10 Video Games With Incredible Stories But Terrible Gameplay
6. Mass Effect
The series went to bigger and better places in later entries, but there's no denying the brilliance of the original Mass Effect.
BioWare's sci-fi RPG pulled off the daunting task of introducing us to a galaxy's worth of instantly fascinating characters while weaving a rich story tapestry that was genuinely gripping, heartfelt, and at times even hilarious.
There's certainly an argument to be made that the original Mass Effect has the best, tidiest story of the four mainline games, focused more explicitly on world-building and character, and letting its plot unfold in a more organic way than any of its successors. Plus, Saren is just an awesome villain.
Yet the original Mass Effect falls down hard where gameplay is concerned, and is undoubtedly the franchise-worst in this regard.
The combat feels clunky and unrefined compared to what came later, the Mako sections are a bore, the UI and controls are a mess, and it's packed to the gills with frustrating glitches.
Pretty much everything about its gameplay was improved upon in the sequels, and though last year's Legendary Edition certainly made revisiting the first Mass Effect more appealing, the gameplay framework still feels rather dated.