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"Monkey say..."
Regular
on 04/11/2009 at 2:38:34PM
Total Posts: 135 |
Mass Effect
What does Star Trek, dice and cover systems have in common?
Have you ever played a video game and wished it was something else?
I just have.
I have been a fan of science fiction for many years, enjoying the broad and varied stories the genre has to offer. For a long time Star Wars was the benchmark by which I judged many other films, most of which would fall short of my expectations. There were a few notable exceptions to this, though. I remember watching Alien for the first time and being scared out of my pants. I remember watching Bladerunner too, being compelled by the story and the moral choices. Many years later I would discover the joys of Star Trek, something I thought I would never do as a laser (as opposed to phaser) fan. All of these things would wrap me up in a world that both was and wasn’t my own. I would become lost in universes far, far away…
And so it was with Mass Effect, Bioware’s action RPG first released in 2007. This was a game recently became involved with, both physically (in terms of actually playing the game) and emotionally (such is the strength of the story). I had heard good things about Mass Effect before I started playing it, but I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at how good it actually was.
First and foremost this is an RPG, so let us take a few minutes to look at this genre to see if Mass Effect is ticking the right boxes.
- Fully customisable character when starting up?
Check.
- Levelling up stats, abilities and talents throughout the game?
Check.
- Control over how your story develops?
Check.
This is all fairly standard stuff. Any RPG worth its salt would deliver those. But Bioware deliver this in a more subtle way than you might be familiar with.
Right from the start you get to define your character, right down to the features on your characters face if you so choose. You select your class, and therefore the abilities that will be your strongest and weakest. You even get to select which back story you want your character to have, which might not have a great effect on the overall game play but is still a nice little touch. Your character is then defined through how you play the game, which includes the conversations you have with various other characters. There are stages in the game where the choices are more obvious, such as kill or not to kill, but by that point you should already be immersed anyway. The conversations you have are turn based, and will give you a number of options when it is your turn to speak. In general terms you can either be polite or abrupt, or in Mass Effect terms “Paragon” or “Renegade” (which is this game's version of good and bad, but without the polarity). As you make these seemingly innocuous decisions so the future you becomes different. Will you be a bit more caring or ruthless? The choice is yours.
Ok, so the RPG side is solid, now let’s look at the action side of this game. Is the fighting good enough to stand up against other FPSs and TPSs available?
The short answer is ‘Yes’. In fact the long answer should just be ‘Yes’ too. Mass Effect gives you an over the shoulder third person perspective equivalent to Gears of War and/or Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. The camera angle follows you perfectly around, whilst the targeting reticule allows you to be pinpoint with you accuracy. You also get to deliver commands to your squad (Hold, Attack, etc), and of course there is the compulsory (and these days seemingly ubiquitous) cover system. And none of these I can find any real flaws with. The controls are smooth and easy to pick up. The graphics are great and give you a feeling of reality. And even though you do not have the interrupting (and in my opinion annoying) turn based fighting system that shouldn’t matter to the die-hard RPG fans, as you skills and power-ups and abilities have all been played out before resulting in brilliant and seamless fighting action. You might not get the melee carnage on offer in Gears, and you might not get the level of control available in GRAW, but what you do get is something that sits very neatly between the two.
It’s all good so far then. We have established that Mass Effect is a good action RPG. But does it offer anything else above and beyond?
Have I mentioned the story? Have I mentioned the characters? Have I mentioned the graphics and the sound? Have I mentioned the sex scene?
The thought that has gone into this universe is astounding. The plot line you follow, as important is it obviously is to the game, feels like one piece in a very big jigsaw. It is wonderfully thought out and intelligent, and full of alien species which range from heart warming to psychotic. The graphics show off the gaming engine very well, giving you a vibrant and clear gaming experience. The sound, and more importantly the soundtrack, will have you reliving those glory days of Alien and Bladerunner.
And the sex scene? I'll leave that one for you to make your own mind up about.
Are there any flaws with this game then? Well there was one, but I do feel guilty even mentioning it. The game beautifully uses the Unreal Engine 3 most of the time, however there were a few moments when it felt like the standard had dipped slightly. And yes I do mean a few, and I do mean slightly. This is nit-picking at its most pedantic. Having said that I did notice it and so I feel inclined to mention it now, albeit ashamedly.
So there it is. Mass Effect delivers everything with aplomb. You have a beautifully engaging universe with which you can interact as you choose. You help to define your own destiny, rather than have it chosen for you. The story is intelligent, exciting, engrossing and climactic. It has all the elements of an RPG, delivered in a smooth and non-hindering way. The action is handled smoothly, with the controls responding in the same way as you would expect from any good TPS. The graphics are excellent. Need I continue?
I feel fully justified in giving this game a score of 95%. Mass Effect is the Star Trek game I still yearn for. It is intelligent, fully immersive sci-fi with enough RPG and action to keep both sides completely interested. It is the game that every sci-fi nut must own
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altaranga
"Monkey say..."
Regular
on 05/11/2009 at 3:52:38PM
Total Posts: 135
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I still don't know why developers put sex scenes into video games. They offer little or nothing apart from controversy.
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Kaepora Gaebor...
Regular
on 05/11/2009 at 2:15:36PM
Total Posts: 107
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Ah, the sex scene. I played a lithe blonde female, and chatted up the blue alien female, so was rewarded with some interspecies-interracial-lesbian mooching. And got an achievement for it.
The worst thing about is was that it had a tendency to slow down to a crawl (think back to Goldeneye, when firing 2/3 rockets slowed the game to a slideshow) when transferring from an indoors to an outdoors environment, and when multiple enemies/effects (those special abilities you and your team mates have) were in play. The Geth are also the most boring enemy ever.
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pb
"Shoryuken!"
Moderator
on 05/11/2009 at 8:55:02AM
Total Posts: 10339
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Nice review. I keep thinking about getting around to playing this and then remember just how much time I'd need!
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altaranga
"Monkey say..."
Regular
on 04/11/2009 at 2:38:34PM
Total Posts: 135
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Mass Effect
What does Star Trek, dice and cover systems have in common?
Have you ever played a video game and wished it was something else?
I just have.
I have been a fan of science fiction for many years, enjoying the broad and varied stories the genre has to offer. For a long time Star Wars was the benchmark by which I judged many other films, most of which would fall short of my expectations. There were a few notable exceptions to this, though. I remember watching Alien for the first time and being scared out of my pants. I remember watching Bladerunner too, being compelled by the story and the moral choices. Many years later I would discover the joys of Star Trek, something I thought I would never do as a laser (as opposed to phaser) fan. All of these things would wrap me up in a world that both was and wasn’t my own. I would become lost in universes far, far away…
And so it was with Mass Effect, Bioware’s action RPG first released in 2007. This was a game recently became involved with, both physically (in terms of actually playing the game) and emotionally (such is the strength of the story). I had heard good things about Mass Effect before I started playing it, but I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at how good it actually was.
First and foremost this is an RPG, so let us take a few minutes to look at this genre to see if Mass Effect is ticking the right boxes.
- Fully customisable character when starting up?
Check.
- Levelling up stats, abilities and talents throughout the game?
Check.
- Control over how your story develops?
Check.
This is all fairly standard stuff. Any RPG worth its salt would deliver those. But Bioware deliver this in a more subtle way than you might be familiar with.
Right from the start you get to define your character, right down to the features on your characters face if you so choose. You select your class, and therefore the abilities that will be your strongest and weakest. You even get to select which back story you want your character to have, which might not have a great effect on the overall game play but is still a nice little touch. Your character is then defined through how you play the game, which includes the conversations you have with various other characters. There are stages in the game where the choices are more obvious, such as kill or not to kill, but by that point you should already be immersed anyway. The conversations you have are turn based, and will give you a number of options when it is your turn to speak. In general terms you can either be polite or abrupt, or in Mass Effect terms “Paragon” or “Renegade” (which is this game's version of good and bad, but without the polarity). As you make these seemingly innocuous decisions so the future you becomes different. Will you be a bit more caring or ruthless? The choice is yours.
Ok, so the RPG side is solid, now let’s look at the action side of this game. Is the fighting good enough to stand up against other FPSs and TPSs available?
The short answer is ‘Yes’. In fact the long answer should just be ‘Yes’ too. Mass Effect gives you an over the shoulder third person perspective equivalent to Gears of War and/or Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. The camera angle follows you perfectly around, whilst the targeting reticule allows you to be pinpoint with you accuracy. You also get to deliver commands to your squad (Hold, Attack, etc), and of course there is the compulsory (and these days seemingly ubiquitous) cover system. And none of these I can find any real flaws with. The controls are smooth and easy to pick up. The graphics are great and give you a feeling of reality. And even though you do not have the interrupting (and in my opinion annoying) turn based fighting system that shouldn’t matter to the die-hard RPG fans, as you skills and power-ups and abilities have all been played out before resulting in brilliant and seamless fighting action. You might not get the melee carnage on offer in Gears, and you might not get the level of control available in GRAW, but what you do get is something that sits very neatly between the two.
It’s all good so far then. We have established that Mass Effect is a good action RPG. But does it offer anything else above and beyond?
Have I mentioned the story? Have I mentioned the characters? Have I mentioned the graphics and the sound? Have I mentioned the sex scene?
The thought that has gone into this universe is astounding. The plot line you follow, as important is it obviously is to the game, feels like one piece in a very big jigsaw. It is wonderfully thought out and intelligent, and full of alien species which range from heart warming to psychotic. The graphics show off the gaming engine very well, giving you a vibrant and clear gaming experience. The sound, and more importantly the soundtrack, will have you reliving those glory days of Alien and Bladerunner.
And the sex scene? I'll leave that one for you to make your own mind up about.
Are there any flaws with this game then? Well there was one, but I do feel guilty even mentioning it. The game beautifully uses the Unreal Engine 3 most of the time, however there were a few moments when it felt like the standard had dipped slightly. And yes I do mean a few, and I do mean slightly. This is nit-picking at its most pedantic. Having said that I did notice it and so I feel inclined to mention it now, albeit ashamedly.
So there it is. Mass Effect delivers everything with aplomb. You have a beautifully engaging universe with which you can interact as you choose. You help to define your own destiny, rather than have it chosen for you. The story is intelligent, exciting, engrossing and climactic. It has all the elements of an RPG, delivered in a smooth and non-hindering way. The action is handled smoothly, with the controls responding in the same way as you would expect from any good TPS. The graphics are excellent. Need I continue?
I feel fully justified in giving this game a score of 95%. Mass Effect is the Star Trek game I still yearn for. It is intelligent, fully immersive sci-fi with enough RPG and action to keep both sides completely interested. It is the game that every sci-fi nut must own
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