Mass Effect represents a decent, if a bit hesitant lift-off for this new Action-RPG trilogy.
After being announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive, Mass Effect (ME from now on) made it's way on to the PC after about 8-9 months. Those months were spent well it seems, since the PC version has an improved tactical interface for combat and generally better performance optimizations. But is ME a good enough game to compete on the PC role-playing game market? Let's find out.
I'll start with a short presentation of the setting. ME introduces a world where faster-than-light travel and terra-forming are a common event. It's the future and humanity is trying to make its way to the top of the galactic political scene, a scene dominated by three alien races: the turians, the asari and the salarians. So where does the player come in? You play the role of Commander Shepard, the tip of the spear of humanity. The game's intro catches you in the middle of an 'audition' for the rank of Specter Agent (Specters are an organization of secret agents that operate outside the normal chain of command - the player has the opportunity to become the first human accepted into this organization). But what should have been a routine mission takes a turn into the unexpected... and I'll let you see for yourself what happens after that.
The storyline isn't much, it only picks up the pace towards the end and also has a few loose ends (which, I imagine, will be tied up in the sequels). In terms of writing, ME is probably Bioware's best effort so far, although there's still plenty of room for improvement. A nice little feature is The Galactic Codex, a log that collects information on various races, events, places and technologies present in ME's world. If you like games with good lore then ME has it.
Unfortunately, dialogs aren't as good. They made me cringe a few times, thanks to some cheesy, melodramatic or extreme dialog lines. Not to mention the fact that the vast majority of dialog options lead to the same response. The much advertised dialog wheel used by ME is 90% PR, 10% innovation. Yes, it helps dialog flow but it doesn't give you much of an idea of what your character is about to say. Maybe next time they'll improve it somehow. Bioware also has an affinity for writing whiny characters that constantly need reassuring and friendly pats on the back and ME makes no exception. But the good news is that here they're are a bit toned down. Overall, the writing needs work though.
Next up is role-playing and quite frankly, ME is poor at it. The main story changes little to mirror the few choices you are allowed to make, not to mention the fact that many objectives can't be achieved through anything else but combat. Take Vampire: Bloodlines for example. In that game most of the quests gave you the freedom to choose the means through which you could achieve your goals: combat, sneaking around, hacking or talking, they were all viable options. ME doesn't even have that many gameplay elements. You either walk around and talk to people, ride the Mako (more on that later) or fight. So while I do understand that the emphasis is on action, I think ME should offer more than just half implemented role-playing features.
As mentioned, main storyline flows in a linear fashion, but there's also the opportunity to do side-quests and explore various star systems and planets. But this is probably the weakest feature of the game. Why? Because content-wise, all star systems and planets are strikingly similar. You get dropped off on the surface of some alien world in your Mako (a 6-wheeled vehicle that drives like a boat on restless waters) and you run around the surface, find a few mineral deposits or clear out a few small camps or bases. If that wasn't enough, base interiors usually have the exact same layout on every planet you explore. That's it. That's all there is to it. I warmly recommend you stick to the main storyline, the exploration feature really waters down the experience.
One thing about ME that is worthy of praise is the combat system, which is similar to Gears of War's third-person duck-and-shoot combat, but with a few tactical features in there too. Ironically, it's in combat situations that ME shines more, not in role-playing. It's actually fun and the new PC interface makes controlling your party easy. There's a decent variety of weapons that can also be upgraded, and to mix things up there's also the option to use Biotic powers (somewhat similar to KotOR' Force powers) - but only if you chose a character class that can use them. It's also worth noting that ME's combat is pretty challenging at times, which is certainly a good thing.
I should have started with it, but I'll mention character creation in this paragraph. Truth is, there's not much to say. ME uses a class-based system that gives the character specialization with various weapon types and/or biotic powers plus some extra skills like electronics, decryption (which is presented in the form of a timed mini-game that ultimately has little impact on your play style), charm and/or intimidate. It's also nice that you can choose a background. But sadly, this choice has little impact. You'll get some different dialog lines from other characters but other than that, there are no consequences. You can customize your character's face though!
Visually, ME is a decent looking game. Some environments will catch you eye but sadly, there are some bland looking environments too. The game is well optimized though: frame rates are steady while loading times are short, although close in between, which can get annoying after a while. Sound wise, things are even better. The voice actors are excellent for the most part, although the male Shepard is a bit stiff. The female is much better though (you can always count of Jennifer Hale to deliver a solid performance). Sound effects are also solid while the music is good, if a bit generic. Overall though, ME has a top notch audio-visual presentation that will just explode towards the end.
That about covers the most important aspects of the game. Looking back, I can say that ME was a decent experience, I don't regret playing it. But hopefully, some of the problems mentioned above will be solved in future installments. Ultimately, ME's biggest victory is the establishment of an interesting new setting that has the potential to evolve into something great. So bring on ME 2!