I will start this review off with a very clear point. I fucking LOVE Bioware. I will buy any and every game they ever make. I don't care what its based on, I don't care what system its on. I will buy it. They are my favorite game company, followed close by Square/Enix. So this review is not totally unbiased.
See, many years ago in a time before HD tvs, blue ray and super graphics, Bioware made a game called Knights of the Old Republic (or KOTOR for short) for the original Xbox. It was one of the first, and greatest, RPGs on the system. I had already started my love for Bioware before that with the awesomeness that was the Baldur's Gate series. Yet, Bioware out shined the sexy of Baldur's Gate with KOTOR. It had fantastic story telling, deep characters, solid combat and character creation. Since then, I have longed for another Bioware game that rocked that hard (And anyone says that Jade Empire rivaled KOTOR is just fucking crazy).
Mass Effect is that game. It has amazing story, deep characters, in depth character creation and solid combat (once you get used to it). Mass Effect is all I have wanted from Bioware for years now. I would go so far as to say it will be the greatest RPG on the 360 during its run. So lets get to it.
As I've said, Mass Effect has a great story. I mean fucking spectacular. It is deep, meaningful and it draws you in so you care about your squad mates and what is going on, long as that is something you want to do. You see, the great thing about the story is that if you don't want to experience it, you can. If you choose to ignore all the details and the really fantastic parts of the game, you can. The largest parts of the story are told during the main missions but there is tons and tons of story from the side missions. Bioware created a total and complete universe. Not just a world, or a country. A fucking universe, complete with detailed descriptions of every planet you can visit. Granted, you can't explore every planet because not every planet in the universe is habitable but each planet you can explore has some kind of quest you can go on. Your choices have varying effects on the over all story.
Graphically, Mass Effect does not disappoint, it actually seems to ask for more than the 360 can give. There are slight moments where the graphics take to smooth out, such as when you load a game or load into a new area. While this is slightly annoying, it becomes something you get used to after a time. When things get smooth, its beautiful. Each planet seem huge, the Citadel, which is the main hub of the game, does have the feel of a giant space station. Characters are realistic looking but not so much so they look cartoonish like some games. Honestly, I can see the 360 being able to do more, or Bioware being able to use the power of the 360 with more...ability than they did. It looks and feels like a true next-gen type of game.
For those of you who have played KOTOR, you know how the combat worked. Real time but with tastes of turn based combat mixed in. Mass Effect went a different route and used a FPS type of combat. Your squad mates can not be controlled in any real way, other than picking weapon type and deciding what special abilities they use during a fight. They work off of a pretty decent AI and they don't get killed very often. You will get an ability, if you take it, that brings your squad mates back to life during combat, but once a fight is over and no enemies are near, they will get up and only need to be healed afterwards. The combat is kind of tough to get used to and can be really tough to get used to. It can throw you off early on and don't be surprised if you die a few times early on because you are not really sure what to do. Each of the guns works differently, so using one gun is different than another. If you have played FPS games on the 360, you may be have a step-up on others that haven't. Still, combat will take getting used to though your squad mates will take care of you early on while you get the hang of it.
Over all, Mass Effect a buy, no question. It took me nearly 30 hours to beat it and has replay value beyond question. Much like all Biowares games, there are moral choices to be made during the game that will make a difference to the story. You choose not to save someone, or choose to do the "right" thing, it will make a difference on the game as it goes on. Even the last major choice you make in the game makes me wonder what the opposite choice would end up like. I mean seriously, ONE choice makes me want to replay the game over again. That makes a great game.
A lot of people in the industry are starting to say that the future of video games is no longer graphics or new types of game play but in a deep, engaging story that captures the imagination. A game that draws you in, makes you CARE about the characters in the game and a game that will make you worried about the choices you have made and what will happen from the choices you make. Mass Effect does that. You will end up worrying about what you have done. If those criteria are the future of the gaming industry, then Mass Effect really is a next generation game.
