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. 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
  2. roboticsun
    Oct 8, 2011
    8
    This is a well-written and good role playing game although it really does not offer too much character development. The scope and imagination in this game is top-notch in sci-fi genre. However, similar to many other games, it suffers from many design failures including repetitive combat, reused environments, inconvenient user interface (inventory system is so bad), and technical problemsThis is a well-written and good role playing game although it really does not offer too much character development. The scope and imagination in this game is top-notch in sci-fi genre. However, similar to many other games, it suffers from many design failures including repetitive combat, reused environments, inconvenient user interface (inventory system is so bad), and technical problems (crash, freeze and long elevator loading). This game's story and character design is quite like Knights of the old republic. There are many twists in the plot line and you can choose two different moral paths. However, I personally feel its real-time combat system is better than KotOR at least it's not that boring while the down side is you can not directly control your squad members. I give it 8 out 10 since mass effect 2 did a better job on the overall game design.… Expand
  3. Mystril
    Oct 24, 2011
    10
    0/0? lol that is just not a possible score for such a game as Mass Effect. I have played this, and completed it, on the Xbox 360 and PC. I liked the PC version better, although it, ofcourse, felt a bit more special on the Xbox (the first time you play and complete a game is always more special). This game consumed my life for the 24hours or so it took me to complete it first time around. I0/0? lol that is just not a possible score for such a game as Mass Effect. I have played this, and completed it, on the Xbox 360 and PC. I liked the PC version better, although it, ofcourse, felt a bit more special on the Xbox (the first time you play and complete a game is always more special). This game consumed my life for the 24hours or so it took me to complete it first time around. I was glued to the screen haha, it reminded me of playing Diablo 1, Baldurs Gate 2, Diablo 2, the first time. Definitely a 10/10, instant classic.… Expand
  4. Bloodhawk12
    Jun 24, 2011
    10
    This game caught me by surprise when i first saw it in a game magazine i didn't know what to expect but seeing that it was from the developer who made on of my favorite games of all time i decided to give it a chance. The graphics are above average for the time when games couldn't seem to choose the path they wanted to take in that regard. The story rivals that of some of the highestThis game caught me by surprise when i first saw it in a game magazine i didn't know what to expect but seeing that it was from the developer who made on of my favorite games of all time i decided to give it a chance. The graphics are above average for the time when games couldn't seem to choose the path they wanted to take in that regard. The story rivals that of some of the highest quality, it is just an extremely fun game that ties well into the second game which makes playing this game just that much more worth it.… Expand
  5. gvazdas
    Aug 2, 2011
    9
    The game has extremely good story and unique characters.
    The main character, Shepard, was also very unique and has an interesting background story.
    Every single area in the game has it's own unique atmosphere and ambient sounds, music which offered a great amount of fun. The combat wasn't great and the AI was sloppy at times (including your companions which are useless if you don't order    The game has extremely good story and unique characters.
    The main character, Shepard, was also very unique and has an interesting background story.
    Every single area in the game has it's own unique atmosphere and ambient sounds, music which offered a great amount of fun.
    The combat wasn't great and the AI was sloppy at times (including your companions which are useless if you don't order them to use their powers) but that doesn't remove from the fun, since the action was still solid and playable.    … Expand
  6. laxleonidas
    Sep 16, 2011
    9
    The best RPG's of this generation, and i do not say that lightly. It's been 3,5 years since i played this game and there's no better RPG than first Mass Effect. Eventually, The Withcer is equal.
  7. tazzon22
    Apr 9, 2012
    10
    A dated game for sure but still a lot of fun, its well worth the time and money investment. A more pure prg than the 2 and3 that followed guess they didnt have to wory about the cross platform appeal at the time.
  8. Mogul
    Mar 3, 2012
    9
    The first Mass Effect game is a great start to an unforgettable series. Combat is fun, and the story is great, but the characters are the heart and soul of Mass Effect. Sure, Mass Effect has its flaws -- the inventory system, the repetitive sidequests, the awful "hacking" mini-game to open/unlock stuff -- but these are all minor annoyances. The bottom line is that the Mass Effect seriesThe first Mass Effect game is a great start to an unforgettable series. Combat is fun, and the story is great, but the characters are the heart and soul of Mass Effect. Sure, Mass Effect has its flaws -- the inventory system, the repetitive sidequests, the awful "hacking" mini-game to open/unlock stuff -- but these are all minor annoyances. The bottom line is that the Mass Effect series is awesome, and you don't want to miss out on any of it. :)… Expand
  9. wowtgp
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    an excellent game.there are so many places to go and explore and you can choose whatever mission you would like to do first.there are some decisions that you have to take which will influence on the game.some people say its badly ported but it didnt feel for a second that its a port after updating my game with latest patch.if you want to play mass effect 2 and 3 then this game is highlyan excellent game.there are so many places to go and explore and you can choose whatever mission you would like to do first.there are some decisions that you have to take which will influence on the game.some people say its badly ported but it didnt feel for a second that its a port after updating my game with latest patch.if you want to play mass effect 2 and 3 then this game is highly recommended.… Expand
  10. billtheturnip
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    I enjoyed this game provided an engaging experience that made me wanting to play more. Currently on my 3rd play through which I have spent anywhere from 20 to 40 hours per play through.
  11. Zoso
    Jun 15, 2012
    8
    Not a bad game, by all means, but they didn't have the budget later titles in the series had, and so A) the graphics and B) the REPETITIVE level design make playing it a bit too tedious to be really great. Otherwise, it has all the strengths of its successors, like immersive story and a great combat system. And, also one of its major strengths: Your choices DO matter (a lot...), even ifNot a bad game, by all means, but they didn't have the budget later titles in the series had, and so A) the graphics and B) the REPETITIVE level design make playing it a bit too tedious to be really great. Otherwise, it has all the strengths of its successors, like immersive story and a great combat system. And, also one of its major strengths: Your choices DO matter (a lot...), even if it's in pt. 2 or 3 of the trilogoy.… Expand
  12. Kashim
    Mar 28, 2012
    10
    I love this game. It have a little bit of buggs but no bugg is critical. The control is easy to learn and if you dont like the controul, you are able to fix it at your favorit. at the brgin of the fat battle i am nearly to cry, because its so beautifull. The armory system is a bit coplicated but if you have understand, its easy and fast. the only thing what i hate is, that there were noI love this game. It have a little bit of buggs but no bugg is critical. The control is easy to learn and if you dont like the controul, you are able to fix it at your favorit. at the brgin of the fat battle i am nearly to cry, because its so beautifull. The armory system is a bit coplicated but if you have understand, its easy and fast. the only thing what i hate is, that there were no checkponts. also you have to save with F6 after every fat battle but if you don´t do you will learn to stay allive no matter how much enemies are shooting at you… Expand
  13. quotenneger
    Aug 21, 2012
    9
    This game is so unbelievably good. The story Is the best I have ever experienced, apart from the other Mass Effect Games, this game's story has it all: believable and sympathetic squadmates, a compelling antagonist, and of course, the decisions you make in the game. You can really feel the heavyweight of such decisions, often you decide over the fate of entire species. The Gameplay is goodThis game is so unbelievably good. The story Is the best I have ever experienced, apart from the other Mass Effect Games, this game's story has it all: believable and sympathetic squadmates, a compelling antagonist, and of course, the decisions you make in the game. You can really feel the heavyweight of such decisions, often you decide over the fate of entire species. The Gameplay is good too, though it is buggy and awkward at times, but it isn't that bad, because the story is what makes this game a unique masterpiece. No other Game has ever made me feel like the Mass Effect Trilogy. One of the best games of all time, no, one of the best pieces of entertainment of all time. If anybody missed out on this game, he deserves to get shat in the face.… Expand
  14. Lulgrim
    May 22, 2012
    8
    One of the better video games in the adventure/RPG/action sci-fi genre, ME suffers a little from repetitive side quests that seem auto-generated, but the main storyline is good (cheesy, sometimes silly writing but still epic and entertaining) and the setting is fresh. One of the few games where NPCs seem to have a personality (was the previous one Baldur's Gate 2?) and the voice acting isOne of the better video games in the adventure/RPG/action sci-fi genre, ME suffers a little from repetitive side quests that seem auto-generated, but the main storyline is good (cheesy, sometimes silly writing but still epic and entertaining) and the setting is fresh. One of the few games where NPCs seem to have a personality (was the previous one Baldur's Gate 2?) and the voice acting is very good overall. I'd recommend this to almost anyone.… Expand
  15. vence
    Jan 19, 2013
    9
    Just started the series all over again for the third time and having a blast, yes this game is that good, great story great characters great everything, if you didn't try it yet you are missing something
  16. zareh_m
    Jul 6, 2012
    10
    The game depends on the options you choose, the actions you take, the speech you make. Totally amazing game. You can choose whether to flirt with your teammates or to be cruel leader. You can end the war the way you want to it. You can customize your weaponry and appearance from the thousands of options. Overall, the scenario is great, the game-play outstanding.
  17. GoNinjaGO
    Jul 31, 2012
    10
    To put it simply, a masterpiece of storytelling and game design. Atmospheric. Engrossing. The PC version is the superior due to its higher frame rate (subject to you having a decent PC of course) but it is let down by having the low resolution textures of the console version.

    A must own/play.
  18. grazr
    Sep 13, 2012
    9
    The non-ammo weapons make a refreshing combat style, removing much of the treasure (ammo) hunting style tedium for other traditional shooters. Although the weapon mods were difficult to comprehend until way past the mid-game, most people completed much of the game before realising they could install upgrades into their kit. Some of the side missions were a bore and the "dungeons"The non-ammo weapons make a refreshing combat style, removing much of the treasure (ammo) hunting style tedium for other traditional shooters. Although the weapon mods were difficult to comprehend until way past the mid-game, most people completed much of the game before realising they could install upgrades into their kit. Some of the side missions were a bore and the "dungeons" repetitive as hell, but the game overall was a pleasure both gameplay wise and narrative wise.… Expand
  19. Aeruja
    Apr 12, 2013
    10
    I got this game nearly 5 years after its initial release. I have a habit of trailing the trend, and this allows me to use effectively get the best bang out of every buck I spend on games as I usually end up picking out games with the very best reviews.

    Originally, I was very skeptical of Mass Effect. I've played Bioware games before, and they usually left me with a terrible impression.    I got this game nearly 5 years after its initial release. I have a habit of trailing the trend, and this allows me to use effectively get the best bang out of every buck I spend on games as I usually end up picking out games with the very best reviews.

    Originally, I was very skeptical of Mass Effect. I've played Bioware games before, and they usually left me with a terrible impression. Mass Effect, on the other hand, was surprisingly incredible.

    Mass Effect is actually a trilogy game if you didn't already know that, but what you may not know is that, it is meant to be played all 3 in succession. If you're going to buy ME, you better be prepared to buy the complete set, because they're all interwoven so well, that if you only buy one or two, you'll always feel like you're missing something.

    And it is exactly that, that makes ME trilogy so attractive.

    It reminds me of the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books I enjoyed so much when I was young.

    Your regular choices regularly affect everything and everyone around you, just as you would in the real world. And once you've chosen, you can consequently see your choices being played out through the trilogy.

    Unlike games like Skyrim, while you're free to pursue whatever activities you so prefer. The game doesn't presume a specific personality or allow you to presume as one. So while the freedom is there, and while there are literally hundreds of NPCs for you to meet, and thousands more dialogue to hear..at best, it only feels like a television show just being played out with you on the passive receiving end.

    The feeling is different, even different from Deus Ex. In Deus Ex, while you have choices of different responses and actions, they ultimately come off only as techniques of persuasions but the same personality is being still used.

    In ME, like in the real world, you will encounter really tough situational questions. Even while your personality will naturally reflect your usual responses, but there will still be the odd time where you will wonder what it would be like to be an "alpha" male? Or whether there is a way to change your superior's bad impression of your character? Or you want to learn a few techniques in reading in-between the lines? You know, the useful day-to-day conversation skills that you never learn anywhere else (short of countless social blunders)! Those dangerous words and actions that you've always wanted to say, but couldn't for fear of irreparable damage to your self image and relationships.

    ME's good like that, and that's why I think it stands out above the rest.

    Granted, the massive freedom, for say Skyrim, allows the game to have massive replay value, whereas a game like Mass Effect, you'll probably only play through it once, twice at best.

    But, based on the combined quality of material presented, good graphics, voice acting, seamless gameplay, and most importantly, the interactive story, is well worth the price tag of being played through even just once.    … Expand
  20. NRbgj
    Mar 23, 2017
    10
    Space opera of the computer gaming world. The best PC game trilogy. Story telling and narrative at its best. A piece of art, a classic and its legacy will endure. Long may the trilogy be remembered.
  21. nimdA_
    Aug 1, 2021
    8
    У игры множество проблем. Устаревшая графика - только одна из них и её можно оправдать годом выхода игры, а вот всратую стрельбу, крайне убогий левел дизайн, очень однообразный геймплей и ужасную управляемость транспортом оправдать годом выхода не получится, ведь в 2008 уже существовали другие игры, где эти же элементы были выполнены гораздо лучше.

    Но Mass effect это не про геймплей. Он    У игры множество проблем. Устаревшая графика - только одна из них и её можно оправдать годом выхода игры, а вот всратую стрельбу, крайне убогий левел дизайн, очень однообразный геймплей и ужасную управляемость транспортом оправдать годом выхода не получится, ведь в 2008 уже существовали другие игры, где эти же элементы были выполнены гораздо лучше.

    Но Mass effect это не про геймплей. Он силён своей сценарной частью: офигенная история, офигенная вселенная и отлично прописанные персонажи - вот что заставляет играть в Mass effect спустя столько лет и закрывать глаза на недостатки. Кроме того, здесь есть неплохая ролевая составляющая, которая будет безвозвратно утеряна в следующих частях серии, и хорошие для своих лет лицевые анимации (в каждой новой части с этим будет всё хуже и хуже, как будто ответственный за это человек с годами деградирует, а не набивает руку!) .

    Первая часть Mass effect еще девственно чиста, её не коснулась рука-порча карги по имени Electronic arts, которая любой перспективный проект превращает в шаблонный голливудский боевик. Если вы любите игры типа Ведьмака, то есть ради крутой истории готовы мириться с недостатками геймплея и левел дизайна, то я однозначно рекомендую поиграть в Mass effect. Это одна из лучших игровых Вселенных, что я встречал.    … Expand
  22. Chapa9dj
    Jan 23, 2012
    10
    And i still think that back in the day i used to hate this game with every fiber of my being because it didn't work properly on my PC. What a stupid and worthless fool i was.
    Until one day i woke up and thought about giving it a 2nd chance testing new GPU drivers and for my surprise, it worked flawlessly.
    Then later that day i fell in love with this game and it become one of my favorite    And i still think that back in the day i used to hate this game with every fiber of my being because it didn't work properly on my PC. What a stupid and worthless fool i was.
    Until one day i woke up and thought about giving it a 2nd chance testing new GPU drivers and for my surprise, it worked flawlessly.
    Then later that day i fell in love with this game and it become one of my favorite franchises of all time.
    I didn't know what i was missing. And you know what? Since then, i now wake up everyday and i thanks to myself for giving this game another chance. :')    … Expand
  23. Ghoster
    Jul 23, 2012
    6
    Great story, characters and overall whole world created around this game. Decent graphics for time period.

    Now the bad stuff. You should play this part only for story line. Game play is totally wrong and annoying. To be forced watching 5 min. Cut scenes without option to skip each time you die in boss fight is something i don't understand. So, must play just because of story and    Great story, characters and overall whole world created around this game. Decent graphics for time period.

    Now the bad stuff. You should play this part only for story line. Game play is totally wrong and annoying. To be forced watching 5 min. Cut scenes without option to skip each time you die in boss fight is something i don't understand. So, must play just because of story and preparations for part 2 and 3 which are pure 10. They fixed most of bad things in next parts.    … Expand
  24. Outsdr
    Mar 23, 2012
    2
    Mass Effect: A console port with bad controls, a tutorial that tells you to do things that then don't actually happen when you follow the steps shown, dialog that goes ON and ON and ON and ON, spoken by characters with mouths that don't even attempt to sync with the words being spoken, just flap up and down like a muppet, but with even LESS expression; and on top of that ... great googlyMass Effect: A console port with bad controls, a tutorial that tells you to do things that then don't actually happen when you follow the steps shown, dialog that goes ON and ON and ON and ON, spoken by characters with mouths that don't even attempt to sync with the words being spoken, just flap up and down like a muppet, but with even LESS expression; and on top of that ... great googly moogly is it BORING. Run here ... talk to someone for 15 minutes. Run somewhere ... shoot something. See something to loot. Open it; there's guns, ammo, armor, and an option to turn it all into med gel. Select "Loot All" ... get med-gel. Talk to someone for 15 minutes. Watch a cutscene .... for 15 minutes. Honestly, out of the 3 hours I spent on it last night, I think I actually PLAYED for 20 minutes.… Expand
  25. SoManyGames
    Mar 11, 2012
    6
    Gameplay: Walk slowly down hallways, aim slowly at bad guys, press a button to take cover as they slowly walk and aim at you. Like every other console third person shooter, only especially slow.

    The story; you are a space marine fighting an alien force bent on destroying life. Sound familiar? It should, and I shouldn't have to list the HUNDREDS of examples. The definition of    Gameplay: Walk slowly down hallways, aim slowly at bad guys, press a button to take cover as they slowly walk and aim at you. Like every other console third person shooter, only especially slow.

    The story; you are a space marine fighting an alien force bent on destroying life. Sound familiar? It should, and I shouldn't have to list the HUNDREDS of examples. The definition of average.

    The one thing this game has over similar titles is the duologue options and customizations that allow you to feel like your game is special. It's not, but at least they pull off the ability to make you feel it is.    … Expand
  26. Joe
    Jun 5, 2008
    6
    Another HYPE game, like Crysis. Mass Effect has all the makings of a good game, but it is just simply awful to play. It has massive consolitis, as well as having the worst action sequences ever. As many have commented, the weapons are simply unusable and ineffective. Battles appear out of nowhere, and you get killed 1000 times, before magically, you don't. Very console like. The save Another HYPE game, like Crysis. Mass Effect has all the makings of a good game, but it is just simply awful to play. It has massive consolitis, as well as having the worst action sequences ever. As many have commented, the weapons are simply unusable and ineffective. Battles appear out of nowhere, and you get killed 1000 times, before magically, you don't. Very console like. The save system is insane, you can only save when you're NOT in an action sequence. Which means you start a battle, and cannot save during it, which means you make no progress. The storyline is decent, the voicing decent, and the overall Sci Fi feel is nice. But the action is simply terrible. It is NOT a shooter, nor a real RPG. Its like an interactive movie, which is cool, but it is grueling to get through scene after scene. The most disappointing part, is that beside Bioware releasing a game with massive technical problems and bugs, they delete posts on their forums from frustrated users asking for help. Sounds like a shenanigans to me.… Expand
  27. BlackOmega
    Oct 7, 2011
    10
    Mass Effect is an overall great game. If you recall the "Choose your own adventure" books, this has a very similar "feel." As K.G. put it, it's more of an interactive movie with FPS/RPG characteristics. First the good: The story line. The story line is captivating and intriguing. You're a commander of starship flying around the galaxy trying to expose a traitor but what you find is muchMass Effect is an overall great game. If you recall the "Choose your own adventure" books, this has a very similar "feel." As K.G. put it, it's more of an interactive movie with FPS/RPG characteristics. First the good: The story line. The story line is captivating and intriguing. You're a commander of starship flying around the galaxy trying to expose a traitor but what you find is much more than that. There are tons of planets to explore, tons of missions and NPC's to talk to. You can also customize quite a bit about your character and even your squad mates armor and loadout. Everything from your characters appearance (face), to the armor you're wearing to what weapons you use an what upgrades they have installed. The graphics are pretty good for the most part. It's no Crysis (1), but this is a port after all so I doubt an Xbox or PS3 could handle anything more than this game puts out. This game is four years old now, and the sheer size of the universe that you're playing in,which is huge, it's bound to have some repetitive textures, especially on relatively insignificant planets. However, for the most part, they're still pretty good and the scenery is great.
    The music is really good and draws you in to the story more as it's scripted to come on at specific times during action sequences and whatnot. And if you really want to know more about the game than is presented during gameplay, open up your codex and there's a lot of backstory. The bad: There really isn't much. One problem I've had with the game was the NPC's audio. During interaction with them, their speech would occasionally cut out (music and ambient sounds still play). Which kind of sucks for the story, however, enabling subtitles remedies that. Perhaps it was just my soundcard not playing well with the game (Creative X-Fi extreme music). However since Creative's last update for the card, I haven't come across this issue. Another issue I've found, however VERY infrequently, is getting stuck. There's an area that looks explorable, yet, you go there, and you get stuck. You have to reload the game. However, this is VERY infrequent. Other thoughts: The combat system is somewhat simplistic. It's semi FPSish except you can "pause" the action and command your squad to attack specific targets with specific attacks (weapons, biotic or tech attacks). Other than that, it's just like an FPS duck for cover, point and click, throw grenade, melee attack, etc. I don't see how people have issues with popping out of cover to shoot. It does it automatically, however, you have to be at the edge of what ever you're hiding behind for it to work. As far as I can tell, there aren't really any hitboxes in the game. Meaning headshots don't do any more or less damage than body or appendage hits. The next issue is the inventory system. It doesn't alphabetically organize and group together identical items. Kind of a pain. However, you can carry a whole helluva lot of stuff (150 items IIRC). For what it's worth, I haven't had this game crash ever. Not once. I've played it on an old 2.6GHz 939 dual core AMD system with 2 9600 GSO's, to an overclocked AM3 rig with 2 4870's, to an i7 (8core) with a 5870 using Windows XP and Windows 7 64 bit --runs flawlessly. People that have had the crashes most likely have a virus and don't know it, or their overclock is unstable. This is a PORTED game and as such, I've personally found ported games to crash frequently when your overclock is unstable. Final thoughts: All in all Mass Effect is a excellent game. Don't expect it to be like a traditional RPG --it's not. It's not an FPS either. However, the story is what makes this game. It's fresh, diverse, and totally engrossing. It gives you the freedom to act how you'd like and change the fate of the story. This game is the first of three, and what decisions you make in this game will affect some things in the second one, and from what I've read, will significantly impact the third. PS:The people that gave this game a 0 because of the DRM are idiots. That's NOT a review of the game. It's them whining and complaining about EA digital rights management (DRM). Should've bought it on Steam, and you can install it as many times as you like. PPS: Even if you do have the retail copy, and you use your 3 installs, simply call or get on live chat with EA support and they'll unblock it. And they're so good about it, if you ask for the Bring down the sky key they'll give it to you FOR FREE!

    GREAT GAME BUY IT, YOU WONT REGRET IT!    … Expand
  28. Chaozzak
    Nov 7, 2011
    10
    I didn't know what is this game about, nor i care. But after only 1 hour of playing I loved it. Story telling is amazing with deep characters around you and trust me, you will love them all. Graphics are ok, level design is perfect and combat system is average. Soundtrack and voice overs are great too! Bioware really took care about this one and I am grateful for it. Really great RPG
  29. whitespider999
    Feb 13, 2012
    10
    Overall, I like mass effect 1's more rpg like focus to it's mechanics and stats than mass effect 2's more functional and bare streamlining. However, while this game is a better rpg - it also has more lows in it's pacing. Some sections in mass effect are incredible and interesting, others are slow moving. I think mass effect 2 should have never removed the planet exploration. In the end. IOverall, I like mass effect 1's more rpg like focus to it's mechanics and stats than mass effect 2's more functional and bare streamlining. However, while this game is a better rpg - it also has more lows in it's pacing. Some sections in mass effect are incredible and interesting, others are slow moving. I think mass effect 2 should have never removed the planet exploration. In the end. I score both games the same. 9/10. For different reasons, mass effect 2 is a perfectly paced game, that was successfully streamlined. However lost some of it's scale as a result. Mass effect 1 was more ambitious, however it was occasionally boring.… Expand
  30. kriskizlyk
    Jan 20, 2012
    10
    Great game and a well deserved 10, the soundtrack makes me come back and play it again and again. The story line was quite quick but the game makes up with lots of side quests...if the side quests had more meaning then there would be something then it would be a real 10.
  31. Sealreth
    Aug 8, 2011
    10
    Best rpg in its space

    story is the best I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot.
    This story contains all the elements it needs.
    The graphics were also very nice and perfect for a game like this
    the controls could be better, but you can get used to it .

    Rock on Bioware

    Sealreth,
  32. Dejakritz
    Jan 28, 2012
    10
    I loved this game to death. Exploration by vehicle and ship, stumbling on amazing, chilling, and exciting adventures in addition to the main plot, stuff I dig. I enjoyed the plot and the politics, and most of all, the characters you recruit.
  33. gaminkid05
    Nov 8, 2011
    10
    If you own a decent computer, get this game! Everything about it is good! Don't deny yourself with the experience when Mass Effect 3 comes out so soon! Just get the game and savor its awesomeness! It is really a perfect title in my opinion, with few to zero cons! And this is not just excitement after beating the game! This is excitement 6 months after beating the game! Still not convinced?If you own a decent computer, get this game! Everything about it is good! Don't deny yourself with the experience when Mass Effect 3 comes out so soon! Just get the game and savor its awesomeness! It is really a perfect title in my opinion, with few to zero cons! And this is not just excitement after beating the game! This is excitement 6 months after beating the game! Still not convinced? I don't care, just get it!… Expand
  34. whitewi666
    Nov 14, 2011
    9
    Awesome game! It's looks great and the story is begging me to play all mass effect games and read all the books! This game is simply one of the best games in this gen! Universe has never been so believable before!!!!!!!! Love it or hate it, it's the winner!!!!!!!
  35. loloynage
    Nov 28, 2011
    9
    Really a great game that started this great trilogy (so far). Everything about it is fun and the story, even if not the most sophisticated, it still is a great one. One thing that I didn't like is that there where so many options, planets and missions that I just didn't care about and simply gave up on them and just focused on thr main plot.
  36. TreoWayne
    Dec 11, 2011
    10
    This game was okay, but no better than that. I am not a Star Wars fan but I loved Star Wars Kotor and the sequel. This game was like an attempt to make a third game in that series without having to pay George Lucas.

    The sidequests were extremely repetitive. All the environments that weren't part of the main campaign were repeated over and over and over. The same textures, the same    This game was okay, but no better than that. I am not a Star Wars fan but I loved Star Wars Kotor and the sequel. This game was like an attempt to make a third game in that series without having to pay George Lucas.

    The sidequests were extremely repetitive. All the environments that weren't part of the main campaign were repeated over and over and over. The same textures, the same dungeon layouts.

    The parts driving the Mako were awful. Every planet had the same mountain terrain with different colored rock textures.

    Combat was terrible. Not fun at all.

    The graphics were good and the voice overs were well done. Thankfully the option to use subtitles and skip the voice overs was available.

    The plot was decent, but I don't really like the idea of playing a game that I know from the outset will not deliver "THE END". Most of the options to be a 'Renegade' or a 'Paragon' had little to no effect on the game.

    Overall you can see that far more effort went into making this a polished multimedia experience than making a fun game. I will play the sequel, but if it is not a significant upgrade I will be skipping the third installment.    … Expand
  37. Thaltom
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    It's rare to find a game that captures good game play, storytelling, and usability. Mass Effect is this game. Using a third person perspective you will run and gun yourself through Bioware's story as Commander Shepard, make either Paragon or Renegade choices, complete the game and then LOVE doing it again, but this time as an Infiltrator or other class. Favorite NPCs have been Joker andIt's rare to find a game that captures good game play, storytelling, and usability. Mass Effect is this game. Using a third person perspective you will run and gun yourself through Bioware's story as Commander Shepard, make either Paragon or Renegade choices, complete the game and then LOVE doing it again, but this time as an Infiltrator or other class. Favorite NPCs have been Joker and Wrex as their writing is amazing.… Expand
  38. Sasori261
    Jan 21, 2012
    10
    To me, this game was better than the 2nd. I loved the story, characters, and crew more than I did the 2nd, though by just a bit. Mass Effect is like the EA equal to Bethesda's Elder Scrolls, though not as good. The game was absolutly fun to play and I had a great time on it. Overall, the best RPG other than RPG's made by Bethesda.
  39. drake_avi
    Feb 22, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect is an excellent game!!! Awesome storyline is one of the biggest incentives to play this epic space-faring game. Combat is kinda okay, it's later sequels improves upon combat dramatically. All in all Mass Effect is one of the most impressive games i have played. The voice acting is definitely top notch and is very engaging. THis game is a must play if you want to experience theMass Effect is an excellent game!!! Awesome storyline is one of the biggest incentives to play this epic space-faring game. Combat is kinda okay, it's later sequels improves upon combat dramatically. All in all Mass Effect is one of the most impressive games i have played. The voice acting is definitely top notch and is very engaging. THis game is a must play if you want to experience the epic trilogy.… Expand
  40. Biggs27
    Jan 27, 2012
    10
    This is a really great game.It has good graphics and a cool story.The environment is done well and the character interaction is a lot of fun.To few games nowadays seem to use this anymore.You kind of get attached to some characters as you talk and go through the story with them,to many games just have cookie cutter characters with no depth this is a definite exception.The sound effects areThis is a really great game.It has good graphics and a cool story.The environment is done well and the character interaction is a lot of fun.To few games nowadays seem to use this anymore.You kind of get attached to some characters as you talk and go through the story with them,to many games just have cookie cutter characters with no depth this is a definite exception.The sound effects are really good and while the music isn't really that exciting at times, it has a haunting quality to it that is enjoyable and adds to the feel of the game.I would totally recommend this to anyone and look forward to playing the others.… Expand
  41. PrimalHunter70
    Jan 27, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect is addictive, so addictive that it compells to explore every inch of it's beautiful world! Mass Effect mimicks Star Wars, but not in a bad way. A really good game, recommended to any sci-fi fan or RPG fan out there looking for a new and innovative RPG experience.
  42. Slartibartfast
    Jan 28, 2012
    10
    Getting a bit old now, but still an excellent game. I cannot find one bad thing to say about the game, so I won´t. Instead I will say: "Thanks for making the game, some of the best gaming time I have ever spent:)"
  43. efedinthea
    Feb 18, 2012
    10
    Mass Effect is by far my favourite title in the series. The rpg elements aren't that great, neither is the shooting or the story, but the fact that they're all wrapped up into the same package makes this one of my all time favourite games. unlike ME2 the story is actually somewhat compelling, you're battling to save everyone; David vs Goliath doesn't even come close to the difference inMass Effect is by far my favourite title in the series. The rpg elements aren't that great, neither is the shooting or the story, but the fact that they're all wrapped up into the same package makes this one of my all time favourite games. unlike ME2 the story is actually somewhat compelling, you're battling to save everyone; David vs Goliath doesn't even come close to the difference in power here. the rpg elements are actually there unlike ME2, and the leveling system is much more intricate and satisfying.… Expand
  44. Kosheus
    Feb 27, 2012
    10
    One of the best games ever (and ME2 too). Just love it.
    If you don't want some repetitive ADDITIONAL missions - just skip it and play storyline ones (then game really rocks). Nice animated RPG from big letter 'R'.
  45. fastblood
    Mar 6, 2012
    8
    A highly customizable and interesting game. The universe is well created and thought out, and the characters are not flat or boring. The choices the player makes are varied and noticeably effect later gameplay. Overall, it is a very solid game, and a refreshing take on the sci-fi genre. The ability to mold your character the way you want both personally and on the field of battle isA highly customizable and interesting game. The universe is well created and thought out, and the characters are not flat or boring. The choices the player makes are varied and noticeably effect later gameplay. Overall, it is a very solid game, and a refreshing take on the sci-fi genre. The ability to mold your character the way you want both personally and on the field of battle is greatly appreciated as well.… Expand
  46. Wulfburk
    Mar 9, 2012
    10
    At first glance on the boxshot you will think it is just another lame sci fi out there, but as you get through it and actually play the game you will experience one of the best more recent games, with awesome characters, such as Wrex and Saren, incredible voice acting and dialogue, character customization, good graphics and great gameplay, being the best of the Mass Effect series. OnlyAt first glance on the boxshot you will think it is just another lame sci fi out there, but as you get through it and actually play the game you will experience one of the best more recent games, with awesome characters, such as Wrex and Saren, incredible voice acting and dialogue, character customization, good graphics and great gameplay, being the best of the Mass Effect series. Only draw back is that some optimization would have been welcome.… Expand
  47. moonlight_shado
    Apr 22, 2016
    10
    Better than Skyrim, Witcher 3 and Dragon Age all together. Unfortunately every next ME game was more and more stripped down from their rpg mechanics, being more consolized, but this one, this has all the magic. The plot is fresh and well written, the story unfold in a proper, narrative way. The choices. The inventory and character development is the best as well. Exploration of planetsBetter than Skyrim, Witcher 3 and Dragon Age all together. Unfortunately every next ME game was more and more stripped down from their rpg mechanics, being more consolized, but this one, this has all the magic. The plot is fresh and well written, the story unfold in a proper, narrative way. The choices. The inventory and character development is the best as well. Exploration of planets makes it almost perfect sandbox game. Graphics for an almost 10 yo game still looks very good and doesn't stand out from today's standards. What else for me to say. Maybe that i wish Bioware stop the trilogy with... the first and only Mass Effect. Instead of reapers make the Saren Diablo-like treat to entire galaxy and voila. ME2 is at least fun but ME3 is so dumb (and i'm not **** only about the ending) that it almost kill the pleasure of entire game but gladly i overcome it and for me the history of Shepard ends here, with ME1 and the rest i leave for my imagination.… Expand
  48. 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
  49. 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
  50. SethEvandor
    Jul 12, 2014
    0
    I've always called this game **** Effect" because really it's empty, devoid of interaction with environment, linear (the one exception is when you're supposed to pick the first mission because it's easier - I don't know why), and just basically a shooter with skills and items. It's not really an RPG. Your decisions are not important and you won't care. There are planets you can "explore"I've always called this game **** Effect" because really it's empty, devoid of interaction with environment, linear (the one exception is when you're supposed to pick the first mission because it's easier - I don't know why), and just basically a shooter with skills and items. It's not really an RPG. Your decisions are not important and you won't care. There are planets you can "explore" but really they're massive open areas with barely anything on interest. The game doesn't make you want to use the skills, it makes you want to just shoot. This game could of been a great RPG, but instead they went along a similar route as KOTOR, where action is the focus and anything time consuming just make the game feel like a chore. This game wasn't designed for PC, so I have to give it zero. It was the worst RPG I have ever played.… Expand
  51. 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
  52. PaulC.
    Jun 14, 2008
    4
    I can't get my head around the controls on the PC at all/ I'm stuck behind a wall, I can see enemies, but my character can't(or won't) look around to see them..I strafe (slide) closer to the edge of the wall...still no luck..a bit closer..I get eviscerated. My 2 buddies keep telling me they con't go places that they clearly can. The terrain is very artificial, i.e I can't get my head around the controls on the PC at all/ I'm stuck behind a wall, I can see enemies, but my character can't(or won't) look around to see them..I strafe (slide) closer to the edge of the wall...still no luck..a bit closer..I get eviscerated. My 2 buddies keep telling me they con't go places that they clearly can. The terrain is very artificial, i.e you try and go places and because of a bollard or a 4 ft drop the game has invisible "barriers" that stop you - Once you land on a planet it's all "on rails". But the combat system, while we are told it's better than the 360, certainly isn't up to the normal standard of PC games. Even NWN2 has a better combat system than this. To sum up, if you want great dialogue, great characterization, but console style gameplay frustrations and the sort of limitations PC's gave up in the 1990's, then Mass Effect might be for you. It's not as good as KotoR - and that's really sad. Sort out the awful unintuitive console control system and I'll have another look.… Expand
  53. 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
  54. LuisFrancisco
    Apr 23, 2016
    4
    This game is not a shooter and not also a RPG. Your choices, even though varied, lead always to a linear plot. For those who are familiar with good shooting games, this is extremely tiring and with limited resources. Each time you die of sudden form is bound to retrace huge paths and tedious dialogues. The game does not allow you to save during this huge dialogues and not during fightingThis game is not a shooter and not also a RPG. Your choices, even though varied, lead always to a linear plot. For those who are familiar with good shooting games, this is extremely tiring and with limited resources. Each time you die of sudden form is bound to retrace huge paths and tedious dialogues. The game does not allow you to save during this huge dialogues and not during fighting in any creature that kills you with a touch.… Expand
  55. OberiousLocke
    Aug 19, 2017
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Edit: Due to BioWare's recent middle finger to the fanbase, announcing it's focus on books and multiplayer and telling the people who wanted single-player DLC and content in Mass Effect: Andromeda to **** off, I will be changing all scores for my ME series reviews to 0.

    Mass Effect is the beginning of the original Mass Effect Trilogy (1/2/3). A science fiction third-person shooter/RPG, our journey takes place in the relatively distant future of 2183. You are Commander Shepard, an enlisted member of the Systems Alliance, Humanity's face to the Galactic community, who becomes the very first human Council Spectre, the elite of the elite, who answer to nothing but the Council, the ruling committee made up by 1 representative of the 3 major species of the Milky Way, The Turians, Asari, and Salarians.

    You start out with character creation, choosing your class, personal history and military service record, and customizing your face down to any scars you'd like. You also gain access to a repertoire of weaponry and armor that you can customize, with things like First-Aid systems in armor to slowly regenerate HP to specialized rounds that will rip through Organic targets for weaponry. On top of all this, each class comes with an expansive talent tree that you can fill out however you please. My only gripes with this gem are twofold. A) The inventory. It starts off slow, with maybe an item or two, and occasionally you'll get some after killing things, but as the game progresses, it begins a lootstorm of annoying proportions, to the point where I just mod my game to unlimited inventory and omnigel, and sell/destroy anything I don't need. B) The Talent Tree, while good, is disproportionately big to the amount of points you actually get without aggressive sidequesting.

    The game itself opens up after this to reveal a huge world for the player to explore, and codex entries to fill out even the seemingly unimportant bits in the background, even to how the weapons work. Worlds to explore in the Mako (a ground vehicle with a drunken rhino somewhere in its family tree, given how it handles) and side missions taking you from planets where you get ambushed by giant, angry space worms, to stations to rescue a man from extremists.

    Throughout your journey, you will meet people and recruit squad members to fight by your side, through thick and thin. An Asari politician who hires you and tricks you into killing her pirate sister, and a Krogan mercenary you recruit who also wants the head of someone you're after are just two examples of the unique people you will encounter, not to mention the romance you can build by conversing with squad mates in between missions.

    You also need to be conscious of your choices, as they can have minor repercussions or massive ones down the line, and affecting your Paragon and Renegade scores, to shamelessly steal two lines from Mass Effect 2's loading screens, lead to you either becoming the ultimate hero, or the ultimate badass. Will you choose to save the mind controlled innocents of Zhu's Hope, or try to save time, gun them down, and hope for the best after you kill the one controlling them?

    Last we touch on the Music. While a fair bit of it is synthetic, to keep with the futuristic tone, doesn't lessen any impact of anything. From the background music as you fight long and hard against the forces of Saren, to the epic orchestral tracks at the end, as the Normandy flies off into the cosmic Horizon to fight forward, it does amazing work at adding to the already deep world you fight in.

    An honorable mention purely because it's one of my favorite things in video games, the Save import. When you have concluded your Journey and move onto Mass Effect 2, you can use the config tool to copy your saves over to the ME2 directory, where you can import your Shepard into 2, then onto 3 later. Including all your choices, and the consequences.

    tl;dr - Mass Effect is the beginning of a trilogy that truly lives up to the word "Epic" with music to match the futuristic tones, beautiful locations and memorable people each with a personality and history of their own, despite iffy inventory management and talent tree's you could choke an elephant with.    … Expand
  56. 7ShadesOfEffort
    Apr 18, 2017
    3
    It's funny to see how after Andromeda's miserable fiasco the rest of the series started to look much better and the first one even strted to seem like something good and classic, especially taking into account «Mass Effect: RGB»'s fail . Well, if we're talking about game developers' stagnation and degeneration, then yes, it's the most classic example.
    I'm fine with characters although    It's funny to see how after Andromeda's miserable fiasco the rest of the series started to look much better and the first one even strted to seem like something good and classic, especially taking into account «Mass Effect: RGB»'s fail . Well, if we're talking about game developers' stagnation and degeneration, then yes, it's the most classic example.
    I'm fine with characters although BioWare never stopped to exploit same archetypes over and over again, I like how the universe is pretty elaborate and well-written. Graphics looks good even years later after release. What a wonderful foundation for a great game. But the GAME is bad. This scrappy incoherent mix of Gears of War-like shooting range arcade and rudimentary RPG elements is really unpleasant to play. BioWare have not only abandoned any attempts to come up with interesting and exciting gameplay mechanics, they also did not bother themselves polishing it. Abilities are all same and boring, guns' variativity is depressing (especially for biotics who are doomed to carry only a pistol for the entire game), teammates barely affect the fight, all side quests (outside The Citadel and DLC) are just boring grindfest of same outposts on same lifeless planets. Equipment and inventory are rather obstacle than something adding any gameplay depth, stats and skills are just atavisms from BioWare's RPG developer's legacy. So-called «choices» finally decayed to just «always click red vs always click blue». It's not like good vs edgy answers in dialogues is a big issue for me, the real issue is that at some point BioWare just stopped caring about anything else and started to forcefully shove these «HARD MORAL CHOICES WITH CONSEQUENCES» down player's throat. This worked pretty well in KotOR due to dualistic nature of The Force in SW universe, this worked fine in Jade Empire because it was well-incorporated into the lore inspired by eastern culture and philosophy. The only purpose «CHOICES» serve in ME is to convince players that their choice WILL have real consequences somewhere in further games. Bioware forced people to invest in their game, waste their time on side quests grinding, help crew members with their daddy issues, choose your allegiance and so and so on just because this SHOULD pay off somewhere in the future when the trilogy is over. But they lied. They didn't manage to do that and now I doubt that they even had any plans to. Same goes for story. This game presents itself as a story-based one but it actually doesn't even have a story to offer you. Only promises.

    2 out of 7: into the trash it goes.    … Expand
  57. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    9
    The last truly great Bioware game. The only game in the Mass effect series that could claim it was an RPG, albeit a light one. It is not without faults, but it was great at the time of its release, and if you haven't played it, or the trilogy, you owe it to yourself to get it, you won't regret it, trust me.

    The only real problem this game had, was the mako levels. My God! Other than    The last truly great Bioware game. The only game in the Mass effect series that could claim it was an RPG, albeit a light one. It is not without faults, but it was great at the time of its release, and if you haven't played it, or the trilogy, you owe it to yourself to get it, you won't regret it, trust me.

    The only real problem this game had, was the mako levels. My God! Other than that, great game.    … Expand
  58. Matseb2611
    Mar 4, 2012
    10
    I'll begin by saying that I fell in love with the game within the first half an hour of me playing it, and that happens VERY RARELY for me. Mass Effect is simply a fantastic sci-fi RPG. It delivers an amazingly huge world, full of different planets, alien races, technology, and locations. Everything in the game has a background to it, creating an extremely rich and immersive world. AnotherI'll begin by saying that I fell in love with the game within the first half an hour of me playing it, and that happens VERY RARELY for me. Mass Effect is simply a fantastic sci-fi RPG. It delivers an amazingly huge world, full of different planets, alien races, technology, and locations. Everything in the game has a background to it, creating an extremely rich and immersive world. Another thing I really loved about Mass Effect was how well the personalities of characters were developed, especially your party members. Of the 6 available party members, I ended up using them all at some stage. There were never any benchwarmer characters as is common with many party-oriented RPGs. I haven't even gotten to the gameplay yet. The RPG elements are superb. You get to choose between 6 different character classes, and even within each class there are many skills and abilities which you can learn in whichever order you want. When interacting with the NPCs, you get to choose every single line that your character says. That is how much variation there is in the game's dialogue. And the things you say greatly affect how other characters feel about you. There is a lot of freedom in the game, in a sense that you can roam about the entire galaxy and do sidequests as you see fit. Even most of the primary quests you can do in any order you wish. There were of course a few things I could nitpick. For example the control of Mako (the tank) was a bit frustrating at times, but any flaws are very minor and do not detract from the amazing experience that this game offers. Now I am going to play Mass Effect 2, and according to what I hear, it is even better. If that's the case, I am prepared to have my mind blown away.… Expand
  59. ZenXianDi
    Aug 4, 2012
    1
    Good cut scene,charactors and decision element, unfortunately,the combat which makes up bulk of the game is hilariously awful.If you are spoilt by fun combat,this game will Make you **** BRICKS.

    Exploration is interesting for an hour until you realise you,re doing the same thing,seeing the thing which is identical 90% of the time and of course DAT MAKO and stupid terrain. Control    Good cut scene,charactors and decision element, unfortunately,the combat which makes up bulk of the game is hilariously awful.If you are spoilt by fun combat,this game will Make you **** BRICKS.

    Exploration is interesting for an hour until you realise you,re doing the same thing,seeing the thing which is identical 90% of the time and of course DAT MAKO and stupid terrain.
    Control during combat is clunky as hell,Shepard is a dumb **** who hump onto random object,stop firing for no reason(not overheating) and of course stop dead in his track for no reason(probably map issue XD).The combat is seriously THE WORST and will never be surpassed,PERIOD.

    Only to add to the stupidity of the combat,your teamate are just statues who just stand and shoot and die,on top of it the animation for all Enemy and teamate are god awfully stiff and unnatural.(Sprinting animation for enemy)

    The enemy AI,s intelligence is for some reason,is light years ahead of your brain-dead teamates.But they still bum rush into your face too often.

    If you,re new,you will die a thousand time,then all of a sudden you become so overpowered that you just steamroll over everything,it is either tedious or bland and never fun.

    If you can withstand **** combat,the game is quick to reward you with unpredictable glitches and bug,and lack of autosave will force you to go through hell repeatedly

    Avoid this game like plague ,start with Mass Effect 2 instead.    … Expand
  60. Mr_Fabulous
    Jun 11, 2014
    2
    Years after its release, I decided to give ME a go after several peoples recommendation. Things started out great, it was interestingly complex and very different from anything else I had played. This feeling quickly faded after just the first mission. The voice acting is what got me first. It was laughably bad except for Joker who was voiced by Seth Green. The story is what got me nextYears after its release, I decided to give ME a go after several peoples recommendation. Things started out great, it was interestingly complex and very different from anything else I had played. This feeling quickly faded after just the first mission. The voice acting is what got me first. It was laughably bad except for Joker who was voiced by Seth Green. The story is what got me next and was the most disappointing. I was always told that ME was a hallmark in story telling games but I found this story to be generic, bland, and slow. Couple this with bad AI, less than stunning visuals, engine problems, and the commanders slow jogging and this turned out to be one of the absolute worst games Ive ever played.… Expand
  61. 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
  62. Novi4ekNone
    Aug 2, 2009
    10
    good game
  63. 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
  64. 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!
  65. 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
  66. TheYeIIowDucK
    Mar 10, 2012
    4
    Generic cover-based shooting, **** vehicle sections, irritating inventory system, pointless and annoying side quests, stupidly useless leveling system, and a novel-worth of dialog in a dire need of editing. I don't see why people love it so much. It's a padded piece of **** It took me almost 30 hours to complete it, and for no damn reason. The story isn't deep or interesting at all, itsGeneric cover-based shooting, **** vehicle sections, irritating inventory system, pointless and annoying side quests, stupidly useless leveling system, and a novel-worth of dialog in a dire need of editing. I don't see why people love it so much. It's a padded piece of **** It took me almost 30 hours to complete it, and for no damn reason. The story isn't deep or interesting at all, its background is. The game literally forces you to go through 4 planets (each with around 3 hours of gameplay) for no damn reason besides lengthening the playtime.… Expand
  67. J.N.
    May 31, 2008
    0
    Not sure what systems the professional reviewers used, or were they possibly supplied by Bioware? Why do I ask? Because the game is HIGHLY UNSTABLE, with problems ranging from FPS Crawl, GPF's, Crashes, OS REBOOTS, unexpected termination of other background tasks, and even in one instance I saw a potential case of OS Filesystem corruption (likely due to another unexpected reboot). It Not sure what systems the professional reviewers used, or were they possibly supplied by Bioware? Why do I ask? Because the game is HIGHLY UNSTABLE, with problems ranging from FPS Crawl, GPF's, Crashes, OS REBOOTS, unexpected termination of other background tasks, and even in one instance I saw a potential case of OS Filesystem corruption (likely due to another unexpected reboot). It would be good advice to wait at least 3-6 months until they and/or Nvidia (or ATI, as they're having problems too) get out enough patches & fixes to get the game stable. As it stands, I gave it a rating of 0 (zero) as I can't even get into the game itself to sample the gameplay. ASUS P5N32-SLI w/Intel C2D E6600 @ 2.4GHZ, 2GB Corsair RAM, Creative Labs Xtreme Gamer audio, 2xNvidia 7950 GX2 (Quad SLI), Windows XP Professional SP2. Naturally the sound and display drivers are the newest available.… Expand
  68. StephenY.
    May 18, 2008
    0
    Normally I would never consider rating a game before it comes out but in the case of Mass Effect for the PC I already know everything I need to know about this game to come to the conclusion that no one should purchase it. This is a real shame because my reasons for this are not because I think the game will not be fun, but because Bioware/EA has chosen to encumbered this game with Normally I would never consider rating a game before it comes out but in the case of Mass Effect for the PC I already know everything I need to know about this game to come to the conclusion that no one should purchase it. This is a real shame because my reasons for this are not because I think the game will not be fun, but because Bioware/EA has chosen to encumbered this game with â??Digital Rights Managementâ?… Expand
  69. 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.
  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. 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
  72. JohnM.
    Jun 21, 2008
    0
    The most unstable game I've ever had the misfortune of installing. It really destroys all confidence in the reviews that the 'professionals' have posted concerning this game (and any other game for that matter). How they can hand out 9/10 and 10/10 reviews for this pile of steaming turd is beyond me. I think it demonstrates quite clearly how the 'review' industry The most unstable game I've ever had the misfortune of installing. It really destroys all confidence in the reviews that the 'professionals' have posted concerning this game (and any other game for that matter). How they can hand out 9/10 and 10/10 reviews for this pile of steaming turd is beyond me. I think it demonstrates quite clearly how the 'review' industry really operates. Don't waste your money on this half-finished, bug ridden rubbish.… Expand
  73. Patrick
    Jun 8, 2008
    0
    This game will not let you save most of the time (even out of combat). So you can not quit playing when you want to do something else or have to use your computer. Customer support told me this is not a bug and will not be fixed. Game went back to the store.

    Not usable by people who have a life or use their computer for something other than Mass Effect.
  74. 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?
  75. 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
  76. 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.
  77. 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!
  78. 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
  79. 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.
  80. 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
  81. 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
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. 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.
  85. FotisJ.
    Jun 15, 2008
    8
    An interesting story told interestingly but some serious game design problems in the side quests (tasks too repetitive, worlds too similar) real damp the game experience. And after Bioshock there seem to be other ways around to tell a story instead of choosing dialogue options (makes replaying the game also quite boring).
  86. 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.
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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 ... )
  90. 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
  91. 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.
  92. 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
  93. 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.
  94. Nicotine
    May 1, 2011
    5
    Mass Effect: when X-treme Intergalactic Offroading is your flavor of the month. Mass Effect has a cult following rabidly defending this game with tooth and limb, and for good reason. The storyline becomes epic, the voice acting is stunning, and the sheer scope of the game is awe inspiring. You play as Commander Shepard, a space grunt with a few guns, some nifty tricks and an unwaveringMass Effect: when X-treme Intergalactic Offroading is your flavor of the month. Mass Effect has a cult following rabidly defending this game with tooth and limb, and for good reason. The storyline becomes epic, the voice acting is stunning, and the sheer scope of the game is awe inspiring. You play as Commander Shepard, a space grunt with a few guns, some nifty tricks and an unwavering urge to curbstomp whatever so much looks at him funny. It's an over the shoulder shooter, in which a lion's share of the gameplay involves you blasting your way past waves of enemies to reach an exit to advance the plot. The ability to outfit my weapons to evolve them, which seemed like a good idea at first, ended up becoming a race to see how many damage modifiers I could staple onto my shotgun, regardless of heat generation. A shotgun with enough damage boosters pretty much one-shots 90% of the games enemies. The controls are tight and responsive, regardless of the class you pick, though it bears mentioning that some classes are much more overpowered compared to others. Playing as a Solider class fit my play style best and helped take some of the edge off of the game's difficulty. Shepard's squadmates, the heart and soul of the game, are engaging and can be surprisingly complex if you let them. The main plot is largely linear, with a few branches for you to pick and explore and seventy tons of side quests which serve, largely, as busy work. If you're as obsessive about having a clean mission log as I am, you'll spend hours on the side quests which serve no real purpose in this game, which makes for a very tedious experience. The release of Mass Effect 2 means that the decisions you make in this game carry over, whether through brief cameos or minor storyline changes. If you enjoy ME2, then playing through ME1 exactly how you want is the best way to get the character and events in the second game set up, which means playing all the side missions, and making all the "right" choices. Like most Bioware games, the Karma system is in full swing. You can play as a Renegade, which means you place your own needs, and the needs of Planet Earth, before anything else, or you can play as Paragon where you try to be the nice guy, rewarding people for their trust in you rather than betraying them, and save as many folks, alien or otherwise, as you can. For the more indecisive of us, playing as something the middle is also fully possible. Who you chose to kill and who you chose to save carries over into ME2, resulting in shifts in the storyline reflecting these changes. It's sad to say, but unless you play ME1 to completion and carry over your save file to the new game, your experience in ME2 will be slightly diminished, especially if you enjoy a Paragon route. The graphics were stunning for their time, though they may seem slightly dated by today's standards. I found the main storyline to be rather dull, until the last few sets of missions, where things ramped up resulting in a powerful and breathtaking climax that you take part in. While many folks seem to have taken a shine to ME1's music, most notably those guys from Penny-Arcade, I found the 1980's retro space synths to be dull and repetitive. Speaking of dull and repetitive, the side quests involve you visiting the same half dozen locations, shooting things, hopping back into your tank (called the Mako) and scaling a mountain to reach yet another location. The amount of time you spend in your tank scaling rocks is tiresome and takes away from all the space-badassery. Granted, most of these side quests can be skipped all together, they still could have done a better job varying locations up. If you've been to one transport/abandoned research facility/space mine you've been to them all. Lastly, there is the issue of the alleged romance scene. Let me spoil this for you: it's about as risque as an episode of Family Guy. Fifteen seconds of kissing with a single butt shot left me rather disappointed, considering all the hoopla that was churned up over it. Standing by itself, Mass Effect does many things right, but its repetitive nature dulls much of the excitement. Playing Mass Effect just to set up Mass Effect 2 just the way you want it is akin to pulling teeth. Mass Effect had several moments of clarity and an ending that was supremely satisfying, however the repetitive Mako missions, uninspired action sequences building up to the climax and impotent combat permeating the core the ME experience leaves Mass Effect wanting. Unless you dig the ME lore, you're interested in developing a world different from the default setting in ME2, or if spending hours in a tank trying to navigate impossible mountains is your cup of tea, then skip ME and go right for its superior younger brother: Mass Effect 2.… Expand
  95. PresCthulhu
    Jul 7, 2014
    8
    I still remember fondly of this game as this started the trilogy that is now one of the best rpgs altogether. It was revolutionary back then. I sill remember the bugs, the planet exploration and some of the uninteresting characters though that somewhat detracts from its value (without the nostalgic glasses). There can be no mistakes however: this is a BRILLIANT masterpiece.
  96. JimCorbett
    Jan 27, 2014
    6
    I found Mass Effect to simply be an average game. Though, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt since i never played it when it was originally released. The story was easily the highlight of the game. It's just unfortunate that it was so confusing for the first 5 hours of play. The gameplay is pretty stale, it's imply a cover-based shooter with some magic powers to use as well. ReallyI found Mass Effect to simply be an average game. Though, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt since i never played it when it was originally released. The story was easily the highlight of the game. It's just unfortunate that it was so confusing for the first 5 hours of play. The gameplay is pretty stale, it's imply a cover-based shooter with some magic powers to use as well. Really nothing new there. The vehicle segments are completely boring and i experienced a strange bug where all characters in the game world, friendly and enemy, turned to solid black pixels in several levels. I'm going to attribute that to this being such an old game and not made to run on current hardware. Also in the game there were tons of side missions and other planets to explore but there really wasn't any reason to do so. I never felt i was under-powered as I strictly followed the main quest line. In retrospect, i feel that if i did do all those side missions, then i'd be woefully overpowered for the storyline fights. Mass Effect is full of good ideas, none of which are fleshed out enough to make it a game worth playing unless you are a die-hard Space fan.… Expand
  97. eroeru
    Feb 25, 2017
    3
    Mass Effect effectively killed off a legendary game developing company, by becoming what EA sees and wants to see as a sort of standard or staple in gaming. And it's a streamlined and boring staple at that. I'll allow myself a small rant on ME in general, after seeing what potential Bioware has wasted (played through both Bioware classics and the new, ♥♥♥♥♥♥ games - they don't compare inMass Effect effectively killed off a legendary game developing company, by becoming what EA sees and wants to see as a sort of standard or staple in gaming. And it's a streamlined and boring staple at that. I'll allow myself a small rant on ME in general, after seeing what potential Bioware has wasted (played through both Bioware classics and the new, ♥♥♥♥♥♥ games - they don't compare in quality, the new ones are frankly an insult to a player of expectations over fetch-quests and xeno-sex).

    ME takes away most all player agency, just letting the player click on inconsequential stuff and run through halls, doing tedious tasks, only to shoehorn in some superficial sex scenes with space jocks -and cheerleaders. Characters are not smart (even "scientists" are just appropriated and shallow image of the real thing here, they actually make no sense at all), the plot is not at all plausible nor involving, making the whole thing not believable in any way.

    No need to use logic by the user or find meaning in anything, just need to run through corridors and fantasize over appropriated alien species, buff Mexicans etc. No limited resources, or risk, everything is handed to the player for visual stimuli and the comfort of clicking mindlessly. As long as the player can envision themselves as a stupid yet happy and successful (well-endowed) space-Jesus wannabe without whom everything would be annihilated and whom everyone needs and loves.

    Truth be told, that's the gist of the ME series. Shame they destroyed DA so easily after Origins, just to make all their games "like ME". I'd be surprised if anything half-decent comes from EAoware in the future. Even moreso because ME did not appeal to anyone as a shooter, nor did DA2 or DAI appeal in its gameplay (whilst DA:O did so for many).

    Go play DA:O or the Witcher series instead. Those are games made out of love, not for easy money in the short term granted by appeal to some low low denominators.

    Traditional scoring systems fail here. The game watered down RPGs and expectations for them in general.

    Make it rather a negative five.
    Yet, for many people overall liking it, femshep being decent (though I'd much prefer if we'd play our own story, not hers, via a silent protag whose lines we can actually choose), I will compromise for a 3. : )

    It is a decent even if overdramatized and unoriginal space opera. And more importantly, an original space dating sim. : )    … Expand
  98. theNILE
    Mar 14, 2013
    1
    Catastrophe, linear game-play, the one time you do get a choice in missions, one is ridiculously harder which is pretty much the embodiment of developer idiocy. Weapons are imbalanced and taking the harder route doesn't make the game much more entertaining. The storyline is just pointless, you are up against an unknown enemy and all of your missions are pointless in the end, you just killCatastrophe, linear game-play, the one time you do get a choice in missions, one is ridiculously harder which is pretty much the embodiment of developer idiocy. Weapons are imbalanced and taking the harder route doesn't make the game much more entertaining. The storyline is just pointless, you are up against an unknown enemy and all of your missions are pointless in the end, you just kill your enemy and the game is over, nothing is really answered and you don't feel any satisfaction. Level design is terrible as well. If you enjoy real games with real value, this game is to be avoided. ME is just a game created for visuals and people suck it in.… Expand
  99. ChoicestGames
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    If you're a fan of Bioware RPGs and especially if you're into sci-fi, you won't be disappointed by Mass Effect 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.
  100. AthanasiosT
    Jun 1, 2014
    10
    I just want to raise the game's average. 8.6 is really not representative for Mass Effect. It was an original space-opera RPG, with great decision making and combat. A clear 10 for any RPG fan. So, get in your space buggy and go look for some ore out there...
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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

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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.
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  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.
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