Mass Effect

This game has to be one of if not THE best game I've ever played.

I've been playing this game 2 weeks straight now (Mass Effect legendary edition) and I'm blown away by the sheer scale and expansiveness of the game. Before purchasing the legendary edition I played the original as a test to compare, and the upgrades, especially to things like graphics, UI and taking steps to fix the somewhat janky movement/cover system were a huge improvement. However apart from those things not a lot has been changed and it's kept all the life and more importantly soul of the original. Something I'm still in shock at is how a game that was made in 2007 had such scale and the ability to draw you in to a throughly addictive story and character progression. The story of Commander Shepard and his quest to defeat Saren and save not only one planet, but entire universes and species is excellently laid out and each individual character, friend or foe plays a vital role in your journey, something I've never seen in game before or since. You know you've found a real gem of game when every day you wake up and the first thing you think about is booting the game up and exploring new areas, speaking to new friends or slaying your mortal enemies. The addictiveness of finding out what happens next is a joy and with progression and events carrying over between games Mass Effect truly rewards you for exploring and speaking to that hidden away person in a corner or searching and finding that piece of evidence that solves a galactic mystery. The game honestly has almost zero downsides with the only minor issues being the cover system which feels slightly sluggish and janky at times or the doors that are very slightly annoying as you have to press a button to open then wait a second or so before you can enter. That's it. Nothing else negative I can say about it. The last thing I'll say is that some games feel planet expanding, but Mass effect, both figuratively and literally is Universe expanding. Truly wonderful game. 10/10.

Brought this on Steam when Legendary Edition was out with improved graphics and refurbished combat screen. I was not at all disappointed. I have just completed mass effect 1 and boy what an experience it was. You feel like you are part of a story and your decision affect the outcome of the mission. The science fiction technology and plot is very intelligently return and it never felt like it was too much or have become a fantasy lore. Now that I have completed the first part of the series, I no more can wait to experience how the story will unfold. I am ready to experience the journey into the cosmos with Shepherd and his crew of aliens, together we are part of something much bigger and grandeur than any individual or species from countless planets in our galaxy. I can't wait to explore the possibility and mystery the universe awaits. Shepherd signing out.

As a fan of both bioware's Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, I had extremely high expectations for Mass Effect, their latest RPG for the console. Although skeptical at first, I found that it surpassed either of the latter two games, and achieved something no other RPG had on the console.

Mass Effect revamps every aspect of bioware's typical games, improving it vastly, without changing their unique gameplay style. Rather then duplicating Knights of the Old Republic again, bioware has decided to branch off in a unique and interesting direction. The result of this is a game that will surely stand the test of time through the ages, being for the Xbox 360 what Morrowind was for the Xbox or Zelda for the Nintendo.

The combat system is probably the greatest change, taking away any codified system, and allowing it to become a third person shooter. This allows a lot more skill to develop over the course of the game; the AI is quite good, and you'll have to think about tactics. On any difficulty aside from easy you will probably die a lot getting the hang of it, but once you are accustomed, it is much more rewarding than any of the previous games systems. The weapon variation is a bit lacking, but this is balanced out by the biotics system, similar to force powers in KoTOR. However, rather than having good and evil powers, a character specializing in them has access to all of them. I found that the leveling system in relation to these powers was very well thought out, and improvements made were very obvious upon combat.

The class you choose, whether it be exclusively weapons, powers or mechanics, or a mix of two is very important in deciding the balance between weapons and powers you will be using. As a first time player the most obvious choice is a mix, but the game is flexible to accommodate anyone who gets the hang of their chosen gameplay style. I found that the character creation was much more developed and sophisticated compared to the latter two releases.

Another, and by far my favorite change, is the good/evil bar. Rather than make it a moral system, with clear definition of good and evil, bioware has introduced a system that is removed from moral reality. Every choice is just that, a choice, with given consequences you must live with for better and for worse. You can opt for a Machiavellian pragmatists style character, with consequences of your ruthlessness, or a humanitarian with just as many disadvantages for the more sympathetic choices. This is ideal for allowing the game to encompass a level of realism, and attaches deeper feelings for characters. Certainly a lot trickier than a simple good/evil bar, but bioware pulled it off, and the result is fantastic.

Overall I thought that Mass Effect succeeded with its characters (character development), storyline and combat system. The graphics are wonderful and the gameplay is easily up to the standard of any typical RPG. I found very few flaws, except the seemingly short length, and frankly didn't find any of it less than enjoyable. Give it a try, and savor bioware's newest gift to the console.

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!!!

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.