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Deep story unfolds in early going, very immersive experience

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 178 / 191
Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First off, I've been waiting for this game since the previews came out late last year (2006). So far, Bioware has done a great job of pimping out this game. And deliver it does...

STORY: A+
The 'cutscenes' are really not cutscenes at all. The conversations you have are pretty dynamic and integration of the choices of stuff to say is so seamless it seems almost natural. Early on, you get a sense of this when choices of stuff to do in the field enable you to remake your character as a mission-oriented commander or more of a compassionate search-for-survivors kind of guy, among some. The story picks up pretty much where the prequel book left off, and immerses you in the experience. You keep on wanting to learn more. You definitely feel like a part of this epic and that will keep you coming back.

Unlike Halo 3 and Gears of War which launch you into an ongoing war, this game sends you into a very deep, very complex world to explore. Imagine yourself as a hypothetical CIA agent before the war begins. Expect to see yourself running around the world, talking to people and gaining intel on people, and then having fight scenes from time to time. When you get sent on a mission to track someone down and there are lots of enemies between you and the destination, then you begin to see more of the combat-intensive aspects of the game.

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GAMEPLAY: A
Expect to see a third-person shooter with a heavy RPG influence. While out in the field, it's like a Gears of War experience with a basic tactical system. Run. Take cover. Take some guys down. Order your friendlies to flank the enemy or to fall back. Outside of this, the RPG system comes into play when leveling up, when you get to choose abilities to level up, weapons to equip (ie, if you have 3 types of sniper rifles in inventory, which one will you equip?. I will cover this in more detail below). The controls were overall slightly different from control schemes used in comparable third-person shooters. It didn't take me long to get used to the system used here in Mass Effect. You can pretty much figure it all out in the first level.

I had the mistaken view that only snipers and pistols can be trained into an over-the-shoulder Gears of War camera angle when aiming (holding down the left trigger). Apparently, this is because I started off as an Infiltrator class. Different character classes can train different weapons. The soldier class can train all weapons. Sniping took some getting used to. When you first start off, Shepard is very shaky and thus it is very difficult to snipe. Adding points to level up your sniping ability seems to limit this shakiness greatly.

The tactical system is very very bare bones. You can order people to fall back, take on a specific target, regroup, or storm the area. Nothing much to it. Therefore, players can fight with their AI teammates as much of a unit (though I feel the AI tends to die a lot).

You also get to drive vehicles. Much of you have seen the trailers and saw that tank drop out from the Normandy. That tank handles like a Warthog from Halo 3, except with rocket boosters and a repair function. A heads up - repairing means you can't move or fire any of the tank's weapons. Therefore, make sure you're in cover when repairing. I love the rocket boosters as it gives you an extra method of dodging rockets and charged shots from the geth. The big disadvantage is that you have to drive and shoot at the same time. This makes for some very frustrating vehicle fight sequences.

I am a big fan of how the game feels thus far. Having RPG elements yields a lot of control over how your character plays on the field. The shooting system is pretty good, but not flawless. My biggest complaint early on was the many loading pauses you have to go through, but the deeper I went into the game, the less it affected gameplay. Loading pauses don't happen in the middle of the heat of battle, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to possibly fix this up in future patches.

Finally, a decent portion of the game involves going out and doing side missions. This means jumping in the tank and driving from the landing zone to various points on the map. I think driving around like this is the most painful experience of the game. There's almost always nothing but an occasionally frustrating 5-minute drive between the LZ and the destination, and once you get there, after doing a few of the side missions, you realize that the site layout is a recurring theme. Therefore, if anything else, the side missions are a great way to practice and to level up. There's some more of that RPG stuff working for you.

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RPG Elements: A
For weapons and armor, the feel is similar to something like Diablo II, where you pick up random equipment as you go along. Each equipment has a certain class: armor, assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, etc (I haven't seen the other classes!). Depending on the character class you chose at the beginning, you have different combinations of these classes available to you. For example, my character class may allow me to equip an assault rifle and armor only. This means that I can equip only 1 assault rifle at a time and 1 armor. But since I pick up a lot of these in the field, I must choose which assault rifle I want to use and which armor to equip. The equipment select screen where you actually do this shows a lot of equipment data, ie damage of a weapon, 'clip size', so on.

Upgrades for each weapon can also be picked up and installed, including different rounds (ie, shredder rounds that add bonus damage when fighting organics, vs. armor piercing rounds against synthetics) and a wide range of add-ons (ie, heat sinks to decrease gun overheating).

Another big thing is that you gain experience out in the field as you fight more stuff. You earn points this way that you can spend upgrading, say, your ability to snipe or your armor's damage reduction settings. There are definitely a variety of choices to look through while you decide what to level up.

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CHARACTERS: A+
I enjoy interacting with the characters to see what's going on in their heads. The characters are all very multidimensional and very well thought up and implemented in the game. Voice acting and video synchronization was flawless.

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REPLAYABILITY: A
I have played through the story at least 3x by now, amassing more than 60 hours of gameplay. Having 6 character classes to pick from and 6 squad members to choose from, including the ability to choose whether to build your reputation as a ruthless military man or a compassionate and humane leader (or somewhere in between) definitely keeps you coming back to see how you can change the way things play. The different character classes really play differently so have fun with them.

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To sum up, some of you may be looking at this game and wondering whether or not it's worth the $60. And I say it is.

PROS: Deep and immersive storyline that captivates from the beginning, well-made characters, seamless incorporation of dynamic cutscenes, unique integration of 3PS with RPG. This game plays very differently from anything you've tried before. It's no Halo 3 nor Bioshock. It's a very well-made original game.

CONS: Minimap is not intuitive at first, plays too much like a movie at times, driving between points on a map in the Mako can be excruciatingly boring, a lot of recurring layouts with the sites of side missions.

FINAL VERDICT: A+. Very well-made game, well worth that whole wait from June till now. I've been anticipating this game for a while and it delivers an epic storyline of gigantic portions in a way that no others have done. This is definitely for people who want to experience being in an all-new sci-fi epic and building up an altogether new and unique hero.

Epic would be insignificant in comparison.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 78 / 89
Date: November 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Mass Effect" is not a video game. Football is a game, checkers is a game, ping pong is a game, "Pac-man" is a game, and yes "Halo" is a game. But this is nothing less than pure, cinematic, interactive fiction containing all of the depth, detail, lore, discovery, and character of the greatest science fiction epics of all time. "Star Wars", "Star Trek", "Battlestar Galactica", "Blade Runner"; this is a story that nearly dwarfs them all in sheer size, scope, and enjoyment while paying homage to them along the way. "Mass Effect" is not an action-based game but a massive story that you help write as you go along based on your personal choices. Sure, there is plenty of very satisfying gunplay along the way, but it is mostly a means to an end rather than the primary focus.

The story of "Mass Effect" is quite possibly the most amazing ever written for a video game, recalling many of the best elements from some of the greatest works of the sci-fi genre and putting you in an almost "Oblivion"-like level of control over the world. You could spend dozens of hours simply exploring unknown worlds and building your fortune that way while shirking the main story altogether if you choose. But if you don't have all the time in the universe to enjoy this one, the main story is not too long. In fact, I honestly wish it were much longer, but that was the sacrifice made for the open-ended freedom of exploration the player is given. One will most likely spend upwards of 50 hours just exploring the galaxies and discovering all of the tiny stories within the story that really flesh this universe out. Plus, there are many different ways to play the game which will command you to replay it over again just to see all of the what-if's and enjoy mastering all of the various class skills. "Mass Effect" also revels in making you face the tough decisions, forcing you to use you own personal morality to make choices that will effect the way characters in the game will look at you. And the many races of the intergalactic Council are watching you closely as a representative of humanity adn this will impact the game. What are the ethics behind genocide of a species that may, in time, become a real threat to civilized life? You decide. How about murder for revenge? Taking bribes? The safety of the intergalactic community against human lives? These are just a few of the issues you may face and have to think about before you press that button and possibly change the universe forever.

Gameplay could not be better. The combat is real-time and apes the realistic feel "Gears of War" while retaining the skill system used in Bioware's previous classic "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". Speaking of KOTOR, this game plays very closely to that previously untouchable work. All of the familiar gameplay and story elements are present, but almost all are improved, especially the combat. The real time shooting is a little hectic at first, but as you and your character gain experience, you will soon have the skills and savvy to utilize the system and dominate rooms full of enemies. The superhuman abilities include biotics, which are sort of like The Force, and tech skills which can include hacking an enemy's AI to attack it's teammates or overheating an opponent's weapon or shields. The implementation of these skills can be key since many of the enemies are quite resourceful and strong. Shall you use biotics to lift a foe from behind his cover so you can ventilate him at your leisure or just create a vortex to suck them all up into one whirling shooting gallery? Maybe I'll just terrorize the lot of them with my one-shot-one-kill sniping skills while my teammates provide cover. The options are only as limited as your imagination. The only complaints from me is that your squadmates can't be controlled individually (you can't send your heavy gunner forward while keeping your tech expert behind cover; both respond to the same command) and the grenades (while awesome and upgradable) are kind of clunky to use. The characters of KOTOR and Bioware's last game "Jade Empire" also had a lot more charm and humor to them and a lot more to say in between missions, it seems. I guess that's the price to pay for a less linear game. But then again, there is a lot of random dialogue between all of the combinations of characters here that help make up for it. For example, while your party waits in an elevator they will often have brief but personal conversations with one another. The dialogue for cutscenes and missions also changes based on who you brought along. This is a very nice touch. Exploring planets in your Mako ATV is also a blast, reminiscent of driving a Warthog in "Halo" but with much rougher terrain and jet boosters that can send you flying. Awesome.

I could go on and on about the hundreds of things that make this "game" the greatest of it's kind. It's nearly as large but more accessible than "Oblivion", more action-packed than "Knights of the Old Republic", and has an even better story than "Halo" and stands on it's own not as a game but as a definitive sci-fi experience. In my book, that makes this the best next-gen single-player game there is and one of the greatest things I've ever played. The best part? It's the first of a trilogy. The mind boggles at the possibilities. Buy it. Now.

Horrible.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 27
Date: December 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The game's riddled with loading screens, the characters are prone to freezing themselves to the ground, the combat's loose and tedious, there are only 4 dungeons repeated 100 times for every quest, 3 humans, 2 ways to solve any situation, and 1 galaxy to explore.

But damn if I don't love some woman/alien woman loving and committing genocide.

Best game ever.

Is There Anything Bioware Can't Do?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Bioware has a pretty impressive track record for RPGs. Their most famous work to date, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, garnered almost every "Game of the Year" award in the video game industry back when it was released.

Now a few years later, we get 'Mass Effect'. A Sci-Fi adventure that at times can seem as if it has endless choices for you to make. A few examples are things such as your character customization options (including gender and specializations), weapon and armor customization, and your "good or evil" path choices.

Actually, boiling it down to Good or Evil is a mistatement. It isn't that simple with Mass Effect. You are set out to be a 'hero', but how you get there is your choice. You can choose to work with the citizens you encounter to get complete your mission and be a Paragon. You can also choose to be a take-no-prisoners type of character and be a Renegade. If neither of those suit you, play it right down the middle a be a balance of both or neither. Your choice.

The story is Bioware's best plot ever. If you played the original Knights of the Old Republic, that's saying something. I won't give anything away, because the story is one of the main selling points of the game.

The combat is simple. In fact, some might find it overly so. However, I think people are missing the point. This isn't trying to be the greatest Third Person Shooter ever created. It's trying to revolutionize what RPGs can be.

The graphics are beyond stunning. Sometimes you will find yourself staring at your surrondings in awe and completely forget what you were doing. There is a minor buffering issue where all of the textures are loaded a second or two after you regain control of your characters, but it's nothing that really detracts from the games overall beauty.

In my opinion, I think Bioware succeeded in once again showing us the true potential of what the RPG genre can put forth. In fact, if there is one RPG out this year that is a must have, Mass Effect is it. Do not hesitate to order because you won't regret the purchase.

Played for a 1/2 an hour and looks GREAT so far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 17
Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok....some of you are wondering, if you haven't gotten it yet or getting it today what is the deal and does it live up to the hype...

My answer is so far, yes and so far I don't know...

If you were a big fan of KOTOR this is a no brainer...either run and don't walk and get this game or if you were like me, you got it last night (BTW I was one of 5 people who went at midnight in my area to get this game)

The I don't know part is for those who are looking for either this to be a run n gun experience (it's not) or something out of Oblivion (it's better) or things I can't name right here.

For the most part in the 1/2 an hour of time I got to play it before sleep kicked in, I saw a lot.

Before that tho, 20 mins took me to set up my characterbecause if this the epic game that Bioware is making this, you want to have a character you can stand to look at.

My character wound up looking like a mardern day version of Eartha Kitt (in her 20's or 30's) with a nice short cut...hehehe

Ok...so what did you see in a 1/2 an hr?

Ok....in a brief sum.

1. You learn a bit about your own character based on whatever background set you pick

2. You learn that your crew are working with aliens that everyone has mixed feelings about especially since one is on board the ship.

3. I p*ssed off said alien race on my ship because he likes working 'alone' and I don't think I can trust them.

4. I may have p*ssed off a doc on my ship because she has a nasty 'tude also and my character doesn't take any crap....lol

5. I got one of my 'Ensign Jenkins' (hereafter known as EJs) killed because I sent him forward to take out an emplacement and he accidentally blew up a power cell (dummy!)

6. I got a cool peice of armor...hehehe

The combat is a bit of a mixed bag because sometimes it seems as even tho you are shooting at something it doesn't quite 'die' the way you want it but this is definently preferred over turn based combat.

If you have seen the pix and the videos, the graphics are very well done and if they get around to doing another KOTOR then this right here may be a sneak peek as to where this is going.

Also another thing you want to be aware of....check your graphics settings as your are setting up the game...I got a little concerned as I played about a 'grainy' quality my picture had and I thought it was the TV....it's not...in the settings, they have a reading for "film grain" so that way the game alomost looks like you are playing a movie.

Back to the convos....it's everything that they advertised as far as how fluid it it and each and every choice you make as far as how you want to take definently makes a difference. Sometimes you have to make a choice to glean info from someone vs brushing them off because they are getting a little too familiar. I did find in one instance so far that if you kind of continue along the exact same line of questioning, that you get the same response. But it still doesn't detract from the experience.

I think this will be the game that knocks Oblivion off of the throne as the top RPG on the 360 but only time will tell and some downloadable content can't hurt either!

Otherwise so far, within the very tiny portion of the game that I have played...it is indeed impressive.

I can honestly say that playing Mass Effect has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: November 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing Mass effect since 11-16-07 (yeah, I got it early) and I can honestly say that it has been one of the defining gaming moments of my life so far. Mass Effect is simply phenomenal!

The presentation in Mass Effect is quite simply the most amazing I have ever seen in any game. The graphics during exploration or combat are among the top tier of modern games--somewhat better than Gears of War, in my opinion. But during conversations...oh my...they are without compare among video games--not far behind pre-rendered CG films! The music too, is simply beautiful and helps create the strong atmosphere of the game.

The story hooked me right from the beginning and only gets better as it goes along. A few reviewers have criticized Mass Effect's story of being derivative and unoriginal. However, that criticism is completely baseless and unwaranted. Of course there are some familiar elements in this game--no game, movie or book can be completely original. Star Wars, for example, is derivative of Japanese bushido, Westerns, earlier Sci-Fi stories, etc. and yet it is one of our most enduring Sci-Fi classics. Criticizing Mass Effect for having elements in common with other Sci-Fi stories is moronic, since it is those very elements that identify it as a Sci-Fi and not some other genre. A Sci-Fi without any Sci-Fi conventions would not be a Sci-Fi at all. As a life-long fan of Sci-Fi I can honestly say that Mass Effect offers some surprisingly unique twists and perspectives on the tried and true Sci-Fi themes. And more importantly, the story is exceptionally good--truly moving and memorable. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is one of the very best game stories of all time.

I really enjoyed the leveling up and development of my character and party members. The game offers a really nice collection of abilities, weapons, weapon upgrades, and armor. And exploring uncharted worlds in the Mako or on foot is a blast.

The combat is always exciting and offers nearly unlimited ways to combine your party's abilities. It is as exciting as the combat found in Gears of War, but of course offers much more depth. I can only guess that the few reviewers who had complaints about the combat simply don't understand its possibilities. It is dynamic and real-time when you want it to be, but offers surprising depth and strategy as well.

The conversations in Mass Effect blow away anything else seen in an RPG. The A.I. characters in Elder Scrolls 4 are stiff, un-emotive automatons by comparison. The characters in Mass Effect show emotion and intent through gesture and facial expressions. And the lip-syncing, although not perfect, is definitely a step up from anything we have seen in an RPG before. The conversation wheel really does help to keep the conversations flowing and makes them more believable and engaging at the same time. And now, our own character finally expresses him/herself through voiced dialogue, so we can hear the whole conversation, not just half of it.

There are so many great things to say about Mass Effect, I could just go on and on. But it is the way all of these seemingly disparate elements come together that makes Mass Effect truly special. The story, characters, conversations, presentation, combat, and exploration all weave together to form one of the most astonishingly fun and engrossing experiences in the history of gaming. To experience Mass Effect is to experience the pinnacle of interactive entertainment and should be experienced by any and all who wish to see where this medium is going. Truly exciting stuff indeed!

Imagine controlling a major motion picture...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Mass Effect was the most cinematic experience I've ever witnessed in a game. Stunning doesn't begin to cover it.

I wouldn't call the game an FPS, RPG, or anything similar. Mass Effect is an epic "choose your own adventure." One of a relatively new genre of high-quality, semi-open-world events (similar to Oblivion, but the story is vastly more solid). Playing will feel like you are writing/directing a science fiction film. There are combat elements, but those moments are secondary to the event. Additionally, I find the combat is best after reaching a high level. Once you hit levels greater than 40, you will become almost invincible (imagine John McClane in Die Hard). Cranking up the difficulty brings back the challenge (the high difficulties are very difficult), but I don't like breaking up the story with endlessly reloading. Mass Effect has just enough difficulty to be challenging without frustration of repeatedly trying to beat the same area. I also played many side quests and reached a high level before I began the primary campaign (it's much more satisfying to reload a side-quest than get distracted from the primary one).

The character interaction is fantastic. You have a full range of options. You can be good, renegade, or indifferent. For example, there is a scene when you get cornered by a TV reporter. You can give an interview, be diplomatic, evasive, or shove her to the ground and tell her to get out of your face. Every conversation has a similar range of options. You want to tell your commanding officer to leave you alone? Fine, go ahead. You want to talk a character out of starting a fight? You can try doing that too.

The casual dialog between the characters is also exceptional. It gives them a sense of being multi-dimensional and having relationships outside of what happens between you and everyone else. The only drawback is their behavior gets thin on side-quests, but that isn't so bad given the richness of the main story (I would have liked to have seen a few thousand lines of casual conversations randomly used anywhere in the game). Some of the lines are also hilarious. For example, one of your team members is a huge, alien, and not-so-tactful mercenary. You'll be surrounded by embassies, standing among beautiful ponds, trees, flowers, and suddenly he blurts out, "I'm hungry, I wonder if there are any fish in there?"

The end of the game was phenomenal. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the music was heroic, the action was non-stop, and the game will cut several times between you and your allies. The entire sequence lasts about 15 minutes, but those 15 minutes will solidify the game as one of the most cinematic ever produced. This is groundbreaking new territory. We've reached a point where the hardware can deliver an experience similar to high-quality animated pictures. I can't wait to see what the future holds. I really hope they deliver on their promise of a trilogy, I'd like to see yearly releases (like Lord of the Rings) until they are finished, but I doubt they had parallel development (hopefully they did).

Mass Effect has some technical problems, but those can be resolved with a patch. A terrible story can't be fixed with a download, which already puts this way ahead of anything else I've played... Normally I would deduct points for technical faults, but this game has a brilliant story. Occasionally reloading (twice during my campaign due to bugs) is a minor annoyance, but I gladly accept a few problems given the quality of everything else.

One *very* important note... You *are* playing a motion picture. As a result, once the credits roll, the game is *over*. Don't expect to come back and work on side-quests after finishing the main plot. RPGs may allow you to wander aimlessly after "finishing", Mass Effect does not. You can however come back with your same character (skills and inventory intact) and make another attempt at the plot. This makes life easier since your effort isn't wasted if all you want to do is examine alternate choices (playing a "win at all costs" character instead of an idealist). However, starting another "career" (new character, class, skills, etc) requires going back to the basics.

My advice... Keep a separate save before starting every main-quest item. When you realize you committed yourself to winning, you can easily branch-off from your prior save and explore more of the universe. I'm sure that seems self-explanatory, but normally I only use a few saves per game. I ended up blocking my character out of several quests I was hoping to re-examine. You will commit yourself to the ending before you think you've actually done it.

Pros:
+ I thought I was watching a movie. The fact I was controlling it was even more grand.
+ Character creation/management, leveling, is quite good. Better than Oblivion.
+ Combat is exciting. It isn't as rich as a true FPS, but is meant to be dramatic and continue the pace of the plot.
+ The music is fantastic. I enjoy orchestral soundtracks and classical music, and this is the first videogame score where I needed to buy the CD.
+ Voice acting is terrific, none of the drama seems forced, and the actors voiced their lines perfectly with the situation presented.
+ Lots of replay value, but this exists as an opportunity to do similar events completely differently. There are not "thousands of things to do" as in an "open world" like Oblivion or something online like World of Warcraft.

Cons:
- Side-quests aren't as richly produced, but I think that would be impossible with a rational budget and time-constraints.
- There are some technical quirks, which I hope get patched (save often and treat the game as if the auto-save feature wasn't included).
- This is not a real RPG. You'll be disappointed if you go into it thinking the environment is as open as others. As I've already said, it plays more like a cinematic experience. You have to follow the basic plot, but you have quite a lot of freedom how you choose to do so.

Other notes:
- If you can find the special edition, buy that instead. It's worth the extra $10 (if available). I ended up ordering the SE after playing for a few hours and Ebaying my "standard" copy. I really want the behind-the-scenes DVD.
- Don't buy this game if you want an FPS or squad-based shooter. There are better games if that's your genre of choice.
- I really wish they included a cut-scene viewer. It would have been nice to re-watch the scenes, uninterrupted, as you had originally played them.
- This game is not suitable for children. Every parent needs to judge what's best for their kid, but there are adult themes present in this game beyond violence and mindlessly shooting things (I'm not just referring to "romance", but the game forces you to make life and death decisions and I personally don't think a child can grasp these concepts). I'd buy this for my teenager if they were 16 or 17, but not 12 or 13. The developers were morality "agnostic", they allow you to do whatever *you* want, as a result you can do some pretty far-fetched things (the game probably contains at least one thing that can offend everyone, however it's your choice if you make those decisions).

One of the best Games ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The game is beautiful, the storyline is gripping and gameplay is fun, what more can you ask. It is like playing through a movie you are creating yourself. You actualy get to choose the outcomes, and the game changes every time you play becuase of the amount of options there are. This game is a must have for any player!~

All Encompassing World

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I do not consider myself a hard core gamer but after I purchased this game on the 21st of November, I found myself playing it almost non-stop. I purchased it not really knowing that much about it. After I beat the game the first time, I didn't want the fun to end so I immediately created a new character and started playing at the hardcore level. I'ven been playing video games most my life but I have never done that before on any game. I even thumbed through the achievement menu at the beginning screen and found myself making goals to get some more achievement medals.

GRAPHICS A+, STORYLINE A+, GAMEPLAY A+
There were many instances when I would just stop and marvel at the detail in the graphics (I'm using a HDMI cable running from my XBOX directly to my 52" flat screen). Whether it's a lightning bolt in an alien sky or simply marveling at the beauty of the Earth while I'm cruising on the moon in my MAKO. In addition, they put soo much detail to mesh the beautiful graphics with the storyline to create a truly believeable world. For example, on my second time around I noticed in the distance while I was driving to Exogeni Headquarters that they actually had put the enemy (Geth) alien ship attached to the side of the tower as the story said complete with with landing gear puched through the building when I entered it.

Minor Flaws
- The unsteadyness of the sniper rifle makes it almost worthless.
- Need better abilities for biotek (magic) characters. The first time around I used a biotek character and found myself relying mainly on my pistol due to the lack of offensive capabilities/spells with my character. When I went to play the hardcore level, I used a Soldier and found gameplay to be easier because I had the assault rifle.
- Need a larger instruction manual to address some gameplay questions. My second time around, I was able to 'buyback' weapons from merchants that I had sold to them from when I played the first time around. This meant that as a relatively beginning character, I was able to get some very advanced weapons/armor at 1/3 the cost. I would not have known that unless I didn't happen to stumble on it.
- Teammates are not exceptionaly helpful due to their poor AI

All in all, it is quite simply the most entertaining game that I've ever played. I love to read epic Fantasy novels with some Sci-Fi because I can immerse myself in other worlds. This game has soo much detail that it accomplishes the same feat but also lets you particpate in the outcome. It is almost like a pre-cursor to Star Trek's virtual reality Holodek. Although, there are some annoying little flaws, the great things about this game far outweigh the bad. KUDOS to the host of individuals (writers, graphic designers, programmers, etc...) who came together to create this great game.

P.S. Do yourself a favor and use renegade responses when you talk to the overly eager reporter at C-Sec Academy....hilarious.

Simply brilliant

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Anyone who experienced Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the original XBox has been eagerly anticipating Mass Effect. Developed by KOTOR creators BioWare, Mass Effect may get off to a bit of a bumpy start, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be in for a real treat with this action/RPG. Playing as Commander Shepard, you are in the middle of interstellar and political turmoil in what turns out to be one of the most engrossing and intelligent stories to grace a video game, well, maybe ever. Without giving too much away, you'll meet tons of imaginitive alien races in an even more imaginitive universe that is brilliantly realized to say the least. The RPG elements are where Mass Effect really shines brightest, as you customize Shepard and decide your actions. Here you just don't pick from a list of replies or orders like usual in the RPG world, but when you do pick, your character actually thinks them out. Little touches and elements like this are what sets Mass Effect apart from other RPG's to hit the XBox 360. Where the game also shines is with it's visuals and effects, not to mention the incredibly good voice acting and dialogue. The production values are incredibly high as well, and there's just a feeling of freshness to be found here that usually isn't in most games of Mass Effect's ilk. However, Mass Effect isn't without it's flaws. There are some moments of graphical slowdown that while not overly apparent, can still be noticable. Also, the enemy AI isn't particularly good, and the game's action elements are nowhere near as polished as the RPG elements. Those flaws aside, Mass Effect is still an incredible game that is a simply brilliant sight to behold. The story alone is enough to suck you in, and you will be playing for quite some time. Even if you're not an RPG fan, you should still give Mass Effect a look, you will not regret it.

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