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Mass Effect is awesome.

I could pretty much end the review there because that really does sum it up.

The entire experience of this game was utterly brilliant. I’ve never played anything like it. This is without doubt the best RPG i have ever played.

The character creation is great. The ability to pick facial structure is stock standard in RPGs nowadays (in fact any that don’t have it are missing a big piece of the allure of these games) and Mass Effect has a solid system. It isn’t revolutionary but it works well which is what you are after. What i really loved about the character creation is that you can pick back story for yourself. I’m a big fan of that and Mass Effect delivered. Don’t think that the back story won’t have any bearing on the campaign either. You certain missions that reflect your history come up during the game that add a beautiful bit of flavour.

The character progression system is easy as well. Other RPGs bog you down with point allocation that takes far too long but Mass Effect is as easy as it comes. You go up a level and you assign up to two points for yourself and a few more for members of your squad. These points go towards combat, defensive, and special abilities. The simplicity can be a bit annoying at times as you may occasionally wish that you could be a bit more in depth with your character but these moments are few and far between.

Now onto the combat system. It’s good. I’ll admit that i didn’t get right into the tactical side of it and i actually failed to use all of the special abilities that you get at higher levels but as a straight out shooter this was incredibly pleasing. When i go through it again i’ll try out the special abilities more. It’s got a very Gears of War feel about the combat style actually with use of cover coming into play. The inability to jump is another similarity (and and annoying one truth be told).

And the story. My god how awesome is this story. Such a grand narrative that a Mass Effect movie cannot be far off. You really do get drawn in. That your responses to situations will alter the story somewhat is icing on and already decadent cake. And this is just the main narrative. There are a series of subplots (including a romantic one) that are just as rich as the primary story arc.

There are a few negatives. The sheer size of the galaxy that you play in means that load times and lag are a problem. Save often because it is likely that your XBOX will spit the disc out from time to time. Halo 3 enthusiasts will know about this as well.

These problems are trivial compared to the sheer awesomeness that is Mass Effect. You’ll be pissed off when they happen but you won’t care once you get back into it.

Basically, Mass Effect is extraordinary. If you like RPGs you should buy this game.