Mass Effect [360]

Developed at BioWare, known for Role-Playing Games such as Jade Empire, Mass Effect takes players to a future where humans are taking their first steps into space exploration.

As Commander Shepard, the first human to become a "Spectre" agent, it's your job to prove yourself as an effective member of the law-keeping force while also revealing the existence of a huge threat to the various alien races that inhabit the galaxy. Along the way, Shepard will have the chance to team up with various Non-Player Characters who will also take part in squad-based combat.

The fact that this is a Science-Fiction based game already sets it apart from most of the genre and makes for a nice change from the typical sword-swinging RPG action. The game world is huge, with players using a map of the galaxy to determine which planets to travel to and explore. Players can also choose how they interact with other characters through a choice of dialogue options ranging in aggressiveness to make Shepard's character their own and affect responses. In general, players will find themselves with some main objectives involving travel to specific solar systems or planets. You can go pretty much wherever you want though, and check out uncharted planets, possibly finding ruins or even space pirates to battle. As the story progresses, you'll have the option of allowing other humans and aliens to join your party, and take part in battles against various enemies.

While the story is classic Sci-Fi stuff on a grand scale, and the main characters are well-acted by the likes of Seth Green, Lance Henriksen, and Marina Sirtis, the combat action in the game is often frustrating. Your squad-mates exhibit very little intelligence and are often dead before you know it. Adding to the pain are the seemingly hobbled weapons at lower levels (they overheat really fast) and the unskippable cut scenes that you need to watch before each attempt. The character upgrade system is nice though, with earned points either assigned manually or by using an auto-level system. You can also choose to level up Shepard manually and leave the secondary characters on auto, which is great. You'll also have to drive a land-based vehicle called a "Mako" when visiting planets, which has absolutely terrible controls and physics.

Visually, the game generally looks good and features some solid facial mapping and motion capture work, as well as fairly robust character customization. The engine seems to be pushing the system pretty hard though, since graphic details are often seen popping onto objects after they have been on the screen for a couple of seconds. It's also a shame that the game doesn't seem to be streaming any data from the hard drive, as this probably could have helped clean things up and improve load times. Sound-wise, the voice acting is generally excellent, and the music, while perhaps a bit too obvious a nod to Vangelis' score for Blade Runner, is still a nice change from the sweeping strings in most RPGs.

In all, Mass Effect is a nice departure for the genre that does a lot right, even though it gets somewhat undermined by being perhaps a bit too technically ambitious and the action elements needing more tuning. Devotees of the studio's previous games and those looking to give their swords and spells a bit of a rest should definitely make some time for this one.

7/10