Mass Effect Reviews
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Once you've got your character, get ready for the best thing to happen to space since Star Trek was cancelled. You'll be tossed almost immediately into a burgeoning galactic war. It seems a sinfully ugly alien named Saren is after some ancient relics and has enlisted the help of a sub-human mechanical race called the Geth to help him out. Sure it sounds like, well. every single other game ever made, but trust me; what I've just told you is only the first half-hour of a game that could take you well over 200 hours to complete. Soon, you'll be tossed into wars between governments and races, a love story and so many characters that you might need to take notes on who's who.On the other hand, A.V. Club thinks it a "space opera with huge potential ends in a shrug", giving it a B-.
On top of that, your decisions in the game affect everyone and everything around you. If you decide to be a jerk, your story will have a more negative, hostile streak to it. Choose to be good and you can save the entire universe. This is the first time I've even seen a (choices) game that isn't a sophisticated Pick Your Own Adventure storybook. Every response, every action. everything has an impact on where the story is going and why.
Worth playing for: Panting over the lesbian sex scene will lead some players to pick a female protagonist. But the real reason to play a woman is the fantastic voicework by Jennifer Hale.
Frustration sets in when: All those side missions feel like a distraction while you're hurtling toward the destruction of the galaxy. But make sure to finish them before you get too far: Once the main story's over, you can't go back and explore what you missed.
