Mass Effect

I've come a long way on the notion of shooting things.  I really preferred my games with more slashing and less shooting.  Shooting requires precision, patience, planning... slashing a sword only requires - well, slashing.  But I've found that I have increasingly and increasingly been evolving to enjoy active combat and a weapon that can aim.

The Mass Effect series were the games that put Bioware on the map: a space opera series about Commander Shepard, human extraordinaire, and his ragtag group of adventurers.  Having finally been re-released for the PS3, the time was ripe to play and enjoy the series.

The series title refers to the basic premise of the game and its setting: in the not-too-distant future, mankind discovers technology and a series of relays which can increase or decrease the mass of objects - the Mass Effect.  This technology allows for interstellar travel, where humanity discovers it is not only not alone, but actually pretty inferior in the spectrum of things.  After a devastating attack of a human colony by synthetic beings, hero Shepard is charged with bringing a rogue Turian (alien species) to justice.

You recruit a team of aliens and humans and then travel through the universe to track down your enemy and learn about the greater threat to not only humanity - but the entire galaxy (just in time for Part 2).

The side quests are as massive as the galaxy, making this feel almost Bethesda-esque at times (don't worry, you still get to romance a teammate, which puts this game squarely in the Bioware wheelhouse).  From "help me take down a rival gang" to "help decide if my baby should have genetic conditioning," the  game provides the player to flesh out Shepard on the spectrum of Paragon (good guy) or Renegade (slightly racist, take-no-prisoners kind of good guy).

Combat is reminiscent of Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins (which actually came after Mass Effect).  You can pause the action at any time to bring up a radial menu and deploy technical actions (like overloading an enemy's shields) or your biotics.  Biotics are Mass Effect's answer to magic: humans and aliens who are born with innate abilities to create smaller Mass Effect fields, aided by an amplifier.  Your class selection for Shepard either gives you talents in using weapons, using tech skills, using biotics or combinations therein.

Having spent some time in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas as a sniper, I chose the Infiltrator class, which blends weapon skills and tech skills, eschewing biotics completely (you can still control ally biotics).  Though the primary weapon for an infiltrator is the sniper rifle, I much prefered the pistol.  In Mass Effect (1 only), you can fire a weapon until it overheats, with more advanced weapons able to fire more prior to overheating.  The sniper rifle only could get off a single shot at a time, and was not helpful when I was constantly swarmed by enemies.

The combat was sadly clunky (addressed in Mass Effect 2 and 3), but the story and dialogue carry the game regardless.  The story of Shepard and his or her companions is very engaging and very interactive. Dialogue is touching, humorous, and most importantly genuine - and delivered by excellent talent under phenomenal direction.

One of the most exciting things about the story and the choices was my advanced knowledge that Mass Effect 2 would build upon the decisions made (as did Dragon Age 2 to Dragon Age: Origins).  When confronted with a proselytizing alien made mostly out of jam, I had to wonder: "will this come back to bite me in the butt?  Will I have to battle a sea of jellies?"  This makes the series feel very connected, especially since Shepard continues to be the player's avatar throughout the triology.

And Shepard was blissfully customizable.  I was able to make him the space man of my dreams: chiseled jaw, masculine hairline, two days of stubble.  Sadly, Shepard doesn't have the capacity to be a friend of Dorothy until Mass Effect 3, so I had to settle with the blue alien chick for romancing.

The review for Mass Effect 2 continues this experience...