Hearing it is at once nostalgic and hopeful for the future, and I have no doubt we’ll all hear this again soon. One of the most inspiring main themes ever composed, the theme tells Shepherd’s story without words. We begin with the “Mass Effect Theme,” an indelible piece of video game history. Impeccable area themes and hypnotizing synth melodies, however, give me greater reason to favor this over the sequel, which toned those down in favor of a more orchestral and cinematic score. Perhaps part of this arises from my memories of Mass Effect, my first foray into the current generation a few Christmases ago that made that winter very special. Compared to Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 may have a more technically impressive and complex soundtrack, but I’ll always like this one a little more, I think.
