Mass Effect (PC)
Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc. Part number: 19081
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Description:
- You take the role of Commander Shepard starship Normandy, the last hope for all life in the Galaxy. Saren, a rogue member of the elite and untouchable Spectre agents, has discovered the secret to unleashing an apocalyptic force upon the galaxy, and only you stand in his way. To save the lives of billions, you must do whatever it takes ... Read more
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Gamespot editors' review
Mass Effect (PC) price range: $16.82
- Reviewed by: Chris Watters
- Reviewed on: 05/30/2008
- Updated on:05/26/2009
- Released on: 05/28/2008
When Mass Effect was originally released last November on the Xbox 360, it unveiled a vast, beautiful galaxy populated by diverse, fascinating alien races. Players stepped onto this stage as Commander Shepard, a hero at the vanguard of humanity's ascension in the arena of galactic politics, and thus began an epic story bolstered by engaging characters and rich, branching dialogue. Exciting combat and robust skill management completed the package, but it was not without flaws. Many small issues have been addressed in the PC release, and the result is a more streamlined, more playable version of one of the best role-playing games in recent memory.
The bulk of Mass Effect remains the same, so for our thoughts on the story, character customization, dialogue, quest structure, and combat abilities, please read our review of the 360 version. This review will focus on the PC experience and how it differs from console play.
None of the changes are drastic overhauls, but they do have an appreciable effect on the gameplay. One of the biggest tweaks is to the combat system. In the 360 version, you have to temporarily pause the action to use any weapons or biotic/tech powers beyond the one you currently have equipped. On the PC, this pause is still available, but weapons and powers have been consolidated onto one screen, along with squad commands which you can now issue individually. Pressing the space bar will bring up a heads-up display where you can change weapons or powers and issue commands to your squad. Odds are you'll use this pause very rarely, because your weapons are mapped to the function keys and your biotic/tech powers can be assigned to the number keys.
Without frequent pauses, Mass Effect further distances itself from the ponderous, tactical feel of combat in previous BioWare role-playing games. Instead, it feels like a bona fide third-person action title. Gunning down small groups of enemies while barely breaking a stride is still immensely satisfying, as is blasting your way out of larger pitched battles--only now you can unleash multiple tech or biotic attacks on the fly. You can dart out from cover, take down enemies' shields, and explode their weapons--all while shooting them--and be back behind cover in a matter of seconds. The real reward of this faster, more fluid action is the sense of power it imbues. Wielding your formidable abilities with ease really makes you feel like the badass warrior you were meant to be, and it makes combat more exciting and fun.
Unfortunately, all those tech and biotic power animations flying around can cause the frame rate to suffer on less than godly computers. This will really only happen during battles with numerous foes, and though it isn't much more than a brief stumble, it's distracting. Slightly more distracting are the frequent in-game load screens. Masked by long elevator rides on the 360, load times have actually decreased in length but increased in frequency for the PC version. Elevator rides are shorter, but you'll often be ambushed by a two- to four-second pause (the screen dims and a small "loading" icon appears) when you're coming up on a battle or entering a new area. Again, these pauses are brief enough that they don't bring things to a screeching halt, but they are a bit of a nuisance.
A few other tweaks have positive effects on the game. The inventory system is much easier to manage with a mouse and keyboard, and long lists of items won't reset to the top every time you sell something near the bottom. The Mako vehicle sequences are easier to manage thanks to the implementation of dedicated forward and reverse buttons in place of the 360 version's viewpoint-dependent controls. A new hacking and decrypting minigame, in place of the old button-matching one, is both more interesting and more suited to the game: You must move a small arrow through concentric circles to reach the core while avoiding stationary and rotating barriers. It's generally easy to accomplish once you get the hang of it, but the time limit and tricky perspective shifting help keep it entertaining. Keyboard hotkeys allow quick access to the map and squad upgrade screens, and the quicksave button is a great way to ensure you won't have to do too much backtracking. They aren't big changes, but the aggregate benefit is definitely noticeable.
All the things that made Mass Effect great on the 360--the story, the conversations, the galaxy, the combat, the soundtrack, and the characters--are still great on the PC. The changes that have been implemented don't radically alter the game in any way, but they have enough of a positive impact to make it easy to recommend the PC version over the 360 version. On top of that, BioWare is offering the downloadable expansion "Bring Down the Sky" free to PC players, though at the time of this review that content was not yet available. Whether you're a seasoned Spectre looking to suit up again, or a newcomer who has never set foot on the Normandy, the refined PC version is your best choice for experiencing this excellent game.
User reviews
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One hell of an adventure
by nonerdspls on July 13, 2008
Pros: Almost Everything
Cons: Almost Nothing
Summary: Some points to mention before I begin my review of Mass Effect:
1) I played the game with no patches installed;
2) Since I loved the Kotor games, I will ...Summary: Some points to mention before I begin my review of Mass Effect:
1) I played the game with no patches installed;
2) Since I loved the Kotor games, I will sometimes make comparisons between them since both games share a lot between them;
3) I will divide the review into 5 categories: Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, Storyline, Value.
Since I loved the Kotor games, I decided to try Mass Effect as many people and website said they shared some common factors and boy was I glad I bought the game. It is a fantastic game with many and many extras but with some little (very little) downfalls.
GRAPHICS
What can I say here? The graphics are impressive to say the least, its like watching a movie. The people around you are, well, people not game people. I was playing this game, talking to Liana and my girlfriend came into the room and asked me what was the name of the movie I was watching and she plays games too. That the extent of the realistic graphics in this game. The environments are also the most realistic around, especially while in the buggy driving around on planets. The cutscenes are awesome and give you that sense of adventure and needed action like the old movies of Indiana Jones. The game is flourishing with color, bright but great colors that all mold with each other. The only downfall on the graphics side is that sometimes, when talking to someone, a little graphic glitch would occur on their face or neck but nothing serious. Perhaps it will be solved in a future patch.
Also a little on the negative side is that during side-quests, the enemy buildings are almost all the same inside (same plan) but considering the amount of side-quests, such thing can be overlooked (perhaps a universal building plan by the council...).
Graphics : 10/10
SOUND
The music is simple great and adapted for that particular moment. The sound like a gun firing or the sniper are very realistic. Also people voices are great and in sync with their lips. Some bad notes here is that during my gameplay, music was more often than not very low in volume but the gun sounds were still high so I coulnd't ring up the volume to hear the music. A bug perhaps. The final boss music was also great.
SOUND : 9/10
GAMEPLAY
The combat is not hard to learn and after a few fights, you will get the hang of it, not to mention the tutorial in the beginning. It is easy but effective.
The movement of the character is easy but sometimes, especially during missions in caves or anywhere else, a 'run' option would have been very helpful for the less patient.
The inventory is very easy but I did not like very much the 150 item limit, especially when you cannot drop any items or turn to omni-gel many items at a time. It rather eats your patience to have to remove on item at a time. If there was an option to remove many at a time, it is not easy to find.
The maps (both inside the planet and of the galaxy) are easy to use and quite straightforward. Comparing and changing weapons, upgrading and more could not be easier from the equipment screen.
The journal is also very easy to use, unlike many many games around.
Instead of mentioning many more things, I will just say here that the gameplay is great and nothing of the game available options can only be used by hardcore gamers only.
Gameplay : 10/10
STORYLINE
The story of the game is very intriguing and also sucks you in. Also the sidequest stories are good but the Kotor ones were much better.
The relationship are good but nothing compared to the Kotor relations. You just have one conversations with all members after each main mission and thats all. No talking during missions or very little with nothing special. But on a better note, the final results of the relationships are much better than Kotor which was just a kiss if you are lucky.
Storyline: 9/10
VALUE
You completed the game and you think thats all? Think again. The replay value of this game is huge. Not to mention the hardcore difficulty unlocked after completing the game, there are a lot of achievements to unlock and many more things to do. The game does not continue after you beat it but who cares? Begin another one in hardcore and do noy go for the final mission until you manage to get all achievements and you wont even have time to sleep.
Value: 10/10
OVERALL
If game developers want to cash on our money, Mass Effect is definitely the example they should develop games on. Now that we have seen a game as great as this one, no-one will buy something less. A must buy for those rpg or sci-fi players out there.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Better, Bigger, Bad***
by xromm3l on May 28, 2008
Pros: Better Tac-Hud, Better Resolutions, Better Everything
Cons: Still the same repetitive Side-Quests
Summary: I Personally Love the PC Version Of Mass Effect. the Textures and Resolution gets 10x Better than the Xbox 360 and the Side-Quests seems like theres a lot more. The ...
Summary: I Personally Love the PC Version Of Mass Effect. the Textures and Resolution gets 10x Better than the Xbox 360 and the Side-Quests seems like theres a lot more. The new Tac-HUD is the best. Run and Gun, Never Better. Highly Recommended!!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Amazing Game
by jeromyheld on June 14, 2008
Pros: Everything
Cons: Haven't Found one yet
Summary: Excellent game i haven't stopped playing since the day it came out.
Summary: Excellent game i haven't stopped playing since the day it came out.
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Has gotten me into RPGs
by nmmgb on April 14, 2008
Pros: Diolauge, Plot, Combat, Cover System, Custom,
Cons: Can get repetitive if you are a GamerPoint Junkie
Summary: I use to think Halo 3 was god, this game has made Halo 3 2nd place. I love this game, If not for my need to get the "Compleated a ...
Summary: I use to think Halo 3 was god, this game has made Halo 3 2nd place. I love this game, If not for my need to get the "Compleated a majority of the game with a _____ allie", the game would not get boringly repetative.
P.S., the last levels are heart pounding!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc.
- Part number: 19081
- Description: You take the role of Commander Shepard starship Normandy, the last hope for all life in the Galaxy. Saren, a rogue member of the elite and untouchable Spectre agents, has discovered the secret to unleashing an apocalyptic force upon the galaxy, and only you stand in his way. To save the lives of billions, you must do whatever it takes to stop Saren and prevent the return of an ancient force bent on the destruction of all organic life.
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Mature - Partial Nudity,Sexual Themes,Blood,Violence,Language
- Genre Role-Playing
- Elements Role playing game (RPG) - action RPG
- Number of players 1 Player
- Operating system Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista
- Sound Dolby Digital 5.1
- Resolution 1080p,Widescreen
Minimum
- RAM 1 GB
Game
- Developer BioWare
- ESRB Mature
- ESRB descriptors Partial Nudity,Sexual Themes,Blood,Violence,Language
- Max number of players 1
- Release date 2008-05-28
Manufacturer info
- Electronic Arts Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Electronic Arts Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.ea.com/
- Address:
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404 - Phone: 650/571-7171
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