Mass Effect Review

By Kieron Gillen Published 27 May, 2008

Pause for effect.

Version tested: PC

Given that Kristan wrote a three-page review of the Xbox 360 version back in November, and the PC version is basically identical, I'm left with a whole review to dwell on the important questions about Mass Effect.

For instance, why did BioWare model its adorably rubbish Mako ground-attack truck on early-eighties toy Big Trak: the Fully Programmable Electronic Vehicle? Almost everything about Mass Effect can be explained with a little thought (Why is the combat a bit shonky? They haven't had a crack at an action game since MDK2. Why is it so talky? Well, it's a BioWare game, innit. Why do you have to buy stuff from the bloke in the basement of your ship rather than just court-martialling the little dipstick? Because BioWare cannot resist the tropes of the RPG genre). But the Big Trak homage is completely inexplicable. Perhaps Big Trak is worshipped as a totemic creature in Edmonton? Perhaps Greg and Ray were always denied one as kids and decided Mass Effect would be their late Christmas? Perhaps they were aiming for a Halo Warthog clone and just missed?

Thankfully the origins of Mako are only a peripheral issue when considering this epic space-action RPG.

The easiest way to grasp Mass Effect is to imagine Knights of the Old Republic. Strip out the Star Wars licence and replace it with some serious-but-well-crafted original fiction, then remove all the pause-time strategy-style comba. Replace it with competent but unspectacular third-person shooter tactical action, complete with cover system and team-mate ordering. The RPG skills influence the game, in terms of special powers and improved shooting abilities. So, like Deus Ex, the amount your sniper-sight wobbles is based upon your character's ability and the quality of your weapon. And, like Deus Ex, its worth is less in the individual action sequences, and more in the synergy between the RPG development, the action and the frame of a developing story. The results are splendid. Kristan gave it a strong eight, and that's what I'd give it too, so if you're one of those sort of people you can go and get back to comparing PS3 and Xbox 360 screenshots for errant pixels.

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 1

I do like those Assault Rifles, but I hate Sniper Rifles. They smell bad.

The PC version is, as promised, definitely a PC version; a conversion more than a port. Admittedly, that's mainly because of how low the standard for "conversion" has sunk, but there's nothing particularly grating, like the appearance of Xbox controllers in the tutorial sequence. The biggest change is a mechanical one - the mouse gives a lot more flexibility both in calling up the variety of powers your Biotic and Tech characters can perform (Biotic = Mage, Tech = er, another sort of Mage, basically), as well as the simplification of aiming (Mass Effect, with the deliberately-imperfect aiming, sidesteps the PC's flaw of superhuman, impossible accuracy). Hotkeys can summon up your characters' abilities. Also, you're able to swap seamlessly between all of your weapons. Oh - and you can order your team-mates to go forward and take up their own positions. These things are all are integrated so well that I was surprised when I discovered they weren't in the original 360 version.

In terms of stuff which doesn't actually affect the game that much, there's the graphical upgrade - the game remains gorgeous, in short - and a new hacking mini-game. Instead of the Simon-says of the original, it's a sequence of rotating disks you have to skip through. Think concentric Frogger. It's a mini-game and it manages to reach the heights of a mini-game. It does the job. The job being a mini-game. Yes. A mini-game.

But the problems come around the edge of the system, where things become a little clunkier. While the shooting is improved, despite the Mako handling being apparently tweaked, it's still bloody rubbish. Maybe a Big Trak would have been more controllable. Similarly, the inventory management. You're only able to carry 150 items, after which you have to reduce them to Omni-Gel (which sounds a little unsavoury but is a generalised currency which powers a load of nano-tech abilities, like the hacking bypass). Problem being, you have to do them one by one. Having to stop after a few fights to clear a bit more space in a select-then-confirm way is just a tad tedious when the PC could do a drag-and-drop or multi-select mechanism easily enough.

And since the What Is New is out the way, this review can take a sharp turn to the left.

Despite everything I said earlier about KOTOR and Deus Ex and Gears of War (except I only thought that and didn't write it, as an Easter Egg for Eurogamer's telepathic readers), the game I found myself most wanting to compare Mass Effect to was none other than Shogun: Total War.

No, bear with me.

One of the core pieces of genius in Creative Assembly's design was the integration of the tactical battles and macro-scale strategic nation management. Rather than being lead by your nose through a pre-set campaign story, the battles ended up being more meaningful, more dramatic due to your knowing what they mean on the larger scale. So defending this ford isn't important because a cut-scene told you so; it's important because you know that it's the last point you can stop defenders before they reach your capital. It's using another genre (the turn-based strategy game) to elevate another (the real-time strategy game) without ever truly integrating the pair. They run in parallel with one another, with information passing between the two to enhance the experience of both.

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 2

Dating aliens proves tricky. Don't hold their hand but do bring flowers.

And, basically, that's what Mass Effect does. While the strategy level (the RPG exploring/talking stuff) is clearly more linear than Total War, its point is to provide meaning and elevate the action sections. Kristan got quite a few Mass Effect fans' backs up by reviewing it primarily as a shooter... but after going through the game, I can see his point. That is, there's masses of stuff which isn't actually the action part - but, in terms of the actual progress of the game, it's the action which is paramount and everything else supports and enhances (or, occasionally undermines) that. Those hours of running around space-stations and chatting are to make the actual fight against the enemies dramatic. That you're defending civilisation is a hell of a lot more meaningful when you've seen the civilisation you're defending - compare and contrast to Halo 3, where there's none of that emotional punch. At its best, Mass Effect isn't about popularising the RPG - it's about re-imagining the shooter. It almost doesn't matter that its mechanics aren't quite as pure and polished as its direct competitors - everything around it makes it matter all the more.

It helps that BioWare proves itself deeply talented as a videogame storyteller. The writing is exemplary, mostly highly naturalistic with no desire to caper for your amusement. Making a science fiction epic takes a degree of balls, and BioWare has balls. Doubly so when it's created a universe from a whole cloth, with multiple species with their own traits, fairly sophisticated politics and a cast of memorable - but not cartoonish - freaks and heroes. The story managed a couple of real emotional gut-punches, which I clearly won't spoil. Hell, even the sex-scenes aren't completely embarrassing in context. In fact, the only bit I'd actually actively critique would be a couple of jingoistic excesses towards the close. But that's another piece, y'know? [We'll see. - Ed]

All this is supported by the graphics engine, which manages to absolutely steal the facial-acting-in-an-RPG crown from Vampire: Bloodlines. In the masses of conversation, characters just act convincingly. I found myself repeatedly enchanted by my lead character's every expression - how alternately charismatic, wise and sly she seemed. I could easily imagine her on a film poster... and when I remembered I created her from scratch at the start the actual achievement of the BioWare art people becomes all the more impressive.

There are some problems with the graphics - frame-rate is hardly stable, for example. But the bigger problem seems that by concentrating so much on memorable individuals, you lose the ability to convey a crowd. Even the biggest space stations are virtually empty of human (or alien) life. While this was just about acceptable in KOTOR, as a next generation game, especially post Assassin's Creed, it starts hurting its atmosphere - and when that's a primary thing the game runs on, that's a problem.

It's also problematic when BioWare chooses not to question those aforementioned tropes of the RPG. It tries to justify why a guy in your spaceship basement sells you weapons, but it's just a little grating, and you wonder why it didn't try a different approach. In some areas Mass Effect captures being a starship captain brilliantly - the writing in characters, for example, with obvious respect, or at least subservience. However, to chat to your various staff members you have to trudge around the ship like it's KOTOR. You're the captain! If I want to talk to someone, they can come to me and like it.

And if that strikes you as nit-picking, I suspect RPG-heads are going to throwing swords of griping +4 when I note that the sub-quest system seems particularly ill-fitting here. It's always been an issue in an RPG when you throw a serious threat into the plot, and then the player is free to wander off before casually get around to saving the world. Even if there's no time limit, if you don't feel the need to go and try and stop the baddy immediately, your game has fundamentally failed to immerse. To that end, Mass Effect succeeds, as I went through the main plot in less than twenty hours, with only a minimum of side-tracking, but there's a lot of content I didn't look at. If you're offering a galaxy to explore, you should try and create a plot which at least leaves room to explore. Mass Effect serves two masters, and it never quite works.

'Mass Effect' Screenshot 3

I like destroying Geth with the power of love that fires from my crotch. And in the game.

That's a problem that faces most RPGs, but it's particularly notable in Mass Effect for two reasons. Firstly, because the FPS element shines a spotlight on them, because those conventions tend to be so driven. Secondly, because in so many areas Mass Effect absolutely succeeds, and discovering BioWare hasn't questioned its core assumptions is a little disappointing.

But you also suspect BioWare's on the right track, and until it pulls it off - and the initial noises about the sequel seem promising - Mass Effect offers us a singular universe of excitement and drama to lose ourselves in. It's an incredibly ballsy game, not afraid to take on any of its competitors, in any field. Story-lead games? Shooters? Even genuine, non-game populist sci-fi? Mass Effect has a try at them all, and leaves more wounds in them than they leave in it, before blasting off into a space all of its own.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kieron.

About Kieron Gillen

Kieron is one of the founders of the lovely Rock, Paper, Shotgun and nowadays writes comics for Marvel starring characters that even his mum has heard of.

Read more articles from Kieron by visiting the Kieron Gillen archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (113) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • gooners2006 #1 4 years ago

    woooooo roll on Mass Effect 2....cant wait.......please put more sex in it Bioware just to piss off the politicians lol

  • Gurgeh #2 4 years ago

    Maybe they based the Mako on this:

    [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=BEFGw89K_9o
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=BEFGw89K_9o
    [/link]

    (the "Crusher", DARPA remote controlled tank / vehicle)

  • penhalion #3 4 years ago

    Hopefully Mass effect 2 is more of a find the ancient weapon quest so that you can go explore the galaxy and not feel that it's a meaningless exploration.

  • Apologie #4 4 years ago

    good game... i will buy it for Pc, it looks way better.

  • JonFE #5 4 years ago

    This review inconveniently reminds me that I still haven't unwrapped my x360 original :|

  • gooners2006 #6 4 years ago

    @ JonFE- :o

  • asphaltcowboy #7 4 years ago

    Loved Mass Effect - won' be getting it on PC. Can't wait for ME2!

  • Amajiro #8 4 years ago

    Great review, especially the stuff on page two.

  • Turrican #9 4 years ago

    Nice opportunity with the PC review to critique the game once more.

    Its brilliant. Get it.

  • muscleblade #10 4 years ago

    Apologie wrote: I will buy it for Pc, it looks way better.

    Based on what. They are pretty much identical. Moron.

  • richardiox #11 4 years ago

    Based on him being a PS3 fanboy and using any opportunity possible to have a dig at the 360

  • lambtron #12 4 years ago

    "good game... i will buy it for Pc, it looks way better."

    lol.

  • Xerx3s #13 4 years ago

    Funny how some peoples perception of a game will change from "It's t3h suck!" to "good game" the moment it it appears on a platform they own.

  • skillian #14 4 years ago

    As much as I'd love a new RPG to play, there's nothing I've really read about this that makes me think it's worth buying.

    Lots of talking and meaningless exploration and slightly shoddy combat seem to be the main things I get from the reviews. The best thing about it seems to be the story, but being a sci-fi video game I can't imagine that'll be enough to hold me...

  • mikew1985 #15 4 years ago

    It's pathetic, but, hey thats just some people.
    Don't bother listening is my motto.

    I loved the original on 360, sure it looks better on PC but i'm just looking forward to number 2 now!

  • Schiraman #16 4 years ago

    I don't own a 360, so I've been really looking forward to it coming out on the PC and I have it on pre-order. Some of the negatives mentioned in the review are a bit worrying though, so I hope it lives up to the hype.

  • Ryuken #17 4 years ago

    KotOR had turnbased combat?

  • Tiel #18 4 years ago

    Like GTA4, each component is only 7/10, but together it makes at least a nine for me..one of my top five ever games.

    But it all hinges on enjoying the world and the plot.

  • Katsumoto #19 4 years ago

    This will be the perfect post-exam present to myself I believe! Am immensely looking forward to it for some reason. Maybe it's because you said "Kotor", "Deus Ex" and "Gears of War" in one sentence, and that gets me going.

  • defdaz #20 4 years ago

    8/10 my arse. An easy 10/10 or I'm not a monkey singing michael jackson songs!

  • BremXJones #21 4 years ago

    Ryuken: It's running a turn-cycle beneath everything, but not square-based turn-stuff, no. I'll get Tom to tweak.

    KG

  • bad09 #22 4 years ago

    A great game I've already done on 360, only once though (good boy) couldn't be bothered to go again. Enjoy chatting up aliens PC guys...

    / waits for ME2 on 360

  • Fwing #23 4 years ago

    My favourite game of last year. Can't wait for the sequels. And after reading this I may just play through it again any way.

  • Kostabi #24 4 years ago

    Absolutely loved this on the 360 but not enough to double dip for a few interface and graphical tweaks.

  • skillian #25 4 years ago

    OK, here's a question I never thought I'd ask...

    Is it playable with a 360 controller? Maybe it would work better downstairs where I don't necessarily have to give it my absolute full attention.

  • reality_cheque #26 4 years ago

    skillian: This is an awesome game no matter what platform you play it on - not many games have me considering what class I'd like to use on my THIRD playthrough before I've even finished it the first time.

  • Katsumoto #27 4 years ago

    I think he meant is the PC version playable with the 360 pad. And who knows the answer to that one! It is the ultimate question.

  • Inquisitor #28 4 years ago

    It's a fantastic game, was up there with the best of last year.

    The shooting is pretty poor for the first few hours but after you level up there's really not much seperating it from a top quality shooter like gears of war.

    The driving was fun too, yes, the spiky mountains were a little...annoying to say the least but just bouncing about in the mako over rough terrain is a blast and I can't see why anyone dislikes it?

    It takes a while to get into though, the first planet is graphically a bit underwhelming and after that you're condemned to a few hours of actionless conversations. Like the shooting though, a few hours inthe game really picks up and that's when it really 'clikced' with me.

    Deserves a 9 or borderline 10 in my opinion, I can understand if the bugs get in the way though, they were pretty obtrusive at times, the frame rate never really bothered me but the texture pop in is a real immersion killer...oh and the lifts, bloody hell the lifts.
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 14:43

  • skillian #29 4 years ago

    Not being funny, and I know there's a three page review above me, but what makes it awesome? Is there lots of loot for me to collect? Can I find random/hidden storylines and quests by just exploring the world? Can I just mess around in the world having fun but not really progressing? These are the sort of things that get me sucked into RPGs, and I haven't really heard much about them.

    I don't think the story will be enough, and the shooty bits I've seen on video don't really grab me.

    I'm really stuck in two minds about this game. I want it to be great, and I'm glad lots of people seem to think it is, but I'm just not sure what they love about it.

  • Kostabi #30 4 years ago

    @skillian

    Looting isn't a big part of the game and exploration is slim to none in any meaningful way. It's more of a linear adventure game with shooty sections rather than an out and out RPG, it's basically KOTOR with bigger guns.

    I enjoyed it so much because the yarn it sells is engrossing and on a scale we rarely see in games these days and the RPG elements just helped me mould the character to how I like to play. Go into it expecting a hardcore RPG like Baldur's Gate and you'll be disappointed but go into it looking for a well told space faring adventure and you'll leave loving it.

    The final segment of the game is still the greatest finale I've seen in a game for a long long time. Epic!

  • Inquisitor #31 4 years ago

    It deserves a 9 out of 10 because almost everything about it is interesting and fun after the rather lackluster first hour or so.

    The graphics are fantastic, the speech and music is great, decent story but it's told in a superb style (for a video game at least) and the gameplay is just good fun.

    I don't agree with the general review consensus that the combat is lacking in comparison ti dedicated shooters, I'm more of a shooter fan myself as well so it's not just down to inexperience within the genre. The mako is actually fun to drive about in, I really can't see what grievances people have with it.

    The inventory screen is probably the biggest mark against it, it's just incredibly badly designed. You end up with hundreds of items and managing them is a bloody pain.

  • BremXJones #32 4 years ago

    MrEd: I have, it seems. Hadn't a Mass Effect 360 to hand, and previews were talking about it being a new feature. It not being a new feature would explain why I thought it difficult to imagine it without it.

    KG

  • Siberian_Khatru #33 4 years ago

    "Those hours of running around space-stations and chatting are to make the actual fight against the enemies dramatic"

    It doesn't, and you can't, I won't, and it don't, it hasn't, it isn't, it even ain't, and it shouldn't.

  • MangoBen #34 4 years ago

    Awesome game, the only game since Zelda on the N64 I've completed more than twice.

  • Lim-Dul #35 4 years ago

    Ha, ha - I loved the screenshot captions. =)

  • anomagnus #36 4 years ago

    literally, this game was one of the gaming highlights of my life

    it was stunning in every way, i even had a month of work at the time to play it

    just perfect for me in every way

  • DrR0b3rts #37 4 years ago

    The Eno/Vangelis type soundrack is fantastic too. Loved the Mako bits, but not the repetitive design of the various hideouts on the planets. Brilliant, but not quite the Oblivion-in-space I was after.

  • AphoticCosmos #38 4 years ago

    I'll get it on PC next time round [hoping that PC version comes out with the 360 one next time] and I think I'll pop down the shops tomorra and get the PC version as well. Improved mechanics? Well the only thing I find wrong with Mass Effect is the lack of helpful interface mechanics at every fricking level, so it would probably be a better game for me on the PC.

  • skillian #39 4 years ago

    Thanks Kostabi for the info.

    I don't think it's my sort of game by the sounds of it, though I can't help thinking I'll be missing out when I read how much people truly loved it :/

    Maybe it'll be an impulse buy one day if it turns up on Steam or something.

    edit: Although if it's true about there only being 3 (!?) activations, that helps make the decision a little easier. I have a PC both upstairs and down, so that's two of those activations gone already...
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 15:35

  • miiiguel #40 4 years ago

    Fantastic game, completed it twice already, and I'm going for a 3rd round as soon as I do the 100% @ GTA.

    Higher levels of difficulties dramaticaly improves the game as a whole.

  • themorganator #41 4 years ago

    I loved this game on 360. The PC crew should like it!

  • gallow #42 4 years ago

    A 20 hour main story is hardly epic in scale for an RPG.

  • NickD7 #43 4 years ago

    Didn't really like the gameplay very much , thought it was shit actually, but the graphics are nice, good for people who like to watch games and not really play them.

    8/10 is fair enough, I would give it a 6/10 though, same score I would give GTA IV.

  • mingster #44 4 years ago

    i always wanted a bigtrak as a kid but my parents couldn't afford one.
    /looks on ebay

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #45 4 years ago

    MrEd: I have, it seems. Hadn't a Mass Effect 360 to hand, and previews were talking about it being a new feature. It not being a new feature would explain why I thought it difficult to imagine it without it.

    KG

    The new feature was being able to order your squaddies individually - so you could send Wrex right into the action and simultaneously keep your sniper out of harm's way.

    X360 version only let you clump them together.

    Incidentally, those ignoring the side-quests in favour of saving humanity rather than dallying are not missing too much. Few are that exciting, and most just serve to highlight the not-quite combat.

    Lovely review, by the way. I heart Mass Effect but still feel it stops just short of a nine. Lots of this piece helped me remember why.

    Still would recommend to any unsure - providing you like a lengthy tale.

  • TheSnotGoblin #46 4 years ago

    I was under the impression from actually playing the Xbox version that you can in fact send your team mates forward to take up positions. Have I misunderstood something, or has the reviewer?

    In the XBox version you can only do group commands, e.g. "Both you buggers go over there", "Both you buggers attack that other bugger!", "Oi you buggers! Come back here!"; wheras in the PC version you can assign individual commands to individual buggers.

    EDIT: And Bertie beats me to it. This is what happens when you wander off for fifteen minutes before hitting post.
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 16:27

  • Niall #47 4 years ago

    I think that you have perfectly addressed an issue with immersion present in most games containing 'side quests'. It's like "Quick, theres a giant melon on collision course with the President's daughter!!!!!!! But In your own time, mate, you can go make some tea for that guy first"

    The only game in recent memory I can think that has done a great job of combating this is Dead Rising.

    I love Dead Rising. Is there nothing it can't do?

    It's given me so much.

  • skillian #48 4 years ago

    Yeah it's a shame us PC players never got Dead Rising. It looked all kinds of awesome to me (though I've never played it) and I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.

    edit: in fact, it seems like Dead Rising has more of the stuff I look for in an RPG than Mass Effect does...
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 16:36

  • WickedDeeJ #49 4 years ago

    Should've marked it down a grade for the DRM. Honestly, I cannot believe you would write a review without writing in big letters that this game has a 3-PC install limit, especially after the Bioshock fiasco. I find it sad that the games press is trying to help EA bury the DRM issue, it's part of the package of this product and should have an effect on the final score.

  • Katsumoto #50 4 years ago

    Dead Rising is pretty much the one game I really wish they'd do for PC, along with Crackdown. It's those two games that most often tempt me to get a 360.

  • Ryuken #51 4 years ago

    KG: nice you guys adapt it so fast. :)

  • fawe4 #52 4 years ago

    What about elevators (loadings), shorter or same as xbox?

  • Feanor #53 4 years ago

    Is the pop-in from the 360 version gone?

  • BremXJones #54 4 years ago

    Elevators seem shorter, but it's still an annoying gap which you can't see the reason for.

    Didn't honestly mention the DRM because a different DRM was on the review code. Since there' s a while until it's out, I suspect EG will do something else on it.

    Re: Pop up. I didn't see any, so I presume it is, or at least minimised.

    KG
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 17:21

  • des #55 4 years ago

    "Frame-rate is hardly stable"-oh come on Bioware,oops i mean EA.
    Why am i not surprised....

  • fawe4 #56 4 years ago

    Oh, and what about addon. It is free, right? Reviewer forgot about these little things... Not that I'm complaining too much, its still much better review that the first one. I just can't stand Kristan. :p

  • Pasco #57 4 years ago

    Mako = [link url=http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=FMu8er2yTSY
    ]http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=FMu8er2yTSY
    [/link]
    obviously. They even stole the jumping

  • Gaol #58 4 years ago

    What a meandering review, was he forced to write three full pages on an 'identical' conversion...?.

    I presume the appearance of '360' controllers is due to the title supporting those out of the box; I hope so cause I value the ability to slouch during an RPG quite highly.

    *EDIT* I hear it doesn't. That sucks quite frankly. Score one for the KB&M nazis.
    Edited by 1 at 27/05/08 @ 18:01

  • Widge #59 4 years ago

    Hm, I've mmmmd and ahhhd about this one, on one hand I've seens some lovely screenshots, then on the other hand I remember trudging through KOTOR waiting for it to finally get "good". Which it never did. So in essence, too much other stuff to play at the moment to give this any time...

    Roll on Fallout 3 I say!

  • hiddenranbir #60 4 years ago

    Your review was better. Yay.

  • JediMasterMalik #61 4 years ago

    Definitely getting this, looks great, thankfully shouldn't be marred by the technical issues of the 360 version, and with the mouse and keyboard it should also play perfectly. PC reviews seem to think it's the far better version.

  • des #62 4 years ago

    @JediMasterMalik

    Read this:

    http://ww w.pcgameshardware.de/aid,645004...

  • fawe4 #63 4 years ago

    @des

    thats benchmark, not 'how will your game run." Max settings + 1280x1024 resolution.

  • mainaman #64 4 years ago

    WTF! 8/10 for a game,slighly different genre aknowledged, with better graphics,story,dialogue,gameplay,art design,music and sound to name a few than GTA4!

    Inventory management was awful on 360,the main quest ''only'' 20 hours,side missions repetitive,but GTA 4 and Halo 3 were rougher around the edges.

  • des #65 4 years ago

    @fawe4
    benchmark=how your game will run.
    And 1280x1024 with max setting is not really an achievement for pc today,1024x768 was a benchmark in hmm... 1998.
    I am not interested in playing Mass Effect on low settings 800x600.

  • soviet_ #66 4 years ago

    I thought it was absolutely fucking amazing.

    And some of the side quests are really good, namely the Cerberus ones (evil bastards!) and the Bring Down the Sky DLC

  • smelly #67 4 years ago

    PC > 360 for this type of game imho - due to mouse and keyboard

  • smelly #68 4 years ago

    @des:

    Oh come on.. Dont tell me you can notice the difference at resolutions higher than that?

    How far do you sit from the screen? 2 cm?

  • Nithron #69 4 years ago

    Hang on, you can't tell the difference between 1024x768 and 1280x1024? How far do you sit away from the screen, two miles?

  • Moonprince #70 4 years ago

    Got this on the 360 yesterday and turned it off after less than 5 mins.

    17" tv it was on just wasn't doing it justice...

    Game looks damn sexual

  • The-Bodybuilder #71 4 years ago

    Easily one of my top 3 games of all time. Ab-so-lute-ly fan-tas-tic.
    Like someone else said, the final scene and battle of the game is still my true "now that's next gen" moment so far. It could not have been done to sch effect on a previous console. I still get chills thinking about it.

    10/10, no matter the flaws.

  • sirtacos #72 4 years ago

    Mass Effect is awesome. Good to hear BioWare made a good conversion again.

  • YourMessageHere #73 4 years ago

    All this talk of the mouse simplifying matters and making the game better makes me think...this is just a shot in the dark, but why don't they design FPS/TPS games around the mouse and keyboard, rather than a pad? Crazy idea, I know, but maybe, just maybe, they could make it work. Perhaps somehow they could even make them work on a console too...

    Sorry, couldn't resist it. But really, you're faced with the most versatile and comprehensive control interface yet created and what do you ask? "Does it work with a 360 pad?"...I despair.

    Please could EG at least put up some system specs for the machines they use for PC reviews? Comparing how the game runs on a state of the art machine and something more ancient and average would be even better (someone mentioned a machine based on the Valve survey average machine in the AoC p/review thread), but seems unlikely to happen. I want to know whether it'd run on my ancient but remarkably serviceable 6800GTS - probably not, and it's obviously unreasonable to ask them to play on old HW like that, but just having a frame of reference and some idea of what hardware produces the reviewer's experience would be nice.

  • cyber_nicco #74 4 years ago

    Who's Tracy Piff?

  • davisorle #75 4 years ago

    @lavalant
    And you brought up Halo cause....?

    The game is amazing. Ginished it on the Xbox 360 though you do get the feeling of boredom but only for a bit cause of some repeatable elements of the game. Visually stunning and the overall is an RPG that any fan of the genre should get his hands on and im serious. Have fun.

  • Kiigan #76 4 years ago

    I must admit, I am not sure I understand the distinction made by Kieron between a "port" and a "conversion" in this instance. I've heard non-programmers use the terms interchangeably at times, so I'm curious about what it is you think you mean :)

    Also as someone who has finished the Xbox 360 version of Mass Effect 5 times AND read the book, I was disappointed by Mass Effect in the following key areas:
    - The core aspects of play - specifically the gunplay and the Mako, are both very crudely realised and not much fun
    - With side quests and activities not on the critical path, there isn't really much worth doing. The random planet landings are crushingly repetitive and dull.
    - The universe described in the book really isn't visible in the game. The Citadel feels like a collection of deserted grey corridors. A wasted opportunity I think.
    - The inventory system was very badly broken, in a damn near game-ruining sort of way. Everytime you kill an enemy you automatically receive some loot even if it pushes you over the limit for the inventory. However you won't necessarily be aware of this, so when you DO open a crate and find a great item you'd love to keep... erm you can't. Your only option is to lose the item so almost in your grasp.

  • smelly #77 4 years ago

    @davisorle:

    The same reason as i'm going to bring up halo 3..

    Halo 3 was touted as one of the 360's best games getting a 10/10 score nearly all round.. Whereas this (which is INFINITELY superior game on all angles gets a 8/10).

    Not that scores ever matter.. but it's interesting to note which one got the most advertising...

  • smelly #78 4 years ago

    @Nithron:

    "Hang on, you can't tell the difference between 1024x768 and 1280x1024? How far do you sit away from the screen, two miles?"


    I was replying to:

    "And 1280x1024 with max setting is not really an achievement for pc today"

    I.e. him saying 1280x1024 is considered to be a low resolution setting.


    I'll agree there's a difference between 1024x768 and 1280x1024 when you're using a PC though (sitting close to the screen), but I wouldnt agree on a television sitting on the sofa (unless your screen is 60+ inches or you live in a box with the sofa less than a foot from the screen)

  • manveruppd #79 4 years ago

    Thanks for giving us a PC review! I feel like a child of a slightly lesser god now :)

  • busboy33 #80 4 years ago

    @skillian:
    What makes it so friggin' great (for me, at least) was this was the first game I played that actually felt like a movie. There's no "You Found the +19 Hammer of Baltheon!!" box smashing per se, and although there are lots of different types of guns and armors you will settle on which ones you like fairly early (although tracking down some of the ultra-rare equipment is a quest in itself, like trying to find Wrex's special armor . . . but damn if he don't look like a bad ass in his black-and-glowing-red finery!!).
    Very, very few games have ever created characters that resonate, that seem real. The video linked at the end of the article . . . "Wrex cinematic". When you get to that point in the game, Wrex has (most likely) become your best friend among your crew. The dramatic Mexican standoff isn't just for show -- there's a very good chance the scene ends with Wrex taking a bullet to the brain. The tension when I hit that the first time was palpable because I completely understood Wrex's opinion as well as the need to tell him to ignore it.
    Most RPG-ish games, they try to generate emotion by giving me morality issues like "But lighting the Sacred Fire of Sac'Thloor will prevent the GnuRaldian Elves from regaining their dominance of the Eternal Forest!!", and I just don't give a shit, either about the Sacred Fire or the Elves. In ME I cared . . . it seemed beleivable and real. Moreso than just about any other game I can think of.
    It may start slow, but if you're a fan of RPG style games in the truest sense -- playing a role -- then it really is an unbelievable good piece of software, all criticisms included.

    And yes, the final climactic cinematic is pretty errect-penis-inducing.

  • smelly #81 4 years ago

    "the most over rated game in ages, even more so the Halo 3"

    Now come on.. Are you sure you're not trolling?

    I've played both on the 360.. and halo 3 is the biggest pile of overrated mediocrity i've ever played.. but Mass Effect is probs best rpg i've played this generation (and yes i DO think oblivion is overrated mediocrity - which looks pretty too)

  • SentientNr6 #82 4 years ago

    Great review. Great analysis.
    Now I read it, I don't need to play the game.
    That's 20 hours of my life back!

  • GregorV #83 4 years ago

    I think Halo 3 exposes the problem with the number ratings. Mass effect was marked down for a lot of things it executes less than perfectly, but that is to be expected seeing how far forward it moves the gaming genre. Halo 3 does absolutely nothing new and sticks to a tried and true formula, but it executes it perfectly, so 10/10.

    Just ignore the numbers. Mass effect is one of the most immersive gaming experiences of all times. The niggles exposed in the article are indeed there, but if you are gaming for the sake of escapism and not in order to perfect your 1337 skills, save for GTAIV there is simply nothing out there that compares.

  • Xerx3s #84 4 years ago

    List of stealth halo haters that still cry themselves to sleep:

    GregorV.

  • GregorV #85 4 years ago

    Halo haters? I just said it executes what it does perfectly, how is that hating the game?

  • 7creature #86 4 years ago

    smelly: Better than KotOR (and Obsidian's KotOR 2) then? Or does it feel 'just like another Bioware RPG'?

  • bad09 #87 4 years ago

    Why all the Halo hate in a ME review??

    H3 and ME were both joys of gaming goodness in their different genres - both on the number one best console ever the 360 of course :)

  • The-Bodybuilder #88 4 years ago

    >"Sorry, couldn't resist it. But really, you're faced with the most versatile and comprehensive control interface yet created and what do you ask? "Does it work with a 360 pad?"...I despair. "

    For FPS and RTSs yeah. But try playing a fighter, racer, platformer, some sports games with a keyboard and mouse.

  • The-Bodybuilder #89 4 years ago

    >"but if you are gaming for the sake of escapism and not in order to perfect your 1337 skills, save for GTAIV there is simply nothing out there that compares. "

    This IMO sums up both GTA4 & Mass Effect for me. I don't play them as "games" per se, but just a format to extend my imagination. When I play GTA4, I AM niko bellic. And when I play ME, I am commander shephard.

  • bitesize #90 4 years ago

    Why all the Halo hate in a ME review??

    strange innit, some people seem completely unable to get over the fact that halo3 got a 10/10 score, and have to complain about it whenever they can...

  • SixFootHalfling #91 4 years ago

    "I went through the main plot in less than twenty hours, with only a minimum of side-tracking, but there's a lot of content I didn't look at. If you're offering a galaxy to explore, you should try and create a plot which at least leaves room to explore."

    Entirely the reason I played through twice, once to complete the main story arc, and the second time to do every sidequest.

    Mass Effect also has the most complete universe I've ever seen in a game, even including Bioshock, especially after reading through the entire codex, and seeing how they built a history for the galaxy that is so complete and convincing.

  • glaeken #92 4 years ago

    I think the issue on score is ME for a lot of people is probably the best 360 game. As such an 8/10 just looks odd against it.

    Just what other game comes close to it this generation?

  • smelly #93 4 years ago

    "smelly: Better than KotOR (and Obsidian's KotOR 2) then? Or does it feel 'just like another Bioware RPG'?"

    TBH - this is the first (i.e. ONLY) bioware game i've ever played...

    I liked it better than oblivion.

    IMHO the best thing about an rpg should be it's story... And oblivion's story was arse.

  • smelly #94 4 years ago

    "strange innit, some people seem completely unable to get over the fact that halo3 got a 10/10 score, and have to complain about it whenever they can... "


    Nope.. it's not being able to get over the fact that some reviewers obviously take back handers to give something mediocre like halo 3 such high scores.

    Whereas a classic (albeit SLIGHTLY flawed) game like this gets a lower score.

    Dont s'pose it matters anyhuws.. i'm convinced all most reviewers do when working out a game score is do an internet search and look to see what other sites have given it...

  • smelly #95 4 years ago

    "Dead Rising is pretty much the one game I really wish they'd do for PC, along with Crackdown."

    Dead rising rocks.

    (but gets repetitive if you play it too much.. play in short doses and it's f-ing brilliant!)

  • bitesize #96 4 years ago

    Nope.. it's not being able to get over the fact that some reviewers obviously take back handers to give something mediocre like halo 3 such high scores.

    what, so you think it's impossible that someone might have genuinely had a different opinion from you on this game? the only way someone could possibly like it that much is if they'd been paid off? riiiiight.....

    makes me wonder why you come back to a site with such low morals if you're that convinced?

  • smelly #97 4 years ago

    @bitesize : I said "some" i didnt say this one did i?

    Besides reviewers dont have opinions.. Most of them dont play a game long enough to formulate opinions.. So they just copy other reviewers opinions...

    And if you DIDNT think halo 3 was an overrated pile of mediocrity compared to such delights as mass effect.. Then I pity you.
    Edited by 1 at 28/05/08 @ 18:02

  • bitesize #98 4 years ago


    hey you're the one banging on about the 10/10 score and obvious backhanders - but you're not referring to the 10/10 on this site, that was deserved then? or were eurogamer just 'copying' someone else's opinion? not at all possible they just had a different opinion from you?

    and thanks for the pity, but i've never played halo3. i just find it amusing that some people (mentioning no names) can't help but bring it up in seemingly every review thread... never got round to finishing mass effect for that matter either - damn gta4 eating up all my (limited) gaming time at the mo.

  • smelly #99 4 years ago

    >but i've never played halo3

    See? Then how can you comment.. If you'd had.. and you'd paid $60 for supposedly the best game of last year (based on said reviews).. Then i'm sure you'd understand why some of us are pissed off about it.

    Just as i'm STILL angry about smash bros shit-brawl reviews too.



  • smelly #100 4 years ago

    As for why this site gave it 10/10.. i dont know.. maybe they thought it deserved it? Maybe something more sinister.. doesnt alter the fact i'm pissed off i wasted money on it.. and ALMOST missed this gem because it got a lower score..

    If i had a choice between the two.. i know which ones i'd go for.

  • GregorV #101 4 years ago

    Halo 3 is a great game, no question about it. But comparing Halo 3 to Mass Effect is, in movie terms, comparing Star Wars to 2001: A Space Odyssey. One is spectacular and instantly gratifying, the other a deeper, more atmospheric but less polished experience. One of them also stood the test of time better as far as being a classic goes, and I think the same will hold true of their gaming equivalents.

  • smelly #102 4 years ago

    Which episode of Star Wars are you referring to?

  • bitesize #103 4 years ago

    See? Then how can you comment..

    i've never once mentioned that i thought the game was worth 10/10, i've no opinion on the game having never played it (obviously). all i said was, how can you say your opinion is absolutely correct on it, and dismiss any reviews that may have liked it more than you as having been either paid off or copying those that were paid off. i find it a bit ridiculous to be honest...

  • GregorV #104 4 years ago

    In principle the 1st one (Episode IV), but pick your favourite.

  • smelly #105 4 years ago

    @Bitesize: If you'd played it - you'd understand.

  • The-Bodybuilder #106 4 years ago

    Oh for crying out loud. Why did you have to come back smelly?
    Halo got a 10, GET OVER IT. Stop whinning and crying like a lil'bitch at every opportunity.

  • bitesize #107 4 years ago

    If you'd played it - you'd understand.

    ok man, if you say so...


    /gives up.

  • WickedDeeJ #108 4 years ago

    The DRM's been cracked, btw. So much for EA's determination to use it to "combat piracy". We'll see if they now remove it or leave it in place; if it's the latter then the DRM was never about piracy, but trying to dictate what users can do with the software they buy.

  • dryden555 #109 4 years ago

    ME is a 7 game unfortunately. Truly great dialog interface a nd a short but fun main story. But everything else is undercooked. You have been warned before you buy....

  • makeamazing #110 4 years ago

    Are you crazy, nothing wrong with a 7.. whats wrong with people these days, if it doesnt get a 10 then dont buy :D. Ive purchased many 7 games and been very happy with them. Its about buying the right 7's ;)

    No joking aside, I think to some this game will be a 7, but to those that like these kind of games I think they will think its an 8 or more. I think thats part of the problem of reviewing games, not to say the reviewer doesnt like this type of game, but it can make that difference.

    I loved KOTOR and this looks far superior to that from the videos I've seen, so I personally am looking forward to it.

  • peppergomez #111 4 years ago

    anyone else having problems w/ audio dropouts in the pc version? i have a creative labs xfi card, i have hardware enabled for audio in mass effect settings, and roughly 1/5th of the audio in dialogue cut scenes is absent.

  • craziii #112 4 years ago

    mass effect 2 will be about in between finding out about the reapers and final confrontation with them. that said, I hope the 2nd + 3rd game won't have a 10 hour main story with same ol generic side quests.

  • lolife.se #113 4 years ago

    Got it for 360, and loved it. Will probably get it for PC later aswell, when the price goes down and they throw out that stupid protection scheme of theirs.

    My biggest complaint must be that the fire fights are just too fast and chaotic, which I suspect is more true with the 360 version. The enemies runs around firing like crazy, and you do the same. Taking cover is actually *worse* than running around. I'd rather see ammo clips, quicker heating up, etc, so that it doesn't get quite so chaotic, and more towards the action in, say, Resident Evil, where (almost) every bullet counts. You can quite easily go through the game with only the pistol.

    That, and that I couldn't date the hypochondric chick. :-)
    Edited by 1 at 29/06/08 @ 17:33

  • velimirius #114 3 years ago

    game is amazing 10/10,cant wait ME2!