KnockBack, Episode 124: Mass Effect (Patreon)

When Mass Effect launched on Xbox 360 in 2007, it promised to be not only one of the most ambitious RPGs of all time, but the entry point to one of the most ambitious gaming trilogies ever. Designed as three games from the get-go, the original Mass Effect propelled Commander Shepard and his team into the galactic intrigue that would engulf the games-long story, but it also ended up doing something even crazier: Allowing subsequent iterations to read your previous games' saves, essentially crafting an agency-driven IP that still hasn't been replicated with any equivalent success. But this episode of KnockBack is dedicated to the very first game -- Mass Effect itself -- BioWare's influential and memorable foray into the world of third-person shooter RPGs. So hone your biotics, gather your Element Zero, and jump through the nearest Mass Relay. We'll see you on the other side.