5. Strike A Perfect Balance Between RPG And Shooter
As the Mass Effect series wore on it became apparent that the deep RPG systems featured in the original game were being stripped back more and more with each new release, in favour of a more action-focused style. In itself this transition wasn't a necessarily terrible thing, but the fact that that the series could never decide whether it wanted to be a full-blown shooter or deep character piece meant that it always felt like it was going through a major identity crisis with each game. While the franchise would often sway either too close to classic RPG systems or cover-shooting bombast, if ME4 really wants to impress fans it finally needs to strike the perfect balance between the two. Or failing that, these opposing systems just need to be given more focus; if you can't synergise the two then just focus on one. Neither should feel like a tacked-on feature just so the devs can tick a corporate box.
Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.
