This weekend, I picked up Mass Effect which, as the name implies, is a Roman Catholic science project.
Just kidding. Naturally, it’s a video game. When I got it, the salesman told me that it was a game like Halo. I almost didn’t get it for that reason (Halo 2 impressed me so much I still haven’t bought Halo 3, if you catch my drift). However, I decided to go ahead and pick it up, and it’s a good thing I did because Mass Effect is pretty much nothing like Halo.
In fact, if I had paid attention I would have seen that Mass Effect was a BioWare production. And if I had seen that, that fact alone would have told me it was worth getting this game. BioWare sold me when I played Neverwinter Nights, and even their Jade Empire was cool (although too short). But the game that they’ve done that Mass Effect is most like is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
The great thing about BioWare games is that they’re true RPGs. That is, you actually have a story. Halo was just a glorified dungeon hack ‘n slash (you get dropped in a dungeon–even they want to call them “levels” now–and fight your way out with no real plot). Mass Effect actually plays more like you’re in control of a movie.
Of course a lot of this happens at the beginning, and you’re thinking “I bought a game to play not to watch movies” but eventually you do get to go around blasting aliens to little pieces. From that point on, the cinematics usually occur where you want to see them. Of course I haven’t finished the game yet, but thus far it seems balanced between game time and story progression.
All told, if it says BioWare on it it’s almost certainly going to be a great game, and Mass Effect is no exception.
