Poll: Mass Effect or the original Star Wars trilogy?

[not a mexican]

I have tons of love for the sci fi/fantasy genre and was born a huge Star Wars fan, but recently I just finished a playthrough of Mass Effect 1 & 2, finding myself in sheer awe of the level of detail that went into it. So tell me, fellow Escapists, do you prefer the Mass Effect universe, or the Star Wars universe?

 

[smearyllama]

I've never played a Mass Effect game (I hope too, though), but I really like Star Wars...

 

[RaNDM G]

New Hope and Empire are infinitely better tales than any fantasy/science fiction film or game. That being said, I get the feeling ME 3 will definitely have a bigger impact than Return of the Jedi did.

But still, 2 > 1. Star Wars wins.

 

[taciturnCandid]

Two different kinds of stories. I like them each in their own way. But at the end of the day.. it is Dr. Who for me

 

[gee666]

Damn if you were to ask this pre Phantom then it would be no contest

But i think the work Bio ware have put into creating a over reaching CONSISTANT ark swings it their way, i guess if they made a ME movie an kept it true to the story (though how with all the pathing never mind fem shep stuff) then it might just be a case of george who?

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Mass Effect feels more science fiction than Star Wars, which is like Science Fantasy. I like them both for different reasons.

 

[Gigatoast]

MASS EFFECT! I know I'm in the minority here but I seriously don't have the same love for Star Wars. Maybe it's my inner hipster, or maybe it's because in Star Wars all the aliens are either muppets, gargle all their lines, or are 200 pound mudskippers with an affinity for traps.

 

[Nyce1]

The Original Star Wars spawned/inspired story lines like Mass Effect. Hard not like the original Star Wars IP that started a whole new generation of awesome Sci-Fi

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I have tons of love for the sci fi/fantasy genre and was born a huge Star Wars fan, but recently I just finished a playthrough of Mass Effect 1 & 2, finding myself in sheer awe of the level of detail that went into it. So tell me, fellow Escapists, do you prefer the Mass Effect universe, or the Star Wars universe?

See, personally, I find the Star Wars universe awful. The original movies were all right in a cheesy 70s/80s sci-fi sort of way, but honestly everything else (with one exception) is pretty crappy, IMO. The more they tried to explain and expand the universe, the stupider it got. The prequels are great examples of more information ruining an already ho-hum product.

KOTOR is the exception. And it was a great game weighed down by all the annoying Star Wars stuff it had to drag along with it.

Mass Effect is KOTOR - Starwars, and that's why I love it - all the best of KOTOR without any annoying Star Wars to make it lame and non-sensical. And you can sort of tell that - Mass Effect very pointedly corrects several of science-fails of the Star Wars universe (only to go on and make several brand new science-fails, but hey, at least they're subtler in Mass Effect).

Anyway, Mass Effect all the way. If I want cheesy nostalga with good actors, I'll watch the original trilogy. If I want good sci fi... I'll watch Babylon 5, Farscape, or Doctor Who. Or I'll play Mass Effect, the best sci-fi video game series I have ever played, hands down.

 

[Anti-Robot Man]

The core of the Mass Effect franchise, the games, I love. The other material: comics, books and the shoddy second dlc from the first game is of a significantly lower standard.

I'm also very fond of the Star Wars universe, and beyond the fantastic films there's some great material in the expanded universe (including more than one of my favourite games TIE Fighter, KotOR). Of course there's thousands of times the material in the SW universe and a lot of it is also very poor.

Given just how much I enjoy the ME games, I give the edge to them for now, I'm eagerly awaiting ME3 whereas I care little if at all for more Star Wars material right now (though I must admit I will be buying the Blu-Ray set).

 

[infohippie]

I'm a fan of both, but I like the Mass Effect universe more. It has a similar feel to Star Wars, but it does feel a bit more "real". Maybe it's because their technobabble sounds more plausible. Maybe it's because ME seems to have more nuanced personalities. Maybe it's just because Asari are sexier than Twi'lek. I dunno, it just works better in my mind.

Actually, I think it might be just because Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a ***** in space.

 

[Ladette]

I'm not a fan of the Star Wars universe, or any of the movies for that matter. Outside of KOTOR 1&2 and Republic Commando I could care less for Star Wars. As others have said, the universe feels pretty weak once they start explaining things.

I read every Codex in Mass Effect 1&2, so the choice is clear.

 

[The Rookie Gamer]

I like both in different ways.

That is SO what she said. I'm sorry, but you really set yourself up.

OT: I like Mass Effect for its more visceral feel. Seems like much more is at stake.

 

[GodofCider]

Mass Effects story is better.

 

[uc.asc]

The original trilogy is a great story, but I have a problem with the universe as I feel that it doesn't hold together as well outside the main story. Compare it to the matrix -- the first matrix and the original star wars trilogy were perfect stories, but once you move outside the plot and start trying to explain how and why the politics and technology work the way they do, they don't stand up as well; the universe is weak. Star wars also hasn't aged especially well culturally, with 80s hair, highly traditional gender roles and approximately 2 female characters who have lines (See: Bechdel test [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheBechdelTest].

The ME universe feels more solid to me; they could set many stories of different types there without having to retcon anything, and I don't feel that being able to explore it more would affect my perception of the games in a negative way.

 

[New York Patrick]

Neither.

Because I'm a leaf on the wind...

[EDIT: Alright... fine... I'd go with Mass Effect if I had to pick one of the two, because in 2 games they have managed to develop more logically sound universe than what George Lucas and Co. have done in 1 livetime... with LESS PLOTHOLES...]

 

[RaNDM G]

Serenity reference. Nicely done, Patrick.

 

[aaronobst]

40k would win

Buuuu Buuut the force!