User blog comment:YamiX0/Mass Effect Book Club – Revelation/@comment-9753034-20140411225120

There may not be a whole lot to discuss plotwise just yet, but in some initial comments the potential of the novel as a medium was acknowledged. In audiovisual media and especially games, many atmospheric-realistic details need to make way for smoother combat and gameplay, and there are some elements the games simply can't convey that well, if at all -- like perspective.

Because of the control you have over the playable character and the abundance of more or less intimate dialogue, players easily think they get loads of insight into characters' thoughts. But what the games can't do is let you inside anyone's head: even with Shepard, the player is restricted to outside observation and can only make conclusions about characters' motives and thoughts through their words and actions. With the help of a narrator, you see things through the eyes of the character itself, be it human or alien, hero or villain. The lines between those also seem to become blurred as you're taken in for a much closer look, finding out characters' strengths and weaknesses, joys and burdens, hopes and fears.

This alone makes the novels a great addition to the games, but all the practical "real-world" details also play a significant role in fleshing out the universe. I certainly didn't think of being uncomfortable and sweaty in body armor while playing the games, and that's a reality a soldier would likely face even a couple of decades later (at the time of the trilogy). Other minor curiosities include omni-tools being stored in pockets, and the need to manually replace the shield generator's power pack -- instances of technology that may have advanced by the time of the games.