Can an space adventure game without space marines and epic save the world quests be good?

[CaptJohnSheridan]

I liked Mass Effect but shooting aliens gets boring. How can an space opera game without the typical space marine stuff be successful?

A sims type game in a Star Trek or Mass Effect type universe? Animal Crossing in space? A dating sim involving a lovable spaceship crew?

 

[Squilookle]

It can be successful by being Star Control II.

 

[sXeth]

You answered your own question and I'm prettysure this threads a fairly recent repeat?

But yeah, sim games, smuggler/trade games, racers, survival, puzzles, exploration/discovery whatevers. Even horror.

Its almost exclusively shooters that do space marine stuff, and RPGs in general (not limited to space) that tend to spiral into save the world plots as a default for some reason.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

It is my long held belief that a game set in Mass Effect universe, but with a small scale personal story, would be absolutely fantastic. But sadly, Bioware is incapable of writing a story that doesn't revolve around the protagonist being some kind of chosen one who must embark on an epic quest to save everything and everyone. Which is really, really stupid when you consider the sheer size of the galaxy and how many people live in it in Mass Effect universe. Bioware could do anything. The galaxy is so freakin' huge, you could make thousands of games that all take place during the same day and have none of the characters from any of those games would ever have to meet with each other.

 

[DarthCoercis]

Try the Space Quest series. Playing a janitor is about as far away from a space marine as you can get in games.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I think the problem is that opera requires alot of conflict to be, well, operatic, and war lends itself very well to gameplay. I mean a space opera filled with the drama of misfiling space taxes wouldn't be fun to play, whereas 'kill the giant space bug' opens up a world of gameplay ideas.

I mean what kind of space opera could you have where war and gunplay aren't central themes, and its still exciting with fun gameplay?

 

[Pseudonym]

Not sure what you are looking for exactly but there are some space strategy games. I've not actually played many of them though. Only Civilization: Beyond Earth which was just a lesser version of Civ V in my opinion. Reportedly its old precurser Alpha Centauri is really good. Stellaris is fairly popular though paradox games might not be your thing. Sins of a solar empire exists...

One interesting pick might be The Last Federation which revolves around you, a massive space hydra, creating a federation in a solar system with nine inhabited planets with different species inhabiting it to prevent them from murdering each other or incorporating one another in an evil empire.

FTL is a roguelike in space with pretty unique combat, though you are going to save a galaxy from an enormous army of rebels.

You might also be interested in Knights of the old republic though those games do feel like precursors to mass effect they have a star wars skin which is kind of its own thing.

If you are into horror you might want to give dead space a try. (not played that either, horror isn't for me)

Kerbal space programme is a physics simulator that has you build space ships.

I also believe that something like Sid Meiers Pirates or Mount and Blade can be made to work in space though I don't know any good examples.