Mass Effect

"Deep and very customizable. It was like I WAS in the game!"

I got Mass Effect for my birthday and, since I heard a lot from online sources and commercials about how awesome it would be. When I got it, I immediately placed into my Xbox 360 and booted up. I quickly started a new game and began playing. The story quickly engrossed me and I was hooked.

Story: 9/10

I can't tiptoe around this one. I loved the story. It's full of romance, adventure, suspense and betrayal. The nations of Earth have become one under the term, "Humanity," and are trying to establish themselves as a great force in the Milky Way Galaxy. The other alien races don't seem to agree but are giving humanity a chance to prove themselves. It begins with a Commander of the Alliance Fleet, a completely human fleet. Your name is Shepard and the choices you make shape how you portray humanity to the other galactic races. It is your job to secure a beacon from an extinct race called the, "Protheans." This race is the reason all galactic races can use what is called, "Mass Effect," which is what makes distant space travel possible. A twisted turn of events hurtles you into an intense scandal involving an elite agent and an ancient race of sentient machines called the, "Reapers." Uncover information and defeat this agent to bring tranquility to the galaxy.

Graphics: 10/10

This is a sight to behold. This game implements a new facial expression engine so that the acting doesn't necessarily thrive on words alone. The NPC may not have to speak, only show a facial expression of anger or contentment. The planets you visit are beautiful and very real, as if it really is an existing alien planet. Expect a lot of shininess and very pretty surroundings when playing this game. Aliens each have their own differences in appearance. Even different NPC's from the same race will not have the same facial markings and colors. This gives each character a feel that they are their own separate beings and have their own personalities.

Gameplay: 9/10

You have the ability to either take a ready made character or make your own character. Your own character can be a man or a woman and you can fully customize the face to make it as close to you as possible. The voice of the man goes with the man, obviously, and the woman with the woman. This gives you a much more real experience.

This is an RPG but not a typical RPG with turn based battling systems and corny dude-looks-like-a-lady whiny men. No, it's all hardened soldiers who want nothing more than to kill the bad guy. Let's begin with the conversation system. When you character speaks to another of importance, a "scene" will start. I put scene in quotes because they actually take place in real time. While a character is talking, a circle will come up below the dialog and you will be given several choices of responses. The good, or Paragon, choices are at the top or in blue while the bad, or Renegade, choices are at the bottom or in red. There are even neutral choices in the middle that don't affect alignment. Usually, choosing a different response yields a different reaction every time. Also, the characters that you have out at the time may also have their own reactions for EACH CONVERSATION. The possibilities are almost endless.

Now for battle system. It's not turn based, but real time. Also, it takes the appearance of a First Person Shooter. You can also give your squad commands like take defensive positions, go to a specific position and follow. Very straightforward system. One trigger is to shoot, the other is to aim and a button is to throw grenades.

Your weapons are customizable. You can add scopes that prevent jamming, a heat sink that prevents overheating and special rounds that have different effects. Also, there are so many kinds of weapons and armors that each character can be different, have the same firepower and have completely different upgrades. The possibilities are amazingly high.

This game has more sidequests than any other game I know of, except maybe any Zelda game. Each system has planets that you may land on and entering them can even initiate a new quest that uncovers a lot of conspiracy, even may give you a class change. They can be a simple as surveying minerals and elements to expelling an enemy race from a whole system. Complete them all for experience and information.

Your stats go up with each level and you are given attribute points to add to the skills you want to improve, like Assault Rifles and Charm or even your specific class. Each of these ups accuracy, damage and the ability to use the weapon skillfully. Others affect personality and add to your ability to lower prices in shops and convince people to do your will, whether it be through Charm or Intimidation. Your armor is also affected. Place points in armor to increase the heaviness of the armor you can wear.

There are also powers that can be used by specific people who have the abilities to do so. These are called Biotic Implants to use special powers like Lift and Throw. These can even give boosts to shields and make you more accurate and deadly. A balance of Biotics and firepower is what makes a good soldier, so using both at the same time can make it easier on you in battle.

Now for things I didn't like about the game. One is the Mako. The Mako is a vehicle that your party travels around in when the planet you are on is uninhabitable due to harsh conditions or if you have a lot of ground to cover. Now, this may seem fine, but the Mako is so weak in comparison to your firepower late in the game that it becomes annoying to fight in. The shields drop faster than your own and damage can inflict extremely quickly. Also, if you are in the Mako and it is unable to continue, it is game over. It is also very hard to control. Many planets you must land upon have very mountainous terrains and it is very difficult to get around to the crashed probes and hidden survey materials. I just find it very difficult and could do without it.

I would have liked it if you could become the other characters to use their specific skills, but instead their skills are applied to the main character, Commander Shepard, so you don't have to change between characters. This saved time, but I find myself not having a high enough skill level to open a safe or decrypt messages even when a character has a lot of points put into it, which causes a bit of frustration because, along with the Mako, getting to the fallen probes while spending twenty minutes climbing up a mountain to get to it only to find out you aren't skilled enough to open it is quite annoying.

Music: 10/10

Seems straightforward enough. It sounds like it's from space, which is obviously what they were going for. Nothing to dislike here.

Replay-ability: 10/10

Make new characters, you can even unlock more difficulty levels as well as TEN more levels that you can reach for. This raises the level cap to 60 by your second playthrough if you can reach level 50 on your first. Different characters can give you different experiences and love interests could be different as well. There are also a lot of Achievements that you can get.

Overall: 9/10

The Mako is really what brought it down. Fighting them against the large Thresher Maws that come at you over the course of the game (you'll know what I mean over time) that have acid that bypasses your shields can get annoying. The game is still a smash and is a completely great time. I suggest a buy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/08

Game Release: Mass Effect (US, 11/20/07)