"Well, I Guess We Do This The Hard Way."
Imagine you live in a game world where important characters can die. Not just the characters you meet in your travels, but your actions could cause your own squad to die. Now imagine that your actions will have an effect over not just the one game, but every game in the trilogy. Thus you have, Mass Effect.
Mass Effect is a world that encompasses all we know and love with science fiction. Space colonies? Check. Ancient, extinct civilizations that were mysteriously wiped out? Check. Ancient powers looking to come back and destroy the world? Check. Aliens who hate humans because they see us as imperialistic? Check? Energy weapons, check. Faster than light travel, check. Experimental prototypes, check. Where Mass Effect stands out, however, is how deeply fleshed out the game is, both in the ongoing story, as well as the backstory that slowly presents itself to the player over the course of the game.
Developed by Bioware, you immediately know that Mass Effect will be all about the character development, both of yourself and the selection of characters who accompany you. Will you be the military man (or woman) you always could be, or give authority the middle finger and do things your way? Whatever you choose, Mass Effect is a game of choosing your words carefully, and playing to customization. Where Mass Effect departs from Bioware's previous drama titles is in subtlety. In many situations, your choices are not just between what Jesus would do, and how Satan would take the reigns. There is more middle ground, and your choice of words in seemingly inconsequential situations can have an effect on how the game proceeds (how you talk to a reporter grilling you for answers, for instance).
And this game has customization coming out the ass. In addition to fixing Shephard's looks, gender, and name (only the first), you can also choose your origin, heroic deed, and your class. For the purposes of my play-through, I outfitted Shephard as the infiltrator class, which relies on a combination of sniper and pistol, with a heavy focus on hacking and electronics. As far as skills go, I found the best method was to max out your choice weapon, as well as charm, electronics, and decryption. This allows you access to more loot (as many containers you find are locked), as well as more favorable conversations that otherwise may have turned ugly.
Mechanically, Mass Effect has something that can appeal to fans of shooters and RPGs alike. Although the title may lean more toward action than its Star Wars themed predecessor (unlike KOTOR, you can't enable a turn based system), it is still possible to freeze the action in order to issue specific commands to your companions. Your non combat utilities are the same as in previous Bioware titles. Sure you can rush through the main story, but the glut of experience, not to mention cash, comes from exploring, talking to people, and doing side-missions.
The equipment itself occupies your general monster-shootin' package. Pistol, shotgun, rifle, sniper, grenade, and armor, with a spot for biotic implants. Rather than managing ammunition, weapons will never run out of ammo. Instead, the player must manage their fire to avoid overheating, a penalty that will put you out of the fight for a period usually just long enough for you to be rushed and killed.
Weapons and armor also carry room for alterations, from radioactive bullets to sights (increased accuracy), and regenerative armor. I personally found that the best addition to your armor are the medical enhancements, that allow your health to slowly regenerate. Trust me, it saves you a lot of medpacks in your downtime. As for weapon upgrades, these drop like they're going out of style. At any given time, I had more weapon upgrades than I had weapons.
The enemy AI, in typical fashion, is of much higher intelligence than your own squad. They are capable of basic strategies, taking cover among the many chest-high walls and corners that populate the world. Your enemies, especially later in the game, seem to have a disproportionate amount of units carrying rocket launchers that have the capability of murdering you in one hit, effectively sending you back to your last save (generally where you entered the area).
If Mass Effect does anything to bring in the old school gamers, it is in difficulty and consequences. As I already said, rockets have a high chance for killing you in a single hit, and enemies later on carry them like rations. On the hardest difficulty, this requires the player to be constantly aware of their surroundings. When fighting the Krogan, massive creatures, they have a habit of rushing you to engage in hand to hand combat. Realize too late, and you're likely to be killed before you can fire back. A giant worm that appears on planets during your vehicle missions is easy enough to kill, but get too close and it will likely destroy your vehicle in one hit.
As far as conversations go, it is possible to kill one of your companions during the game. You do end up in a standoff with one of your companions, and if you say the wrong thing during the conversation, he opens fire, requiring you to put him down. To top that off, Mass Effect allows you to import your saves into Mass Effect 2, meaning your actions in the first game will change what encounters you have in the second, and subsequently in the third (when it is released).
The only issue I had with Mass Effect stands from a perfectionist point of view; there is no way to do everything in this game, the branching storyline just won't let you. I experienced a few bugs, including one instance where my character fell through the map, but these issues were mostly one-time affairs. I also know a lot of people were rushing to beat Mass Effect over the head with a brick over the elevator sequences (that replace load zones in areas), but ultimately I found them to be little more than a very minor nuisance.
I would give Mass Effect a definite buy, and my support for it also entails the fact that the game does not feature multiplayer, at all. It's as if Bioware gave one massive middle finger to the industry that has long been leaning toward a lackluster singleplayer, supporting a grind-laden multiplayer leveling experience. Mass Effect is all about the thrill of the ride, and this ride is certainly worth it (Mass Effect is currently on Steam for $19.99).
