BioWare undoubtedly has one of the biggest cult-followings in video gaming. From the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games through to original Xbox titles including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, fans of the talented developer have been anxiously awaiting their next ‘big thing’. Ever since it was announced, Mass Effect has been one of the most anticipated games to be released onto the Xbox 360. Promising a compelling story and deep gameplay, the potential for a fantastic game was great. I am happy to say that the game is successful in its goals, and while there are some issues, it has been put together with such skill that it will be an experience talked about for years to come.
 Mass Effect begins quite simply, with an introduction to our main character, Commander Shepard. You are briefly filled in on his past and what he is like as an individual, quickly given the brief to a mission and dropped in a colony called Eden Prime to investigate an invasion by a race called the Geth, while simultaneously introduced to the basic forms of gameplay and the setup for the rest of the narrative.
You can start with the Shepard that has been pre-made as the standard for the game, or you can choose to alter your character's facial features and class to suit your style of play. The facial customization is fairly detailed, but the body stays exactly the same, although it’s still good to be able to choose the basic look of Shepard. Once happy with your look, you get to move on to your choice in class, including the combat Soldier and the technology-focused Engineer, among others. The choices you make here will directly impact how the story plays out, with certain characters responding differently to you if you’ve chosen to be a woman, for example.
Mass Effect is an RPG with some action elements. At a glance, gamers could be fooled into thinking this is an action game, but it is more about the role-playing than it is about the shooting. As you progress through the storyline, you will meet other characters who you can have in your squad, and each one of them comes with their own set of unique abilities and talents. They will level up and gain talent points to spend at the same pace that you do, and are able to wear any equipment you find throughout the game.
Your main character and squad will be able to carry all types of weapons, including an assault rifle, sniper and a shotguns, but to use each type of weapon effectively you’ll need to train each character in that particular area, which is done by adding points to those particular talents. Along with the weapon skills that you’ll gain as you level up, there are some other talents available to you, depending of course on which class you choose to be. Things like your ability to override locks on computers as well as shields in combat are some of the talents that you may wish to focus on as you build your character.
Combat in Mass Effect can be a little difficult to grasp at first, as the in-game tutorial doesn't offer a lot of help. Apart from a few blocks of text describing the basics, it’s left mostly up to you to work out, and so you can probably expect to die a lot in the first few hours of gameplay. It’s not a major issue, and once you get a grasp on how everything works, it all flows smoothly, but that initial learning curve could be a little frustrating for some, and you may want to save the game frequently until you get the hang of things.
Once you're in a combat stance (which conveniently happens automatically when enemies are nearby), you aim and shoot with the RT while using the LT to zoom in slightly on your target. Changing weapons and using your squad’s talents is delegated to the left and right bumpers respectively, where you then select with the left stick your choice from a wheel, and all action in the game pauses temporarily as you make your decision. This is useful in situations of intense combat, but it does slow down the gameplay a lot, taking you out of the action. It does however allow for interesting use of the talent wheel; when selecting your talent of choice, you can still move around your aim. This means that if you have a talent that’s a projectile, you can literally pause with the right bumper, take your time to aim carefully at the enemy, and then fire for an almost guaranteed damage hit. It is very effective, and you’ll have to wait for the cool-down period to use the same talent again, so it isn’t overused.
The AI of the squad is somewhat lacking, partly due to the controls required to order them around. There is no way to order each squad member around separately, which means if you want one to move forward, they’re both going to have to. Their responses to your commands are sometimes a bit slow, and on occasion they get stuck standing behind some NPCs, failing to simply walk around them, which of course requires you to go back and literally lead them around the right way. It’s only a minor issue and doesn’t happen frequently, but it shouldn’t happen at all.
When it comes down to it, though, combat is only a part of Mass Effect, and it’s not the part that people will remember it for. BioWare have done an excellent job at creating an in-depth and compelling narrative that’s built on solid foundations, including a surprisingly deep back-story and appealing characters. Shepard is an important figure for humanity in a crowded galaxy, and every conversation you’ll have in the game requires you to think carefully about what you’re asking and what you’re going to say next. You can be intimidating or charming, or just straight down the middle. While there is no way to really be ‘evil’ per se (which wouldn’t make sense, given that the main storyline is about you saving the galaxy), you can be tough in your choices, doing what you need to do rather than doing what is right. It’s a great morality system, and although it doesn’t have a long-term effect on the rest of the story, the choices you make do directly affect what is going on at the time, and some decisions you will seriously have to consider, as they blur the line between what’s right and what’s not.
A lot of work has been put into the writing of this game, and it shows. The story is well told, with a series of climaxes that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are multiple endings based on certain decisions made during the game, and at least 20 hours worth of side-quests which have all been given the same amount of care as the 20 hour long main storyline. Every piece of dialogue in the game has voice-over recorded for it, which adds a lot to the experience. Every character has something to say, and if you’re willing to look deep enough, there is an huge amount of detailed history that the main characters will be able to discuss with you if you ask the right questions. Along with the rest of the audio, the voice-acting is absolutely top-notch, and has set a new standard for voice and character interaction in videogames.
Visually, Mass Effect is initially very impressive. Every cut-scene and conversation plays out like a movie, with different camera angles and plenty of cuts to keep the scene interesting and the storyline flowing. The lip-syncing in the game is well done, and every character model (including the many different types of alien) looks fantastic. The animation in the game is also noticeably detailed, with Shepard running differently depending on which surface he is on, and characters realistically shuffling around when they stand or sit, which may be subtle but makes the look of the game so much more effective. Unfortunately, the game suffers from some graphical glitches that detract from the experience. The frame-rate drops constantly; if it was every now and then it might not be a big issue, but it’s frequent to say the least. Textures don’t always load properly either, and we experienced the game locking up on occasion for a few seconds at a time, which can be extremely frustrating, especially in combat.
Mass Effect is undoubtedly one of those games that will be talked about for a very long time. BioWare have set a new standard in storytelling, and if you have even the faintest interest in RPGs or science fiction, then this game simply demands to be played. While there are some technical issues and awkward gameplay decisions that are hard to ignore, when it comes down to it, Mass Effect is so compelling that most people will be able to push the issues aside and immerse themselves in one of the most detailed game worlds every created. A story of this quality should be experienced by all Xbox 360 owners.
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mattster
- Nov 20, 2007
- Nov 20, 2007
- Nov 20, 2007
9.0
