[Video Game] Mass Effect

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Video Game - Mass Effect
2007
RPG (developed by Bioware)

IGN named Mass Effect the best XBox 360 game for the second year in a row last week. The award inspired me to finish the saved game I had lying around for months, signifying my third full-length playthrough.

Here's my breakdown, setrataeso-style.

Art Design/Graphics

Science fiction games demand good art design and graphics. You need all the different aliens and planets to be skillfully imagined, then you need them to actually look real on-screen. The current generation of consoles allows for this, as demonstrated by Mass Effect. The game's universe looks both immersive and original. The art design is fascinating and the graphics look awesome.

Some flaws must be mentioned. After load times, it takes an extra couple of seconds for everything to appear, even during gameplay. This creates short hitches. Also, side-quests all look the same. The planets all have different elements (fire, snow, etc.) but are pretty much the same otherwise.

Audio

The music, sound effects and voice acting are top-notch. The game wouldn't be nearly as good without their towering quality. Even random characters you talk to sound real, an unexpected element that turned many of my friends away from being "Renegades". For example, early on someone asks you to save his wife's corpse, and the fact he sounds convincing makes it hard to refuse. Furthermore, the music is quite epic, and makes the big moments feel even bigger.

Gameplay

The shooter aspects are, honestly, a mixed bag. Early on, when your weapons suck and your attributes are low, combat is tedious. Assault rifles have zero accuracy but pistols and snipers are weak. Later on these problems are fixed, although one major one remains: Mako combat. The Mako is a tank you drive around pretty much every mission you go on, and fighting with it is a drag. Actually, everything Mako-related is a drag. Thankfully, you're only in the Mako a short while for the major missions, usually toward the beginning.

It's also worth noting the "Go to the gym" effect. Mass Effect resembles going to the gym in that sometimes doing the side-quests is boring but you're happy you did them afterward because you got an interesting cutscene, you got some items and you raised your stats. Kind of like how lifting weights is boring but you're happy you did them afterward because you feel more fit.

Role Playing Elements

Where Mass Effect excels is in the role playing elements. It's fun doing missions for people. The main missions are fun because you're constantly making choices. Most of them aren't all that pivotal but they're entertaining anyway. Two or three hours in, you start caring about your crew. Not in a freaky, dream about them when you sleep kind of way, but in a "When I play this game, I wanna have some conversations with them" kind of way. You become extraordinarily immersed in its universe, which is extremely rare, even for RPGs.

Especially toward the tail-end of the game, when combat is more fun, the role playing elements combine with the shooter elements to provide sequences of unrivaled adrenaline. For example, the last setting you fight in comes on the heels of a huge-ass plot revelation, which I won't reveal, except that your knowledge of what's going down makes you more giddy than The Joker at an armory. Then, ingeniously, Bioware makes you stop in the middle of all that adrenaline to make the biggest decision of the game; possibly, the series.

Story

Finally, the game's biggest selling point. It's masterfully written. The plot is excellent. As mentioned above, once everything comes together at the end, while you won't be left gasping, you'll at least lean back in your chair, utter "Well... Shit!" to yourself, then be really jacked. It's so well written I'd go so far as to call it pivotal to this generation of games because it proves video games are a legitimate art form. They can be very smart, kind of like a good television series (maybe Battlestar Galactica) or they can be super entertaining, like a good blockbuster (maybe Die Hard), but re-write them for either and they lose something. Something like Mass Effect is only as good as it is because of its current medium.

Bottom Line/Replay Value

There are some boring stretches and some technical problems. But, especially once combat gets rolling, Mass Effect is a masterpiece regardless. I first played it my senior year of high school. I wasn't able to get into any RPG for three years before that. I haven't been able to get into any RPG since. But I got into Mass Effect, and if I could, I'm sure you can too. Furthermore, it has excellent replay value, allowing for six different fighting specializations and a near-infinite number of choices that affect different parts of the plot, albeit subtly.

Art Design/Graphics: .9/1
Audio: 1/1
Gameplay: 1.4/2
Role Playing Elements: 2/2
Story: 2/2
Replay Value: 2/2
Overall: 9.3/10

[Portrucci]

Excellent review, I agree with most points. Definitely, for games now days, you really get your money's worth with Mass Effect. I am greatly looking forward to Mass Effect 2 due out in January.

I must also say, if you liked ME, you would probably like Dragon Age: Origins. Which is essentially ME in a fantasy setting. And it retains the great story, voice acting, rpg etc.

[setrataeso]

Very cool that you chose to use my old breakdown style.
Mass Effect was a great game. Looking forward to ME2 in 2010.

[Lowdz]

SPOILER included
I was really enjoying this game when it came out until I found out SPOILER one of your crew who you have spent ages building up stats for, has to die and you can't stop it, only choose between two crew members. i lost all interest in playing it at that point and that's a shame because it was a great game.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

What you're saying makes no sense to me.

Every time you gain a level your entire squad is granted skill points. It's not like you have to pick two characters at a time to level up at the expense of everyone else, so when SPOILER Ashley or Kaiden dies, if you didn't level anyone else up, you're fucked.

Plus, the only way to experience Mass Effect to the fullest is to play it for the story. When SPOILER Ashley or Kaiden dies, you should be saying,

"Holy shit! I can't believe I just lost a member of my crew!"

not,

"Holy shit! I'm so pissed I wasted three whole minutes of my life on leveling them up!"

Plus, everyone knows Liara + Garrus is the best squad anyway!

[NecessaryPain]

After how good Mass Effect 1 was (even with the shitty planet exploration) I was skeptical regarding Mass Effect 2.

Finished it last week.

Boy was I wrong. Much better than the first. Best set of characters i've seen in a video game. Ever.