Review By: Cryowolf | Posted: 10/12/2007
Final Word:
Mass Effect opens up a realm of amazing story telling with a cinematic experience that makes you feel like part of the story. With combat that forces you to think and multiple ways to develop your character and experience, Mass Effect will blow your mind
A massive galaxy!
Mass Effect has a huge galaxy, with a ton of locations to visit and missions to complete, people to meet and things to kill. Counting all the locations/planets you will visit during your play through of the main story you are up to 7 main plot driven planets (counting the Citadel). Playing only the main story will probably net you about 10-20 hours of game-play, and a satisfactory grin on your lips as you see the masterful plot unfold.
You will get your missions sometimes randomly while riding an elevator and listening to a news reporter talking about the latest cattle of gnomes being enslaved by elves on a freighter called Yrdrassil, to visiting a cluster or solar system and receiving a distress signal or message from command giving you mission after mission. It can be hard not to get lost in the amount of missions that are there, and having to decide where to go can actually be quite a dilemma sometimes.
Many missions are very generic and the simple “go in and kill then get a big pat on the back” type, while others will thrust you into a conspiracy that may endanger not only your life but the lives of others.
Despite of the massive amount of hype around the hundreds of locations that can be visited in the game, only a handful of them can actually be boarded or landed on. Most of them are a simple description of a planet with the occasional option to survey them for minerals or gasses. The side-planets you do get to visit provide a very alien and authentic atmosphere in the game; however they will after awhile become generic and you’ll start to see a pattern emerge as they blend into each other. There is plenty to do however, as fully exploring each planet may take anywhere between 10 minutes and 30 minutes; for the completionist possibly even more.
The underground complexes and buildings, bases and so on that are placed on the side-planets all look the same. Personally I can’t blame Bioware for doing this however as they were restricted to one DVD and the size of 8.5 GB to do their game. It can become easy to ignore the repetition of the structure and design after awhile, and become immersed into the world. In other words, this is not a game breaker.
A game to last a lifetime (of the 360)
This is a game that was truly worthy of my time, and I will probably replay it a number of times. Bioware has done it again. They’ve managed to uphold the standard that they have set through the years of creating magnificent titles that continue to amaze us faithful RPG gamers. For all the nitpicking that one can do with Mass Effect, from the small “I got stuck on a chair and I can't get up” to “Oops did I blow up that solar system?” – Mass Effect is a golden star.
Mass Effect also allows you to start a newgame+, which basically means you will be allowed to carry on your Shepard; level and all – straight into a new game. Opening a door to a whole new experience and possibly making it just a tiny bit easier as you unlock the more challenging difficulty levels.
The differences you will get in the way you play the game, the gender you choose and who you romance will warrant several playthroughs. Some of the differences are subtle, while others are highly significant and many of the choices you are forced to make will have you twitching in your seat wondering what to do. The many subtle nuances and outstanding branching story telling makes this game a strong contender for the Game of the Year award, and at least to me a clear winner.
Mass Effect has a huge galaxy, with a ton of locations to visit and missions to complete, people to meet and things to kill. Counting all the locations/planets you will visit during your play through of the main story you are up to 7 main plot driven planets (counting the Citadel). Playing only the main story will probably net you about 10-20 hours of game-play, and a satisfactory grin on your lips as you see the masterful plot unfold.
Many missions are very generic and the simple “go in and kill then get a big pat on the back” type, while others will thrust you into a conspiracy that may endanger not only your life but the lives of others.
Despite of the massive amount of hype around the hundreds of locations that can be visited in the game, only a handful of them can actually be boarded or landed on. Most of them are a simple description of a planet with the occasional option to survey them for minerals or gasses. The side-planets you do get to visit provide a very alien and authentic atmosphere in the game; however they will after awhile become generic and you’ll start to see a pattern emerge as they blend into each other. There is plenty to do however, as fully exploring each planet may take anywhere between 10 minutes and 30 minutes; for the completionist possibly even more.
The underground complexes and buildings, bases and so on that are placed on the side-planets all look the same. Personally I can’t blame Bioware for doing this however as they were restricted to one DVD and the size of 8.5 GB to do their game. It can become easy to ignore the repetition of the structure and design after awhile, and become immersed into the world. In other words, this is not a game breaker.
A game to last a lifetime (of the 360)
This is a game that was truly worthy of my time, and I will probably replay it a number of times. Bioware has done it again. They’ve managed to uphold the standard that they have set through the years of creating magnificent titles that continue to amaze us faithful RPG gamers. For all the nitpicking that one can do with Mass Effect, from the small “I got stuck on a chair and I can't get up” to “Oops did I blow up that solar system?” – Mass Effect is a golden star.
The differences you will get in the way you play the game, the gender you choose and who you romance will warrant several playthroughs. Some of the differences are subtle, while others are highly significant and many of the choices you are forced to make will have you twitching in your seat wondering what to do. The many subtle nuances and outstanding branching story telling makes this game a strong contender for the Game of the Year award, and at least to me a clear winner.
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