Mass Effect

This article is about the video game series. For the video game, see Mass Effect (video game). For the medical term, see Mass effect (medicine). For other uses, see Mass effect (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox VG series Mass Effect is an award-winning, bestselling series of science fiction RPG third-person shooter video games developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and, from the second installment, for the PlayStation 3. The first game in the planned trilogy centers around a player created character named Commander Shepard and his/her mission to save the galaxy from a race of mechanical beings known as the Reapers, and its followers, including the brainwashed Saren Arterius. The first game sees Shepard facing Sovereign, a Reaper left as a vanguard, who plans to allow the Reaper fleet currently hibernating in extra-galactic dark space to invade the Milky Way and destroy all sapient organic life, continuing a mysterious cycle of destruction. The second game takes place two years later, and sees Shepard battling the Collectors, an alien race abducting entire human colonies in a plan to help the return of the Reapers. The third and final game will center on the final battle against the Reapers.

Since the beginning the series has been a major critical success. Both games have received critical acclaim for their storyline, characters, romances, voice acting, choices, tolerance of diversity, and the depth of the galaxy. Video game website, GamesRadar, called Mass Effect the best new franchise of the generation, saying that the galaxy was so well-constructed that it felt like a decades-old franchise and that it represented "a high-water mark for video games as a story-telling medium."

Games

Template:Mass Effect chronology A trilogy of games is planned to be released, each continuing the game's story in chronological order. The second game in the trilogy was released in January 2010. The Mass Effect series combines sci-fi, action game and role-playing game elements, with the main series games being third-person shooters. The protagonist can use two AI-controlled squad members in battle; which usually consists of members he or she has recruited, from various places and for various reasons, and taken onto the Normandy, Shepard's starship. As of December 2010 the Mass Effect series has sold almost 7 million units.

Main trilogy

• Mass Effect (2007): The first game in the series was originally created as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 but was later ported to Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The game focuses on the protagonist, Commander Shepard, and his/her quest to stop the rogue 'Spectre' Saren Arterius from leading an army of Geth to conquer the galaxy. During pursuit of Saren, Shepard learns of a far greater threat in the form of the Reapers. Saren has been mentally enslaved by the Reaper 'Sovereign', a vanguard sent into Citadel Space to initiate the purge of all advanced sentient life in the galaxy, a cycle repeated by the Reapers every 50,000 years. Mass Effect was received with critical acclaim by many industry reviewers, and has garnered a large fan-following.
• Mass Effect 2 (2010): The second main game in the series was released on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29 in Europe. A great deal of secrecy surrounded the game prior to launch, with few details emerging other than Casey Hudson, Project Director for BioWare, stating that "players should keep their save files, because decisions made by the player in the first game will continue to have influences on their character in the sequel." The game takes place two years after the events of Mass Effect. Human colonies are being attacked, their colonists disappearing without a trace. The game's protagonist, Commander Shepard, is forced into an uneasy alliance with the pro-Human paramilitary organization, Cerberus, in an effort to discover the cause. Evidence emerges pointed to the 'Collectors', an advanced, enigmatic race of insect-like humanoids. Adding to the threat is the revelation that the Collectors are working for the Reapers. Shepard sets out on a "suicide mission" to stop the Collectors, accompanied by a hand-picked team of soldiers, assassins, mercenaries, and specialists. Mass Effect 2 has received overwhelming critical praise since its release, for its characters, storyline, voice acting, and refined combat and gameplay with many critics calling it a major improvement over the original and an easy Game of the Year contender despite its January release. At Gamescom 2010, it was announced that a PlayStation 3 version would be available in January 2011. Although PlayStation 3 owners will be able to play the second installment, Microsoft still has publishing rights to the first.
• Mass Effect 3 (2012): The third and final installment in the Mass Effect trilogy, the game is tentatively scheduled for release on March 6, 2012. Casey Hudson commented that Mass Effect 3 "will be easier [to develop] because we don't have to worry about continuity into the next one." However, decisions will still be imported from the two previous titles to Mass Effect 3, as to keep continuity within the series. In the final chapter of the trilogy, the Reapers have returned in force, and have begun their purge of the galaxy, attacking the human homeworld of Earth. During this attack Commander Shepard is on Earth and forced to flee. After fleeing Earth Commander Shepard must race against time to rally the advanced races of the galaxy to make one final stand, not only to save Earth, but also to break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. Casey Hudson stated in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show that Mass Effect 3 will complete the story arc of Commander Shepard, and will pull in over 1,000 variables from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 to shape how players experience the final chapter. The first official trailer was unveiled on December 11 during the Spike TV Video Game Awards show.

Spin-off

• Mass Effect Galaxy (2009): This is backstory set between the events of Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 and exclusively on the iOS platform. The story is focused around two characters who appear as squad members in Mass Effect 2: Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson. When the passenger liner Arcturian Jade is attacked by Batarian raiders with Jacob on it, he takes on the task of defending the ship. After safely arriving at their destination on the Citadel, Jacob's former CO contacts him about an undercover Alliance operation in the Nemean Abyss to investigate the Batarians increasingly aggressive activities.

Adaptations

Novels

• Mass Effect: Revelation (2007): The first novel based on Mass Effect, the plot is centered around then-Lieutenant David Anderson and tells the story of how he came to know Saren. It expands on the history of the Mass Effect universe and reveals in detail how Anderson failed to become the first human Spectre.
• Mass Effect: Ascension (2008): The second novel based on Mass Effect, the plot centers around protagonist Paul Grayson, a member of Cerberus, who is in charge of raising a biotic girl named Gillian. It is set approximately two months after the ending events of the first game.
• Mass Effect: Retribution (2010): On July 27, 2010, Bioware released the third Mass Effect novel by Drew Karpyshyn, a sequel to Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect: Ascension.
• Mass Effect: Deception (2012): The fourth Mass Effect novel, it centers on Gillian Grayson. The first book in the series to be written by William C. Dietz. The novel's story is: Gillian was once the subject of horrifying scientific experiments, but now, after her rescue, she is beginning to master her amazing powers. When she falls under the sway of a radical group who believe their powers make them superior to ordinary humans, she finds herself faced with a choice between her destiny and her humanity.

Comics

Writer Mac Walters in front of a Mass Effect poster at the Dark Horse Comics booth at the 2011 New York Comic Con.

• Mass Effect: Redemption is a four-part comic book mini-series that was released between January and April 2010. The story, which revolves around Liara T'Soni, is set in the interim period between the prologue and main storyline of Mass Effect 2, and is related to the downloadable content "Lair of the Shadow Broker" that was released for the game.
• Mass Effect: Incursion is an eight-page mini-comic that follows Aria T'Loak's encounter with the Collectors one week prior to the opening events of Mass Effect 2. The events of Incursion link into the events of the comic mini-series Mass Effect: Redemption. It was made available on June 21, 2010 through IGN.
• Mass Effect: Inquisition is a short 8 page comic released on October 25, 2010, through USA Today. Taking place after Mass Effect 2, the plot revolves around Captain Armando Bailey and his investigation of Executor Pallin and allegations of corruption within C-Sec.
• Mass Effect: Evolution is a four-part comic book mini-series. The first issue was released in January 2011. The story focuses on the origin of the Illusive Man, whose real name is revealed to be Jack Harper, and is set during the First Contact War, shortly after the discovery of the Mass Relays.
• Mass Effect: Invasion is a four part comic book mini series that will be released between October 2011 and January 2012. It follows Aria T'Loak, Pirate Queen of Omega as her station comes under attack from a new threat unleashed by the human-survivalist organization Cerberus.

Film

On May 24, 2010, EA announced that Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. acquired the rights to a Mass Effect film, with Mass Effect's executive producer Casey Hudson as well as Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck from BioWare serving as the movie's executive producers. Legendary Pictures plans to produce the film with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Avi Arad. The producers are in negotiations with screenwriter Mark Protosevich about penning the script. In a Q&A Posted on Legendary Pictures website, Legendary Pictures has confirmed that the storyline to the Mass Effect movie will follow the storyline of the first Mass Effect.

Anime

On April 7, 2011, EA announced that anime distributor Funimation Entertainment and Japanese studio T.O Entertainment will produce an anime film adaptation based on the series. The film will be released in the summer of 2012.

Characters

Main game series characters

Main article: List of characters in the Mass Effect universe

Note: Some characters may or may not appear in Mass Effect 3, depending on their fate in the previous games. Some of the characters in Mass Effect 2 only appear if the player has installed the relevant DLC.

Character	Game
	Mass Effect	Mass Effect 2	Mass Effect 3
Commander Shepard	Mark Meer (Male) Jennifer Hale (Female)
Jeff "Joker" Moreau	Seth Green
Liara T'Soni	Ali Hillis
David Anderson	Keith David
Ashley Williams	Kimberly Brooks
Kaidan Alenko	Raphael Sbarge
Garrus Vakarian / Archangel	Brandon Keener
Tali'Zorah vas Normandy/nar Rayya	Liz Sroka
Urdnot Wrex	Steve Barr
Ambassador Donnel Udina	Bill Ratner
Doctor Chakwas	Carolyn Seymour
Navigator Pressly	Dwight Schultz
Admiral Steven Hackett	Lance Henriksen
Councilor Tevos	Jan Alexandra Smith
Salarian Councilor	Armin Shimerman
Turian Councilor	Alastair Duncan
Conrad Verner	Jeff Page
Saren Arterius	Fred Tatasciore
Matriarch Benezia	Marina Sirtis
Sovereign	Peter Jessop
The Illusive Man		Martin Sheen
Miranda Lawson		Yvonne Strahovski
Jacob Taylor		Adam Lazarre-White
Mordin Solus		Michael Beattie
Jack / Subject Zero		Courtenay Taylor
Grunt		Steven Blum
Thane Krios		Keythe Farley
Legion		D.C. Douglas
Samara		Maggie Baird
Morinth		Natalia Cigliuti
Zaeed Massani		Robin Sachs
Kasumi Goto		Kym Hoy
EDI		Tricia Helfer
Yeoman Kelly Chambers		Cara Pifko
Aria T'Loak		Carrie-Anne Moss
Gatatog Uvenk		Michael Dorn
Kal'Reegar		Adam Baldwin
Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay		Shoreh Aghdashloo
Harbinger		Keith Szarabajka
The Shadow Broker		Steven Blum
James Vega			TBA
Kai Leng			TBA

Spin-off game series characters

Character	Game
	Mass Effect Galaxy
Jacob Taylor	Appeared
Miranda Lawson	Appeared
Jath'Amon	Appeared
Derek Izunami	Appeared
Nax	Appeared
Batha	Appeared
Clint "Black Eye" Darragh	Appeared
Illo Nazario	Appeared

Novel/comic series characters

Character	Novel/Comic
	Mass Effect: Revelation	Mass Effect: Ascension	Mass Effect: Redemption	Mass Effect: Retribution	Mass Effect: Evolution	Mass Effect: Conviction	Mass Effect: Invasion	Mass Effect: Deception
Illusive Man / Jack Harper		Appeared					Appeared
Kahlee Sanders	Appeared			Appeared				Appeared
David Anderson	Appeared	Mentioned		Appeared				Appeared
Saren Arterius	Appeared	Mentioned		Mentioned	Appeared
Paul Grayson		Appeared		Appeared				Mentioned
Hendel Mitra		Appeared		Mentioned
Gillian Grayson		Appeared		Mentioned				Appeared
Kai Leng				Appeared
Commander Shepard		Mentioned
Aria T'Loak			Appeared				Appeared
Liara T'Soni			Appeared
Feron			Appeared
Shadow Broker			Appeared
Miranda Lawson			Appeared
Tazzik			Appeared
Harbinger			Appeared
Eva Coré					Appeared
General Williams					Appeared
Desolas Arterius					Appeared
Ben Hislop					Appeared

External links

• Mass Effect official website
• The Mass Effect Wiki, an external wiki
• The Mass Effect: Inquisition comic at USA Today