Video games have a lot of very interesting mechanics. One of my favorite mechanics is when a game has a continuing series, and the actual choices you make carry on into the next one. Possibly one of the most popular examples of this is Mass Effect. Mass Effect is a neat game based in space, where you are the hero(as usual), trying to save the world from different threats at different times. For anyone who may consider playing the games, this article may contain spoilers.
As it stands, three of those four are versions in which your choices will affect all three games, one through three. Mass Effect One has choices that will affect Mass Effect Two AND Mass Effect Three, which is really interesting in my eyes. ME2 also has major choices that will affect ME3. When I say choices affect the games, I don't mean small choices. I mean big enough choices that you can even eventually wipe out an entire race. An even more intriguing part of this choice mechanic, is the fact that these actions don't just go without consequences. The mechanics that work with the choices have what are called “Paragon” and “Renegade” weights to them. Paragon, as you can imagine, is the good side, whereas renegade is the bad side.
The paragon and renegade actions affect who you become as a person in the game. If you lean more towards paragon, by doing more paragon actions, like choosing to save the Rachni Queen (therefore saving the race you could potentially wipe out), it makes you a better person, and eventually unlocks specifically paragon actions, like being able to save one of your party members who gets super upset with a choice you’ve made. It’s the same for renegade, except doing a renegade based playthrough unlock renegade actions, like condemning the Quarian race to death. Either way you choose to play, you will occasionally get actions that interject scenes and will affect your paragon/renegade levels. For example, there is a reporter that is saying some rather obnoxious things while interviewing you, and you can deal with it, or while she is in the midst of the interview, you can choose to stop the interview…..by clocking her in the face. Obviously, this isn’t exactly a kind thing to do, so once the scene ends, you see that you have gained a certain amount of renegade.
Since you can be either good or evil, one might decide that they will try to balance the two. If you do that, and consistently play both good and evil, making the simple decisions at every turn, and not being overly kind, or not being too evil, you will end up unable to make karma checks, in the important times you need them, because you will not have enough paragon OR renegade to make the choice, so you’ll end up having to make the neutral decision. That choice is not exactly ever ideal. For example, you have a party member who you need to save from being exiled, and if you have enough paragon or renegade, you can convince their council to pardon the party member, Tali, and keep her from disliking you. If you don’t, you can not exonerate her, and she ends up being exiled and almost hating you for ot, even though she eventually lets it go. These choices will carry with you throughout all of the games. Including your paragon and renegade levels.
Mechanics like this are ones that make a game outstanding. It makes you actually consider what you’re doing, and make you wonder how this might affect the future of the game, which is almost like actually living another life. Your choices that you have made do not just go away, they stick with you throughout the playthrough.
