BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk said that "Mass Effect 2" was designed to be the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Mass Effect trilogy, and that assessment sounds like it rang true for at least one high-profile game developer. Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, who recently stormed late-night television to unveil "Gears of War 3," believes BioWare's series will have a similar impact as George Lucas' quintessential blockbuster.
"The thing that was cool was that Mass Effect is kind of an RPG for me, with the cover-based shooting. I think there's a reason why it's been successful. Because gamers love Gears," Bleszinski told Gamasutra. "Here's something that's like Gears, but even has more depth, and a different setting. It's Star Wars for this new generation."
The Star Wars comparison is a tough one to make, though there is definitely a discussion to be had there. As far as the way the first Star Wars movie impacted blockbuster film-making and fandom for a generation and onward, I don't know that you can draw a parallel with the first Mass Effect yet. If anything, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" could be that game, but the whole trilogy model doesn't really stand up in that pairing.
As far as video game trilogies do go, however, BioWare is two thirds of the way to wrapping a compelling bid for the best developed and best executed of all time. With all of the genres out there, games are hard to rank, but but I think the first three Super Mario Bros. titles on NES, the first three Sonic the Hedgehog titles from Sega and "Mass Effect" 1-3 will belong in the conversation once "ME3" finishes up.
Do you think Mass Effect will turn out to be the best game trilogy of all time? Do you think it deserves to be mentioned with Star Wars? Share your own picks and opinions in the comment section below.