Mass Effect Reviews

• Deep story unfolds in early going, very immersive experience

  
  By AAH27NBZ0OLEF on 2007-11-20
  First off, I've been waiting for this game since the previews came out late last year (2006). So far, Bioware has done a great job of pimping out this game. And deliver it does...
  
  STORY: A+
  The 'cutscenes' are really not cutscenes at all. The conversations you have are pretty dynamic and integration of the choices of stuff to say is so seamless it seems almost natural. Early on, you get a sense of this when choices of stuff to do in the field enable you to remake your character as a mission-oriented commander or more of a compassionate search-for-survivors kind of guy, among some. The story picks up pretty much where the prequel book left off, and immerses you in the experience. You keep on wanting to learn more. You definitely feel like a part of this epic and that will keep you coming back.
  
  Unlike Halo 3 and Gears of War which launch you into an ongoing war, this game sends you into a very deep, very complex world to explore. Imagine yourself as a hypothetical CIA agent before the war begins. Expect to see yourself running around the world, talking to people and gaining intel on people, and then having fight scenes from time to time. When you get sent on a mission to track someone down and there are lots of enemies between you and the destination, then you begin to see more of the combat-intensive aspects of the game.
  
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  GAMEPLAY: A
  Expect to see a third-person shooter with a heavy RPG influence. While out in the field, it's like a Gears of War experience with a basic tactical system. Run. Take cover. Take some guys down. Order your friendlies to flank the enemy or to fall back. Outside of this, the RPG system comes into play when leveling up, when you get to choose abilities to level up, weapons to equip (ie, if you have 3 types of sniper rifles in inventory, which one will you equip?. I will cover this in more detail below). The controls were overall slightly different from control schemes used in comparable third-person shooters. It didn't take me long to get used to the system used here in Mass Effect. You can pretty much figure it all out in the first level.
  
  I had the mistaken view that only snipers and pistols can be trained into an over-the-shoulder Gears of War camera angle when aiming (holding down the left trigger). Apparently, this is because I started off as an Infiltrator class. Different character classes can train different weapons. The soldier class can train all weapons. Sniping took some getting used to. When you first start off, Shepard is very shaky and thus it is very difficult to snipe. Adding points to level up your sniping ability seems to limit this shakiness greatly.
  
  The tactical system is very very bare bones. You can order people to fall back, take on a specific target, regroup, or storm the area. Nothing much to it. Therefore, players can fight with their AI teammates as much of a unit (though I feel the AI tends to die a lot).
  
  You also get to drive vehicles. Much of you have seen the trailers and saw that tank drop out from the Normandy. That tank handles like a Warthog from Halo 3, except with rocket boosters and a repair function. A heads up - repairing means you can't move or fire any of the tank's weapons. Therefore, make sure you're in cover when repairing. I love the rocket boosters as it gives you an extra method of dodging rockets and charged shots from the geth. The big disadvantage is that you have to drive and shoot at the same time. This makes for some very frustrating vehicle fight sequences.
  
  I am a big fan of how the game feels thus far. Having RPG elements yields a lot of control over how your character plays on the field. The shooting system is pretty good, but not flawless. My biggest complaint early on was the many loading pauses you have to go through, but the deeper I went into the game, the less it affected gameplay. Loading pauses don't happen in the middle of the heat of battle, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to possibly fix this up in future patches.
  
  Finally, a decent portion of the game involves going out and doing side missions. This means jumping in the tank and driving from the landing zone to various points on the map. I think driving around like this is the most painful experience of the game. There's almost always nothing but an occasionally frustrating 5-minute drive between the LZ and the destination, and once you get there, after doing a few of the side missions, you realize that the site layout is a recurring theme. Therefore, if anything else, the side missions are a great way to practice and to level up. There's some more of that RPG stuff working for you.
  
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  RPG Elements: A
  For weapons and armor, the feel is similar to something like Diablo II, where you pick up random equipment as you go along. Each equipment has a certain class: armor, assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, etc (I haven't seen the other classes!). Depending on the character class you chose at the beginning, you have different combinations of these classes available to you. For example, my character class may allow me to equip an assault rifle and armor only. This means that I can equip only 1 assault rifle at a time and 1 armor. But since I pick up a lot of these in the field, I must choose which assault rifle I want to use and which armor to equip. The equipment select screen where you actually do this shows a lot of equipment data, ie damage of a weapon, 'clip size', so on.
  
  Upgrades for each weapon can also be picked up and installed, including different rounds (ie, shredder rounds that add bonus damage when fighting organics, vs. armor piercing rounds against synthetics) and a wide range of add-ons (ie, heat sinks to decrease gun overheating).
  
  Another big thing is that you gain experience out in the field as you fight more stuff. You earn points this way that you can spend upgrading, say, your ability to snipe or your armor's damage reduction settings. There are definitely a variety of choices to look through while you decide what to level up.
  
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  CHARACTERS: A+
  I enjoy interacting with the characters to see what's going on in their heads. The characters are all very multidimensional and very well thought up and implemented in the game. Voice acting and video synchronization was flawless.
  
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  REPLAYABILITY: A
  I have played through the story at least 3x by now, amassing more than 60 hours of gameplay. Having 6 character classes to pick from and 6 squad members to choose from, including the ability to choose whether to build your reputation as a ruthless military man or a compassionate and humane leader (or somewhere in between) definitely keeps you coming back to see how you can change the way things play. The different character classes really play differently so have fun with them.
  
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  To sum up, some of you may be looking at this game and wondering whether or not it's worth the $60. And I say it is.
  
  PROS: Deep and immersive storyline that captivates from the beginning, well-made characters, seamless incorporation of dynamic cutscenes, unique integration of 3PS with RPG. This game plays very differently from anything you've tried before. It's no Halo 3 nor Bioshock. It's a very well-made original game.
  
  CONS: Minimap is not intuitive at first, plays too much like a movie at times, driving between points on a map in the Mako can be excruciatingly boring, a lot of recurring layouts with the sites of side missions.
  
  FINAL VERDICT: A+. Very well-made game, well worth that whole wait from June till now. I've been anticipating this game for a while and it delivers an epic storyline of gigantic portions in a way that no others have done. This is definitely for people who want to experience being in an all-new sci-fi epic and building up an altogether new and unique hero.
  
  

• Epic would be insignificant in comparison.

  
  By A3AAK33K3BUUTM on 2007-11-26
  "Mass Effect" is not a video game. Football is a game, checkers is a game, ping pong is a game, "Pac-man" is a game, and yes "Halo" is a game. But this is nothing less than pure, cinematic, interactive fiction containing all of the depth, detail, lore, discovery, and character of the greatest science fiction epics of all time. "Star Wars", "Star Trek", "Battlestar Galactica", "Blade Runner"; this is a story that nearly dwarfs them all in sheer size, scope, and enjoyment while paying homage to them along the way. "Mass Effect" is not an action-based game but a massive story that you help write as you go along based on your personal choices. Sure, there is plenty of very satisfying gunplay along the way, but it is mostly a means to an end rather than the primary focus.
  
  The story of "Mass Effect" is quite possibly the most amazing ever written for a video game, recalling many of the best elements from some of the greatest works of the sci-fi genre and putting you in an almost "Oblivion"-like level of control over the world. You could spend dozens of hours simply exploring unknown worlds and building your fortune that way while shirking the main story altogether if you choose. But if you don't have all the time in the universe to enjoy this one, the main story is not too long. In fact, I honestly wish it were much longer, but that was the sacrifice made for the open-ended freedom of exploration the player is given. One will most likely spend upwards of 50 hours just exploring the galaxies and discovering all of the tiny stories within the story that really flesh this universe out. Plus, there are many different ways to play the game which will command you to replay it over again just to see all of the what-if's and enjoy mastering all of the various class skills. "Mass Effect" also revels in making you face the tough decisions, forcing you to use you own personal morality to make choices that will effect the way characters in the game will look at you. And the many races of the intergalactic Council are watching you closely as a representative of humanity adn this will impact the game. What are the ethics behind genocide of a species that may, in time, become a real threat to civilized life? You decide. How about murder for revenge? Taking bribes? The safety of the intergalactic community against human lives? These are just a few of the issues you may face and have to think about before you press that button and possibly change the universe forever.
  
  Gameplay could not be better. The combat is real-time and apes the realistic feel "Gears of War" while retaining the skill system used in Bioware's previous classic "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". Speaking of KOTOR, this game plays very closely to that previously untouchable work. All of the familiar gameplay and story elements are present, but almost all are improved, especially the combat. The real time shooting is a little hectic at first, but as you and your character gain experience, you will soon have the skills and savvy to utilize the system and dominate rooms full of enemies. The superhuman abilities include biotics, which are sort of like The Force, and tech skills which can include hacking an enemy's AI to attack it's teammates or overheating an opponent's weapon or shields. The implementation of these skills can be key since many of the enemies are quite resourceful and strong. Shall you use biotics to lift a foe from behind his cover so you can ventilate him at your leisure or just create a vortex to suck them all up into one whirling shooting gallery? Maybe I'll just terrorize the lot of them with my one-shot-one-kill sniping skills while my teammates provide cover. The options are only as limited as your imagination. The only complaints from me is that your squadmates can't be controlled individually (you can't send your heavy gunner forward while keeping your tech expert behind cover; both respond to the same command) and the grenades (while awesome and upgradable) are kind of clunky to use. The characters of KOTOR and Bioware's last game "Jade Empire" also had a lot more charm and humor to them and a lot more to say in between missions, it seems. I guess that's the price to pay for a less linear game. But then again, there is a lot of random dialogue between all of the combinations of characters here that help make up for it. For example, while your party waits in an elevator they will often have brief but personal conversations with one another. The dialogue for cutscenes and missions also changes based on who you brought along. This is a very nice touch. Exploring planets in your Mako ATV is also a blast, reminiscent of driving a Warthog in "Halo" but with much rougher terrain and jet boosters that can send you flying. Awesome.
  
  I could go on and on about the hundreds of things that make this "game" the greatest of it's kind. It's nearly as large but more accessible than "Oblivion", more action-packed than "Knights of the Old Republic", and has an even better story than "Halo" and stands on it's own not as a game but as a definitive sci-fi experience. In my book, that makes this the best next-gen single-player game there is and one of the greatest things I've ever played. The best part? It's the first of a trilogy. The mind boggles at the possibilities. Buy it. Now.
  
  
  

• Massive

  
  By A29BQ6B90Y1R5F on 2007-11-20
  Mass Effect comes from BioWare. The creators of Knights of the Old Republic. Because of that, it goes without saying that Mass Effect feels very similar in its RPG like approach. This is no clone of Knights of the Old Republic, though. Mass Effect is its own game and it's a very fantastic game at that. This review is pretty long. If need be, you can look to the bottom for a list of pros and cons.
  
  You're John Shepard. The game takes place in the year 2183, and humanity has come to explore the Galaxy like never before. You'll discover a series of races throughout the galaxy and there's a sense of injustice afoot. Tensions between races are also high. You'll come across people who hardly trust a certain character because of their race. Just the same, a Turian (one of the many races in the game) named Saran has betrayed the Galactic council and its up to you to stop him and bring justice to the Galaxy. Mass Effect has a pretty intriguing storyline that grips you from the moment you begin. It's also well written with some fairly interesting characters.
  
  The storyline is told through fantastic cut scenes and some fantastic voice acting. The quality of these scenes is movie like in its execution. The game also looks fantastic. Some of the character models look almost lifelike. In terms of eye candy, Mass Effect is sure to delight. It also sounds really good. There's a lot of great music here. Again, it sounds movie like. Hardly any game sounds better. The music always manages to fit the mood and situation at hand.
  
  You begin by making a character. Much like Knights of the Old Republic, you're allowed to customize what he looks like and here you're also able to give your character a back story. As the game goes on, you'll participate in several conversations. These conversations have a direct impact on the storyline as well as shaping your character. Most times they'll also have an effect on the outcome of certain situations. Not always, but often they do. There's also a light and dark attribute going on much like Knights of the Old Republic.
  
  In terms of Gameplay, Mass Effect is a pretty complex game. It plays a lot like a third person Shooter, but at its core it is definitely an RPG. As you traverse the field you'll have a squad at your command. You control Shepard and can give orders to your troops. Either you can send them ahead to attack, rally them or tell them to keep their distance. You can give these kinds of commands any time you want. Just because it plays like a third person shooter, though doesn't mean you treat the game as such. Mass Effect is not a very easy game. It is important to add strategy to a situation rather than go in with guns blazing. Your enemies have some attacks that can take off a lot of health at any given time. The AI of your characters is sometimes questionable, though. For the most part, they help in battle, but sometimes you'll feel like a one man army.
  
  Throughout the adventure you'll also gather Medi-gels and Omni-gels. Medi-gels heal you while Omni-gels are for using decryption or electronics on devices like locked doors or containers. Speaking of locked doors, you'll come across some of those too. As well as locked containers and other things you'll need to override. You'll do it by entering a series of button presses. This is actually a pretty annoying mini-game. Screw up even once and you lose your chance to override and you'll have to result to using Omni-gels.
  
  There is also a lot of customization to take in. All characters have certain talents. Whenever you level up you can increase a characters rank in a talent. In time they'll be able to do things like open locked doors with ease or be able to better handle certain weapons easier. You can also customize weapons and armor or turn them into Omni-gels. If you turn a weapon into an Omni-gel, though, it's gone forever. For the most part, the game is pretty free in terms of what you can do.
  
  Mass Effect has a couple of glaring problems when it comes to gameplay. As you traverse, for one thing, the game sometimes slows down. So it doesn't always run smoothly. While you have control over the camera, you can't automatically position it behind you. You always have to swivel it around. It's not a huge problem, but it is one that can get you killed when you're surrounded by several enemies at once. It also doesn't help that the camera doesn't swivel fast. Also, much like Knights of the Old Republic, there are a couple of bugs that hinder gameplay. At some points you'll even have to reload or something because of them. There was even an instance where the game froze entirely. In short, the game is good, but there are a lot of little nit-picky technical things that keep it from being as good as it could be. Technical glitches that shouldn't be in the game in the first place.
  
  Mass Effect is a strong game. It's got all the qualities that really make a game good. It's just too bad that it has a few problems in the technical department that keep it from being an overall fantastic game.
  
  Pros:
  
  +Strong storyline
  +Excellent voice acting and script
  +Very interactive story
  +Fantastic looking visuals
  +Good strong soundtrack
  +Simplistic, yet strategic combat
  +Deep customization
  
  Cons:
  
  -A couple of camera issues
  -Sometimes there's a slowdown in frame rate
  -A few technical bugs and glitches; sometimes these will make you have to reload your game... very annoying
  
  

• No spoiler here, just my take...

  
  By A1TI2L994OYRZU on 2007-12-18
  Played as a pure Soldier.
  
  Ok, so after nearly 40 hours of play this game has been completed. First off, is it for everyone? No. That's how I got my copy. A friend played it for a half hour or so and gave it to me, he hated it.
  
  The game basically breaks down into three pieces.
  
  1. The first half of this game is rather slow and repetitive. Lots of dialog and not too much action. After a while it starts to get grindy (searching planets in grid patterns for minerals comes to mind...repetitive level lay out...yawn) If you are like me you want to get all the assignments done before you jump into the missions. First off the missions will beat you down if you try them too soon. Which is a good thing because there are not many missions...but tons of assignments. You will sort of figure things out after a good many hours of play and hopefully have enough curiosity to push you through. The assignments though do get very repetitive and lame after a while.
  
  2. The latter half of the game is divided in two. The first portion is when you finally get on your feet and have a good understanding of what's going on. Don't expect this until at least 20+ hours into the game. At this point you can hold your own and start gravitating towards the main missions. Unless you rush through the game in which case it may happen sooner...But if you're blowing through dialog in hurry-up mode, then obviously the game is already lagging for you (case in point).
  
  3. The second portion of the last half is when it gets real good. Gone is the repetitiveness of assignments. Now you are into the meat of the story, but this portion of the game is far too short and long in coming. By this time you are so stoked that things actually picked up that you whiz through it. Still very cool.
  
  So in the end I was glad to have finished it but it was a long road. I have zero interest to play it again.
  
  I wish there were real boss battles, I found this part to be very lacking. Yeah you have culminations but only one "boss battle" comes to mind, aside from the end, that was sort of cool but over all it lacked inspiration. There were no "OH MY GOSH!" bosses that you had to fight. Bummer.
  
  Another thing is I wish it gave you things to strive for as a quest/reward system. Basically you get exp and cash. After a while they both don't really matter. A carrot on a stick is needed at times to keep things rolling...And when you catch that carrot, you get a good feeling of accomplishment...Plus you get to eat the carrot (use item). Not in this game. Plus my found stuff blew away anything that could be bought in the game, so there goes that avenue of motivation.
  
  Over all, not too bad. But if you are looking for a true RPG and are a seasoned RPGer, you may be let down. This is more a shooter with a long winded story (cool one, don't get me wrong) with a teeny-tiny bit of puzzle and no real quest/reward system.
  
  80% Story
  19% Action
  .5% Puzzle
  .5% Reward
  
  This is MY review and I'm sticking to it=)
  
  
  

• Beautiful, but SLOW and flawed

  
  By A3LAKFK21AQPSE on 2007-11-21
  Let's get the obvious out of the way. The graphics, specially in dialog are gorgeous. Once you get to combat, they're good, but not gorgeous even thou everything is created using the game's engine. The story is very well done and intriguing. I found myself enjoying the dialog so much I felt I was watching a movie. Now the bad things: The shooting controls are just awkward. It wants to be gears of war in the combat mechanics and fails miserably in the attempt. Another game I'm playing these days, Uncharted Drakes fortune, completely rips off the GOW mechanics as well, but the execution is perfect. So if you're going to rip some game off, at least do it well. The shooting controls and mechanics just feel clunky and uncomfortable. Using the sniper rifle is an exercise in futility. The screen shakes so much you're aiming all over the place and "No diazepam for you!" is the motto of the designer Nazis. The rest of the game just feels S L O W. I found myself constantly wondering which way to go. I just beat Call of duty 4. The difficulty setting in that one was perfect. Want to figure out where to go by yourself? fine. It's your choice. Not a hard core explorer? No problem. They will take you by the hand the whole game. In this one is pretty much a couple of clues on the map, which is like 5 button pushes away if you need it, and pretty much you're on your on. Did I mention S L O W?
  
  If you're an RPG fan, you'll love this game. If any of what I mentioned before makes you hesitate, rent if first. This is a AAA title and there's a lot of quality here. Many people just love it. But in my opinion, some fundamental flaws ruin the execution as a whole. And I just don't have the patience these days a game like this requires.
  
  
• Mass Defects?
  By AB460O6DGDNG1 on 2007-12-04
  Let me get this out of the way. I am a Bioware fan and an avid RPG player. I loved both Baldur's gate and Kotor. However, I thought Jade Empire was decent at best. I rate Mass Effect moderately higher than JE.
  
  Many Amazon reviews in general come in at the very high end of the range or conversely, at the very low end. You'll find more objectivity here. I'll also try to be as brief possible. Lastly, keep in mind that this review is written mainly for RPG fans.
  On to the review.
  
  The Good:
  
  -The graphics and voice acting are superb. Wrex (a party member) looks insane. The Normandy (your ship) looks highly polished. Some reviewers complain that this game simply talks too much. I didn't find this to be a problem, in fact, I wouldn't mind more talking from party members. More on that later.
  -The storyline for the main quest is well thought out and highly enjoyable. In addition, I appreciate the time Bioware put into the codex, it creates a more immersive experience.
  - The conversation system adds a bit of suspense because you never quite know what Shephard will say next. Nice touch.
  
  The Bad:
  
  I am surprised that Mass Effect has an many technical problems as it does. A lot of reviews mention the abundance of technical glitches; maybe my 360 is on roids because I did not experience any technical glitches except for an occasional Thresher Maw spawning directly underneath the Mako.
  -The preponderance of reviews mentioning technical problems leads me to believe that they do indeed exist. I would urge Bioware to address these ASAP.
  - The player interface and inventory management system is awkward.
  - Not enough interaction with party members. The romance sub-plots are weak.
  
  The Ugly:
  
  There are far too many entries under this category. I was expecting much better from Bioware. In no particular order:
  - The side quests are beyond boring and highly generic. Most planets seem virtually identical. The enemy lairs on most planets are highly similar if not the same. The main storyline, with its well crafted areas, is simply too short to overcome these defects.
  - Getting to most lairs requires the use of the Mako. I kid you not when I say that you will spend what seems like 40 percent of your play-time in this ridiculous vehicle (assuming you do the side quests). It steers and shoots terribly. More importantly, I simply do not want to spend that much time in a friggin vehicle. This ain't Gran Turismo.
  - The weapons and item selection lacks imagination. Your weapon choices are highly limited. You may only choose amongst shotguns, assault rifles, pistols and sniper rifles. Aren't these weapons in use today? Is this Call of Duty? Some creativity is in order.
  - There is only one major city. Thats it folks. I'm not joking. Bioware should have designed 4 to 5 highly detailed planets with their own unique cities.
  - The game-play is weak. The firefights, many a time, felt unsatisfying. Enemy AI is quite unintelligent. Also, I'd love the opportunity to use futuristic melee weapons. I do like the engineering and biotic abilities however.
  - I also want the opportunity to select and choose from various character attributes like intelligence, agility, wisdom etc..
  
  Conclusion:
  
  Mass Effect in many respects is a significant step down from Kotor. I really wish I could have given it a better score. Bioware needs to spend less time hyping it's titles and instead pour in more time/resources into game development. Stop trying to make an "accessible" RPG. Stop trying to be a shooter and an RPG. Kotor was a huge seller and not nearly as diluted and dumbed down. Despite all of Mass Effect's many flaws I still eagerly await the next installment. 3.5 stars.
  
  
• Horrible.
  By A1TY3NNXNUH2K8 on 2007-12-07
  The game's riddled with loading screens, the characters are prone to freezing themselves to the ground, the combat's loose and tedious, there are only 4 dungeons repeated 100 times for every quest, 3 humans, 2 ways to solve any situation, and 1 galaxy to explore.
  
  But damn if I don't love some woman/alien woman loving and committing genocide.
  
  Best game ever.
  
  
• Is There Anything Bioware Can't Do?
  By A32MC0U22HJ6AO on 2007-11-20
  Bioware has a pretty impressive track record for RPGs. Their most famous work to date, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, garnered almost every "Game of the Year" award in the video game industry back when it was released.
  
  Now a few years later, we get 'Mass Effect'. A Sci-Fi adventure that at times can seem as if it has endless choices for you to make. A few examples are things such as your character customization options (including gender and specializations), weapon and armor customization, and your "good or evil" path choices.
  
  Actually, boiling it down to Good or Evil is a mistatement. It isn't that simple with Mass Effect. You are set out to be a 'hero', but how you get there is your choice. You can choose to work with the citizens you encounter to get complete your mission and be a Paragon. You can also choose to be a take-no-prisoners type of character and be a Renegade. If neither of those suit you, play it right down the middle a be a balance of both or neither. Your choice.
  
  The story is Bioware's best plot ever. If you played the original Knights of the Old Republic, that's saying something. I won't give anything away, because the story is one of the main selling points of the game.
  
  The combat is simple. In fact, some might find it overly so. However, I think people are missing the point. This isn't trying to be the greatest Third Person Shooter ever created. It's trying to revolutionize what RPGs can be.
  
  The graphics are beyond stunning. Sometimes you will find yourself staring at your surrondings in awe and completely forget what you were doing. There is a minor buffering issue where all of the textures are loaded a second or two after you regain control of your characters, but it's nothing that really detracts from the games overall beauty.
  
  In my opinion, I think Bioware succeeded in once again showing us the true potential of what the RPG genre can put forth. In fact, if there is one RPG out this year that is a must have, Mass Effect is it. Do not hesitate to order because you won't regret the purchase.
  
  
• Massive Defect
  By A214XQ4TDN0NLF on 2007-11-24
  Let me start by saying that I am a patient gamer. I have played, and enjoyed all manner of sandbox titles, such as Morrowind, Oblivion, Final Fantasy 12, and to a lesser extent, KOTOR. I am an avid gamer, and I delight in customization and detail.
  
  That being said, Mass Effect, is an incredibly flawed title. I went into it expecting KOTOR with polish. A decent shooter, wrapped in a stellar story. What I found was a game that can't decide what type of game it wants to be, and subsequently, fails at most of them in the process.
  
  As previously mentioned, the shooting aspect is tricky and unforgiving. One minute you are plowing down waves of robotic husks, the next, you are getting paralyzed and euthanized time and time again by some Biotic nightmare. I chose the support class, the Infiltrator, hoping for a spec-ops type sniper character, but I discovered that no matter how many ranks I put into sniping (I am currently maxed out) the crosshair still shakes like I've got Parkinson's, and overloads after 2 (usually missed) shots. As far as my technical skills, I found that even though the word 'stealth' is mentioned in conjunction with my character type, I could find no such skill to back such a claim, merely a few weapon/shield overload abilities, and an enhanced sniper shot.
  
  My teammates, with the exception of Wrex's wry one-liners, and Ashley's flirtatious dialogue tree, are utterly utterly useless. The tactical squad commands might as well all have the same function, as no matter what command I dole out (stay, go, rally, attack) they inevitably seem to stand there, usually confounded by the ominous presence of an impeding wall, muttering about how they can't seem to see what I'm pointing at. This, coupled with the aforementioned shooting problems, makes combat an exercise in restraining yourself from spiking your controller on the floor like a touchdown-winning football.
  
  However, the aspect most adept at removing me forcibly from my suspension of disbelief, is the constant, and unwavering texture pop-ins. It seems like every time the game loads a new area, or changes to an in-game movie sequence, I have to wait a good 5-10 seconds (not exaggerating) before Shepard and his colorful cohorts are fully garbed in their detailed armor. I realize that with a game as massive and self-reliant on in-game movies, that something like this tends to be unavoidable (see Bioshock) but this is steadfast in it's persistence, as if it were programmed intentionally into the game's mechanics.
  
  On a similar note, I have found myself the victim of many a strange glitches, including one where my character became pinned onto a crate in a kneeling position, his neck elongating gradually until I resembled some sort of spacefaring giraffeman, and then I was shot. The gameplay can range anywhere from somewhat, to EXTREMELY buggy.
  
  For all of it's myriad flaws, Mass Effect is a really good game; it might even be great, if one is willing to ignore it's formidable technical problems, in favor of it's rich story, and likable characters. In closing, here is a game that could have used a few more months in development, some love for the shooting system, and some more efficient texture mapping, and this might have been everything people are saying it is.
  
  
• Some brilliant moments...but very bland gameplay
  By A3Q7AZCMHD5O0I on 2007-11-28
  I have been playing video games for years, I was there for the launch of the atari, I saw the same company sink the industry in 83 and I saw the brilliance of Nintendo in 85. I drove to Atlanta Georgia in 97 and 98 to be apart of E3 and met the heavy weights like Bernie Stolar, Howard Lincoln, Shigeru Miyomoto, I chewed out Capcom for taking too long on getting a sequel for Bionic Commando and I was one of the lucky few who got spanked by the hot girls who were there to promote thrill kill (which EA killed for good) and I survived several hours in line on a few occasions to get the newest console the next day.
  
  My qualifications are unmatched and respected, my love and loyalty for video games knows no bounds. My mind is an encyclopedia of video games of which my coworkers constantly refer to.
  
  One of my school collegues works for EA and helps in the sound department for the medal of honor games, I have a friend who is going to school to be a video game programmer and I have another who has perhaps the biggest vintage/rare collection of video games in the western hemisphere. We are talking prototypes of games that never made it to stores. Video games have been a significant part of my life.
  
  When Mass effect was first talked about I got excited. This looked to be awesome. However I was let down..Hard..please proceed to find out why...
  
  When I popped this puppy in my 360 my jaw dropped. I mean the graphics are just beautiful and the sound was perfect. It stopped my wife in her tracks and she just sat there in stunned silence as the game was getting warmed up. I was smiling like joker on steriods, this is it the space adventure I DREAMED about. When I played the actual game I felt my excitement level amp up. It didnt take long for it to level out, drop than bottom out than just out. heres the problem folks. Glitches, lot of them and while the game is breathtaking visually and has a great score I realized that I was talking and wondering around...ALOT. The meat was missing from the hamburger. The combat just seems like an afterthought. There is no doubt in my mind that this game was rushed to meet the holidays. No doubt at all. Also I thought it would get better when I was given command of my own ship and to go out and explore but it never really felt diffrent than the beginning. I didnt feel that rush to do anything really. its just walk around and talk, listen to people complain about thier surroundings and the geth. Also, your team in combat are just useless, they get killed very easily. Your better off running solo.
  
  The game is very pretty and the story seems to be very well thought out but ya know...something is missing...yea..its called FUN..FUN FUN!!
  
  Where is it? I do agree that its not a instant gratification game like Contra or supermario brothers but come on, Mass effect is begging for more life and vibrancy. Everything while pleasing is very bland and just...well dead. Video games should never be seen as a chore, Mass Effect is the equivalent of cleaning your house. Talk, talk, talk, than glitch, talk, glitch, talk, clunky boring combat, teammates die, glitch, talk, talk, glitch.
  
  The story while epic is most definatley incredible, unfortunately the game play cant ahere to the same quality. Thats its biggest weakness that I saw. The glitches didnt help either. And yes I already traded it in for store credit to my dismay.
  
  Gameplay:5
  Music:9
  Graphics:10
  
  Overall: 6.7
  
  
  
  
  
• Massively Entertaining
  By A1QQEFV51EMD7E on 2007-11-22
  Mass Effect is a highly interesting game. I'll get right to the point, and rattle off the pros and cons;
  
  PROS:
  Massive, sweeping space opera, with well-fleshed-out races, companies, backstories and storylines,
  
  Well-desigined gameplay, deep intracacies of combat that don't require memorization of complicated information, RPG and Shooter segments mixed together.
  
  Well-developed characters and well-written, convincing dialog. Good voice acting.
  
  Ability to hold a conversation with other characters and moral dilemmas.
  
  Hours of optional backstory that will fascinate some and not draw the attention of those who don't want to read it.
  
  All-around well designed combat.
  
  CONS:
  
  AI teammates are as dumb as bricks. Unable to shoot in a linear fashion. Mysteriously offended by insinuation that they might want to take cover.
  
  Slow pace may upset some gamers. People with short attention spans won't enjoy it.
  
  Biotics are intensely weaker than magic or force powers in Jade Empire or KotOR. Players who don't choose Soldiers will find combat far more complicated.
  
  Shooting is determined by player aim and player's character's stats. Shooting feels wrong, somehow.
  
  Bottom Line: Mass Effect is fun. It's really fun. However, the game has some strange quirks that grow agitating at times. Mass Effect is a must-have for sci-fi afficionados and a good buy for anyone with a 360.
  
  
• Nice try, but not cutting edge,and not fine tuned
  By A2Y0A8QH0CEO00 on 2007-11-25
  This game is OK. It's not terrible. It's got a good story and a lot of content. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of positives in this game, but that you can read about them in any number of reviews in any game magazine or website. So I'll just name some of the negative that annoyed me. I am mostly comparing this game to TES:Oblivion, since to date, that RPG is king of the mountain so to speak.
  
  First, after playing Oblivion for more than 300 hours, I've become accustomed to a large amount of interactivity and openness. In Oblivion, you could go in every building talk to every person, pick up any object, eat food, rob stores, etc. You could do just about anything you could imagine. In mass effect, it's very closed and directed. 90% of the people you see, you can not even say hi to. There aren't many buildings you can go in, even in the Citadel. The main city(Imperial City) in Oblivion had about 60 differnt shops and building you could go inside. And in each one you could go into different rooms, move chairs around, steal things if the owner wasn't looking, even read books on the shelves. In the Mass Effect main city(Citadel) there are about 10 places you can go inside. No object can be moved or interacted with. Even when "Viewing computer screens" you don't actually do it. It just says you viewed a screen and give you some XP. It all feels like unalterable scenery.
  
  
  The Mako is terrible. The controls are clunky and not like any other vehicle in any other game, like the Warthog in Halo for instance. Also, the guns don't always shoot where the reticle says you're aiming. So even if you're aiming at an enemy, plan on more than a few of your shots being way off. Seems like a glaring programming error to me.
  
  And the big claim of "A whole galaxy to explore". Not really. You can travel to a bunch of differnt systems, but can only look at most of the planets on your map. The planets you can land on are all the same. You get dropped in your Mako into a large rectangle area. You care confined to this area. And every plant is some variation on a barren mountainous landscape. No desert planets, no jungle planets, no water planes. Just mountains. Sometimes grey mountain, sometimes orange. But always mountains. You are given 3-5 points of interest. You drive to one, scan the crashed probe. Drive to another, pick up a lost artifact, travel to the last one, go inside a bunker and kill some bad guys. Leave the planet, repeat about 30 times, roll credits. No traveling in between differnt cities learning stories and helping people. No real economics either. You find so much weapons and mods in the same crates on every planets, you never have to buy anything. And you can fine about 30,000 credits worth of loot on every planet. So all you gotta do is sell it. Prices are fixed. In Oblivion, there was a whole haggling mini-game to try to sell stuff at higher prices or buy lower. You could sell stolen good at secret pawn shops, or even buy at one shop and sell at another for a profit. Not so in Mass Effect. Every shop is the same, all prices are the same, and all of the items are just minor variations on the same thing. In my clunky hard-to-navigate inventory I have 50 mods that are all variations of "Increase armor 20". Or "Increase damage 15%". In Oblivion there were swords that set people on fire, arrows that paralyzed them, cloaks that made you invisible or able to see at night. Boots that made you faster or able to walk on water. Rings that allowed you to breath under water, or help you cast more magic. Gloves that increased you ability to carry heavy objects, or necklaces that helped you control minds.
  
  
  Oh yeah, and either savegame every 5 minutes, or plan on redoing hours of gameplay every time you get killed. There are no checkpoints and autosave.
  
  Also, depending on what kind of character you pick, certain things are always off limits to you. I picked Vanguard, so I will never be able to use an Assault Rifle or Sniper Rifle effectively. That's ok. But I would like to be able to unequip those weapons. I am forced to carry around weapons I can never really use. Sure I can pull them out and wildly spray bullets, but since you remained untrained, it's pointless. You should be able to unequip items ao you don't have to see them on your back. And wy would a soldier not be able to learn how to use different stuff? In Oblivion, you picked your class, and it made you naturaully better at certain things. But you always had the option of training yourself to go beyond those limits. And if you didn't want to learn how to use a bow, you didn't have to carry a bow. In Mass Effect, you HAVE to carry a pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, and assault rifle on your back at all times, and depending on what class you pick, you never get to use some of them. They're just there.
  
  There's also no real character appearance moding. You can make your character's face in the beginning. You can't change their body at all, and there are no clothes or anything like that. Only the same kind of armor you always wear. You can pick black or gray amour, sometimes camouflage. But you can't take the armor off and wear normal clothes. In Oblivion you could change your boots, shirt, pants, gloves, hat/helmet, necklaces, rings, etc all independently. You could wear armor, dress cloths, skirts, peasant clothes, cloaks, even your underwear. You could match and mismatch everything. Wear a dress and a nice necklace that was charmed to make you more likable when talking to a city's king. Need to go into the wilderness and fight, change into some heavy armor charmed to make you resistant to sword attacks. Or if you prefer magic, a cloak that makes you swift and hard to see and some rings that increase your fire spells. In Mass Effect you got armor, better armor, and even better armor. You got guns, and some more guns. Want to be quick and stealthy? Too bad. Want to blend in the with civilians by wearing normal clothes? Too bad. Want to set yourself on fire wearing nothing but your underwear and a ring that keeps you safe from being on fire and run through the city like a madman(you can do this in Oblivion)? Too bad. The key to a good RPG is how free you are to test the limits of what you can and can't do. And in Mass Effect, there's a lot you can't do.
  
  
  Mass Effect is an OK game. It would be an amazing game if this were 2004. But it's almost 2008. We've seen games like Oblivion with a playable area that's 16 miles across and take literally half an hour to cross manually, with trees, plants, rabbits, rivers, deer, mountains, plains, marshes, lakes, cities, villages, people, roaming bandits, knights, ghosts, caves, ruins..and ALL of it is completely interactive and playable. If playing Oblivion was like living life, Mass Effect is like watching that life on TV. It just doesn't have the same depth and interactivity. I never got the feeling that I was unlimited in Mass Effect. Oblivion was like that the whole time.
  
  
  I just don't understand why a company like Bioware, seeing the example Oblivion set a year ago, made a game with years out-of-date game play.
  
  
• Loading...Boring.
  By A34GG58TJ1A3SH on 2008-02-28
  It seems half-baked. It's a bad shooter, bad driver, and the story is blah. Where's the excitement? Long loading times walking around exploring make it even more boring. Cut scenes and long loading times before every battle make you want to put the game down after a few deaths.
  
  I get a spaceship!...oh wait, I just point and click on a planet : (
  
  I get a gun!...oh wait, I have to level up instead of just getting better with it : (
  
  There's something exciting I get to do in a city!...oh wait, I have to talk to him, go here, go back, go back to the first place, go back to talk to him, and go back again...Loading...wow I got 10 XP : (
  
  I realize some people like this genre, and overlook its flaws, but a game should make you want to play the game instead having to fantasize about what you think it could be.
  
  
  If I had to say good things about this game, I would say the talking system is innovative, and the idea of exploring planets and shooting the place up is intriguing, but it doesn't quite come through in this game.
  
  
• Played for a 1/2 an hour and looks GREAT so far
  By ALC6LWQXBHIPG on 2007-11-20
  Ok....some of you are wondering, if you haven't gotten it yet or getting it today what is the deal and does it live up to the hype...
  
  My answer is so far, yes and so far I don't know...
  
  If you were a big fan of KOTOR this is a no brainer...either run and don't walk and get this game or if you were like me, you got it last night (BTW I was one of 5 people who went at midnight in my area to get this game)
  
  The I don't know part is for those who are looking for either this to be a run n gun experience (it's not) or something out of Oblivion (it's better) or things I can't name right here.
  
  For the most part in the 1/2 an hour of time I got to play it before sleep kicked in, I saw a lot.
  
  Before that tho, 20 mins took me to set up my characterbecause if this the epic game that Bioware is making this, you want to have a character you can stand to look at.
  
  My character wound up looking like a mardern day version of Eartha Kitt (in her 20's or 30's) with a nice short cut...hehehe
  
  Ok...so what did you see in a 1/2 an hr?
  
  Ok....in a brief sum.
  
  1. You learn a bit about your own character based on whatever background set you pick
  
  2. You learn that your crew are working with aliens that everyone has mixed feelings about especially since one is on board the ship.
  
  3. I p*ssed off said alien race on my ship because he likes working 'alone' and I don't think I can trust them.
  
  4. I may have p*ssed off a doc on my ship because she has a nasty 'tude also and my character doesn't take any crap....lol
  
  5. I got one of my 'Ensign Jenkins' (hereafter known as EJs) killed because I sent him forward to take out an emplacement and he accidentally blew up a power cell (dummy!)
  
  6. I got a cool peice of armor...hehehe
  
  The combat is a bit of a mixed bag because sometimes it seems as even tho you are shooting at something it doesn't quite 'die' the way you want it but this is definently preferred over turn based combat.
  
  If you have seen the pix and the videos, the graphics are very well done and if they get around to doing another KOTOR then this right here may be a sneak peek as to where this is going.
  
  
  Also another thing you want to be aware of....check your graphics settings as your are setting up the game...I got a little concerned as I played about a 'grainy' quality my picture had and I thought it was the TV....it's not...in the settings, they have a reading for "film grain" so that way the game alomost looks like you are playing a movie.
  
  Back to the convos....it's everything that they advertised as far as how fluid it it and each and every choice you make as far as how you want to take definently makes a difference. Sometimes you have to make a choice to glean info from someone vs brushing them off because they are getting a little too familiar. I did find in one instance so far that if you kind of continue along the exact same line of questioning, that you get the same response. But it still doesn't detract from the experience.
  
  I think this will be the game that knocks Oblivion off of the throne as the top RPG on the 360 but only time will tell and some downloadable content can't hurt either!
  
  Otherwise so far, within the very tiny portion of the game that I have played...it is indeed impressive.
  
  
• Mass Effect vs Oblivion
  By A10AW7H143CP9M on 2007-12-13
  For me, Mass Effect is pretty to look at, but the environments are sterile and empty. Moving through the ME world is boring. When combat occurs, you have to deal with a squad, issuing orders, fishing through their inventories and such. Each battle came down to a shoot out, hiding behind rocks or walls and taking out bad guys from a distance, occasionally using the psychic powers for amusement, but rarely to great effect. After each battle on Eden Prime or in the city, I felt the same creeping sense of "so what?" growing. Then there is the dialogue. When you deal with character interactions, there is a lot of dialogue... and more dialogue... and then more dialogue... at the end of the typical conversation with an encountered character I would be hard pressed to remember what it was we were talking about. I felt that I needed a court reporter with me at all times to remind me what the point of the conversation was. Far too much watching and listening than doing anything, going from dialogue cutscene to dialogue cutscene. When I found myself fast forwarding through conversations just to get them over with, I knew this game was not for me. I understand that most people see this game as the Second Coming, but it did not interest me at all. It just wasn't fun for me.
  
  I traded in Mass Effect (and Halo 3... another disappointment there) for Oblivion: GOTY Edition and was immediately enthralled with the story and the game world. I started the game from scratch and played two hours into it and found it to be beautiful, engaging, and most of all, fun! The dialogue is interesting but succinct, not going on and on and on. The combat is engaging and intense (having someone in your face with a sword just feels more dangerous than someone with rifle across the room). The world is huge and more importantly, alive. In my trek to the first waypoint, I saw deer, wolves, and other small animals scurrying about. Lush foliage filled with flowers and trees where everywhere. Deep in a dungeon there was a sense of dread and need for caution that never occurred in Mass Effect. I know that I will spend many, many days in Oblivion's amazing world and probably never get bored with it.
  
  Mass Effect is probably a great game. It was just not my cup of RPG tea. For me, Oblivion is the better game experience. It just feels fuller, more interesting, and someone, more intimate.
  
  
  
• I can honestly say that playing Mass Effect has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far.
  By A3T949XZA2VFE1 on 2007-11-22
  I have been playing Mass effect since 11-16-07 (yeah, I got it early) and I can honestly say that it has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far. Mass Effect is simply phenomenal!
  
  The presentation in Mass Effect is quite simply the most amazing I have ever seen in any game. The graphics during exploration or combat are among the top tier of modern games--somewhat better than Gears of War, in my opinion. But during conversations...oh my...they are without compare among video games--not far behind pre-rendered CG films! The music too, is simply beautiful and helps create the strong atmosphere of the game.
  
  The story hooked me right from the beginning and only gets better as it goes along. A few reviewers have criticized Mass Effect's story of being derivative and unoriginal. However, that criticism is completely baseless and unwaranted. Of course there are some familiar elements in this game--no game, movie or book can be completely original. Star Wars, for example, is derivative of Japanese bushido, Westerns, earlier Sci-Fi stories, etc. and yet it is one of our most enduring Sci-Fi classics. Criticizing Mass Effect for having elements in common with other Sci-Fi stories is moronic, since it is those very elements that identify it as a Sci-Fi and not some other genre. A Sci-Fi without any Sci-Fi conventions would not be a Sci-Fi at all. As a life-long fan of Sci-Fi I can honestly say that Mass Effect offers some surprisingly unique twists and perspectives on the tried and true Sci-Fi themes. And more importantly, the story is exceptionally good--truly moving and memorable. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is one of the very best game stories of all time.
  
  I really enjoyed the leveling up and development of my character and party members. The game offers a really nice collection of abilities, weapons, weapon upgrades, and armor. And exploring uncharted worlds in the Mako or on foot is a blast.
  
  The combat is always exciting and offers nearly unlimited ways to combine your party's abilities. It is as exciting as the combat found in Gears of War, but of course offers much more depth. I can only guess that the few reviewers who had complaints about the combat simply don't understand its possibilities. It is dynamic and real-time when you want it to be, but offers surprising depth and strategy as well.
  
  The conversations in Mass Effect blow away anything else seen in an RPG. The A.I. characters in Elder Scrolls 4 are stiff, un-emotive automatons by comparison. The characters in Mass Effect show emotion and intent through gesture and facial expressions. And the lip-syncing, although not perfect, is definitely a step up from anything we have seen in an RPG before. The conversation wheel really does help to keep the conversations flowing and makes them more believable and engaging at the same time. And now, our own character finally expresses him/herself through voiced dialogue, so we can hear the whole conversation, not just half of it.
  
  There are so many great things to say about Mass Effect, I could just go on and on. But it is the way all of these seemingly disparate elements come together that makes Mass Effect truly special. The story, characters, conversations, presentation, combat, and exploration all weave together to form one of the most astonishingly fun and engrossing experiences in the history of gaming. To experience Mass Effect is to experience the pinnacle of interactive entertainment and should be experienced by any and all who wish to see where this medium is going. Truly exciting stuff indeed!
  
  
• Imagine controlling a major motion picture...
  By AROUNU2BJ18IO on 2007-11-25
  Mass Effect was the most cinematic experience I've ever witnessed in a game. Stunning doesn't begin to cover it.
  
  I wouldn't call the game an FPS, RPG, or anything similar. Mass Effect is an epic "choose your own adventure." One of a relatively new genre of high-quality, semi-open-world events (similar to Oblivion, but the story is vastly more solid). Playing will feel like you are writing/directing a science fiction film. There are combat elements, but those moments are secondary to the event. Additionally, I find the combat is best after reaching a high level. Once you hit levels greater than 40, you will become almost invincible (imagine John McClane in Die Hard). Cranking up the difficulty brings back the challenge (the high difficulties are very difficult), but I don't like breaking up the story with endlessly reloading. Mass Effect has just enough difficulty to be challenging without frustration of repeatedly trying to beat the same area. I also played many side quests and reached a high level before I began the primary campaign (it's much more satisfying to reload a side-quest than get distracted from the primary one).
  
  The character interaction is fantastic. You have a full range of options. You can be good, renegade, or indifferent. For example, there is a scene when you get cornered by a TV reporter. You can give an interview, be diplomatic, evasive, or shove her to the ground and tell her to get out of your face. Every conversation has a similar range of options. You want to tell your commanding officer to leave you alone? Fine, go ahead. You want to talk a character out of starting a fight? You can try doing that too.
  
  The casual dialog between the characters is also exceptional. It gives them a sense of being multi-dimensional and having relationships outside of what happens between you and everyone else. The only drawback is their behavior gets thin on side-quests, but that isn't so bad given the richness of the main story (I would have liked to have seen a few thousand lines of casual conversations randomly used anywhere in the game). Some of the lines are also hilarious. For example, one of your team members is a huge, alien, and not-so-tactful mercenary. You'll be surrounded by embassies, standing among beautiful ponds, trees, flowers, and suddenly he blurts out, "I'm hungry, I wonder if there are any fish in there?"
  
  The end of the game was phenomenal. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the music was heroic, the action was non-stop, and the game will cut several times between you and your allies. The entire sequence lasts about 15 minutes, but those 15 minutes will solidify the game as one of the most cinematic ever produced. This is groundbreaking new territory. We've reached a point where the hardware can deliver an experience similar to high-quality animated pictures. I can't wait to see what the future holds. I really hope they deliver on their promise of a trilogy, I'd like to see yearly releases (like Lord of the Rings) until they are finished, but I doubt they had parallel development (hopefully they did).
  
  Mass Effect has some technical problems, but those can be resolved with a patch. A terrible story can't be fixed with a download, which already puts this way ahead of anything else I've played... Normally I would deduct points for technical faults, but this game has a brilliant story. Occasionally reloading (twice during my campaign due to bugs) is a minor annoyance, but I gladly accept a few problems given the quality of everything else.
  
  One *very* important note... You *are* playing a motion picture. As a result, once the credits roll, the game is *over*. Don't expect to come back and work on side-quests after finishing the main plot. RPGs may allow you to wander aimlessly after "finishing", Mass Effect does not. You can however come back with your same character (skills and inventory intact) and make another attempt at the plot. This makes life easier since your effort isn't wasted if all you want to do is examine alternate choices (playing a "win at all costs" character instead of an idealist). However, starting another "career" (new character, class, skills, etc) requires going back to the basics.
  
  My advice... Keep a separate save before starting every main-quest item. When you realize you committed yourself to winning, you can easily branch-off from your prior save and explore more of the universe. I'm sure that seems self-explanatory, but normally I only use a few saves per game. I ended up blocking my character out of several quests I was hoping to re-examine. You will commit yourself to the ending before you think you've actually done it.
  
  Pros:
  + I thought I was watching a movie. The fact I was controlling it was even more grand.
  + Character creation/management, leveling, is quite good. Better than Oblivion.
  + Combat is exciting. It isn't as rich as a true FPS, but is meant to be dramatic and continue the pace of the plot.
  + The music is fantastic. I enjoy orchestral soundtracks and classical music, and this is the first videogame score where I needed to buy the CD.
  + Voice acting is terrific, none of the drama seems forced, and the actors voiced their lines perfectly with the situation presented.
  + Lots of replay value, but this exists as an opportunity to do similar events completely differently. There are not "thousands of things to do" as in an "open world" like Oblivion or something online like World of Warcraft.
  
  Cons:
  - Side-quests aren't as richly produced, but I think that would be impossible with a rational budget and time-constraints.
  - There are some technical quirks, which I hope get patched (save often and treat the game as if the auto-save feature wasn't included).
  - This is not a real RPG. You'll be disappointed if you go into it thinking the environment is as open as others. As I've already said, it plays more like a cinematic experience. You have to follow the basic plot, but you have quite a lot of freedom how you choose to do so.
  
  Other notes:
  - If you can find the special edition, buy that instead. It's worth the extra $10 (if available). I ended up ordering the SE after playing for a few hours and Ebaying my "standard" copy. I really want the behind-the-scenes DVD.
  - Don't buy this game if you want an FPS or squad-based shooter. There are better games if that's your genre of choice.
  - I really wish they included a cut-scene viewer. It would have been nice to re-watch the scenes, uninterrupted, as you had originally played them.
  - This game is not suitable for children. Every parent needs to judge what's best for their kid, but there are adult themes present in this game beyond violence and mindlessly shooting things (I'm not just referring to "romance", but the game forces you to make life and death decisions and I personally don't think a child can grasp these concepts). I'd buy this for my teenager if they were 16 or 17, but not 12 or 13. The developers were morality "agnostic", they allow you to do whatever *you* want, as a result you can do some pretty far-fetched things (the game probably contains at least one thing that can offend everyone, however it's your choice if you make those decisions).
  
  
• Great but not perfect
  By ABSYIF0ONC2AF on 2007-12-02
  The Good:
  -Great storyline in the tradition of Bioware RPG games
  -Good action and a variety of content
  -Freedom in what you do: you can be good or evil, multiple ways to solve a problem, and you can choose where, when, what, and who you want to help; this is the way RPGs should be
  -Better action than past Bioware RPG games
  -Great graphics
  
  The Bad:
  -Lots of loading screens
  -Graphics are not always great all the time (due to the game having to reload them constantly)
  -loss of framerate
  
  The reason for both problems is that Mass Effect does not use the XBox 360's hard drive for anything but save games. This is really annoying when I have close to 110GB of free space. It's nice that Bioware will cater to people without hard drives, but it would be better if they gave an option for people with hard drives to get better performance out of the game; it's really annoying to see things (both characters and the environment) as plain blank blocks....
  
  Conclusion:
  This is a great game that you need to play even with its weaknesses
  
  
• Mass Defect
  By A2ZKXD1ISKA1B3 on 2008-04-02
  This is one of the few games I actually regret spending money on. I tend to read up on games first and getting an idea if I'll like it before I buy it. I was one of those people though that fell victim to reviews and articles that didn't truely reflect the game.
  
  The story line was almost below average and short. In places where you would expect a cut scene there was none and alot of times it was a screen of text to read through. Other times there were oddly placed cut scenes that couldn't been taken out. I realize that 360 games right now tend to be short but this was even shorter than expected. You only visit 4 main story line places before you have access to the end game planet. I played through the game in 24 hours of play time the first time around. After that I decided to play around with the new-game-plus aspect of keeping your level and gear the second time through. Even doing all the things I missed the second around I only spent 24 hours of game time from start to finish.
  
  The game is very linear depsite claims that you have an impact on the world around you. Little things change due to your choices but not enough for you to check out all the various responses to how you reply or how well you did on a mission. Your "good" and "rebel" meter may change but it doesn't change what you can or can not do except for one mission. You have to be 75% good for one mission or 75% rebel to take on it's sister mission.
  
  The game world is small with only one real city for you to visit. One "city" is no more than a small pit stop on your way to the dungeon style base you have to visit in the main story line. Every other place you visit are planets you can land on with your assault vehicle and cruise around. These worlds are bare and bland with the feeling you're driving around in a testing area for the game's driving programming.
  
  I've read reviews that this game is like Knights of the Old Republic and some that claim Mass Effect is even better than KotOR. Far from it. KotOR 2 for instance beats Mass Effect in every category.
  
  Mass Effect came off like a rushed job to get it to market and giving the consumer a bare bones model to tinker around with.
  
  
• One of the best Games ever
  By A3PPYKNIG7ZOTH on 2007-11-21
  The game is beautiful, the storyline is gripping and gameplay is fun, what more can you ask. It is like playing through a movie you are creating yourself. You actualy get to choose the outcomes, and the game changes every time you play becuase of the amount of options there are. This game is a must have for any player!~
  
  
• All Encompassing World
  By A9DK8PJJSKDXA on 2007-11-25
  I do not consider myself a hard core gamer but after I purchased this game on the 21st of November, I found myself playing it almost non-stop. I purchased it not really knowing that much about it. After I beat the game the first time, I didn't want the fun to end so I immediately created a new character and started playing at the hardcore level. I'ven been playing video games most my life but I have never done that before on any game. I even thumbed through the achievement menu at the beginning screen and found myself making goals to get some more achievement medals.
  
  GRAPHICS A+, STORYLINE A+, GAMEPLAY A+
  There were many instances when I would just stop and marvel at the detail in the graphics (I'm using a HDMI cable running from my XBOX directly to my 52" flat screen). Whether it's a lightning bolt in an alien sky or simply marveling at the beauty of the Earth while I'm cruising on the moon in my MAKO. In addition, they put soo much detail to mesh the beautiful graphics with the storyline to create a truly believeable world. For example, on my second time around I noticed in the distance while I was driving to Exogeni Headquarters that they actually had put the enemy (Geth) alien ship attached to the side of the tower as the story said complete with with landing gear puched through the building when I entered it.
  
  Minor Flaws
  - The unsteadyness of the sniper rifle makes it almost worthless.
  - Need better abilities for biotek (magic) characters. The first time around I used a biotek character and found myself relying mainly on my pistol due to the lack of offensive capabilities/spells with my character. When I went to play the hardcore level, I used a Soldier and found gameplay to be easier because I had the assault rifle.
  - Need a larger instruction manual to address some gameplay questions. My second time around, I was able to 'buyback' weapons from merchants that I had sold to them from when I played the first time around. This meant that as a relatively beginning character, I was able to get some very advanced weapons/armor at 1/3 the cost. I would not have known that unless I didn't happen to stumble on it.
  - Teammates are not exceptionaly helpful due to their poor AI
  
  All in all, it is quite simply the most entertaining game that I've ever played. I love to read epic Fantasy novels with some Sci-Fi because I can immerse myself in other worlds. This game has soo much detail that it accomplishes the same feat but also lets you particpate in the outcome. It is almost like a pre-cursor to Star Trek's virtual reality Holodek. Although, there are some annoying little flaws, the great things about this game far outweigh the bad. KUDOS to the host of individuals (writers, graphic designers, programmers, etc...) who came together to create this great game.
  
  P.S. Do yourself a favor and use renegade responses when you talk to the overly eager reporter at C-Sec Academy....hilarious.
  
  
• Simply brilliant
  By AJKWF4W7QD4NS on 2007-11-27
  Anyone who experienced Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the original XBox has been eagerly anticipating Mass Effect. Developed by KOTOR creators BioWare, Mass Effect may get off to a bit of a bumpy start, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be in for a real treat with this action/RPG. Playing as Commander Shepard, you are in the middle of interstellar and political turmoil in what turns out to be one of the most engrossing and intelligent stories to grace a video game, well, maybe ever. Without giving too much away, you'll meet tons of imaginitive alien races in an even more imaginitive universe that is brilliantly realized to say the least. The RPG elements are where Mass Effect really shines brightest, as you customize Shepard and decide your actions. Here you just don't pick from a list of replies or orders like usual in the RPG world, but when you do pick, your character actually thinks them out. Little touches and elements like this are what sets Mass Effect apart from other RPG's to hit the XBox 360. Where the game also shines is with it's visuals and effects, not to mention the incredibly good voice acting and dialogue. The production values are incredibly high as well, and there's just a feeling of freshness to be found here that usually isn't in most games of Mass Effect's ilk. However, Mass Effect isn't without it's flaws. There are some moments of graphical slowdown that while not overly apparent, can still be noticable. Also, the enemy AI isn't particularly good, and the game's action elements are nowhere near as polished as the RPG elements. Those flaws aside, Mass Effect is still an incredible game that is a simply brilliant sight to behold. The story alone is enough to suck you in, and you will be playing for quite some time. Even if you're not an RPG fan, you should still give Mass Effect a look, you will not regret it.
  
  
• Great Mix of Action and RPG Elements
  By AP3T1Z8OJFA9K on 2007-11-29
  I find myself looking forward to the combat in Mass Effect but then I get caught up in the astonishingly good conversation system while hanging around between action sequences. This game is great.
  
  
• Tedium, thy name is Mako
  By A22RIGUDAHQ5U0 on 2008-03-23
  Mass Effect is so close to being great. If it spent a few more months in development it could have been something really, really fun. Sadly this game is unplayable.
  
  Story and Pace - Great, I was sucked in from the begining. It's like playing a really fun and interesting movie.
  
  Foot Combat - at first a little weird, but once you get the hang of it, it's exceptionally fun. Something you'll find your self looking forward to.
  
  Graphics - a few texture pop-ins and rare and non-problematic frame rate issues. Overall just great.
  
  Driving the Mako tank - Here is where I just stopped playing. Controling the tank feels like they took the controls for the warthog in the Halo series and just went out of their way to make them worse. Ok. I can deal.
  
  Combat in the Mako tank - Forget about it.
  - Your F***ing torret doesn't move up and down while your fighting enemies on various levels, you you have to physically be on the same level, though they can shoot you from where they are.
  
  - The reticle seems to be the exact same color as the back ground.
  - 5 hits and your dead. Yeah, you can heal your tank, but like once, and even then you have sit there imobile by while dudes wail on you.
  - You'll be fighting hordes of enimies you can't see until after they've hit you three or four times.
  - When you die, and you will die often. You have to watch the same UNINTERUBTIBLE F***ing cinematics instead of just being thrown back in.
  
  I finished Ninja Gaiden and Lost Planet with little difficulty, (OK they were tough as hell) But THIS?! It's not fun. If they made the Mako Tank portions of this game better, then I'm sure this game could be a really great experiance. As is, I can't even F***ing advance in the game, it's just to frustrating and difficult to...um advance in the game.
  
  Just note, the tank is a small portion of the game. But one so frustrating it'll make you want to throw your controller.
  
  Bottom Line
  A lot of people love it (and good for them man)
  A lot of people hate it
  I say rent it. Your saves will still be there if you like it so much you want to own it.
  
  
• Game of the Year or maybe tied for it with Bioshock
  By ABQLDAZKDBHG6 on 2007-11-21
  This game is just beautiful. It's like playing the cut scenes and the way the text trees are set up you really get drawn into the game. The fighting is excellent, think Rainbow Six Vegas in third person. It has a somewhat the same cover system. I love it, Game of the Year.
  
  
  
• FUN FUN FUN!!!
  By A26I6NU9IPK1OY on 2007-11-21
  I had been waiting in anticipation for this game to come out for almost a year so needless to say I was really excited yesterday when I got to pick up my copy which had been on hold since march! If I had to compare this to a game other than biowares other games it would be gears of war meeting oblivion with a story much better and deeper than I have ever seen before. The Controls are a little tought to get used to in combat but bearable once you get them down. The graphics are simply amazing! So much to explore you might want to get the guide as well. Should be a game that you want to play over and over.
  
  
• Could have been more Mass...
  By A2W36OONSDMA03 on 2007-11-26
  This was a real fun game and I can't remember the last time I had so much fun playing a game that was strictly 1 player (no co-op or online modes). The characters were likable, the story was pretty engrossing and to top it all off, when you make decisions in the game, you actually feel what you did or said made a difference on the outcome of conversations and situations... something RPGs usually don't pull off very well. My only problem with the game was how quickly it took me to beat it. I was able to complete the game in less than a week and that was while only playing 2 to 3 hours a day. In my game I did the majority of the side quests as well. An average gamer who only plays the main quest will beat this game in a solid 5 to 10 hours... Kinda disappointing. The first time you play things can be rather confusing as you're forced to learn how to do everything on your own (distributing talent points, assembling your team, choosing their weapons, making them use their talents, upgrading everyone's guns and ammo) which can be a bit overwhelming at first. Despite the lack of tutorial and the short play time, its one of the best 360 games of the year. 3rd person shooter and RPG fans will be in heaven.
  
  
• Best Game of the Holiday season
  By A2GVVAO242EK1D on 2007-12-01
  Despite the months of hype and the incredibly high expectations, it looks like Mass Effect has lived up to them all. This isn't too surprising considering Mass Effect was created by Bioware, a firm synonymous with the best RPGs of the last decade. The story and interaction in Mass Effect is superb, and the freedom of action and choices it allows is amazing. The voice acting is amazing, it is at times more like playing through an interactive blockbuster than a video game. They story contains a good number of sci-fi clichés but it carries them off so well you stop noticing very early into the game. Like a good RPG should, Mass Effect draws you effortlessly into the game from start to finish. The interactive experience is superb.
  
  The controls are rather easy to master, and while the AI and combat suffers at times, it doesn't grow old or stale. The ability to modify and customize your weapons, armor and characters is easy but rewards and keeps things fresh. The ability to move all upgrades from one piece of equipment to a new one is also a nice time saver. The difficulty settings are spot on. Almost anyone can play through the game on the easy setting without much difficulty, enabling everyone to enjoy the cinematic masterpiece. For the more hard core and combat intensive the Insane difficulty is a good challenge. I picked up Mass Effect not sure if it was even possible for a game to live up to the hype it has received. I was delighted to find that it not only lived up to it, but surpassed it. I recommend it highly to any fans of the genre.
  
  
• Total Rehash of Past Games
  By AF9PGTC6FWH3Q on 2007-12-03
  After playing through most of this game, I just don't get why so many people are raving about it. First of all, the actual name should be something like "Knights of the Old Mass Effect" or "Mass Effect of the Old Republic", because it's almost a complete redo of the KOTOR games down to a lot of small details. A group of galactic peacekeepers/police? Not Jedis, rename them 'Spectres' and yep, you've got them. A trusted and powerful Jedi/Spectre who turns evil and tries to conquer the galaxy with a super-powerful spaceship? Yep, got that too. An overwhelming evil that threatens all life? Yep. Jedi powers? Rename them 'Biotic' effects and yep, there they are. Same squad-type setup, same basic aliens just tweaked slightly (and REALLY non-imaginatively, they're all just basic humanoids who don't even act like aliens - it's the Star Trek method of putting a ridge on a forehead and BOOM! Hey, it's an alien!), potential romances with various party members, on and on and on. It was deja-vu all over again!
  
  I found even the level designs surprisingly disappointing and LAZY - every spaceship you enter, every mine, every underground complex all have the EXACT SAME layout! I mean come on, is it REALLY too much to ask a supposedly 'next gen' game to have unique layouts for different areas??
  
  And a major part of the game is incredibly annoying - the tank like 'MAKO' which you're forced to drive all over super-rugged planet terrains handles like a shopping cart with a busted wheel, and hello bad camera angles. Trying to get from Point A to Point B on these planets is an exercise in frustration and boredom, again NOT what you'd expect from a Next-Gen game with so much hype.
  
  I could go on but really, this game is a 3 at best and certainly not worth the $60, unless you're REALLY desperate for KOTOR 3 and need a fix. Wait for it to go bargain bin, at $29 or so more worth it.
  
  
• Young and the restless in space!
  By A2W5K1J5D3AP on 2007-12-06
  I once read in a bioware dev blog that the player would never know what they might encounter on each planet, well after playing for 20 hours let me say that every planet is a completely barren, bumpy, dull volcanic, ice, desert environment, with either a base or mine setup, THAT LOOKS THE SAME ON EVERY PLANET?!
  
  I don't care if they have a thousand planets to explore, whats the point when they all look and feel almost exactly the SAME?! Do you remember how the caves and dungeons in oblivion looked the same with some small differences? Well then you know what I'm talking about with Mass Effects planets, theres no alien plants, trees, or anything remotely interesting on any of these planets, which really disappoints me. The story is about the only thing to keep some one playing this game, and even that isn't very good.
  
  I can't believe how disappointing this game is to me, I had it preordered for months and eagerly awaited its arrival in hopes of an oblivion sized space opera, only to get shafted...
  
  The galaxy map lets us hop from one barren lifeless planet immediately to the next barren lifeless planet, so basically theres no open-ended space exploration. Sure we get to drive and explore around on the bumpy planet surfaces in the mako vehicle, which ends up doing more crazy jumps and flips than the general lee from the dukes of hazzard but the mako adds absolutely nothing to this game, infact it makes the smallish planet sized maps feel even smaller.
  
  
  If you thought this game would let you explore space, then forget it.
  
  If you wanted to explore uncharted planets in search of exotic alien life or lost treasures then nope not in this game, some un-named mining/base building company has already been there.
  
  If you wanted to unwind after a long day at the office and kill off hordes of nasty alien creatures that will give you a at least a little challenge, then NO not this game. I've seen better AI in european assault, If you like a whole lotta talking, and a whole lotta multiple choice answers to choose from then bingo! This games for you!
  
  I highly recommend this game in your preparation for the multiple choice parts of the SAT exam... Actually sitting through the SAT's could be more exciting than this game, don't believe all the hype about this game.
  
  

• Mass Effect Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide
• Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide)
• V-Rocker Extreme
• Audio V-Rocker - Navy

• Assassin's Creed
• BioShock
• The Orange Box
• Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare