Mass Effect

I must stop the Reapers from destroying all intelligent life in the galaxy!

But first, I have to scan this random, barren rock world for mineral deposits.

And do some gambling in the casino.

...And play with this box of kittens.

I'm about 20 hours into Mass Effect, and I think it's fair to say that the game has seized hold of the greater part of my consciousness. This far in, and I've only completed a couple of the main story quests, devoting the rest of my time to sidequests and collectibles. But I've played enough now to write down some observations.

Crap, I left my chainsaw bayonet at home...

Mass Effect is a story-driven action/RPG, combining traditional role-playing character progression and party management with combat straight out of a 3rd-person shooter, down to a Gears of War-style cover mechanic. And it's very much Space Opera, capital S, capital O. One of the first things to jump out at you is how complete a world BioWare has created. The universe of Mass Effect is as comprehensive and detailed as any other series out there, with canon rivaling Star Wars and Star Trek. I can't even imagine how much time was spent on world-building for just this one game.

I'm certain this will be a pleasant conversation, that will in no way result in sending me on an inane fetch quest.

Another standout is the truly beautiful and revolutionary dialogue system. In a typical dialogue-driven game, you're presented with a selection of conversation options, and when you've mad your choice your character then reads the exact line you just read. It's redundant and annoying, and takes you out of the game world. But Mass Effect uses a dialogue wheel that presents you with several brief, summarized dialogue options that merely set the tone of your character's actual line. You might be given a few simple choices like "Yes," "No," "I hate you," "Let's get coffee." But the actual line associated with each choice is much longer and more detailed. Its an elegant system that makes in-game conversations much more enjoyable, and like many good ideas, in retrospect it's surprising no one thought of it sooner.

These days it seems like you can't have an RPG without incorporating some kind of morality system, and Mass Effect is no different-- but the moral continuum BioWare presents you with isn't so much "good" and "evil" as it is "really nice guy" and "total dickwad". Due to some ingrained, save-the-Princess mental habit, I always play totally good characters in this type of game. But this time around, I decided to switch things up and be as much of a jerk as possible. I'm glad I did, it's way more fun this way-- my Commander Shepard resolves most situations by sticking her gun in someone's face and telling them to shut up. But, always choosing the "jerk" dialogue option makes your character kind of inconsistent. Your character frequently comes across as rabidly xenophobic....which makes for some awkward conversations, considering most of your party members are aliens. "I hate you, turian! You and your stupid turian face! Will you please join my crew and help me save the galaxy?" Also, the Renegade options sometimes cause you to turn down mission requests, which is aggravating. Dammit, BioWare! I wanted to accept that mission! I just wanted to be a jerk about it!

Thresher Maws. You will learn to hate them.

The game isn't without its problems, which have been well documented. Texture pop abounds. The driving sequences have potential, but are littered with technical problems. And the inventory system is completely atrocious, especially considering how loot-heavy this game is. But the flaws only stand out because the rest of the game is so amazing. Definitely worth playing, especially with a sequel already out and the third game coming out soon.