Mass Effect 1 had some flaws. It was a difficult time for gaming in general and the stigma of a new piece of intellectual property was as firmly in place in November of 2007 as it is today. Luckily, this particular new piece of intellectual property (depending on how you define "new", as Mass Effect shares a remarkable similarity to influencers Star Control 2 and properties like Ghost In The Shell or Alien) had the cojones and spirit to become a spectacular success. Of course, after such fantastic success comes the inevitable sequel, which seems like it was always planned for with the ending of Mass Effect 1. Changes had to be made and refinements enacted. Unfortunately, things that are often looked back on with nostalgia are usually terrible in the moment and it seems BioWare took this mindset with the planetary exploration vehicle, the Mako. The Mako was a brilliant tank / armoured personnel carrier that could be used on planetary away missions in Mass Effect 1, as well as for exploration of newly discovered worlds. It had a special relationship with gravity which would cause Einstein's moustache to fall off, as it regularly launched itself from mountainsides and lept miles in the air from standing, often without being told to do anything. The Mako was deemed too unwieldy and removed from Mass Effect 2 and 3 completely. Luckily, this betrayal has somewhat of a happier ending as the Mako is reportedly returning for the upcoming Mass Effect 4, although in less of a militant manner and more of an exploration based vehicle. Hopefully we can still use the Mako to run over Geth Armatures and watch them ragdoll across mountains.
