Broken Frontier

Even those unfamiliar with the hugely successful video game series will find something to like here.

A brief introduction by Executive Producer Casey Hudson and Art Director Derek Watts kicks things off, while BioWare staff provide useful commentary throughout.

The price may deter some people, but these deluxe, coffee table art books are usually worth the price, and this one certainly is. 184 full color pages wrapped in a hard cover, this is a book for fans of the sci-fi games (obviously), but also those who like good art or those like me, who enjoy watching all the behind the scenes features on DVDs or Blu-rays. It’s been much publicized in the last few years that the enormity and popularity of the games industry is fast tapping on Hollywood’s shoulder to become the dominant media and it’s no surprise. Whereas films are usually done in two hours, games demand more attention and offer replayability. Mass Effect is a great example of the recent high class offerings that can suck players into a fully realized world. Good games today don’t tempt the player to skip the cut scenes like days gone by. The best games offer an immersive experience with well developed characters, setting, and an intriguing story.

The first Mass Effect was released in 2007, while the second game was released in 2010, both from developer BioWare. I must confess that I’ve only briefly played the first one, but I know what a huge critical and commercial success the action role playing series has become. Mass Effect 3 is set to be released on March 6. The series focuses on Commander Shepard (whom the player can customize by gender, appearance, etc.) and his/her mission to stop the advanced machine race known as the Reapers from destroying the galaxy, while the second game is set two years later and sees Shepard battling the Collectors, another race whose goal is to abduct entire human colonies for the benefit of the Reapers.

As its title suggests, this book covers all three games though the emphasis is on the first two. It’s obvious that this is a huge undertaking, with world building complexities akin to Star Trek or Star Wars. Due to the nature of the games, in which the decisions players make within the game apparently affect the entire trilogy, this has to be a project of great depth and detail and these pages offer a stunning look at the creative choices that brought Mass Effect to life.

Most of the minor characters within the series get a page each, with major characters getting more with variations of their looks, such as Saren’s armor, and different experiments for the look of the alien species such as the Turians, and Salarians.

A combination of pencil sketches, computer renderings, and digital artwork, there’s a lot to look at here and unsurprisingly, seeing as the book is a presentation of character models and the like, there are no fancy layouts or design elements, but that’s fine as the art speaks for itself. There are a few omissions however. It would’ve been useful to include a synopsis of the story for each game, plus interviews with some of the primary writers and artists would’ve shed more light on the inspiration and motivation behind Mass Effect. There’s also no look at the multitude of Dark Horse tie-in miniseries, action figures, or novels. From a purely artistic development standpoint however, all the bases are covered.

Apart from the characters, there is also an examination of the architectural style as seen in the Citadel, Virmire, and Therum, as well as various creatures. Rough sketches of military vessel the Normandy show the influence of Concorde, while the rest of the vehicles used by the Alliance reference the Normandy’s look. Even the smallest detail isn’t overlooked here, with the designers admitting that they had over 200 designs alone for the helmet of main character Commander Shepard. Symbols, corporate logos and military insignias even receive a page, while lusciously rendered weaponry and technology is the focus of a few pages.

The Mass Effect 2 chapter obviously focuses on recurring characters (Shepard and his/her fellow squad members) and new ones, such as the Shadow Broker, and the third chapter is short, so as to remain spoiler free before the game’s release. It primarily reveals the new looks for existing characters, plus a few new ones and a wealth of great concept art detailing environments and action scenes.

As a bonus, if you pre-order the book before February 20 from Barnes and Noble, you’ll receive a download code to get yourself a Collector Assault Rifle for use within the March releasing Mass Effect 3.

See a preview of The Art of the Mass Effect Universe here.