Mass Effect review - GOTY? Almost.

I've been meditating on my time with Mass Effect which I finished a few days ago, and now I'm ready to share my opinions on this would-be 'Sci-fi Epic' of a video game. Bioware has made some great games in the past including the Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) series, which Mass Effect has been compared to ever since it was announced. Mass Effect was supposed to set a new standard for exploration in gaming and while it does offer a well-written story of grand scope on par with some of the best sci-fi around, I wouldn't exactly call it an open world game. It is more like riding through a beautiful landscape on a luxury train; it's a great ride, but there's more you want to see.

When the game begins, you are presented with the opportunity to create the character you will inhabit during your time playing. The customization options are not limitless, but they are acceptable, including the ability to play as male or female. After a brief preamble you are almost instantly placed in combat on a planet's surface. Right away, the game's biggest problem is thrust in your face -- the graphics are seriously marred by frame rate stutters and extreme bouts of texture pop-in. Granted, the developers obviously tried to squeeze a lot out of the Xbox 360's impressive hardware, but that's no excuse for not better optimizing the game's overall performance. A little more time spent polishing could have benefited the presentation greatly. Still, overall, Mass Effect is a beautiful game.

As far as the open-endedness of the game world, I found the universe of Mass Effect to be quite a bit more confining than I expected. You do get to travel to several planets, land on their surfaces and explore, but how much you can explore is severely limited. Still, you are presented with a nice variety of planet surfaces which lends each a distinctive look and feel. It's just difficult not to be disappointed after hearing the developers describe being able to explore an entire galaxy of planets and then only being presented with one planet per solar system that is actually explorable. All other planets are only able to be scanned for resources. It's a far cry from the planet hopping I was expecting.

Also, unlike another 'open world' game, Oblivion -- which presented you a game world that allowed for completion of side quests before, after or during your time with the main quest -- Mass Effect's side quests must be completed before you reach a certain point in the game's primary plot as a rather important piece of real estate is destroyed at one point, rendering it unvisitable. Players wanting to earn every possible achievement will be sorely disappointed when they discover missions they had planned to complete are no longer available to them.

Like the previously mentioned KOTOR, Mass Effect allows you to customize the weapons and their upgrades for you and the two other members of your squad. I found myself spending a lot of time equipping my team with just the right balance of weapons. The menus for this are all very well laid out and intuitive.

One area in which Mass Effect is a complete triumph is its story. The plot, writing, voice acting and overall story presentation are all top notch. This is some of the best original science fiction to be found anywhere, including movies and books. I don't know that a video game has ever achieved this quality of narrative. The closest would probably be the original Deus Ex which was released back in 2000. When presented with choices that determine the fate of your crew members, you will struggle with your decisions. You will become attached to your allies, and grow to despise your enemies.

The much-lauded dialogue tree lends the game another level of emotional impact. You often wonder if your choice of words will have the affect you intend or if you will inadvertently stick your foot in your proverbial mouth.

The gameplay in Mass Effect as it pertains to combat is O.K., but not spectacular. While the Mass Effect abilities -- similar to force powers in the Star Wars universe -- are fun to use, the weapons combat is rather unsatisfying. Part of the problem is the poor framerate during firefights; it is difficult to aim smoothly at enemies when the screen is jittering and stuttering. At higher difficulties, the inconsistent framerate can be downright crippling, forcing you to either play the game at the casual difficulty level or repeat some battles over and over again. The clunky cover system is the other problem. While it is functional, it never feels as fleshed out as similar systems in Gears of War or Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Your character never seems to get into cover as easily as you would like and once there, he/she tends to come out of cover too easily, exposing them to damage.

Even with these problems, Mass Effect is an immensely enjoyable experience. You will enjoy visiting the different planets available to you, you'll just wish there were more of them. You will be gripped by the story, just make sure to complete as many side quests as possible before you go too far in the plot. I don't think I'd put Mass Effect on my short list of nominees for 2007 Game of the Year, only because this is a very special year in gaming with the likes of Bioshock, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Halo 3 all buffed to a mirror gloss. With a little more spit and polish though, Mass Effect could have taken the top honors.

8.5/10