The Mass Effect franchise gave gamers a space opera game like no other. It combined the greatest elements of third-person shooters and action role-playing games, delivering one heck of a story. It’s greatest strength (aside from the third one) was its emphasis on the player’s choices directly affecting the outcome. This means whatever actions and decisions the player’s made in one game carried over to the next. No matter what choices were made, all the games had a consecutive flow to them. Did it pay off in the end? Many fans, including myself, would disagree. The most recent inclusion of Andromeda didn’t seem to pay off either, but since I didn’t play that one, I won’t be going in to it. The franchise may not be perfect, but as a gamer, I’m more than happy it came to be. However, I’m also wondering where it should go from here.
Another Mass Effect game would be the ideal choice, but I think a more unexpected approach would be more interesting. Could a Mass Effect movie possibly work? The optimist in me would say yes, but then again, I always remember video game movies. They have a tendency to fail and break the hearts of gamers. That’s not what we want for a fantastic game like Mass Effect, but that doesn’t mean an on-screen adaptation can’t work. Sure, video games and movies are normally not a great combination, but what about television? If we’re going to go that route, it’ll be hard to not talk about the success of The Witcher series on Netflix.
The Witcher debuted a year ago on Netflix, with Henry Cavill playing the role of Geralt of Rivia. Now I’ll confess, I never played the Witcher games, which is pretty ironic, considering I’m an avid gamer. However, I am a huge fan of the fantasy genre and the show displays it in a different kind of light. It blended fantasy with horror, suspense, and even had a serial drama vibe to it. It was a vastly entertaining show, and it seems the story will continue. Netflix has renewed it for a second season and this is better news than we all think.
The success of The Witcher show proves that big video games can transition better to television, rather than Hollywood blockbusters. Why is this? Well, for starters, let’s look at what kind of game The Witcher is. Similar to Mass Effect, The Witcher games are action role-playing games. Their strengths relied on real-time combat and the consequences players had to face based on their choices. Both games made for a unique experience that required the players to spend A LOT of playing time to explore every route. The ridiculous amount of side quests and large open-world to explore is what made The Witcher so much fun. While Mass Effect didn’t exactly have the open-world aspect, it did allow players to literally travel the galaxy. There was just so much to do in both games, it’s almost insane.
That’s exactly why The Witcher worked as a TV show. The game just has so much content, it can be explored in a long-running show. Cramming all the lore in one movie would’ve been a bad idea and we’ve seen it happen (World of Warcraft, looking at you). One of the benefits of a show is that it gives the content the opportunity to expand and grow farther than it can in a movie. It takes time to set up that world building and that’s time movies just can’t give. Since role-playing games are all about expansion and an overabundance of content, a game like Mass Effect would be the perfect choice for a TV adaptation.
Much like The Witcher, Mass Effect’s overflowing content can be utilized properly in a Netflix show. The biggest difference between the two games is that Mass Effect contains more compelling and a variety of characters that each have their own unique characteristics. Now again, I didn’t play The Witcher games, but I did my homework and watched the show. Geralt is a cool character, but Commander Shepard is something else entirely. What separates Shepard from other video game protagonists is that the character doesn’t even have a set gender. Shepard can either be a man or a woman, emphasizing on that role-playing aspect.
Shepard is the hero of Mass Effect because he/she is a heroic leader. That has always been the character’s defining trait. A show can make Shepard a man or a woman, because it ultimately doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Shepard just needs to be inspirational, brave, and willing to lead anyone. Players will be familiar with the Paragon and Renegade choices for Shepard’s personality, but that’s the kind of thing a show can exploit in multiple directions.
The biggest advantage Mass Effect has to be utilized for a show is its setting. It’s not a big, fictionalized city in one of the Grand Theft Auto games. Even The Continent, the vast fantasy world of The Witcher, is small next to the universe of Mass Effect. That’s because its setting literally is a new universe filled with different kinds of planets and alien species. It almost sounds like a Star Trek kind of vibe, but the idea behind Mass Effect is different kinds of species coming together. Shepard’s crew does a lot of exploration, but they primarily conduct military operations.
What can Shepard’s crew do if they’re not traveling across space? Well, just take a look at the characters that make up the crew. You have Garrus, an alien that went rogue and became a vigilante that plagued the mercenary groups. Then you have Miranda, the reluctant agent of Cerberus, the human extremist group. Then you also have Legion, a rogue Geth, which is pretty significant, considering his race is one of the most hostile in the Mass Effect universe. There are many characters, but Shepard can interact with them in a variety of ways. The relationships he builds with them would only drive the story forward.
Netflix has become more popular with their original shows, and another one based off a popular video game would be beyond exciting. Mass Effect has the characters, the aliens, and the setting to make for the perfect show on Netflix. Move aside, Star Trek.
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