Awesome, but short of what I expected...
Still, Mass Effect is the best story driven game anyone has put out to date. It's compelling, breathtaking, and simply fun to experience. I recommend it to everyone who loves games as a medium. With that said, it comes to gameplay. Mass Effect isn't a failure in the gameplay department. Using guns in this game is about as fun as any other shooter, however, there is no unique sense of ownership. Brands of armor have different appreances, but once you've seen all the brands, the only change they make is in color. As far as weapons go, there are only 2 or 3 different models, otherwise, all you get from weapon to weapon are stat improvements or different colors. I guess I was let down that there were no unique or special items to find for Shepard.
Morever, outside of the main story, gameplay can become stale. There is a whole galaxy to explore, except you never feel compelled or driven to explore it, and outside from seeing the ecosystem of a new planet(which all feel vaguely ripped from one scfi movie or the other) there is no reason to visit them. Also, on the rare occasion a planet has an interior place to explore(a commodity only side quest planets have), the interiors are all the same, cloned from one planet to the next. Also, whatever fantastic idea you have about driving the Mako vehicle, erase those ideas from your mind. I found driving and firing around an object was nearly impossible, and crossing over any obstruction is awkward and physically innaccurate.
Basically, if you game for the sake of gaming, I would recommend that you avoid Mass Effect. However, if you, like me, enjoy a game with a fantastic setting, memorable moments, and compelling characters, then I'm sure you'll enjoy Mass Effect, short comings or not.