The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked

Mass Effect Infiltrator

The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked

Infiltrator was a smaller scale mobile title that released just before Mass Effect 3, putting players in the shoes of a Cerberus operative by the name of Randall Ezno. He’s sent to an installation on an ice planet to kill a Turian mark Cerberus has set, and quickly find out the truth about Cerberus and turns against the organization.

The mobile title tried to mimic the gameplay of its console counterparts, to mixed results. It’s still a third-person shooter, but has you tapping on points to take cover and on enemies and special power icons to attack. There are no squadmates for Ezno in the game, however, you do earn credits that you can use to power up your armor, attacks, and biotics. You can even collect Intel in the game that can be used to boost your Galactic Readiness score in Mass Effect 3, which dictates how ready Shepard’s forces are to engage the Reapers.

Although Infiltrator definitely looks good on mobile, it doesn’t stand up to the console games, and also gets hit with some slowdown. Additionally, the controls had some responsiveness issues that drug the experience down a little bit. The good news, however, is that after the game’s 1.03 update many of the control issues and graphical issues with the game were rectified. It may not be quite as worthwhile as other Mass Effect experiences, but for any fan that just couldn’t wait for more Mass Effect, it was definitely worth a look.

Mass Effect

The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked

The first Mass Effect game wast the one that started it all, giving players an intricately detailed sci-fi universe to explore, along with a cast of memorable party members. The title used a similar formula to what BioWare had done with games like Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, but focused even more on action-oriented combat and player choice.

Every decision you made in Mass Effect felt like it had weight behind it, and there were definitely some difficult situations scattered across your time. Choices you made could affect the lives of party members and characters around the world, also altering how the universe viewed your own character. The Paragon and Renegade system let you interject into cutscenes, changing how things played out based on your moral alignment. Commander Shepard quickly became a gaming icon, as players still crafted a personalized character with a well-defined personality.

Unlike more turn-based kind of games like KOTOR, Mass Effect was real-time, giving you an arsenal of weapons to use in battle. Pistol, machine guns, shotguns, grenades and more were all at your disposal, along with some pretty deep RPG customization that gave you various different types of armor and weapons, each of which granted you different bonuses. Unfortunately, combat in the first Mass Effect felt far too imprecise and the guns had a sort of floatiness to them. It certainly wasn’t without its fair share of bugs and framerate issues, too. Additionally, some infuriating segments had you taking control of a vehicle called the Mako, rolling over alien planets and exploring. The machine was just a pain to control, easily flipping over and not always doing what you were intending.

While the first Mass Effect feels like a prototype for the next games with its combat, the story still shines. It was an exhilarating title that gave you plenty of mysteries, pulse pounding action, and dramatic set pieces. Getting to know party members, romancing, and finding out the truth about the Reapers is still just as engaging as when the game first released, even if the gameplay doesn’t hold up. There’s so much story and lore crammed into the game, and Mass Effect successfully launched BioWare’s biggest franchise to date.

Mass Effect 3

The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked

In many ways, Mass Effect 3 is the culmination of the player’s long journey across BioWare’s created universe, finishing things off with your favorite characters and putting you into the climactic final showdown with the Reapers. In fact, the game starts with the Reaper hordes decimating Earth, while the rest of the game is about building the armada to fight back once and for all.

Along the way, Shepard encounters nearly ever party member from the previous two games, as long as they were still alive, as well as brand new characters. Shepard’s task was to try and negotiate with each of the alien races in Counsel Space, trying to get them to support humanity’s battle. This took the party to some incredible new locations, like the Krogan home world of Tuchanka. And with each new world came a new set of choices, as well as the ramifications of choices from the past two titles. Emotions definitely ran high throughout the story, as the final game in the trilogy made you say goodbye to certain party members in truly heartbreaking ways. However, there was dissatisfaction from some fans on the game’s ending, which BioWare, in turn, tried to improve with DLC later on.

Shooting and combat felt tighter and snappier than ever before, allowing Mass effect to finally stand toe-to-toe with other shooters of the time. It was easier than ever to pull off your various abilities and those of your allies. Meanwhile, it’s easier than ever to get around the battlefield with streamlined spring and cover mechanics and a new dodge roll. The smoother gameplay definitely factored into Mass Effect 3’s surprisingly fun multiplayer mode called “Galaxy at War.” In multiplayer, you’d team up with friends or other players to survive waves of enemy AI, almost like a horde mode but with a set amount of waves. There were a ton of different character classes that let you play as the different races of Mass Effect, and plenty of weapons and items to unlock.

Mass Effect 3 contained some of the series’ most memorable and heart-wrenching moments. The entire experience was truly a sendoff to Commander Shepard and their crew, giving you one last hurrah around the universe. It’s a game that means much more to those who’ve been on the entire journey, rather than new players, and ending issues aside, it serves as one unforgettable conclusion.

Mass Effect 2

The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked

Mass Effect 2 is truly the series at its best, delivering intimate character moments, epic set pieces, and plenty of action and intrigue. The game starts off with a bang, literally with the death of Commander Shepard. You’re then rebuilt by the shadowy organization known as Cerberus, and set off on a mission to stop “The Collectors,” a strange alien race that’s been abducting humans.

Early on in Mass Effect 2, Shepard knows the low chances of success, so you set off to recruit a dangerous band of warriors for your Suicide Mission. This means the roughest of the bunch, as you recruit deadly assassins, unhinged biotics, and Krogan test subjects. The beauty of Mass Effect 2 lies in how well fleshed out each of these characters are. Every party member has their own loyalty missions, and a huge amount of dialogue and story attached to them. This makes all of your party feel realistic and flawed, and building bonds with them helps boost the chance of success for the final mission. It is possible for nearly all of your characters to perish at the end of the game, so it’s worth seeing everything out.

Mass Effect 2 absolutely nails its sci-fi aesthetic, even more than the first game, in terms of soundtrack, visuals, and story tones. It’s a very emotionally engaging title, leading you to care about both your cause and those helping you to get there. Conversation and cutscenes were framed much better than in the first game, giving the title a kind of cinematic flair not found before. This is also reinforced by the combat, which feels significantly more fluid than its predecessor.

The second game adapts much more of a shooter approach to its gameplay, rather than the RPG-stylings of the first one. Battle is much faster, streamlining your various combat abilities into an easy to use menu, and improving both ally and enemy AI. The RPG systems were stripped away a bit compared to the first Mass Effect, but the sequel definitely doesn’t suffer for becoming a tighter, more focused experience.

Mass Effect 2 is truly where the series shines, and shows why it’s created such a passionate fan following. The story and characters are impeccably well written, both for returning characters and new ones like the ominous Illusive Man. Combat felt smoother than before, easily meshing with the sci-fi themes of the series. Without a doubt, Mass Effect 2 is one of the finest RPGs ever made, and a tour de force for BioWare.