Mass Effect Review

The story is great, the graphics are great... the game is okay.

I must admit, I was sucked into believing I could explore worlds openly and simply 'be' much like in Oblivion. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Mass Effect will impress most gamers with it's graphics and voice acting. The storyline is compelling and keeps you interested. However, the gameplay and overall presentation feel a bit clunky.

I was under the impression that it was a FPS (First Person Shooter). Once I started playing I realized that it was more like Resident Evil 4 or Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence. That isn't necessarily a bad thing... just a surprise when you are expecting something totally different.

The game starts off decently enough by throwing you in the middle of a time of crisis. You are gradually given background on what is happening. Then you are thrown into combat. This is where the game lacks any real FPS feel.

You are in command of 2 other party members. Your commands are given by using the D-Pad. This means you have four options. Okay, that is simple enough. The problem comes when you realize that to throw a grenade you have to press the 'Back' button. Since when is this button used for anything more than a "Time Out" in Madden? It is very awkward to say the least.

Then you fire your weapon using the right trigger (Typical). The game begins to feel like Halo more and more. And that is a bad thing. When firing your weapon it feels like you are firing blanks. You never see any blood or damage down to your enemy, they simply fall down when they die. When aiming your weapon you have a light blue aiming point that turns orange when on an enemy. This goes along with a radar that shows the location of almost every enemy in the area (unless they have radar jamming).

The biggest disappointment comes when you try to explore. It isn't as deep as most people want to believe. You are destined to get bored with driving your vehicle over terrain, staying away from 'liquid hot "Magma"' and NEVER flipping it over. All in all, the game is just not what I had hoped it would be. Maybe I should play it a little longer. However, it is hard to do that when there are other games to be played.

If you want a number rating I would give it a 8.5/10

Bottom Line-
If you love RPG's and have the patience to deal with learning awkward controls and team management, you will probably enjoy this game. If you like to pick up a game, play it, know it and have fun use your money on Call of Duty 4.