Austin Powers in Mass Effect is yeah, baby, yeah!

"Is this the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?"

"That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy."

So begins one of the best and most unexpected gaming mashups I've ever seen. It's been years since I've watched them and your mileage may vary, but the Austin Powers films were mostly hilarious. Youtuber and memester eli_handle_b (nice Half-Life reference) had a simple idea: what if, instead of Captain Shephard, Mass Effect featured international man of mystery and part-time secret agent from the 1960s, Austin Powers?

Austin Powers dancing in Mass Effect.

(Image credit: eli_handle_b)

There's so much to love here, from the short Mako tribute to the absolutely brilliant catalyst scene, and what's funny is how well Powers can fit into Mass Effect's often rather silly universe. The character's unique approach to sexuality is supposed to be cringeworthy and, frankly, a bunch of the Mass Effect romance dialogue (as demonstrated here) is also quite cringey. Things like the dancing are almost made-to-measure, and the fact that eli_handle_b manages to get a decent approximation of Mass Effect's arc into 85 seconds is totally groovy.

If nothing else, you have to see the reporter scene.

The creator's done a few other gaming videos so, if you also want to see Patrick Bateman in Fallout 4, you're covered. And if seeing Austin Powers in Mass Effect got you horny, why not invest in a Garrus body pillow.

Rich Stanton
Senior Editor

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

Read more
The jester from Balatro, portrayed in unsettling detail in real life, wears an uncanny smile and stares at the viewer.
The outtakes from that live-action Balatro trailer are unhinged
SWTOR Agent
We're in a golden age of spy TV shows, but I have to play a 14-year-old MMO to get my videogame espionage kicks
Mullet Madjack - a cyborg character is hit in the face with a cleaver by a player infirst-person
The maddest shooters of 2024 and 2020 join forces, as Ultrakill crosses over into Mullet Madjack
Two GTA Online figures on a hill overlooking the water
As a longtime GTA roleplayer, this documentary about actors putting on Hamlet inside GTA Online made me laugh, cry, and wholeheartedly regret ever calling Shakespeare a boring old bastard
Mortimer Goth swanning around inside a New Vegas casino built inside the Sims 2
A Fallout: New Vegas fan is so fed up waiting for a remake he's decided to do it himself. The twist? He's making it in the Sims 2
Watching an all-romances speedrun of the legendarily janky Fallout: New Vegas is a delight
Latest in Mass Effect
Mark Darrah
BioWare veteran calls out the 'cruelty' of fans celebrating layoffs: 'You are crossing a line, and you're probably attacking the wrong person anyway'
Mass Effect 3 didn't have music like Vigil or Suicide Mission because composer Jack Wall had a spat with Casey Hudson: 'Casey was not particularly happy with me at the end'
Mass Effect Legendary Edition best settings
Bioware's exceptional Mass Effect Legendary Edition is going for a song, so bag 3 of the best action-RPGs ever made for a mere 4 dollars
Mass Effect protagonist in N7 armor on a space background
Amazon's Mass Effect TV show now in 'active development' from the writer of F9: The Fast Saga (the one where a car goes to space)
Commander Shepherd, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, and Liara on the cover of the board game Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz.
The Mass Effect board game is basically a new sidequest for a 12 year old RPG, but it's sadly lacking in BioWare magic
Jack from Mass Effect looking at the viewer
Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the exceptional 4K remaster of the original trilogy that we said 'looks great' and 'absolutely flies on modern hardware', is now 90% off
Latest in News
Atomfall screenshot
Rebellion CEO puts the studio's recent avoidance of layoffs down to control of scope and cost: 'Sometimes we say, guys, this game's too big'
Pixel-art portraits of Astarion and Shadowheart against a seasonal backdrop of Stardew Valley
The Baldur's Gate 3 mod for Stardew Valley is out, so here's another opportunity to romance Astarion
Doom: The Dark Ages art
'I think only the shotguns are the same,' says Doom: The Dark Ages director, otherwise the guns are brand-new or significantly transformed
Fortnite jacked Peter Griffin
Parents are suing Epic over Fortnite item shop 'FOMO' timers they say are inaccurate and manipulative
zoomed in concept art of the Agadon Hunter, a new enemy appearing in Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages already sneakily revealed its 'new Marauder,' and the devs hope he'll be just as challenging, but a little less frustrating
Doom: The Dark Ages art
The sickest gun from Doom: The Dark Ages' trailer is called the 'Skullcrusher' and does such horrible things to demons, the game's lead dev boasts id has 'the best gore in the industry'