A Sci-Fi Action-RPG Movie that will leave you begging for more.
Take Star Wars' Universe, Final Fantasy's Hero Settings and mix everything up with an enhanced version of Gears of War, and you end up with a superbly executed game called Mass Effect.
What's to like:
- Addictive
- Open-ended
- Exciting Fights
- Good Replay Value
- Great Graphics
- Superb Story
- Superb Script
- Superb Character Models
- Superb Animations & Lip-sync
- Perfect Voice-Overs
What you may not like:
- Jagged Shadows
- Only 1 City To Explore
- Short Length for an RPG
- Not Enough NPC Interactions
- 3rd Person Combat a la Gears of War
Story
You play as Shepard, a male or female protagonist that has been summoned to be part of a special mission. Humans are new to the Universe and Space Travel, and so you have been chosen to represent the Human race.
There are many twists and turns in the Story and for most of them, you will have a direct influence on the outcome depending on the choices you make. The whole experience completely feels like a Superb Sci-Fi Action Movie.
Game
Mass Effect is all about Role Playing the Main Character (Shepard) through the different scripted events. Those events are triggered by talking to some characters and visiting some of the many Planetary Systems.
The actual story has only a few major missions in addition to the long introduction (Citadel city). Anything else can be classified as Side Quests. This explains why it can take you as little as 15 hours to complete Mass Effect to a more standard 40 hours. So I would advise you to visit every Planetary System to fully experience everything Mass Effect has to offer.
Characters
The Beauty of Mass Effect is that every character feels and sounds completely realistic. Their facial expressions, animations and voice-overs are so incredibly well done that it truly makes them believable.
You will meet up to 6 characters that will be willing to join you in your adventures. Though each of them is rather unique and interesting to interact with, you will wish more conversations were possible with them before the end.
RPG Paths
You can take the Paragon path (selfless) or the Renegade path (disillusioned). While the Renegade path may add a few more kills to your record, it is not entirely an Evil path. It's more a path you take when you don't want to be completely politically correct.
Exploration
There are many galaxies to explore. Each one with its own set of Planetary Systems. Out of all the planets in a Planetary System, there is typically only 1 planet -- or moon -- that you can land on. Once you've landed on a planet, the actual exploration is done with the Mako.
The Mako is like an all terrain vehicle that has a very powerful weapon arsenal and some pretty good armor. This is great as you never know what you will encounter, whether it is some hostile aliens, enemy turrets or some local dune monster.
The main points of interests are shown on a map. This means that there are other points of interests to find if you start exploring a little. Other than Ore Deposits, Artefacts and other Anomalies, you may find some Stations and Encampments, but unfortunately, no actual cities. Generally, planets are rather deserted, despite the nice scenery that some may provide.
Classes
There are 6 classes available. 3 Core classes (Soldier, Tech or Biotic) and 3 others that are a mix of the base classes, for instance: Soldier / Tech. There are 60 levels possible to level up with one class specialization somewhere in the middle.
:Soldier:
You can train every weapon and have access to all types of Armor and Health upgrades
:Tech:
You can open lockers (like chests), decrypt computers (for extra quests) and overheat enemy weapons (to keep them from shooting)
:Biotic:
You can use Mass Effect powers that are pretty much like the Force in StarWars to disable your targets with a push or a lift
There are 4 basic weapons in Mass Effect: the pistol, the assault rifle, the shotgun and the sniper rifle. Not all classes can train in every weapon. But know this: even the Pistol, when trained, is deadly enough to beat the game with. So don't worry about not having access to the other weapons if you choose a non-soldier class.
Combat
Combat is done in Third Person View while switching to First Person View when aiming (your head is still showing though). Combat can be paused, but considering the enemies can usually be taken down within a few seconds, micro-managing each of your teammates (2) is usually not worth the time.
You can also get some cover, by simply 'pushing' on against a wall or an object. This is a great design instead of the unpredictable 'Space key' used in Gears of War. Another great thing about combat is that, if you ever feel like rushing through the enemy, you can try to ambush them with the shotgun yielding in some of the most satisfying action segments that you can experience.
Conclusion
Mass Effect is pretty much a Superb Action Movie spread out on 30 hours. It doesn't have the conversation depth or even the length that RPG Kings like Baldur's Gate or Planescape have, but sure provides an incredible experience from its overall ingenious presentation.
9.1/10