Thursday 5 April 2012

Mass effect 1


Mass Effect
Game Review


There have been many sci fi action games over the years, yet none of them compare to mass effect.  Released back in 2007 Mass effect came from the game developer Bioware, creators of the popular franchise “Star wars Knights of the old republic”.

Mass effect is a science fiction role playing game.  In the game you take on the role of commander Shepard, a hard earned action packed war hero that doesn’t take no for an answer. You can customize your Shepard’s appearance to how you want. Being either male or female and being able to change their facial look to suit you. Personally I chose male Shepard for all the cheesy and arrogant puns he says through out the game.

After you finish creating you Shepard’s appearance you then have the option to choose what class they will be, ranging from soldier where you can pack in the big guns to a adept where you can unleash your biotic abilities upon your foes.

The game then plunges you into the action straight away. Starting you off by going to inspect the human colony of Eden Prime that has fallen under attack by the robotic beings known as the geth.
You then meet a nasty chicken looking alien known as a turian called Saren. Saren is hell-bent on disrupting the flow of the galaxy because really, he just wants to be loved.

From here on you must set out on your quest to save the galaxy from the geth. Along the way you meet many different alien species. From the nicer turians like the beloved Garrus, to the war hungry dinosaur looking Krogans and the exotic and sensual Asari.

The key thing of Mass Effect that sets it apart from any other science fiction game is its vast story telling and its character building. Mass effect is game that revolves heavily on relationships between different characters within the game. You start to care about the characters you fight along side with, you start to learn things about them through interesting dialogue conversations. You even get to have a romantic relationship with them, whom you choose to have this relationship is entirely up to you.

The story of mass effect is original and exciting keeping you entertained every step of the way. You have a new system within the game called a choice system. This is where during dialogue scenes; whatever you choose to say can have an effective outcome of events to come later in the game. Major effects that come from dialogue choices come from if you decide to use Paragon, which is good, or renegade, which is bad in conversation dialogue. This also effects how you are as a character yourself; you can either be an arrogant arse or a caring strong leader. The choices you make in the first game will follow you through to the second and third game, making you want to play through the game again to see all the different outcomes.

The gameplay is easy to use and quick to get used to. Its new and original combining the best parts of an action game and the strategic parts of an RPG. You have a level up system where you can choose which abilities of your Shepard that you want to improve on and also the abilities of your squad members making your force powerful against your enemies.

Graphics wise the game is visually stunning. From the many set locations of the utopian Eden of the citadel to the dystopian ruins of ferros. The wide variety of planets to explore in the mass effect universe makes it one of the most extensive and most enjoyable games since the elder scrolls series.

The soundtrack to the game is superb and well thought up. Mixing the techno style with dramatic music really reflects the era the game is set in. The soundtrack draws inspiration of in my opinion of blade runner, the techno score, the sound effects of the vehicles. It really does get you in the feel of the mood and setting of the game.

The voice acting is as well thought as the soundtrack. The voices for the characters seem believable to care about them. Famous voices like Keith David voices Captain Anderson.

As for my overall verdict of the game, there’s nothing really bad I can say about it, it’s a brilliant start to one of the most successful science fiction gaming franchises since halo.

And for this my rating of Mass Effect is a solid 10 out of 10

Stay tuned for more game reviews.