In spite of its flaws, Mass Effect delivers on the hype and is one of the most enjoyable games of 2007.
You play as Commander Shepard, a space marine notable for not being Master Chief, Samus Aran, Marcus Fenix or one of 200 other space marine characters we've played as over the last few years. The difference here is that Shepard can be whoever you want through Mass Effect's deep character customization. In my first game, I chose a clean-cut, goody two-shoes gent who asked questions first and used violence as a last resort. Second time around, I became a cut-throat harpy with an itchy trigger finger, who sarcastically demolished anyone she encountered. Once you've created your avatar, it's up to you how you interact with the world, but the game gently guides you towards the conclusion of either Paragon (nice) or Renegade (a bit horrible, really).
Mass Effect's conversations show off one of the game's major innovations. A 'conversation wheel' shows possible paths of dialogue. You can choose one while a character is speaking and Shepard will respond in a seamless transition. Better still, if you get bored of an insulting or aggressive character you can just shoot them in the face mid-sentence. Whatever your decisions, you can't fail to be impressed by the quality of Mass Effect's voice acting, featuring noted actors Keith David and Seth Green. Without spoiling the plot, there are many twists along the way and fans of the genre, or fans of science fiction in general, will not be disappointed.
Combat in Mass Effect is what we've come to expect from games of late- intense, Gears of War style shoot outs involving hiding behind cover and blowing up plenty of synthetic aliens. For the most part it works very well, although the intelligence of your squad mates can sometimes be questionable. Less can be said of exploring uncharted worlds in the Mako, a glorified moon buggy with guns. Steering the Mako is akin to steering a sackful of balloons using a hair dryer, but thankfully your adventures in it are brief.
Mass Effect is not perfect. The graphics are incredible, but the game can't always keep up, leading to stuttering and textures popping in at random. The aforementioned Mako sequences are a notable low point. But to deride the game for a few superficial problems seems harsh when the rest of it is enthralling, innovative and memorable. Make no mistake: Mass Effect delivers on the hype and is yet another essential Xbox 360 title.