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. Rayken
    Aug 25, 2012
    9
    The beginning of the Mass Effect series, one of the greatest series of this generation. I'll keep this as short as possible. Great story, lots of replayability, great characters, ok exploration missions, decent gameplay and decent graphics for the time.
  2. birdman3
    Dec 11, 2013
    7
    I play this game having been an avid fan of the 2nd and 3rd installments in this trilogy. After having played through both games multiple times, I finally bought this game and played it. This game is much more like KOTOR than it is like Mass Effect 2; the influences of the KOTOR series are clearly evident. The first thing that struck me as odd was the sheer number of items in the game. InI play this game having been an avid fan of the 2nd and 3rd installments in this trilogy. After having played through both games multiple times, I finally bought this game and played it. This game is much more like KOTOR than it is like Mass Effect 2; the influences of the KOTOR series are clearly evident. The first thing that struck me as odd was the sheer number of items in the game. In Mass Effect 2, you handle only so many items (e.g. only a few different SMGs, Pistols, Assault Rifles, and a few sets of armor). In this game, inventory management is a necessity because you pick up items left and right. It's not bad, it's just different. It personally wasn't my thing.

    2nd point- the graphics in this game are quite dated, as is the combat system and AI. The graphics and textures are fuzzy at best, even when played on max settings. The combat system feels much more turn-based, like KOTOR, than free-flow, like Mass Effect 2. The biotic and tech powers don't have the level of depth that is presented in Mass Effect 2, and the weapon systems is very biased. I played as a Sentinel for the first time in my Mass Effect career, and I was mostly unimpressed. At the beginning, when I only had a few tech/biotic powers, battles were very boring because I could only use my abilities once every other battle because of the long cooldown. I relied heavily on my pistol, which was the only weapon I was allowed to use because of my character class. For the rest of the game, the only other weapon I fired was my shotgun on the rare occasion that I felt that it would be useful. This rarely ever happened. Once I leveled up high enough to have multiple powers, I felt unstoppable because I would blow all my cooldowns in every battle and destroy all my enemies. This was more fun, but I was still stuck using a pistol. Finally, the controls (especially while in cover) were very finicky. I found myself rarely ever taking cover, and mostly just ran around with my gun pointed out to shoot down baddies.
    Every thing that this game does right is continued in the future games in the series. Luckily, the things that just stand in the way of fun have been removed.    … Expand
  3. stern
    Dec 8, 2013
    6
    I have played many Bioware games: Baldur's Gate, Kotor, Dragon Age: Origins, Swtor... I came to play Mass Effect a long time after release due to a recent fascination with scifi books and movies, and a sudden free time in my life. So I consider my review somewhat mature and balance, and I'm not a Bioware hater neither a stupid fanboy.
    First, one of the reasons I think so many reviews are    I have played many Bioware games: Baldur's Gate, Kotor, Dragon Age: Origins, Swtor... I came to play Mass Effect a long time after release due to a recent fascination with scifi books and movies, and a sudden free time in my life. So I consider my review somewhat mature and balance, and I'm not a Bioware hater neither a stupid fanboy.
    First, one of the reasons I think so many reviews are high about this game, is because it fills a very empty niche. It's a clear fact that the scifi and space opera themes aren't much represented in the rpgs, and when it comes a game that let's you explore remote planets, imagine humanity future, dwell in galatic politics with different species... Well, this game is going to a thirsty and numerous audience who grew up with Dune, Star Trek, Star wars, etc, and always hoped to experience the same thing in a game.
    And Mass Effect delivers what it promises: it has great concept art, great graphics, a great feel, an eletronic and 80ish soundtrack, an average to good lore... But suffers from the same problems of many others BW games. One wonders how much they spend with writers while the company grows. Is the writing an underfunded sector? Are the writers few? Because their plots, dialogues and (some) characters, are as bland, immature and immerson breaking as one can get. And it's the same old formula of any BW rpg since Kotor, you always have a bulky, angry, agressive companion who worked as a mercenary and who tell plenty of stories of his battles; the protagonist is always a stupid manicheist characte, being either a perfect stupid and law abiding paladin or a ruthless monster who doesn't care about anything at all, withou grey tones between these two poles; the romatic relationships are always dealt with a complete lack of sublety and maturity; etc.
    What actually most surprised (and disappointed) me was to see that Mass Effect main plot is an exact copy of Kotor: an ancient space faring civilization built powerful stuff which is buried in several planets, a villain is after these artifacts and you are in a race against this villain, with all the universe hopes and future on your shoulders, but, ironically, the very own governments and political entities leading this universe you try to save doesn't recognize the threat.
    As you can imagine this leads to very bland experiences where no question is proposed to the player, where no though and conflicting choices need to be made, where you feel sometimes as banging your character head in the floor, only to be able to answer or react to things diffferently. Oh, but if you did that you would be acquiring "evil" points... And after you reach the half of the game, it's basically pure grinding and repetitiveness until reaching the end, and being interesting again. Add this to a worse combat system than Kotor or Dragon Age, where you can even change whom time member you control and this it.
    But Mass Effect isn't only bad points, as I mentioned is amazing to imagine humanity future, colonies in Mars, wars against others species, psionic powers... The Quaranians for example are very interesting and give many food for thought, specially as a reflection of real world politics.
    So, as a tl,dr: Play Mass Effect without expecting too much or a big deviation from your average BW rpg. Just be advised that this isn't like the first Deus Ex and there isn't any mind blowing event or amazing writing, just the overbeated "epic" story of good against the evil.    … Expand
  4. MeritCoba
    Nov 2, 2015
    5
    Games like Mass Effect that are hard to be valued in a single number. Back in the day, 2008, it awed me. It offered the immersion and character building of a roleplay game blended it with the fast paced combat of a shooter. This made the game different from many others and for me a most satisfactorily pastime. But how well does Mass Effect hold up seven years later?

    Most games get old    Games like Mass Effect that are hard to be valued in a single number. Back in the day, 2008, it awed me. It offered the immersion and character building of a roleplay game blended it with the fast paced combat of a shooter. This made the game different from many others and for me a most satisfactorily pastime. But how well does Mass Effect hold up seven years later?

    Most games get old eventually and what used to be interesting features becomes mainstream or redundant. So with the game features getting old the emphasis shifts to things like story telling. Unfortunately Mass Effect isn't well suited for this as its strength was the mix of combat, story telling and exploration. And with both combat and space exploration getting tedious the game is required to limp on the story alone.
    The main weakness of the combat is the enemy. The AI knows three tactics, standing in the open and firing at you, staying in cover and sometimes firing at you, or assaulting you directly. To slightly vary movement there is a sequencer put in which makes it appear as if they move left and right because of smart tactics. Your own team member's AI are even worse and you will find that they often won't advance, get stuck or fire at obstacles instead of enemies.
    Exploration is boring. One part of space exploration consist of flying to planets to look at them. You get a small story and sometimes you survey them. The other part to landing on some planet. For that you use the Mako, which is uber powerful. It has the only cannon that instants hits, while the enemy only shoots rockets and balls of power which take time to travel and do not track so you can move out of the way..
    Another subject is character building. There are only skills to assign. Each class has a fixed set of limited skills.You level often and the story flow is often interrupted while you fix your characters skills before moving on. Halfway through the game the skill point assign becomes pointless as by that time you have maxed out all your important skills.
    Another aspect of the game is finding equipment. You get hundreds of useless weapons, armor, and upgrades that you all have to shift through and you can't sort. At some point you start to dread the crates, containers and lockers because you have to open them all just in case you might find that one thing that is better than what you have. And selling them in a store, far and in between, only gives you a trivial amount of money.

    What is left to discuss is the story. The storyline is the politicians-suck-so-soldiers-have-to-save-the-universe-from-the-bad-guy version with ambassador Udina and the Council of the Galaxy taking the brunt of the scorn. This nonsense will continue throughout the series and it hammers in that politicians are double dealing inept scum, private enterprises are corrupt at best and nefarious at worse and only soldiers, members of a non-democratic authoritarian organisation, can be trusted to do the right thing.
    The main adversary, Saren, is the most interesting character while your main character Shepard is a dullard. A soldier through and through without anything interesting to say. How bland Shepard is can be witnessed whenever Anderson is in the same scene: he just steals every scene.
    The women of the party consists of Ashley, a whiny **** Liara, a bland character, leaving only Tali to offer some personality. The men are better of with the Wrex having the best character related story line that ties in well with the fate of the galaxy and is a shining example of well done story telling. Garrus is another well rounded character. Kaiden is easily forgotten.
    Mass Effect faces the problem is to make you belief that a one single person can make a difference. This results in hilarious inconsistencies. Somehow everyone knows you are a spectre, a highly secretive operative, yet when the plot requires it they don't know. You have a powerful spaceship that is special because it has a cloaking device, but it seems unable to give you air support for most of the time or even to intercept enemy ships. At one point during the game it lands so you can place a nuke, but it can't drop the nuke!
    More inconsistencies. The council doesn't believe anything you say yet they do sent in an infiltration unit to investigate the enemies secret lab. The enemy moves its fleets everywhere, using the Mass Effect relays to attack colonies and planets, even some important ones,but somehow only you can stop them.
    However, the story makes up for all of this at the end when it works towards a climatic end that still is one of the best I have ever seen. When you crash land the Mako through a Mass Effect relay as part off confronting the bad guy Saren, it does what is right. And when you have your final verbal bout with him you realize that it is Saren who dominated this game the whole time and not you. Funny that.    … Expand
  5. whatever523
    Dec 27, 2013
    10
    Mass Effect is one of the best games ever created, it's as simple as that. Story, atmosphere, graphics, music, character development, exploration. Mass Effect has it all.

    This isn't an open world game, it's an open universe game.
  6. m8cct
    Jan 2, 2014
    8
    What Mass Effect lacks in playability, it makes up for with charm. This first Mass Effect is one of the greatest examples of science fiction storytelling in any media, beyond just video games. The setting is astounding, and epic in scope, the characters are deep, and full of life. The Mass Effect universe simply has a way of making you care about it. You're the first human Spectre, flyingWhat Mass Effect lacks in playability, it makes up for with charm. This first Mass Effect is one of the greatest examples of science fiction storytelling in any media, beyond just video games. The setting is astounding, and epic in scope, the characters are deep, and full of life. The Mass Effect universe simply has a way of making you care about it. You're the first human Spectre, flying around the galaxy in the most tricked out ride in Citadel space with a rag-tag alien crew and a mission to save the Milky Way. How could you not be into that?? The mission on Virmire embodies everything that is great about this game: daring adventures, engaging character interactions, and difficult, meaningful decisions.

    But like I said, the game lacks some basic playability and tact. Combat in the first couple levels is choppy and awkward, then hits a sweet spot somewhere around Feros or Noveria, but by the end, is all just a little TOO easy. Cinematic sequences followed by tough fight scenes don't have save points in between, so prepare to see the same cut-scene over and over again. The inventory system may be a bit too much, and while it's nice to have companions on missions, functionally, they are little more than cannon fodder. Conversations with squad mates between missions tend to drag a lot, and, speaking of dragging, how about those elevator rides?

    Regardless of the kinks, this game is a must play for any video game enthusiast.    … Expand
  7. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    8
    I purchased this game in 2012 and spent few days playing it almost non-stop. Very well made, well written and hell lot of fun. There is was a potential for more, here I mean exploring the planets. The game could have been slightly more open. Another downside for me was the character creation, notably the lack of options. It could have been bigger. Also the ui seemd somewhat unfriendly, butI purchased this game in 2012 and spent few days playing it almost non-stop. Very well made, well written and hell lot of fun. There is was a potential for more, here I mean exploring the planets. The game could have been slightly more open. Another downside for me was the character creation, notably the lack of options. It could have been bigger. Also the ui seemd somewhat unfriendly, but that's just me I guess. Overall, excelent game.… Expand
  8. DegenCutter
    Jun 17, 2015
    9
    A great game that introduced the world to a fascinating new science fiction setting, Mass Effect was a triumphant game for Bioware. The shooter mechanics were unfortunately a slight bit rough and would subsequently be improved in both Mass Effect 2 and 3, but there is an indelible charm to the first Mass Effect game and I still have nostalgia for the first time I discovered the wonderfulA great game that introduced the world to a fascinating new science fiction setting, Mass Effect was a triumphant game for Bioware. The shooter mechanics were unfortunately a slight bit rough and would subsequently be improved in both Mass Effect 2 and 3, but there is an indelible charm to the first Mass Effect game and I still have nostalgia for the first time I discovered the wonderful setting and was introduced to some of the great characters like Wrex, Tali, Liara, and Garrus.… Expand
  9. Hack
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    I'd say the game holds up surprisingly well given its age, far better than most games from that time period. Visually it's a mixed bag, with some textures and models looking damn good for the time and others looking really bad, quite an inconsistent presentation overall I'd say. The audio was good, some great music coupled with solid voice acting for the most part, there were some reallyI'd say the game holds up surprisingly well given its age, far better than most games from that time period. Visually it's a mixed bag, with some textures and models looking damn good for the time and others looking really bad, quite an inconsistent presentation overall I'd say. The audio was good, some great music coupled with solid voice acting for the most part, there were some really noticeable poor jobs though, male Shepard was so bad I had to switch to female, and I also thought Kaidan Alenko was poorly voiced. Gameplay was OK but I'd say this is where most of the issues were, the biggest being the woeful AI, enemies would often stand in the open not firing or hide behind cover permanently, never making an attempt to attack or find a better position, your own squad would constantly try to shoot hidden enemies through walls and pillars etc, it was just poor in every way. Another sore spot was the Mako, driving that thing was not fun at all because it handled so poorly, you'd hit a pebble in the road and end up doing a 4 flip somersault, I really hope this is tightened up in the next game. Those were the biggest gameplay issues but I also feel the cover system could be better, it got me killed a couple of times and I wasn't a fan of the planet map system, it felt slow and clunky navigate. The last issue I had was the head bob/camera shake when sprinting, it actually made me feel nauseous so I spent most of the game jogging instead.

    The story is a huge part of any RPG and it was good, well told and interesting and I felt it really picked up in the last couple of hours, the ending was satisfying and I even got some chills from the final scenes. I like how there were some tough decisions throughout the game that had a major impact on the story. I feel they ended the first game well and it makes me want to jump straight into the sequel.

    Overall a solid first entry with plenty of room for improvement, Mass Effect 2 is downloading now and I'll get into it very soon, I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements they made, it's not often you get to try the sequel straight after the original so the changes/fixes should be very apparent.    … Expand
  10. escograu
    Dec 13, 2015
    2
    AI of your teamates and fight is really awful, REALLY AWFUL. Story probably was written in 1-2 nights, cuz is completely not interesting and short like a chinese dick. Story seems like from some old, sci-fi book which costs 1$ and nobody knows that it is even exists.
  11. Witcharob
    May 20, 2014
    9
    Cons:
    Pacing can be slow at times, programming is not as good as it is on the sequels, EA published.

    Pros:
    Great characters, great story, nice decision system, fun gameplay, immersive atmosphere, great sci-fi universe, real RPG feel, politically charged & nice classes to choose from.
  12. ShawnD
    Jan 9, 2018
    6
    Great ideas ruined by terrible controls.

    It's hard to describe how awful the controls are in this game. Here's a sequence of events you will encounter dozens or possibly hundreds of times throughout the game. 1 - Holding the right moust button to aim. So far so good. 2 - Walking while aiming. Still good. 3 - Get too close to a wall or something while walking. 4 - Shepard stops    Great ideas ruined by terrible controls.

    It's hard to describe how awful the controls are in this game. Here's a sequence of events you will encounter dozens or possibly hundreds of times throughout the game.
    1 - Holding the right moust button to aim. So far so good.
    2 - Walking while aiming. Still good.
    3 - Get too close to a wall or something while walking.
    4 - Shepard stops aiming, puts his gun down, turns his back to the wall, and leaves his head completely exposed to enemy fire.
    5 - Shepard dies from a shot to the back of the head.
    6 - Reload the game and experience the exact same thing on a different wall or a different piece of furniture.

    If Bioware wanted the game to be impossibly difficult, why didn't they just make the enemies harder to hit? Or make them do more damage? Giving me good equipment but terrible controls is probably the worst design choice possible. Mass Effect easily rivals the NES Castlevania games for worst controls in video game history.

    I should have known something was screwy when I noticed options for auto aim in a PC game. That's when the developers know the game is completely broken. They know the game hates you and doesn't want you to aim at anything, so they try to balance it out by adding auto aim instead of just fixing the damn controls.    … Expand
  13. godunow
    Mar 22, 2016
    5
    Very mediocre, boring game.

    Great production values - animations, voice acting - but the story is really lame and shooter gameplay bored me to death.
  14. Shmorgan
    Mar 20, 2017
    4
    Mass Effect is one my favorite games. Fantastic writing and gameplay.

    Pros + Storytelling + World + The way looting is done in this game is fun. + Planets that are big to explore and the planets are even big enough that you get a vehicle you can drive to explore the planets. Cons - Dialogue wheel, I prefer to see texts in sentences to select. - The item management    Mass Effect is one my favorite games. Fantastic writing and gameplay.

    Pros

    + Storytelling

    + World

    + The way looting is done in this game is fun.

    + Planets that are big to explore and the planets are even big enough that you get a vehicle you can drive to explore the planets.

    Cons

    - Dialogue wheel, I prefer to see texts in sentences to select.

    - The item management in your inventory is a bit terrible.

    - Gunplay is not that good, combat engagement seems stiff.    … Expand
  15. 345Y
    Aug 22, 2016
    6
    Bought this game on Steam-Sale. Played ME first time and finished ME1 under 10 hours. The game is not bad, but also not as good as its hyped. The story, though, is nice. But compared to other games its not that good. Still I'm going to play ME2. All in all its an O.K. game, but there are far better ones, but also far worse ones.
  16. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    8
    2/18/2012: Mass Effect is not a perfect game. It is plagued with bugs and inane design decisions, and yeah, Mark Meer's performance isn't exactly stellar. But there is a good thing about it for every bad thing, and unlike say, Dragon Age: Origins, It didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth at the end. It's a fun trip back to the days of pulp Sci-Fi, and bears as much in common with Star Wars2/18/2012: Mass Effect is not a perfect game. It is plagued with bugs and inane design decisions, and yeah, Mark Meer's performance isn't exactly stellar. But there is a good thing about it for every bad thing, and unlike say, Dragon Age: Origins, It didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth at the end. It's a fun trip back to the days of pulp Sci-Fi, and bears as much in common with Star Wars as it does with the new Battlestar Galactica. I much prefer action RPGs to traditional ones, but ME1 is so clunky it might as well be the latter. The inventory system is utter garbage, and there are a few too many featureless planets with inconsequential battles to fight and wreckage to salvage. I for one LOVE the Mako, one of the most-hated elements of this game. Still, I forgot a lot of the game's problems during fights and especially during dialogue. A word of warning: The first time through this version of the game, it crashed on me constantly.… Expand
  17. Cuervo_Funebre
    Mar 18, 2017
    7
    Si hablamos del argumento, es de sobresaliente. Tenemos un villano con bastante profundidad y una amenaza que supera por mucho lo que la comandante Shepard habría podido esperar. Pero por mucho.
    La trama avanza de forma ágil y bien construida que favorece la inmersión.
    Sus personajes, empezando por la mismísima Shepard, se sienten como personas reales, rozando lo cinematográfico. Ese es    Si hablamos del argumento, es de sobresaliente. Tenemos un villano con bastante profundidad y una amenaza que supera por mucho lo que la comandante Shepard habría podido esperar. Pero por mucho.
    La trama avanza de forma ágil y bien construida que favorece la inmersión.
    Sus personajes, empezando por la mismísima Shepard, se sienten como personas reales, rozando lo cinematográfico. Ese es el gran punto fuerte y el sello de identidad de Bioware.
    Y bueno, el enfrentamiento final es de 10.

    Hasta aquí todo lo bueno que puedo decir. Mientras resalta por su argumento, todo lo demás lo convierte en un suplicio rejugable para mí. La novedad de la primera vez empañó todo esto y me impidió centrarme en muchos aspectos flojos del juego.
    El sistema de combate es imperfecto y molesto en su mejor momento y desastroso en el peor. Aunque claro, esto puede variar según el estilo de juego de cada uno, claro. Como soldado fue horrible. Una experiencia de una y no más.
    La introducción de tus compañeros de equipo es contrainmersiva ya que está claro quiénes van a ser mucho antes de serlo. Es del tipo "cientos de krogan sin nombre y justo uno con nombre y algo de narrativa. Mmm, seguro que será el krogan 35". Eso con todos los compañeros, siendo quizá Liara la única medianamente bien introducida, por obvias razones ya que la intención del estudio se huele de lejos.
    Pero lo más desilusionante es la capacidad de explorar decenas de planetas idénticos que sólo cambian en la paleta de colores que usa y en los coleccionables que contienen. Al menos conducir el Mako me resultaba entretenido.

    Es un gran juego, no me entendáis mal, pero no soporta que lo vuelva a jugar. En PC es cuanto menos mejorable.

    Pros:
    -El worldbuilding es impresionante.
    -El desarrollo de personajes y su profundidad.
    -El argumento bien trabajado.

    Contras:
    -El sistema de combate sin pulir.
    -La exploración vacía.
    -Los bugs.    … Expand
  18. Kulac
    Apr 4, 2017
    7
    Not so interesting as next parts of Mass Effect but it is beginning of great universe. Very boring and monotonous side missions, dead planets and bland characters. Nevertheless, a strong storyline and good graphics, music, and good lore doing their job
  19. Trenos
    Nov 29, 2017
    7
    The beginning of epic trilogy,..... hasn't aged too well. Still great story, soundtrack and characters but very bad game-play and terrible side-quests. Still, it is worth playing!
  20. yota71
    Jan 10, 2020
    6
    Maybe in the 2007 this was a good game, but i have played it in the 2016 and let me say this game hasn't aged well, a pretty **** AI, companion that are blocked behind a wall, incapable to escape from an elevator and so on and so on, ME2 is a way much better
  21. Wineneeder
    Sep 30, 2019
    1
    This is the effing game everyone liked in 2007? It looks like **** for the time, the textures are that xbox 360 low res crap and the gameplay is horrible. No wonder RPGs are all horrible now.
  22. EptaEpt
    Sep 13, 2022
    1
    Sorry, but positive feedback is not available in your region. At least until your leadership changes the two-faced policy in their actions and statements.
  23. escknx
    Mar 20, 2020
    9
    Very good even by 2020 standards. Not as good as ME2, shooting mechanic is the weakest part, but manageable. Plot is thick and tenable.
  24. MillersWeeb
    Nov 16, 2018
    4
    Игра полно говно. Герой чурбан, единственное что норм, это азари. Выбора нет.
  25. MadnessisRising
    Mar 6, 2019
    8
    When it comes to gaming the Mass Effect-Trilogy is the best what you can get! It has by far the best character's, a giant and fantastic universe you can't even imagine and one of the best story in a game ever! 8 / 10 because the game play is actually really bad compared to the second and third, but maybe this is a personal preference.
  26. AlexeySoltan
    Nov 6, 2021
    10
    i hated space setting until i played this game. masterpiece .
  27. kevin32
    Oct 28, 2020
    7
    It's all for ME2 and ME3 but it's quite enought, too. why jane CAN'T romance with Ashley?
  28. AgentLvi
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    Great game. The story is decent. The scoring is great, visual is really amazing, the voice & sound is also amazing
  29. MarkG
    Oct 30, 2008
    8
    If you're a fan of Bioware RPGs and especially if you're into sci-fi, you won't be disappointed by this most recent release if you overlook the few minor UI quirks - however, those against draconian DRMs, who like to feel that they actually own the game or tend to like a bit of variety in their side quests, may have to look elsewhere.
  30. M.A.
    Oct 28, 2008
    9
    Fantastic game, glued me to the screen for quite a bit. graphically brilliant (the newest unreal engine still has me in awe), acting absolutly fantastic. some of the missions do get a bit repetitive, but you don't have to do them, so their only a problem if you're one of those i've-gotta-do-all-the-quests types (like me)
  31. GenevieveF.
    Jun 2, 2008
    9
    How to describe how fantastic this game is in just one paragraph? I probably wont be able to, so heres the jist of it. -The graphics are amazing. Not perfect and there are certain times where I wonder if it will crash when it pauses for a bit, but its still, just utterly breathtaking. -Conversations are smoother this time around. It feels like i'm actually speaking to someone instead How to describe how fantastic this game is in just one paragraph? I probably wont be able to, so heres the jist of it. -The graphics are amazing. Not perfect and there are certain times where I wonder if it will crash when it pauses for a bit, but its still, just utterly breathtaking. -Conversations are smoother this time around. It feels like i'm actually speaking to someone instead of standing there like a dolt without saying a word until 3 minutes later. If I were talking to somone who took 3 minutes to respond, I would've ditched them already. -Its not strictly black and white when it comes to choices. You actually have to be able to make decisions based on logic or preference or how you deem your character would react. You can be both Paragon or Renegade to a certain extent on the meters. Neither decreases the points of the other. -The abilities and weapons are great. Being able to throw people out floating in thin air or warping their insides is more satisfying than just running up to an NPC with horrible AI and shooting their face off. -Customization of your own character is endless. Not the depth of Oblivion(Which drove me nuts, took me at least 3 hours to make a perfect face) but enough to make your character truly unique. What I loved the most was the makeup and the scars you could put on her face. (Never really created a male shep before but have tried). -Main missions are interesting and well designed. I guess the only downside would be that they are so awesome that the next time I replay this game i'd probably skip all the side quests and go for the main plot everytime. -The other characters are neat and have the funniest lines! Even just an NPC that you would encounter somewhere could hold the wittiest banter you could ever hear in a game. Most of them don't all look the same and the gestures aren't overly repetitive. -The music is epic. Not much else to say about it. Its not cheesy and portrays the events hapening or about to come perfectly. -Environments for the main missions are spectacular. It went from caveish, to ruiny, to snowy and then tropical. I looked forward to the next one everytime. -Controls are easy to learn and combat situations require some degree of thought before entering. Can't just charge and blast anymore, have to know what weapon to use, who to use and what to do tactically. A few complaints that make this game a 9 for me: -The side quests. At first, I thought some of them were cool, but after a while they got repetitive. Each side quest planet had things to collect and seemed very bare. I understand they were considered poorly populated worlds, but couldn't we see where the Turians or Volus live for example? Just a little peek? -More interaction between companions. I mean, they did talk to each other once in a while and I did get the sence that(for example, Kaidon and Ashley talked to each other like they were old pals) but what about the others? Need some arguments or some jokes, something so that you know they acknowledge each other as more than a face they see every 4 days. -The option to turn on your companions in the end. I wouldn't pick it on my first playthrough, but it would be nice if it was there for my second. A renegage would most likely abandon their friends and go where the money or the power takes them. Other than that, this is a revolutionary RPG/Action game. I'm looking forward to playing through it and getting a couple of the acheivements in there. Can't wait for ME2!… Expand
  32. SeanB
    Jun 26, 2008
    9
    Mass Effect is a great game, and it does not suffer from "consolitis" as someone else claimed except in the interface menus, which could have been done better. The controls feel responsive, and have been optimized for the PC (along with better squad control and number bound quickslots). The story is amazing, and the fictional universe is on par with Star Wars. Character customization is Mass Effect is a great game, and it does not suffer from "consolitis" as someone else claimed except in the interface menus, which could have been done better. The controls feel responsive, and have been optimized for the PC (along with better squad control and number bound quickslots). The story is amazing, and the fictional universe is on par with Star Wars. Character customization is quite in depth...I was actually able to create a character that looked somewhat like me in real life. You can play it with a run and gun style, or take on more of a support role and use some tactics. Most of the characters on your team are unforgettable, and I cared about what happened to them. I want to play through the game again already and its only been about a month since I finished it. The graphics are good, amazing even at some locations, and you'll be able to bump the resolution even higher than the console version if you have a powerful PC. However, there are some negatives. I had trouble getting the game to start on my PC. I have Vista 32-bit,and I was able to fix this issue by setting the game to "Always run as administrator". The game tends to crash once every few hours. The worst issue by far, however, is the buy/sell menu. You'll automatically be picking up lots of items, and you can only hold up to 150. Trips to vendors will probably be frequent. When you go to the sell menu, all you get is a completely disorganized list of ALL your items and you can only see around 10 on a single page if I'm remembering correctly. This results in a huge time sink as you go down the list, figuring out what you want to let go of and what you want to keep. I've spent over half an hour in a single selling session, but that probably has a lot to do with my play style. Anyway, the pros of Mass Effect outweigh the cons, and you should definitely pick this up if you have a decent PC and you haven't played the console version already.… Expand
  33. ZO
    Jun 2, 2008
    8
    Not bad, but not really that great either. I found myself enjoying The Witcher much more, and ME seems kind of bland and shallow and the story is your typical cookie-cutter Bioware stuff (i.e. VERY predictable). Still, it's worth a playthrough atleast and would still recommend it.
  34. JoeA.
    Aug 7, 2008
    10
    I found this to be one of the best PC games to come out in a long time. Certainly the best since Oblivion came out in 2006. It plays like an epic movie with a great story. I finished my first play through in 41 hours and could easily have stretched it to 50-55 if I wanted to do all the side quests and explore every system. The combat is great, reminds me of Kotor in many ways. I thought I found this to be one of the best PC games to come out in a long time. Certainly the best since Oblivion came out in 2006. It plays like an epic movie with a great story. I finished my first play through in 41 hours and could easily have stretched it to 50-55 if I wanted to do all the side quests and explore every system. The combat is great, reminds me of Kotor in many ways. I thought it was great they had all dialogue voiced. It really added to immersion and that "movie" feeling. There is lots of re playability in there as different classes can play very differently and its worth it at least once to play though as a bad guy if you, like most, went though your first time as a good guy. Or to explore more and do missed side quests. Best game of 2008 imo for the PC. Unlike many ports, this one was well done. It plays fantastic on the PC with a good UI overall.… Expand
  35. fuwaneko
    Jan 2, 2010
    9
    Very good CRPG, absolutely one of the best. Good action, clean and easy mechanics, interesting characters. However, there are 2 problems: too much of chit-chatting and disbalance in classes. E.g. adept is weakest of all. Hope ME2 will have more battles, less talking and good balance.
  36. SimonO.
    Oct 5, 2008
    10
    Oh my god, I haven't had this much fun with a game in many years! It is simply captivating and breathtaking. When I browse about on the surface of a new planet I just love the vista of a huge red dwarf (slowly dying star) on the hemisphere, simply magical. I will never see other planets and outer space, and this is as close as I will ever get to being the space-crusader that I was Oh my god, I haven't had this much fun with a game in many years! It is simply captivating and breathtaking. When I browse about on the surface of a new planet I just love the vista of a huge red dwarf (slowly dying star) on the hemisphere, simply magical. I will never see other planets and outer space, and this is as close as I will ever get to being the space-crusader that I was destined to be, albeit being born in the information age and not the faster than light-space age! The story is captivating and intelligent, the interaction with non-player characters is good and varied: I was shocked when suddenly I had killed this guy just because I said "off him" which was meant for fun, not in all seriousness haha. I love it. Best game for me and beats anything else e.g. Oblivion, HL2 and Crysis, bearing in mind that it is NOT a shooter, but a great movie with you as the main character… Expand
  37. Daniel
    Jun 13, 2008
    10
    This game is awesome. Yes, there are some bugs, some of which do cause crashes, but none of which are very serious at all. Also, to J.N. and to all of you who are having trouble with instability, you should probably just update your drivers. I had some very annoying instability to begin with, but when I updated my drivers for my 8600GT, I no longer had any instability, and was able to run This game is awesome. Yes, there are some bugs, some of which do cause crashes, but none of which are very serious at all. Also, to J.N. and to all of you who are having trouble with instability, you should probably just update your drivers. I had some very annoying instability to begin with, but when I updated my drivers for my 8600GT, I no longer had any instability, and was able to run the game on max stats (2.13 Core 2 Duo, 2GB G. Skill RAM, nVidia 8600GT; pretty low). Also, to the SecuROM alarmists, including our good friend Stephen Y., SecuROM is honestly not that bad. I have Daemon Tools and run Daemon while running Mass Effect, and have no problems. The servers are honestly never down. I have played the game for about 60 hrs and have never had a startup issue. About the three activations issue, I'll admit that I'm a little annoyed myself, but how many are you really going to need? This game is too awesome to uninstall, so that's not an issue, and even if you do heavily modify your computer all the time (most sane people will not heavily modify their computer more than once every twenty-four months), EA will still probably give you more activations. Contrary to popular gamer sentiment, EA is NOT the evil empire of profit-driven game making (yes, they are profit-driven, but so are all commercial companies, even the saint of the gaming world, Blizzard herself). EA makes and publishes some damn good games, thank you very much. Also, back on the point, though it is a difficult and challenging process, you can remove SecuRom. In fact, I have done so just to see if I COULD do it. It took me about three hours, but I managed. And, finally, to Stephen down there, if your vaunted principles prevent you from buying a game, of all things (I can see where you'd boycott Nike for sweatshops, but Mass Effect because of SecuROM is stupid), you, my friend, take yourself far too seriously. And finally, (I promise to shut up in just a second), please, PLEASE, do not blame BioWare for SecuROM. It was EA's decision, and theirs alone. Please, for your own sake, buy this game and enjoy the fantastic blend of Diablo 2, Call of Duty, Star Wars, and Starship Troopers that is my beloved Mass Effect. This is Walter Cronkite, and that's the way it is.… Expand
  38. TarmoS.
    Jun 20, 2008
    10
    A Grand space-opera RPG masterpiece with breathtaking attention to detail and massive amounts of well thought out content and narrative.
  39. CoreyG.
    Jun 3, 2008
    9
    Very good game, has held me entranced when I normally can't make it more than an hour into an RPG. Has some technical flaws though or otherwise I'd rate it a 10. I've gotten stuck a couple times, once in an elevator and once talking to someone where I gave it a command to do something but it then got stuck mid-command and I had to go back to my last save. Also has serious Very good game, has held me entranced when I normally can't make it more than an hour into an RPG. Has some technical flaws though or otherwise I'd rate it a 10. I've gotten stuck a couple times, once in an elevator and once talking to someone where I gave it a command to do something but it then got stuck mid-command and I had to go back to my last save. Also has serious issues with SLi in specific areas of the game, but otherwise runs fine.… Expand
  40. JohnS
    Jun 9, 2008
    10
    Oh my god, people! I'll start off saying I'm giving this a 10, not because it's as perfect as it could be, but as perfect as to what you can do with available technology and the resources invested into creating this game. If you're not going to utilize the purpose of a 1-10 scale, you're kidding yourself if anything could match up to this marvel. This is just a Oh my god, people! I'll start off saying I'm giving this a 10, not because it's as perfect as it could be, but as perfect as to what you can do with available technology and the resources invested into creating this game. If you're not going to utilize the purpose of a 1-10 scale, you're kidding yourself if anything could match up to this marvel. This is just a phenomenal sci-fi RPG that is remarkably entertaining throughout both the main and side-quest storyline. The reevaluated "good/bad" morality axis, from Bioware's past KotOR game, made for a huge killing of time throughout multiple play-throughs and the choices were satisfyingly thorough. This is what I buy games for; replayability is a key assessment to determine which games are worthy to their design. If you're easily enthralled while watching a good drama, you would hit a whole new realm of emotion due to the depth shown in the characters. I really can't summarize this movie in a short manner, probably because I'm busy dreaming about playing it again haha. I did happen to crash a couple (pretty much just 2) times while playing, however, I was in the habit of saving every couple minutes simply by using the F6 key. These crashes are practically impossible to defend against and isn't at all Bioware's fault for handling operating system faults. I'm assuming any other technical issue people are experiencing are associated with old hardware.… Expand
  41. VinceB
    Jul 1, 2008
    9
    Good replay value due to the nature of the storyboard design and 'moral' compass. However, this game would have scored a 10 if it wasn't so unstable, and my computer has a lot of good hardware. As previous comments pointed out: textures can take awhile to load, fps drops, and sometimes when fumbling through the menu's and gui the mouse cursor disappears and you're Good replay value due to the nature of the storyboard design and 'moral' compass. However, this game would have scored a 10 if it wasn't so unstable, and my computer has a lot of good hardware. As previous comments pointed out: textures can take awhile to load, fps drops, and sometimes when fumbling through the menu's and gui the mouse cursor disappears and you're unable to move at all during game play! Perhaps this maybe fix in the a future patch, but as it stands right now the game is pretty solid despite this.… Expand
  42. PeterK
    Jul 18, 2008
    9
    If you like this style of RPG-lite (think Knights of the Old Republic, by the same guys), then you might just find this to be the best game you ever played. The story is phenomenal. The voice acting is wonderful. The universe building is top notch. The flaw that makes it a nine instead of a ten are the repetitive side missions. The planets all look very similar and the builds are all If you like this style of RPG-lite (think Knights of the Old Republic, by the same guys), then you might just find this to be the best game you ever played. The story is phenomenal. The voice acting is wonderful. The universe building is top notch. The flaw that makes it a nine instead of a ten are the repetitive side missions. The planets all look very similar and the builds are all built from a very small number of templates. The good news is that you don't have to do any of the quests, but, still, a little more attention to this part of the game could have made it spectacular. Regardless, it is well worth the purchase.… Expand
  43. AndrewA.
    Jul 20, 2008
    9
    Not a ten due to graphics issues.
  44. NeilJ.
    Jul 7, 2008
    7
    The conversation trees/voiceover/storytelling and the cinematography/cutscenes are excellent, maybe the best in any game ever. Some of the music is fabulous. The sound is good. The character art is spectacular. Everything else in Mass Effect is limited and substandard. The single main quest line is incredibly short; map design is a rudimentary rail-ride of long hallways and stairwells The conversation trees/voiceover/storytelling and the cinematography/cutscenes are excellent, maybe the best in any game ever. Some of the music is fabulous. The sound is good. The character art is spectacular. Everything else in Mass Effect is limited and substandard. The single main quest line is incredibly short; map design is a rudimentary rail-ride of long hallways and stairwells filled with boxes so that the cover system can work; the combat is wonky; the side missions are a boring, bare, repetitive steppinfetchit 360-accomplishment-geared affair, where 'replay value' is based on how much time you can waste collecting crap (this is 'content'?); the vehicle sequences-- bigger, longer hallways-- are pure garbage and nothing more than padding. As another review said, "Mass Effect is a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with a bland RPG." I agree with the first two. It's a bland shooter mixed with a bland driving game mixed with an incredibly sophisticated and polished, but ridiculously short and content-limited, RPG.… Expand
  45. MaartenV.
    Aug 11, 2008
    10
    I don't know were to start. First off, the graphics are ace. The animations look natural enough and the texturing is very neat. The story is just pure joy, especially the final part. The cinematic make it feel like watching a good sc-fi movie, a really good one in fact. The gameplay is easy to learn and straightforward, enough explanation given. This is one of the games that keep you I don't know were to start. First off, the graphics are ace. The animations look natural enough and the texturing is very neat. The story is just pure joy, especially the final part. The cinematic make it feel like watching a good sc-fi movie, a really good one in fact. The gameplay is easy to learn and straightforward, enough explanation given. This is one of the games that keep you hooked all the time! ive got 50 hours of gameplay already and I'm not done yet! For me this is by FAR the best RPG ever made. good job Bioware!!… Expand
  46. MatthewB.
    Sep 5, 2008
    8
    This is a fun game for sure but I don't think it's THAT great. It's really a very similar game to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, though it lacks the same compelling story line. Still, it's a worthwhile play if you're looking for an action oriented RPG.
  47. AbhijeetM
    Nov 6, 2009
    7
    Mass Effect's a good game. But certainly not good enough to deserve a 100. The gameplay is interesting enough, but all the guns feel the same after a while, and the sidequests are the most unimaginative in RPG history. Story is amazing, with the new dialogue system giving it a cinematic feel, with scenes flowing continuously. The voice acting, however, is standard. Not as good as the Mass Effect's a good game. But certainly not good enough to deserve a 100. The gameplay is interesting enough, but all the guns feel the same after a while, and the sidequests are the most unimaginative in RPG history. Story is amazing, with the new dialogue system giving it a cinematic feel, with scenes flowing continuously. The voice acting, however, is standard. Not as good as the reviewers are saying it to be. Commander Shephard voices most lines pretty monotonously. Get it if you're an RPG fan, looking for a good story, but at the same time, looking for an FPS view.… Expand
  48. MikeO
    May 29, 2009
    10
    I just finished playing through Mass Effect for the first time. It's one of the best games I've ever played. I beat it in 30 hours but I know there was more to do and accomplish. It seemed as though every 5 minutes I was being amazed either by the Sci-fi and science literacy, Amazing visuals, gameplay options and features or story elements. (Those visuals are very intensive on I just finished playing through Mass Effect for the first time. It's one of the best games I've ever played. I beat it in 30 hours but I know there was more to do and accomplish. It seemed as though every 5 minutes I was being amazed either by the Sci-fi and science literacy, Amazing visuals, gameplay options and features or story elements. (Those visuals are very intensive on CPU and GPU cores, my system wasn't affected by any slowdown, crashing or DRM issues I did buy it on Steam however, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.) I can't think of a game that last made me care about the personalities, interests and goals of npc characters in same way as this game has. Each of the characters has a very specific and unique storyline, each one has their own motives in certain situations which impact how a mission or the whole storyline will eventually come to a close. The science fiction in this game as a whole is far from soft; they explain practically every piece of relevant technology in the game, and many of them are theories that already exist in science now or modified from excellent science fiction writers like Poul Anderson, Issac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and many others. The voice acting is fantastic, they got several well known actors (especially in sci-fi) to play major characters as well as having at least 40 other voice actors filling in the rest of the minor characters. The game also really puts you into the position of the main character, you have many, many difficult decisions to make regarding your morality and eventual path in the story as well as how every other character will react to you in the game, The RPG element is very powerful in this game yet it remains simple, it never overpowers the action or strategic elements either, a fault many in the same genre fall to. I've seen elements in this game that when I last saw them were expressed only in the most hardcore, ambitious sci-fi games 20 years old by now, but brilliant, engaging games, Starflight, Tau Ceti and Nomad to name a few. Yes, this game reminds of some of the first and best PC games about space flight in a sci-fi setting. All of this comes together to be one of if not the most immersive Action/RPG games ever made.… Expand
  49. BarneeB
    Jul 12, 2009
    10
    The pc version is even better than, the x360! The combat interface has been improved, and although the visuals are stunning, it runs great on a mid-class pc (athlon x2 6000+, 2 gb ram, 8800 gts 512). The only problem I had with the game was, that during conversations, between each sentence, the character animation is a bit blocky. This is probably the only game I would give a 11 if it was The pc version is even better than, the x360! The combat interface has been improved, and although the visuals are stunning, it runs great on a mid-class pc (athlon x2 6000+, 2 gb ram, 8800 gts 512). The only problem I had with the game was, that during conversations, between each sentence, the character animation is a bit blocky. This is probably the only game I would give a 11 if it was possibble. I find it not just the best rpg, but simply the BEST GAME OF THIS GENERATION. I've never been shocked like this before by a game. Of course you can't directly compare older and newer games. It is even better than Kotor, which is saying something! The story is excellent! Production values are amazingly high! The attention to the smallest details is evident everywhere! There's so much content in the game that it blew me away. Graphics, music and voice-over is also top notch. There are some minor technical issues like occasional slowdowns, but they never break the game so it's probably doesn't even worth mentioning. Combat is also done very well, I enjoyed the game playing as a soldier the most, it became practically a shooter with RPG elements, and for me it is the best combination. The new conversation system works very well, it's hard to go back to the traditional one, found in other RPGs. Do yourself a favour and buy this game, even if you are mildly interested in scifi, shooter or RPGs!… Expand
  50. JohnR
    Jan 11, 2010
    7
    If Mass Effect supported the use of a wireless 360 controller, and if the player could jump, then it would be an awesome game. Graphics, sound, animation, voice acting, and story are all top notch.
  51. MarkW
    Jan 23, 2010
    10
    Excellent Game brilliant story, fantastic gameplay just installing the 2nd one now :D
  52. AndyP.
    Jan 30, 2010
    10
    Simply an awesome game,with memorable charachters and great story. Yeah the gameplay is not perfect,gameplay i would give a 7.5,but i have to give the game as a whole a 10.
  53. IanB.
    Nov 5, 2008
    10
    Iâ??ve just finished the PC Version, after having play the 360 version through a couple of times a while back. And I must say, I am still gripped by the storyline, I am still emotionally attached to the characters, even the ones I didnâ??t use the first couple of times through. I enjoy the subtle mix of action, threaded with story, smothered in Sci Fi credibility. Everytime I Iâ??ve just finished the PC Version, after having play the 360 version through a couple of times a while back. And I must say, I am still gripped by the storyline, I am still emotionally attached to the characters, even the ones I didnâ??t use the first couple of times through. I enjoy the subtle mix of action, threaded with story, smothered in Sci Fi credibility. Everytime I play it through, I find out and discover things I missed the other times through. I have read both novels, and they flesh out the interest in the Universe very wellâ?¦ with the prequel giving us huge swathes of background to the main game arc, and the second novel giving us key insights into cultures only touched upon in the game. There is no better example of a total experience than Mass Effect, it delivers in terms of cinematic thrust, it supplies you with a credible fascinating Universe to explore, and it also lets you walk your own destiny through the main storyline. The visuals, the music, the tactical action, the look and the feel all coax you into this world, a world where you can make a difference, a world where you can BE THE HERO, and watch the compelling story play out. Explore it many times, only slightly differently, with a new lead.. I mean what other Sci Fi experience gives you that? For me, its bigger than Star Wars. For me, its richer than Star Trek, more involved, more credible, less tacky. I am totally sold on the concept, and essentially youâ??ve provided a game Iâ??ve always hankered after since I was a star gazing child. The dulcit haunting tones of the Sovereign finding a resonating set of harmonics with my own vibration. Please continue with good work, and deliver us unto Mass Effect 2 with more expansion on the Universe and its inhabitants and the ability to participate in something so tangible and epic at the same time. All kudos to you.… Expand
  54. Ralphw.
    Oct 31, 2008
    10
    This is in my top 5 RPG games of all time. It was absolutely captivating. The twists and turns the moral decision you have to make. The more adult themes in this game just make a well rounded engaging story. This could easily be turned into a couple of hollywood blockbuster movies. I was riveted from start to finish. I cannot think of any major issues I had with this game. Some aspects of This is in my top 5 RPG games of all time. It was absolutely captivating. The twists and turns the moral decision you have to make. The more adult themes in this game just make a well rounded engaging story. This could easily be turned into a couple of hollywood blockbuster movies. I was riveted from start to finish. I cannot think of any major issues I had with this game. Some aspects of the inventory could have been streamlined and the bioitics were a little cumbersome.… Expand
  55. JB.
    May 19, 2008
    10
    Superb game. Every element is seamless - wonderful to play. BioWare do it again.
  56. LeonardoT.
    May 31, 2008
    10
    If you enjoyed the Neverwinter nights series, and don't mind a change from orcs and elves to futuristic aliens, you'll just LOVE the game, as it is much more detailed and alive than NWN2 (that is one of the best games as well in my humble opinion).
  57. JasonJ.
    Jun 1, 2008
    9
    Very original mix of the shooter and an rpg. Graphics very impressive. Story is very compelling. My new favorite game.
  58. PrestonJ.
    Jun 11, 2008
    9
    In response to J.N., I have had no stability issues at all (save FPS issues but the stems from having a three year old machine, maybe you just have a bloated problem machine you need to fix), yes it is an interactive movie with superb writing and voice acting where I have died maybe twice during a combat encounter (maybe you're just a crappy gamer Joe, or you don't know how to In response to J.N., I have had no stability issues at all (save FPS issues but the stems from having a three year old machine, maybe you just have a bloated problem machine you need to fix), yes it is an interactive movie with superb writing and voice acting where I have died maybe twice during a combat encounter (maybe you're just a crappy gamer Joe, or you don't know how to use the tactical HUD). The improvements made over the console version certainly have impacted the gameplay and flow and are a welcome addition, and the inclusion of both RPG and Shooter elements are melded well so that me (a fan of both genres) are pleasantly surprised. This isn't my favorite game ever created, and it does have some issues, such as the quest menu, and i feel the radar on the HUD could have been better, but most of those are nitpicky issues that don't impact the overall experience of play.… Expand
  59. AH
    Jun 14, 2008
    10
    Great plot, pretty good graphics, very fun to play. The "Star Wars" like force powers are very fun to use in battle. It is also very fun to drive the military "dune buggy" on different planets. Not that many "carbon copies" of NPCs. Conversations are funny, intriguing, sexual--very fun. Great musical score. I can't wait for Mass Effect 2!
  60. JAce
    Jun 23, 2008
    10
    This PC version is actually much more polished and everything is easier to handle than in the console version. Those things alone make it even better, and since it's already one of the better RPG games I've ever played, in PC it really is worth what ever you pay for it.
  61. AlecR.
    Jul 12, 2008
    10
    John M, I would just like to point out the reason you think this wonderful game is horrible isn't the game. Your computer isnt running the game right, meaning you dont have the system specs you need. The review industry for games is much better than the review industry for movies. In other words, I would trust video game reviews before i would movie reviewers.
  62. GytautasP.
    Jul 14, 2008
    7
    Highly overrated (maybe because nothing better on the scene). Graphics is OK but nothing spectacular. Story and idea is a mixture of many games, but nothing new.
  63. MikeN.
    Jul 24, 2008
    7
    Top-notch voice acting and animation. The game design is not very impressive however. Gameplay consist of unexciting and repetitive FPS action in a series of look-alike rooms. I actually enjoyed the tank fighting more than the shooter segments, but this is hardly a deep game either. The RPG elements are also exceedingly simplistic. The biotic powers are simultaneously overpowered and Top-notch voice acting and animation. The game design is not very impressive however. Gameplay consist of unexciting and repetitive FPS action in a series of look-alike rooms. I actually enjoyed the tank fighting more than the shooter segments, but this is hardly a deep game either. The RPG elements are also exceedingly simplistic. The biotic powers are simultaneously overpowered and uninteresting. The whole "Mass Effect" concept that gives the game its title amounts to little more than the ability to float your enemies around the room while you shoot them to death. That, plus some stuns, are pretty much the entire biotic game. The dialogue trees, in traditional "talking RPG" fashion, consist of two dialogue choices----- both of which do the same thing. Your choices mean nothing. So, to sum up, we have a sham RPG combined with a lame shooter and a shallow driving game. The voice acting is memorable and the villain is actually somewhat frightening, but, honestly, as an interactive game, this is fairly weak. Considering that the story is the only good part of this game, there is the additional problem that the story is far too short. I experienced frequent crashes, save often.… Expand
  64. KyleB.
    Aug 20, 2008
    8
    This game is very fun, epic scenery makes it even funner! But lack of Co-op gameplay on Xbox Live makes it lose a few points. And Gameplay could get very confusing at some times for people new to these types.
  65. Kiwi
    Aug 23, 2008
    10
    A great game, with a few bugs that should have been ironed out, but nonetheless, they can be overlooked as it is perfect in pretty much everything else, and as the first part of a trilogy, it sets the game up well for it's own future, and doesn't leave you with a "halo 2"-esque cliffhanger to get annoyed with.
  66. FredrikL.
    Aug 4, 2008
    10
    This game is huge! I can not imagine how it is possible to make such incredible big worlds and still keep this impressive high quality of graphics and gameplay.
  67. DylanS.
    Aug 8, 2008
    10
    Amazing storyline and tons of awesome twists in the story. Definitely buy the PC version though, as it in my opinion is a lot better, with bug fixes and smoother gameplay.
  68. PatrickL.
    Nov 6, 2009
    8
    I would give Mass Effect an 8 because it has a really really great storyline, I really enjoyed it the time I played the game. I've spent alot hours playing through this game and I dont regret it. It has some nice classes and like in Knights Of The Old Republic you get a choice of doing things the good or the bad way. Now to the graphics. I gotta say I dont have a high end gaming PC I would give Mass Effect an 8 because it has a really really great storyline, I really enjoyed it the time I played the game. I've spent alot hours playing through this game and I dont regret it. It has some nice classes and like in Knights Of The Old Republic you get a choice of doing things the good or the bad way. Now to the graphics. I gotta say I dont have a high end gaming PC but it could take Mass Effect on Ultra High, and I gotta admit, the graphics are really nice. I especially like the effects of some skills. And additional free downloadable contents make this game even more enjoyable. After all it is a great game, sure worth playing and also worth the money spent on this game, give it a try!… Expand
  69. RikR
    Dec 1, 2009
    9
    Awesome, awesome, awesome! Okay, with that out the way, I'd first like to respond to Bruce H and his "doesn't play nice on quads" post; I just played it all the way through in about 45hrs (yeah, I read slow, lol) with a half dozen crashes on my Intel quad (o/c'd QX6700 @ 3.5GHz). Fabulous story, love the dynamic "steerable" nature of play, love the attention to detail, e.g. Awesome, awesome, awesome! Okay, with that out the way, I'd first like to respond to Bruce H and his "doesn't play nice on quads" post; I just played it all the way through in about 45hrs (yeah, I read slow, lol) with a half dozen crashes on my Intel quad (o/c'd QX6700 @ 3.5GHz). Fabulous story, love the dynamic "steerable" nature of play, love the attention to detail, e.g. all the details about celestial bodies, the navigable star chart -- it just blew me away! I loved Halo and was kind of expecting this to be similar, but it's really not; I found I really got into the story, the characters, the whole concept. Superb music -- again, dynamic and appropriate. It only misses a full 10/10 because I had issues with getting the sound levels right on my X-Fi card -- speech too low, SFX too high, no amount of slider jiggling could fix it for good. What a refreshing change from WoW... :s For the record, I run on WXP64. Buy this game! :D Buy the sequel, too! lol Buy the devs a Christmas gift :D… Expand
  70. AlexanderS
    Dec 26, 2009
    10
    The game is the best there is. There is no game like this out there at least for now. Graphics is good, fighting and interacting is very well made. The only minus are the copy/pasted space levels. Hope ME2 will correct this.
  71. Asha
    Oct 25, 2009
    9
    I have just finished this game for the first time and find it one of the best games I have played over the last few years. I must say that I wish that the game would take longer. It has taken me a little over 20 hours to finish the game including having done most of the side quests. I guess it's normal to wish that the game would take longer as the game is so much fun and the story I have just finished this game for the first time and find it one of the best games I have played over the last few years. I must say that I wish that the game would take longer. It has taken me a little over 20 hours to finish the game including having done most of the side quests. I guess it's normal to wish that the game would take longer as the game is so much fun and the story is incredibly good. I have had no technical issues at all (I got the game on steam and for that version all DRM has been removed which suits me as I don't buy games with DRM). The game ran with 45-50 fps on my E8400 and HD4890. I don't get that people here complain about the story. I would say that the story beats most science fiction stories that I know. Maybe I just don't know enough about science fiction but if I compare this story with for example Star Wars then I find Mass Effect's story a whole lot more interesting. It's been planned as a trilogy and I expect the story to become even better when the next games appear. If you don't have this game and you like RPG's, a good story or science fiction in general then just go out and buy your copy. You won't regret it! (and I have a history of not liking EA games...)… Expand
  72. PeterD
    Dec 9, 2009
    9
    I loved every moment. Admitedly, the random planet based side-quests would probably get boring if you do too many of them, but some of them are just plain humorous (such as the monkey one) and while driving the Mako can be a little tedious, I find it's also rather fun (Wee! Jump jets! - silly, I know, but still fun). To be honest, I found that the dialogue system worked very well. At I loved every moment. Admitedly, the random planet based side-quests would probably get boring if you do too many of them, but some of them are just plain humorous (such as the monkey one) and while driving the Mako can be a little tedious, I find it's also rather fun (Wee! Jump jets! - silly, I know, but still fun). To be honest, I found that the dialogue system worked very well. At times it felt like I was watching a movie, at other times participating in one, and occasionally, was even there at the site of the action. Enjoyed the combat, the level up system worked well and the moral system felt natural. Great game. I'd recommend it to anybody.… Expand
  73. PaulChapman
    Jun 1, 2009
    9
    amazingly fun game only problem is that side missions are a bit repetitive and replay value is although greater than 90% of any other game still relatively small. other than that AI is good, combat excellent, cinematics are amazing (want more lol), talk system fun, girls sexy, and story invigorating! long live mass effect!!!
  74. LiamH
    Jul 5, 2009
    9
    An amazing game from start to finish. I completed the campaign in a bit over 16 hours. I'm an FPS guy, but Mass Effect was amazing. A few glitches, but in a huge game like this one I don't expect absolute perfection, a google search fixes all of them. This is THE best single player experience I've had since Half-Life 2. My new favorite game.
  75. LukasA
    Jan 12, 2010
    10
    The best storyline i have ever played! Storyline: 10 Gameplay: 10 Combat: 8 due to some stupid enemies and AI i give it 8 instead of 10. Overall: 10 I got grapped by this game so hard, i cant wait until the sequel comes out here in January!
  76. Jeffrey
    Jan 16, 2010
    10
    Mass Effect is a very immersive Rpg with a well put together story line and easy yet tactical combat aproach.
  77. MatthewV
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    With it's port to the Computer, Mass Effect only got better. Combat became smoother, and the mechanics were improved. It's storyline and gameplay are proof that Bioware is, without doubt or equal, the King when it comes to creating RPGs.
  78. KyB
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    Absolutely phenomenal. I've never beaten a games single player more than 3 times, I've beaten this 10 times now. It is just an extraordinary adventure with great game play, storyline, and choices. People are like, "choices don't matter!" Well, maybe there weren't critical ones that made a tremendous difference, but in the second one, it will be clear what choices Absolutely phenomenal. I've never beaten a games single player more than 3 times, I've beaten this 10 times now. It is just an extraordinary adventure with great game play, storyline, and choices. People are like, "choices don't matter!" Well, maybe there weren't critical ones that made a tremendous difference, but in the second one, it will be clear what choices affected what. Pros: -Great Graphics, -Great Game play -Amazing story -Ultra believable characters -Fantastic voice actors -Immersive environments -6 classes -Fun -Tons of side quests -Choices. -Large array of weapons -Large array of armour -Ability to chose your squad mates -Ability to chose when you do the missions -Goal for level 60 and beating it on Insanity difficulty -Awesome dialogue and responses Cons -Graphics are great, but there are a few odd hitches. Smooth otherwise -Ally AI are sometimes a bit dumb, but they usually listen -No heavy weapons, but Mass Effect 2 does -Some choices don't make much of a difference, but in the second one they will matter a bit more. IE Killing the Council or not. -Sometimes I wish there was a longer Main Story, but I've beaten it 10 times on all difficulties aside from the easiest, and I enjoy it more each time. Highly recommended.… Expand
  79. ChrisM.
    Dec 23, 2008
    10
    Absolutely amazing game, I just finished playing Fallout 3 before this, and looking back, I like Mass Effect way more. Also its worth noting that Mass Effect just came out on steam, without any extra DRM crap, just the regular steam DRM which is perfectly acceptable to me. The game has a steep learning cure, and it took me well over 4 or 5 hours to really grasp everything, but after thatAbsolutely amazing game, I just finished playing Fallout 3 before this, and looking back, I like Mass Effect way more. Also its worth noting that Mass Effect just came out on steam, without any extra DRM crap, just the regular steam DRM which is perfectly acceptable to me. The game has a steep learning cure, and it took me well over 4 or 5 hours to really grasp everything, but after that its smooth sailing.… Expand
  80. TimT.
    Jun 13, 2008
    10
    The single best single-player experience I've ever had in my 18 years of being a gamer. So what if it doesn't have a completely open world? It beats GTA IV in my book because of it's incredibly well-designed universe, races, and characters. Let's see GTA imagine an entire, fictional, sci-fi world that feels so real you could get lost in it.
  81. HolgerM.
    Jun 14, 2008
    9
    One of the Best RPG-s of late. Everything is pretty close ot perfection. Drawbacks are a somewhat short storyline compared to Bioware's other epic RPG-s and the similar side-quest that pop up on several worlds. The story is excellent and while it's far from unique(See Freespace 1&2 for almost the exact same story) it's very captivating from start to finish and flows One of the Best RPG-s of late. Everything is pretty close ot perfection. Drawbacks are a somewhat short storyline compared to Bioware's other epic RPG-s and the similar side-quest that pop up on several worlds. The story is excellent and while it's far from unique(See Freespace 1&2 for almost the exact same story) it's very captivating from start to finish and flows extremely well. Obviously Bioware is planning for the sequels to finish the story cause Mass Effect only leaves you wanting for more. Having completed what I guess is 90+% of all the quests in the game I clocked in at 32 hours. Which isn't bad but doesn't even come close to NW or BG. The main storyline could easily be completed in half the time. Hopefully a sequel will add a longer story, given that Bioware no longer has to work on an engine, creation of an entire new universe and more.. I experienced ZERO techinal difficulties with this game. It only crashed once and that I believe was a small bug which can happen like only on one planet and has no showstopping power. It runs perfect. My rig: Q6600, GeForce 9800GTX, 3gb ram, Vista Home premium 32 bit. Check this game out. It's worth it!… Expand
  82. MatthewN.
    Jun 25, 2008
    10
    This game is simply the best I've ever played in my whole life. /Music: Awesome - it sounds very similar to Half Life, it's more dynamic and futuristic. /Video: People who rate it down because of video problems should check their PCs first. Graphics are stunning, it's like watching an interactive movie with virtual actors. /Gameplay: I had fun, without any problems in the This game is simply the best I've ever played in my whole life. /Music: Awesome - it sounds very similar to Half Life, it's more dynamic and futuristic. /Video: People who rate it down because of video problems should check their PCs first. Graphics are stunning, it's like watching an interactive movie with virtual actors. /Gameplay: I had fun, without any problems in the fight, classes are well planned, there are some tiny bugs - unworthy of mentioning. /Story: It's unlike anything you've ever seen, not so deep as KotOR, but still very interesting. /Overall: I could rate this game 1000/10 if I could (add this option for me please!).… Expand
  83. AaronF.
    Jun 29, 2008
    10
    By far the most entertaining and engrossing RPGs I have ever played, Bioware certainly outdid themselves from KotOR with this absolute gem of a game. Anti-RPG-ists will certainly love this game, stemming from the perfect melding of a film, an RPG and a third-person shooter. You feel like you are playing a movie. Amazing!
  84. JeremyL
    Jul 21, 2008
    7
    Terribly, terribly overrated. It's basically a third-person shooter with some limited team tactics thrown in, buoyed by some excellent voice acting and a fairly lame plot. There's very little difference between the missions: creep around complex, hide behind crates, shoot bad guys, get in vehicle, shoot big robots, rinse, repeat. It's fun, but if you're a decent Terribly, terribly overrated. It's basically a third-person shooter with some limited team tactics thrown in, buoyed by some excellent voice acting and a fairly lame plot. There's very little difference between the missions: creep around complex, hide behind crates, shoot bad guys, get in vehicle, shoot big robots, rinse, repeat. It's fun, but if you're a decent shooter player and have the PC version with a mouse and keyboard, it's ridiculously easy. I'm not great gamer by any stretch, but finished this game in about 18 hours. Very disappointing, considering the ratings. Oblivion absolutely, totally and utterly owns this game. As a shooter, Call of Duty 4 is better, as a third-person shooter Gears of War is better. Bioware mailed this one in compared to what it could be and their press lackeys/fatuous public lapped it up. Lots better fare than this out there, even though it is a fun game most of the time.… Expand
  85. Mark
    Aug 19, 2008
    8
    Utterly fascinating at first. Mesmerises with its brilliant vision of a diverse cosmos, three-dimensional protagonist and plausible alien races. But the initial fascination being gone, you inevitably discover the repetitiveness of the game - the role playing element brought to minimum in favour of the incessant shootouts, impossibly long elevator rides and only partially controllable Mako Utterly fascinating at first. Mesmerises with its brilliant vision of a diverse cosmos, three-dimensional protagonist and plausible alien races. But the initial fascination being gone, you inevitably discover the repetitiveness of the game - the role playing element brought to minimum in favour of the incessant shootouts, impossibly long elevator rides and only partially controllable Mako vehicle. Great potential, but if you play on PC, you MASS EFFECT is clearly a game better suited for X360 than ordinary desktops.… Expand
  86. Aika
    Nov 16, 2009
    7
    Don't believe the hype. I love space opera and I love Bioware products, but with this one they got me mightily disappointed. Mass Effect DOES feel like a great space opera, no doubt about that, the cinematics are fine, the production value great, the story immersive, but the game itself is surprisingly mediocre. In fact, it's everything you can expect from a console port RPG - Don't believe the hype. I love space opera and I love Bioware products, but with this one they got me mightily disappointed. Mass Effect DOES feel like a great space opera, no doubt about that, the cinematics are fine, the production value great, the story immersive, but the game itself is surprisingly mediocre. In fact, it's everything you can expect from a console port RPG - the gameplay is simplified, quite shallow, very often boring and not very engaging. The worst part of the game is the combat, the items and the character development. The side quest are repetitive and the rewards are not very rewarding or useful. All in all, Mass Effect feels like the developers put a lot of work and effort into the polish and appearance, but neglected some core gameplay and environment design aspects, some of which feels positively cheap. But don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible game, it just feels more like an interactive movie than a proper RPG. But if you like it that way, you will have a good time playing Mass Effect.… Expand
  87. DanJ
    Jun 15, 2009
    10
    Very enjoyable. One word that definitely describes this game perfectly is balance. The game excels in giving you a sense of choice and control within a brilliantly conceived game world through masterful storytelling. Excellent blend of action and RPG character development and use of Unreal Engine 3 helped to make the game look beautiful. While the character building elements are probably Very enjoyable. One word that definitely describes this game perfectly is balance. The game excels in giving you a sense of choice and control within a brilliantly conceived game world through masterful storytelling. Excellent blend of action and RPG character development and use of Unreal Engine 3 helped to make the game look beautiful. While the character building elements are probably not the most detailed (you choose weapon and ammo loadout, skills and abilities, and your squad characters) with experience points automatically assigned throughout the course of the action it was the perfect cross-over for this reviewer who is mostly an FPS gamer. This game has wonderfully rich dialog and character/story interaction that isn't boring nor contrived and seemed to flow well regardless of the dialog choices made. In fact, I don't remember being bored playing this game at all. I mean, you can choose to run around a space station or planet for hours if you want and talk to everyone you can and you may get bored due to the distance travelled (tip: there is no achievement for this) but following the storyline cues makes this game an extremely enjoyable experience. If you want and like to explore, you can do that too, and some exploration is encouraged and essential. I didn't expect much from this game but was very impressed. One of the best single player experiences I've had for a while.… Expand
  88. DavidR
    Nov 12, 2009
    10
    This game has 2, and only 2 big faults (at least in my opinion). 1: Too many items and a poor inventory managment menu lead to constant micromangeing of equipment. 2: The side missions are a little cookie-cutter like and mostly forgettable. Still, this game has some of the best voice acting, immersive world and an excelent story. That's is one of the most important parts of any RPG This game has 2, and only 2 big faults (at least in my opinion). 1: Too many items and a poor inventory managment menu lead to constant micromangeing of equipment. 2: The side missions are a little cookie-cutter like and mostly forgettable. Still, this game has some of the best voice acting, immersive world and an excelent story. That's is one of the most important parts of any RPG and bioware nailed it. Also: A thumbs up to demiurge for the excellent port-work. Porting a game designed from the ground-up to work with a console is difficult, but the PC version has better controls, better menus and feels like the diffinitve version of the game. Well done. :)… Expand
  89. tsabszy
    May 29, 2013
    10
    i love this game. i have played it through about 6 times. in love wih the desing, feeling and storytelling! the gameplay is ok, i mean the fighting was far from perfect, but still i have played more with this game than with it's sequels together
  90. dosse91
    Jan 29, 2011
    9
    this is by far one of the best games i've ever played! all role playing games should be like this. i mean, most rpgs take place in fantasy worlds that make no sense, while this one throws you in this futuristic galaxy. and that's what i like of it: it's believable, realistic (mostly), and shows off many aspects of the same culture: you see the citadel, which is some sort of "golden cage",this is by far one of the best games i've ever played! all role playing games should be like this. i mean, most rpgs take place in fantasy worlds that make no sense, while this one throws you in this futuristic galaxy. and that's what i like of it: it's believable, realistic (mostly), and shows off many aspects of the same culture: you see the citadel, which is some sort of "golden cage", where everything seems to be going well, and nobody believes you when you say they're in danger, and it's up to you to save the galaxy; then you see colonies that are being attacked, meet a "dark side" made of mercenaries, poor people being bullied by some sort of intergalactic mafia, and everything fits in into the story perfectly. another thing i loved was the fact that you can import your saved data into the second game: that means that 90% of your decisions in this game (and there's plenty of them) has some sort of result in the second game: you might meet again some people you've helped, you can hear about what you did in the first game almost everywhere, and that makes the already excellent atmosphere of the game, even better.
    however, apart from its excellent story and outstanding atmosphere, bioware ruined this masterpiece with some things: first, a technical complain: the old version of the unreal engine 3 used in this game sucks ass. why the hell did you use that piece of crap? what was wrong with the aurora engine used in other bioware games like the witcher? or even better, why didn't they use the cryengine2, it would've made this game PERFECT! the ue3 causes nothing but trouble, badly pixelated shadows and ingame loadings! second, some things should have been better, like the covering system (improved in mass effect 2), and the AI (both friendly and enemy). another thing that kinda sucks are the side quests: most of them get boring and repetitive pretty quickly and most of them look the same.

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

    overall, i'd give this game a 9.25/10    … Expand
  91. Ra-Qin
    Dec 4, 2012
    10
    While being years old, and now part of a recently release trilogy bundle, this game still holds it's own. Graphics are stellar (pardon the pun), and the storyline maintains the above par standards BioWare is (or was) known for when under the leadership of the good Dr's Zeschuk and Muzyka.

    The Good: Fluid controls, excellent mix of characters, 6 different classes to chose from, fully    While being years old, and now part of a recently release trilogy bundle, this game still holds it's own. Graphics are stellar (pardon the pun), and the storyline maintains the above par standards BioWare is (or was) known for when under the leadership of the good Dr's Zeschuk and Muzyka.

    The Good: Fluid controls, excellent mix of characters, 6 different classes to chose from, fully voiced NPCs, and an array of weaponry and talents exceeded only by MMOs or Borderlands. The Bad: No XB360 controller support, difficult to apply the DLC (to my Steam version at least), and hard to configure for those wishing to play on 16:10 displays.

    Overall - One of the reasons I did not play Mass Effect when I bought it in 2008 was that the story seemed to drag. Aside from the fact that I was hip-deep in WoW, I would have gladly played the game if it got off to a bang (like ME2 does; BioWare took notice of this flaw and fixed it in the second installment), but the game does not move or begin to make any sense until you are about 3 hours into it and taking your first mission away from Citidel Station.

    The greatest appeal for me was the ability to play he lead role of Commander Shepard as a female with a fully voiced role, supported by BioWare's multipathed conversation selections. I felt a connection with the character, and was able to see the galaxy from her eyes. It was also impressive that BioWare created an opportunity for the character to enter an emotional/physical relationship with with either male or female members of the crew. The male relationship can be meaningful or trite, and the female relationship was well written and classy; it did not come off as a twenty-something male's **** More than likely BioWare consulted women of experience to write those scenes. Mission play is great, with some missions affecting the main storyline of Shepard's pursuit/investigation of Saren, and other will designed side-missions to assist you with character development (more levels, money, guns, and skills are earned this way). Missions can vary in length from 10 mins (if you whiz though it) to 4 hrs. Additionally, DLC missions are available from BioWare's site; Bring Down the Sky is free and lasts 3 hrs, while Pinnacle Station costs $5, and allows you to develop your character in a holo-training environment. Both DLC packages are side-missions with no effect on the main story; you don't have to get them, but they are worth the $5. Aside from it's global appeal, Mass Effect has earned a rightful place in my personal gaming hall of fame. If you don't have it, go get it. If you do have it, take the time to do EVERYTHING the game has to offer...the stories and content are well beyond that of 99% of the games that are out there.    … Expand
  92. DRUNKCANADIAN
    Sep 22, 2010
    9
    Game play was generic, but the story, environment and creativity was top notch. Certainly a better space epic than Halo or Gears despite the odd hybridization of gameplay/design elements from those two games. The story and the ability to really make the story your own and simulate the feeling of existing in this universe wins it a 9 alone. Few games this day can come out there with a goodGame play was generic, but the story, environment and creativity was top notch. Certainly a better space epic than Halo or Gears despite the odd hybridization of gameplay/design elements from those two games. The story and the ability to really make the story your own and simulate the feeling of existing in this universe wins it a 9 alone. Few games this day can come out there with a good story and create a believable world. With enough lore to make you want to read the small texts documents, and do all the side quests.

    Only downfalls I will mention is there were some serious bugs that shouldn't have made it into the final product, that and as mentioned the gameplay/combat could use some work to make it more original, as is it isn't bad but nothing superb.    … Expand
  93. user1234
    Sep 25, 2010
    9
    I haven't replayed any single player game so many times ever. Several minor flaws (as any human-made thing) prevent the Universe from collapsing and submit this game a score of 9/10.

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

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

    The immersion is so big, you'll feel like divided by zero. The inventory is a little clunky. The planets could have more scenery. But aren't we just asking too much? For what it is, big bang for the buck.    … Expand
  94. Krud
    Oct 27, 2010
    9
    There isn't much I can say about Mass Effect that hasn't already been said dozens of times here. But for me the most telling sign that I'd just finished a good game was that I was immediately eager to hear info about Mass Effect 2. Which I wouldn't care about if the first one had sucked. I'll admit that I was wary at first, not only because it was a console port, but also because I keptThere isn't much I can say about Mass Effect that hasn't already been said dozens of times here. But for me the most telling sign that I'd just finished a good game was that I was immediately eager to hear info about Mass Effect 2. Which I wouldn't care about if the first one had sucked. I'll admit that I was wary at first, not only because it was a console port, but also because I kept hearing about "tactics" and the shooter aspect of it, leading me to think it might not be my cup of tea. (Or almost but not quite entirely unlike tea. [Apologies to Adams.])

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

    I get why some people have issues with this game, particularly where the install limits were concerned, but I'm glad I eventually gave this game a chance.    … Expand
  95. zombiehampster
    Oct 28, 2010
    9
    Mass Effect is a game about choice. Having played the original game about a year and a half ago on the Xbox 360, I decided to try it on the PC in response to Mass Effect 2 so I could play them both back to back. I have to say that even after this length of time, factoring in the other games that have been released in the meantime, that this game still holds the fascination that I onceMass Effect is a game about choice. Having played the original game about a year and a half ago on the Xbox 360, I decided to try it on the PC in response to Mass Effect 2 so I could play them both back to back. I have to say that even after this length of time, factoring in the other games that have been released in the meantime, that this game still holds the fascination that I once had for my initial play through on the 360. In fact it has probably improved in the transition. I say this for the additional use of hot keys, the keyboard in general, the slight redesign of the interface, and the ability to use the familiar WASD/mouse scheme. To me, these are probably one of the biggest selling points for me to purchase the game on PC. Everything else is pretty much the same as the console versions, with the exception of shorter load times in general, and apparently less of the texture problems (although I can't say I remember how bad they were on the consoles). I feel the graphics are definitely well done, with many of the visuals/locations/atmosphere standing out dramatically. Bioware's games definitely reek of quality and immersion, and Mass Effect is no exception. Few rpgs that I can think of really make me feel lost in their worlds, but this game definitely succeeds in many ways. From the well designed locations, piles of data in the codex, and massive amounts of back-story/history, you can tell they put thought not only in the game play, but also the agreed upon fiction of their universe. The game play of Mass Effect is solid, but most importantly fun, as I never get tired of rushing into combat, driving the Mako (I know, I know a lot of people hate it) and blowing stuff up, or even just "interrogating" my crewmates. The AI is pretty competent in their behavior, although it has it's moments of brilliance and stupidity, which is to be expected, but overall can give a good challenge unexpectedly, causing a torrent of cursing from me. That's a good thing. Repetition is kind of a problem for the various Assignments in the game, as you will be doing a lot of planet scanning for minerals or seeking something to land on. The former is for the various fetch assignments while the latter allows you to drive the Mako planet-side. While driving on the many planets sometimes seems like a chore, I felt that it was tolerable enough and it allowed me to enjoy driving around some barren landscape. While this might not seem so much fun, a lot of it had to do with just taking in the beauty of the area around you, along with the thrill of not being guided by the linear corridors of the main quests. Mileage will definitely vary in regards to that, but thankfully the assignments are all at-will and you can choose to do as many as you see fit, which helps make it much more tolerable. Probably one of the most important aspect of this game is the story. My god, the amount of clichés and tropes in this game serves as a sort of sci-fi/popculture reference machine, and for some reason...all those things aside, I absolutely love the storyline. To me, this game pumped some much needed blood into a stagnating genre and made me love rpgs all over again. One of my biggest complaints of previous games was that I very rarely cared about the characters I was interacting with/playing, but Bioware has managed to bring something very compelling into how they unfold/tell the characters tales. I think this separates this game from the pack most of all. It also goes to serve a reminder that knowing how to tell a compelling, yet stereo-typical story, can make all the difference. When all is said and done, Mass Effect is a definite classic and does have elements for many different types of gamers. That being said it tells a very compelling and human story where you have the freedom to work out just who you want your character to be, within the limits of the story frame, of course.… Expand
  96. WangSulah
    Dec 28, 2010
    10
    I played through this game twice, which is rare for me. A slow starter, as I recall having trouble getting into it the first time, but definitely worth sticking it through. Compelling story, good cast, awesome environments, especially on the planets, and plenty of things to see and do if you're an obsessive completionist like I am. Without a second thought, I give this game a 10, andI played through this game twice, which is rare for me. A slow starter, as I recall having trouble getting into it the first time, but definitely worth sticking it through. Compelling story, good cast, awesome environments, especially on the planets, and plenty of things to see and do if you're an obsessive completionist like I am. Without a second thought, I give this game a 10, and look forward to playing the two sequels.… Expand
  97. zlesna
    Jan 6, 2011
    9
    I don't mean to sound whiny, but while this game was more epic then the entire star wars universe alone, it was too epic. The rpg part of the game stood up like a golden statue of something erect... However, with so many things to do I had little time to play other games that were on my list. This game was a black whole of game time. But I can't say the game was BAD. It wasn't. I loved it.I don't mean to sound whiny, but while this game was more epic then the entire star wars universe alone, it was too epic. The rpg part of the game stood up like a golden statue of something erect... However, with so many things to do I had little time to play other games that were on my list. This game was a black whole of game time. But I can't say the game was BAD. It wasn't. I loved it. I just would not suggest this to everyone. Many apologies to all of the fans of this one, but I still give it a 9 for bringing to the table gameplay elements that would have worked in an mmo(like the massive universe that is almost completely explorable) but were more fun in a single player setting. I liked the fact that it has a replay value higher then any other game ever. Ever time you play through this game you can try a new strategy, a new romance, be evil, etc. In the end having so much to do seemed like a strength and a weakness of the game.… Expand
  98. SuperTakashii
    Jan 22, 2011
    8
    Once you break the surface of Mass Effect, you'll love it to bits. The presentation of story is clean and sensible. The combat is responsive and clean. The graphics are gorgeous; the film grain and motion blur turn this game into a beautiful interactive environment, but this game falls down at the beginning.

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

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

    Once you break the skin of Mass Effect, it will be an incredibly enjoyable game that's difficult to put down.    … Expand
  99. The_Gooser
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Simply a great game, I had way too much fun playing this game. If you are a fan of role playing games, then please go out and purchase this right now.
  100. Squadinho
    Mar 18, 2013
    7
    Just finished my latest play through of this after a year or so break and what a brilliant game. I'll cover the negatives first, as for me there are couple.

    It is fairly slow to get going. The pace at which you move round the world for me is a little bit too slow. This can be helped in certain locations by using 'rapid transit' terminals which instantly transport you around, but you    Just finished my latest play through of this after a year or so break and what a brilliant game. I'll cover the negatives first, as for me there are couple.

    It is fairly slow to get going. The pace at which you move round the world for me is a little bit too slow. This can be helped in certain locations by using 'rapid transit' terminals which instantly transport you around, but you risk losing out on side missions if you do this.

    The main missions themselves also follow the same, repetitive path. All involve a lengthy and boring drive along a basically one way road, simply blasting enemies that offer no real resistance to you (even on higher difficulties). You then reach where you need to be, get out and kick some ass.

    The side missions as well are also very repetitive. All featured in pretty much identical in their layout, there seems to be three different layouts which you visit over and over again. Again, driving around makes up a good portion of these missions in terrain that is at points a massive pain in the neck to negotiate.

    Where this game makes up for it though, is the story and interaction with your squad mates. Each has a backstory and you feel you want to get to know them. A couple of choices through the game are almost heart-wrenching, and even playing it through for the fourth if fifth time they really make you think.

    On-foot combat is fun and engaging, although the AI doesn't seem particularly intelligent. You just get rushed, so hiding round a corner with a shotgun is your best bet.

    This game would be average at best if it wasn't for the story and characters. If you're looking for non stop action, this game isn't for you. If you want an engaging story, then you have to play this.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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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