Mass Effect

You are commander Shepard, a war hero, or a sole survivor or a ruthless & notorious cutthroat who knows how to get the job done. You will get to pick your background. Shepard is called on a mission to salvage an unearthed Prothean beacon uncovered at the remote human colony of Eden Prime. It turns out that this mission isn't that simple after all. The colony has already attracted the Geth, a synthetic race who have formed an alliance with what they consider their God and have seized control of the colony. Saren the principal antagonist, a member of an elite, peacekeeping squad called the Spectres has gone rogue, by siding with the Geth. He plans to find and activate the Conduit which will allow Sovereign to signal the return of the Reapers, an enigmatic civilization which recycles all life in the galaxy every 50,000 years. Shepard is on Saren's trail to stop him. In order to accomplish his mission he must assemble a team of diverse & talented individuals, each one experts in their fields and essential to the mission, scour planets to acquire intelligence, form alliances or go to war. It always seems as though Saren is one step ahead of him though. Will he manage to succeed and how will his choices affect the future of the galaxy?

The player decides how the plot will unfold. If there's a game in which you feel that your choices do matter it is this one. It's not just minor or secondary objectives, you actually get a say on many major outcomes of the game. You will explore and make decisions that will shape the future of a planet, or colony, in ways you cannot begin to fathom (play all 3 games and all DLCs to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes; save games carry over to the ME2 and ME3). Bioware has made all players interactions with NPCs so realistic, due to its cinematic design to conversations. Character development is off the chart, and second to none (except the sequel Mass Effect 2). You will love meeting new squad members and talking to NPCs everywhere. Depending on species, race, gender, personality everyone feels totally different, in fact each one is unique. This level of realism is in part attributed to the perfect voice-acting and lipsync of all characters and to the vast lore that has been meticulously crafted for each location the plot takes place in the universe. 5+++/5 for the lore & story (best one EVER in a video game)

To learn more about the overwhelming new amounts of information on this universe you can can visit the Codex menu which gets automatically updated with new entries as you progress through the game. I found myself reading and listening to everything in the Codex because i wanted to learn as much as i could about this amazing world. Never again have i felt like i wanted to read inside a game (i was never interested in books and the lore in Skyrim, or Oblivion, but that's partly because i prefer sci-fi to fantasy). Everything seems so real and likely to occur in real life, in the future. In fact it's all taken from real life and you can use it to expand your own knowledge. This game has got me interested in science and technology and i now have a Bachelor's degree in computer science. In this game your choices matter deeply. 5/5 for characters, direction & impact

What i consider a negative aspect of the nearly perfect plot is that it sometimes feels overly dramatic, like it is leading you to the next part by very unlikely scenarios. For example ((SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH)) you originally learn about Saren because of a lazy soldier who was sleeping behind the crates before the Eden Prime attack started. As such he was able to hide from the Geth (who along with Sovereign have super advanced tech and as such would be most likely able to id everyone in the colony) when everyone else got wiped out AND he happened to stand on the best spot to listen when Saren killed Nihlus. If that soldier wasn't there, there was no way that Shepard would find out about Saren. This one simple act of his, simply created the entire Mass Effect story arc, involving Shepard. I'm sure the developers could find a more believable reason to track down Saren, but anyway, i am nitpicking here. Pacing isn't the best either, but that's not necessarily bad, because you are simply given plenty of freedom to explore the galaxy between main quest missions (even when a lot of things are pressuring the continuity of the primary quest, which breaks immersion a bit; but anyway). 4.5/5 for the plot

The graphics are fantastic. I noticed very few graphical glitches every now and then. The cutscenes are fantastic (somewhat dated for 2018). The system requirements for PC aren't that high, especially for a modern PC. The score is phenomenal. The main theme rivals that of Star Wars (which was composed by the legendary John Williams) and that says a lot. I personally got the soundtrack separately and listen to it whenever i feel like it. It is so soothing and transports you into space whenever you hear it. No other major technical issues that i noticed. Even mods are possible now if you are an advanced computer user (if so check out "Mass Effect Explorer" program). 5/5 graphics & technical achievement, 5+/5 for Audio & Soundtrack

The combat system is very good as well. Bioware has expanded on the old system they use in KOTOR, primarily RPG focused and modified it such that it is more fluid and fast paced like an action game. Combat is faster, yet tactical, as you get to pause the game during combat and tell your squad members who to shoot, where to go/cover, which abilities to use. Everything can be micromanaged, or if this distracts you from the action, you have the option to let the AI automatically make these decisions. You won't be disappointed either way, because the AI is decent. I rarely felt the need to micromanage everything, unless i was playing in max difficulty, or was in a very difficult or boss fight. Overall the combat system isn't great though and could certainly be improved by various alterations to the system. For example sniper rifles are wielded like the player has Parkinson. It would be nice if the squad management was simpler, or if the AI was a bit better. Most of these negatives are fixed in the sequel. 4/5 in gameplay.

The secondary objectives give you an opportunity to explore new planets and star systems. Some of them are actually quite good, but unfortunately most are repetitive and are a go there - kill that, or fetch that kind of missions. They aren't as varied as i would like. Nevertheless you'll still want to complete them all. This drawback in side quests is pretty much the only significant one (which is thankfully also fixed in Mass Effect 2). 3.5/5 for length.

I played Mass Effect for PC in 2008 when it was released. I remember after seeing the epic trailer i thought it was some Star Wars offshoot. It is my favorite science fiction universe ever, even better than Star Wars, yes even better objectively speaking. In fact, i will go as far as to say that the Star Wars universe is childishly explained in comparison to this. Star Wars lore involves more fantasy than science, ie. less emphasis given on scientific explanations, technology and more in fantasy. Mass Effect universe and the lore is very mature, it is an expansion of our own universe (in fact it is set ~170 years in a -very possible- future). Bioware did not simply create a game but an experience. After they crafted the universe they wanted and the laws that govern it, they conceived the storyline, which is unfolded through the eyes of Shepard. 5/5 for enjoyment/entertainment & impressions

Finally you can find value in replaying the game with new character classes. There are 6 to choose from and each one has 2 unique specializations. Each player class plays drastically different, with unique talents, abilities and personalities. The combat and progression is linear, but you can replay to explore many different scenarios because of the choices you make which can be completely different on a new playthrough. 4.5/5 for replayability

The Mass Effect franchise is in my top 3 video games of all time, and it is my No1 fictional universe of all time.

To sum up: Do not miss Mass Effect. Grand, epic story. Deep universe of unprecedented scale. Cinematic feel and intense cutscenes. Living, breathing characters. Choices that impact the future of the universe and carry on to the sequels.

Rating 9/10 - Amazing