SO a few days ago I picked up Mass Effect for the PC. I’ve always hear people talk about how good this game is but now I know. Its one of the best Scifi WRPG experiences that I’ve had in a long while. The game starts out with your character named “Shepard” as a typical FPS shooter scenario, get a mission, shoot up some stuff. But soon after you are quickly propelled into a very entertaining story about sentient machines trying to take over the known universe.
Though it tries to be a FPS-like game, the precision in the combat just isn’t there. So its not exactly a twitch fest, its more like a point and click type of combat style. It manages to bring strategy into play by allowing you and your AI buddies a lot of options like a very decent cover system, grenades and Bioptic/Psy type of powers that can disable and damage opponents or give temporary buffs. it also gives you a chance to improve damage through zooming in on enemies.
The weaker part of the game I believe is the world travel/exploration. There are side quests that send you to different worlds but those worlds look like it was made in a Bryce3D terrain generator. The layout is often peaky terrain with a new skin and no foliage or detail and always in a Star Trek shuttle styled buggy with a turret. Worlds that are crucial to the story are often better designed but you spend most of your time inside buildings and structures anyway.
Graphics are very finely tuned. Raising the texture level does very little. As this was an Xbox 360 game originally, I doubt that they could have raised the texture level much higher anyway. Though it does bring a slightly better sharpness to most objects and characters. The game has sort of a mix of scifi styles and all of it is pretty gorgeous.
I reccommend this game to anyone even remotely interested in RPGs or Scifi entertainment. They will not be disappointed.