Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Almost, but not quite"

Gameplay: Overall I've heard a lot of people say this game had weak combat. I think quite to the contrary. The combat is unique because it mixes some usual TPS cover mechanics with some awesome magic and engineering powers. It feels somewhat similar and somewhat unique to Gears of War junkies like myself. I had a lot of fun blowing things up across the galaxy trying to catch Saren. The only downer is the fun but very unpredictable Mako, the vehicle that your party uses. Half the time its incredible, and the other half you'll swear that you'll want all Makos destroyed. One thing that I loved is the leveling system. Utterly destroys Oblivion's leveling system in my opinion.

Gameplay 9/10

Story: This and sound are the two flawless areas of Mass Effect. Unlike Gears or even Halo, I was intrigued with my character's "ruthless" persona. It was quite awesome being a sci-fi version of Jack Bauer. Also this game plays a lot like a movie, except that the actor who is Shepard (you), is improvising his lines at every take. It had a very satisfying finish and it left it quite open for a sequel. Also so many interesting alien species to socialize with (or kill). The side characters who join you in your quest are very fun to talk to, especially Wrex and Garrus. (sp?) And also depending on whether you're a renegade or paragon, your teammates will react accordingly. Another thing it did really well is create its own story that is not very similar to Star Wars or Star Trek. I was pretty impressed with the game's uniqueness compared to most sci-fi games who just borrow elements of Star Trek and Star Wars . Overall, one of my top 5 story games.

Story: 10/10

Sound: The dialog in this game is literally jaw-dropping. The characters actually feel alive. When you threaten to kill them, they act like they should; very VERY scared. Also the music was pretty epic and original. Heck they even had Seth Green as Joker. That was pretty sweet.

Sound: 10/10

Value: Overall to complete the campaign with no side quests should take you between 11-15 hours, depending on how skilled you are. But considering how depending on what character class you are, what background you are, and how you handle things, you have a game that you could easily give 5 to 6 play-throughs. Overall it was way worth the $30 I spent on it.

Value: 9.5/10

Overall: This is a game that is so good, that when you see the small but annoying flaws it makes you want to call Bioware and ask why they didn't fix that stupid error. Overall this is a 10, but due to the errors, I'm giving it a 9.5.

Overall: 9.5/10