Mass Effect
9.2
10
30
30
Easy to port
I love Mass Effect, the one reason why because it is easy to port to my mac using wineskin, i also have the DLC for it. Graphics are ok, but not bad. Its a great game, its fun and awesome, and i can brag that i have it on my Macintosh. Even though I do not like EA publishing it, i still like it.
7/17/12
Epic Game!
I played Mass Effect 2 first before I played Mass Effect. I was instantly in awe at the second one. me2 called for some high pc requirements but it was well worth searching out a pc that could run the game. The reason why I bought me1 was to see the story behind me2. The dialogue in me2 always confused me when characters would speak of saren, sovreign, the battle of the citadel, protheans etc. so i purchased me1 to get more of a feel for the mass effect series. The me1 is truly a great game. I love how you can choose how the game plays out and how the decisions you make in the first game continue into me2 if you load it into your me2 folder. A decision based game is truly the future of gaming. Overall me1 is a fanastic game
12/13/11
Pretty good but needs improvement
A pretty good and involved RPG. I like that you have options of what to say and how to respond, though it doesn't seem to matter 99% of the time how you respond, you seem to always get the same results.
The game is like a hybrid of Halo and Phantasy Star. The battle system takes some getting used to, but once you get a handle on it it is pretty good. I like traveling to the various star systems ad searching for stuff, but the planets get a little boring. They are pretty similar and almost all empty and dull. There needs to be an improvement on the tank controls, they are awful.
The music is great. It makes the game. I want the soundtrack. It really sets the atmosphere of the game.
The dungeons are all the same 3 or 4 set ups, so you get to know the layout and it becomes pretty boring, but the quests keep you going.
All in all a pretty good game, but has much room for improvement in some areas. Still fairly solid and I think I will replay after I get to the second one. I don't know why I missed this years ago.
10/16/11
Classic Sci-Fi RPG Shooter
Mass Effect is an awesome sci-fi themed shooter with RPG qualities. Set in the future, the humans are part of a greater galactic community trying to prove their worth. Over the course of the game you find yourself in the middle of a battle against the Reapers, a seemingly invincible force that has existed since the beginning of time. While the storyline was initially difficult to follow at first because there was a lot of foreign names for different characters, planets, etc. I found that everything seemed to come full circle towards the end. The form of interaction between characters facilitated this since you are allowed to further interrogate people regarding things that may seem unclear.
The main type of game play employed is 3rd person shooter. I liked the game mechanics and the leveling up system was cool; you are able to focus your character to being proficient at certain weapons of your arsenal among other things. You also are able to ride in a vehicle called the Mako, which is essentially a tank with a gat and cannon. I found the controls to be rather unresponsive and sometimes sticky in the vehicles. Also, there were some inaccuracies since the tutorials in game say to use 'E' to exit but this was not the case. Aside from having install issues, the game itself once it was up and running was without flaws. I ran this game on my PC with the bare minimum requirements and it ran smooth with zero lag. The voice acting was good but would have liked a better soundtrack. The characters were well constructed and I enjoyed watching the interactions between them. You are also forced to make moral decisions that affect the progress of the storyline. Overall, this is a great game that I would highly recommend to anyone including fans of shooters, RPGs, or perhaps a PS3 owner looking to get caught up to play Mass Effect 2.
2/6/11
Awesome
This game just keeps pulling you back to play. When you think you done it all there are characters with new a different powers than the last. Not only do each character vary, you can take thngs to the dark side.
9/24/10
Mass Effect has it all!
I was bored with WoW, searching for a game that might offer more than 1 playthrough. Loved the Half Life 2 series, but ... 1 playthru is it. Fallout 3, okay, a few playthru's. The STALKER series was decent, but the only real repeatability was with the (extensive) mod community. Crysis, BioShock, ...... you get the idea. So, a couple of years after release I find out about Mass Effect. Sounded decent, but then I remember the Tabula Rasa disaster. Well, ME has everything you could ask for ..... well, maybe except for first-person action. It's 3rd person action all the way, but WOW! Great customizable characters, all the RPG options Bioware is known for. You really get to feel you KNOW some of the main characters! And it tops off with some great vehicle action and some awesome physics. Cutscenes are outstanding and the action is consistently interesting. When you visit a planet you can actually get a bit of an astronomy lesson: while most of the worlds (except for the local system) are made up, the factoids that describe the planets are right there in the current extraterrestrial lexicon. Great depth! And when you do one playthru, turn around and build a new character, choose a different look, different gender, class .... and the playthru and dialog options will be different. Can't ask for much more! Kind of like Oblivion without the everpresent Orcs and Elves. I give it a SOLID 10.
10/7/09
Are they for real..?
Never ever did game characters feel so... Alive as in Mass Effect. Never ever did Sci-fi interest me, unlike in Mass Effect. Never ever did I pay so few glimpses to the graphics and character customization over the incredibly deep story. Boring classes I must say - but what the heck, the story, all those little facial expressions and conversations are so high above it all you can only love it. Reminds Star Wars? No doubt. It is like Star Wars with only the good sides in it and without the bad ones. How you grow to actually care about your companions (or hate them) gives it more living feeling than any game or movie before. Voice acting is better than in any game, ever. (Alright, I haven't played any karaoke games in my life). The ' enhanced n' fixed ' PC version is the one I am talking about so I do not know about the XBox 360 game version at all. I have high-end sound and visual performance systems so it might have enhanced the Effect. Bugless, seamless, endless... More than 30 times I have now finished the game, and still it is one of my top played games per week along with Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout 3. Evertyime I play it... I find something new - that keeps the spirit up! Multiple endings, multiple ways to solve situations, multiple ways to kill... GIEF MORE PLZ! ...Ahem. Keeping a tight eye on the Mass Effect 2 release date informations, rumours, hints, tips... All. Oh. It was too short (fine 30x20 hours) though! I crawe for more, more, more...
11/21/08
What Tabula Rasa should have been!
Wow, what a great game! I don't often write game reviews but I thought Bioware deserved some credit for this awesome game and if a good review will help produce more games like this then I'm all for it! This is the sci-fi RPG that's been a long time in coming! This is what Tabula Rasa should have been! This game has phenomenal graphics, an excellent story, awesome voice acting, a great mix of action, fighting, team planning, immersive atmosphere, and a variety of non-linear missions you don't often see in RPGs. I found myself feeling that I was actually in a compelling futuristic star-base and looked forward to each return. The activity level of NPCs was a little low and more sparsely populated than I imagine an actual star-base, but that hardly diminished the enjoyment. You are able to equip, choose skills, and designate which members of your crew will make up your away team, and piloting the surface in your all-terrain fighting vehicle was a mini-game in itself. I do have a high-end system and was able to turn the graphics all the way up, but it sounds like the game will also run fine on mid-range systems. Keep up the good work Bioware, I look forward to your next games!
7/18/08
Story does not make up for gameplay.
In all honesty I think that mass effect would have made a better movie than a video game. In this game, the cutscenes were the fun part, and the gameplay was the boring part. Which is the opposite in most games. The button layout and control scheme are just plain bad, and the combat plays out like a mix of Driver 3 and Gears of war, which is not a good thing at all. While the graphics were above average, they were nothing too impressive. On the PC, I noticed a lot of shading issues on the character models, even on the highest setting. the "squad gameplay" just felt like work because your teammates did little helping, and a lot of dying. The level goals are very similar and usually the side quests are more fun than the actual game. The voice acting could have been better to say the least, I was surprised to see Seth Green in the credits. While this is a role playing game, they don't give you much choice as to how you want your character to be. It's usually as simple as GOOD/BAD with no in-between. and it was kind of annoying how no matter what your character looked like, he/she had the same voice no matter what. Also, I noticed a lot of drawn out walking sequences to get to your next mission objective inbetween the action which I was not fond of.
7/9/08
Epic
Bioware brings as usual an epic story, with awesome characters and voice acting. Love is in the air as usual with Bioware stories as well as the Destiny factor which I personally love. PC gives this game the playability it should have, no offense console lovers but it's a lot better on a PC, you will get used to the controls right off the bat, easy to learn. Not as demanding on the graphics, I thought it would be tough there, but not really, you can have a great graphic experience with a mid range GPU. oh! and you will LOVE the MAKO, not telling what it is, dont wanna spoil it, but you will simply LOVE it!! You can't miss it, if you liked KOTOR you will love this game, wish KOTOR 3 would be developed under this engine and quality. Only wish the game was a bit longer. This game is a must have for PC/RP lovers.
7/1/08