The first true next-gen title in all it's groundbreaking glory!
Imagine Gears of War type gameplay crossed with Halo and a story that combines Star Wars, Star Trek, an impending apocalypse and John Wayne and your pretty close to the atmosphere of this game. Commander Shepard is charged with the task of tracking down a Rogue SPECTRE (special forces of the galaxy), Saren, in an effort to stop his plans of galactic destruction.
The visuals in this game are amazing, and the facial modeling is on a level previously unseen in actual gameplay graphics. You can create whatever Shepard you want, be it man or woman, hideously disfigured or freakishly attractive. The emotions conveyed through the facial expressions of these characters are almost creepy at times.
I have only three issues with this game. First, the main story arc seems too short. Whether this is due to the fact that this game can suck you in for hours that seem like minutes or if it really is just short, it still satisfies. Second, you will find yourself in ENTIRELY too many elevators!!!! This was a tactic used by the devs to get rid of load screens, which is great, but there still needs to be something more going on than the occasional conversation or news brief over the radio. Finally, the inventory screens are BRUTAL! There seems to be absolutely no organization to yor items and you can organize them yourself. Also, there is a 150 item limit, which can become a pain if you are out of space yet find a great suit of armor or weapon. If you do find that great item and are out of room, you are FORCED to convert it to Omni-Gel (a type of fix all used for repairs), you cannot back out of the screen showing you what is in the chest. At times, it feels like you are spending more time in inventory screens than actually playing the game, and hopefully this will be corrected in future installments.
GET THIS GAME!!!! If you like great stories and RPG/shooters, you will NOT be disappointed!!!