Mass Effect

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3921 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,338 out of 3921
  2. Mixed: 443 out of 3921
  3. Negative: 140 out of 3921
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  1. Surumbu
    Mar 20, 2011
    6
    ME is an ok game, not my favorite Bioware title but playable. The dialogue wheel created a huge disconnect for me as an RPG player, which hindered my overall enjoyment. But there's a lot to do in the game and it is very expansive, and has some nice "ooh" moments story-wise. IMO it's worth the time and money to play at least once.
  2. The_Gooser
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Simply a great game, I had way too much fun playing this game. If you are a fan of role playing games, then please go out and purchase this right now.
  3. SteelSoapy
    Feb 26, 2011
    9
    First off. Mass Effect is worth every penny. This game is seriously one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played. It's not the best at its first person shooter and role playing elements separately, but Bioware really knows how to put things together to create a unique game style that are only similar to their own, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. That old game was the reasonFirst off. Mass Effect is worth every penny. This game is seriously one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played. It's not the best at its first person shooter and role playing elements separately, but Bioware really knows how to put things together to create a unique game style that are only similar to their own, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. That old game was the reason why I was interested in Mass Effect. SW KotOR was one of my favorite games. Mass Effect blows it out of the water. The story lines in this game are incredible. Its easy to get lost in it. The player gets to choose what happens in the future that can effect what happens all the way through the second and to the third game of the Mass Effect trilogy. Customization is high. Graphics are good. I played on low graphics and found it satisfying. Each character has its own personality. This game is like a great movie that you get to play in. As for game play, again, weapons, armor, appearance are customizable with upgrades and levels. One down part is the driving across worlds with basically nothing and tedious mountains with the "space car". I just found it boring and time-taking. There is so much to this game it's tough to say it all, so just go give it a play-through and see what you think. Just don't go into the game expecting it to be some way, see it as something you don't even know about, and you will enjoy playing the game.… Expand
  4. Jingernut
    Feb 13, 2011
    4
    From all the reviews, I was looking forward to playing this game. What a let down though. Found the whole squad and inventory management to be cumbersome and tiresome to use. Didn't feel like I knew where I was going or what I was meant to be doing a lot of the time. And the combat was just awful. Can't see what all the fuss was about and won't be getting ME2 or ME3 on the PS3 if they areFrom all the reviews, I was looking forward to playing this game. What a let down though. Found the whole squad and inventory management to be cumbersome and tiresome to use. Didn't feel like I knew where I was going or what I was meant to be doing a lot of the time. And the combat was just awful. Can't see what all the fuss was about and won't be getting ME2 or ME3 on the PS3 if they are anything like this... which I imagine they are. What a disappointment.… Expand
  5. dosse91
    Jan 29, 2011
    9
    this is by far one of the best games i've ever played! all role playing games should be like this. i mean, most rpgs take place in fantasy worlds that make no sense, while this one throws you in this futuristic galaxy. and that's what i like of it: it's believable, realistic (mostly), and shows off many aspects of the same culture: you see the citadel, which is some sort of "golden cage",this is by far one of the best games i've ever played! all role playing games should be like this. i mean, most rpgs take place in fantasy worlds that make no sense, while this one throws you in this futuristic galaxy. and that's what i like of it: it's believable, realistic (mostly), and shows off many aspects of the same culture: you see the citadel, which is some sort of "golden cage", where everything seems to be going well, and nobody believes you when you say they're in danger, and it's up to you to save the galaxy; then you see colonies that are being attacked, meet a "dark side" made of mercenaries, poor people being bullied by some sort of intergalactic mafia, and everything fits in into the story perfectly. another thing i loved was the fact that you can import your saved data into the second game: that means that 90% of your decisions in this game (and there's plenty of them) has some sort of result in the second game: you might meet again some people you've helped, you can hear about what you did in the first game almost everywhere, and that makes the already excellent atmosphere of the game, even better.
    however, apart from its excellent story and outstanding atmosphere, bioware ruined this masterpiece with some things: first, a technical complain: the old version of the unreal engine 3 used in this game sucks ass. why the hell did you use that piece of crap? what was wrong with the aurora engine used in other bioware games like the witcher? or even better, why didn't they use the cryengine2, it would've made this game PERFECT! the ue3 causes nothing but trouble, badly pixelated shadows and ingame loadings! second, some things should have been better, like the covering system (improved in mass effect 2), and the AI (both friendly and enemy). another thing that kinda sucks are the side quests: most of them get boring and repetitive pretty quickly and most of them look the same.

    in conclusion, all i can say is that this game is GREAT, but not perfect
    graphics 7/10
    sound 9/10
    controls 8/10
    story 10/10
    replay value 9/10

    overall, i'd give this game a 9.25/10    … Expand
  6. SuperTakashii
    Jan 22, 2011
    8
    Once you break the surface of Mass Effect, you'll love it to bits. The presentation of story is clean and sensible. The combat is responsive and clean. The graphics are gorgeous; the film grain and motion blur turn this game into a beautiful interactive environment, but this game falls down at the beginning.

    There are a lot of games that take a bit of getting into, but this one has the    Once you break the surface of Mass Effect, you'll love it to bits. The presentation of story is clean and sensible. The combat is responsive and clean. The graphics are gorgeous; the film grain and motion blur turn this game into a beautiful interactive environment, but this game falls down at the beginning.

    There are a lot of games that take a bit of getting into, but this one has the thickest skin I've ever encountered. This game would benefit so much from having a more gradual, more thoroughly explained introduction to the complicated layout, because when you get thrown into the game everything is a little confusing. You're not quite sure how to do certain things. You forget how to control Shepard efficiently if you play for less than a few hours in your first sitting, as the game never reinforces controls at any point, simply telling you the controls and expecting you to never forget them again. You have immediate access to a complicated menu of buttons when you're not quite sure what all of them do. The array of controls are vast and complicated: easy to forget. The story hits the ground running, but unfortunately the gameplay doesn't. You spend your first hour wandering around confused and wondering what to do. If you leave and then play again the next day you'll lose all sense of direction and spend ages wandering around, completely bored. This all makes the story disjointed and clunky at times, where lots of stuff goes down in a minute long cutscene, then you wander for another 30 minutes 'til you get more.

    Once you break the skin of Mass Effect, it will be an incredibly enjoyable game that's difficult to put down.    … Expand
  7. Tpiom
    Jan 7, 2011
    4
    I was HUGELY disappointed when I got this game, there's so much exposition that you want to puke and the level design is uneven - some worlds such as "The Citadel" looks polished while other planets (Noveria) looks like it was finished in an afternoon. Also, I did not even find the main villain intimidating and it was more of a FPS than a RPG game: imagine a FPS game with RPG settings andI was HUGELY disappointed when I got this game, there's so much exposition that you want to puke and the level design is uneven - some worlds such as "The Citadel" looks polished while other planets (Noveria) looks like it was finished in an afternoon. Also, I did not even find the main villain intimidating and it was more of a FPS than a RPG game: imagine a FPS game with RPG settings and you get Mass Effect. Also, you have almost your full party two hours in... and they join you with no real reasons. I found the combat system also broken... Stay away from this (and its sequel?)!… Expand
  8. zlesna
    Jan 6, 2011
    9
    I don't mean to sound whiny, but while this game was more epic then the entire star wars universe alone, it was too epic. The rpg part of the game stood up like a golden statue of something erect... However, with so many things to do I had little time to play other games that were on my list. This game was a black whole of game time. But I can't say the game was BAD. It wasn't. I loved it.I don't mean to sound whiny, but while this game was more epic then the entire star wars universe alone, it was too epic. The rpg part of the game stood up like a golden statue of something erect... However, with so many things to do I had little time to play other games that were on my list. This game was a black whole of game time. But I can't say the game was BAD. It wasn't. I loved it. I just would not suggest this to everyone. Many apologies to all of the fans of this one, but I still give it a 9 for bringing to the table gameplay elements that would have worked in an mmo(like the massive universe that is almost completely explorable) but were more fun in a single player setting. I liked the fact that it has a replay value higher then any other game ever. Ever time you play through this game you can try a new strategy, a new romance, be evil, etc. In the end having so much to do seemed like a strength and a weakness of the game.… Expand
  9. WangSulah
    Dec 28, 2010
    10
    I played through this game twice, which is rare for me. A slow starter, as I recall having trouble getting into it the first time, but definitely worth sticking it through. Compelling story, good cast, awesome environments, especially on the planets, and plenty of things to see and do if you're an obsessive completionist like I am. Without a second thought, I give this game a 10, andI played through this game twice, which is rare for me. A slow starter, as I recall having trouble getting into it the first time, but definitely worth sticking it through. Compelling story, good cast, awesome environments, especially on the planets, and plenty of things to see and do if you're an obsessive completionist like I am. Without a second thought, I give this game a 10, and look forward to playing the two sequels.… Expand
  10. virgo47
    Dec 26, 2010
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While not old-school RPG this game should definitely satisfy also action shooters players - if they don't mind running around a few places (Citadel and Noveria especially). But even that is fun. Graphics, sound - all very good. Gameplay, control, menus - good as well. Story is very good - after all who wouldn't like to safe a galaxy, right? RPG - I'm no expert here, but you have to make some decisions that are more or less difficult - and they make some difference. Ironic enough - they make probably more the difference in Mass Effect 2. :-) Game time is also satisfying for such a cinematic game. Game also leads you nicely through and it's hard to get stuck in the story - which I prefer.

    Now the problems. Safe point before unskippable video and dialog followed by a fight where you often go down in a matter of a few seconds while you realize what's the best tactic. Safe points are PITA at least on two occasions. Two different modes (combat/non-combat) have two different control systems, but that can be handled. Exploration (material gathering) doesn't make sense. Terrain for Mako is dramatic, but needs smoothing - badly. Many bases on side quests are similar - but this is pardonable. Also - you'll likely use only a few characters from your team - but this may vary if you choose different profession. Character graphics (especially faces) are sometimes ugly - minor glitches disrupting otherwise nice cinematics. No major bugs, which is good.

    Favourite moment: Virtual intelligence notifying the enemy about other "customers" in line. That one made my day. :-)

    Bottom line: Great game, stunning story, a lot of fun.    … Expand
  11. KulakxRatings
    Nov 26, 2010
    9
    This game is something. The story in here is one of the best I have ever heard. I truly love this game. Great acting, great graphics, good gameplay and very smart conversation wheel that was made for simple and fun dialouge. Their were a number of bugs that got annoying such as freezing in a few spots/ getting stuck. And a few times the people would dissapear. The elevators were prettyThis game is something. The story in here is one of the best I have ever heard. I truly love this game. Great acting, great graphics, good gameplay and very smart conversation wheel that was made for simple and fun dialouge. Their were a number of bugs that got annoying such as freezing in a few spots/ getting stuck. And a few times the people would dissapear. The elevators were pretty slow but fortunatley they were spead up on the pc version. The rpg elements are very well orientated and the characters and companions in this game are all intelligently designed. This game is one of those games that will not be forgoten.… Expand
  12. Hermestik
    Nov 20, 2010
    8
    Graphics? Very good, Scenario? Perfect, Immersion? If you like Sci-fi it is great. But to appreciate it you must take your time. No rush, explore, listen to the ppl around, dive into the story. The path you'll choose will impact the second opus.
    Some bad points ? yes. The inventory system is too heavy, to much items in too short times. And the secondary quests can become somehow boring,    Graphics? Very good, Scenario? Perfect, Immersion? If you like Sci-fi it is great. But to appreciate it you must take your time. No rush, explore, listen to the ppl around, dive into the story. The path you'll choose will impact the second opus.
    Some bad points ? yes. The inventory system is too heavy, to much items in too short times. And the secondary quests can become somehow boring, a bit repetitive. But globally that game is a hit ! a Must have for all sci-fi, space opera, lovers.    … Expand
  13. zombiehampster
    Oct 28, 2010
    9
    Mass Effect is a game about choice. Having played the original game about a year and a half ago on the Xbox 360, I decided to try it on the PC in response to Mass Effect 2 so I could play them both back to back. I have to say that even after this length of time, factoring in the other games that have been released in the meantime, that this game still holds the fascination that I onceMass Effect is a game about choice. Having played the original game about a year and a half ago on the Xbox 360, I decided to try it on the PC in response to Mass Effect 2 so I could play them both back to back. I have to say that even after this length of time, factoring in the other games that have been released in the meantime, that this game still holds the fascination that I once had for my initial play through on the 360. In fact it has probably improved in the transition. I say this for the additional use of hot keys, the keyboard in general, the slight redesign of the interface, and the ability to use the familiar WASD/mouse scheme. To me, these are probably one of the biggest selling points for me to purchase the game on PC. Everything else is pretty much the same as the console versions, with the exception of shorter load times in general, and apparently less of the texture problems (although I can't say I remember how bad they were on the consoles). I feel the graphics are definitely well done, with many of the visuals/locations/atmosphere standing out dramatically. Bioware's games definitely reek of quality and immersion, and Mass Effect is no exception. Few rpgs that I can think of really make me feel lost in their worlds, but this game definitely succeeds in many ways. From the well designed locations, piles of data in the codex, and massive amounts of back-story/history, you can tell they put thought not only in the game play, but also the agreed upon fiction of their universe. The game play of Mass Effect is solid, but most importantly fun, as I never get tired of rushing into combat, driving the Mako (I know, I know a lot of people hate it) and blowing stuff up, or even just "interrogating" my crewmates. The AI is pretty competent in their behavior, although it has it's moments of brilliance and stupidity, which is to be expected, but overall can give a good challenge unexpectedly, causing a torrent of cursing from me. That's a good thing. Repetition is kind of a problem for the various Assignments in the game, as you will be doing a lot of planet scanning for minerals or seeking something to land on. The former is for the various fetch assignments while the latter allows you to drive the Mako planet-side. While driving on the many planets sometimes seems like a chore, I felt that it was tolerable enough and it allowed me to enjoy driving around some barren landscape. While this might not seem so much fun, a lot of it had to do with just taking in the beauty of the area around you, along with the thrill of not being guided by the linear corridors of the main quests. Mileage will definitely vary in regards to that, but thankfully the assignments are all at-will and you can choose to do as many as you see fit, which helps make it much more tolerable. Probably one of the most important aspect of this game is the story. My god, the amount of clichés and tropes in this game serves as a sort of sci-fi/popculture reference machine, and for some reason...all those things aside, I absolutely love the storyline. To me, this game pumped some much needed blood into a stagnating genre and made me love rpgs all over again. One of my biggest complaints of previous games was that I very rarely cared about the characters I was interacting with/playing, but Bioware has managed to bring something very compelling into how they unfold/tell the characters tales. I think this separates this game from the pack most of all. It also goes to serve a reminder that knowing how to tell a compelling, yet stereo-typical story, can make all the difference. When all is said and done, Mass Effect is a definite classic and does have elements for many different types of gamers. That being said it tells a very compelling and human story where you have the freedom to work out just who you want your character to be, within the limits of the story frame, of course.… Expand
  14. Krud
    Oct 27, 2010
    9
    There isn't much I can say about Mass Effect that hasn't already been said dozens of times here. But for me the most telling sign that I'd just finished a good game was that I was immediately eager to hear info about Mass Effect 2. Which I wouldn't care about if the first one had sucked. I'll admit that I was wary at first, not only because it was a console port, but also because I keptThere isn't much I can say about Mass Effect that hasn't already been said dozens of times here. But for me the most telling sign that I'd just finished a good game was that I was immediately eager to hear info about Mass Effect 2. Which I wouldn't care about if the first one had sucked. I'll admit that I was wary at first, not only because it was a console port, but also because I kept hearing about "tactics" and the shooter aspect of it, leading me to think it might not be my cup of tea. (Or almost but not quite entirely unlike tea. [Apologies to Adams.])

    I have since started to play Mass Effect 2, and the rush of nostalgia I've felt at various points reminded me how much I enjoyed the first one, particularly its characters. Yes, the interface was mildly cumbersome at times, and yes, the side quests could have used a bit more variety. And yes, there were times when I thought, "Really? Is this battle still going on?" But for the most part I manage to suspend my disbelief enough during the game to the point where I actually CARED what happened to my companions. And the fact that those events carry over into the sequel is a nice touch (but admittedly has less to do with the first game.)

    I get why some people have issues with this game, particularly where the install limits were concerned, but I'm glad I eventually gave this game a chance.    … Expand
  15. Tubie
    Oct 2, 2010
    10
    If you are a fan of sci-fi you owe it to yourself to get into this trilogy, the first game is incredible. you get to play this game and import your character into Mass Effect 2 and we can all guess it will happen the same for Mass Effect 3, this brings a great deal of immersion with the character you play with in this fantastic fictional universe.
  16. user1234
    Sep 25, 2010
    9
    I haven't replayed any single player game so many times ever. Several minor flaws (as any human-made thing) prevent the Universe from collapsing and submit this game a score of 9/10.

    For what they are, the used elements feel right. They just stick together. If you don't get what the hell is going on, RTFC (C = Codex). Also, if you plan to skip cine, plan to skip this game too. The    I haven't replayed any single player game so many times ever. Several minor flaws (as any human-made thing) prevent the Universe from collapsing and submit this game a score of 9/10.

    For what they are, the used elements feel right. They just stick together. If you don't get what the hell is going on, RTFC (C = Codex). Also, if you plan to skip cine, plan to skip this game too.

    The immersion is so big, you'll feel like divided by zero. The inventory is a little clunky. The planets could have more scenery. But aren't we just asking too much? For what it is, big bang for the buck.    … Expand
  17. DRUNKCANADIAN
    Sep 22, 2010
    9
    Game play was generic, but the story, environment and creativity was top notch. Certainly a better space epic than Halo or Gears despite the odd hybridization of gameplay/design elements from those two games. The story and the ability to really make the story your own and simulate the feeling of existing in this universe wins it a 9 alone. Few games this day can come out there with a goodGame play was generic, but the story, environment and creativity was top notch. Certainly a better space epic than Halo or Gears despite the odd hybridization of gameplay/design elements from those two games. The story and the ability to really make the story your own and simulate the feeling of existing in this universe wins it a 9 alone. Few games this day can come out there with a good story and create a believable world. With enough lore to make you want to read the small texts documents, and do all the side quests.

    Only downfalls I will mention is there were some serious bugs that shouldn't have made it into the final product, that and as mentioned the gameplay/combat could use some work to make it more original, as is it isn't bad but nothing superb.    … Expand
  18. Higher_Standard
    Aug 17, 2010
    8
    The game isn't really great in terms of play, however the choices made are difficult at times and the story is just epic. There is tons of lore and immersion to this game. The big thing you have to do in order to enjoy this game, however, is to play the female Shepard. The male is okay if you like to listen to Keanu Reeves-like vocal styles for hours on end. The actor for the femaleThe game isn't really great in terms of play, however the choices made are difficult at times and the story is just epic. There is tons of lore and immersion to this game. The big thing you have to do in order to enjoy this game, however, is to play the female Shepard. The male is okay if you like to listen to Keanu Reeves-like vocal styles for hours on end. The actor for the female Shepard is amazing, especially during some of the intimidate options as a renegade. If only this game had better gameplay. Defiantly a favorite of mine. I would give it a ten in terms of how fun it is for me. But from a neutral point of view the gameplay is too repetitive for that.… Expand
  19. AndyP.
    Jan 30, 2010
    10
    Simply an awesome game,with memorable charachters and great story. Yeah the gameplay is not perfect,gameplay i would give a 7.5,but i have to give the game as a whole a 10.
  20. AndreasH.
    Jan 29, 2010
    6
    Surprisingly weak game, considering the hype surrounding it. Lackluster graphics. Slow and repetitive combat. The Inventory. Level design. The saving grace for this game is the great character design and the interesting dialogue trees. I'm really surprised this game was so mediocre. Did not expect that. Well, there's hope with the second one.
  21. MarkW
    Jan 23, 2010
    10
    Excellent Game brilliant story, fantastic gameplay just installing the 2nd one now :D
  22. KyB
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    Absolutely phenomenal. I've never beaten a games single player more than 3 times, I've beaten this 10 times now. It is just an extraordinary adventure with great game play, storyline, and choices. People are like, "choices don't matter!" Well, maybe there weren't critical ones that made a tremendous difference, but in the second one, it will be clear what choices Absolutely phenomenal. I've never beaten a games single player more than 3 times, I've beaten this 10 times now. It is just an extraordinary adventure with great game play, storyline, and choices. People are like, "choices don't matter!" Well, maybe there weren't critical ones that made a tremendous difference, but in the second one, it will be clear what choices affected what. Pros: -Great Graphics, -Great Game play -Amazing story -Ultra believable characters -Fantastic voice actors -Immersive environments -6 classes -Fun -Tons of side quests -Choices. -Large array of weapons -Large array of armour -Ability to chose your squad mates -Ability to chose when you do the missions -Goal for level 60 and beating it on Insanity difficulty -Awesome dialogue and responses Cons -Graphics are great, but there are a few odd hitches. Smooth otherwise -Ally AI are sometimes a bit dumb, but they usually listen -No heavy weapons, but Mass Effect 2 does -Some choices don't make much of a difference, but in the second one they will matter a bit more. IE Killing the Council or not. -Sometimes I wish there was a longer Main Story, but I've beaten it 10 times on all difficulties aside from the easiest, and I enjoy it more each time. Highly recommended.… Expand
  23. MatthewV
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    With it's port to the Computer, Mass Effect only got better. Combat became smoother, and the mechanics were improved. It's storyline and gameplay are proof that Bioware is, without doubt or equal, the King when it comes to creating RPGs.
  24. Jeffrey
    Jan 16, 2010
    10
    Mass Effect is a very immersive Rpg with a well put together story line and easy yet tactical combat aproach.
  25. DylanB
    Jan 14, 2010
    5
    For such a high budget game, Mass Effect doesn't really offer not even average gameplay. The story is cliched and the pacing is beyond horrid during the beginning of the game. However, there are some great moments, Sovereign is pretty traditional in his goals, but the game manages to have its moments. If you can get past the mediocre gameplay, choice that doesn't change For such a high budget game, Mass Effect doesn't really offer not even average gameplay. The story is cliched and the pacing is beyond horrid during the beginning of the game. However, there are some great moments, Sovereign is pretty traditional in his goals, but the game manages to have its moments. If you can get past the mediocre gameplay, choice that doesn't change anything, and a somewhat predictable plot, you will have a good experience. It just feels like we've done this before.… Expand
  26. LukasA
    Jan 12, 2010
    10
    The best storyline i have ever played! Storyline: 10 Gameplay: 10 Combat: 8 due to some stupid enemies and AI i give it 8 instead of 10. Overall: 10 I got grapped by this game so hard, i cant wait until the sequel comes out here in January!
  27. JohnR
    Jan 11, 2010
    7
    If Mass Effect supported the use of a wireless 360 controller, and if the player could jump, then it would be an awesome game. Graphics, sound, animation, voice acting, and story are all top notch.
  28. JohnC
    Jan 8, 2010
    10
    Great game with huge area to explore, great long interactive story, tons of guns and upgrades, plenty of characters to form squads with, and really immersive interactions between characters.
  29. CelestianC
    Jan 6, 2010
    3
    The game itself is interesting but the cinematic+combat scenarios formajor battles was not optimized for the non-standard character. My main and 2 side kicks would get 1 shot, forcing me to run through each of these 20+ times till I managed to not get 1 shot. Reminded me of the old coin games that were made simply to eat our cash. Was terrible. The world itself was stunning.
  30. fuwaneko
    Jan 2, 2010
    9
    Very good CRPG, absolutely one of the best. Good action, clean and easy mechanics, interesting characters. However, there are 2 problems: too much of chit-chatting and disbalance in classes. E.g. adept is weakest of all. Hope ME2 will have more battles, less talking and good balance.
  31. AlanT.
    Jan 1, 2010
    6
    I was really excited to purchase this game from steam a couple months ago. Thinking it would become one of the best RPG games I would be playing and considering the high ratings people has been giving it but sad to say, it's not really enjoyable. This game certainly deserves a a better score if you can suffer through the long but confusing story of mass effect that has hours of I was really excited to purchase this game from steam a couple months ago. Thinking it would become one of the best RPG games I would be playing and considering the high ratings people has been giving it but sad to say, it's not really enjoyable. This game certainly deserves a a better score if you can suffer through the long but confusing story of mass effect that has hours of gameplay is extricating. The gameplay is fun but gets absolutely boring and excessive and most of the skills u are unlocking becomes one sided because u would be using the same skills over and over again. I recommend watching a few videos before purchasing this game. I love RPG games but this game doesn't suit my style. Graphics are decent but character designs need some more spicing up. I rate it a 6 for good voicing acting, huge environment to work with, and good story dialogues.… Expand
  32. AlexanderS
    Dec 26, 2009
    10
    The game is the best there is. There is no game like this out there at least for now. Graphics is good, fighting and interacting is very well made. The only minus are the copy/pasted space levels. Hope ME2 will correct this.
  33. AdamL
    Dec 24, 2009
    4
    Although this game had potential, I wasn't able to play through very far into the story before getting frustrated with it's slow play. I tend to play games on the mid-to-low graphical output levels so I can get the peak performance from my computer which can handle most recent games at fairly high levels. Mass Effect looked foggy on any setting below max. The gameplay was Although this game had potential, I wasn't able to play through very far into the story before getting frustrated with it's slow play. I tend to play games on the mid-to-low graphical output levels so I can get the peak performance from my computer which can handle most recent games at fairly high levels. Mass Effect looked foggy on any setting below max. The gameplay was sluggish and unexciting I would love to play this game on a machine capable of handling it with the outputs maxed but I would still feel disconnected from the characters, the action and the story.… Expand
  34. KostasI.
    Dec 20, 2009
    7
    This game is flawed. Quite flawed. It has mediocre combat mechanics, boring and small sidequests, empty planets, a vehicle that as a necessary evil cannot be hurt even if thrown 1000 feet down from a mountain range and into a crater filled with natural spires and the game itself is as dumped down as you can get for "console" use. However these "problems" are as far as the negative This game is flawed. Quite flawed. It has mediocre combat mechanics, boring and small sidequests, empty planets, a vehicle that as a necessary evil cannot be hurt even if thrown 1000 feet down from a mountain range and into a crater filled with natural spires and the game itself is as dumped down as you can get for "console" use. However these "problems" are as far as the negative criticism can go. The space opera that Bioware has created is for the most part an excellent piece of making something from nothing. From this point on the game "sucks" you in. The characters for the most part are interesting and the conversations between them realistic. It helps that your own character talks and acts (though the female protagonist is notably better than the male one) with enough believability for you to not feel detract from the experience. Musical score is excellent, visuals are sharp though they perform a little unreliably and the low res textures show their ugly face in a lot of places (like characters cloths and bodies). Its too bad that the game lasts only 20-25 hours and another good 10 or so with the sidequests counted in but its enough to satisfy. Overall the game can use a lot of improvements here and there but its a testament to the rest of the work done with this game that it feels as such. Dragon Age origins on the other hand....… Expand
  35. PeterD
    Dec 9, 2009
    9
    I loved every moment. Admitedly, the random planet based side-quests would probably get boring if you do too many of them, but some of them are just plain humorous (such as the monkey one) and while driving the Mako can be a little tedious, I find it's also rather fun (Wee! Jump jets! - silly, I know, but still fun). To be honest, I found that the dialogue system worked very well. At I loved every moment. Admitedly, the random planet based side-quests would probably get boring if you do too many of them, but some of them are just plain humorous (such as the monkey one) and while driving the Mako can be a little tedious, I find it's also rather fun (Wee! Jump jets! - silly, I know, but still fun). To be honest, I found that the dialogue system worked very well. At times it felt like I was watching a movie, at other times participating in one, and occasionally, was even there at the site of the action. Enjoyed the combat, the level up system worked well and the moral system felt natural. Great game. I'd recommend it to anybody.… Expand
  36. RikR
    Dec 1, 2009
    9
    Awesome, awesome, awesome! Okay, with that out the way, I'd first like to respond to Bruce H and his "doesn't play nice on quads" post; I just played it all the way through in about 45hrs (yeah, I read slow, lol) with a half dozen crashes on my Intel quad (o/c'd QX6700 @ 3.5GHz). Fabulous story, love the dynamic "steerable" nature of play, love the attention to detail, e.g. Awesome, awesome, awesome! Okay, with that out the way, I'd first like to respond to Bruce H and his "doesn't play nice on quads" post; I just played it all the way through in about 45hrs (yeah, I read slow, lol) with a half dozen crashes on my Intel quad (o/c'd QX6700 @ 3.5GHz). Fabulous story, love the dynamic "steerable" nature of play, love the attention to detail, e.g. all the details about celestial bodies, the navigable star chart -- it just blew me away! I loved Halo and was kind of expecting this to be similar, but it's really not; I found I really got into the story, the characters, the whole concept. Superb music -- again, dynamic and appropriate. It only misses a full 10/10 because I had issues with getting the sound levels right on my X-Fi card -- speech too low, SFX too high, no amount of slider jiggling could fix it for good. What a refreshing change from WoW... :s For the record, I run on WXP64. Buy this game! :D Buy the sequel, too! lol Buy the devs a Christmas gift :D… Expand
  37. Aika
    Nov 16, 2009
    7
    Don't believe the hype. I love space opera and I love Bioware products, but with this one they got me mightily disappointed. Mass Effect DOES feel like a great space opera, no doubt about that, the cinematics are fine, the production value great, the story immersive, but the game itself is surprisingly mediocre. In fact, it's everything you can expect from a console port RPG - Don't believe the hype. I love space opera and I love Bioware products, but with this one they got me mightily disappointed. Mass Effect DOES feel like a great space opera, no doubt about that, the cinematics are fine, the production value great, the story immersive, but the game itself is surprisingly mediocre. In fact, it's everything you can expect from a console port RPG - the gameplay is simplified, quite shallow, very often boring and not very engaging. The worst part of the game is the combat, the items and the character development. The side quest are repetitive and the rewards are not very rewarding or useful. All in all, Mass Effect feels like the developers put a lot of work and effort into the polish and appearance, but neglected some core gameplay and environment design aspects, some of which feels positively cheap. But don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible game, it just feels more like an interactive movie than a proper RPG. But if you like it that way, you will have a good time playing Mass Effect.… Expand
  38. DavidR
    Nov 12, 2009
    10
    This game has 2, and only 2 big faults (at least in my opinion). 1: Too many items and a poor inventory managment menu lead to constant micromangeing of equipment. 2: The side missions are a little cookie-cutter like and mostly forgettable. Still, this game has some of the best voice acting, immersive world and an excelent story. That's is one of the most important parts of any RPG This game has 2, and only 2 big faults (at least in my opinion). 1: Too many items and a poor inventory managment menu lead to constant micromangeing of equipment. 2: The side missions are a little cookie-cutter like and mostly forgettable. Still, this game has some of the best voice acting, immersive world and an excelent story. That's is one of the most important parts of any RPG and bioware nailed it. Also: A thumbs up to demiurge for the excellent port-work. Porting a game designed from the ground-up to work with a console is difficult, but the PC version has better controls, better menus and feels like the diffinitve version of the game. Well done. :)… Expand
  39. PatrickL.
    Nov 6, 2009
    8
    I would give Mass Effect an 8 because it has a really really great storyline, I really enjoyed it the time I played the game. I've spent alot hours playing through this game and I dont regret it. It has some nice classes and like in Knights Of The Old Republic you get a choice of doing things the good or the bad way. Now to the graphics. I gotta say I dont have a high end gaming PC I would give Mass Effect an 8 because it has a really really great storyline, I really enjoyed it the time I played the game. I've spent alot hours playing through this game and I dont regret it. It has some nice classes and like in Knights Of The Old Republic you get a choice of doing things the good or the bad way. Now to the graphics. I gotta say I dont have a high end gaming PC but it could take Mass Effect on Ultra High, and I gotta admit, the graphics are really nice. I especially like the effects of some skills. And additional free downloadable contents make this game even more enjoyable. After all it is a great game, sure worth playing and also worth the money spent on this game, give it a try!… Expand
  40. AbhijeetM
    Nov 6, 2009
    7
    Mass Effect's a good game. But certainly not good enough to deserve a 100. The gameplay is interesting enough, but all the guns feel the same after a while, and the sidequests are the most unimaginative in RPG history. Story is amazing, with the new dialogue system giving it a cinematic feel, with scenes flowing continuously. The voice acting, however, is standard. Not as good as the Mass Effect's a good game. But certainly not good enough to deserve a 100. The gameplay is interesting enough, but all the guns feel the same after a while, and the sidequests are the most unimaginative in RPG history. Story is amazing, with the new dialogue system giving it a cinematic feel, with scenes flowing continuously. The voice acting, however, is standard. Not as good as the reviewers are saying it to be. Commander Shephard voices most lines pretty monotonously. Get it if you're an RPG fan, looking for a good story, but at the same time, looking for an FPS view.… Expand
  41. JoeyV
    Nov 3, 2009
    3
    I was severely disappointed with this game. I am a huge fan of RPGs, so I had high expectations since this was coming from the almighty RPG gods, (BioWare.) but instead I found bad acting, lock-ups galore, and awful gameplay. It's just boring. There is nothing fun about it. It doesn't make you feel like you are a role-playing a space commander. And yes, I have a $1,500 gaming I was severely disappointed with this game. I am a huge fan of RPGs, so I had high expectations since this was coming from the almighty RPG gods, (BioWare.) but instead I found bad acting, lock-ups galore, and awful gameplay. It's just boring. There is nothing fun about it. It doesn't make you feel like you are a role-playing a space commander. And yes, I have a $1,500 gaming desktop with an Intel Quad Core and a NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX, and I found several lock ups, which are very frustrating in an RPG. I'm sorry BioWare, but this sent a Mass Effect of despair through my body.… Expand
  42. Asha
    Oct 25, 2009
    9
    I have just finished this game for the first time and find it one of the best games I have played over the last few years. I must say that I wish that the game would take longer. It has taken me a little over 20 hours to finish the game including having done most of the side quests. I guess it's normal to wish that the game would take longer as the game is so much fun and the story I have just finished this game for the first time and find it one of the best games I have played over the last few years. I must say that I wish that the game would take longer. It has taken me a little over 20 hours to finish the game including having done most of the side quests. I guess it's normal to wish that the game would take longer as the game is so much fun and the story is incredibly good. I have had no technical issues at all (I got the game on steam and for that version all DRM has been removed which suits me as I don't buy games with DRM). The game ran with 45-50 fps on my E8400 and HD4890. I don't get that people here complain about the story. I would say that the story beats most science fiction stories that I know. Maybe I just don't know enough about science fiction but if I compare this story with for example Star Wars then I find Mass Effect's story a whole lot more interesting. It's been planned as a trilogy and I expect the story to become even better when the next games appear. If you don't have this game and you like RPG's, a good story or science fiction in general then just go out and buy your copy. You won't regret it! (and I have a history of not liking EA games...)… Expand
  43. JohnL
    Oct 11, 2009
    10
    For what the game was intended to be, it's the best of the best. The only slight annoyances had in the beginning was the inventory system which has since been fixed. Mass Effect is an epic story, a full length feature film where you get to direct the ending...
  44. AndreaM
    Sep 3, 2009
    10
    Great storyline. An exellent product from BioWare (BioWare never disappoint, never!) where everything is made with the total attention to even the smallest details. I must agree with Barnee B when he said "I find it not just the best rpg, but simply the BEST GAME OF THIS GENERATION". Strongly suggested to everyone. P.S. : Can't wait for Mass Effect 2!
  45. JamesH
    Aug 10, 2009
    0
    This game fails to ever run on vista until you preform a work around and Bioware is too freaken lazy to even produce a patch. The game has cheap graphics and predictable plot. The only saving thing about this game is its creative dialog which becomes boring after an hour or two of game play.
  46. EdwardR
    Aug 6, 2009
    8
    Far from a perfect game, but a very good one. It's strength lies in its storytelling and characters - you care about these people and what happens to them, and although the story is a bit generic and unimaginative, the dialogue and set pieces more than more up for it. (It's also worth nothing that the facial animation is excellent and it really immerses you into the game.) The Far from a perfect game, but a very good one. It's strength lies in its storytelling and characters - you care about these people and what happens to them, and although the story is a bit generic and unimaginative, the dialogue and set pieces more than more up for it. (It's also worth nothing that the facial animation is excellent and it really immerses you into the game.) The combat is fun (especially using the sniper rifle :3 ) but some of the abilities of your men and confusing to use and I couldn't figure out how to use the upgrades. Plus the item system was a bit confusing and annoying as well. In short, most of the RPG elements need stripping out and thought through again. Lucky really that you can for the most part ignore them. It's also worth nothing that the side quests are incredibly dull, but considering the playtime it's hardly a massive loss. I love this game, and you should play it, if only so you can get with an alien.… Expand
  47. Novi4ekNone
    Aug 2, 2009
    10
    good game
  48. BruceH
    Jul 18, 2009
    5
    Great story ... at least from what I can tell from the constant crashes. If you own a quad-core forget about playing this game until BioWare gets around to patching the game. Countless people are complaining about the same thing. Great game, but virtually unplayable due to a plethora of bugs. It constantly floods the HyperTransport of the quad processor and locks the game. It sits on my Great story ... at least from what I can tell from the constant crashes. If you own a quad-core forget about playing this game until BioWare gets around to patching the game. Countless people are complaining about the same thing. Great game, but virtually unplayable due to a plethora of bugs. It constantly floods the HyperTransport of the quad processor and locks the game. It sits on my desk now as a paperweight until (or if) Bioware fixes it ... one year after it has been released for PC.… Expand
  49. BarneeB
    Jul 12, 2009
    10
    The pc version is even better than, the x360! The combat interface has been improved, and although the visuals are stunning, it runs great on a mid-class pc (athlon x2 6000+, 2 gb ram, 8800 gts 512). The only problem I had with the game was, that during conversations, between each sentence, the character animation is a bit blocky. This is probably the only game I would give a 11 if it was The pc version is even better than, the x360! The combat interface has been improved, and although the visuals are stunning, it runs great on a mid-class pc (athlon x2 6000+, 2 gb ram, 8800 gts 512). The only problem I had with the game was, that during conversations, between each sentence, the character animation is a bit blocky. This is probably the only game I would give a 11 if it was possibble. I find it not just the best rpg, but simply the BEST GAME OF THIS GENERATION. I've never been shocked like this before by a game. Of course you can't directly compare older and newer games. It is even better than Kotor, which is saying something! The story is excellent! Production values are amazingly high! The attention to the smallest details is evident everywhere! There's so much content in the game that it blew me away. Graphics, music and voice-over is also top notch. There are some minor technical issues like occasional slowdowns, but they never break the game so it's probably doesn't even worth mentioning. Combat is also done very well, I enjoyed the game playing as a soldier the most, it became practically a shooter with RPG elements, and for me it is the best combination. The new conversation system works very well, it's hard to go back to the traditional one, found in other RPGs. Do yourself a favour and buy this game, even if you are mildly interested in scifi, shooter or RPGs!… Expand
  50. thefnord
    Jul 9, 2009
    0
    Never have I played a game in such a state of disrepair as this. Not only are there bugs around every corner, but the enemies are stupid, the acting is bad (though some good people make starring appearances, they are very few), and the story is pried directly from the frozen dead hands of the amazing science fictions of old, such as Star Trek and Star Wars, among other less-renowned Never have I played a game in such a state of disrepair as this. Not only are there bugs around every corner, but the enemies are stupid, the acting is bad (though some good people make starring appearances, they are very few), and the story is pried directly from the frozen dead hands of the amazing science fictions of old, such as Star Trek and Star Wars, among other less-renowned series and films. I didn't find many plot holes, but everything was predictable and generic. Add to that cinematic effects and you have a gaming masterpiece. This is my first and last BioWare purchase.… Expand
  51. LiamH
    Jul 5, 2009
    9
    An amazing game from start to finish. I completed the campaign in a bit over 16 hours. I'm an FPS guy, but Mass Effect was amazing. A few glitches, but in a huge game like this one I don't expect absolute perfection, a google search fixes all of them. This is THE best single player experience I've had since Half-Life 2. My new favorite game.
  52. DanJ
    Jun 15, 2009
    10
    Very enjoyable. One word that definitely describes this game perfectly is balance. The game excels in giving you a sense of choice and control within a brilliantly conceived game world through masterful storytelling. Excellent blend of action and RPG character development and use of Unreal Engine 3 helped to make the game look beautiful. While the character building elements are probably Very enjoyable. One word that definitely describes this game perfectly is balance. The game excels in giving you a sense of choice and control within a brilliantly conceived game world through masterful storytelling. Excellent blend of action and RPG character development and use of Unreal Engine 3 helped to make the game look beautiful. While the character building elements are probably not the most detailed (you choose weapon and ammo loadout, skills and abilities, and your squad characters) with experience points automatically assigned throughout the course of the action it was the perfect cross-over for this reviewer who is mostly an FPS gamer. This game has wonderfully rich dialog and character/story interaction that isn't boring nor contrived and seemed to flow well regardless of the dialog choices made. In fact, I don't remember being bored playing this game at all. I mean, you can choose to run around a space station or planet for hours if you want and talk to everyone you can and you may get bored due to the distance travelled (tip: there is no achievement for this) but following the storyline cues makes this game an extremely enjoyable experience. If you want and like to explore, you can do that too, and some exploration is encouraged and essential. I didn't expect much from this game but was very impressed. One of the best single player experiences I've had for a while.… Expand
  53. MGrant
    Jun 8, 2009
    9
    Um....okay a few points. 1) I have no idea why people are complaining about lock ups. I played this game on damn near max on a2.3ghz Dual Core with a NVIDIA 7600 and was fine, no graphical issues, the game looked and ran great. 2)This is possibly my favorite game ever. The story was simple yes, but it still grabs you. The interaction makes you a part of it, and the fact that it is a rare Um....okay a few points. 1) I have no idea why people are complaining about lock ups. I played this game on damn near max on a2.3ghz Dual Core with a NVIDIA 7600 and was fine, no graphical issues, the game looked and ran great. 2)This is possibly my favorite game ever. The story was simple yes, but it still grabs you. The interaction makes you a part of it, and the fact that it is a rare game that gives you that "command decision" (those of you who have beat it know what I am talking about) as well as a few other twists and turns dependent on who you are and what you've done really gives you an interactive story feel. Bio ware didnt fail imo but the weapons and armor do feel a little old very soon with repatitve models and little to no difference in upgrades until about the end of the game. 3)While I give kudose for attempting at replayability, even going a drastically differernt path still feels too familiar and makes it difficult to play, even though I really want to (ie playing through with the higher gear or playing through as a bioic with assult rifle ) I criticise because thats part of the job of crticing a game but ultimately it is a great game, and its opne or two minor downfalls are really the only reason its not a perfect 10 and I wish metacritic had a better/more accurate rating system so I could go as far as 9.5.… Expand
  54. timtalosi
    Jun 5, 2009
    6
    This is a b movie. If i want to watch a movie instead of play a game i will go to the video store/ netflix and rent one. there are far better movies that dont require me to click my mouse to advance the movie. Though i know games will continue to evolve, and im getting older and more out of touch everyday, i wouldn't call this a game. I do love the visuals and the fact that they triedThis is a b movie. If i want to watch a movie instead of play a game i will go to the video store/ netflix and rent one. there are far better movies that dont require me to click my mouse to advance the movie. Though i know games will continue to evolve, and im getting older and more out of touch everyday, i wouldn't call this a game. I do love the visuals and the fact that they tried to make a story, but i have to stick with old rpgs like fallout 3, wow and such.… Expand
  55. PaulChapman
    Jun 1, 2009
    9
    amazingly fun game only problem is that side missions are a bit repetitive and replay value is although greater than 90% of any other game still relatively small. other than that AI is good, combat excellent, cinematics are amazing (want more lol), talk system fun, girls sexy, and story invigorating! long live mass effect!!!
  56. MoizR
    Jun 1, 2009
    10
    A fantastic storyline that had me gripped from start to finish and eagerly anticipating Mass Effect 2 coming this year. A must-buy for anyone who's in to RPGs or even newcomers to this genre. It's graphically brilliant, there are moments in the game where you would be simply gasping at the view. The soundtrack is not as epic as what I would expect from Bioware but still very A fantastic storyline that had me gripped from start to finish and eagerly anticipating Mass Effect 2 coming this year. A must-buy for anyone who's in to RPGs or even newcomers to this genre. It's graphically brilliant, there are moments in the game where you would be simply gasping at the view. The soundtrack is not as epic as what I would expect from Bioware but still very good. I never did more than 3 or 4 sidemissions so I can't say they were repetitive. The replay value is excellent and you even get to save your character from Mass Effect 1 and carry on with the exact same character(and your plot choices) in Mass Effect 2. Definitely not a game to miss and one that has reached the top ten of virtually every relevant GOTY category.… Expand
  57. MikeO
    May 29, 2009
    10
    I just finished playing through Mass Effect for the first time. It's one of the best games I've ever played. I beat it in 30 hours but I know there was more to do and accomplish. It seemed as though every 5 minutes I was being amazed either by the Sci-fi and science literacy, Amazing visuals, gameplay options and features or story elements. (Those visuals are very intensive on I just finished playing through Mass Effect for the first time. It's one of the best games I've ever played. I beat it in 30 hours but I know there was more to do and accomplish. It seemed as though every 5 minutes I was being amazed either by the Sci-fi and science literacy, Amazing visuals, gameplay options and features or story elements. (Those visuals are very intensive on CPU and GPU cores, my system wasn't affected by any slowdown, crashing or DRM issues I did buy it on Steam however, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.) I can't think of a game that last made me care about the personalities, interests and goals of npc characters in same way as this game has. Each of the characters has a very specific and unique storyline, each one has their own motives in certain situations which impact how a mission or the whole storyline will eventually come to a close. The science fiction in this game as a whole is far from soft; they explain practically every piece of relevant technology in the game, and many of them are theories that already exist in science now or modified from excellent science fiction writers like Poul Anderson, Issac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and many others. The voice acting is fantastic, they got several well known actors (especially in sci-fi) to play major characters as well as having at least 40 other voice actors filling in the rest of the minor characters. The game also really puts you into the position of the main character, you have many, many difficult decisions to make regarding your morality and eventual path in the story as well as how every other character will react to you in the game, The RPG element is very powerful in this game yet it remains simple, it never overpowers the action or strategic elements either, a fault many in the same genre fall to. I've seen elements in this game that when I last saw them were expressed only in the most hardcore, ambitious sci-fi games 20 years old by now, but brilliant, engaging games, Starflight, Tau Ceti and Nomad to name a few. Yes, this game reminds of some of the first and best PC games about space flight in a sci-fi setting. All of this comes together to be one of if not the most immersive Action/RPG games ever made.… Expand
  58. ChrisB
    Apr 21, 2009
    6
    In typical BioWare fashion, they try to put in a bunch of conversations in the game to fill up a rather basic and simpleton plot point, or plot hole based on your viewpoint. Graphically beautiful, the graphics still don't make up for the fact that the story stuff tends to drag down the rest of the game on average. The game is also fairly short, and unfortunately, the replay value is In typical BioWare fashion, they try to put in a bunch of conversations in the game to fill up a rather basic and simpleton plot point, or plot hole based on your viewpoint. Graphically beautiful, the graphics still don't make up for the fact that the story stuff tends to drag down the rest of the game on average. The game is also fairly short, and unfortunately, the replay value is less than stellar because even though they have a hidden achievement system in the game, there really isn't a major desire to go back through it all to see it again just to see an alternative ending or text dialogue that doesn't really influence much else in the over all story.… Expand
  59. AndreasPfister
    Apr 19, 2009
    10
    Very, very good Game !
    To be honest, those ratings regarding activation and SecuRom Protection are really stupid !
    Everybody has internet, i like to activate my game, whats bad with it ( maybe my grandpa do not like to activate a software online ... ).
    And SecuRom, come on, use google and be ready after 5 minutes ... ( i had no problems ... )
  60. LeeW
    Apr 5, 2009
    3
    This game is not only bad in the form of DRM "protection," but the fact that it's incredibly glitchy and barely anything in it is absolutely nothing special. Mass Effect is a big bag of mediocrity spanning a galactic 12 gigabytes of hard drive space. It's a big game, but the characters have terrible lines and voice acting, which makes for an incredibly unrealistic experience. This game is not only bad in the form of DRM "protection," but the fact that it's incredibly glitchy and barely anything in it is absolutely nothing special. Mass Effect is a big bag of mediocrity spanning a galactic 12 gigabytes of hard drive space. It's a big game, but the characters have terrible lines and voice acting, which makes for an incredibly unrealistic experience. The player ends up having to choose every single line he or she says, knowing that they all will be disastrous to one's ears. The story is blatant plagiarism from various science fiction TV shows and movies being mashed together for an outcome that sounds a lot like Star Wars. The action sequences have no flare, with only four weapons (except for those useless magic attacks) and little to no AI. You fight the same enemy, and they do the exact same thing. The graphics are less than expected for 12 gigabytes. It's based on the Unreal Engine, so expect tons of lag anyway on an HD4870 with 3 GB of RAM and a 3.01 GHz clock. The lens flares are possibly the ugliest things I've ever seen and the texture detail level varies incredibly. One of your partners probably has a 2048*2048 face, while another has possibly a 512*512, making for a massively unreal effect (god I'm that good with puns). There are so many light sources that the ugly fake projected shadows of the charactes jump around like they're doing a dance. And then there are the bugs. One of the missions has absolutely no textures. Another time I had to play through the game with a sniper rifle with no zoom. You have to save before going into an elevator because half the time you won't be getting out. The sound is a problem from the Unreal engine again, where sometimes every single one plays at once, even the ones in places in the levels like a mile away, with no volume difference. Oh, and quicksaving while walking crashes the game. Have fun.… Expand
  61. MatthewT.
    Jan 7, 2009
    3
    This game should be getting a 8+. The game is fun, and I like the style. The story is not the greatest ever, but it keeps the game moving. The characters are not annoying, but not terribly complex either. Why a 3 then? Video Driver Lockups. Now I have a Core 2 quad core cpu (2.5GHZ), 3GB ram and a GeForce GTX 260. We are not talking low end system here. I updated drivers and direct x. I This game should be getting a 8+. The game is fun, and I like the style. The story is not the greatest ever, but it keeps the game moving. The characters are not annoying, but not terribly complex either. Why a 3 then? Video Driver Lockups. Now I have a Core 2 quad core cpu (2.5GHZ), 3GB ram and a GeForce GTX 260. We are not talking low end system here. I updated drivers and direct x. I turned down the settings on the card and the game to minimums and still got lock ups. Sometimes I would play for 3 hours and have no lockups, sometimes I'd play for 10 minutes before locking up. I finished the games main story arc, but gave up on trying to run ANY side missions. I got sick of rebooting. Let me explain. See when we lock up we don't just crash, oh no. We get into a loop and trash the video. Then we constantly (every say 5 seconds) request focus to the window. This has the effect of preventing you from being able to use the task manager to shutdown the game. Or the windows menu. Or anything else. The only way is to hard boot. That is hit the power button. Now if your lucky, like me, your computer will notify windows and shutdown properly...if not then good luck on not messing something up. Over all I'd say take a miss on this just because of the crashes.… Expand
  62. ChrisM.
    Dec 23, 2008
    10
    Absolutely amazing game, I just finished playing Fallout 3 before this, and looking back, I like Mass Effect way more. Also its worth noting that Mass Effect just came out on steam, without any extra DRM crap, just the regular steam DRM which is perfectly acceptable to me. The game has a steep learning cure, and it took me well over 4 or 5 hours to really grasp everything, but after thatAbsolutely amazing game, I just finished playing Fallout 3 before this, and looking back, I like Mass Effect way more. Also its worth noting that Mass Effect just came out on steam, without any extra DRM crap, just the regular steam DRM which is perfectly acceptable to me. The game has a steep learning cure, and it took me well over 4 or 5 hours to really grasp everything, but after that its smooth sailing.… Expand
  63. IanB.
    Nov 5, 2008
    10
    Iâ??ve just finished the PC Version, after having play the 360 version through a couple of times a while back. And I must say, I am still gripped by the storyline, I am still emotionally attached to the characters, even the ones I didnâ??t use the first couple of times through. I enjoy the subtle mix of action, threaded with story, smothered in Sci Fi credibility. Everytime I Iâ??ve just finished the PC Version, after having play the 360 version through a couple of times a while back. And I must say, I am still gripped by the storyline, I am still emotionally attached to the characters, even the ones I didnâ??t use the first couple of times through. I enjoy the subtle mix of action, threaded with story, smothered in Sci Fi credibility. Everytime I play it through, I find out and discover things I missed the other times through. I have read both novels, and they flesh out the interest in the Universe very wellâ?¦ with the prequel giving us huge swathes of background to the main game arc, and the second novel giving us key insights into cultures only touched upon in the game. There is no better example of a total experience than Mass Effect, it delivers in terms of cinematic thrust, it supplies you with a credible fascinating Universe to explore, and it also lets you walk your own destiny through the main storyline. The visuals, the music, the tactical action, the look and the feel all coax you into this world, a world where you can make a difference, a world where you can BE THE HERO, and watch the compelling story play out. Explore it many times, only slightly differently, with a new lead.. I mean what other Sci Fi experience gives you that? For me, its bigger than Star Wars. For me, its richer than Star Trek, more involved, more credible, less tacky. I am totally sold on the concept, and essentially youâ??ve provided a game Iâ??ve always hankered after since I was a star gazing child. The dulcit haunting tones of the Sovereign finding a resonating set of harmonics with my own vibration. Please continue with good work, and deliver us unto Mass Effect 2 with more expansion on the Universe and its inhabitants and the ability to participate in something so tangible and epic at the same time. All kudos to you.… Expand
  64. Ralphw.
    Oct 31, 2008
    10
    This is in my top 5 RPG games of all time. It was absolutely captivating. The twists and turns the moral decision you have to make. The more adult themes in this game just make a well rounded engaging story. This could easily be turned into a couple of hollywood blockbuster movies. I was riveted from start to finish. I cannot think of any major issues I had with this game. Some aspects of This is in my top 5 RPG games of all time. It was absolutely captivating. The twists and turns the moral decision you have to make. The more adult themes in this game just make a well rounded engaging story. This could easily be turned into a couple of hollywood blockbuster movies. I was riveted from start to finish. I cannot think of any major issues I had with this game. Some aspects of the inventory could have been streamlined and the bioitics were a little cumbersome.… Expand
  65. MarkG
    Oct 30, 2008
    8
    If you're a fan of Bioware RPGs and especially if you're into sci-fi, you won't be disappointed by this most recent release if you overlook the few minor UI quirks - however, those against draconian DRMs, who like to feel that they actually own the game or tend to like a bit of variety in their side quests, may have to look elsewhere.
  66. M.A.
    Oct 28, 2008
    9
    Fantastic game, glued me to the screen for quite a bit. graphically brilliant (the newest unreal engine still has me in awe), acting absolutly fantastic. some of the missions do get a bit repetitive, but you don't have to do them, so their only a problem if you're one of those i've-gotta-do-all-the-quests types (like me)
  67. SteveP
    Oct 15, 2008
    0
    This game will only run after you complete an internet activation - no internet connection, no gameplay. You are limited to 3 activations - the product description does not clearly explain this - customers are being cheated. Beware, the game secretly installs the copy-protection software SecuROM which many people consider to be malware. It is likely to cause problems with your computer This game will only run after you complete an internet activation - no internet connection, no gameplay. You are limited to 3 activations - the product description does not clearly explain this - customers are being cheated. Beware, the game secretly installs the copy-protection software SecuROM which many people consider to be malware. It is likely to cause problems with your computer and is almost impossible to remove.… Expand
  68. SimonO.
    Oct 5, 2008
    10
    Oh my god, I haven't had this much fun with a game in many years! It is simply captivating and breathtaking. When I browse about on the surface of a new planet I just love the vista of a huge red dwarf (slowly dying star) on the hemisphere, simply magical. I will never see other planets and outer space, and this is as close as I will ever get to being the space-crusader that I was Oh my god, I haven't had this much fun with a game in many years! It is simply captivating and breathtaking. When I browse about on the surface of a new planet I just love the vista of a huge red dwarf (slowly dying star) on the hemisphere, simply magical. I will never see other planets and outer space, and this is as close as I will ever get to being the space-crusader that I was destined to be, albeit being born in the information age and not the faster than light-space age! The story is captivating and intelligent, the interaction with non-player characters is good and varied: I was shocked when suddenly I had killed this guy just because I said "off him" which was meant for fun, not in all seriousness haha. I love it. Best game for me and beats anything else e.g. Oblivion, HL2 and Crysis, bearing in mind that it is NOT a shooter, but a great movie with you as the main character… Expand
  69. AnonymousMC
    Sep 12, 2008
    0
    There's nothing special about the story and I can name at least 100 games with better storyline than this crap. The shooting is extremely boring and requires no skill at all, because the creators tried to make it look more like an RPG, but I can hardly classify this game as an RPG, it's more like a third person shooter with customatisation of the character. Another extremelyThere's nothing special about the story and I can name at least 100 games with better storyline than this crap. The shooting is extremely boring and requires no skill at all, because the creators tried to make it look more like an RPG, but I can hardly classify this game as an RPG, it's more like a third person shooter with customatisation of the character. Another extremely overrated and overhyped game.… Expand
  70. FransP.
    Sep 10, 2008
    10
    Awesome game, one of the few games that I started over after finishing it the first time. Great dialog system, enjoyable combat, gripping storyline and good voice acting. All too often a game is ruined by bad voice acting, this one got it right.
  71. PaulT.
    Sep 6, 2008
    0
    Limited to 3 activations. Nothing is said about this on the product labeling and descriptions. Consumers are being cheated. How will you install this game in the future when they turn off the activation server?
  72. MatthewB.
    Sep 5, 2008
    8
    This is a fun game for sure but I don't think it's THAT great. It's really a very similar game to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, though it lacks the same compelling story line. Still, it's a worthwhile play if you're looking for an action oriented RPG.
  73. AdamC
    Sep 2, 2008
    7
    An initially impressive game that is ultimately too short and too repetitive. I clocked a game time of less than 15 hours, and this included many of the side missions. While the main storyline and the core gameplay (think action FPS/RPG hybrid) are fun, the side missions are unfortunately mostly boring, generic, and repetitive and dont add much to the game. Since there are a couple An initially impressive game that is ultimately too short and too repetitive. I clocked a game time of less than 15 hours, and this included many of the side missions. While the main storyline and the core gameplay (think action FPS/RPG hybrid) are fun, the side missions are unfortunately mostly boring, generic, and repetitive and dont add much to the game. Since there are a couple lingering and annoying bugs, I'd wait for another patch or two and for this one to hit the bargain bin before picking it up.… Expand
  74. Kiwi
    Aug 23, 2008
    10
    A great game, with a few bugs that should have been ironed out, but nonetheless, they can be overlooked as it is perfect in pretty much everything else, and as the first part of a trilogy, it sets the game up well for it's own future, and doesn't leave you with a "halo 2"-esque cliffhanger to get annoyed with.
  75. DW
    Aug 22, 2008
    7
    A decent but not great game that has been overhyped in the media. Granted, it is a Bioware title so you can be assured of some good degree of quality but unfortunately, as with Mass Effect--Bioware's homebrew game universe--the quality and depth of the game play has become progressively shallow in Bioware's RPG games of late. Having said that, Mass Effect is an excellent game A decent but not great game that has been overhyped in the media. Granted, it is a Bioware title so you can be assured of some good degree of quality but unfortunately, as with Mass Effect--Bioware's homebrew game universe--the quality and depth of the game play has become progressively shallow in Bioware's RPG games of late. Having said that, Mass Effect is an excellent game for those who enjoyed the Kotor games as Mass Effect mimics the style, narratives, and mechanics in many ways. On the downside, the overall campaign is fairly short and somewhat predictable even the first time through, leaving replay ability to suffer. This is further compounded by the shallow character system and mostly linear nature of the campaign and campaign options. Graphics, sound, and overall ambiance are what you would expect from a Bioware title and the game is truly a visual treat from start to finish. Equipment and character customization is a little tedious and woefully underdone for a game pronounced as an "RPG" but fits the bill for the style of the game offered. In all, if you're looking for an RPG with depth and engaging character development, look elsewhere. If you want an action-centric RPG-lite in a sci-fi and Star Wars like setting, this game was made for you. Once you've played it, If you think Mass Effect feels like an RPG designed for a casual console gamer, you'd be right--a mild learning curve, generally low difficulty factor, shallow game mechanics, and tons of action and eye-candy; these all describe Bioware's Mass Effect succinctly.… Expand
  76. KyleB.
    Aug 20, 2008
    8
    This game is very fun, epic scenery makes it even funner! But lack of Co-op gameplay on Xbox Live makes it lose a few points. And Gameplay could get very confusing at some times for people new to these types.
  77. Mark
    Aug 19, 2008
    8
    Utterly fascinating at first. Mesmerises with its brilliant vision of a diverse cosmos, three-dimensional protagonist and plausible alien races. But the initial fascination being gone, you inevitably discover the repetitiveness of the game - the role playing element brought to minimum in favour of the incessant shootouts, impossibly long elevator rides and only partially controllable Mako Utterly fascinating at first. Mesmerises with its brilliant vision of a diverse cosmos, three-dimensional protagonist and plausible alien races. But the initial fascination being gone, you inevitably discover the repetitiveness of the game - the role playing element brought to minimum in favour of the incessant shootouts, impossibly long elevator rides and only partially controllable Mako vehicle. Great potential, but if you play on PC, you MASS EFFECT is clearly a game better suited for X360 than ordinary desktops.… Expand
  78. EliasO.
    Aug 18, 2008
    0
    The story is about the only thing that makes up for the rest of the games flaws - Riddled with bugs, weapons overheating and staying overheated etc! And the downloadable content package is just one mission, and I doubt the other packets that come out will be free..It's just not the style of EA Games, they'll probably push out a lot of content for pay. CONTENT THAT SHOULD BE FREE!
  79. MaartenV.
    Aug 11, 2008
    10
    I don't know were to start. First off, the graphics are ace. The animations look natural enough and the texturing is very neat. The story is just pure joy, especially the final part. The cinematic make it feel like watching a good sc-fi movie, a really good one in fact. The gameplay is easy to learn and straightforward, enough explanation given. This is one of the games that keep you I don't know were to start. First off, the graphics are ace. The animations look natural enough and the texturing is very neat. The story is just pure joy, especially the final part. The cinematic make it feel like watching a good sc-fi movie, a really good one in fact. The gameplay is easy to learn and straightforward, enough explanation given. This is one of the games that keep you hooked all the time! ive got 50 hours of gameplay already and I'm not done yet! For me this is by FAR the best RPG ever made. good job Bioware!!… Expand
  80. DylanS.
    Aug 8, 2008
    10
    Amazing storyline and tons of awesome twists in the story. Definitely buy the PC version though, as it in my opinion is a lot better, with bug fixes and smoother gameplay.
  81. JoeA.
    Aug 7, 2008
    10
    I found this to be one of the best PC games to come out in a long time. Certainly the best since Oblivion came out in 2006. It plays like an epic movie with a great story. I finished my first play through in 41 hours and could easily have stretched it to 50-55 if I wanted to do all the side quests and explore every system. The combat is great, reminds me of Kotor in many ways. I thought I found this to be one of the best PC games to come out in a long time. Certainly the best since Oblivion came out in 2006. It plays like an epic movie with a great story. I finished my first play through in 41 hours and could easily have stretched it to 50-55 if I wanted to do all the side quests and explore every system. The combat is great, reminds me of Kotor in many ways. I thought it was great they had all dialogue voiced. It really added to immersion and that "movie" feeling. There is lots of re playability in there as different classes can play very differently and its worth it at least once to play though as a bad guy if you, like most, went though your first time as a good guy. Or to explore more and do missed side quests. Best game of 2008 imo for the PC. Unlike many ports, this one was well done. It plays fantastic on the PC with a good UI overall.… Expand
  82. FredrikL.
    Aug 4, 2008
    10
    This game is huge! I can not imagine how it is possible to make such incredible big worlds and still keep this impressive high quality of graphics and gameplay.
  83. OrenI.
    Aug 3, 2008
    3
    As an intense PC gamer, I naturally thought a game with a 90 would be an excellent choice... WRONG! With decent graphics, this 3rd person shooter is neither fun nor exciting. I tried to get into it 3 times....all have failed. For a game that has components of star wars games and gears of war, I have never been so disappointed.
  84. MikeN.
    Jul 24, 2008
    7
    Top-notch voice acting and animation. The game design is not very impressive however. Gameplay consist of unexciting and repetitive FPS action in a series of look-alike rooms. I actually enjoyed the tank fighting more than the shooter segments, but this is hardly a deep game either. The RPG elements are also exceedingly simplistic. The biotic powers are simultaneously overpowered and Top-notch voice acting and animation. The game design is not very impressive however. Gameplay consist of unexciting and repetitive FPS action in a series of look-alike rooms. I actually enjoyed the tank fighting more than the shooter segments, but this is hardly a deep game either. The RPG elements are also exceedingly simplistic. The biotic powers are simultaneously overpowered and uninteresting. The whole "Mass Effect" concept that gives the game its title amounts to little more than the ability to float your enemies around the room while you shoot them to death. That, plus some stuns, are pretty much the entire biotic game. The dialogue trees, in traditional "talking RPG" fashion, consist of two dialogue choices----- both of which do the same thing. Your choices mean nothing. So, to sum up, we have a sham RPG combined with a lame shooter and a shallow driving game. The voice acting is memorable and the villain is actually somewhat frightening, but, honestly, as an interactive game, this is fairly weak. Considering that the story is the only good part of this game, there is the additional problem that the story is far too short. I experienced frequent crashes, save often.… Expand
  85. JeremyL
    Jul 21, 2008
    7
    Terribly, terribly overrated. It's basically a third-person shooter with some limited team tactics thrown in, buoyed by some excellent voice acting and a fairly lame plot. There's very little difference between the missions: creep around complex, hide behind crates, shoot bad guys, get in vehicle, shoot big robots, rinse, repeat. It's fun, but if you're a decent Terribly, terribly overrated. It's basically a third-person shooter with some limited team tactics thrown in, buoyed by some excellent voice acting and a fairly lame plot. There's very little difference between the missions: creep around complex, hide behind crates, shoot bad guys, get in vehicle, shoot big robots, rinse, repeat. It's fun, but if you're a decent shooter player and have the PC version with a mouse and keyboard, it's ridiculously easy. I'm not great gamer by any stretch, but finished this game in about 18 hours. Very disappointing, considering the ratings. Oblivion absolutely, totally and utterly owns this game. As a shooter, Call of Duty 4 is better, as a third-person shooter Gears of War is better. Bioware mailed this one in compared to what it could be and their press lackeys/fatuous public lapped it up. Lots better fare than this out there, even though it is a fun game most of the time.… Expand
  86. AndrewA.
    Jul 20, 2008
    9
    Not a ten due to graphics issues.
  87. PeterK
    Jul 18, 2008
    9
    If you like this style of RPG-lite (think Knights of the Old Republic, by the same guys), then you might just find this to be the best game you ever played. The story is phenomenal. The voice acting is wonderful. The universe building is top notch. The flaw that makes it a nine instead of a ten are the repetitive side missions. The planets all look very similar and the builds are all If you like this style of RPG-lite (think Knights of the Old Republic, by the same guys), then you might just find this to be the best game you ever played. The story is phenomenal. The voice acting is wonderful. The universe building is top notch. The flaw that makes it a nine instead of a ten are the repetitive side missions. The planets all look very similar and the builds are all built from a very small number of templates. The good news is that you don't have to do any of the quests, but, still, a little more attention to this part of the game could have made it spectacular. Regardless, it is well worth the purchase.… Expand
  88. GytautasP.
    Jul 14, 2008
    7
    Highly overrated (maybe because nothing better on the scene). Graphics is OK but nothing spectacular. Story and idea is a mixture of many games, but nothing new.
  89. AlecR.
    Jul 12, 2008
    10
    John M, I would just like to point out the reason you think this wonderful game is horrible isn't the game. Your computer isnt running the game right, meaning you dont have the system specs you need. The review industry for games is much better than the review industry for movies. In other words, I would trust video game reviews before i would movie reviewers.
  90. GeorgeC.
    Jul 9, 2008
    10
    At first, I didn't know what to expect, and almost turned away from playing the game because it was a bit confusing at first. But people said the game was good, and I decided to really give it a try. Sure enough, by the time I was about 1/3 through it, I absolutely could not stop playing the game. It's been said this game is much like kotor, since you can control the fate of At first, I didn't know what to expect, and almost turned away from playing the game because it was a bit confusing at first. But people said the game was good, and I decided to really give it a try. Sure enough, by the time I was about 1/3 through it, I absolutely could not stop playing the game. It's been said this game is much like kotor, since you can control the fate of your character through your choices, pursue a "good/bad" path, and take on missions in a rather non-linear fashion. However, when I played kotor, I don't think I experienced anything close to the enjoymjent and involvement I felt with this game. The game's real-time combat system, plentiful cinematics, intriguing storyline made me feel as if I'd just finished watching a great movie. I wanted more, and I can't remember the last time any game has ever made me do that.… Expand
  91. NeilJ.
    Jul 7, 2008
    7
    The conversation trees/voiceover/storytelling and the cinematography/cutscenes are excellent, maybe the best in any game ever. Some of the music is fabulous. The sound is good. The character art is spectacular. Everything else in Mass Effect is limited and substandard. The single main quest line is incredibly short; map design is a rudimentary rail-ride of long hallways and stairwells The conversation trees/voiceover/storytelling and the cinematography/cutscenes are excellent, maybe the best in any game ever. Some of the music is fabulous. The sound is good. The character art is spectacular. Everything else in Mass Effect is limited and substandard. The single main quest line is incredibly short; map design is a rudimentary rail-ride of long hallways and stairwells filled with boxes so that the cover system can work; the combat is wonky; the side missions are a boring, bare, repetitive steppinfetchit 360-accomplishment-geared affair, where 'replay value' is based on how much time you can waste collecting crap (this is 'content'?); the vehicle sequences-- bigger, longer hallways-- are pure garbage and nothing more than padding. As another review said, "Mass Effect is a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with a bland RPG." I agree with the first two. It's a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with an incredibly sophisticated and polished, but ridiculously short and content-limited, RPG.… Expand
  92. VinceB
    Jul 1, 2008
    9
    Good replay value due to the nature of the storyboard design and 'moral' compass. However, this game would have scored a 10 if it wasn't so unstable, and my computer has a lot of good hardware. As previous comments pointed out: textures can take awhile to load, fps drops, and sometimes when fumbling through the menu's and gui the mouse cursor disappears and you're Good replay value due to the nature of the storyboard design and 'moral' compass. However, this game would have scored a 10 if it wasn't so unstable, and my computer has a lot of good hardware. As previous comments pointed out: textures can take awhile to load, fps drops, and sometimes when fumbling through the menu's and gui the mouse cursor disappears and you're unable to move at all during game play! Perhaps this maybe fix in the a future patch, but as it stands right now the game is pretty solid despite this.… Expand
  93. MikeC
    Jun 29, 2008
    8
    All around it's a very solid game, but with some weaknesses. The gameplay is excellent, I really enjoyed chucking the enemies around with the game's physics based biotics powers while also blasting them with a shotgun, and the different powers and teammates and teammates powers you can choose makes for lots of tactical variations. The actual plot is a bit generic at times (great All around it's a very solid game, but with some weaknesses. The gameplay is excellent, I really enjoyed chucking the enemies around with the game's physics based biotics powers while also blasting them with a shotgun, and the different powers and teammates and teammates powers you can choose makes for lots of tactical variations. The actual plot is a bit generic at times (great ending, though!) but the characters, dialogue and back-story is top notch, with some very interesting stuff. The secondary quests and explorable worlds have a very generic design (identical designs for many bases!), there's nowhere near the attention to detail that games like oblivion and GTA show in designing large explorable areas. I never had a problem with it crashing. Despite some of the bland and generic design of secondary content, I had a blast playing it.… Expand
  94. AaronF.
    Jun 29, 2008
    10
    By far the most entertaining and engrossing RPGs I have ever played, Bioware certainly outdid themselves from KotOR with this absolute gem of a game. Anti-RPG-ists will certainly love this game, stemming from the perfect melding of a film, an RPG and a third-person shooter. You feel like you are playing a movie. Amazing!
  95. AshB.
    Jun 26, 2008
    8
    I thought that the only problem was the textures that still loaded slow and slow frame rate at some point in the game.
  96. SeanB
    Jun 26, 2008
    9
    Mass Effect is a great game, and it does not suffer from "consolitis" as someone else claimed except in the interface menus, which could have been done better. The controls feel responsive, and have been optimized for the PC (along with better squad control and number bound quickslots). The story is amazing, and the fictional universe is on par with Star Wars. Character customization is Mass Effect is a great game, and it does not suffer from "consolitis" as someone else claimed except in the interface menus, which could have been done better. The controls feel responsive, and have been optimized for the PC (along with better squad control and number bound quickslots). The story is amazing, and the fictional universe is on par with Star Wars. Character customization is quite in depth...I was actually able to create a character that looked somewhat like me in real life. You can play it with a run and gun style, or take on more of a support role and use some tactics. Most of the characters on your team are unforgettable, and I cared about what happened to them. I want to play through the game again already and its only been about a month since I finished it. The graphics are good, amazing even at some locations, and you'll be able to bump the resolution even higher than the console version if you have a powerful PC. However, there are some negatives. I had trouble getting the game to start on my PC. I have Vista 32-bit,and I was able to fix this issue by setting the game to "Always run as administrator". The game tends to crash once every few hours. The worst issue by far, however, is the buy/sell menu. You'll automatically be picking up lots of items, and you can only hold up to 150. Trips to vendors will probably be frequent. When you go to the sell menu, all you get is a completely disorganized list of ALL your items and you can only see around 10 on a single page if I'm remembering correctly. This results in a huge time sink as you go down the list, figuring out what you want to let go of and what you want to keep. I've spent over half an hour in a single selling session, but that probably has a lot to do with my play style. Anyway, the pros of Mass Effect outweigh the cons, and you should definitely pick this up if you have a decent PC and you haven't played the console version already.… Expand
  97. MatthewN.
    Jun 25, 2008
    10
    This game is simply the best I've ever played in my whole life. /Music: Awesome - it sounds very similar to Half Life, it's more dynamic and futuristic. /Video: People who rate it down because of video problems should check their PCs first. Graphics are stunning, it's like watching an interactive movie with virtual actors. /Gameplay: I had fun, without any problems in the This game is simply the best I've ever played in my whole life. /Music: Awesome - it sounds very similar to Half Life, it's more dynamic and futuristic. /Video: People who rate it down because of video problems should check their PCs first. Graphics are stunning, it's like watching an interactive movie with virtual actors. /Gameplay: I had fun, without any problems in the fight, classes are well planned, there are some tiny bugs - unworthy of mentioning. /Story: It's unlike anything you've ever seen, not so deep as KotOR, but still very interesting. /Overall: I could rate this game 1000/10 if I could (add this option for me please!).… Expand
  98. ChristopherJ.
    Jun 25, 2008
    6
    This game is fun but not great. Things I liked: the non-linearity of the crucial missions, the optional missions were nice, the relationship building with all your crewmates (including lame romances), the depth of the information about the alien races and the history of the galaxy, the RPG character diversification, the sky was pretty in the various worlds, the final cut-scene, the music This game is fun but not great. Things I liked: the non-linearity of the crucial missions, the optional missions were nice, the relationship building with all your crewmates (including lame romances), the depth of the information about the alien races and the history of the galaxy, the RPG character diversification, the sky was pretty in the various worlds, the final cut-scene, the music during the credits. Things I didn't like: the computer partners attacking inanimate objects, having to re-watch looooong cut-scenes when replaying a difficult boss, the lack of physics-engine-related interaction (you basically just push buttons--you can't even jump! Half-life 2 is on another level because it brought real-life physics into the actual gameplay), I'm not sure the paragon/renegade points had any effect on the game, the lack of multi-player anything, the cumbersome process of omni-gelling items I didn't want in my inventory (this was soooo painfully dumb!), the optional missions got repetitive because the rooms have one of two lay-outs every damn time!--the designers obviously got lazy, and the steering on the vehicle seemed off. That's just about all I can remember liking and not liking in the past 2 minutes. I'm going to try Bioshock next week.… Expand
  99. JAce
    Jun 23, 2008
    10
    This PC version is actually much more polished and everything is easier to handle than in the console version. Those things alone make it even better, and since it's already one of the better RPG games I've ever played, in PC it really is worth what ever you pay for it.
  100. ChauncyB.
    Jun 21, 2008
    6
    Overhyped. A lot of fun stuff but at its heart it's a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with a bland rpg. Imagine three games from ten years ago mixed together. I think all the positive professional reviews are because the beginning promises more than it delivers if you take the time to grind through it all. Bioware peaked with Knights of the Old Republic and has Overhyped. A lot of fun stuff but at its heart it's a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with a bland rpg. Imagine three games from ten years ago mixed together. I think all the positive professional reviews are because the beginning promises more than it delivers if you take the time to grind through it all. Bioware peaked with Knights of the Old Republic and has not been able to recapture that level since.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2008
6
#6 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. GameSpot
    90
    Whether you're a seasoned Spectre looking to suit up again, or a newcomer who has never set foot on the Normandy, the refined PC version is your best choice for experiencing this excellent game.
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  2. PTGamers
    95
    Mass Effect PC wasn't rushed, this version has clearly been thoroughly thought-out to exploit the advantages of this platform.
    Read full review
  3. G4 TV
    100
    Computer owners are getting everything found in the Xbox 360 game, including achievements and online leaderboards, but with better visuals, smoother action, and a more streamlined interface. That the game rings up at a lower retail price and offers the first expansion pack as a free download is simply icing on the cake.
    Read full review
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