This gets a 9 simply because of the mako exploration of planets. I cannot get over how many times I got stuck in some rut and had to restart. Also, there essentially is no autosave; you pretty much reset to the beginning of the mission. That being said, the scale of this game is amazing, and the remainder of the trilogy is even better from here.

Ignore the salesmen of the game that go to web sites like this one and give the game all tens. I love RPGs, and Jade Empire is still in my favorite top 10 RPGs of all time (I have played it all the way through 3 times). This game was awful for the following reasons: (1) the female hair styles looked like the primary hair care product used was gel super glue, (2) the armor sets for the femaie character were BORING, (3) at a critical point in the story line, the hero could have aaved a race by downloading data to a disk (as was done previous times in the game), but didn't think of it, (4) if you hated what happened regarding Jean Gray and Nightcrawler in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, you'll hate this story. I quit playing the game and took it back to the store at this point in Mass Effect. If you want to play a really good RPG, play Jade Empire.… Expand

bioware pretty much nailed this one for the most part. being able to travel in space to different planets uncovering a great mystery backed up with a great story and solid voice acting makes this a solid RPG . the combat system is pretty good kinda gears of war style . alot of places to explore and some great diolouge choices you can make . going good or evil was done very well . the game is about 18-25 hours to beat so its alittle on the short side for a RPG but not short enough to where it bugs me but close . i wish they added space combat in your ship would have been great . also the planets are all pretty empty i wish they made exploration of the planets much more intresting . that aside its still a very solid RPG .… Expand

This game is at the top of my list of favorites, alongside Metal Gear Solid 3, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Gears of War. It's a space opera (and I'm not claiming that phrase). It takes the best of the sci-fi genre from film and television (e.g. Star Trek's lens flares and strange high pitch soundtrack that creeps you out in that deep space kinda way) and sprays on a shiny new coat of paint and performs it like a true epic, something on par with Greek tales of heroes and side-quests. It's not overplayed, it's not pretentious. It's entertaining and meaningful at once. I played it during a period of convalescence because otherwise I wouldn't have had the patience. This is due to the inability of Commander Shepard to run, preferring a light jog instead. Match this character flaw with the future's architectural fetish for LARGE, open spaces and you have a test of patience. The HUD is unnecessary. All the information could be conveyed through character animation and in-world effects or placed in the Menu. The radar is cheap, the "target everything" reticule is distracting, and the upper title bar is insulting. If I can still remember people from high school I can remember characters in a game. The human brain is incredible. Mechanics feel like a group of RPG nerds were put to the test of building a shooter to get more people to play their nerd game. It works. I played it. But I wasn't impressed. Targeting is floaty and unsatisfying. There's also the obligatory grinding (ughh) in the form of traveling to unknown planets and bouncing around in a rover that is delightfully hard to roll.

None of these factors take away from the greatness of Bioware's achievement with this game. However they do ruin my wish to replay it.… Expand

This game is terrible. All of the side-quest environments are just diffusion maps with almost no variation, there are only like five non-main quest interiors, most of the environments seem like rehashes from Knights of the Old Republic, the vehicle segments are frustrating due to poor design (jump jets do nothing but throw you off of mountains), enemies will glitch and respawn at inopportune times, character animation is just silly, graphics are jerky with lots of texture pop-up even in small rooms, loading times are atrocious, all elevators are too slow, death sequence is too long, game won't let you save right after dialog sequences (so you have to sit through them and select your choices all over again), the menu system controls so that you will accidentally exit when you don't mean to (it WILL happen), storyline is repetitive, main character can't be customized as much as you would think, stores sell inferior weapons for way too much, there are two buttons for drawing and replacing your weapon but no jump button, computer A.I. is stupid (for both friendlies and enemies), and the list just goes on and on. I don't see how this game gets such a free ride on reviews with all of its problems. On a positive note, it has Seth Green as the ship's pilot and it looks very nice in still pictures. That's all that I can think of.… Expand

This game is more story than game-play. The story is good though. I gave it a 5 (instead of a 0) because the story itself was good enough to motivate me to play it through. But compare it to a tight game-play mechanics work of art like mario galaxy a decent fps, and Mass Effect "the game" is pathetic. Now granted, this is an RPG (hence the good story and my willingness to give props to it), but the fighting system was touted to be a hybrid between traditional turn-based RPG fighting and RTS/OTS fighting. This turns out to be extremely clunky, where directing the actions of your squad is a futile exercise and talents(traditionally spells or feats) are limited to just a hand-full and are not very effective compared to standard attacks (guns). lastly, the graphics are good at times and at other times totally unacceptable. Frequent frame-rate drops and disorienting draw-in take alot away from the story.… Expand

An amazing adventure. Mass Effect captures the epic sci-fi atmosphere of movies like Star Trek, Star Wars and the Alien series while still offering tons of new content. Some people might not like the amount of information gathering that has to be done in the early parts of the game but I found them interesting anyway, and even if you personally don't like it there's enough action and freedom to satisfy you if you have a little patience to play through those parts. The only gripes I have with the game would probably be that managing abilities in combat can be a little tricky, and that the NPCs could be a little smarter while fighting. But even with those complaints, Mass Effect still has enough fun in it to satisfy just about anyone.… Expand

Excellent story, voice-acting, dialogue, RPG elements, world-exploration, graphics, replay value... one of the best console games of all-time. As a long-time fan of Bioware games, I have to say that this may be their finest achievement to date, and may remain so for years to come.

This truly is a great game. Great graphics, great music, great story, great characters, and good gameplay. The world is so well developed and you can tell that so much thought went into developing the Mass Effect universe. Mass Effect is very dialogue heavy, so for gamers who prefer constant action, this may not be the game for you.

WOW, Mass Effect was an experience in gaming I have never had before. The depth of the game, the immersion that comes with the story, and the massive world of play, not to mention the space opera story, kept me playing this game for days and days on end.

This game has such an amazing story and it sets up an entire universe (pardon the pun) that is rich and dynamic. Every interaction has its own feel and style and your actions impact the course of the game directly. What is frustrating, however, is the lackluster combat and the sluggish, hard to use menus. I give it props for having a new game plus option though, which expanded my time with this game quite a bit. At the end of it all though, I felt like it could be more. Then Mass Effect 2 came out, and now I am perfectly content.… Expand

Bioware is the company we must thank for all you RPG fans!! They have given us so much and yet they still prevail. This game makes me cry when i realize the time and effort put into this game. The gameplay, customization, and story is flawless. This game is a obvious buy you will put hours into in more than one playthrough. Bioware has failed to disappoint me.

Great game. The shooting combat is nice with plenty of side quests and an enthralling story. The RPG elements have been melded very well with the 3rd person shooter combat, and the choice you make mean something, and its not just right or wrong, there can be a lot of grey here, meaing you can really be yourself, not just pure good or evil. As for the elvator rides, yes sometimes they can be boring but the banter that goes on inside it can be quite amusing and interesting. My only real gripe is the inventory system and the boring vehicle sections, but apart form that its great, with a huge amount of cusomization available, a great story and amazing graphics.… Expand

Bioware has once again created a great RPG experience, you will notice it shares resemblance with another Bioware title Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic, but that aside this is truly a unique title, the story and the way you interact with others is great and kept me hooked, and the new talking system is game changing, and truly spectacular move for them, while this game is ahead of it's time with those features, the frame rate issues, clunky targeting system, and other bugs keep this from being as smooth as I would like, those flaws aside if you like the company's other titles or RPGs in general this is one I recommend.… Expand

Mass Effect is impressive, compelling, addictive, rewarding and fun. The main storyline is fascinating and will leave you wanting more. Combat is challenging, multi-faceted and engaging. The characters are well-developed, and the voice acting is superb (although I can't talk to Kaidan Alenko without seeing Carth Onasi in my head). There are myriad side quests, many of which are relatively well-developed and woven neatly into the main plot or other ongoing subplots. Planetary exploration is fun, once you get the hang of driving the Mako. The level system is well thought out, as well.

There are some problems, however. I think there are a total of only 5 or 6 "dungeons," which get recycled over and over and over. There is a side quest for almost every star system, and there are a LOT of star systems. You'll run through the same dungeons (populated by different enemies) time and time again....but you'll still enjoy it. Your party AI is also not very good, specifically on higher difficulties. The inventory system is overwhelming and somewhat annoying. Controls can be a little off, at times. Going in and out of cover isn't always smooth, which will result in more than a few needless deaths on higher difficulties. The mechanics are generally good, though. Overall, this is a really great game with a few elements that will annoy you just enough that you'll have to stop playing it for a few minutes once every 8 hours or so.… Expand

Sometimes it can be irritating, and the storytelling ( i mean the cut scene the story is perfect) can get annoying, but in same way en-joyful to see your doppleganger interact which rich worlds . The graphics are in par with most of the games nowadays. The combat, is for me , lacking, the only flaw and the thing that infuriate me. But the decisions the best part, changing every path, whit-out even knowing . Best buy for RPG fans.… Expand

This is a spectacular game!! Rich, deep story line, and a vast and very realistic universe. I enjoyed the variety of weapons and environments and enemies. There is so much to explore! This game is immersive and addicting! I enjoyed the ability to characterize and customize. The weapons are awesome, and the gameplay is great! This game is fun!! The story is truly unique. I loved the decision making, and the plot twists. Great game play, great game. Totally worth multiple play-thoughs! Great job Bioware!!… Expand

9.8 for making it great. But since I play it on my friend's Xbox I can't play it on my own pc. So it becomes a 1/10 score. A message to the Xbox makers: we 're not going to dish out any extra just to buy games that only run on your platform. A decade from now, we're so sure new consoles will be out to replace this xbox. You're lame. The future of gaming will be on pc since consoles are very limited in their use. We think it stinks and so we're going to support companies that only cater pc users like those base fans making this review.… Expand

Very impressive graphics, and nice gameplay sequence. All in all, it is a very deep rpg game, but with some of the same glitches that had occured in the previous game ( and some more as well). However, personally it doesn't live up to the hype that KOTOR created. I still believe that Mass effect 2 or 3 might succeed in where this one failed!!

this game is horrible it is a waste of 50$ lame is the only way to decribe this game if you wanted a great gaming system you should have bought a ps3 of pc this game story line is boring and dule and i have nothing else to say.

I'm sorry but it's just not that good. The character acting is GREAT, but almost everything else is disappointing. Handling of equipment a pain. Playing a class that isn't the Soldier is a pain. Combat is a pain. Skills are lackluster and the list goes on. Expect a decent RPG but not the thing that's been hyped in the mags as the end all RPG.

Although the combat isn't as good as the sequel, the story is top-notch. The upgrade system is overly complex than what is necessary, and the FPS isn't constant at all. I was also annoyed how I had to find an old save to play the DLC because I couldn't return to the ship during the end - and most of my recent saves were from the end mission. This led me to have to play the DLC with terrible upgrades (from early on), which made the combat turn out to be a much greater challenge. In conclusion, a great game, but lacking in comparison to the second installment.… Expand

I enjoyed Mass Effect, though I wrestled with the interface (particularly the inventory) and controls at times. It's a decent, semi-hard sci-fi space opera that is definitely worth your time.

Should I play Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 before Mass Effect 3? Does playing through the first two games make the wait worth it? I would play through Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 numerous times before playing through Mass Effect 3. I absolutely love the series so far. Here is how Mass Effect felt to me. I hope you enjoy.

If I had one word to describe my experience with Commander Shepard it would be wow! From touching the Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime to the final battle with a Saren "like" creature. I hate that I am just now finishing it, because I am already on Mass Effect 2. Hopefully, I will get to Mass Effect 3 some time this summer (ha-ha). I have been playing this game since 2009, and due to a couple of "Red Ring's" I had to put-off the game for some time.

This is probably one of the best stories I have ever experienced in over two decades of gaming. Every planet, mission, and side quest told intricate details to flush out the Mass Effect universe even better. The only reason this game lacks the one point needed for the perfect score would be due to two factors. First, on the side mission planets Commander Shepard drives around an SUV like vehicle called a Mako. Unlike the shark the vehicle is named after this Mako is clunky and difficult to drive up mountains (which seem to be in abundance in every planet). The clunky mechanics make it difficult for a completion-ist (like myself) to scavenge every single piece of the world looking for loot. I still did this to most worlds, but near the end of the game the story was so amazing I just did the side quest on the planet and stopped looking around for more loot.

Loot in Mass Effect comes in the form of weapons, weapon mods, bullet mods, armor, medical mods, medi-gel (used to heal the mako, party members, and even Commander Shepard), and grenades. Fun to collect, but by the time I got near the 45-50 hour mark I rarely found anything better than what I already had. The second reason to hold off the perfect score would be world creation. For three of the headlined side quests (where you help your party members) Commander Shepard finds himself in the same bunker. The same bunker appears in about a half dozen planets, and there are others which get recycled in a couple different areas. For Bioware to make a game this large in 2007 means sacrifices like this probably had to be made. I finished it in 2012 where bunkers (dungeons) can be artificially built by AI. I would not say the combat is bad, though I would not say it was great either. Probably due to the year Mass Effect came out, I am comparing it to games years past its time.

It must be saying something where I am comparing this game with titles which have came out in the past 12 months. I loved every bit of the story. I yearned for every second of cut scene I could get.

I have not even spoken about the fact where Commander Shepard's decisions have a lasting effect in the Mass Effect universe. The decisions made in Mass Effect carry over to Mass Effect and Mass Effect three. Also, the characters who die in the first game are dead in the next two. Mass Effect 3 in now in stores, and according to some web sites sold over 800,000 in its first 24 hours. Bioware's publisher EA (Electronic Arts) has shipped over 3.5 million units worldwide. It is no doubt everyone is wanting to play Mass Effect 3.

Without a doubt I would absolutely play Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 before playing Mass Effect 3. Which is why I am now playing the second game with every spare second to finish before I crack into the third entry. Game Informer gave Mass Effect 3 a perfect 10, and IGN gave it a 9.5. I want, with every inch of my being, to go pick up Mass Effect 3 and play for 24 hours straight.

However, Mass Effect 3 will only be a perfect game by bringing in my own save files which make my decisions matter in the "final battle."

I hope this helps you if your trying to debate playing the first two games before starting the third. This series is worth every minute of the hundreds of hours you will spend playing it!… Expand

Amazing. What can be said about this game which hasn't been already? As a kid raised on Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers etc. I remember longing for the day when I'd be off exploring space in a starship and as puberty hit you realize that day will never come. Mass Effect however get's me as close to that experience as a young kid could wish for (without the hassles of work or death either) and as a game it's a boat load of fun to boot. Does it have flaws? Of course, but they are so minor when compared to the overall experience that I'm not even going to mention them here. If I were to list all the plus points of the game this review would be 100 pages long. A sheer joy to play and a must-buy for anyone with an Xbox 360.… Expand

Personally, I love Bioware just like I loved KOTOR, I really wasn't expecting much when I bought this game but something new has come in the RPG genre. The 3rd person real-time combat is just great and exploring the world is also awesome, unfortunately, this side quests are really boring such some of the vehicle missions, that didn't drive me into the experience any more. The story is also absolutely wonderful and the characters are strong (at least most of them). Overall this game is amazing and it will really satisfy RPG and 3rd-Person-Shooter fans, this is totally worth your money.… Expand

One of my favorites of all time, top 3 games. Really fun game, great choices, interesting cast of characters, and a compelling story. Still occasionally pick it up and play. By far the best of the 3 (not that it says much anymore)

This would be one of the best games of all time if not for Bioware's penchant for excessive dialogue. The Citadel swiftly kills any aspect of replay this masterpiece should have, but the adrenaline and art are breathtaking each in their own right.

If I am being completely honest with this review Mass Effect has set the bar on an unheard of level purely on the basis of storytelling alone. Bioware's treks into Knights of the Old Republic were both excellent I am partial to the first one because prior to playing a game like that a story to a game was on the back burner. Simple objectives that were played up by intense game play which had been traditional. Where Mass Effect picks up in the series of great games from Bioware just left me wanting more; truly it was so fascinating in many different ways. The most being was that in the way other games are repetitive in how you manically drone through npc attackers in order to reach your goal, which if it isn't apparent it has never been on effective on multiple levels. Mass Effect takes the repetitive tasks of the main story line and continuously changes environments, purposes and characters. Allowing you to change party members at any time and delve into their background during an overwhelming journey. Most of the depth of the game comes from the ability to take your path as a Paragon or a Renegade but not having to completely choose as you do in most games that have a morality ticker, like Fable and the KOTOR series. Obviously though if you play around too much with being one or the other you miss some of the content, being able to say certain things in crucial situations. The first time I played through I wasn't able to save Wrex my longtime squad mate who I had really come to like as a character. I think that your choice in the conversation should be available to you to make the decision and I wasn't fond of the automatic moral positioned answers and the renegade answers it should be something that you choose and that you take consequence from based on what you thought. Complimenting the intense depth of conversation was the voice acting, which was superb, I am extremely impressed by the actors and how much the voices really added to the game. I'm not entirely sure what many of the people commenting on the shop system as I played through the game as a infiltrator commando which meant that I was able to decrypt/salvage everything in my path making equipment plentiful. Maybe if you are playing on easy the shops offer nothing of value but as the game got toward the climax especially before Virmire I was able to upgrade all of my weapons before going to the planet with shop items. Some of the best items in the game. But they don't make money the driving force because somethings aren't attainable in shops and I thought the way that they handled that balancing exploration for new items and being able to buy great items if you were willing to put in the time to do a little exploration (which was brutal) everything was available. The leveling system was fantastic, the only trouble I had was having to put points into "Charm" on my Hardcore character, allocating points there was frustrating just to get new things in the dialogue, which I held at a high value. The exploration as I said was brutal, the one planet you could land on in each system was different and most of the side missions had different objectives but linking them closer to the story would have made more sense. If I am the savior of the galaxy and I know it why the hell would I be called on to stop a rogue VI on the moon? Some of it was silly and Bioware guilt tripped my Paragon by saying it was his responsibility to clean up human messes first before saving the galaxy. By the end of the game I actually did want to give humanity a big middle finger because of how selfish and shortsighted they were. If we were dealing with the most intelligent humans as the game suggests then I believe that should have translated better than the character of Ambassador Udina or Navigator Pressley. A lot of people seemed to have trouble with the AI in the game itself, my go around Wrex was a one alien wrecking crew. And I never had a problem with respawning or sticking except with my own character occasionally backing up to a wall while in clear shot of the enemy. I also couldn't imagine playing the game as a biotic, I was not a fan of the biotic menu really at all and didn't use it at all on the easier difficulty. The complaints that I had were all really minor, the loading screens were annoying especially when I was trying to explore and the landing sequences every single time you go to the citadel were infinitely annoying. The long elevators at the beginning of the game are silly but they do add a little size to the game and as time goes on the talking sequences or the radio sequences which should be heavier in the beginning since you use the elevators more then really make those sequences kind of fun. Hearing about your exploits over the station makes you feel little more awesome. The geometry was a small problem sometimes on the far off worlds I remember dying in a level 2 hazard zone trying to survey a deposit because I couldn't get into the Mako in time because I was stuck in an imaginary crevice. Also the texturing was slow sometimes when loading in and the small freezes with the loading icon were unneccesary nowadays, though thankfully none of that was every in combat. The other complaint (which is arguably major) was the re-purposing of the bunkers and buildings in the side quests. Reorganizing the boxes in the buildings doesn't lend much to the idea of doing ALL of them as I did. The music was fantastic and fit the mood whether I was saving a derelict freighter full of prisoners or rushing up the citadel steps to confront Saren. To be honest where some games considered to be better now rely way too much on repetition in online play to be appealing you really lose some of the imaginative elements of video games, the epic transportation to a completely different time and place. The story telling and dialogue in this game cannot get enough praise from me and I believe all games should be held to that standard over the online game play. Overall I was truly transported to the world of Mass Effect and I am unbelievably excited about the clean ups for Mass Effect 2.… Expand

Awesome story, awesome character interactions. It's fun to play. The combat is challenging - there are parts of this game I needed to retry multiple times to get past. I've played it twice now and it's still fun.

Mass Effect is an embarrassment for Bioware. Excellent story, excellent voice acting, and beautiful artwork cannot make up for a complete lack of refinement and playtesting. It's frustrating to see a great game company fail with an incredible idea because of such simple things. I started the game, walked forward, and got stuck on a corner. Then I opened the menu and watched my character's portrait flicker and warp. I tried to use the menus, and realized that this is the part of the game where true hand-eye coordination is required, not in combat. Did anyone playtest this game? Movement is awful, your character is clumsy beyond belief and gets stuck on ledges and corners far too easily. Graphics are gorgeous, but blatantly unstable. Play is simply bizarre. Is this an FPS? If so, it's the worst FPS I've played in years. Is it a hack & slash RPG? Where is simple run & gun fun? Is it a turn-based RPG? Where is the strategy? I have rarely been so disappointed in a title, and it stings because of how much potential this game had. KOTOR, glitches included, was exponentially better than Mass Effect. Why? Because it was FUN. Sure, glitches happened, but the game worked. This 360 next-gen game is just silly. On the bright side, the dialogue is good and voice acting is the best we've seen in any game to date. I suggest that, next time, Bioware make a movie or write a book instead. These types of media do not require playtesting. In the end, the one thing I want most out Mass Effect is a patch or re-release. If Bioware published an article saying "OOPS, we sent out bad discs...we'll be back in three months!", I would be the first to cheer, purchase my game in March, play for hours on end. Too bad.… Expand

Now, this happens to be just type of game. Epic adventures with roleplaying-lite incorporated. And it's an extraordinary well made such. That said, I can't give this anything but a straight ten, really. I just finished this game and I'm looking forward doing it once or twice again!

This was simply inspired gameplay. The one flaw was the excess of side quests - I spent several days completing sidequests before I played any of the core story missions.

A good game with lots to see and do, if you like RPG's like oblivion then this is for you - but its set in space. Great graphics and character creation Unfortunately the game is full of bugs and there are quite a few reports of 'disc read errors' coming in from everywhere - myself included. I don't having to reload every 10 minutes, otherwise an awesome game.

This is one of the five best games I've ever played. It's a tremendous game, with exceptional graphics and voice acting.

Awesome game, gave me weeks of entertainment through replay value. My GotY 07, Highly Recommend.

You just need to play this game. This games scenario is worth a Hollywood movie!

Perfect storyline. Graphics are pretty. This is the game-of-the-year 2007. This is the best rpg that i ´ve played so far instead of oblivion. All ratings under 6-7=ps3 fanboys.

Personally, i like this game. But a few things let the game down. FPS should be added in to this game that would make the game better. There are more but overall this game is awesome. Ha! Hehe love the "romantic" cutscenes.

This game is KotOR on steroids. If you are looking for something familiar with a whole new storyline and a great selection of quests/items/worlds, this is your game. Dynamic, fluid game play mixed with a stellar plot make Mass Effect a top notch game.

Theres not too many games that I will play over and over again, Mass Effect is my personal favorite so far.

This game blew me away. Bioware has really outdone itself here. The story, game play, graphics, sound, controls and practically everything else are amazing if not extraordinary. Only things is that it has a few bugs and technical issues.

Very, very solid characterization. Story is basically supporting all of the side missions and character quests. Some minor bugs from time to time, and a cover system that just doesn't stick at times keep this from the top. As stated in most reviews, the squad AI is better, but I never really noticed them helping a lot of the time. Most times they just hide behind walls in my experience until I basically go and hold their hand back to the fight. Would definitely buy this again, given the choice, and the easiest recommendation to any PC or 360 owner ever.… Expand

Best Game Ever!!!!

Absolutely Amazing Game. It is so deep when it comes to its content. In a rare change you get to choose the responses you make to people's statement or questions which means you choose your destiny to some degree. A good amount of interactivity with everything to people and objects. Great strategy when it comes to the shooting aspect. The storyline is amazing as well. It really does capture your imagination to where some times you will see yourself on the edge of your seat. The visuals are stunning with great frame rate and player models are great as well. All around amazing game.… Expand

A truly great and memorable experience. 10 years from now, you won't be talking about how great the graphics and animation are, you won't be talking about the great voice acting and you won't be talking about the glitches. You'll just remember the experience all these good things resulted in. And you will sorely miss this game universe when you're done and pine for the sequel. If anyone tells you that games are not art, get them to play this and asked them how many movies/books etc. moved them this much. KOTOR and Bioshock, there's a new 'best story in Video Game history' now. Reviewers rightly score the game down due to glitches and a pretty asinine menu system, but many wrongly deduct points because the action isn't as good as an action only title such as Gears of War. Don't let this prevent you from what is truly a fantastic experience and a great event in all gaming.… Expand

Not without it's faults, but what game is perfect? I LOVE the combat, though I play on the harder difficulties. I'd suggest it for others, as it makes the combat more intense. You can always turn it down later. Anyways, best graphics, best story, best combat(this coming from a competitive PC FPS player)...best everything I've played this year.

Like both directing and acting in a Hollywood blockbuster movie. If you don't own this game you are missing out on an epic adventure. A living world on a DVD-9 disc.

Truly immersive games are few and far between these days. Older games could make use of average graphics but excel in gameplay and immersion, as the times change Mass Effect is the pinacle of combining both in true next-gen fashion. Another top quality 360 title.

A polished suped up Knights of the Republic, but does an even better job of making you feel like you're in another world. Combat is good-not great. Giving this game a "1" is ridiculous, even if it's not the game you wanted it to be...that's your mistake for not reading up on it-not a review of the game. I would agree with Dionysus that at times you feel "steered" towards things with pretty pictures and dialogue, but in no way dows the game equate to a 1...that's the trade off to make the game more immersive instead of shallow and wide ranging. The feeling of being on a "track" and the loose combat make it a 9 instead of a 10.… Expand

Fools needn't apply. Mass Effect is a cerebral and intelligent game, aimed at a very specific audience. While it does have it's problems, it is easy to see what kind of people are aggravated by them. If a texure loads too slow? It's funny how they didn't complain about that in Halo 2. It happened a lot in Halo 2. It loads too often and too slowly? Get a new xBox, I was loading for probably about 30 minutes total in my 12-hour playtime. Not very bad, considering. Too much walking around the Citadel? Maybe if you hadn't been too stupid to listen to the hologram there, you would have found out that there is a mass transit system to ferry you where you please. Mass Effect is delectable in it's complexity, and has a slew of believable and reasonably-acted characters. It's shooter facade may have tricked some of the more foolhardy into thinking they were purchasing some "Gears of War" or some "Halo" title, but they instead found an erudite and well-crafted work of art. Seeing as how this sort of individual is prone to discarding that which sets mankind apart from neanderthals, they quickly succumb to vitriolic complaints. I suggest your purchase of this title with great strength, unless you only want to shoot things. If that's the case, obtain a copy of Gears of War, that's a cool game.… Expand

Amazing game. While others may be complaining about glitches and other irrelevant things, I can only say this. What game doesn't have glitches?
The answer is none. Just as every other game has it's glitches, Mass Effect has it's own, but I'm willing to overlook every single one of them because of it's great story, immersive worlds, and the realism that Bioware9;s representation of the universe gives.
Not only do the planets which you can visit look beautiful, but the feeling of exploring a completely new planet is exhilarating.
The different alien races which Bioware have introduced are amazing, with each having their own traits and personality quirks. For pretty much all of the game I played with two of my alien allies, completely ignoring my human ones who seemed so bland in comparison. The sort of one liners which Wrex came out with during the course of the game were great, which shows the level of the script and voiceactors which Bioware used for this game.
I can see a lot of people complaining about the battle system in this game. I can only say that this game is an RPG at heart, not a FPS, so if Mass Effect isn't to your liking, there are hundreds of FPS games out there that are to your suiting. Mass Effect is for those who are patient, and prefer to take their time with things.
I could sing Mass Effects's praises all day, but I'd rather leave some surprises for those who haven't played the game yet. In conclusion, Mass Effect is another masterpiece from Bioware, and I hope that they keep putting this level of effort into their games.… Expand

Anyone who gives this game lower then an eight really doesn't know what they are doing. I find it funny that those who give the game a low score can't spell. Such as the NY boy who starts off, "this game sux! BUT(not buy) oblivion!" Anyway. Buy this game if you love RPGs and a good story! Buy Oblivion if you love running around like an idiot, listening to a horrible story, or feeling insignificant.… Expand

I never had any significant technical issues, sure theres some texture popin when you first load a level but its nota bgi thing. The story and acting more than makes up for any issues. In total it took me 32 hours to complete (i didnt get the 75% completed achievement).

The combat system is simple when being used singularly, but when combat is mixed with tech and biotics it becomes a masterpiece. The RPG elements integrate perfectly into the experience, and the minor flaws(such as that dastardly texture pop-up) are quickly forgotten behind the marvelous story and wondrous graphical vistas. Never a boring moment, either. Bravo, Bioware!

The character powers aren't really a good alternative to combat weapons, and strategy isn't necessary at all during all the game. Graphics are good, but the texture popping make scenarios and menus really strange. The worst of all: The game's length is SO below of what I expected ( Come on, it's supposed to be Oblivion on space, don't give me only 15 hours of gameplay).

Very fun with an great story. I just wish the main storyline was longer but i guess we just have to wait for a sequel.

I would have to say that other than the small minor detail in the graphics and loading times this game is by far the best to hit the 360 since it's release. BioWare kept the same story involvement as in Jade Empire but improved it so much. The graphics are stunning, the environments are very detailed and pretty to look at, the character development and story development are just amazing! I would definitely say that this game is the number 1 purchase for anyone interested in getting a 360 or that already own one.… Expand

An excellent narrative of epic scope. I'm not the biggest of RPG fans...but this was different. I felt very attached to my character, as well as my team. I ended up spending almost 30 hours playing, and it very significant for the most part. The missions seemed varied, and motivated. The NPC were interesting and provided an excellent backstory. This game is almost perfect. If there weren't a few glitches such as getting stuck in odd places, and maybe a better auto-save feature would have made this game a perfect ten. The story and production values, however, make up for any shortcoming in gameplay. The combat was fun and felt almost like an action game and not an RPG. That was what i was most happy about. Great game, and i give it one of my highest recommendations.… Expand

What Mass Effect does well, it does extremely well. What it doesn't do well soon becomes a repetitive chore. First the bad. Combat consists of little more than aiming a weapon and pulling the trigger, with a few special powers thrown in to mix things up. The main mission levels are long, challenging and intriguing, but the side quests are all on copied and pasted maps with different treasures and enemies within to give a thinly-veiled impression of variety. The item menu is difficult to navigate, and rather user-unfriendly. The music is nothing special, and quickly gets repetitive. Now onto the good. The dialog system is virtually flawless: sometimes it's more fun to talk to people than it is to combat the enemies. Choices are clear, but rarely are they easy. The main character can act and talk like a hero on the straight and narrow, or a rules-bending anti-hero, or anything in between, as the player chooses. The other six characters can't be used, but their personalities and races are all different enough to make them intriguing. The armor and weapon customization system is simple but works well. The story and plot are what you might expect in a sci-fi tale, but throughout the game, you always feel in control. Kudos to BioWare for such a deep and intriguing game.… Expand

Overall pretty good game with some falws. the story and concept was amazing yet the combat was a bit laggy, its still worth buying.

I was definitely a little disappointed by this game. Admittedly, my expectations were sky high as KOTOR is one of my all-time favorite games. I'd never cared for RPG's before KOTOR, and it took me a while to get used to the turn-based combat, but I didn't mind in the end because the story was so great. And, yes, even I thought to myself how awesome it would be if they could make a game with a story-line that good with gameplay as fun as a Halo game. Ironically, as Bioware has tried to push more towards action, real-time based combat gameplay, in my opinion their games have gotten less fun. Critics raved about Jade Empire's combat, but I thought it was terrible. I got to where I dreaded combat, as all it ended up being was ridiculous button-mashing for the most part, and seemed like a total waste of time which detracted from the top-notch story telling. Same thing here. They tried to make it an action oriented third person shooter, but the combat just sucks. It's too hard to control to be fun. Likewise, the driving levels aren't fun either. Luckily, the bulk of the game is still the story, and though it didn't come close to reaching the bar set by KOTOR, in my opinion, the story was still decent enough. Midway through the game, I turned combat on to the easiest setting, and I enjoyed it a lot more after that, as combat was less frustrating and took less time away from the plot.… Expand

Mass effect is a good game but me and all my scifi loving friend all agree that this game is just a trail to see how people like the way it works for KOTOR 3 (and for those people who do know what KOTOR is it the ongoing saga made by bioware, starwars: knights of the old republic) The old KOTOR games had a very simple combat system and they said that in the up coming KOTOR 3 that they were going to make it more open combat like mass effect. so if you had high expectations for mass effect and were disappointed start looking for Starwars: knights of the old republic 3.… Expand

Mass Effect is without a doubt the true definition of evolution. Every inch of this game is moving gaming foward. The dialogue wheel is an innovation that gives what is most likely the most immersive experience one can have with a videogame just short of virtual reality. You truly feel like you're making decisions that are effecting an entire galaxy, So much so that when you lose a team mate as a direct result of your actions you actually feel guilty. Ultimately it doesn't feel like you're controlling an avatar but rather you are Commander Shepard, commanding a crew to save and police the galaxy. The combat at first feells overwhelming and intimidating but once you take the time to learn its customization it starts to feel even better than Gears of War. As a shooter alone Mass Effect would have been awesome but the rpg elements are what make the deal. No matter what you do, leveling up your weapons and skills never becomes tedious. As the developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, Bioware had high expectations to meet with this one. The result is one of the best next gen games on the market that makes its predecessors feel like beta tests. Buy this game and forget about the outside world, you won't be going back to it anytime soon.… Expand

Great game for the RPG or shooter fan. The story is one of the best with graphics also being top of the line.

I loved the KOTOR games and i think they are contenders for the title of best game ever. The combat system, although uncomplicated, is somewhat brilliant. Yes, I know there are games with better systems but none of them have a brilliant rpg story line. The only downside of this game is the repetitive planets you find on side quests. Its basically the same planet everytime, yes it is brilliantly fun but why is every planet a vaste wasteland? Still this game was genius.… Expand

One of the most rewarding games you will play.I believe its in the league of bioshock and halo and cod4 as one of the best games of 2007, if not then the best rpg.

Amazing game, it is a work of art. Very cinematic, varied pace, highly addictive. Possibly the best game I have ever played.

Excellent game. I loved the story line and depth of the game. At first, the fighting took some getting use to but once you do it's a lot of fun. If I had to say anything bad about the game is that sometimes the characters following you got stuck on objects which is not really a big deal b/c the computer will eventually reset them back onto you, it just makes for an uneven game flow; in addition, before you fight one of the antagonist you have to go through this incredibly long conversation/video sequence and if you die you have to keep going through the sequence until you defeat the antagonist which is really annoying.… Expand

I loved Knights Of The Old Republic and was looking forwared to a similar game with enhanced visuals. Unfortunately the combat for this appears to be just "point and shoot and hope your AI buddies follow suit". The combat just didn't seem very deep to me. The endless dialogue trees you have to labour through every time you talk to someone and the result is a total failure of immersion. One for the run-and-gunners and Gears of War fans, I think. Hopefully the forthcoming Fallout game will address these shortcomings.… Expand

The game is truly brilliant. The storyline is epic and the graphics are brilliant. The dialogue system is revolutionary. The only bad thing is the sheer amount of elevator rides that you have to endure.

Wow... to any of you who gave this game below a 7 are either too idiotic or "sure of yourself" to notice how great this game is... how about taking the time to play it? Enjoy the great visual sights, the rich, deep character design and history, coupled with the amazing storyline that changes on how you play. Now, onto my own review on why I gave this a 10/10: I eagerly bought this game just a year ago, and beat it in 10 hours. Want to know how? Because I sped through, not taking in the accomplishments listed above. Now, the next time I played, I had created my own character, gave him a name and chose a class carefully, then I truly began to play. Each choice I made shaped the world (or shall I say, galaxy?) around me, and in response, made people react to me differently. I gained around a hundred different Codex entries, and that wasn't even half of what I could learn. By the end (Which took at least a week and a half), I was blown away with the controller shaking in my hands. The bad? Almost none. The combat is a bit laggy when the fights gets intense, and the texture pop-up sometimes pulled you out of that world, but those are just things you can brush aside. For me, it's the best game I have ever played, and I except the sequel will go past the first in every way. - Number 1 in my List -… Expand

I wouldn't say this is Hollywood worthy, but its certainly a great game. The leveling feels quite balanced which is nice, the face customization is quite frankly awesome, if seen A LOT worse. the different classes are well balanced. I only have a few complains. The amount of information in the game about races, cities etc is quite frankly TOO heavy, I don't want to study the history on a city, just give me a mission and i might learn something on the way. The Sniper Rifle's in the game were a joke, although more true to life and yes it takes a lot more skill to use it by comparison to lets say gears of war but its my favorite weapon and i felt kinda cheated, forcing me to use the godforsaken shotgun. The feeling of epic is by far at large here but with the ever grounding reality that for every system you visit, you can only visit one planet, which again made me feel cheated. Put it this way if the next installment allows your to explore EVERY single planet that would be from a technical standpoint impressive, but mind crushing for a player. Overall the game is great and some of the choices you can make are groundbreaking compared to other dialog based games. Just too much of everything really. Its like getting a Sunday roast to realize you have a shit load of peas and carrots on your plate and not a lot of roast beef and roast potatoes.… Expand

This review may help those considering picking up an "older" game. I got it for $14.99 at GameStop used. Mass Effect has a great story and intriguing gameplay. If you liked the KOTOR series, you will like Mass Effect. The game has a ton of dialogue options and was generally fun to play. However, it ran into the Assassin's Creed problem with the side missions. They were extremely repetitive and I eventually gave up on those that didn't involve shooting something (I mean really, who wan't to be a space geologist?). The action of the game has potential but needs some minor tweaking. First, you have abilities, but need to pause combat to effectively queue them. I don't like this. In KOTOR, you could at least queue multiple actions in secession. In Mass Effect, you have only one hot button that can be mapped to an ability. As a result, you end up playing most of the game forgetting to use your abilities. They simply need a queue of abilities you can set and trigger without pausing combat. Still, overall an improvement over the sit and watch of KOTOR. At least I now get to aim at things. The graphics are good, but not as solid as current games.There's some definite boxiness especially in the "ahem" climax. I put 30 hours in completing the game the first time around diligently trying to complete all of the side quests before giving up on the more boring ones. This leads me the only other flaw of the game. In the KOTOR series (btw, I know they aren't the same game, but they are very close and KOTOR is a good point of reference), it was fun to play through both the light and dark side aspects of the game. It would alter major plot lines and end the game differently. I realize this can be hard to do for story continuity's sake, but there is NO value in playing Mass Effect through a second time. Don't waste your time. Oh, I guess I lied, there was 1 other flaw. Once you get the Spectre Gear, all other weapons become irrelevant. Getting new weapons was one of my favorite parts of the game until this hit. So, overall, very worth a $14.99 purchase for a game I spent about 50 hours on. Much more rewarding to put 30 hours into this game than 10 into Fable 2. Buy it now that it's cheap and if they fix these minor issues for Mass Effect 2, it will be solid as well. One last thing, the Codex was over-done in my opinion. I stopped reading the Codex very early into the game. It's great to have so much background info, but not very much of it was relevant to the point that I actually cared to read it. Put that stuff in a strategy guide or book.… Expand

It's a VERYgood game. Strong storyline, excellent charcter building choices, controls are good (when u get used to them), clever dialogue options and very good NPCs too. Weapons and 'powers' a varied and differ enough to make you think about what u should use and when (acid bullets that metls synthetic enemies etc..) Graphics could be improved somewhat and a few frame rate glitches, but these are minor complaints. THE BEST RPG on XBXO360. I'd give it 10 if the side missions were less repetitive and a the graphics were tip top. The abilities that you acquire can really make a difference to the fighting, especially the BOSS fights. This game gives you huge choice as to how you play and your choices have an impact on how the storyline pans out (not majorly, but enough to make you feel like you're IN the game. It plays like you'e in a movie, clever stuff. Get it, play it, play it again - because you can chose to play the character with many different types of abilities which changes the way you interact with the game.… Expand

I'd probably find this game to be the greatest game on the X360 if it wasn't for the 'dungeons' and repetitive side-missions. It's plenty of fun, great graphics, fine action (although a bit slow compared to other shooting-games) and a nice story. However, if you take the time to complete a lot of the side-missions around the universe, you'll find out that the different dungeons where you have to fight enemies are competely the same, although including different furniture and materials/items. It's quite depressing in the long run, actually. If this changed ad the action was turned up just a tiny notch, it would have been an immaculate science-fiction game.… Expand

A great game, it's like taking a role in a movie ... that's how good the voice acting and the script is. Overall, I would give the game a 9+, but I played this and COD4 over the weekend and I have to say COD4 is more impressive. What I don't like: The first woman that joins your crew must be the same woman that does the voice of Meg on Family Guy. This ruined the immersion factor for me. Combat is clunky. Switching weapons is a pain, and controlling your squadmates is not exactly intuitive, but I will probably get used to it.… Expand

A large step forward for storytelling in video games.

I dunno why people are so hyped about this game. I dont see anything special about it. Just another sci-fi RPG. The only innovative thing is the dialog otherwise the shooting is mediocre, if not poor. I've played this game and i dont think it deserves more than a 5 on any site.

I sat down to this last night and didnt make it to bed. I had been waiting on this all year, and its been worth the wait. I had thorougly enjoyed KOTOR, and this takes it to another level as far as graphics aand gameplay are concerned. BUY IT.

Great game with an amazing story, wonderful characters, indepth gameplay and customisation, tough moral choices with dire consequences and a huge galaxy to explore. This is GOTY.

Great gameplay combined with a deep story and amazing graphics.

It's just too long and boring for both the RPG genre and the shooter genre.

An instant classic. Bioware does it again hitting this one out of the park. The game takes everything that was loved about KoToR and makes it better!

As good a game as one would have any right to expect. Not perfect, but the best it could be given platform constraints. Simply an excellent RPG.

Very Very good game. Biggest issue is lack of sprint in friendly environment. Everything else about textures, elevators, combat, and such are not nearly as bad as everybody makes it out to be. But if RPG's aren't your type of game then you won't enjoy it.

This is an RPG, not a shooter. Emphasis on story over gameplay, I give it a 9. Though I agree that this is for Hardcore RPG lovers who love a long game, because the short ADD attention span of some gamers should be left to the FPS genre, this isn't for you. This game is really long. It shouldn't be marked down for that fact. I really have a problem with people who aren't fans of the genre rating a game they wouldn't like anyway because of the genre. Sugreev A gave it a 3, too long and boring, and refered to it as a shooter. I would discount the rating because he obviously got it wrong from the beginning.… Expand

To be honest it's just too long and too boring for both the RPG genre and the shooter genre.

The good stuff: Graphics and Storyline. The decent stuff: Gameplay: The squad AI is weak but the shooting controls are pretty decent. The bad stuff: The biotic powers are lame esp. healing(requires an item to use). Other powers include force push(useless) and barrier(decent).

Good game but not as good as i had hoped it would be. there are some bugs, some framerate issues and the gameplay is good, but not as fun as i thought. it was a pretty long game so the value is there, but i would definitely rent it first.

I am disgusted by the reviews on this product. It has the worst flaws I have seen of a game this hyped and the critics behind these illogical reviews: "Other than the AI issues, graphical glitches, and insanely confusing equipment screen Mass Effect is the perfect video game." With the following comment how can a game wtih flawed AI, major load time issues, painfully slow texture mapping and confusing game components even score above 6? I consider these reviews boardering on fraudulent activity. DISGUSTED!… Expand

Best game of all time. No game creates an interactive experience of this caliber. You don't just play Commander Shepard, you ARE Commander Shepard and you are the only person who can save the galaxy from destruction. In a season filled with top notch game, Mass Effect raises the bar for story driven games. It is not the best story ever told in a game, it is the best story ever experienced in a game. Play this game.… Collapse

Innovative in the extreme, well-executed. The hardware suffers from the somewhat outdated KOTOR engine, but in measuring the slightly annoying against the exceedingly well-executed and groundbreaking whole, it's pretty clear Mass Effect is the future of video games.

An impressive story, true choice of actions, an old school Space Opera universe, a impressive and working mix between FPS and Strategy for the compat. Despite a few technical issues (glitches and lag), the game is a perfection. There is no over game in the market that give a so intense RPG experience. None... I played and finished it 3 times. I will probably play it a 4th time....This is the first game of a new genre and I can't wait to see what Mass Effect 2 will be looking like !… Expand

Very good game one of the best on the 360. Only problems: Short for a Bioware game and lots of pop-in.

Best graphics, story and deepest gameplay experience ever created. 2007 GOTY.

This is one of the most involving games I've played, thanks to excellent scripting and voice acting, a believable dialogue system, and a plot that is engaging from the start. It is difficult to express in writing just how good the role-playing/plot element is: my usually indifferent housemate said it's like watching a sci-fi series, and he was annoyed to miss out on plot twists when he was out of the house!

Some good comparisons:
The Darkness--Mass Effect's voice acting is as good as The Darkness, and even more impressive given the latter's size. I watched a friend play through the introductory mission after I did it and was surprised at the extra (and unnecessary) conversations that he discovered.
Knights of the Old Republic--Mass Effect is less linear than KOTOR, but its inventory is still rather clunky and unwieldy like its predecessor.

The game has a steep learning curve with very few tutorials, and some rather odd design decisions (a needlessly complex and unintuitive system for equipment, especially for fitting upgrades--if they had scrapped upgrades overall the game would have been the better for it, I think). However, after an hour or two it all made sense. The niggles raised in the reviews are valid, but it's still worthy of a lengthy play. Just don't expect as much action as Halo or Oblivion!… Expand

I hear people (sugreev A.) Saying it is to long and boring. How do you know! Its only been out for like 6 hours! HOW CAN YOU TELL AT THIS POINT! What it really is, your a PS3 fan and want to trash on everything else. Get a life people.