Mass Effect is a must play for anyone looking for a completely engrossing RPG. It's minor issues far from ruin this gem.
It took a few hours for me to realize how amazing the game was, partly because it does a poor job of acclimating you to the mechanics of the game. I can see how some people might look the game over before they get to experience its excellence, and that is a shame.
Once you gain understanding of how the combat works, let me tell you it is amazing. First of all, do not, by any means walk into this game looking for a shooter. Headshots and the like are meaningless. This is an RPG. In fact I am going to use one of my favorite RPGs in my description of this game.
When it comes to combat, anyone who played Secret of Mana on the SNES is in for a real treat. Mass Effect uses a mechanic very similar to the rings used to select spells and other options in SoM. As you pull up this ring however, it is not such a break in the action as it was in Mana. When this ring comes up you can do 2 useful things. You can target enemies and you can que up a special attack or skill for each character.
Once you have things que'd up you generally want to fire as you let go of the right bumper button. This all comes together to allow you to quickly assess each battle and make sure of how you want things to go down. I find it much better then the way other games like this had done things. They just took too much of a break in the action.
The dialogue system is great, not perfect, but great. I had heard talk of being able to interrupt people mid conversation, but that did not materialize. What they did however was allow you to really control the way the conversations go down. This leads to a feeling of connection with your character because you can choose the way everything goes down. The usual good guy/bad guy or something in between mantra applies.
The music in the game is absolutely well done. I only wish there had been a little more of it. One of the other things that truly shines in Mass Effect is the map. A map seems like a silly thing to praise but if you have any sort of interest in space and the universe, you are in for a real treat.
At the most zoomed out layer, you can see our galaxy in its entirety. The sheer number of stars you see is amazing. Scattered about are the various nebulae in the galazy, quite a few to be had. You select one, and the screen zooms through into the nebula, which in turn contains solar systems. Again you can choose one and zoom in to the system.
Why is this special? the way you zoom in and out gives an idea of the scope of just this one single galaxy that i cannot quite put into words. It is breathtaking, humbling. In each system you have the various planets, but unfortunately only one is usually actually explorable. On the bright side however, each planet may be examined and most contain very detailed information about the planet, its makeup, history, and notable features.
The game's central plot is absolutely 5 star quality. Without spoiling anything I will say that the story will envelope you in the goings on of the entire galaxy in a way that keeps you interested for the duration, and beyond.
Now this game is not without its flaws. I would be a bad reviewer if I failed to note them. The inventory system is an utter mess. It's difficult to explain, but it is confusing and downright stupid in some areas. The item limit does not help either. If you hit the limit, and pick up new items, you will have no choice but to discard them. So be warned, always keep free room.
The non-story essential planets are mostly bland, often reusing the buildings and structures found on each other. Whoever was contracted to build all this stuff must be wealthy because they have the whole galaxy on lockdown. The planets are also mostly barren, and I feel the developers missed a real opportunity here to develop some interesting ecosystems.
You are not required to play through all of these planets, but if you are any kind of completionist, you may find them very boring at times. Your squadmate's AI can get iffy at times, and the system for giving them orders is not great. Fortunately you can usually control the action enough that it is not an issue.
There are also loading and texture issues which should just not be happening. The mako tank does not have the best controls, but it isn't horrible. Another personal peeve is the need to unlock difficulty settings. I would have enjoyed the game more if I could have played a hard mode from the start.
All in all the game is not a perfect one, but it definitely lives up to the hype. Do not let the negative aspects of the game deter you, I almost did and would have sorely regretted it. You are left fully satisfied at the end of the game, but as Mass Effect is a trilogy, they keep you interested enough to want more.