Game Review: Mass Effect

Throughout this generation few games have managed to give a lasting impression on gamers and have managed to cause such an incredible response. The Mass Effect Trilogy developed by Bioware is one such group of games. After months (or years I guess) of being worried that I wouldn't enjoy the game, I decided to purchase the entire Trilogy in a nice little set and see if it's really as good as well, the Internet and most people say it is.

The first game is anything more than a set up for the next two games in the series. You play the role as Shepard who is a residing Commander for the Alliance. After a mission gone bad which led to a betrayal by a member of an elite group known as the Spectre, you are then sent on a chase going after him while making friends and possibly enemies along the way. You pilot the vessel known as the Normandy and are given a giant range of customization options as you proceed through the game.

Just how deep does the customization go? It actually starts right from the get go. You choose between a male or female version of Shepard then go about profiling him including his own story background (were you a war hero? or an orphan from the streets?) and play style (all out Soldier or more of a Tech guy). Afterwards you can either go about making Shepard looking as close to you as possible or go with the standard the game provides.

Each weapon can be customized differently with upgrades.

The customization doesn't stop there, all the various guns you can acquire can be given upgrades both for the gun itself or the way the ammo acts. This doesn't go just for Shepard but for the other 6 crew members you can recruit into your party! I admit, all this customization from the armor to Biotic weapons, overwhelmed me at first and definitely can be so for those who haven't played it either. It gets easier to handle as you play through the game more. Your characters can also level up and talent points are given which you can spend in various skills as you see fit. Various abilities can be gained which are then usable in the game during combat.

The cast of characters in this game is really something. From other humans to those of different alien species, you really get a variety. From the Asari scientist Liara to the Krogan badass Wrex and the tactical Turian Wrex, you really want to spend time having these characters as a part of your squad for each mission you go on (up to 2 members can be taken at any time). The ship Normandy is sort of a hub for traveling to and from planets with stations to stock up on Med Kits, vendors to buy guns and upgrades and talking with your crew.

The way travel works is very simple, you are given a range of "Clusters" which then provide you with Systems which hold a select group of planets. Not every planet can be explored (which is kinda good because that would make the game way more overwhelming than it already is but that's just my opinion), some will have the option to be surveyed which will turn up specific items used for side missions.

The various abilities which you can activate at any time

On the topic of missions, they are split into two categories, the main story missions or the side missions which you can get either from the Citadel or by the Fleet Officers via transmissions you receive as you travel. Combat is pretty basic as far as shooting functions are concerned, the trigger buttons zoom in and shoot, and you have your Y button to heal and Select to handle Grenades (oh disclaimer, Xbox Version here people). The characters have their health and shield levels down in the lower corner and enemy info show up when you target them. So yea pretty much what you would expect if you've played a shooter before. You can also decrypt cases which hold weapons or upgrades to take. That process is basically press the right buttons that pop up and you aren't given that much time so think fast!

How combat looks in the game.

One major element that this series thrives on is the power of choice. During conversation, you will be prompted to choose a variety of responses which impact how the story plays out. As you spec in either Charm or Intimidate, more options tailored to that side will appear. There are even points where you have to make hard choices and yes all of them carry over to the subsequent games. You are even given a chance to romance a character regardless of the gender you are and your partner (yay equality). This will raise your standing as either a Paragon (good person) or Renegade (a jackass).

What a conversation can lead to. Various choices.

As for dislikes? Well when I was playing it I would occasionally get frustrated due to dying a lot but I guess nothing can be done about that. I'm really not that great of a shooter player. Also throughout the game when you land on a planet you are first piloting the land vehicle known as the Mako. The controls to driving and backing up are horrendous. Seriously I would die just cause I couldn't back up fast enough and it irritated me. Oh and there was one point where I had to restart cause I couldn't continue the story due to the characters I chose to accompany me didn't have the traits/abilities I needed. That happened once though so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Trilogy Notes: The original Mass Effect didn't come with any extra DLC despite it being part of this set. You just get the full game which is good enough.

I enjoyed Mass Effect contrary to what I thought so I'm looking forward to just how the choices I made here affect me in the next two.

Should you play this game?
Yes. If you were hesitant like me definitely give it a shot you will not be disappointed. Yes it is overwhelming at first and piloting the Mako is annoying but these negatives are outweighed by the positive. Engaging story with awesome characters. I recommend picking up the Trilogy set, it's a gamble cause you may not like the first but hey, it's an experience.