Mass Effect

By Ellie Gibson Published 17 September, 2007

Hands-on with BioWare's latest.

Being disappointed during a game demo isn't usually a good sign, but there are exceptions to the rule. We're at a preview event for Mass Effect - BioWare's hotly anticipated science-fiction RPG about buccaneering around the galaxy - and they've just revealed a plot spoiler. We're already looking forward to playing it and now they've gone and spoiled it by telling us all about the [Deletedeletedelete. Now you've spoiled it for me! Witch! - Ed]

No need to spoil it for you too, but we will say you're given a difficult choice regarding a likeable character you've spent hours building up and getting to know. One option involves deviating from your main mission objective. The other involves losing the character from your party. And there's a much broader ethical dilemma thrown in for good measure.

This is nothing new for a BioWare game. Making choices which change how the game plays out was a defining feature of previous titles Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. But the choices in Mass Effect are much more complex and much harder to make, as studio president Greg Zeschuk explains.

"There are things you can do to keep this character in your party. It might be things you had to have done earlier. It's a path you can follow if you do certain things consistently," he says.

Decide and conquer

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 1

It's behind you.

The choices you make, Zeschuk continues, can have such significant impacts on what happens in the rest of the game that you and a friend might have completely different experiences to compare once you've finished the game. "It's a rollercoaster ride, and the thing is it's your rollercoaster ride - someone else's will be different."

For Mass Effect, BioWare has developed not just the complexity of decision-making but the way the process plays out. There are no more long lines of text and simple changes in facial expressions. A summary of each multiple-choice response is shown as text, but when you select one your character is shown delivering a much longer answer and other characters respond accordingly.

Thanks to excellent visuals and decent acting, you feel like you're watching a cut-scene you're actively involved in. The characters' facial expressions, body language and even lip-synching are very well done. We're not quite out of the uncanny valley yet, but this is a significant step forwards.

According to Zeschuk, "There's really nothing pre-rendered in this game. At times you almost think, 'I'm watching a great movie or a television show,' but the reality is you're effectively the actor and the director at the same time."

Talk talk

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 2

There's a lot of this sort of thing going on in Mass Effect.

In some of the scenes we played through, there was an awful lot of standing around while characters reeled off reams of plot exposition. Taking part in a cut-scene isn't much fun if it's a boring cut-scene. And although you don't have to try out all the "more info" responses, there's a feeling you should just in case you miss out.

More interesting are the types of response that determine which moral path your character follows - Renegade or Paragon. For example, your way is blocked by a couple of hired guns who are basically innocent amateurs. You can either warn them off or take them out, and you'll earn points whatever you decide.

Again, this idea is nothing new for a BioWare game, but there is a new system in place. Now you can't just cancel out a bad action by performing a good one; you rack Renegade and Paragon points on separate scales.

Nor can you make a single choice to determine a specific outcome. NPCs will respond differently to you according to choices you've made in the past, and the ending you see will depend on how you've acted throughout the game - not just on the last decision you took.

In addition, choices affect your character's abilities. The more Renegade choices you make, the better you become at intimidating people. Go down the Paragon path and you'll find it easier to charm others into helping you out.

Story-time

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 3

This is the default male Shepard for those who can't be bothered to make their own.

So that's the morals, but what of the story? Zeschuk talks us through it. "You take on the role of Commander Shepard, representing the human race on the galactic stage. You're on the most important mission in the galaxy - to stop a rogue agent, Saren, from effectively destroying all life.

"You're single-minded and dedicated in pursuit of him. This takes you on a tremendous rollercoaster of a story with great combat and great exploration. It's a really interesting experience."

While you might be on a mission, you do have options to go exploring. You co-ordinate this using a big 3D map on-board your ship, which shows the galaxy in miniature. "People always ask us how many planets there are. It's a difficult thing to answer," says Zeschuk.

"We have tons of locations all over the galaxy. Whenever you explore them they are different types of planet, effectively. Some are story-based planets, and you're directed fairly clearly to those. Some can be scanned for minerals. Some are what we call uncharted worlds. You can go explore them and there are lots of sub-quests and mini-games. A lot are just interesting to look at."

But back to Commander Shepard. You can choose whether your personal Commander Shepard is male or female, what kind of family background they came from and their military experience. There's an impressive customisation tool which lets you play around with your character's appearance, and it's flexible enough you can make them resemble yourself.

Character-building

There are six character classes to choose from. The Soldier is a weapons and armour expert, while the Engineer specialises in using what's called an OmniTool. It's handy for sabotaging weapons, restoring your team-mate's shields and taking control of enemy robots, amongst other things. The Adept is an expert in "biotics", or telekinesis as it's usually known, and can control gravity to move objects and enemies around.

The other three classes are hybrids. There's the Infiltrator (a soldier with tech specialties), the Vanguard (a soldier who can use biotics) and the Sentinel (tech and biotics, not so much with the weapons). Whichever you choose, you can upgrade your character's abilities in the usual RPG fashion by earning points as you play the game and assigning them as you see fit.

You also get to assign points to party members who join you along the way, such as Kaidan, a Sentinel with a powerful sabotage power, and Soldier Ashley. They stick with you throughout the game and you can choose which other characters you allow to join up.

This is important, Zeschuk says, "because you have to change your play style depending on who's in your group." And because Mass Effect will let you pause the game in the middle of battles and assign tasks to different characters. "When you first look at the game it seems like an over-the-shoulder shooter. Really it's a tactical squad game where you have to use your colleagues effectively."

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 4

Wonder if they mold the ladies' armour individually or they just have to squeeze them in.

To demonstrate this, Zeschuk gets Kaidan to use his Sentinel powers to throw an enemy across a room. He's chosen the Vanguard class for his Shepard, so he also has biotic abilities and can similarly take out a second enemy. This leaves Soldier Ashley to shoot down the last remaining foe.

Hands-on, it's easy to grasp how the system works. The interface is simple and intuitive enough that it doesn't feel like there's too much interruption to the flow of the action, even though you're pausing the game.

Characters do what you tell them but are intelligent enough to know when they should take cover or push forwards, and do an excellent job of covering your back. At first, anyway. "The early part of Mass Effect is specifically designed so your colleagues will kill all your enemies," explains Zeschuk. "It's really hard for you to get killed for the first hour, but later on it evens out."

Electric dreams

The first hour is about all we got to see of Mass Effect, but it was certainly long enough to get an idea of the style BioWare is going for. There's an '80s overtone to the whole thing, created in large part by the brilliant music.

Zeschuk describes it as "classic '80s electronica" but it's specifically evocative of the kind of electronica featured in '80s sci-fi films, the properly frightening ones with the biodomes and the mad robots. There's a ponderous, ominous feel to it that works superbly.

There's also an '80s feel to the visuals. It's all in the details, such as the calculator font on menu screens and the characters' Ulysses 31-style helmets. The spaceship itself is pretty generic: lots of grey metal, long corridors and rows of people wearing tight outfits sat at banks of endless glowing buttons. Planet visuals look more impressive and, judging by the beach environment of the Earth-style planet we got to see, surprisingly lush and pretty for a sci-fi game.

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 5

Sunglasses indoors is never acceptable, not even in space.

So Mass Effect has got the looks, but does it represent a real departure for BioWare? Like KOTOR and Jade Empire, it's an action-RPG. Once again, you are tasked with making a series of decisions, and the choices you make determine how the game plays out. The tactical squad system is back, and as you'd expect the whole thing is very well presented.

But it's clear that the studio has looked carefully at how all these elements can be developed, not just improved. Mass Effect looks and feels like a BioWare game but it also looks and feels like a real next-gen game. We need to spend more time with it to make a proper judgement of gameplay elements such as the combat system and cut-scene integration. That's time we're looking forward to spending, however. As long as they don't give us any more spoilers.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (72) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • LonesomeRoad #1 4 years ago

    GOTY.

  • Pulsar_t #2 4 years ago

    I was about to say 'first'... GOTY? Nah.

  • andrewwd #3 4 years ago

    "No need to spoil it for you too"

    So why did you, by following that comment with the spoiler?

    "you're given a difficult choice regarding a likeable character you've spent hours building up and getting to know. One option involves deviating from your main mission objective. The other involves losing the character from your party"

    That's a spoiler right there if you ask me.

  • zoch #4 4 years ago

    kOTOR 2

  • zoch #5 4 years ago

    i MEANT MAKE KOTOR 3

  • souljacker2000 #6 4 years ago

    im so wanting this right now, i loved kotor but never got to finish it... im so looking forward to not finishing this too

  • Poorandugly #7 4 years ago

    @ andrewwd
    "That's a spoiler right there if you ask me. "

    I usually love Ellie and hope she'll bear my future children, but that's certainly a spoiler in my book, yeah. It's like knowing Aeris is going to die, dammit.

  • Azazel #8 4 years ago

    OMG! /splooges

  • Pike #9 4 years ago

    Bioware game involves making some fome of choice! The spoiler of the century!

  • Mr-Brett #10 4 years ago

    Oh thanks Poorandugly, cheers you've ruined FF7 now!

    /joking

  • UncleLou #11 4 years ago

    In some of the scenes we played through, there was an awful lot of standing around while characters reeled off reams of plot exposition.

    Well, yeah, that sounds a lot like Bioware lately. Unfortunately they don't really have the writing talent for long dialogues.

  • Azazel #12 4 years ago

    The stuff of legends! Right Boo?

  • The-Bodybuilder #13 4 years ago

    >" but it's specifically evocative of the kind of electronica featured in '80s sci-fi films, the properly frightening ones with the biodomes and the mad robots."

    Please tell me it has a terminator-esque sondtracks? PLEASE?

    For 2007, bioshock is my most wanted game. It's slowly climbed up there, but it is.

  • marilena #14 4 years ago

    "Wonder if they mold the ladies' armour individually or they just have to squeeze them in."

    Always wondered about that too. Or maybe they simply make armours with generous shapes, but the ladies inside don't look like that at all? Food for though.

  • JediMasterMalik #15 4 years ago

    Not sold on the combat yet, and the facial animation looks somewhat lifeless to me. Graphics look amazing, and the dialogue options sound great and fun to use, the games progression also sounds like it's actually trying to make choices mean something, which games rarely get right.

  • Madder-Max #16 4 years ago

    I want this

  • morriss #17 4 years ago

    I like the long dialogue, but then again I'm old and like being read stories when I play games. :)

  • thesnowman #18 4 years ago

    I personally cant wait for this. Love KOTOR , played it more times than any other game. Was slightly disapointed in Jade Empire (was still a good game, but maybe expectations were really high after KOTOR).

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #19 4 years ago

    This always looked like GOTY to me. I know not everyone's a Halo fan, but I can't believe within three months the 360 will have had Bioshock, Halo 3, and Mass Effect; AND all in the same year Crackdown was released.

    I also agree with Moriss about the long stories. In my case it came from a youth spent on Melee Island.

  • RedPanda #20 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • niteninja #21 4 years ago

    Kotor was great jade empire was poor,just have to wait and see on this one to call goty is a bit jumping the gun.
    Assassins creed will be the game to beat this year,I just think bioware is in danger of becoming a one trick pony.
    If the storys good then having hours of blah blah blah is ok, but if it sucks then we have a problem.

  • UncleLou #22 4 years ago

    I like the long dialogue, but then again I'm old and like being read stories when I play games. :)

    I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with long dialogues. I do have a massive problem with badly written long dialogues though. And judging by Jade Empire, Kotor and NWN1, Bioware excels in that lately. :-/

    edit:

    Mind, only time will tell - what I already like is that you just choose a general type of response, and then hear the actual line. That sounds like a good system.
    Edited by 1 at 17/09/07 @ 17:51

  • BillyBrush #23 4 years ago

    One of those games i want to like, but the naff assed Sci Fi is going to arse any hope of that up...politics of the Karjj, or Skarrjj, or Marrjj (bound to be one of em), i cannae wait

    what does the imperial comissioner of Grankall gate think of this? let's go inform him...no..use a f**ing phone...it's the future!

  • drumbaby #24 4 years ago

    Another spiritual successor to another high brow predecessor.

    A po faced 10/10 on the cards, I'm sure :/

  • UncleLou #25 4 years ago

    Kotor highbrow?

    Um.

    Neither is System Shock 2 "highbrow". Not that you've played it, of course.

  • morriss #26 4 years ago

    Well I loved KOTOR, the story too.

  • Granarythorax #27 4 years ago

    Hope this turns out more KOTOR1 than Jade Empire. I loved KOTOR1 but stalled in Jade about 3rd of the way through - I finally got round to finishing it today after a 2 year intermission.

    Having gone all the way through I can't understand all the praise & awards it got at the time. In comparison to KOTOR it has poorly written characters, a slow moving plot and even more exposition. The unbalanced combat engine really finishes it off (with an option to adjust the difficulty seemly in there to compensate for bad design). But looking at the credits the two games do not share any designers - hopefully Bioware's A team are working on Mass Effect...

  • Dizzy #28 4 years ago

    GOTY. No competition :)

  • UncleLou #29 4 years ago

    Well I loved KOTOR, the story too.

    Compare it to something like Planescape: Torment or Vampire. The writing is just several leagues below that. Yeah, I know, you've played neither. Bloody console gamers. ;)

  • morriss #30 4 years ago

    Wow, Lou writes a post without mentioning System Shock...SHOCK!!! ;)

  • morriss #31 4 years ago

    ferarri: The publisher should answer your question: Microsoft.

  • IAmBatman #32 4 years ago

    > That's a spoiler right there if you ask me.

    And now you're repeated it again just in case anyone missed it.

  • Xerx3s #33 4 years ago

    Edited: Apparently people think it's a spoiler but there is nothing spoilerish in it. If you want it, it's on gamersyde.
    Edited by 2 at 17/09/07 @ 19:33

  • UncleLou #34 4 years ago

    Wow, Lou writes a post without mentioning System Shock...SHOCK!!! ;)

    Um, I've just mentioned System Shock earlier because drumbaby was clearly referring to Bioshock's 10/10 review.

    Don't blame me for missing all the good games. ;)

  • Lonestar #35 4 years ago

    I saw some E3 vids of this at Gamespot and the fighting looked quite clunky to me.

  • ResidentKnievel #36 4 years ago

    Wow! those aliens look photo-realistic!

  • Pike #37 4 years ago

    Crappy console game. I expect the PC version to be a solid next-gen 10/10 though.

  • niteninja #38 4 years ago

    The cut scenes look brilliant the fighting looks naff.

  • manic_mouse #39 4 years ago

    "The cut scenes look brilliant the fighting looks naff."

    Just like real life!

  • thesnowman #40 4 years ago

    If I remember correctly that it is the team that made KOTOR that is making Mass Effect. It was a different team that made Jade Empire.

  • Kostabi #41 4 years ago

    Back to Gamesindustry.biz with you Ellie! That non-spoiler spoiler is unforgivable.

  • Agent_Llama #42 4 years ago

    Slapped wrist for the spoiler. What is it with EG and spoilers recently?

    Am sort of excited about this and really want it to be good, but my concern is that I never finished KotOR or Jade Empire, I lost interest in both once they became repetitively and dull. *fingers crossed* it's got more variety and pace to it.

  • Daymare #43 4 years ago

    "It's like knowing Aeris is going to die, dammit."

    She DIES!? Well, thanks pal, thank you very fuckin' much!
    Edited by 1 at 17/09/07 @ 19:48

  • Scimarad #44 4 years ago

    I love the music in this game from what I've heard so far. Definitely a contender for GOTY, I think - Assuming it isn't crap, of course;-)

  • themerlin13 #45 4 years ago

    OK very funny EG, you can't hit us all on the head and drag is into the woods and have us shot!!
    We did see a REVIEW of Team Fortress 2 right??

    Hello???

    I think I just heard a gunshot!! it was valve shooting EG!!! lol. ;)

  • Bongo #46 4 years ago

    I saw the score.

  • wired009 #47 4 years ago

    Kotor was just alright to me. It was good for an Xbox game but it never got me very excited as I played through it. I will give Mass Effect a try with tempered expectations.

  • The-Bodybuilder #48 4 years ago

    TF got a 9. SPREAD THE WORD.

  • Bongo #49 4 years ago

    Nah, it was a 3.

  • Razorus #50 4 years ago

    Lots of negative vibes here dudes, let's chiiiilll. *takes a puff of weed*
    Yeah man, I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard of it.
    Admittedly, when the demos show real-time combat, it doesn't look all that satisfying and yeah it looks a bit clunky, but the sheer scope of the story and the character-driven narrative, not to mention the atmosphere and the convo system will make this a great game.
    The more tactical approach to combat looks more "Bioware"; they're not used to full-on action so give them a chance. Also, from the music I've heard, it reminds me of Blade Runner, and that's a good thing.
    Mass Effect for the win yo!

  • mingster #51 4 years ago

    the robot that wanted to kill meat bag humans in kotor was quality though

  • TexMurphy01 #52 4 years ago

    KOTOR was excellent in my opinion, but more for the genuine Star Wars feel than the dialogue in particular. Jade Empire was a little downhill from there, but still enjoyable. This... well, I will be buying it, but I'm not convinced it's God's gift just yet. Got burned with Bioshock, y'see.

  • SleepyMagpie #53 4 years ago

    I'm hoping this will be really good, but I'm not sure really.

    I like almost everything about Bioware's approach to games, now and before: The epic, sweeping stories, the many characters, the roleplaying foundation and community commitment.

    I don't, however, like their somewhat politically correct and toothless storytelling tilt. I know they've promised more nuanced options with Mass Effect, but I hope it doesn't turn into 256 more shades of gray niceties.

    Bioware need some more madness and lunacy injected. I'm a die-hard SF buff, but if this turns out to be a goody-two-shoes Star Trek fuzzy, I'm gonna barf.

  • PedroTheLion #54 4 years ago

    I am fully aware this is a video game and not a sexy woman.
    ...That being said, this game continously gives me erections.
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/07 @ 01:57

  • Curion #55 4 years ago

    KOTOR AND Jade Empire where both melodramatic, simplistic talkathons. This game looks more of the same old boring shite.

  • TonyCocaCola #56 4 years ago

    @Curion: Fair enough go play halo then.

    As for Mass Effect, i can see myself playing this over and over again, looking forward to this in a big way. i can imagin a kinda Blade Runner -esque soundtrack to this for some reason.

    edit: cant splel
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/07 @ 10:36

  • miiiguel #57 4 years ago

    These "new" games are fucking my gaming life quite a bit, 1st it was Oblivion - 200 hours of gameplay; now Blue Dragon, where I'm in the middle of Disc 1, so about 1/6th of the game and 22 hours spent on it (quality ludic time though, didn't understand EG's review, the game exhales quality), now Mass Effect...

    And, don't worry, there aren't that many "haters", they just talk louder.
    Edited by 1 at 18/09/07 @ 10:52

  • gmmonkey #58 4 years ago

    Want want want. Agreed, they have ripped 80's soundtracks like bladerunner (best instrumental soundtrack ever, imo). KOTOR was my favourite game ever. It holds the record for me, for the longest unbroken play time. 20 hours. I started at 12 in the afternoon and stopped playing at 8am the next morning. Love it! No other games even come close.

  • Brogan #59 4 years ago

    This game is going to be far too long isn't it? Really i can not be arsed with "epics" any more i have things to do anymore than 20 hours of gameplay (and that would have to be a mind blowing game) is too much and surly a waste of time for the designers 90% of people just aren’t going to sit through it.

  • Darren #60 4 years ago

    UncleLou - "Well, yeah, that sounds a lot like Bioware lately. Unfortunately they don't really have the writing talent for long dialogues."

    WHAT?!?

    BioWare are famous for the quality of their dialogue and, more recently, voice-acting. Their games are among the few where following reams of text is NOT a chore in my opinion.

  • L42yB #61 4 years ago

    Mass Effect, Assasins Creed, Halo 3 :D Tis a good year to have a 360

  • Les #62 4 years ago

    "Being disappointed during a game demo isn't usually a good sign"

    No? Krudster thinks they're useless... ;)

  • captainrentboy #63 4 years ago

    Well originally I did want this after watching the E3 trailer, but then I saw the big ole preview on Gamer TV yesterday, and to be frank, it looked a little shit. Graphics were lovely, but the fighting system was very cack handed and slow, not my type of thing at all.
    Ohh and there were squad based shooter elements in it too, and no genre annoys me more.

  • AwesomeWells #64 4 years ago

    You can forget your Halo 3s and your Bioshocks...this is what I'm most looking forward to this year.

  • BobsUncle #65 4 years ago

    Space Giraffe?

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #66 4 years ago

    Massively looking forward to this, I'm just worried that the combat might pull it down.

    I'm like Morriss, the long cutscenes appeal rather than detract.

    And even if it does end up the same as KOTOR or Jade Empire, then I'm still a happy bunny.

  • AhrimaaN #67 4 years ago

    I'm still very skeptical about this. The only thing going for it is it is made by BioWare and th graphics happen to be rather nice... it looks decidely bland, boring and dull in a cookie cutter sci-fi universe... with lame combat and even lamer driving sections. Hmmm what exactly is everyone excited about? Halo 3 hype I can understand even from my skeptic's viewpoint but mass effect?... hmmm

  • miiiguel #68 4 years ago

    "90% of people just aren’t going to sit through it."
    Not true, more like 10% aren't going to sit through it, judging for istance with the amount of people that indeed completly finished Oblivion (and still play it).

  • gmmonkey #69 4 years ago

    Mass effect appeals to me more than halo 3. Halo 2 was average at best. Everyone kept on going on about dual weapons. Yawn... Halo 3's environments for the pics/previews all look the same. Yawn.. If halo 3 had another skin on it would most people still be interested in the game? I'm of the opinion, "would they fuck". It doesn't look like it's bringing anything new to the genre. Saying that, I'm still going to buy it. :D

  • Lukus #70 4 years ago

    I'm buying this, even if it gets a 6.

  • UncleLou #71 4 years ago

    UncleLou - "Well, yeah, that sounds a lot like Bioware lately. Unfortunately they don't really have the writing talent for long dialogues."

    WHAT?!?

    BioWare are famous for the quality of their dialogue and, more recently, voice-acting. Their games are among the few where following reams of text is NOT a chore in my opinion.

    Got to disagree - I find their dialogues stilted and artificial, and their general approach dubious - you meet a character, and the first thing he does is tell you his/her life story, and give you a ton of background information. Not very elegant. Black Isle and Troika (and Bioware themselves in their older games) were a lot better, and Obsidian still is.

  • dryden555 #72 4 years ago

    if its like KOTOR1 it will be great. If its like Jade Empire (too easy and too linear) I'll pass.