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Mass Effect

  • Video Game
  • 2007
  • 18
IMDb RATING
9.1/10
21K
YOUR RATING
Mass Effect (2007)
Mass Effect
Play trailer1:20
1 Video
13 Photos
ActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi

In a technologically advanced future, an elite human soldier takes command of a prototype star ship and works to defend the galaxy from danger.In a technologically advanced future, an elite human soldier takes command of a prototype star ship and works to defend the galaxy from danger.In a technologically advanced future, an elite human soldier takes command of a prototype star ship and works to defend the galaxy from danger.

  • Director
    • Casey Hudson
  • Writers
    • Drew Karpyshyn
    • Lukas Kristjanson
    • Chris L'Etoile
  • Stars
    • Steven Barr
    • Kimberly Brooks
    • Keith David
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    9.1/10
    21K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Casey Hudson
    • Writers
      • Drew Karpyshyn
      • Lukas Kristjanson
      • Chris L'Etoile
    • Stars
      • Steven Barr
      • Kimberly Brooks
      • Keith David
    • 49User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 5 wins & 23 nominations total

    Videos1

    Mass Effect
    Trailer 1:20
    Mass Effect

    Photos13

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    Top cast74

    Edit
    Steven Barr
    Steven Barr
    • Urdnot Wrex
    • (voice)
    • …
    Kimberly Brooks
    Kimberly Brooks
    • Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams
    • (voice)
    Keith David
    Keith David
    • Captain David Anderson
    • (voice)
    Seth Green
    Seth Green
    • Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau
    • (voice)
    Jennifer Hale
    Jennifer Hale
    • Commander Shepard (Female)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Lance Henriksen
    Lance Henriksen
    • Admiral Steven Hackett
    • (voice)
    Ali Hillis
    Ali Hillis
    • Dr. Liara T'Soni
    • (voice)
    Brandon Keener
    Brandon Keener
    • Garrus Vakarian
    • (voice)
    • …
    Mark Meer
    Mark Meer
    • Commander Shepard (Male)
    • (voice)
    • …
    Marina Sirtis
    Marina Sirtis
    • Matriarch Benezia
    • (voice)
    Ash Sroka
    Ash Sroka
    • Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
    • (voice)
    • (as Liz Sroka)
    • …
    Raphael Sbarge
    Raphael Sbarge
    • Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko
    • (voice)
    Fred Tatasciore
    Fred Tatasciore
    • Saren Arterius
    • (voice)
    • …
    Leigh-Allyn Baker
    Leigh-Allyn Baker
    • Major Elena Flores
    • (voice)
    • (as Leigh Allyn Baker)
    • …
    April Banigan
    April Banigan
    • Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani
    • (voice)
    • …
    Wendy Braun
    Wendy Braun
    • Gianna Parasini
    • (voice)
    • …
    S. Scott Bullock
    • Commander Rentola
    • (voice)
    • (as Scott Bullock)
    • …
    Andy Chanley
    • Blake
    • (voice)
    • …
    • Director
      • Casey Hudson
    • Writers
      • Drew Karpyshyn
      • Lukas Kristjanson
      • Chris L'Etoile
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews49

    9.120.9K
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    Featured reviews

    9Jeremy-93

    Stellar

    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.
    9KeyC0de

    Mass Effect - The beginning of the best Sci-Fi story epic ever conceived.

    You are commander Shepard, a war hero, or a sole survivor or a ruthless & notorious cutthroat who knows how to get the job done. You will get to pick your background. Shepard is called on a mission to salvage an unearthed Prothean beacon uncovered at the remote human colony of Eden Prime. It turns out that this mission isn't that simple after all. The colony has already attracted the Geth, a synthetic race who have formed an alliance with what they consider their God and have seized control of the colony. Saren the principal antagonist, a member of an elite, peacekeeping squad called the Spectres has gone rogue, by siding with the Geth. He plans to find and activate the Conduit which will allow Sovereign to signal the return of the Reapers, an enigmatic civilization which recycles all life in the galaxy every 50,000 years. Shepard is on Saren's trail to stop him. In order to accomplish his mission he must assemble a team of diverse & talented individuals, each one experts in their fields and essential to the mission, scour planets to acquire intelligence, form alliances or go to war. It always seems as though Saren is one step ahead of him though. Will he manage to succeed and how will his choices affect the future of the galaxy?

    The player decides how the plot will unfold. If there's a game in which you feel that your choices do matter it is this one. It's not just minor or secondary objectives, you actually get a say on many major outcomes of the game. You will explore and make decisions that will shape the future of a planet, or colony, in ways you cannot begin to fathom (play all 3 games and all DLCs to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes; save games carry over to the ME2 and ME3). Bioware has made all players interactions with NPCs so realistic, due to its cinematic design to conversations. Character development is off the chart, and second to none (except the sequel Mass Effect 2). You will love meeting new squad members and talking to NPCs everywhere. Depending on species, race, gender, personality everyone feels totally different, in fact each one is unique. This level of realism is in part attributed to the perfect voice-acting and lipsync of all characters and to the vast lore that has been meticulously crafted for each location the plot takes place in the universe. 5+++/5 for the lore & story (best one EVER in a video game)

    To learn more about the overwhelming new amounts of information on this universe you can can visit the Codex menu which gets automatically updated with new entries as you progress through the game. I found myself reading and listening to everything in the Codex because i wanted to learn as much as i could about this amazing world. Never again have i felt like i wanted to read inside a game (i was never interested in books and the lore in Skyrim, or Oblivion, but that's partly because i prefer sci-fi to fantasy). Everything seems so real and likely to occur in real life, in the future. In fact it's all taken from real life and you can use it to expand your own knowledge. This game has got me interested in science and technology and i now have a Bachelor's degree in computer science. In this game your choices matter deeply. 5/5 for characters, direction & impact

    What i consider a negative aspect of the nearly perfect plot is that it sometimes feels overly dramatic, like it is leading you to the next part by very unlikely scenarios. For example ((SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH)) you originally learn about Saren because of a lazy soldier who was sleeping behind the crates before the Eden Prime attack started. As such he was able to hide from the Geth (who along with Sovereign have super advanced tech and as such would be most likely able to id everyone in the colony) when everyone else got wiped out AND he happened to stand on the best spot to listen when Saren killed Nihlus. If that soldier wasn't there, there was no way that Shepard would find out about Saren. This one simple act of his, simply created the entire Mass Effect story arc, involving Shepard. I'm sure the developers could find a more believable reason to track down Saren, but anyway, i am nitpicking here. Pacing isn't the best either, but that's not necessarily bad, because you are simply given plenty of freedom to explore the galaxy between main quest missions (even when a lot of things are pressuring the continuity of the primary quest, which breaks immersion a bit; but anyway). 4.5/5 for the plot

    The graphics are fantastic. I noticed very few graphical glitches every now and then. The cutscenes are fantastic (somewhat dated for 2018). The system requirements for PC aren't that high, especially for a modern PC. The score is phenomenal. The main theme rivals that of Star Wars (which was composed by the legendary John Williams) and that says a lot. I personally got the soundtrack separately and listen to it whenever i feel like it. It is so soothing and transports you into space whenever you hear it. No other major technical issues that i noticed. Even mods are possible now if you are an advanced computer user (if so check out "Mass Effect Explorer" program). 5/5 graphics & technical achievement, 5+/5 for Audio & Soundtrack

    The combat system is very good as well. Bioware has expanded on the old system they use in KOTOR, primarily RPG focused and modified it such that it is more fluid and fast paced like an action game. Combat is faster, yet tactical, as you get to pause the game during combat and tell your squad members who to shoot, where to go/cover, which abilities to use. Everything can be micromanaged, or if this distracts you from the action, you have the option to let the AI automatically make these decisions. You won't be disappointed either way, because the AI is decent. I rarely felt the need to micromanage everything, unless i was playing in max difficulty, or was in a very difficult or boss fight. Overall the combat system isn't great though and could certainly be improved by various alterations to the system. For example sniper rifles are wielded like the player has Parkinson. It would be nice if the squad management was simpler, or if the AI was a bit better. Most of these negatives are fixed in the sequel. 4/5 in gameplay.

    The secondary objectives give you an opportunity to explore new planets and star systems. Some of them are actually quite good, but unfortunately most are repetitive and are a go there - kill that, or fetch that kind of missions. They aren't as varied as i would like. Nevertheless you'll still want to complete them all. This drawback in side quests is pretty much the only significant one (which is thankfully also fixed in Mass Effect 2). 3.5/5 for length.

    I played Mass Effect for PC in 2008 when it was released. I remember after seeing the epic trailer i thought it was some Star Wars offshoot. It is my favorite science fiction universe ever, even better than Star Wars, yes even better objectively speaking. In fact, i will go as far as to say that the Star Wars universe is childishly explained in comparison to this. Star Wars lore involves more fantasy than science, ie. less emphasis given on scientific explanations, technology and more in fantasy. Mass Effect universe and the lore is very mature, it is an expansion of our own universe (in fact it is set ~170 years in a -very possible- future). Bioware did not simply create a game but an experience. After they crafted the universe they wanted and the laws that govern it, they conceived the storyline, which is unfolded through the eyes of Shepard. 5/5 for enjoyment/entertainment & impressions

    Finally you can find value in replaying the game with new character classes. There are 6 to choose from and each one has 2 unique specializations. Each player class plays drastically different, with unique talents, abilities and personalities. The combat and progression is linear, but you can replay to explore many different scenarios because of the choices you make which can be completely different on a new playthrough. 4.5/5 for replayability

    The Mass Effect franchise is in my top 3 video games of all time, and it is my No1 fictional universe of all time.

    To sum up: Do not miss Mass Effect. Grand, epic story. Deep universe of unprecedented scale. Cinematic feel and intense cutscenes. Living, breathing characters. Choices that impact the future of the universe and carry on to the sequels.

    Rating 9/10 - Amazing
    9nilkanth

    The Benchmark for All Other Games

    This game has to be one of the best games to be released in the recent past hence all the praise that is flowing towards it. Although not a RPG fan I was enthralled by the sheer power and beauty of it right up to the very end. It feels more like a movie that you are involved in, all disguised in a game's body. You will have the experience of your life time with this game. The developers have gone into great lengths to provide us with a brilliant and captivating story that will have you at the edge of your seat till the heart stopping finale. If you are not overwhelmed by the action in the game you will be once you see the breath taking graphics in store for you. The characters feel life like as if they have jumped right out of the screen of a wonderful adventure movie. The action is nail biting stuff and done in a grand scale just like a futuristic drama.

    This is out and out game of the year material but it isn't without its shortcomings. There are a few graphical glitches and some game stuttering, the side quests could have had a bit more weight and should have been rewarding towards plot development but after all is said and done if you can over look these minor problems you will have a really good time.

    It will take pages and pages to truly capture the pure awesomeness of this epic journey. It is best left unwritten because this is an adventure you will want to experience for yourself, again and again. This is hands down the must buy game of the year.
    9Valkonian

    This game is my favorite 360 game so far

    I would have given it a 10, but 10 is perfect and this game isn't perfect. But with it's slight flaws the game is still amazing. This game's story is very gripping and draws you in. Few games can do this. I like RPGs and shooters, and this game really appealed to me. I guarantee it will appeal to the die hard RPG fans and the shooter fans.

    The acting is VERY good. When you play this game you feel like you are watching a movie, but you are directly involved. The mystery, the thrill feel is all there.

    Even when you are not in action, but talking and interacting with people it's very interesting and compels you to continue onward with the story.

    The game is excellent after you've finished it, and almost seems more fun the second time around. You get to maintain your level and experience after you finish the game.

    Just a fun fun fun game overall. My favorite game of the Xbox 360 thus far.
    10nvseals50

    Astronomical

    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!!!

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      If Urdnot Wrex is in Shepard's team and Shepard speaks to General Septimus in Chora's Den, Wrex makes the comment: "How did your kind ever defeat us?" to which Septimus replies "I may be drunk, Krogan, but you're ugly. And tomorrow I'll be sober." This is a reference to a phrase allegedly spoken by Sir Winston Churchill to Bessie Braddock when she accused him of being drunk.
    • Goofs
      The timeline in the Codex lists the 100th anniversary of the first moon landing as July 24, 2069. The actual date of the first moon landing was July 20th, 1969, not the 24th.
    • Quotes

      Sovereign: We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it.

    • Connections
      Edited into Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      M4 Part II
      Written and Performed by Faunts

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    FAQ

    • What is Mass Effect: Revelation?
    • Will there be sequels?
    • Where can I find more information about Mass Effect?

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 23, 2007 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Production company
      • Bioware
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

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