10 Things You Need To Know Before Playing Mass Effect

Mass Effect is one of the pillars of the seventh-generation of gaming consoles. It was around this time that the concept of branching dialogue options really began to take off. Offering differing ideologies in step with customising your play style offered a truly unique take on your vision of Commander Shepherd.

Mass Effect popularised this with the advent of the Paragon/Renegade dynamic. A simple but effective tool, Shepherd’s dialogue and action results in gaining points as a Paragon, generally the archetypical good guy, or the cruel and intimidating Renegade.

Following these convictions will gradually expand upon the protagonist’s abilities outside of combat, oftentimes opening up previously locked dialogue options for the player to complete missions in different ways. Similarly, they will result in cosmetic effects, like bright red cracks in Shepherd’s face.

Just remember that as the games progress, options will arrive in optional quick-time reactions, which may inadvertently have the player accidentally aligning one way or another. Before you play Mass Effect, a player should likely consider who they want their Shepherd to be.