In my previous entry you can see that I have been enjoying my dose of Mass Effect. Oblivion being my last RPG played, I found that Mass Effect was a breath of fresh air from the normal games I play. A little slow to start, but once when the ball got rolling, it didn’t stop.
The storyline of Mass Effect takes you on a wild ride through many planets and systems that will leave you wondering where you will be heading next. Of course the highly touted dialogue system was very interactive and innovative in many ways. Sometimes I found myself handling situations in the game how I would in real life. I tried my best to think of what I would say in certain scenarios and how it would effect the outcome of the game. I picked the closest answer and hoped that the dispute didn’t lead to me being shot.
Since the game is pretty open ended and doesn’t force you to follow any beaten path, you can be as adventurous as you’d like. Hundreds of side missions kept me very busy and helped me level up my character from a level 1 to level 41. On my first time around playing, I pretty much ignored these and just played through the game. The 2nd time I didn’t make that same mistake.I thought it would be best if I explored the worlds a bit and completed some of the more odd missions out there, which then helped me become a better player in the game and create a more dynamic group of allies.
I actually didn’t realize just how MASSIVE Mass Effect really is. As you get missions you open up new planets and clusters for you to explore. Which would then lead to more missions on different planets and so on. After getting bored with that, I would just continue the main plot and see where that took me. The fun factor of it all was a pretty steady ride of being excellent, with small dull moments in between which acted as a break from the intense game play.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has a lot of armors and weapons for you to collect. Mass Effect really reminded me of that and my treasure seeking tendencies that I would sometimes have. Although, you normally have a mission to do in Mass Effect when you go hunting for those things, you will almost always come across something you don’t already have. New armors, new ammo upgrades, new armor upgrades, weapons, medi-gel, grenades, and much more. The major problem I had with this is that I would normally only keep the best and turn the rest into omni-gel. Sometimes I’d find very valuable things and sometimes I’d just get ammo upgrades.
What is a storyline without a great environment? Useless, in my opinion. A game such as this needs to make you feel like your truly there in the game. The dialogue system already makes this "your game" but the environment is what adds to the effect of realism. It has very wide range of different habitats that you’ll think your playing a different game. You will notice that each planet has it’s own unique environment and terrain. I came across a snow covered planet and then moved to a very dry and dusty planet in a matter of minutes. Luckily you have your clunky Mako to carry you around and defend you against enemies.
However,I did find it upsetting that the storyline just ended when you completed the main story. No going back and doing side quests. You can start the campaign all over again with the same character, but it’s sort of upsetting that you cant pick up where you left off in your side missions. Oblivion did a good job of this, allowing you to continue to play and make it pretty much a never ending game.
Mass Effect is truly a great game. It might take some time for the more casual player to really get into it, but overall it’s a game you’ll want to have in your collection.
Pros
- Great storyline and side missions
- Game play functions are very linear and fun to play with
- Character customization is very solid
Cons
- Minor hiccups in the graphics
- Game play ends when the main plot is finished.
- Can the Mako be any harder to control?
Overall Score
9.0/10
-BD