Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp. Part number: 35525
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Gamespot editors' review
Mass Effect (Xbox 360) price range: $18.99 - $19.99
- Reviewed by: Kevin VanOrd
- Reviewed on: 11/19/2007
- Updated on:02/12/2008
- Released on: 11/20/2007
Developer BioWare has always been at the forefront of progressive storytelling in games, so it's no surprise that Mass Effect's story is one of its best yet. It's got a unique take on the chase-the-bad-guy-across-the-universe plot, and just when you think you've got everything figured out, the game throws you yet another surprise. BioWare has created a politically charged universe with an exhaustive backstory and filled it with a bunch of interesting, multifaceted characters. Combined with an exciting and unique combat mechanic, it makes for a fun and absorbing experience that you'll want to see through to the end, just to see how everything turns out--even if the game isn't perfect by any means. In fact, it's surprising that so many small annoyances and glitches made their way into a game of such general high quality. Still, most players will be able to look past them and enjoy Mass Effect for what it is: A terrific role-playing game with great production values and fun, exciting action.
The story is one of BioWare's best.
As in most role-playing games of this nature, you begin by customizing an avatar. You play as Commander Shepard, potential savior of the galaxy, but there's plenty of room to mold him or her as you see fit. Physical customization isn't as deep as you'll find in something like last year's Oblivion, but the system is relatively robust, letting you choose from a variety of preset features, and even letting you round everything off with a scar. Shouldn't every badass commander have one? Of course, you'll also choose a class. In this case, you've got six to choose from, each with various strengths in combat, tech, and biotics (Mass Effect's sci-fi equivalent of magic). More impressively, you will select a few autobiographical tidbits--and these choices aren't just for show. Through the course of the game, characters will refer to your past, and your resulting dialogue options will allow you to react to their comments with various degrees of humility, wistfulness, and scorn.
The narrative is pure space opera, yet there's no denying that BioWare has created a tale of surprising depth and appeal. Surprise number one: Humanity is not the political center of the universe. We don't have a seat on the galactic council, or even a representative on the Spectre squad, an elite group of special forces whose members are given wide berth to solve political and military challenges as they see fit. In the meantime, a Spectre has gone rogue, ransacking ancient artifacts and unleashing the violent, robotic Geth race on an unsuspecting galaxy. As Shepard, you pursue him across the Milky Way, visiting one alien world after another and discovering the fallen Spectre's intentions along the way. He isn't the best villain ever created: He disappears for the bulk of the game, which makes finding him feel less urgent than it should. Still, the journey to the game's exciting end is one worth taking.
In true BioWare fashion, you'll be navigating through loads of dialogue trees throughout the game, and how you respond can have life-or-death consequences--though you shouldn't take that to mean that you need to brood over every decision. Oftentimes, multiple choices have the same result, a somewhat transparent trick that makes it seem as though you have a lot more impact on the conversation than you really do. At important junctures, however, your decisions can affect how missions play out. You can turn friend to foe, console (or devastate) a suicide-attack victim, or exploit evil corporate executives for fun and profit. And it all plays out amid an intricate melodrama of political intrigue and racial prejudice, and in a galaxy populated by fascinating, complex characters. There are pages ripped from the Star Wars and Star Trek playbooks, certainly, but quirks such as the interesting speech patterns of the overly-formal Hanar alien race, or the nomadic structure of the Quarian flotilla--a galactic government that's always on the move--make Mass Effect's version of the Milky Way a unique one.
When navigating dialogue, you'll also be earning paragon or renegade points, which is the usual light-versus-dark system we've come to expect from the developer. Unlike in Knights of the Old Republic, however, your decisions here will not affect any abilities you have. However, the intricate relationship between the story and the game proper means that these decisions still affect gameplay--though that effect is usually an indirect one. More interestingly, your paragon and renegade meters are separate, rather than being at opposite sides of a single spectrum. It's a subtle but effective choice that lends itself to Mass Effect's shades-of-gray fiction, where light and dark aren't mutually exclusive.
The main quest starts you on a huge space station called the Citadel, but takes you across a small series of planets before reaching the game's exciting final moments. Not that you're stuck with the main story, since you can pick up a good number of side quests along the way. Some of them are simple and relatively self-contained, while others will send you across the galaxy to uncivilized planets and derelict spaceships. This involves bringing up your galactic map, selecting a destination system, and going planetside to kick some alien butt. There are multiple regions to choose from, and often multiple solar systems within them, but while that sounds intimidating, it's not nearly as mind-bogglingly huge as you would expect. In any given system, you can usually only land on one planet--and on each of these planets, there are usually only a few things to do before you get to your destination. More surprisingly, once you've finished the mission, there's never a reason to return. Aside from the annoying thresher maws (more on these later), there aren't any hostile indigenous creatures, so once you've dispatched your foes and scavenged for loot, it's time to move on.
Thresher maw battles are exciting--and annoying.
When you first land on a planet, you drive around in a rover called the Mako. The thing's possibly the most resilient vehicle ever created in a game. You get dropped onto the surface from hundreds of feet in the air and drive up impossibly steep mountains without much difficulty. Too bad that the driving portions are undoubtedly the weakest of the game. The weird bouncy nature of the rover and the fact that gravity is the same on every world (even Earth's own moon) are both suspect issues, though they don't really affect gameplay.
The rocky planetary design and Mako combat mechanics can really be a downer when combined together. You can spray machine gun fire or launch shells at your foes, and it works fine, provided you are on the same level as your enemies. However, the Mako's turret, for whatever reason, can't move up or down. The result is that bullets don't necessarily land where your crosshair is, so if you're on higher terrain or your target is too close, those endless clips you're unloading are useless (though you can hit enemies above you without difficulty). It's sometimes maddening, since in many situations, the enemy base is nestled below you in a crevasse, and you're forced to either get in closer (often a death sentence in an area swarming with tough foes like the robotic Geth colossi), or get out and try to take on the toughest foes of the game on foot. Be careful if you get out of the Mako in areas like these though, since your adventuring party can slide into a deep valley and get stuck very easily, which forces you to either return to the Normandy (your ship) and return to the planet, or reload a saved game.
The other issue here is with the aforementioned thresher maws, which are sandworm-like beings that burst from the ground, spew deadly goo at you, submerge, and emerge elsewhere. These encounters can be really exciting, since the things are tough to take down and keep you on the move. The problem is that the game doesn't check on the Mako's position before respawning the thresher maw. Multiple times, we had the creature emerge from directly underneath us, which either resulted in an unavoidable insta-kill or getting stuck in the thresher's geometry while the camera jittered madly. That's just not fun, and you will find yourself avoiding flat expanses on planets just to avoid these problems.
User reviews
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A great step forward in RPG storytelling
by afroloq on November 20, 2007
Pros: Has great depth and direction, by BoiWare what more is there to say?
Cons: Combat controls kind of clunky, wished there was more control over the squad
Summary: Ok....some of you are wondering, if you haven't gotten it yet or getting it today what is the deal and does it live up to the hype...
My ...Summary: Ok....some of you are wondering, if you haven't gotten it yet or getting it today what is the deal and does it live up to the hype...
My answer is so far, yes and so far I don't know...
If you were a big fan of KOTOR this is a no brainer...either run and don't walk and get this game or if you were like me, you got it last night (BTW I was one of 5 people who went at midnight in my area to get this game)
The I don't know part is for those who are looking for either this to be a run n gun experience (it's not) or something out of Oblivion (it's better) or things I can't name right here.
For the most part in the 1/2 an hour of time I got to play it before sleep kicked in, I saw a lot.
Before that tho, 20 mins took me to set up my characterbecause if this the epic game that Bioware is making this, you want to have a character you can stand to look at.
My character wound up looking like a mardern day version of Eartha Kitt (in her 20's or 30's) with a nice short cut...hehehe
Ok...so what did you see in a 1/2 an hr?
Ok....in a brief sum.
1. You learn a bit about your own character based on whatever background set you pick
2. You learn that your crew are working with aliens that everyone has mixed feelings about especially since one is on board the ship.
3. I p*ssed off said alien race on my ship because he likes working 'alone' and I don't think I can trust them.
4. I may have p*ssed off a doc on my ship because she has a nasty 'tude also and my character doesn't take any crap....lol
5. I got one of my 'Ensign Jenkins' (hereafter known as EJs) killed because I sent him forward to take out an emplacement and he accidentally blew up a power cell (dummy!)
6. I got a cool peice of armor...hehehe
The combat is a bit of a mixed bag because sometimes it seems as even tho you are shooting at something it doesn't quite 'die' the way you want it but this is definently preferred over turn based combat.
If you have seen the pix and the videos, the graphics are very well done and if they get around to doing another KOTOR then this right here may be a sneak peek as to where this is going.
Also another thing you want to be aware of....check your graphics settings as your are setting up the game...I got a little concerned as I played about a 'grainy' quality my picture had and I thought it was the TV....it's not...in the settings, they have a reading for "film grain" so that way the game alomost looks like you are playing a movie.
Back to the convos....it's everything that they advertised as far as how fluid it it and each and every choice you make as far as how you want to take definently makes a difference. Sometimes you have to make a choice to glean info from someone vs brushing them off because they are getting a little too familiar or walk off becuas ethe attitude is too hostile.
I did find in one instance so far that if you kind of continue along the exact same line of questioning, that you get the same response. But it still doesn't detract from the experience.
So far everything that I have seen in the previews is present in the game and I can't wait to get in further.
I think this will be the game that knocks Oblivion off of the throne as the top RPG on the 360 but only time will tell and some downloadable content can't hurt either!
Otherwise so far, within the very tiny portion of the game that I have played...it is indeed impressive.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Just like kotor but not as much fun.
by Bronander on November 30, 2007
Pros: The graphics are good.
Cons: Boring helping other people with their problems.
Summary: I loved kotor, but this game isnt as cool. U just kinda get thrown into the fighting, and have 2 figure it out yourself, and it's not that easy. ...
Summary: I loved kotor, but this game isnt as cool. U just kinda get thrown into the fighting, and have 2 figure it out yourself, and it's not that easy. Most of the helping people missions are boring and dont seem to help in anyway. The leveling up is the same old same old. Overall this game is nothing special, wait 4 the next kotor game if there is a next one.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best RPG Yet!
by xromm3l on May 25, 2008
Pros: Excellent Story, Amazing Visuals
Cons: Some Graphic Issues
Summary: This is one of the best games out. It has one of the best storylines and intense gameplay. The Character Creation looks so real and cinematics just like a Movie. ...
Summary: This is one of the best games out. It has one of the best storylines and intense gameplay. The Character Creation looks so real and cinematics just like a Movie. There are some Graphics Loading Issues and Mako not customizable. But I Do Highly Recommend This Game to Everyone!
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The best game i ever play
by alexdt256 on April 15, 2008
Pros: Good graphic good conversation good control good history
Cons: Sometime we dont really have the choice ...
Summary: THat is the best game for ever i play like 2 days and i dont stop too good you have a lot of big mission and small one if you ...
Summary: THat is the best game for ever i play like 2 days and i dont stop too good you have a lot of big mission and small one if you do all you will have a long time to play
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joy to play
by sabertooth21 on January 25, 2008
Pros: characters or great love the romatic involvement something new to look forward too
Cons: a few minor bugs no biggy
Summary: Love the game, I also love the story line plus the romatic involvement of my character with the other NPCs(if I choice to do so). Makes the game much ...
Summary: Love the game, I also love the story line plus the romatic involvement of my character with the other NPCs(if I choice to do so). Makes the game much more realistic. Good job BioWare! I will contiue you buy your products, if you keep up the great work.
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The Best Game In 2007
by tayeparden on January 4, 2008
Pros: Amazing, breathe-taking story-line, Conversation features
Cons: somewhat lagging, no online play
Summary: Let me just start this review by saying Mass Effect is one of the best games I've ever played in my entire life. I think it is fair to ...
Summary: Let me just start this review by saying Mass Effect is one of the best games I've ever played in my entire life. I think it is fair to say that Mass Effect is the best game in 2007.
There are few things that make this game "one of the best". First thing is the deep story-line. It draws the player as it goes on and the sub missions and campaigns makes the story-line even better. The second thing is the conversation features. The player actually gets to choose what to speak and this isn't like Smackdown vs. Raw style of conversation. No Sir! Your character actually says out loud in the game and it affects the game in many ways.
I also found few problems but they are not that serious. The game is somewhat laggy and it's quite annoying at times but still it's playable. This has to be the major downside of the game which is there is no online mode. I thought there was some sort of massive online battle only to find out that Xbox Live is used to download stuff (nothing is up to download yet).
Overall, Mass Effect is the best, let me just say this again. The Best Game in 2007 and I can't wait to play this game again and again and again. -
Amazing screenshots
by michaelcvoigt on April 19, 2007
Pros: Gameplay and graphics
Cons: Cannot think of any
Summary: I can review this game as one that I will rush out to buy when it is released. The screenshots are reminiscent of gears of war, and I those screenshots ...
Summary: I can review this game as one that I will rush out to buy when it is released. The screenshots are reminiscent of gears of war, and I those screenshots influenced my xbox 360 purchase.
This game is going to rock!0 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
- Part number: 35525
Product Basic Spec
- Platform Xbox 360
- ESRB rating Mature - Partial Nudity,Sexual Themes,Blood,Violence,Language
- Genre Role-Playing
- Number of players 1 Player
Game
- Developer BioWare
- ESRB Mature
- ESRB descriptors Partial Nudity,Sexual Themes,Blood,Violence,Language
Manufacturer info
- Microsoft Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
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- Website: http://www.microsoft.com/
- Address:
One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - Phone: 1-425-882-8080
- Fax: 1-425-706-7329
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