Mass Effect

Very very good game.

The amount of work, and research, that went into making this game (including the science) accurate is just mindboggling. Part of the fun is just reading all the information entered into the codex, never mind the detail.

Its like a really good movie. It has you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. And what you do actually matters so make sure you keep your save games if you're going to play Mass Effect 2.

And its so very cool that they managed to get Seth Green, and Marina Sirtis for voices, not to mention the same guy that did Carth Onasi's voice is the guy that does Kaiden's voice in this game (always loved his voice).

Bioware, you did it again. Every time I've ever played a game this company has created, its extremely good. Makes me proud that this extremely good company is from my home country.

Bioware's space-opera in RPG form is, on the whole, a magnificent piece of storytelling and a thoroughly absorbing, playable and re-playable game that goes out of its way to accommodate newcomers to the genre but doesn't lack depth. Here I'll concentrate on the more 'filmic' qualities of Mass Effect, on the assumption that if you want a review that focuses on gameplay you'll go to a gaming website. Suffice to say I've enjoyed playing it through multiple times (on the PC); one could pick holes in various bits of the implementation, such as the AI in combat and the inventory system, but the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses in gameplay terms.

Mass Effect is, up to a point, what you make it. Commander Shepherd, the protagonist, can be selfless, principled even to the point of being holier-than-thou, or unsentimentally pragmatic; he/she can explore the blurry boundary between patriotism and xenophobia, or hold out for species-blindness; there are politicians to be mollified, tolerated or deliberately alienated, as well as a crew representing five different species, none of them straightforward quasi-racial caricatures, whose inner lives Shepherd can discover (or not), sympathize with or mock. He/she may find herself falling for one or two of them, but there are also sacrifices to be made. It's testimony to the quality of the writing, character design and animation and (not least) voice acting, that most of this feels supremely persuasive. One can feel really guilty about some of the choices one's forced into.

Technically, the game is often miraculous. Something it manages really well is the focus on nuances of character, helped along by a magnificent facial animation system, and some first-rate voice acting in most of the primary roles. Special nods go to the always excellent but never better Jennifer Hale as the female Shepherd; lovely, characterful work from Raphael Sbarge (Alenko), Kimberly Brooks (Ashley) and Brandon Keener (Garrus), and a fine performance from Fred Tatasciore as Saren, no one-dimensional villain. Not all the squad-mates are as well-written or performed, and neither Tali nor Liara quite comes to life as a character; their line readings tend to sound less spontaneous, but the actresses really do have much less to work with. (Edit: but Liz Sroka is quite wonderful in Mass Effect 2, given much better material and delivering it with terrific dramatic power.)

There are limits and compromises to the game's self-conscious feminism: when the female characters aren't tough soldiers they tend to be a bit feeble, and the exploitative character design for Matriarch Benezia should have been sent back to the drawing board (she's voiced by an uncomfortable-sounding Marina Sirtis). On the plus side, supremely solid support comes from the likes of Keith David as the compassionate, experienced Captain Anderson, and the unmistakable voice of Seth Green is very well cast as Joker. He gives a subtle, variegated performance that steals a few scenes without ever seeming to be doing so on purpose.

There are two fundamental tensions which Mass Effect has to disguise, if we're to suspend disbelief. The first and less important is pacing. In a race against time to save all civilization from an ancient foe, there's always time for a long chat, a side quest, a shopping trip. I'm happy to accept that as a necessary fudge; it's the price you pay for replayability. More serious is the tension between choice and linearity. For all the nuance with which you can create and develop 'your' Commander Shepherd, you gradually discover on multiple playthroughs that most of your choices are less meaningful than you think. Whatever you choose, the consequences are much the same in terms of plotting, and have only limited ramifications at the level of personal relationships.

This is one of those moments where a technical necessity starts to become a philosophical tenet by accident. Mass Effect presents itself as a morality, a story about choices and their consequences, but the more you play the game, the more you become aware that those consequences are locked down in advance. Of course they are: just imagine the inefficiency otherwise - the amount of dialogue, cut-scenes, character relations and plot developments that would branch off. Mass Effect simultaneously flatters and explodes the heroic illusion that every choice one makes changes the universe. That at least is a provisional conclusion: it'll be very interesting to see how, and how far, the sequels work out the consequences of choices made in the first game. And I for one will certainly be playing.

I disagree with the previous post about this game being similar to Elder Scrolls IV. There was no glitchy combat system, no repetitive storyline of 'run in this thing and destroy it', and much unlike Oblivion Mass Effect has actual character development.

The voice acting in Mass Effect has one of the best casts I've seen in a game. Nothing is over exaggerated or monotone, and the character's movement goes along with that. Bioware has introduced another great game with a fantastic storyline as they did with KOTOR. The combat system takes some getting used to if you want to play on the hardest difficulty, but you can play the game like a 3rd person shooter if you have it on easy.

The only reasons I give this game a 9 out of 10 is because sometimes you can get stuck in the geometry of the game whether you are walking or more often when you are in the MAKO vehicle, and need to finagle your way out. Also while the character classes were varied the character customization left something to be desired in my opinion. All in all i found Mass Effect t be a very enjoyable game to play and found myself becoming immersed in the beautiful graphics and intense storyline. A definite must have for an role player who has Xbox 360.

In the 22nd century, where humans have discovered lightspeed and have met and colonized with many alien species, a skilled commander must take his crew and teamates into enemy territory in order to find and either capture or kill a powerful alien who has means to bring back a dangerous alien species.

I've never been a huge fan of RPG's, thus I wasn't interested in Mass Effect at first. However, I soon decided to get my hands on it. Well I gotta say I'm glad I did!

Pros: -A fantastic and immersive storyline. -Very deep and well acted characters. -The graphics are nearly spot on and great. -The sound is perfect, but nothing that stands out. -The score is very varied and fits the futuristic setting. -Fun and easy gameplay.

Cons: -Although still fun, some gameplay elements( such as vehicle controls, weapon functions,etc.) can get a bit irritating. -Could have been more weapons.

Overall, despite some minor flaws, Mass Effect is a fantastic game that cannot be missed, RPG fan or not.

OK, first off, I just want to say that I am very fascinated by space to start with, but this game will amaze anyone who likes video games. Mass Effect is so masterful that it's hard to pick where to start. OK, I guess I'll start with the character creation.

If you're a fan of customization, that's already enough reason to buy Mass Effect. The creation goes so deep, that it's almost annoying.

The graphics in Mass Effect are indescribable. As i said before, I'm obsessed with space, and it's almost like I was there. When you land on Earth's moon, and you drive up a steep incline, Earth rises billions of miles away. If you've ever seen a picture of Earth from space, you know how beautiful it is. When I saw this, my jaw almost dropped. It was like they used a real life picture!!!!! That goes for the entire rest of the game too. Best graphics ever for years and years to come.

The story telling in Mass Effect is stuff of legend. The imagination in this game is incredible. Think of Star Wars, only yes, I'm about to say it........better.

If you're a fan of games at all, you will pick this up, and love it. Mass Effect is so convincingly real, you actually begin to think to yourself if the future 200 years from now will contain the things that Mass Effect does.

The aliens in Mass Effect are so amazingly detailed and unique, you are actually sad you can't pick your species. Lets just hope that you can in Mass Effect 2.

If you hate space and aliens and sci-fi, still get Mass Effect, because it does an amazing job of not only being a great RPG, but also a great 3rd person shooter!!!