Mass Effect Andromeda is so close you can taste it. Weâre playing it right now, and you can expect a review real soon. Until then, why not join us in looking back at the best moments in the series â the highest highs and the lowest lows from one of the most known and best loved franchises in gaming. Below are the GR+ teamâs picks, which take in all three original games. Let us know your fav moments in the comments. Mass Effects 2âs Suicide Mission (which leads to an ironic love disaster)
Like all right-thinking people, I spent the majority of Mass Effect 2 trying to romance Tali, the mysterious and elegant Quarian, who wears a protective mask at all times. Itâs not like I obsessed about seeing Taliâs face, but having formed a dangerous mental image of Megan Fox with cybernetic implants, internet rumours that she might look like a fish, pig, or George Bush only strengthened my resolve. After 40 hours of combat missions and romantic conversations, Tali and I swore to meet after Mass Effect 2âs end-game â the one-hour long âSuicide Missionâ (the clue is in the title). Heart swelling, dizzy in anticipation of finally seeing Meg⌠er, Taliâs face, I fluffed the Suicide Missionâs first big decision. The result? Just as it looks like all my squad-mates will scramble to safety, Tali looks back, the camera pauses, and  â in a moment Iâll forever replay in slow motion â takes a rocket to the face. My only course of action was to replay ten hours of the game from my previous save, which â like a maniac â I did, despite the 1% chance that Tali was Zoe Saldana with a salmonâs face. Dan Dawkins The tenderly real love between Shepard and Garrus in Mass Effect 3
Some people romanced the entire crew and kept it casual, but I tended to play Shepard as someone who needed sex to come from a real emotional connection in the Mass Effect trilogy. I pursued relationships based on which of the characters interested me and it took me, excitingly enough, to strange places. My Shepard, a hard woman in her early 50s, had a relationship with Garrus in ME2. I was amazed at how the writing and acting captured the real tenderness of two people talking frankly about how they liked each other and what to do about it, even going so far as to talk to a doctor to make sure there were no medical precautions theyâd need to take (Mordinâs just judgey enough to come off as a real doc too). My favorite moment wasnât when the relationship was consummated but the aftermath. After Garrus finally joined back up with the Normandy crew in Mass Effect 3 â after heâd been fighting a losing war for his home planet â we called off our relationship calmly and honestly, like actual adults who had actually changed and realized it was time to move on. Weâd been through a lot in a short period of time. Weâd changed. It was one of the many moments where Mass Effectâs characters felt less like archetypes and more like people with full and complicated histories. (The icing on the cake: before the final battle, I walked in on Garrus and Tali getting down! An awkward scene, but also played with great subtlety and compassion. Relationships change and Mass Effect nails that when its at its best). Anthony Agnello The Normandyâs destruction and Shepardâs death at the start of Mass Effect 2
Talk about starting your game with a bang. When I booted up Mass Effect 2 for the first time, I expected to jump right in and continue my galactic adventures. And thatâs the brilliance about this scene; it happens so quick, so early on, that youâre still riding the wave of confidence from your previous acts of heroism. You think nothing could possibly touch you. And then bam, the Normandy is disintegrated and Shepard plummets into an alien planetâs atmosphere and dies. Let me reiterate: You start the game by dying. The scene quickly establishes ME2âs tone as darker than its predecessor, while simultaneously setting up the Collectors as a credible threat and providing some awe-inspiring views. A fantastic, memorable moment. Sam Prell Hanging out in the Presidium in the original Mass Effect
My Commander Shepardâs zapped countless hostile aliens, forged powerful bonds with her crewmates, and straight-up saved the entire galaxy â yet somehow, the Mass Effect moment thatâs really stuck with me through the years basically amounts to a quiet afternoon of people-watching in the park. Every time I visited the Citadel in the original Mass Effect, Iâd inevitably spend 30-40 minutes wandering aimlessly through the idyllic Presidium plaza, taking in the sheer ambiance of it all. The vibrant foliage, sprawling lake, and sterile, stark white architecture of apartments and offices belonging to the elite all blend together to make for quite the serene vista, all eternally basked in the warm glow of a simulated blue sky. As someone who lives for sunny, peaceful days, mulling about the Presidium was just the reprieve I needed from space escapades every so often. Itâs also one of the earliest (and best) melting pots for the races within Mass Effectâs universe, introducing you to the soft-spoken, jellyfish-esque Hanar for the first time, as well as the mysterious, tirelessly toiling bug-beings known as the Keepers. But the best bit of all has to be the Presidiumâs music, which perfectly captures the awe and wonder of wandering a beautifully kept, densely populated space station. Lucas Sullivan Drunk Tali in Mass Effect 3âs Citadel DLC
The Citadel DLC gave us one last chance to hang with our Normandy homies before finally saying farewell. The entire crew gathers in Shepardâs apartment, listens to music, reminisces about their adventures, and in the case of one TaliâZorah, gets blisteringly drunk. In addition to acting out the sounds the Normandy and the SR-2 make, describing her rad tattoo, and nearly poisoning herself with cheese, Tali explains how sheâs able to get drunk through her mask. She takes in the alcohol very carefully through an âemergency induction port,â which is absolutely, most definitely NOT a straw. Sheâs the most adorably nerdy drunk youâve ever seen, even when sheâs sprawled on the floor of Shepardâs bathroom. Susan Arendt Shooting cans with Garrus in Mass Effect 3
There are â as youâve read by now â so many brilliant moments in Mass Effect. I recall the biggest beats from my own playthroughs, like Taliâs tragic death and the choice between Ashley and Kaiden â as some of my favorite ever gaming memories. However, the best bit from the whole series, for me, is when Shepard finds Garrus on the âroofâ of the Citadel in Mass Effect 3 and the pair shoot cans together while chatting about their adventures. Itâs a moment of quiet reflection and perfect friendship in a world utterly consumed by Reaper chaos. Two buddies seeing who can shoot cans more accurately while remembering the past and gently avoiding the fact that theyâll soon embark on a mission that will separate them permanently, and (as we know) end Shepâs life. Itâs such a beautiful piece of pure bonding, topped off by the fact that you can opt to miss the final shot to let Garrus win and feel like a champion. Because you love him, you treasure the 100s of hours spent together over these three games, and want to see him happy one last time⌠*sniff. Andy Hartup Mordinâs noble end in Mass Effect 3
For me, the most iconic moment in this series is a tragic one: Mordinâs death in Mass Effect 3. I usually have an affinity for the nerdy intellectual types, so the very model of a scientist Salarin was one of my favorite characters. Yet Mordin doesnât quite fall into the expectations youâd have for a fast-talking medical geek. Heâs musical, heâs funny, and heâs a reliable advisor to all the crew-members. Plus, Mordinâs changing views of the Krogan reflect a dedication to the role of science in keeping the galaxy safe that you canât help but admire. His choice to sacrifice his own life to cure the Genopahge, humming Gilbert and Sullivan as he rescues an entire alien race, is the ultimate culmination of that logic. His death was the first time a video game made me cry, and I may or may not have gotten choked up just watching the scene again. Anna Washenko
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Mass Effect Andromeda is so close you can taste it. Weâre playing it right now, and you can expect a review real soon. Until then, why not join us in looking back at the best moments in the series â the highest highs and the lowest lows from one of the most known and best loved franchises in gaming. Below are the GR+ teamâs picks, which take in all three original games. Let us know your fav moments in the comments.
Like all right-thinking people, I spent the majority of Mass Effect 2 trying to romance Tali, the mysterious and elegant Quarian, who wears a protective mask at all times. Itâs not like I obsessed about seeing Taliâs face, but having formed a dangerous mental image of Megan Fox with cybernetic implants, internet rumours that she might look like a fish, pig, or George Bush only strengthened my resolve. After 40 hours of combat missions and romantic conversations, Tali and I swore to meet after Mass Effect 2âs end-game â the one-hour long âSuicide Missionâ (the clue is in the title). Heart swelling, dizzy in anticipation of finally seeing Meg⌠er, Taliâs face, I fluffed the Suicide Missionâs first big decision. The result? Just as it looks like all my squad-mates will scramble to safety, Tali looks back, the camera pauses, and  â in a moment Iâll forever replay in slow motion â takes a rocket to the face. My only course of action was to replay ten hours of the game from my previous save, which â like a maniac â I did, despite the 1% chance that Tali was Zoe Saldana with a salmonâs face. Dan Dawkins
Some people romanced the entire crew and kept it casual, but I tended to play Shepard as someone who needed sex to come from a real emotional connection in the Mass Effect trilogy. I pursued relationships based on which of the characters interested me and it took me, excitingly enough, to strange places. My Shepard, a hard woman in her early 50s, had a relationship with Garrus in ME2. I was amazed at how the writing and acting captured the real tenderness of two people talking frankly about how they liked each other and what to do about it, even going so far as to talk to a doctor to make sure there were no medical precautions theyâd need to take (Mordinâs just judgey enough to come off as a real doc too). My favorite moment wasnât when the relationship was consummated but the aftermath. After Garrus finally joined back up with the Normandy crew in Mass Effect 3 â after heâd been fighting a losing war for his home planet â we called off our relationship calmly and honestly, like actual adults who had actually changed and realized it was time to move on. Weâd been through a lot in a short period of time. Weâd changed. It was one of the many moments where Mass Effectâs characters felt less like archetypes and more like people with full and complicated histories. (The icing on the cake: before the final battle, I walked in on Garrus and Tali getting down! An awkward scene, but also played with great subtlety and compassion. Relationships change and Mass Effect nails that when its at its best). Anthony Agnello
Talk about starting your game with a bang. When I booted up Mass Effect 2 for the first time, I expected to jump right in and continue my galactic adventures. And thatâs the brilliance about this scene; it happens so quick, so early on, that youâre still riding the wave of confidence from your previous acts of heroism. You think nothing could possibly touch you. And then bam, the Normandy is disintegrated and Shepard plummets into an alien planetâs atmosphere and dies. Let me reiterate: You start the game by dying. The scene quickly establishes ME2âs tone as darker than its predecessor, while simultaneously setting up the Collectors as a credible threat and providing some awe-inspiring views. A fantastic, memorable moment. Sam Prell
My Commander Shepardâs zapped countless hostile aliens, forged powerful bonds with her crewmates, and straight-up saved the entire galaxy â yet somehow, the Mass Effect moment thatâs really stuck with me through the years basically amounts to a quiet afternoon of people-watching in the park. Every time I visited the Citadel in the original Mass Effect, Iâd inevitably spend 30-40 minutes wandering aimlessly through the idyllic Presidium plaza, taking in the sheer ambiance of it all. The vibrant foliage, sprawling lake, and sterile, stark white architecture of apartments and offices belonging to the elite all blend together to make for quite the serene vista, all eternally basked in the warm glow of a simulated blue sky. As someone who lives for sunny, peaceful days, mulling about the Presidium was just the reprieve I needed from space escapades every so often. Itâs also one of the earliest (and best) melting pots for the races within Mass Effectâs universe, introducing you to the soft-spoken, jellyfish-esque Hanar for the first time, as well as the mysterious, tirelessly toiling bug-beings known as the Keepers. But the best bit of all has to be the Presidiumâs music, which perfectly captures the awe and wonder of wandering a beautifully kept, densely populated space station. Lucas Sullivan
The Citadel DLC gave us one last chance to hang with our Normandy homies before finally saying farewell. The entire crew gathers in Shepardâs apartment, listens to music, reminisces about their adventures, and in the case of one TaliâZorah, gets blisteringly drunk. In addition to acting out the sounds the Normandy and the SR-2 make, describing her rad tattoo, and nearly poisoning herself with cheese, Tali explains how sheâs able to get drunk through her mask. She takes in the alcohol very carefully through an âemergency induction port,â which is absolutely, most definitely NOT a straw. Sheâs the most adorably nerdy drunk youâve ever seen, even when sheâs sprawled on the floor of Shepardâs bathroom. Susan Arendt
There are â as youâve read by now â so many brilliant moments in Mass Effect. I recall the biggest beats from my own playthroughs, like Taliâs tragic death and the choice between Ashley and Kaiden â as some of my favorite ever gaming memories. However, the best bit from the whole series, for me, is when Shepard finds Garrus on the âroofâ of the Citadel in Mass Effect 3 and the pair shoot cans together while chatting about their adventures. Itâs a moment of quiet reflection and perfect friendship in a world utterly consumed by Reaper chaos. Two buddies seeing who can shoot cans more accurately while remembering the past and gently avoiding the fact that theyâll soon embark on a mission that will separate them permanently, and (as we know) end Shepâs life. Itâs such a beautiful piece of pure bonding, topped off by the fact that you can opt to miss the final shot to let Garrus win and feel like a champion. Because you love him, you treasure the 100s of hours spent together over these three games, and want to see him happy one last time⌠*sniff. Andy Hartup
For me, the most iconic moment in this series is a tragic one: Mordinâs death in Mass Effect 3. I usually have an affinity for the nerdy intellectual types, so the very model of a scientist Salarin was one of my favorite characters. Yet Mordin doesnât quite fall into the expectations youâd have for a fast-talking medical geek. Heâs musical, heâs funny, and heâs a reliable advisor to all the crew-members. Plus, Mordinâs changing views of the Krogan reflect a dedication to the role of science in keeping the galaxy safe that you canât help but admire. His choice to sacrifice his own life to cure the Genopahge, humming Gilbert and Sullivan as he rescues an entire alien race, is the ultimate culmination of that logic. His death was the first time a video game made me cry, and I may or may not have gotten choked up just watching the scene again. Anna Washenko