The leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer has convinced me that BioWare actually did have a confident direction for this game and good reasons for it to exist. It has renewed my appreciation for the power of this IP and the incredible legacy that follows it. - Mass Effect was the first major video game franchise to allow players to carry their exact save file, all of their previous choices included, into the next game. - Mass Effect introduced iconic elements such as the dialogue wheel and mid-scene action prompts (Renegade/Paragon). - Mass Effect invested true AAA production values into both male and female version of Commander Shepard, absolutely changing how female RPG protagonists were depicted and voiced. FemShep is still many people’s favorite version of the character. - Mass Effect bridged old-school tabletop style RPGs and modern cinematic action role-playing, paving the way for games like Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher series, and others to even exist in the first place. (The Witcher 1 was even built on BioWare’s engine) - Mass Effect revolutionized meaningful romance in video games, raising the bar of quality for writing and making it a must have feature for modern RPGs. - Mass Effect proved that video games could handle long-form, multi-entry, franchise stories and characters in a way that rivals TV, books, and film. This is an intellectual property that can’t be left to die, it still has so much left to give and so many more stories to tell in the hands of the right people. Please someone #SaveMassEffect.