Jan 16 2008
(X360 review) Mass Effect for Xbox 360
In the world dominated by World of Warcraft, it may seem quaint to release a full-fledged single-player only RPG to the marketplace. But it is what BioWare does best, and this is clearly their best game so far. Known for the Knight of the Old Republic game which is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars licensed games ever made, this intrepid Canadian developer crafted a whole new world set in the future and gives you a galaxy to explore.
You play as Shepard, who can be customized as a human male or female, who is tasked to saving the world (as it is often the case in those RPGs) by tracking down a rogue agent who is working to bring doom to the universe. To do so, you must equip yourself, command your squad and fly to distant planets and explore them. Mass Effect’s narrative manages to impress without pulling any cheap punches or twists and turns that seem contrite. Instead Commander Sheppard and the humanity’s struggle to be accepted in the galaxy ruling council, to track down a rogue agent and to ensure an army of world destroyers do not enter its world seem as believable as it can be.
The world of Mass Effect is incredibly detailed, where almost every character you meet have speaking lines, planets are diverse and you can use your armored six-wheeled vehicle to explore them (and shoot down enemies). Most awe inspiring moment is you landing on the Moon, and watching the Earth rise above you. The game gives you unparalleled control over conversations. You are usually presented with few choices, some rely on your charm and others rely on your penchant for threats and violence. Depending on what you choose, the storyline develops different. For example, you may choose to threaten someone for reward after a mission done, or you can use your charm to get an even bigger reward. The choices are yours, and it will be hard to go back to just following the dialog tree developers force you on.
The game isn’t perfect: there is a lot of loading even if it’s cleverly disguised as elevator rides, some minor graphical glitches exist where sceneries and objects pop into view, and enemy AI isn’t too intelligent as their tactics usually involve running towards you and your shotgun. Inventory management is very complicated, made worse by the overabundance of weapons, ammos, armors and upgrades littered in the battlefield.
If you’re even remotely interested in sci-fi, or RPG, you must play this game. This is clearly one of the best reasons to get an Xbox 360 if you don’t own one already. Mass Effect does everything right and is rightfully the best Xbox 360 game of 2007.
Rating: 95%
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