Mass
Effect
Game
Review
There have been
many sci fi action games over the years, yet none of them compare to mass
effect. Released back in 2007 Mass
effect came from the game developer Bioware, creators of the popular franchise
“Star wars Knights of the old republic”.
Mass effect is a
science fiction role playing game. In
the game you take on the role of commander Shepard, a hard earned action packed
war hero that doesn’t take no for an answer. You can customize your Shepard’s
appearance to how you want. Being either male or female and being able to
change their facial look to suit you. Personally I chose male Shepard for all
the cheesy and arrogant puns he says through out the game.
After you finish
creating you Shepard’s appearance you then have the option to choose what class
they will be, ranging from soldier where you can pack in the big guns to a
adept where you can unleash your biotic abilities upon your foes.
The game then
plunges you into the action straight away. Starting you off by going to inspect
the human colony of Eden Prime that has fallen under attack by the robotic
beings known as the geth.
You then meet a
nasty chicken looking alien known as a turian called Saren. Saren is hell-bent
on disrupting the flow of the galaxy because really, he just wants to be loved.
From here on you
must set out on your quest to save the galaxy from the geth. Along the way you
meet many different alien species. From the nicer turians like the beloved
Garrus, to the war hungry dinosaur looking Krogans and the exotic and sensual
Asari.
The key thing of
Mass Effect that sets it apart from any other science fiction game is its vast
story telling and its character building. Mass effect is game that revolves
heavily on relationships between different characters within the game. You
start to care about the characters you fight along side with, you start to
learn things about them through interesting dialogue conversations. You even
get to have a romantic relationship with them, whom you choose to have this relationship
is entirely up to you.
The story of mass
effect is original and exciting keeping you entertained every step of the way.
You have a new system within the game called a choice system. This is where
during dialogue scenes; whatever you choose to say can have an effective
outcome of events to come later in the game. Major effects that come from dialogue
choices come from if you decide to use Paragon, which is good, or renegade,
which is bad in conversation dialogue. This also effects how you are as a character yourself;
you can either be an arrogant arse or a caring strong leader. The choices you
make in the first game will follow you through to the second and third game,
making you want to play through the game again to see all the different
outcomes.
The gameplay is
easy to use and quick to get used to. Its new and original combining the best
parts of an action game and the strategic parts of an RPG. You have a level up
system where you can choose which abilities of your Shepard that you want to
improve on and also the abilities of your squad members making your force
powerful against your enemies.
Graphics wise the
game is visually stunning. From the many set locations of the utopian Eden of
the citadel to the dystopian ruins of ferros. The wide variety of planets to
explore in the mass effect universe makes it one of the most extensive and most
enjoyable games since the elder scrolls series.
The soundtrack to
the game is superb and well thought up. Mixing the techno style with dramatic
music really reflects the era the game is set in. The soundtrack draws
inspiration of in my opinion of blade runner, the techno score, the sound
effects of the vehicles. It really does get you in the feel of the mood and
setting of the game.
The voice acting
is as well thought as the soundtrack. The voices for the characters seem
believable to care about them. Famous voices like Keith David voices Captain
Anderson.
As for my overall
verdict of the game, there’s nothing really bad I can say about it, it’s a
brilliant start to one of the most successful science fiction gaming franchises
since halo.
And for this my
rating of Mass Effect is a solid 10 out of 10
Stay tuned for
more game reviews.
