I might have severe lingual problems explaining. In Polish this would be easy.
Mass Effect is: boring, linear, bloated, poorly-written, psychologically shallow, without any reasonable, legitimate appearance of having real choice. The "Role-Playing" is reduced to either be a bloated saint, addressing an audience with reportedly pathetic speeches, or being... a bloated saint, addressing an audience with reportedly pathetic speeches, with a little flavor of being an asshole added. The way of leading the story (among many other elements) seem to be a total rip off from KOTOR2, I can even say that ME could be, in my opinion, called a retarded brother of KOTOR2. Getting back to role-playing and plot. Comparing ME to PS:T, for sake of far more brutal comparison: the Mass Effect can't stand a chance in such terms. Oh, you knocked down the oversensitive scientist. Woooooow. You are so damn evil. It's totally not like in PS:T,
where being evil was genuinely heart-ripping experience, after which you felt like a bag of shit for weeks. No matter what you do, you will end up in the same point in plot eventually, your choices rarely seem to feel like having any consequences. Goddammit - I remember choosing one from two dialogue options - and my character saying the other one! Of for fucks sake. And that bullshit wheel, stripping the dialogues of any nuances between options, like for example in Arcanum, where two similar looking options something completely different sometimes, and persuading at some moments required a genuine empathy and thought to be successful.
Oh, and I remember sidequests of Arcanum. Plenty of them. When I say plenty, I mean wicked fuckload. And I mean... etc.
The world of Mass Effect feels dead to me, dead and not entertaining.
Mass Effect's plot is centered around the glorious overlord Herr Shepherd, or whatever was his/hers name saving the whole fucking galaxy, by speaking bloated, pompous speeches, usually being more or less the same, or at least leading to the same point. It's fucking flat as the floor in my room. You may try to reach some cracks, but you'll discovered, disappointed, there are not really developped.
Planescape Torment is centered around the main hero's history, revealing it, with all the consequences, dealing with conscience. And I'll reveal no more. It's extremely personal, focused on several characters, the specific bounds with people following him. Goddammit, so many times I cowered on the floor and wept, due to the emotional overload.
Arcanum... is twisted, and a bit epic. But epic in a very good taste. Yeah, you may point out some points in the story to be visited, so the plot can develop, but... you don't really have to. As a person who had beaten this game eleven times, eleven different ways I CAN tell - the diversity of the approach is astounding. Contrary to Planescape Torment, it takes us all around the continent, forcing us to visit many places and follow the plot. The more we are in the game, the more we discover - the less we know. And as we approach the ending, filled with extremely well written, thought-provoking many times story, the puzzles gathered are slowly falling into places. And the ending... ending twists... No.
I'll say no more.
Leave me.
I'll return to my exile.
I'm nothing...
