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Mass Effect


Few games deserve the word "epic". This fantastic sci-fi, role-playing shooter is one that does.

It's worth mentioning that this is a beautifully realized game universe. No, it's not quite as colorful and dynamic as Star Wars - honestly, nobody's ever going to beat light sabers, wookiees, and Leia's slave-girl genie bikini. But Mass Effect's version of the galaxy is still captivating. It looks graphically stunning, and though tech-heads will notice that textures sometimes pop in a split-second late, nobody will really care.

The game world isn't quite as wide open as we'd dreamed - you can't land on every single planet (and those you can visit are often a bit barren), and you can't randomly steal things or kill civilians and get arrested like some kind of sci-fi Oblivion. But the staggering amount of attention paid to details and backstory - how hyperspace works, why the elcor aliens talk funny, what each planet is made of - makes the overall experience feel much more rich, realistic and satisfying.

The main critical path is 20-30 hours long, though it feels a bit shorter - probably because the main missions are quite long, so there aren't as many as you'd imagine. Optional side quests should supply you another 20 hours or so, and gave us a fun, Star Trek-like sense of wonder and exploration. They usually take place on different planets and you often have absolutely no idea what you're going to see or do. You might find yourself ambushed by a giant worm on a desert planet, trying to defuse a nuclear warhead in an abandoned mine shaft, or frisking space monkeys on a lush-but-poisonous paradise world as you search for a lost data module.


 
2 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
jar-head  - 6 months 20 days ago 
playing again, the inventory is Very clunky, you can only hold 150 items. that may sound alot, but that consists of assault rifles/shotguns/pistols/sniper rifles/grenades/ armor/ biotech tools and omni tech tools, owe, and dont forget the Upgrades that come with Each Section. Bioware Has to fix that issue since they said ME was a trilogy and that if you finished the first and saved the game you can play the second game using that Same character, and that the first games effects the second in your choices. Of course any starting trilogy is gana have some clunky stuff that is usually fixed or improved in the second. But wheres ME Next DLC besides Bring down the sky?
Forsakenday  - 4 months 13 days ago 
I just finished this game and It is amazing. The ending is epic and I can't wait for ME2. I do admit the inventory system is pretty horrid. If they fixed that, it would probably get a 10 on GR. But for me it already is a 10.
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The Knowledge

Mass Effect

Genre: Role Playing
Release date: 23 Nov 2007
Published by: Microsoft
Developed by: BioWare
Franchise: Mass Effect
Features: 16:9 Widescreen, HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Multiplayer Modes:
Offline
1 player SOLO
9 AWESOME
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