Share <Embed>

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Authors

See all

Casey Hudson

Chris Hepler

The Art of the Mass Effect Universe Hardcover – February 21, 2012

by Various (Author, Artist)

717 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle & comiXology

"Please retry"

$14.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$103.39

$99.68

The Mass Effect series is a groundbreaking epic that has immersed gamers in one of science fiction''s richest universes. Now BioWare and Dark Horse are proud to invite fans deeper than ever into the Mass Effect saga with The Art of the Mass Effect Universe! Featuring concept art and commentary by BioWare on the games'' characters, locations, vehicles, weapons, and more - Mass Effect 3 - The Art of the Mass Effect Universe is the most complete companion available to gaming''s most compelling series.

Print length

184 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dark Horse
Publication date

February 21, 2012
Dimensions

9.27 x 0.84 x 12.3 inches
ISBN-10

1595827684
ISBN-13

978-1595827685
See all details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Bioware
528
Hardcover
56 offers from $17.63
Bioware
312
Hardcover
51 offers from $19.98
CD Projekt Red
1,678
Hardcover
32 offers from $19.95
Marcin Batylda
3,612
Hardcover
74 offers from $8.35
Bioware
192
Hardcover
37 offers from $12.91
Fernando Bueno
77
Hardcover
20 offers from $16.47

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Bioware
528
Hardcover
56 offers from $17.63
Bioware
312
Hardcover
51 offers from $19.98
Fernando Bueno
77
Hardcover
20 offers from $16.47
CD Projekt Red
1,678
Hardcover
32 offers from $19.95
Bioware
660
Hardcover
54 offers from $16.40
Drew Karpyshyn
861
Mass Market Paperback
124 offers from $0.35

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Horse; First Edition (February 21, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1595827684
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1595827685
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.93 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.27 x 0.84 x 12.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #656,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in RPG Programming
- #422 in Video Game Art (Books)
- #1,213 in Dark Horse Comics & Graphic Novels

Customer Reviews:
717 ratings

Start reading The Art of The Mass Effect Universe on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		11%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Review

Better than the 'Expanded Edition'

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

There's a newer 'Expanded Edition' that's actually worse, because it stuffs the book with much less interesting content from smaller DLC packs like 'Project Firewalker.' This original version is much better--it has the core iconic artwork of the series.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Nero

This is MUST HAVE for any Mass Effect Fan

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book is a must have for any Mass Effect fan. It doesn't matter what if you have, in my case, all three CE editions for Xbox 360, the Trilogy for PS3, and all three regular editions for PC, if you are a fan of this series in any way, PICK THIS UP! There is so much here that you can't help but sit down and read it.

I've always been a sucker for concept art and behind the scenes things and this is something that I always pick up for game series I love. This one was no disappointment and it only shows me things in full detail that I've only seen in images or from other sources, generally not in HD format. This book is something that any fan of the series will appreciate and read again and again.

See the evolution of your favorite planet, ship, character, or even other things. Its this type of book that makes people want to play the game again, and you will after reading this. You will appreciate the games only more so after seeing this and all of the work that went into them. In fact you will appreciate them to the piont where you will want to go back and play them again seeing all of the things and their final results.

Overall, a must have for any any Mass Effect fan, whether you are the typical fanboy/fangirl, or just the casual fan. Appreciate the ME universe more than you already did and see the development of this awesome series.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

L F

Beautiful book with great art.

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2012

Verified Purchase

Wonderful book packed with many many drawings. The book essentially outlines the creation process of the characters/alien species, architecture, weapons, vehicles and clothing as well
as passages here and there of what influenced their design and any major revisions plus any other things they tried out.

It's split into 3 sections: Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.

As for anyone concerned about spoilers: there are some in the Mass Effect 3 portion (which is clearly labels as Mass Effect 3 to keep you from venturing forth if you want to wait until you finish the game).

They aren't major spoilers that will give away the plot, but still some minor character appearance spoilers.

If anything, it will raise more questions. But to be honest, I kind of wished I would have not seen those so I could have been more "surprised" while playing the game instead of just being "surprised" looking at pictures.

But in truth, it will not ruin the experience knowing in advance. I'm still looking forward to it but now just have some questions that need to be answered through the game play and plot.

If you appreciate conceptual art and design, you will appreciate this book. And if you are a die hard Mass Effect fan, this will give you more of an understanding of why they made the game they did, and what it could have been. Plus the pictures of the early Elcor designs are worth the price alone for all their hilariousness.

And most of all, this book will give you all the more appreciation for Bioware's art direction because believe me, they could have taken the game in a different, very unoriginal direction. But instead they stuck with the more obscure and original designs.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

M. Hernandez

Absolutely Worth It!

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2012

Verified Purchase

I'm a big fan of art books and this one did not disappoint. From cover to end, it was informative and beautiful.

Every main character, such as all of the companions, has a page dedicated to their origin. In Tali's case, they started with a Geth and with every iteration moved her further away from that model. There is a brief paragraph on the page explaining why they chose to go certain routes with character models or what the initial idea for each race was. The page covering Ashley's progression is one of my favorites. I would say more about Ashley's page but since it covers her story in ME 3, I don't want to give much away. Let's just say they've added a more feminine look to her and with good reason.

The pictures of the worlds were nice but even the Mako page was more in-depth. It was fun to see how the Mako went back and forth from modern tank to hovercraft (which they went with on ME2). The worlds and citadel parts were just a bit flat for my tastes. Still, it was nice to see the concept art.

The book covers all three games in the series and has a nice intro page with the ME3 CE Male and Female Shepard covers. It even dives into the Shadow Broker DLC from ME2. Really wish it had all of the DLC but it does cover Zaeed and Kasumi so that evens it out.

Overall I am quite happy with this purchase and it will be showcased in my bookcase for awhile. For those of you wondering, there is no DLC code with this book. The weapons DLC seem to be only for Barnes & Noble pre-orders, which is still active until Feb 20th if you are really that interested in the DLC.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I am a huge fan of the Mass Effect games the world created around it. So with Mass Effect 3 on the horizon I jumped when this book came up for pre-order. And it was well worth the wait. It is full of the unique feel and art of the Mass Effect world. But it isn't endless amazing art, a lot of it shows the various sketches and design changes that different characters went through. It is broken into three section for each of the Mass Effect games. This shows how some character have changed over the course of this universe spanning adventure. Since the game is not out there are a few spoilers you will run across in the book in the Mass Effect 3 section. It doesn't give away any story that I could see, but it does show the art for some characters you will meet and recruit that haven't been mentioned yet in the previews. If you read between the lines it also strongly hints at some story elements. That said I saw no harm in it and was actually a little excited to know a little more before the game releases. It just increases my desire for the game. All in all I was very happy with this book. The hardcore Mass Effect fans will see it as a must have. But for any fan of the Space Opera genre will find a lot of wonderful art and design elements in this book.

28 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Arthur Edelmans

Great for aspiring 3D artists and concept artists

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

As I’m getting into 3D modeling, I was on a hunt for a good “art of book” to get environment and prop inspiration from. First I bought “The Art of Fallout 4” and then “The Art of The Last of Us”. Both of which had stunning concept art but not as useful for my 3D needs.

This art book on the other hand has it all. The sci-fi ships and weapon modes one can use as blueprints for modeling. The environment concept art is incredible and you get to learn more about the making of such a great game franchise.

Robert Gray

This book is a sci-fi-art fan's dream come true.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

So the Mass Effect series is massive. You get that form the name and you definitely get that from playing the game. There is just so much to the Mass Effect universe that you can't grasp everything in one - or can you?
The Art of the Mass Effect Universe definitely tries to give an extensive insight on the art about the critically acclaimed role-playing titles from Bioware. The hardcover book has 184 pages packed full of art from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. Just like The Art of Alice: Madness Returns this book from Dark Horse is very high in quality: Thick glossy pages, a nice format and a wide variety of artworks, from scribbles to drawings, 3D models and so much more. You will definitely get your Mass Effect art fix from this book. I really love the scribbles for all the different alien races. Especially the Turian faces and Elcor body scribbles had me laughing out loud. Trust me, there are some hilarious concepts in this book.

You will find at least one artwork for `almost' every location from all three games, as well as character designs and many sci-fi structure and object works. This book is a sci-fi-art fan's dream come true.
If there's one gripe I have this book is that it's just not enough. Yes, I think The Art of the Mass Effect Universe could and should have easily been double the size to really give the game's vast universe justice. Again, there's nothing on user interface design and no word on prototype development and very early concepts. Something I am always interested in.

As it stands The Art of The Mass Effect Universe is a beautiful art book, you can easily snatch for a very good price. And if you're a fan of the games you should consider this book for all the additional insights into the game world as well.

I also own the so much smaller The Art of Mass Effect 3 art book which comes with the Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition. This book however is more like an excerpt from the full feature The Art of the Mass Effect Universe book. You will not find additional art in this small sized book, so you might want to pass this one.

For more Reviews like this, visit my personal homepage (check out my profile for the link) where I review video game art books.

One person found this helpful

Excellent edition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

The book is very big and heavy, and with so many images, concept art and designs from all three games it is a priceless gift for any Mass Effect fan. From what I understand smaller versions of some images are avaliable in mini art books bundled with special editions of the games, but having them bigger is always worth the money, even if you own all three of them. The book has all the character mini lithos from Bioware store as full size illustrations, almost every possible visited location concept arts, iterations of the design on the various species, sketches on outfits, all kind of assorted tech. If I were to ask for an addition to the book that would be only a couple of items: the animals from various locations (varrens FTW!) and screenshots (or concept art) for the planets you get to visit in ME1 on MAKO. Some of these are breathtaking and might be one of the major reasons I played Mass Effect games so eagerly!

One person found this helpful

Tony Soprano

What a Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

Considering I'm such a big fan of the games, and that I love concept art work as well, this was a no brainier. I LOVE the Mass Effect universe in a big way, and the games are fantastic. (Cannot wait for the film, by the way). I'm slowly getting into my digital art work, as I use to enjoy doing allot of art back in my school and college days. But the ideas and potential for what you can do in the digital art world now is just amazing. If you want inspiration or any possible ideas for good SiFi concept pieces, then you need to buy this book. It's a massive book and full of all the designs from the ME universe, and this includes all three games. Buy it, you'll love it.

Mr. C Statham

Great Book and a Must-Have for ME Fans

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2012

Verified Purchase

Mass Effect is, for my money, the best new science-fiction franchise since Star Wars. It's smart, well thought-out, and yet incredibly accessible. It plays with classic tropes from science fiction, and yet puts a sufficiently original spin on an epic storyline.

For it's part, the Art of the Mass Effect Universe is less interested in revealing spoilers and telling every piece of the plot in immaculate detail, and assumes some basic familiarity with the franchise of it's readers. Divided into three sections, one for each of the games, the book covers characters, alien races, and world, weapon and armour concepts. There are some slight spoilers for Mass Effect 3, but given the game arrives in less than a month, it's hardly that much of a bother; The book does not strive to spoil developments for players, and merely hints at concepts and developments for the familiar and much-loved characters.

The art in the book is stunning, and ranges from character studies and turnaround models to formative ideas and painted pieces; Particularly stunning are two of the painted pieces for Jack/Subject Zero, which reveals one of the book's few shortcominings, in that there could have been larger pieces of art printed as spreads. Otherwise, the book is a great resource for fans and people who enjoy concept and science fiction art alike; The notes from the developers are very forthcoming and enlightening about their references and inspirations, with obvious ones including the likes of Syd Mead.

The book also, interestingly, exposes one of the few shortcomings of Mass Effect 2, which is the genuine lack of a concrete villain. There are pages dedicated to Saren, Matriarch Benezia and the larger enemies of Mass Effect 1; That there are no such pages for the antagonists of Mass Effect 2 - I'm not sure there are even notes on the Harbinger representative of the Collector race - reveals the sequel's only slight problem. That said, the concept of the Illusive Man and Cerberus partially makes up for this.

The book is not nearly large enough - though this is not to say that the amount of pages we get and the concepts and designs within are not any good, but a part of me wants to se more - but it is an amazing document of the development of the 3 games, without being filled with overbearing and pointless notes on the development of the game. The commentary from the developers is concise and informative, and great to read. Again, this book is a must have for those that love Mass Effect, or simply those that enjoy art books or concept design.

One person found this helpful