Mass Effect
Bioware
RPG / First Person Shooter
Xbox 360
Rating: Milky Way Awesome
Words: Christian Crider

Have you ever pretended you were in a space ship traveling across the galaxy? Have you fantasized about saving the planet—or planets—from certain destruction? Are you experiencing a primal yearning for supernatural powers? Perhaps you’ve caught yourself wondering what sex with an alien would look like?  If you’re nodding your head vigorously, you’ll probably enjoy Mass Effect.

The guys at Bioware — of Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire fame —have done it again with an excellent sci-fi RPG set in their own fictional universe. After a discovering a Mass Effect relay in our own solar system, humanity is plunged into a diverse universe in which we are no longer the sexiest, or most intelligent, sentient beings. This inferiority complex is what drives our hero, Commander Shepard, to achieve wondrous feats of inter-stellar swashbuckling against the ominous AI army, the Geth.

There’s a great deal of character customization involved in playing through Mass Effect, and this ensures the game is playable in numerous ways. For the sake of being an asshole, I chose to take my version of Commander Shepard down the Renegade path where my decisions were guided more by my inner devils than a sense of duty to the human race. Conversely, one can choose to be the goody-two-shoes Paragon, and act like a Care Bear for the duration of the game. Not sure why anyone would do this, but it’s an option. Gender is also an option, and will affect how your character is treated throughout the galaxy. That’s right — aliens are sexist too.

There are plenty o’ bad guys lurking around in the bowels of Mass Effect, and several are literally asking to be shot in the face.  However, the combat system has a steep learning curve. Professions range from the battle-hardened Soldiers, sneaky Engineers, and Adepts whose kinetic powers are similar to The Force in that other epic sci-fi.  Or you can choose a trail-mix of the three. Each class has its own weaknesses and advantages, and whatever you choose will be balanced by the skills of your ever helpful — but not very smart — squad mates. Speaking of your squad, there’s a distinct possibility that you’ll be able to make sexy with one of them by the end of the game, so be nice.

Whether you’re exploring the alien Citadel on foot, or flopping about Earth’s moon in your swanky all-terrain vehicle, the Mako, Mass Effect has a lot of ground to cover. There’s so much to do and see in this rich science fiction universe, and if that’s not enough for you, just wait until the rest of the trilogy is released.  That’s right, it’s a trilogy. You can shit your pants now.