by Pete Degrazio
May 7th, 2008 -
There are times when you hype a game up beyond expectations and it lets you down. Then there are others for which you know very little about and they blow you away.
BioWare’s Mass Effect is one of those titles.
Set 200 years into the future, the game places you in the role of Commander Shepherd an agent of the Alliance Military, who has the arduous task of stopping a former legendary agent gone rogue. This involves chasing him across a vast, yet gorgeous universe, stopping at various planets along the way, interacting with a huge amount of characters and developing Shepherd in ways other lesser games can only dream about. Anyone who has played BioWare’s previous titles (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire) will know the sort of the game this is.
While there is no doubt that this is an action game, it does not stray from its core RPG elements. From the moment you start up the game you are allowed to customize Shepherd in any way possible. The character can be male or female and then you change his look, build etc. Later in the game as you interact with the various characters you find, the decisions you make in the conversations, not only develop the story line but also the character of Shepherd as well. Here you’ll also decide which soldier class to be. Three of the main classes players can use: Engineers, Infiltrators, and Sentinels, have abilities that include destroying enemy shields, sabotaging enemy weaponry, and hacking robotic enemies to fire on their own squad. Tech abilities also have passive uses, such as the Electronics talent, which allows the party to open locked crates or salvage components from wrecks. Included with Tech abilities are the First Aid and Medicine Talents, which boost squad-wide healing when the First Aid ability is used. Another cool feature is that of the Biotics. These are powers accessed by the characters using implants that enhance natural abilities to manipulate dark energy, kind of like the Force meets BioShock. These abilities include hurling enemies around with the mind, raising shields that are resistant to enemy fire but still allow the player to fire through them, and make destructible parts of the environment fly at enemies. Three of the other main character classes are able to use these specific powers are: Adepts, Vanguards and Sentinels.
While exploring the galaxy, Mass Effect runs effortlessly and is visually stunning. The surroundings, characters, and planets are smooth as can be. Character’s faces you’ll see on the cut scenes are some of the most impressive ever, especially when you are in close up during the conversations.
The combat system has been a matter of interest for everyone. As the game appeals to both FPS and RPG fans, BioWare had to find a balance between the two where gaining experience and shooting guns is enjoyable for both parties. Personally I think they have done it rather well. The combat doesn’t seem entirely realistic, and has a rather fantasy feel about it, and by no means can compete with the likes of Call of Duty or Gears of War, but it satisfies that hunger fans of shooters crave.
Throughout the game, accessing the menus is required, whether this is to change your equipment, add some upgrades or check your map or journal. By holding down the right button you are presented with the special abilities that are available to you and your team in a wheel-like interface. You then use the analog stick to select an ability, which you can either use or marry to the right button. All of the abilities have cool down periods, so if you are in a big fight, be weary.
As with all good Adventure games and RPG’s, this has a very strong storyline, possibly the strongest yet seen in a console game, including very interesting side missions to add to its depth. There’s a solid 30-40hrs of action packed, fantasy filled fun with Mass Effect. Finally, fans of RPG’s and shooters alike will find a common ground to stand on once and for all.
OVERALL – 9.0/10
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For more information please visit MassEffect.Bioware.com