WOW! That is all I can say after playing this gem. Want multiple conversational topics and outcomes? Check! Want run and gun action executed flawlessly? Check. Want a storyline of EPIC proportions? Check. Want some of the best graphics that a 360 can pump out? Checko. In short this game is LOADED with goodness. Every single aspect is executed nearly perfectly. Why am I so giddy over a game that is one part starwars one part 3rd person Halo? Well I guess that is the answer.
In short Mass Effect takes aspects of different genres and applies the best parts and molds them seamlessly into a game that should be a top 10 game in the 360 library.
The story is standard fare at the beginning, but evolves and becomes one of the most surprising plots in the history of videogames. Similar to KOTOR your character gets to engage in conversations and choose different responses with each response adding points to your renegade side or lawful side. It is called something else in the game, but you can be a bad ass or a lawful solider. Your choice. Now it is nothing groundbreaking, in fact the developers Bioware pretty much invented and implemented the system so to speak in KOTOR and Jade Empire, but it keeps mundane side quests and conversations more lively and adds plenty of re playability to the game.Now I wont spoil the specifics of the story, but it NEEDS a play through to fully appreciate.
The graphics are top of the line. The in game environments are very well done and rival Gears of War, OK maybe not that nice, but pretty close. The animation is fluid and lifelike. Explosions and battle chatter along with guns firing all around the place really make the game shine in the sound department. Speaking of sound the voice acting in this game is superb. Just like KOTOR and the Metal Gear series, the voice acting here REALLY shines and does wonders to unravel the main and side stories. In addition to giving the story personality, the voice overs also give the characters an extra boost in terms of endearment. You start to care for these guys and gals.
Of course not everything is perfect. First of all the environments, while aesthetically beautiful , also suffer from redundancy. Simply put, some of the areas you explore will look the same as you venture throughout. And the worst part? We don't even get a pallette swap! Yes this game is gigantic, but I would have taken a delay or two in production time just to have more variety in the environments. After all the rest of the game is done so well it almost seems downright silly to let this happen in a game of this caliber and quality. As for the enemies? Well more of the same. At least there are some pallette swaps here, but once again a lack of diversity shines in these two areas. And finally when you do finish the citadel and can finally run around the galaxy you get stuck in a treasure hunt driving around planets (yes you drive a guggy on certain planets with optional story lines and quests) with little or no scenery and maybe a linear cave or fortress to blast through. Outside the citadel and a couple of other areas, there really is not much to do other than try to get some acheivements unlocked or optional side quests. In other words they could have made it more fun to do these optional things.
But even with a lack of variety the game still manages to outshine almost any RPG the 360 has to offer, and in that category I only count 2 others so it really is not saying much. This is an easy buy that has tons of replayability just to check out different conversational branches and storylines. Get the game and blast away!
