The developers at Bioware included a major Top Gun reference in the Mass Effect trilogy that went they believed went unacknowledged for a full decade and a half. That changed recently when a fan pointed out the Easter egg on social media.Mass Effect creator Casey Hudson celebrated on social media when a fan pointed out that the introductory text in the first game leads into the title, "Mass Effect," in very much the same way as "Top Gun" did in the opening of the iconic 1986 film. "Finally someone noticed this! I've been waiting so long..." Hudson wrote.
The opening text of Mass Effect briefly explains the history of human contact with the galaxy's different alien species and their technology. Specifically, it mentions humanity's encounter with the force known as "mass effect," which allows space-faring races to travel across space-time and reach distant stars in a shorter length of time. Similarly, Top Gun's opening text briefly explains the history of the titular programme and how navy pilots refer to it as "Top Gun."
Mass Effect was released in 2007 and, as Hudson previously explained, was the result of the team's eagerness to play with similar themes and worlds as those they created in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, which they left due to time constraints. Hudson stated the team believed they could "have the same fun that we just had making this kind of game, but do it in our own IP, where we can design it from the ground up to be about interactive storytelling."
Mass Effect's Praise and Controversy
The game allowed players to create their own character, bearing the name Shepard. Throughout their missions, they would be presented with choices affecting the outcome of the game, its story and the fate of its characters. Moreover, the choices made in the first game impacted the story of its sequel, Mass Effect 2. While the overall decision-making element was well-received, the ultimate ending of Mass Effect 3, the conclusion of the trilogy, was the subject of controversy, as all the choices made in the series led to one of just three outcomes. An update was released shortly after which added to the epilogue and expanded on the results of player choices.
A new entry in the Mass Effect franchise is currently in development with a team of Bioware veterans involved in its production. Little is known about the project thus far, as posters have only provided hints as to the characters and story. Other than the return of Liara T'Soni, it's unknown which of the classic trilogy's core cast will feature in the next game or whether or not players will once again step into the N7 armor of Commander Shepard.
The entire trilogy is available in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Source: Twitter