Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

100 or More Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Revolutionary"

Some time in the future, in a galaxy not so very far away (in fact, it would be... our galaxy)... Mass Effect. Technology discovered on Mars has allowed for some of the greatest advances ever recorded in human history. With the ability to control the very fabric of space and time, man has taken to some of the farthest reaches of the final frontier.

Well, that made for something of a Star Wars and Star Trek reference in the same paragraph. And, indeed, BioWare's first entry in their space epic is extremely evocative of those two series of films. The game basically places an individual in the role of universal savior. And that savior can sometimes be a jerk.

As the game starts off, you find yourself in the boots of Commander Shepard. What his or her background and assumed personality traits are are up to you, based on a set amount of presets available in character customization. Or you could, y'know, just use the default profile. Either way, your Shepard's actions are entirely up to you and this has always proven a strong point of BioWare titles in the past.

New to the plethora of BioWare standards is the radial command menu, which allows the player to select either "good", "neutral" or "bad" dialog options during conversations with various characters. The beauty of this system is that, not only does it feel very fluid in relation to the character driven devices of the story, but the options aren't strictly "good" or "evil" in a sense. The "Renegade" option -- as it would be known within the context of the game -- might only be a more callous approach to a situation, even if that approach might also be considered... well, downright prickish.

Sometimes it can be fun to play the sort of badass, "the ends justify the means" hero from time to time, though. And here we have a game that certainly allows for multiple playthroughs, featuring a rich universe to become immersed in, characters we can talk to, care about or disdain. There's never really been a game like Mass Effect before it, even when taking into account certain BioWare pedigrees that are certainly on display here: yes, we have the hero, there's the love interest, a variety of party members -- and, eventually, the player character becomes overpowered.

What truly makes Mass Effect undeniably revolutionary is the connection that it is able to establish with its audience. Anyone with space-faring fantasies, anyone who's ever wanted to save the world (universe) and become something of a symbol will likely find something to latch onto here. It is very likely that anyone who simply enjoys a good story will become engrossed in the experience that is Mass Effect as well. It's a big universe out there and here it is deeply and lovingly portrayed.