Mass Effect featured a vast array of explorable planets, the series has never been known for its open world design. Opting to tell a more polished and focused linear story and leaving huge sandboxes to the likes of Bethesda and Rockstar, the original trilogy succeeded in creating a streamlined RPG experience.
But when the latest game decided to drop the linear design in favour of putting the focus on multiple open worlds, players quickly realised that Mass Effect's brand of storytelling doesn't really hold up when sandboxes are thrown into the mix.
The franchise has always been known for its characters and narrative, and those features aren't able to shine through when the gameplay is focused on loot and exploration.
Plus, do we really need another open world game?
There's no reason why the next Mass Effect shouldn't feature explorable hubs, but it shouldn't just offer huge sandboxes "because that's what the other big releases do".