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Great graphics but thin story

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 24
Date: June 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a game that shines visually. But its substance is mediocre.

Mass Effect is beautiful. I don't think any past rpg can match its graphics.

The main story is good. Much like in earlier BioWare rpgs, you can choose to develop your character as a goody-goody or a baddy. There are good npcs, with some interesting plot twists. Nothing revolutionary, but decently entertaining.

But most of your time is spent repeating similar tasks. There are only a few (four or five) unique locations with their own layouts and stories. Most actual time in the game is spent in almost identical planet side landscapes and bunkers (i.e., dungeons). There is almost no variety in the opponents you face. Think Oblivion's generic (boringly similar) ruins, caves and leveled monsters, take away half that variety, and you get the picture. After about three planets, there's nothing fun or interesting to see or do.

The main story takes you to interesting places and experiences. But side quests, though numerous, are mindless. They are just about equipment and leveling-up. The overall experience is a thin cup of tea that compares unfavorably to the leading rp and fps games.

One of the best games to hit the PC in years.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 37
Date: June 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'll start off bluntly: people are overreacting to the DRM. You're allowed 3 activations and if you need more than that, you can call EA customer support and explain your situation. Given what a PR disaster the DRM has been, I doubt they'll be anything but accommodating. Moreover, after a certain amount of time activations will automatically free up for you to use. The online activation was, for me, completely unnoticed. I had the game installed and running well faster than most other PC games.

Tragically overshadowed by the DRM is one of the greatest games to hit the PC in years. Anyone who loved Knights of the Old Republic or Jade Empire will be in heaven when playing Mass Effect. There is something in this game for everyone, and I cannot praise it enough. I wholeheartedly recommend you stop reading now and buy it. If you need more proof, read on.

Visuals/performance: My system consists of an AMD 6400+, an 8800 GTS 640 MB, and 2 gigs of RAM, using the 175.12 drivers. Not the best system, but far from the worst. Throughout the entire game performance exceeded 60 FPS with settings maxed at 1680 x 1050, with 8X CSAA. Bioware truly did a great job optimizing the game for PC and for choosing when to minimize and maximize details.

(If you're experiencing performance problems on decent systems, make sure you have the latest video and audio drivers, along with the latest version of direct X. This game is exceptionally stable and well-performing-- if not, odds are the problem is on your end.)

The graphics are certainly above average. Character models and faces look nearly as good as those in Crysis, and for the most part the environment textures are pretty good. You will, sadly, see some extremely low poly trees off in the distance, or perhaps a low-resolution background texture. Thankfully, These weaknesses are hidden by liberal use of depth of field, motion blur, and bloom effects. In short, the game does a great job of choosing where to spend your system's power. The end result is a game that is absolutely beautiful with amazing performance.

Unlike most recent PC games, I experienced NO random crashes or glitches while playing, even with overclocks. It's worth noting that there is a "film grain" effect that is on by default. It makes the game look somewhat more like a movie, but I personally hated it. I've noticed some other reviewers complaining about the "grainy, ugly, textures". Odds are they just didn't figure out how to disable "film grain" under video settings.

The gameplay is immensely fun and satisfying. You get a pretty standard set of weapons: a pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, and sniper rifle. All are useful and enjoyable; I was particularly a fan of the sniper rifle. The cover system is very similar to Gears of War, minus all the crazy dodging: you can take cover against a wall, rock, etc, and then shoot out around it. Simple, but fun. I turned the aim assist completely off, and I was impressed at how good Mass Effect was at being a shooter. Usually when RPG and shooter mix, both are weakened; in Mass Effect, I found the opposite. For RPG-fans who may not be as keen to shooters, you can turn the aim assist all the way up and hardly have to worry about aiming.

The RPG aspects, in my opinion, are very well developed. Instead of using a more standard RPG system (Fortitude, Strength, Endurance...), you get a simple chart featuring each skill or ability that you can level up. Everything is explained in detail, and it is a very simple system. I imagine those who are new to RPGs would have no problem with it, while there is still tons of depth for those of us who are keen to it.

The story is simply amazing. It lives up to its label as a "science-fiction epic". The dialogue system is the best ever created, hands down, and keeps you paying more attention to the story, the characters, and your own choices than you have ever before. I obviously can't go into too much detail, but rest assured that it is at least as good as the first Knights of the Old Republic.

Morality choices have been popular for a while now, but BioWare makes things a bit more serious. You are given choices that have no clear good or bad choice-- I actually had to stop a few times and think about what I was going to do. Other times, of course, there is a good thing to do, and a bad thing to do-- as there should be. There is black and white, but more importantly, there is gray. The ending, I will say, is not a cliffhanger or some other garbage. It is well done in the way that A New Hope is well done. It leaves room for the sequels, but does not set it up frustratingly (like Crysis, for example, or BioShock).

The people moaning that this is "an obvious port" are looking for an excuse to complain. I can honestly say that I don't think this game would be any different had it been designed exclusively for PC. It takes a bit to get used to because it is a very unique game, but the UI is great for PC, and you have all the settings and video options you would expect. It performs and looks very good... people will just complain about anything. Bioware is already working on a patch, preparing to provide us with free downloadable content, and promising to support this game for years to come like they've done with all of their games in the past (Neverwinter nights is getting a new patch soon and its 6 years old. Have some faith in a great developer!). This is a better PC game than most that are developed exclusively for PC. The UI adjustments, ability to select hot keys, and improved squad management and inventory really make this a better game than the 360 version, and a game suited perfectly to the PC.

Now I will briefly describe the things that kept this game from being absolutely perfect. These issues are small, and honestly did not make the game any worse while playing-- just minor things that I'd like to see corrected via patches. 1) It took a bit of a hassle to set up hot-keys other than 1-8, which I prefer to keep my weapons on. 2) I'd like to be able to use WASD and the mouse on the galaxy map; not just the mouse. 3) We can already select anisotropic filtering, but allow us to change it from the default of 4. We already can by going into the config file (my documents/bioware/masseffect/bioengine.cfg) same goes for trilinear filtering. 4) an option to automatically equip Shephard and the squad with the best weapons/mods available for those that don't feel like worrying about the RPG aspects. 5) The Mako has some terrible physics. doesn't really detract from gameplay, but its a bit funny to watch. 6) Self-shadowing is a bit blocky. I'd like an option to disable self-shadowing and only leave other dynamic shadows, along with an option to increase shadow-filtering quality to get rid of blockiness. You can also already do this by editing config files.

The last major reason to buy this game, I'd argue, is the replayability. There are 3 very different classes in Mass Effect-- the soldier, tech specialist, and biotic, and 3 classes that offer a mixture of each. Every one offers a totally different experience. More over, various achievements you unlock allow you to start the game with different skills than would normally be allowed. For example, if you get 150 kills with a sniper rifle, you get an achievement. You can then start a game with a character that wouldn't normally be able to use a sniper rifle and unlock the ability. This applies to all sorts of skills and talents, along with armor and weapons. You can also choose to replay the game with a character you already beat the game with, allowing you to keep your equipment, skills, and levels. Enemies will be scaled to your difficulty, allowing you to keep playing with a particularly fun character, or to take one to the max level of 60. Mass Effect is an extremely replayable game. With the first set of downloadable content coming out for free soon, and other content coming later (and the promise of continued support and updates from BioWare), the deal is only getting better.

I'll say it one last time: this is a game that you should buy, play, and love. If you let some silly DRM sway you, or a bunch of idiots who reviewed the game without playing it themselves: your loss.

Misunderestimated

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 21
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

From reading the reviews of other players, I was trepidatious in my resolve to purchase the game for myself. Although every gaming site out there ranked it with at least 9/10 stars, the customer reviews were significantly lower, and for reasons which seemed vague and nebulous. "Released too soon!" and "Don't support EA making garbage games!" are comments I heard bantered about, but didn't lend themselves to any sort of clear understanding as to the game's shortcomings. Well, for father's day, I purchased the game, with the subtle intent of watching my father play it and thereby discover its merits.

His computer is a brand new, fully loaded Vista 64-bit machine with an 8800 GTX Ultra video card and a Q6600 processor clocked to 2.6ghz. A fairly respectable system, by any estimation. We installed the game and had no trouble whatsoever from the moment the disk was inserted. I have then purchased the game, and installed it on my four year old system, running a 3.2ghz dual core Intel processor, and an 8800 512mb GT superclocked graphics card. The game is flawless, aside from a somewhat considerable load time after opening the game. I also have the graphics set to maximum, and have a beautiful, lag free frame rate.

To give this game a reference point, I might call it the counterpart to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, set in space. NPCs abound in the world to interact with, and give you various side missions and 'quests' that you can pursue or not at your leisure, and will reward you with credits and experience, or sometimes rare items. A typical fare for the RPG game.

The dialogue is phenomenal, complimented with voice acting from Marina Sirtis of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Seth Green of, well, quite a few things, and is on par with any CG animated movie I've yet seen. This begs commentary on the graphics, which are also superb. The transition between cut-scenes and real time action is smooth and natural, and utilizes sophisticated camera angles and panning which mimic Hollywood productions. Lip movement, character expressions--from the furrowing of eyebrows when in consternation to wide-eyed expressions of shock or horror, to a nearly imperceptible twist in the lips indicating a smirk or bemusement--are incredibly life like. It is a pleasure to sit and watch the characters interact, and this is a good thing for there is a great portion of the game built into NPC conversations.

The storyline is not entirely innovative, involving the usual super villain who is maniacally bent upon enslaving the universe. However, the manner in which it is delivered is simply delightful, and kept me playing well into the night repeating to myself, 'Just one more mission, then I'll call it quits.' That's the mark of an excellent game, in my humble estimation.

As one reviewer remarked, the story was written by a well established science fiction author, and from these auspicious roots a tree has sprung, bearing a multitude of delicious fruits. Each encounter with NPCs provides the player with the opportunity to determine to some extent the outcome of the situation, directing it towards results which are either positive or negative in their greater effects. Without spoiling the ending, I may say that a significant decision is made available to the player which determines the ultimate outcome of the game, leading to the possibility of four different conclusions. The game creates a sort of binary opposition in character choices, a Manichean dualism of the 'dark side' versus the 'light side', giving your character points in either category. Occasionally, the outcomes of your decisions are the same no matter which option you have chosen, but they usually effect some change.

A point which I found particularly rewarding was the perceptive inclusion of intelligent conversation choices for your character, and the relevant, penetrating responses given by the other characters. In confusing situations where new topics are broached or complicated or illusive concepts are being discussed, the options for dialogue are usually exactly the sort of questions I find myself thinking as I'm listening to the conversations. On even the most obscure or trivial of topics, I was able to find a dialogue branch which asked the question I had, or made the comment I was thinking. It was remarkable how intuitive and well formulated the entire system was, and is a wonderful reflection of the meticulously crafted nature of the whole game.

If there is a downside, it is the not insignificant time you will be spending in elevators. Waiting. On nearly every planet or map that you visit, you will be confronted with at least one elevator, which may sometimes be in transit for upwards of a minute. It's a small annoyance, but one that is difficult to forget. The game's designers seem to have been aware of this and attempted to compensate by including unique dialogue between your squad mates while you're in the elevator, or broadcasting reports about your previous missions over the intercom. Infrequently, you can even pick up a mission just by listening to the intercom in the elevator, which only seems reasonable as you need to listen to SOMETHING while you're in there. Waiting.

Learning the game can also be a bit of a trick to begin with, incorporating manifold layers of skills and equipment upgrades. The initial temptation to allow the game to auto level your character can be strong, governed by the overwhelming nature of the game's rigorous detail. However, once you have managed to understand the cause and effect of your actions, leveling your character and choosing their weapons and upgrades becomes a large part of the fun, and one you will miss if you let the game choose for you.

This is a game that is soundly composed, and comprises a world that is really a great deal of fun to explore. Nothing ever seems irrelevant or menial, which is a relief after playing even games like Oblivion, where each Ayleid ruin and cavern become a monotonous mold of the previous. Whether travelling at faster than light speeds between solar systems to explore new planets, fighting a myriad of interesting and artfully created aliens, or simply interacting with the multitude of colourful NPCs you will encounter around the universe, Mass Effect is a story that brings some much needed grandeur back into the world of gaming.

As for the 3 time install limit? Honestly, 1 is enough, because you'll never take it off your system.

Save your money!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: June 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is large, and requires a lot of computer space. I paid 50$ and was very excited to play Mass Effect. To my chagrin, the game would not run on TWO of my gaming computers. The game would not even launch. Maybe it's not compatible with Windows Vista, or it may have been rushed into production for the PC. I called technical support but they were unable to help. Hopefully E.A. will deliver a patch for this game.

DRM kills the game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I am writting this review because I love to keep great games and play them years later. The DRM on this product prevents me from doing this. What happens when the game is no longer supported but I haven't used up my 3 activations? Since the DRM wouldn't be able to contact the "Mothership", again I am out of luck. No more strolling down memory lane. What happens if the game studio goes out of business, again, the game is no longer usable. What happens if EA goes out of business next week, everyone who is currenly playing this game would be out of luck. Isn't that a nice picture! Then what happens to the DRM still running on your computer. If you are lucky, it doesn't do anything. If you are unlucky, you will be reinstalling your OS and your games again. Oh, btw, you just used up another installation credit for any other games using DRM.
You would like to think the gaming industry would have learned something from the music industry fiasco. Treating your paying customers like crooks will only cause your sales to drop. The harder your squeeze, the more customers you will lose.

I have never stolen any games and never will, but this type of treatment won't earn the industy my hard earned money.

To all gamers out there, please take a stand and not purchase games that support this type of treatment. To those people out there who think I am just a whiner, more power to you. Eventually DRM will progress until it finally impacts your fun and then you will understand how your rights have been taken away, one step at a time.

An attempt at an objective review

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: August 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Mass Effect is a game that's had its fair share of buzz. From the fairly tame sex scene(where only skin and butt is shown) to the rampant decrying of DRM. I want to focus more on the game itself rather than the DRM issues surrounding it. Although I will say that I am opposed to DRM and that there are better ways of implementing security.

That aside, Mass Effect is a 3rd-person based RPG(actually it's more of an action game with a sprinkling of RPG elements, really) which seems like unholy spawn of Gears of War and Knights of the Old Republic, which isn't entirely a bad thing. But, unfortunately, it feels very much like a console port. Your inventory is in an annoying list form, controls are simplified(no jumping!) and there is lack of choice when it comes to weaponry. You basically have 5 types of weapons to choose from; Pistol, Shotgun, Assault Rifle and Sniper Rifle as well as grenades. Now I don't know about you, but an RPG game with only 5 types of weapons? That's just a wee bit boring if you ask me. I have come to expect a lot of choice when it comes to RPGs. Why shouldn't I be able to wield large rocket launchers, or a more futuristic laser rifle, or hell...why can't I open up a can of whoopass ninja style? The combat just feels dumbed down and albeit fun, I would have liked more interesting sequences than the repetitive "Clear the room, move to next room" gameplay.

While we're on the subject of being repetitive, I have to say that going on offworld missions and driving on the same rocky terrain gathering trinkets and ore for the umpteenth time started grating on my nerves. Not to mention that the physics while driving your Mako lander would make Tony Hawk jealous. While those missions are optional, an RPG is about bettering your character and I felt compelled to sit through all of it, to get the full experience of the game. Every system you visit has at least one planet that you can land on and explore, the rest you can mine and search from space(which came as a relief near the end of the gathering missions). But every planet looks the same as the last, just with a different color scheme. It was fun the first few times, but after 20, I never wanted to see another planet again. On top of that, sometimes you are greeted by an outpost on one of these planets, and you guessed it. For the most part, they're all carbon copies of each other. It all just seems like filler to make the game seem more massive than it actually is. Filler can be done right and it can feel like it actually serves a bigger purpose than to level you up. Just look at Baldur's Gate 2. All the filler there was beautifully designed, they were unique and I never got bored with any location. By filler I mean anything that didn't directly involve your main quest of saving Imoen and dealing with Irenicus. Don't get me wrong, Mass Effect had some great environments, especially in the Citadel starting area. If the rest of the game were that well designed, this game would have been a classic to be replayed for years to come(assuming you don't have to reinstall your OS, but I digress). But the uniqueness is too few and far between. The filler becomes noticeable and turns into a chore.

The game is not all bad though. The story is well done and the character development is nice. You speak to your comrades after each major mission so they reveal more about themselves and it adds flavor to the world, something than an RPG always needs. A lot of that flavor comes in the form of your Codex, a sort of encyclopedia that gets updated as the game progresses. It's a nice addition to the game and I wish they could have explored the possibilities of using the information in your codex to solve quests. Mass Effect isn't a terrible game but it's certainly not a classic. It does alright though. There were just far too many missed opportunities that could have made this game fantastic. Because of this, I can only rate this game 3 stars.

But since you can never really sum up a product nice and neatly with a simple rating like that:

(On a scale from 1-10)
Graphics: 7
Very nice environment in the Citadel. However, outposts, bunkers, and even some cities look repetitive, bland and boring. Facial animation leaves something to be desired.

Sound:7
Voice acting could use some work and if you can't get great voice actors, all it does is drag down the performance.

Replayability:5
While you can play as 'good' or 'evil', I didn't feel as if I've missed out on large enough parts of the game to really go back and play it again. I may down the line but the decisions you make don't feel as if they make a difference so you never seriously wonder, "What if I made this decision instead?"

Story:8
The strong point of the game. Nicely written and has a sort of cinematic quality to it.

Fun:6
I had fun shooting up everything(unlimited ammo as a game mechanic sure helped) and it was a good time. But it didn't have the lasting appeal that I wanted. It's what separates good from classic, Serious Sam from Half-Life 2. But what really killed the fun was the repetitive nature of the subquests. It felt too much like grinding.

Overall:6.5
I'm not factoring in the DRM to this score, since it doesn't really affect gameplay. If you're into action games, it'll be fun for you. But you might not want to pick it up again after you finish. As an RPG lover, I felt that the game was lacking something intangible...it was lacking life.

Great ScFi RPG for the PC

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 17
Date: June 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Last night I completed my first game of Mass Effect for the PC. I thought it was very enjoyable and extremely well done. The graphics were great, the story immersive and the action gripping.

You will LOVE driving the Mako! What a great vehicle!

The game was very stable, I only had one "freeze," but there were a couple of times when the physics model of the game hiccupped. (I got blown off a platform in battle and my character was stuck because he couldn't jump 3')

On the negative side, there was an entire galaxy of stuff to do and explore, but I felt too rushed to try and follow the linear plot line and never felt free to follow the side quests.
I had hoped for more diverse items and equipment, but I kept seeming to find the same weapons, armor and upgrades, just slightly different.

The character design and advancement system was a bit drab and boring. The system employed in other RPGs such as Knights of the Old Republic was much better.

The starship that you use, the Normandy was very cool, but you don't get to lead it into any combat that you have any control over - even from a strategic stand point.

These criticisms are really just minor grievances. Overall, I very much enjoyed the game. I am looking forward to going back and trying it again. It has a great blend of science fiction from a broad range of inspirations: Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and others.

Definitely worth the price in my opinion.

worst bioware game ever

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 17
Date: July 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Bioware has historically written great games. This game, unfortunately, is not one of them. First, it has onerous DRM. You can only install the game three times, and then you are locked out.

I would categorize this as an action/rpg. Unfortunately, the combination does not work well. If you like shooters, there are far better games to choose from. If you like RPG's, you will be disappointed with how little depth there is to that aspect.

I wish someone had warned me before I wasted my money on this game.

Sets the bar in the RPG genre - reviewing the game and nothing else

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 28
Date: June 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Yes, it's a console port, yes, there have been reports of copy protection problems (I didn't have any), but neither of those change my
opinion that Mass Effect is one of the best RPGs to be released in recent memory, right up there with Oblivion and Morrowind, and KoTOR.

Mass Effect is the spiritual successor to the KotOR series of games. If you like KoTOR and KoTOR 2, you will probably like Mass Effect.
What I especially loved, and what makes Mass Effect unique, is the FPS style combat system where you actually have to aim instead of choosing a target and selecting an ability. In some of the fights I felt like I was playing Halo 3, which is pretty impressive from an RPG. This gave Mass Effect a kind of intensity which is not often seen in an RPG, and, coupled with the excellent story that Bioware always delivers, make it a truly exceptional experience.

A great video game is like being in a movie, and Mass Effect delivers.

The negatives:

It took me about 30 hours to play through the game the first time, and I don't plan on doing it again, but it would take either less or more depending on how many side quests the player chooses to do. In my opinion,there is simply not enough reason to play through the game twice for the good/bad choices because it is 30 hours of pretty much the same thing with few differences.
The interface works but it isn't perfect
Items are somewhat bland (progressing in a rank system, so you start with assault rifle I and work your way up to Assault rifle VII at the end of the game.)
After you beat the game you can't go back and finish up the side quests with that same character.

In response to some of the previous reviews:
The quicksave feature works fine, you just can't quicksave while in combat.
There is an option in the video features to turn off the film grain effect, I don't know why such an effect is present, but you can turn it off so its not a big deal.
This game ran perfectly on high settings on my AMD 5200+ Dual Core with 2 GB ram and a Geforce 8600 GT.

GOTY 2007 Reborn on PC

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 45
Date: June 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This truly is one of the greatest games of this generation. The dialogue is fantastic, the story is compelling, it's a visual masterpiece, and the controls have been optimized for the PC. Simply put this is a must-own game. The synthetic soundtrack is awesome. That's the adjective I keep coming back to when I think of this game, awesome. Most of the gripes I had about the 360 version have been repaired for the PC version. Most notably the texture pop, which is almost non-existant now. Assuming you have a current PC, this is a game you should not go another day without.

The game does have minor stability issues, however, but those can be patched. It's rediculous to see its average review as low as it is, because the game is technically superior to the 360 version in every way.

Amazon should remove the BS reviews complaining about DRM, which is NO PROBLEM. It disgusts me to see how there's a mini-movement against EA and Mass Effect, particularly when many of these people are probably avid pirates of one form or another. It isn't the best anti-piracy measures by any means, but they are entitles to try to protect what's theirs any way they can.

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