Such Sweet Sorrow

Someone famous once said, “parting is such sweet sorrow”. I think it was Claire Danes in that movie where they all had guns, but kept referring to the guns as swords, even though they were clearly guns.

I’m guessing Dicaprio made the error first, and that the other cast members played along out of charity. If George Lucas had directed that film, he would have use CGI to super-impose swords in post production. He’d probably have thrown a bantha in there somewhere, too. He’s thorough like that.

But I digress.

I’ve been playing through Mass Effect again. Walking the deck of the Normandy; exploring the Citadel; hopping from world to world in pursuit of Saren and the Geth threat. This is the third time I’ve accepted the mission. The narrative unfolds as it has before. Characters arrive onscreen, stating their purpose and addressing Shepard as an unknown quantity. As each face appears, I smile from behind my viewscreen. These constructs have no memory of our shared history. They have been reset and reactivated just as they have been on countless consoles the world over.

I remember. I know where we’ve been and what we’ve done. I also know where we’re going, and therein lies the reason for our reunion.

Mass Effect 3 is released in a little under two months. The imminent arrival of the third and final part of Commander Shepard’s mission has been a source of great excitement to me, as I’m sure it has been to other ME devotees. We’ve been waiting a long time to see the fight through to the end, and now that end is within sight.

I am not concerned with potential disappointment. Despite the tweaks Bioware made to the formula for the second instalment, I felt immediately at home within its virtual walls. There are things I would have kept from the first game that were omitted from the second outing (planetary exploration), and things I would have lost (slightly daffy end boss).

But these are minor niggles at worst. I enjoyed the second chapter hugely, and I expect I will enjoy the third, whatever adjustments the developers may have made. My concern, and the catalyst for these words, is the fact that this saga is now at an end. This will be the last time I reunite with those characters, those familiar faces, and set about a common purpose.

The franchise will live on, of course. I have no doubt there will be more Mass Effect games, more stories set within that universe. Perhaps a brand new saga is already prepped, waiting impatiently in the wings to take to the stage and dazzle audiences with its brilliance. Perhaps Bioware will lead Mass Effect down the same path its lead Star Wars property (and Mass Effect progenitor) Knights of the Old Republic, resulting in a story-driven MMO.

I’m not sure what the future holds for the franchise, and at this point I don’t much care. We’ve all been waiting a long time to step back into the fray, and that moment is nearly upon us. But the moment I spin that disc and those familiar faces blink into view, I know I’m one step closer to saying goodbye. It’s a curious feeling, one I haven’t felt for any other game series of this generation. Despite its melancholy trappings, I’m glad the feeling is there. It’s nice to like something so much that its absence troubles you. It happens all too rarely.

I will remember Mass Effect as the game that saw me through the 7th console generation, the game that reminded me why I enjoy this rapidly mainstreaming hobby of ours. And, although I’ll  be sad to see the docking bay doors close on the Normandy and her crew, I’m incredibly glad I got to see them open for the first time.