MEA similarities with Netflix's "The Expanse" and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

These are common threads in all of science fiction. While it's likely that the game and series took some inspiration from Mass Effect, it's hardly fair to accuse them of ripping off of one particular video game when there are many interpretations of the same concept out there.

To answer your question, no, I don't think Bioware should bother. It could easily be turned on them by pointing out the ways in which Mass Effect has "ripped off" other franchises.

I know the guys who write the expanse books have been pretty open in their praise of Mass Effect, a series which itself takes a lot of cues from Science Fiction that came before it. From the responses and interactions I've seen between some of the Bioware guys and, most recently, James Gunn it seems like they are happy to support other creators who are playing with the same tropes and genre conventions.

Borrowings and homages in SF (especially with respect to the 'founding fathers', like Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Bradbury, PKD et al.) are ubiquitous; so are re-heated old tropes. Actually I'd be really glad if they lifted a few themes from Stanislav Lem for the new game's exploration aspect (I have in mind the bizarre 'first contact' in Fiasco; or the incomprehensible sentient planet in Solaris). Star Trek (one of the obvious inspirations for ME) is already chock full of them.

No Man's Sky advertised itself as 'inspired by classic sci-fi'; but had virtually nothing 'classic sci-fi' about it at all, except maybe visual allusions to the style of trade paperback covers from the 70s-80s. I wish they had ripped off a few interesting ideas from the great authors.

Also, ME not only draws from existing sci-fi, but most importantly from Lovecraft. In the Leviathan DLC to ME3 they even included a descent into a secret underwater city to meet the original betentacled 'great old ones'. (Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey series is itself based on the very Lovecraftian theme of an incomprehensibly old galactic civilization that tinkers with the development of life on Earth).

The Expanse definitely has a Mass Effect vibe, minus the hardsuits having onboard weapons.



Can't wait for season 2!

The Marines suit on first season (episode 4 i think) reminded me a lot of Mass Effect.

Bioware itself borrows heavily from other stories all the time. The rachni are almost line for line the buggers from Ender's Game for example.

It's in DA as well. I reread the Wheel of Time a few years back and remember thinking "wow, they borrowed a lot." There's the Seanchan: rigid, authoritarian invaders from over the sea who keep mages on collared chains. And then there's Tel'aran'Rhiod - the World of Dreams that mirrors the real one that everybody enters sometimes in sleep, but only certain skilled individuals can manipulate and move around freely. Entering it in the body is considered extremely dangerous and borderline immoral.

This is a pretty good book on the fictional sources of 'ancient aliens' as a modern crackpot theory: a.co/0BUz5dY

More accurately, that 'theory' started as a late 19th-early 20th Century concoction by a bunch of wackos that called themselves 'theosophists'. Then in the 20s and onward the emerging pulp horror literature picked up on some of those themes. (Including not only the Cthulhu mythos, but the work of Robert E. Howard -- Conan the Barbarian -- as well) After WW2, a new breed of 'hidden history' wackos started publishing crackpot theories inspired by (plagiarising from) that literature.

Of course it's everywhere, nowadays, but even before that imbecilic history channel (?!) show, 'ancient aliens' were already popular in film.

ME used that theme in two senses; both in Reapers as the ancient galactic evil that played a hand in the development of civilizations, and also in Protheans' Prometheus-like acts. I'm glad that they didn't go too much overboard with the latter. In ME3, the scene in the Temple of Athame (what an imaginative name) was pretty amusing, especially with Javik as 3rd companion. (I can't recall if taking Liara was mandatory or not for that mission; I took her everywhere, as she was my waifu.  Yeah I'm pathetic like that.)

Man ME1 was almost a totally rip-off of the main story and the enemies in Babylon-5. I couldn't believe they copy it when I re-watch it years later.

Also no, the Expanse is much better even if there are similarities. Bioware could never create a character like Bobbie fucking Draper, they are afraid of other types of bodies or muscles for human women in the military and aggressive one liner humor.

first off they own the Ip you and other cry  baby ass fans do not plus they have no idea what COD IW was about

Yeah, me too.  I was worried it might be too cost prohibitive and get cancelled.  Hopefully the SciFy Channel continues it even if it's not raking in the cash.

Show doesn't hold a candle to the books.

But I'll probably give Season 2 a try because Bobbie was one of my favorite characters.

In some countries it's Netflix.