Mass Effect Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on January 14th, 2008

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Some 30 hours and my quest is all over. I've heard that straight-to-the-point, no questions asked kind of guys have been able to do it in half that time. I'd like to think of myself as a sightseer, really, but sadly not all of my missions were as exciting as the last. At least money is easy to come by, which means I was always able to buy the right equipment to get the job done. As I said in a previous log, some decisions I had to make were taxing and could potentially alter outcomes massively, although for a soldier I do a hell of a lot of talking. Which makes this a good time for me to shut up.

There are basically three core elements to the game, and each are introduced to you in turn. The first is the narrative, which aside from being engaging on a basic level, draws you in further by allowing you to participate in conversations, selecting possible replies from a wheel of up to six options. Rarely do your choices affect the actual outcome of events, but they do allow you to glean as much (or as little) information about circumstances as you'd like. The also let you choose to act in a helpful, neutral or even an unhelpful manner. Again, players of KotOR will be well versed in this type of gameplay, and over time you'll see your character build up a reputation, although not one that greatly affects the way you play, it has to be said.

Next is the combat, which is pretty intriguing in that it quite successfully banishes all thoughts of numbers and dice rolls, even though such things are at the heart of it. Wielding a weapon (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle or sniper rifle) is pretty intuitive. Your accuracy and damage is based on your character's skills and the quality of the weapon, but for accuracy at least, you can use your own skill to offset the random spread of gunfire. Likewise, while skills and equipment determine how protected you are against damage, a built-in cover system and rudimentary squad commands allow you to take a strategic approach not necessary on casual difficulty, but essential on the harder difficulties that can be unlocked.

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