Mass Effect Review (PC)

Brilliant

I like sci-fi and I like role-playing games (RPG) so Mass Effect is my idea of perfection.

Generally, I do like to do a bit of research before I commit to buy any game, I needed only to see the trailer for Mass Effect. I got chills all up my back as soon as I saw the first few frames and heard the rousing backing soundtrack which reminded me of the music from Total Annihilation. This hasn’t happened since the intro of Final Fantasy VII, if the trailer alone could rekindle these feelings imagine what the game could do? I’m glad that I was not disappointed.

The game is set in the 22nd century and through the character creation screen you get a real feel for the timeline. You can choose whether your character has survived a planet wide massacre or has been part of the space core for most of his/her life. You can also change your appearance from scars to how bushy their eyebrows are. There hasn’t been a character creation screen this complex since Oblivion, but it is really easy to use and you can have your character created in 5 mins.

Throughout the game you come across fascinating bits of game information which really makes you feel part of the universe, such as how the spaceships are powered or how weapons never run out of ammunition. The sheer thought put into the background story is staggering and the time spent to make this game seems short in comparison to the amount of information you can gather through the course of the game.

The voice acting is second to none with actors like Seth Green (Austin powers: Scott) and Fred Tatasciore (Kung Fu Panda) make the game feel polished and its good to see established actors take an interest in games.

Graphically Mass Effect is seminal.

The other in game sound is also top notch, from the convincing weapon sounds to the robot chatter that gives away enemies hiding around the next corner.

Another nice touch is how all the characters are able to use cover effectively, all you need do is walk up to a wall and your character swings around and actually uses the wall or box for cover automatically, although the latter wont last very long. You will find yourself desperately seeking other cover as it shatters in tiny pieces from enemy weapons fire. Cover has been used in other games but not so easily or effectively.

Graphically Mass Effect is seminal. The textures are gritty and very realistic, to the point were you want to reach into the screen just to check that they aren’t real. There are a few graphical errors now and again like the occasional screen tearing but these are so small it doesn’t interfere in anyway with game play. The camera is fluid and surprisingly responsive I don’t think at any time I was unable to see what was going on to the point where it got me killed, which so often happens in action games.

The RPG elements are small, but who wants to be drudging around copious menus when there are baddies to kill? You gain experience with every kill and that in turn leads to gaining character levels and skill points. These points can be used to increase health or the accuracy of your weapons. There are also class specific skills that you can spend points on. There are 7 classes to choose from ranging from a pure soldier to a technical whiz, all of the classes each have their own strengths and weaknesses which is what you would expect with an RPG.

I would definitely recommend any fan of the genre buy this game. It has so many breathtaking moments it would be a struggle to find anything bad to say, so I wont.