Perfect 10s do not come easily from me, but Mass Effect is easily one of the greatest games ever created.
The RPG genre has been around for a long time, arguably ever since the days of Dragon Warrior, perhaps even before that. But never before has a game so truly exemplified the title of the genre - role-playing games. In many of them - indeed, in most of them - one is role-playing only to the extent of following a predefined path from a start to a conclusion, watching characters do their thing.
Not so in Mass Effect. Not once does your character in Mass Effect do a single thing without your say-so. In Mass Effect, you are not merely watching Commander Shepard; you ARE Commander Shepard. Whenever you are interacting with a character, you and you alone are responsible for the path the conversation takes. If you choose to make yourself a charming, genial individual, that is your choice. If you choose to be a heartless, selfish soldier, that is your prerogative. If you wish to help someone with a problem, you can go right ahead and do so; if not, the game will accept that. The extent to which Mass Effect exemplifies and provides true role-playing is astounding and revolutionary, so much so that the reviewer now hopes all RPGs in the future follow its lead.
But however good the role-playing is, it would mean little if the story that underlies your character's situation was not good. But it is - it is more than good, in fact, it is great. The plot blends a perfect level of suspense and intrigue to make a downright interesting game that you can't wait to play more of. It advances not too fast, so that the game is lengthy and satisfying, but not too slow, so that the game does not become boring and tedious. It includes enough interesting and varying goals and tasks to ensure that no one plot destination feels like another.
But the entire game need not be following the plot. The game might be over soon enough if one simply sticks to the plot, but the sheer number of side quests is absolutely phenomenal, and many of them feel meaningful, filling in bits and pieces of the backstory behind what you've seen in the game. This is, however, the place where I have my first minor quibble - many of these take place in installations on planets, and there are essentially only three or four interiors that are simply repeated over and over with different furnishings. It works well enough, but it does have a tendency to get a little monotonous if you're doing multiple side quests at a time. Still, it's no big deal - as said, it works.
Still, what's a great story without great characters? And what fine characters they have. Many games have only one or two well-developed characters, but not Mass Effect. Every character, right down to bit part characters like a grieving Indian father who wants her daughter's body returned for a proper burial, seem utterly lifelike and believable. This believability is increased tenfold by the absolutely stellar voice acting present in the game, as well.
And the gameplay? You needn't even ask at this point, as you ought to be able to guess: fantastic, as usual. The actual combat system is fairly run-of-the-mill - you run around and shoot your enemies. But the way in which it's employed makes one feel that it doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. Those looking for complications can turn to the weapon and level system in the game, which add many layers of incredible customizability.
Right at the start, you can choose the general guidelines of how you want your character to be, but insane amounts of refinements can be done along the way. After each level up, you receive a certain number of skill points that can be allocated however you like. Want your character to be a machine with a gun? So be it. Want your character to be able to hack and rewire complex systems? You can do that too.
Beyond leveling up, each weapon has either one or two slots in which a weapon upgrade can be applied, and can also accept an ammo upgrade, as well. These provide everything from heat suppression to improved accuracy to increased damage, enabling people to tailor their guns exactly how they'd like them to be. The time associated with properly maintaining your arsenal might be a turn-off to some, but it only made the reviewer love the game even more.
The audio in the game was top-notch as well. It accomplished this not by being overpowering and epic, but by being delightfully and incredibly subtle. There were a few points where the music became more intense, but even then it was much more subdued and tasteful than it could have been.
This review could go on and on beaming and gushing about how incredible this game is, but there's little point, as all of the main bases have been covered. If you own an Xbox 360, you need this game. Forget Halo 3, Mass Effect is the definitive reason to own that console. It is one of the greatest games ever created, and is the center jewel in Bioware's already impressive crown.