Mass Effect

A month after I started this blog, we have finally reached the eponymous first game of the Mass Effect series.  When I play most games, I usually will play through, beat it, and I'm done.  There are very few that I jump back into, much less finish.  The game takes roughly 30-40 hours to complete, and this will be my fourth play-through of the game.  I foresee at least one more in my future, so that should tell how much I enjoy it.  The only other games I have completed multiple times are Fallout, Fallout 3, and the Half Life games.

Paragon

The great thing about Mass Effect is that it has so much to uncover.  While it has a more linear structure than open world games like the Fallout series, the choices you make through conversation and decisions within the missions are numerous.  With every play-through I have uncovered more and more new things, and I've only ever played along the Paragon lines!

To help that last sentence make more sense, Mass Effect has a morality system built into it.  On its surface, it is a sci-fi roleplaying action game.  However, as you make your way through the game, you are constantly tasked with decisions.  Nearly every dialog decision - and some mission choices - alter your in-game moral compass.  If you likened it to Star Wars, Paragon represents the light side, while Renegade represents the dark side.

Renegade

Only, it really isn't so clear cut as that even.  There are some decisions as a Paragon that can seem more self-righteous and haughty, and some Renegade choices more selfless (though they probably break some sort of law).  The game's handling of these moral choices give it a richness and depth you would hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

On a technical level, the game looks beautiful, though, by this point, slightly dated.  Drawing from the heyday of science fiction in the 70s and 80s, BioWare gave the setting and the characters a great aesthetic.  From the Presidium on the Citadel to the bridge of the Normandy, to the ruins on Feros, the game's environment draws you into a world as rich and detailed as any Tolkien created (cue Tolkien fan rage).

Combat is handled on a real-time basis, meaning you are actively engaged in the fight.  Previous BioWare games, such as Knight of the Old Republic, typically involved a click-and-go function, but with Mass Effect, you determine every step, every gunshot, every biotic ability your character makes.  All this from a 3rd-person, over-the-shoulder perspective.

In-game screenshot

You even get to drive your own vehicle as you explore planets and conduct missions.  Here's a video that shows some of the gameplay.  Start at 4:20 if you want to skip all the driving:

All right, that's it for today.  Next Monday, we'll dive into the story of Commander Shepard and his fight to save the galaxy.