Mass Effect Deception

What the actual. I got this book from the library, because i'm obsessed with Mass Effect. It was awful. A reasonably okay storyline but with filler and poor writing that had me itching to get out a black marker pen (last time I had this was when I read Shelters of Stone. I now pretend that book wasn't written).

Rubbish fan fiction with little to recommend it. The prose was bad, Anderson acted out of character, it was moralistic, which is pretty out of tune with the Mass Effect morality (which is either pragmatic or somewhat Old Testament). A kid murders a guy who kills his girlfriend and Kahlee & Anderson are all 'tut tut, naughty boy' about it. Yeah... because Anderson and Shepard neer kill anyone, and certainly not for reenge (Kai Leng, for example, one of the most satisfying kills in any game I'e eer played).

I'm not the only one - Penny Arcade lampooned it -

And fans more dedicated than I compiled a Google doc about the errors in Mass Effect Deception.

My Favourites:

• Quarians don't wear Environ suits.
• A homosexual character is suddenly a heterosexual character.
• Kai Leng (an extreme racist) is shown flirting with aliens. 
• Singularity makes people explode.
• Cerberus have a PR department.
• After breaking into Anderson's apartment Kai Leng eats some cereal, then clears up after himself. It just made no sense. 

The author engages in a lot of 'Telling Not Showing' - a rookie mistake that would get you marked down in a creative writing course. If I had submitted this during my degree my professor would have called me in for a word.

It feels like Dietz tossed this off (pun intended) in an afternoon. While chugging beer. And watching the football.

Liberal Bioware

Great, humourus take on the religious right's fury at Mass Effect:

"They allow same-sex romance and preach multinational cooperation as the "good" methodology, and the one that asserts your own military muscle/divine mandate while saying f-you to the rest of the diplomatic community is the "bad" methodology. The wholesome conservative family values woman (Ash) onboard is portrayed as a racist, religious bitch, and the bisexual liberal (Kaidan) is a calm, mild-mannered gentleman. They prop up false gods like "Athame" and "Kalahira" and make no mandate for the player to stop and worship the one true God of Earth. And most importantly, they not only let you sleep outside your species, they wrote the alien romances to be more favorable, when they should have had only human options as God intended. What part of this series isn't left-wing propaganda? Not that I don't love every minute of it (save the last ten). lol :D"

Leviathon ME3

Got Mass Effect 3's Leviathon yesterday...


SPOILERS UNDER CUT

10 Reasons We Hate Mass Effect 3's Ending

Mass Effect 3....oh.

From The Escapist Magazine

Okay I hate to say it but I'm agreeing with all the other fans. Most of the game was brilliant. The little cameos, the goodbyes, 99% of the storyline. But apparently all but one of the writers were locked out of production for the ending and it bloody shows. I went with Synthesis as it seemed the most humane and keeps the most people alive. Then I started thinking, oh I just indoctrinated everyone. I thought about destruction of the reapers, which means destroying the Geth and EDI, who are sentient beings... a genocide that would no doubt perpetuate the cycle of rise / fall, creator / destroyer, slave /master. Yet it's supposed to be the 'perfect' ending and the one where Shephard wakes and takes a breath. Control was ridiculous, and not to be considered.

None of the endings worked for me. The game as a whole was wonderful, the ending made me sob. But while I said I was not dis-satisfied, I am now, after reflection. I feel a little cheated, same as I did when I read the appallingly awful conclusion to the Cave Bear series, which has made me want to donate the other books in the series.

ME3 and Fry

Garrus Arrow to the Knee

Mass Effect 3

Powering through my first playthrough. I think i'm near the end, and I may restart.

Spoilers After the Cut