No open world RPG has topped the Mass Effect franchise

[cybersyn]

Edit: I don't think the ME games are open world. Most people seem to be just reading the title and assuming I said that. I'm saying they're better by NOT being open world.

This series, for the most part, is dedicated to its story, its gameplay, and its characters. You don't see that anymore.

Modern open world games have other obligations and require significantly more development effort into features and systems that don't add much to the experience. Not only that, but studios which aren't well oiled machines struggle to even meet these standards (*ahem* CDPR), and all of the above qualities suffer as a result, resulting in Mass Effect: Andromeda, Cyberpunk 2077 and other failed open world games. Games that would have been better off ditching the open world.

The entire industry would be better off if all games that don't need to be open world, which is most open world games, returned to the Mass Effect or Deus Ex formula: linear missions with lots of choice around them and hubs, a focus on story and character development, and many decisions, big and small, that have consequences which ripple throughout the game and its sequels.

I'll take one Mass Effect over ten bland Ubisoft or buggy Bethesda open world games.

[EleventhStar]

story is very subjective, e.g. many people will say witcher 3 has amazing story. for most people the stories they experience in their teens also stick with them the most.

and personally, i find mass effect has a loooot of chores for NOT being a open world game. so it's not like semi linear games can't have issues either.

[cybersyn]

Originally posted by EleventhStar:

story is very subjective, e.g. many people will say witcher 3 has amazing story. for most people the stories they experience in their teens also stick with them the most.

and personally, i find mass effect has a loooot of chores for NOT being a open world game. so it's not like semi linear games can't have issues either.

Some open world games should be open world games, the Witcher 3 is one of them. Cyberpunk 2077 is not, I think Fallout 4 was overrated, and after you've played 1-2 Ubisoft games there isn't much point to playing the rest. Rockstar is good at open world games, but they don't take themselves seriously and aren't designed to tell heavy stories.

A lot of open world games would be better off being more linear, I think. All those extra dev resources that go into making the open world don't add much while also taking resources away from the aspects of the game that matter.

Best examples of franchises that suffered for going open world are Mass Effect (Andromeda) and Mirror's Edge (Catalyst).

and personally, i find mass effect has a loooot of chores for NOT being a open world game. so it's not like semi linear games can't have issues either.

The first one does, for sure. It's really showing its age in this regard.

I still find it way more engaging than open world games because of the character development and consequences. I think modern games are afraid of this approach because they're catering to the lowest common denominator and don't want to introduce a lot of dramatic weight or story consequences that can't be undone.

[I Should Be Sleeping]

yea, a lot of ME "open world" results in doing chore quests and not really taking advantage of the open world nature of the game. They could of easily cut the galaxy map in half and gotten the same result.

The only decent story telling is the asteroid DLC which gives the Batarians some depth. Both sides are painted as ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ so its much less black and white.

[EleventhStar]

Originally posted by FutureShock:

The first one does, for sure. It's really showing its age in this regard.

I still find it way more engaging than open world games because of the character development and consequences. I think modern games are afraid of this approach because they're catering to the lowest common denominator and don't want to introduce a lot of dramatic weight or story consequences that can't be undone.

In me1 you can at least skip a lot of it if you want without consequence.

In Me2 i feel like ill get punished it i skip getting/loyaling followers i don't care about, don't do story DLC or get legion early.

[Rainnd]

Bethesda open world RPGs were pretty good and can rival or even surpass ME depending on ones prefferences. Though I agree that Ubisoft style RPGs are garbage, huge worlds with nothing interesting to find, just chores on every corner.

[puppet74]

i mean its all about what you like right, open world rpg. i mean i dunno there some good ones. witcher 3 i know people love, then you have games like fallout NV. but rpgs in general, i dunno there quite afew moden rpgs that do it well, but there crpgs like dos2 , pillars or eternity ext, those game have huge worlds, quests for companions ext. choices to make. I think ME just stands above many because its story that crosses 3 games and its higher budget for a game at the time, with its action combat. there plenty of rpgs as i said above that do this just as well , if not better, but are less budget, or not action base rpgs.

[Weaver]

As much as I enjoy the series I definately wouldn't call Mass Effect Open World. It has small very compartmentalize areas, nothing like an Open World game.

[5ean5ean]

Mass effect definitely isn't open world. I would give that title to Elder Scrolls.

[cybersyn]

Originally posted by Weaver:

As much as I enjoy the series I definately wouldn't call Mass Effect Open World. It has small very compartmentalize areas, nothing like an Open World game.

I don't think it's an open world, I just think this formula is better suited to most games than the open world formula.

Cyberpunk or Mirror's Edge: Catalyst would have been better if they were more linear like Mass Effect but still had choice.

[Profile_Name]

ME2 and ME3 are not open-world games.

[Tr0w]

As others have said ME is not openworld, it's word design is hub based like Deus Ex, KoTOR, VTMB, etc.

[cybersyn]

Originally posted by Profile Name:

ME2 and ME3 are not open-world games.

I don't think the Mass Effect games are opened world, I added a disclaimer to the OP to clarify. I'm just saying I'm glad they're not open world because if they were, they'd probably not be nearly as good as they are.

[Tr0w]

Originally posted by FutureShock:

Originally posted by Profile Name:

ME2 and ME3 are not open-world games.

I don't think the Mass Effect games are opened world, I added a disclaimer to the OP to clarify. I'm just saying I'm glad they're not open world because if they were, they'd probably not be nearly as good as they are.

Depends, if they took a more Gothic 1&2 instead of the Ubisoft approach...

[Euphoria]

I love Mass Effect, but Red Dead Redemption 2 > Mass Effect.