Mass Effect Review

The big question that I kept asking myself as I played through Mass Effect was "Can this top Knights of the Old Republic?" When it comes to BioWare games, I've played just about all of them with the exception of Jade Empire, and I have been yearning for the next big BioWare game since KOTOR. Jade Empire didn't seem to fit my style all that much, which is why it received a pass, but as a science-fiction geek, I just had to check out Mass Effect.

In this review, I'm going to cover the technology first so that I can have the rest of the review to discuss my opinions on gameplay. First and foremost, this is a great looking title on the Xbox 360, especially as a role-playing game. This is probably the first thing that you'll notice as you begin to play, and it's really great that BioWare took the time to develop a high end graphics engine built around a core which could handle RPG elements. Unfortunately, the graphics seem to be straining a bit on the 360, as you'll often times hear your console's DVD drive chugging away trying to stream in data as quickly as possible. Texture popping also occurs, especially immediately after a cinema or area load. Once the game catches up on pulling in texture data though, things look golden.

The sound is very well done, with booming explosions, thunderous cannon fire and whooshes of evaded missiles in combat, as well as ambient sounds as you roam about during more peaceful times. A great musical score backs up your entire journey and is usually very fitting to any situation that you may encounter. Last but not least, every single line of dialogue in the entire game is professionally recorded and, in most situations, sounds very believable as it is being spoken. The sound is definitely great all around.

The dialogue, voice acting and sound effects are some of the more impressive aspects of Mass Effect.

So with a great graphics engine and excellent audio on top of the track record of BioWare, how could Mass Effect be anything but a triple-A title? Well, as we've seen in previous games with lots of flash, sometimes gameplay suffers as a result, as money and resources are being tied into what you see and hear. Mass Effect does have some issues, and I'm not afraid to take off the hype-effect glasses to address them without spoiling the game for our readers. First, I'm going to delve into the gameplay a bit.

Mass Effect is an entirely single-player experience, which is to be expected, but the game certainly tries to trick you into thinking you're playing a bit of a co-op game; you can select two squad members, and your allies will frequently interact with you, as well as other characters. Depending on which characters you choose to accompany you on your missions, you'll witness different interactions, which is great for the most part. On the other hand, it also oftentimes creates a sort of "what if" feeling that sticks for awhile. Unless you plan on playing through the game to satisfy all of the different combinations of party non-player characters, it seems about impossible for anyone with an actual social and work life to figure out just exactly what could have been, if at all. Once you reach the end of the game, you'll most likely be ready to move on to other games, and the effort to replay the game for different character interaction just doesn't seem worth it.

In terms of linearity, Mass Effect also tries to trick you into thinking that what you do will actually change the story. But based off my research of other people's experiences, there's really nothing to change, at least in terms of things that would have a lasting effect on the narrative. While BioWare may potentially take advantage of your original Mass Effect save game file when the sequel comes out, you'll most likely have forgotten some, if not most, of the choices you made if they do play a part. Simply put, you'll encounter a number of scenarios that may leave you scratching your head by the end of the game. I personally can think of a few specific occasions that certainly left me stumped once the credits rolled, as I expected my choices to come back to benefit or haunt me. It was a nice effort to offer choices, but it could have been done much better, as it would have been great to see some reactions to my decisions play out in the final game.

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