BioWare delivers another great sci-fi RPG.
Gameplay:
Gameplay for Mass Effect is really unique. The core RPG elements is a improvement on what was done in BioWare's last sci-fi RPG, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, building on the conversation system that was used in KotOR and Jade Empire by now making it more fluid and built in by giving you 3 tones of your reply instead of having to listen to another character speak than choosing from a couple of fully written out replies. The level up system is similar to KotOR since you get points you use for raising your skill with armor, a certain weapon, abilities, or max health percentage. Combat is very unique for a RPG since it plays like Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, with some Gears of War thrown in there, and a pinch of Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII. You use the d-pad to issue orders to your squad, LB to change weapons for you or your squad, RB to use abilities or to manually choose what ability your squad will use. RT to fire your weapon, LT to zoom in over the shoulder for better aim, X and B to pull out weapon and to holster a weapon, A to dash, Y for med pack, select for grenade, and start for inventory. Aiming is smooth and responsive as long as the framerate is steady, more on that later. You also get a vehicle called the Mako which controls very similar to the Warthog in Halo, it's a fun little vehicle to drive but it will take awhile to get used to the controls and sadly you can't customize it. There is tons to do and planets to explore, however the main story quest is pretty short for a RPG since it will take an average gamer 10-15 hours to complete if they skip the tons of sidequests, even less if they rush. Overall this is one of the most fun RPG's I have played in awhile, just wish the main quest was longer.
Audio:
As you would expect this game has amazing audio. Voice acting is movie caliber with tons of recorded audio from actors like Seth Green and Keith David, and professional voice actors like Jennifer Hale, you MGS may know as Naomi Hunter, who does the voice of the female version of the main character. Soundtrack is a little hit and miss, but mostly hit, some of the music sometimes just feels a little out of place for the current situation. Weapon and explosion sounds are decent but I have heard better. Overall this is a great sounding game thanks to a very talented and well done vocal cast.
Graphics:
Good, but suffers from a inconsistent framerate and other performance issues. A big issue in graphics is that the game suffers from a lot of texture pop-in, every time you enter a new area you have to watch as the outer layer of environment textures or character model textures loads in, this has been a issue in several Unreal Engine 3 games but this one seems to suffer the most particularly in some cutscenes. Framerate is another big issue since if a lot of action is going on the game sometimes nearly dies and looks like it's about to become a slide show, plus there is a lot of framerate hitching which seems to be a problem in a lot of BioWare games, but it usually never lasts more than a second. These problems aren't game breaking but they do drag down on what's mostly a fantastic game. Overall this a great looking game, you just have to put up with several performance issues in the process.
Closing Comments:
This is a great title for the XBOX 360 and a must own if your into RPG's or even shooters. It may have several issues but with a fantastic story, plenty to do and explore, and tons of replay value, this is a game that will be in your 360 for awhile.
Overall: 9/10
Pros:
One of the best video game stories ever
Plenty to do with tons of replay value
Unique and very fun gameplay for a RPG
Try playing threw the game only once
Cons:
Several performance and graphical issues
Encountered a few bugs throughout the game
Main quest is a little short by RPG standards