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When I first booted up Mass Effect for this review, I was almost immediately struck by a feeling of the satisfyingly familiar mixed with a wonderment of the immense ambition being applied to that formula to create a game that I had always fantasized of playing.  In short, within a couple of hours, I wanted to hug my television. I was in the thrall of master developers and couldn’t be happier.

Yes, I may be indulging in hyperbole, but don’t discount this stunning denouement to a season of top-notch games.  Mass Effect takes the concepts of BioWare’s previously stunning Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and fills in all the cracks from that game that were born of the limitations of an older technology and restrictions of its license.  The freedom of a new IP and far stronger horsepower of the Xbox 360 have resulted in a title that has no precedent in how the gameplay, visuals, and storytelling work in concert.

The Stars My Destiny

Obviously, the game takes place in the future after man has discovered alien technology and a substance called Mass Effect that has resulted in scientific advances that have put them in contact with the furthest reaches of space and the beings that inhabit it.  A council of three alien races maintains order over this unwieldy union. The humans want a seat at the table since they provide the bulk of the military strength to keep order in this universe.  That’s where you come in, Col. Shepard.  Not surprisingly, you start to unravel some misdeeds that could result in the destruction of...well, everything.  To go into any more detail about the story would rob you of one of the most interesting stories ever told in game form.

But what is worth noting is how it’s told.  First off, you create your own character (last name Shepard) with a remarkably versatile creation tool.  We’ve seen that but to see that model seamlessly integrated into all the cut scenes is a remarkable achievement that goes much further than I expected to personalize the experience and involve the gamer in the story.  But that’s just the beginning, every character interaction is voice-acted, and voice acted well. The difference this makes far exceeded my assumptions, there’s a smoothness and immediacy that held my attention.  It’s also notable that much of the dialogue is not exposition and is more centered on conveying character and drama. When you do learn about situations, it’s nicely blended with the speaker’s biases and dispositions. 

BioWare didn’t feel that stopping at these achievements was sufficient.  Perhaps the most stunning development is the digital acting.  Eye movement, facial contortions, and overall body language add a layer of depth and meaning to the story that grants it a level of maturity absent from most games.  The care and attention I applied to my character’s decisions were due to the fact that visual representation of those choices was so strong.

The rubric of decision making is another impressive achievement in Mass Effect.  The radial list of character responses is no longer the raw copy of what you character is about to say.  Instead, it demonstrates tonal choices, which are then further mitigated by other aspects of your characters disposition to result in responses that will be just as fresh and surprising as it is to the other digital actors.  Additionally, the decision to allow players to view the conversation choices before a characters lines have been completed keep the flow of the cut scenes far more electric that anything I’ve seen before. 

No Enemy but Time

We haven’t gotten to the combat yet.  Well, that too is top notch.  Unlike KOTOR, it plays completely in real-time, and uses weaponry that requires aiming, skill, and taking cover.  All characters have access to additional powers, many of which will feel a little familiar.  These are initiated by pausing the action, selecting the power from the members of your party, and then affixing to the poor sap you’re fighting.  While the stopping of the action may sound reminiscent of KOTOR, it’s far more similar to Ratchet and Clank and Resistance.  This movement from real time to the menu screen does not lessen the strategy.  Powers have to recharge and weapons can overheat, so charging into a situation never ends pretty. 

Before you start to see the real benefits of leveling up, you’ll have to be very careful about how to proceed. It is worth noting that, unlike KOTOR, combat can happen anywhere in the world.  Later on, when you become nothing short of a badass watching the mayhem you engender.  The combat in the game is so deeply satisfying and strategic that each new encounter gave me a new thrill. On the many occasions when I had to retry the same scenario, I was more than happy to return to the mix. 

Leveling up is a simpler affair than KOTOR. Applying points to skills opens up new powers and strengthen existing ones.  Mass Effect lets you look ahead to see what benefits are available in each skill so you can plan accordingly.  This is important for the middle of the game when you’ll feel the impact of your decisions most keenly.  One sequence had me very stymied for quite some time. If I had made some slightly different choices, things would have gone much easier.  It is good to note that BioWare has made the game completely scalable. At any time you can adjust the difficulty, the aiming assistance, and the degree to which you monitor your party member’s actions. 

In addition to leveling up, all your weapons and armor are upgradeable. Modifications that effect overheating, stability, and damage are mixed with ammo that acidic, freezing, and explosive.  These upgrades are plentiful and continually improve with the difficulty of the game.  The one thing that isn’t upgradeable in the game is the vehicle you use for exploration on many of the various planets you can explore. It became frustrating that as my character was improving I couldn’t put that same choice of customization into action with my vehicle.

A warning to those expecting much variety from the get-go, you won’t be discovering esoteric goodies that you’ll lean on for the duration of the game.  The focus is more on strategy. It’s not what you have; it’s how you use it.

The Quantum Rose

Finally a word about the game’s visuals; it’s gorgeous.  Every level in the story missions has an environment so distinct and with its own character that the sameness that has plagued other games of this type is nowhere to be found. Even the small, side mission planets have a bit of cleverness to their design.  The landscapes are gorgeous but the human facilities are very similar, excused by the fact that these are pre-fabricated colonies and research outposts.

As good as the game looks, there are some technical hitches, textures pop in and out with annoying frequencies, and long load times between levels will have to be endured.  While I don’t know for sure one can’t help but feel that were BioWare allowed to utilize the hard drive to stream data many of these problems could have been fixed.  As it stands, I would not have liked BioWare to retreat from their ambitions and in no way does it impact one’s ability to play the game.

Above and Beyond…

All in all, Mass Effect is a towering achievement that surpassed my expectations on every level.  While aspects of the game may feel familiar, this is the game that all the other before it only hinted at.  Do not plan to play it just once. The world created here is to be explored different ways to find all the amazing goodness tucked away in its corners.  Thirty hours after I began, all I wanted to do was build a new character and start again.  It’s just that good.

Review by: Adam Sessler
Video Produced by: Michael Benson