An awesome blend of KOTOR and Gears of War that looks and plays so well that you'll want to cry.
The Bad and the Ugly- text hard to read on standard televisions, your crew doesn't butt into conversations and tell their opinion as much as i would like them to. To much motion blur and gritty-ness in cut scenes (can be turned off in the extras menu).
Mass Effect is one of those game you won't be able to stop talking about even after your family repeatedly tells you they don't care. The choice of words runs way smoother than it ever did in KOTOR and the combat scenes more realistic than any other tactical third person shooter (excluding the fact that you're fighting synthetic aliens created by an outcasted alien race). In Mass Effect you play not only for your agenda, but the agendas of two others: Earth's alliance military, and the galactic counsel. You're trying to stop a rougue specrte who may or may not be using synthectic A.I. aliens called the geth to wipe out life in the galaxy. You aslo have to show the galactic community and the rest of earth that humans are ready to take a larger role in the galactic community.
As Commander Shepard, many aliens distrust you for being human, but as a spectre you are given a reputation of being brutal and visious, so the alliance now distrust you, as do many aliens, and cops, who think that no one should be able to operate outside the law like spectres can.
Aside from the combat and the main storyline, there are many sidequests involving the past troubles of your crew members. There are also the BioWare classic puzzles where they give you three columns of four energy levels and you have to move them from one to the others without any direction. The Mass Effect galaxy is so wonderfully unique it is on par with the awesomeness of the Star Wars universe. This game is a must play for anyone who enjoys Science Fiction and tactical shooters.