So… it’s another Mass Effect post. Some say, “Is he mad?”
Others may say, “Who’s this dude?” As for me, I’ll just say that I’m one random
guy who does what he wants, dang it! I’m back on days, so this is a late post. Anyway,
this should do it for Mass Effect for now. I don’t know when I’ll get to play
the newest game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, but it might be soon. It comes out soon but I barely get games right when they’re released.
I’m almost done with my replay of the trilogy. I have a
couple of missions left. For a while, I started to wonder what my favorite
missions from the trilogy were. A lot of Mass Effect’s missions were
action-oriented. They’d also shake it up at times. Not only did a lot of folk
die, decisions were made that had repercussions as you kept on playing. Here
are my 15 favorite missions from the trilogy. These are the ones that I was
pretty excited on playing again for whatever reason. They’re ones that have everything
from good action to good story.
15. Project Overlord (Mass Effect 2)
“Overlord” was a DLC mission for ME2. You go to a planet
where a Cerberus VI (Virtual Intelligence) has taken over all the technology in
the facilities. The VI is even reactivating inoperable geth in the area. When
you find the project leader, you end up learning that a human mind is behind it
all. It’s a good mission but it does get dull at times since you’re driving
around in the Hammerhead. Towards the end, the story takes a twist as you find
out the truth. The ending is still pretty shocking and messed up today. I won’t
spoil it here though. Let’s just say that you really want to shoot the project
leader at the end.
14. Rite of Passage (Mass Effect 2)
Grunt’s loyalty mission wasn’t like the others. Since he was
genetically engineered, he had no family. He still had the primal urges of a
krogan and that began to mess with him. They go to Tuchunka and it turns out
he’s sick. In order to balance himself, Grunt must undergo a rite of passage
and face a craptton of insects and even a thrasher maw. It’s pretty fun
overall. You even get to face a krogan who sounds a lot like a Klingon by the
name of Worf. It may not have deep introspection, but it does pack a lot of
punches.
13. The Adart-Yakshi (Mass Effect 2)
Most of the missions from ME2 were loyalty missions and some
of them revolved around the companions’ families. While most like Miranda’s and
Thane’s were okay, Samara’s stood out to me for a few reasons. In the mission,
she wants to track down her daughter, Morinth, who is an Ardat-Yakshi. Let’s
just say that while most Ardat-Yakshis are fine, Morinth is one of the bad ones
and she’s killed many people. Samara tracked her down to Omega. In order to
lure her out, you get to play as bait. It’s such a weird mission and it’s one
that doesn’t involve any gunplay. At the end, you even get a chance to get
Morinth on your team if you’re really that messed up in the head. It’s a weird
mission to find one weird asari.
12. Dossier: Archangel (Mass Effect 2)
In ME2, you have to go around space in order to recruit your
companions. One of these companions was a vigilante who went by the codename of
Archangel. Considering it’s a turian, you can only guess who he is. I’ll just
say that he is my favorite companion. During the mission you have to fight
through legions of gangs who want Archangel’s head. It even gets pretty
challenging at some points. It was
definitely a mission that brought the fun.
11. Leviathan (Mass Effect 3)
Leviathan was another DLC for MS3 and one that really should
have been in the game proper. It’s part- mystery and part-shooting range. You
find out about reports of a weapon out in space that can take on the Reapers.
As you learn more and more, you find out that it may also be a Reaper or a
rogue one. All of your searches and research take you to a planet where you
find out some pretty shocking things. It’s a nice mission for a couple of
reasons. It’s one of the only missions that centers on the Reapers themselves.
Plus, it even makes the ending (which most folk don’t like) make some sense.
It’s also a one tough one to beat, so be ready.
10. Old Blood (Mass Effect 2)
Unlike most companions, Mordin Solus’s mission revolved
around heading to Tuchunka and finding Maelon, a young colleague who’d been
kidnapped by the Blood Pack. On the mission, we find out that Maelon has been
conducting experiments on krogans in order to cure the genophage, a disease
that was created by the salarians in order to stop the Krogan Rebellions over a
millennia ago. It basically made the krogan infertile and kept their numbers
down. Not only is this a good mission to blast some of the Blood Pack, we find
out a lot about the genophage and Mordin’s guilt about the disease. It was this
mission (and other conversations) that made me think that Mordin was one cool
dude.
9. Priority: Earth (Mass Effect 3)
This is the final battle on Earth and it’s pretty much the
last level of the game. You make it back to Earth and face Reaper forces on the
ground in London. You go up against all of the assimilated enemies you’ve faced
throughout the game from Husks to those freaky-looking Banshees. Afterwards,
you get to the pretty controversial ending. While this mission isn’t the best
final mission, it’s still a good one. You get to put on an epic fight with the
Reapers, you get to say farewell to your companions, and you get to change the
scope of the galaxy for good or bad.
8. Noveria (Mass Effect 1)
On Noveria, you track down Matriarch Benezia (aka “Matriarch
Hotness”) as she is playing with experimentation. She’s trying to bring back
the rachni, a group of intelligent insects-like aliens (more or less) that
waged war centuries ago. They’re the reason why the krogan were made cannon
fodder by the salarians and why the krogan eventually became a problem. The ME
universe is full of problems, ain’t it? Fighting the rachni and geth here is
pretty tough as well as creepy especially when the rachni are involved. Benezia
is another matter. She and her squad of fighters are pretty challenging even on
a low difficulty. You also have the choice to commit genocide by killing the
rachni queen.
7. Priority: Rannoch (Mass Effect 3)
This is another mission from Mass Effect 3 that brings an
end to a long conflict: the quorian/geth war. Basically, the quorians decide to
take back their homeworld from the geth and all heck breaks loose. Since the
Reapers are involved, it’s up to you to possibly save both groups. The fighting
itself is cool and pretty challenging especially when you go up against a few
Geth Primes… ugh. Then, top it all off with a battle against a Reaper… sort of.
Also, you get the choice of either destroying the geth or allowing Legion (or
his double) to upload a virus that’ll save the geth. Either way, tears may be
shed. It definitely pulls on the heartstrings whichever way you go here.
6. Treason (Mass Effect 2)
This loyalty mission was Tali’s and it revolves around her
being accused of treason by the quorians for sending active Geth stuff back to
their fleet. Tali knows she didn’t do this. The situation is made worse when it
turns out that those geth have taken over a ship where Tali’s father is
stationed at. It’s a mission that’s part-Matlock and part-Star Trek: First
Contact. We also find out more about the quorians and how they operate out in
space. It’s a mission full of speechify-ing, sadness, and some dead geth.
5. Shore Leave (Mass Effect 3)
Citadel was part of a DLC made for MS3. The whole mission
has you and your companions on shore leave. Instead of enjoying yourself, you
get embroiled in a fight with your clone. Yeah, the story for this mission is a
little too on the nose especially with how the companions act. Still, it’s a
fun mission that has one pretty tough battle against your clone. Dang, I didn’t
know I was that good! It also has an added bonus after the mission ends: more
time to spend with your companions. Even former companions from previous games
(living ones, anyway) come back for one more good time before all hell breaks
loose with Cerberus and Earth. By the way, save this mission for the end before
you chase after Cerberus. That way, you can get everyone in on the fun.
4. Ilos/Final Battle (Mass Effect 1)
This is pretty much the final mission from the first game.
It’s split up into two parts. On Ilos, you find Saren and his forces have
amassed here. You ultimately find out
why Saren came to Ilos and that the Citadel is key to Sovereign winning. Not
only is it a cool mission where the MAKO is actually cool to ride in,
it’s also got some good music that sounds like it came from
The Terminator. The second
part of the mission brings you to the Citadel where you have to fight through
legions of geth and beat Saren. You get to fight in space (sort of) and Saren
is one tough sucka to beat. Overall, it’s not the best final level ever, but
it’s still cool to me.
3. Priority: Tuchunka (Mass Effect 3)
In Mass Effect 3, you’ll have to do certain things for races
in order to get them to help you with Earth. One of those things is ending the
genophage. While genetic engineering isn’t one of Shepard’s strong suits, there
are certain salarians that will help you get this done. Unfortunately, you have
to deal with a Reaper literally blocking your way. Luckily, you’ll get some
help from one big thrasher maw. You also have the choice in making sure the
genophage continues. The mission is awesome for a lot of reasons. Not only do
you get to help end (or continue) the genophage, you get to (possibly) team up
with some former companions. Plus, that fight between the thrasher maw and the
Reaper is awesome.
2. Virmire (Mass Effect 1)
Obviously, Virmire is up here for a few reasons. It’s pretty
much the turning point of the first game. It’s also where I got invested in the Mass
Effect universe. A lot of stuff happens in this mission. You personally go up
against Saren for the first time. Krogans are also being created to be nothing
but mindless soldiers. You find out what Sovereign truly is. You also have the
potential to lose not only one, but two, squad mates. Top all of that off with
Virmire being a really good-looking place to shoot up geth. This was another
area where the MAKO seemed pretty cool and did its job by running over geth. It’s
one where you really have to make the big decisions.
1. Use the Omega-4 Relay (Mass Effect 2)
There are a lot of reasons the suicide mission against the
Collectors is number one. Pretty much everything goes into that final mission.
All the decisions you’ve made go into how it plays out. You could get out with
a few scrapes or you could lose your whole team. It’s all up to how you play
the game. You fight through legions of Collectors in order to save the day.
While the final boss itself (a human Reaper) was a little weird, beating that
thing was a bit of a challenge. It’s a final level that I can honestly say is
one of the best final levels in a video game.
.................................................................................
Well, that’s where I cut this ME love off for now. As I said
before, I don’t know when I’ll get to play ME: Andromeda. I actually don’t have
anything good to play it on yet. Plus, even if I did have something, I’m
probably going to be catching up on some games anyway. I will talk about it someday
though. Here’s hoping that it is worth talking about. Well, I’m out. Peace, God
Bless, and remember to do this one thing... Hold The Line!
