You get all of this dump, like "Oh, there's so much to this world! There's so many things that I'm learning about, and I'm learning about the different conflicts, and the different relationships, the genophage, the First Contact War between the Turians and the Humans, there's so much to dig into there."Certainly, I've always enjoyed how Mass Effect opens. I've certainly replayed the beginning enough times, thanks to new runs started and never finished. But after hearing this quote, and recently starting yet another new playthrough of the game in honor of the new game coming out, I started to realize just how perfect the opening of Mass Effect is. It sets the exact right tone, and the exact right expectations, for the game to follow.
The game opens with characters discussing your Shepard, specifically mentioning some backstory details you pick during character creation. The very first thing the game does is take a moment to reiterate what your character has done, and how some view them already. I feel it should be noted your characters ability in combat is never mentioned, only where they're from, and what they've accomplished.
After this, you get a brief cutscene of your spaceship, the Normandy, cruising through space, before the game cuts to...dialog! The very first interactive aspect of the game is a dialog option, and immediately you can start fleshing out what kind of character your Shepard is. When someone questions an authority's action, do they agree if it seems suspicious or not acknowledge it? Do they stay professional at all times, or do they relax when the situation allows for it? One of the first things the game does is allow you to decide what kind of person your character is. You keep getting to determine what kind of character your Shepard is, as well; You're asked to meet with the captain of the ship, and on your way, there are several conversations you can have with a variety of characters on the ship. When you finally get to the captain, there's a lengthy segment of dialog, focused on setting up the story of the game and the lore of the universe. Once the game has set up a situation which will finally start some combat, and the game...gives you a little more talking!
Eventually, the first combat segment begins. Your crew jumps off the ship into an attacked colony filled with violent robots, but even here the focus is on speaking. Between almost every battle, there's a dialog tree: How do you handle a squad mate dying? How do you treat a soldier who's managed to survive a pretty rough situation? What about the civilians who did the same? It's your first introduction to what many would call the "real gameplay" of Mass Effect, but even here the game is clearly more interested in its writing and story than in its fighting.
After this segment, you're taken to the main hub, so to speak, of the game: The Citadel, a massive space station, and here the game really starts to show off its true colors. Very quickly, the game starts showing off more of the world the writers crafted, specifically the varied alien species. There are monotone and looming Elcor, small and wheezing Volus, tall and lanky Salarians, and a host of other aliens you can interact with and learn about. Among all of this, the game starts giving you a variety of side quests you can perform throughout the Citadel. They're all heavy on story, but have no combat. You can help a consort stop a war veteran from spreading lies, or try to convince a civilian working undercover with the police that their work is dangerous, or trace an odd money wire to an errant AI, but you never get into gunfights with any of them. It's all about experiencing these many varied stories.
If you decide to focus on getting through the main story at this point, to get to the "real game," there is some fighting...eventually. Once or twice. But it's not combat because "oh, we need some fighting here," it exists to show how dangerous the situation you're in at that moment. You take down a crime kingpin, who points you towards a witness who is both integral to your goals and in danger, so you go and save them. Two fights, within 5 minutes of each other, which only exist because it made sense in the story. And again, these segments exist to allow for character development: How do you react when a party member, who said they'd kill the crime kingpin once he was cornered, makes good on their word? When you rescue the witness, is your first concern their safety or the information they have?
In the end, this whole segment frames what Mass Effect's focus is wonderfully. It's not about combat, it's not about your abilities in a firefight, it's not about how powerful your guns are. It's about your character, your Shepard, and how they choose to interact with the world. Some may complain that the opening is "too slow" or "plodding," but what do they expect? It's the start of the story. Better to give it time to breath than force it to be something it isn't.
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