18. "Mass Effect" (franchise)
Release date: November 20, 2007
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U
"Mass Effect" is a lot of things: a third-person shooter, a role-playing game, a high-octane action-adventure strategy game. But more than anything, it's a space opera. You are Commander Shepard, and your mission is to save the galaxy from the destructive mechanical beings called Reapers. You must recruit soldiers, scientists, and allies from different planets across the galaxy and make difficult decisions that affect you, your crew, and the entire universe. And in "Mass Effect 3," the company introduced same-sex relationships in the series.
The original trilogy ended in 2012, but BioWare will soon release a new game set in the "Mass Effect" universe. "Mass Effect Andromeda" will launch in March 2017.
