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By Keith B (24th Jan 2008)

Anything that proclaims to be the next big thing in role playing games almost instantaneously turns me off, because all too often I’ve hoped for it to be the truth, only for it to be a pack of lies. Yes, I’m looking at you Two Words. So while the whole planet has been babbling on about Mass Effect and it’s wonderful dialogue system I’ve been listening to loud music to keep the words away. Because I really want it to work.

From the creative team that brought us the brilliant Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware have pushed the boat out further and transcended the barriers between their take on an RPG and a more combat orientated game.

Well, having romped through the game and finished it, I can say that, yes, it’s a remarkable game. It looks superb, plays well, has more plots than a Shakespearian tragedy and takes players out across an entire galaxy.

You play as X Shepard, with the X representing your name of choice. You can create a face for your character and play as a female, but as with most character creation screens, I skipped in with the generic model so I was, I suppose, Generic Shepard. The time is the future, and since the discovery of faster-than-light drive technology the humans have now become a rather small player in the scheme of things, with a variety of alien races now in the mix and the whole galaxy held together under the Council, with representatives from the three main races, which doesn’t include us humans.

Our hero has a slightly shady past but that’s not enough to stop him being quickly promoted to a Spectre, one of an elite group of soldiers who operate outside the realms of the law. The reason he’s been promoted as the first human Spectre? To chase down a nefarious rogue agent called Saren who is planning something secretive using alien technology. So you set about traversing the galaxy tracking Saren and his unique spacecraft, a craft like none ever seen before.

The plot is interesting and well fleshed out, and plays like a movie for some of the more exciting parts. It also tends to let you progress at your own pace, with character development and growth based on your skill points, garnered from doing everything from speaking to someone to blasting the seven shades of space out of people.

But it’s not all about nattering to random people from across the galaxy, because you can get out and about and explore unchartered worlds, find precious mineral and chemical deposits, get into a fight with lots of people using your squad, and generally run riot across space.

The first thing we’ll look at is the dialogue system because you just can’t get around it. Conversations, and their various endings, are almost brain-numbingly complex and I can imagine it was a real journey for the developers. Aside from simply having lots and lots of dialogue options, the scripts are designed to come in on cue, so the discussion flows freely and realistically. The voice acting is also some of the best I’ve ever heard in a game, with characters’ thoughts and feelings seeping through the discussions you are having. The addition of personality traits like Charm or Intimidate are also executed well, and as you move down one or other of these paths, new dialogue trees open and present you with some genuinely thrilling options – like shooting someone dead while in a bar instead of having a chit-chat with some dark figure from your past. It adds a superb element of feeling in control of your fate and is unparalleled in any other video game.

This is a great feature at the beginning but it’s lucky you can skip sentences, because having the same conversation with someone because you keep on dying tends to get annoying. This isn’t just because you’re basically having the same discussion in itself, but because it takes an age to get through an amicable chat wit an NPC. The weight given to the dialogue tree has become the focus for the game and you, if you’re being picky, can see through that feature. Which I am, so let’s go from there.

As with many games that blend various elements, some of them tend to suffer. With Mass Effect, the combat is okay but nothing stellar (sorry). You upgrade your character and your squad in various categories, from weapon skill to endurance, and these have an effect on your abilities. At the start, if you land on any particular planet and get into a fight without having sufficient skills, it can be a nightmare. On the other hand, complete a large portion of the game and then back track through the universe mopping up other missions and you can walk over most foes.

Bioware have dispensed with the turn-based combat they’re so familiar with and the real time fighting is a refreshing addition to the mix, allowing some duck and cover action as you deal with foes from many angles at once.

Getting out and about on a planet is interesting to start, but essentially becomes more of the same each time. Your vehicle has the ability to drive up almost vertical climbs, which at least makes it quick to get around, but one barren planet is the same as the next. This feature could have been far more developed but we’ll take what we can get.

While the visuals are essentially top-notch, there are elements to it that grate. Pop-up, scourge of the Unreal engine, have come along for the ride and you’re going to notice them. Either entering a dialogue with someone or looking at your inventory, the finer textures take a second or two to load and while it may not seem too bad at first, as you progress and have more and more need to tweak your inventory, you will notice it again and again. Not a deal-breaker but apparent nonetheless.

All in all, I had great fun with Mass Effect and it’s designed for a play through again, for sure (achievements for a second completion are there). Bioware have drawn a new line in the sand and for that, we should be grateful. This is one of the best games of 2007 and one that really shows what the next-gen systems can do.