After taking a days break for absolutely no reason at all, it's back to the list. This feels like a perfect time to apologise for my inactiveness in unions during weekdays. I am trying to resolve it, honest.
Position: 6
Name: Mass Effect
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: Q1 2007
Honestly, you didn't think that I'd move away from RPGs for that long did you? Actually, Mass Effect is an action RPG but when it's made from a developer that I highly admire, Bioware, you know it's going to be a kind of game with innovative new features that totally amaze the gaming public. Just take a look at the praise that Knights of the Old Republic received, namely from it's ability to let the player determine their path throughout the game through the decisions that they make.
The feature above will also be in Mass Effect but it has had some improvements made to it and, with the 360s power, it could allow for even more complicated plot branches. One of the best features about KotOR was the conversation system which enabled you to choose what you wanted to say from a list of options. We have seen this in a number of games but none utilised it effectively as KotOR did. This has been enhanced with Mass Effect with not only the ability to choose what you're going to say, but do it in mid-conversation with a NPC. So for instance, if you don't like what your hearing from some alien or other, you can threaten him into telling the truth while he's telling you some information. Or if you think he's being honest you can thank him and clear off. Of course, this was just used for the purpose of example. That is one of the RPG elements of the game.
But it's an action RPG right? So what about the action? This is the point in which I'm slightly worried about Mass Effect. Frankly, the combat doesn't look like anything special at all. It's played as a third-person shooter. It looks very basic indeed, nothing really special stands out from what I've seen from the footage so far. I really think that Bioware need to find a good balance between all of this plot and the actual gameplay. That being said, Mass Effect does sport a nice looking skill-set system, in which you assign your skills to your character, named Commander Shephard incidently, and then he learns special abilities and powers accordingly. Also, it looks like a wide-range of weapons will be available, some with very interesting abilities. I guess it's not all bad then.
I haven't even touched upon the story yet. It takes place in the future, in 2183 to be precise. A prophecy dictates that every 50000 years, machines come to harvest "all organic life". And for some odd reason, that time is occuring in Mass Effect. Shephard's mission at first is to stop the armies of a legendary agent turned bad and from there, one thing comes to another until you encounter a much bigger threat. Yes, not the most imaginitive of stories but I''m sure the plot branching system will make it more memorable by a great deal.
Good Points: Revolutionary and open-ended plot system. One of the best graphics I've seen on the 360 so far. Interesting levelling system.
Bad Points: Actual combat looks plain and uninteresting.