As a fan of Bioware and of Role Playing Games in general, I have been looking forward to Mass Effect for some time. I felt that Jade Empire did an excellent job at real time combat and it really towed the line at not making decisions so black and white, and I was hopeful that ME would be just as good, if not better.
Well, after finishing the game today, and starting over immediately afterward, I can say that this is one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Aside from the gameplay, the atmosphere and cohesive presentation really suck you in, and in ways that few games really pull off.
Quite a few RPGs aren't really Role Playing per se, but rather interactive stories with a finite number of choices that get you from point a to point b. Mass Effect is one of the few RPGs i've played where you can really carve out a role in the story that you want to, and you can really be consistent with the personality you want to portray.
To speak more to the atmoshpere, or universe (this is a sci-fi game after all) of Mass Effect, every time you encounter a cool piece of technology or important piece of information (say, your ship's weapons systems for example), rather than being subjected to 10 minutes of techno babble you get a note that your codex has been updated. A great deal of the codex is illustrated and has audio, and if you take time to learn about the foundation that the game is built on, you really get a sense of the scope of the world that Bioware has created. It really is as deep and engrossing as the Star Wars or Star Trek universe, only in video game format.
The gameplay is a dream. Levelling up is fun, and you are rewarded quickly for sticking with a focused approach in building up your character. The gear you get throughout the game is impressive to look at, and new features pop up often enough to keep you checking your loot pile often. The squad feature is great, and I found myself actually picking characters to put in my squad not based on their abilities, but based on the story interactions I had with them because I like them- maybe I'm weird, but not many games have that effect on me.
One of my favorite parts of the game, and the feature that has been most crapped upon by other reviewers, is the combat. I can't think of single RPG that has better combat. I kept thinking of Gears of War as I charged into battle- though it is definately GOW light. Not quite as intense, but still incredibly fun. Also, when you begin to engage your squad mates and use your special abilities (as you will have to in order to play the harder difficulties) combat becomes even more interesting and fun.
The graphics and score of the game are equally as impressive, and work well to futher accentuate that story and universe that Bioware tries to draw you into.
All in all, I can see why this game isn't a 10, but my personal biases put it over the 9.5 mark, and any reviewer who gives it less than a 9 is not to be trusted - and should immediately be demoted to janitor at their place of employment.
I mention my personal biases to highlight that I enjoy video games as art, and not just as entertainment (which is why I played Killer 7 and Shenmue so much), and while ME continues down that path of blending film and video games, it also does something different, it makes you think. I found myself in more than one situation putting the controller down to ponder my response to a question or situation- I've never had that happen in a video game - ever. Also, it paints an excellent story about the future of humanity - an optimistic one, too, which is kind of rare in video games these days.
So, I'm excited about the sequel, but really pleased to have experienced this incredible tale.
Well, after finishing the game today, and starting over immediately afterward, I can say that this is one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Aside from the gameplay, the atmosphere and cohesive presentation really suck you in, and in ways that few games really pull off.
Quite a few RPGs aren't really Role Playing per se, but rather interactive stories with a finite number of choices that get you from point a to point b. Mass Effect is one of the few RPGs i've played where you can really carve out a role in the story that you want to, and you can really be consistent with the personality you want to portray.
To speak more to the atmoshpere, or universe (this is a sci-fi game after all) of Mass Effect, every time you encounter a cool piece of technology or important piece of information (say, your ship's weapons systems for example), rather than being subjected to 10 minutes of techno babble you get a note that your codex has been updated. A great deal of the codex is illustrated and has audio, and if you take time to learn about the foundation that the game is built on, you really get a sense of the scope of the world that Bioware has created. It really is as deep and engrossing as the Star Wars or Star Trek universe, only in video game format.
The gameplay is a dream. Levelling up is fun, and you are rewarded quickly for sticking with a focused approach in building up your character. The gear you get throughout the game is impressive to look at, and new features pop up often enough to keep you checking your loot pile often. The squad feature is great, and I found myself actually picking characters to put in my squad not based on their abilities, but based on the story interactions I had with them because I like them- maybe I'm weird, but not many games have that effect on me.
One of my favorite parts of the game, and the feature that has been most crapped upon by other reviewers, is the combat. I can't think of single RPG that has better combat. I kept thinking of Gears of War as I charged into battle- though it is definately GOW light. Not quite as intense, but still incredibly fun. Also, when you begin to engage your squad mates and use your special abilities (as you will have to in order to play the harder difficulties) combat becomes even more interesting and fun.
The graphics and score of the game are equally as impressive, and work well to futher accentuate that story and universe that Bioware tries to draw you into.
All in all, I can see why this game isn't a 10, but my personal biases put it over the 9.5 mark, and any reviewer who gives it less than a 9 is not to be trusted - and should immediately be demoted to janitor at their place of employment.
I mention my personal biases to highlight that I enjoy video games as art, and not just as entertainment (which is why I played Killer 7 and Shenmue so much), and while ME continues down that path of blending film and video games, it also does something different, it makes you think. I found myself in more than one situation putting the controller down to ponder my response to a question or situation- I've never had that happen in a video game - ever. Also, it paints an excellent story about the future of humanity - an optimistic one, too, which is kind of rare in video games these days.
So, I'm excited about the sequel, but really pleased to have experienced this incredible tale.
I must have missed the bugs and terrible AI- I could have lower standards than you though...or a broken copy of ME.