Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.

by Jamison DeLorenzo

Our previous helping in the quagmire was a decent appetizer for the main course of the Thanksgiving Week Gaming Marathon. It wasn’t a coincidence that I took a week’s paid vacation the same week the latest BioWare game, Mass Effect, was due out in stores. As I am still without a working PC after 3 weeks, something that makes PC gaming somewhat challenging, it was a good thing that this game is, for now, a 360-only title.

Apologies are probably due to all readers because, let’s face it, I write way too much about KOTOR here. It is true that we all needed a GTA break, but, like any good addict, one substance was replaced with another. BioWare has been working with a consistent formula with their story mechanics for several years now, but when you consider how it allows you to have very different gaming experiences it should cancel out any complaining.

BioWare is where I go for my top RPG enjoyment, and that week turned into a week spent close to Gaming Nirvana (we should look into coming up with our own name for that, I feel like I’m greatly offending Buddhists with this term). Before getting into any details of this game you should know that because this is under the Microsoft title, BioWare’s last, this game will inevitably be ported to the PC. It is by this point in time that if you do not pick up this game that I will flog you.

That is, if I’m not still playing this game.

One week and two playthroughs later I have a lot of good things to say, starting with character creation. We’re not at Tiger Woods PGA Tour level yet for creation (which I hold as the pinnacle for face customization), but there is enough detail to make someone that resembles you not too difficult. Once you get through that you get to pick your class, history, and military service. There are 3 main classes, one per primary skill set, and 3 hybrid classes. History and military background seem like trivial things, but BioWare is able to make these choices rather substantive. They effect not only how your party members and other NPC’s interact with you but also which side missions you will have access to.

The 3 major skill sets are battle, biotic, and tech. Battle refers to the weapons you use (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle), biotics are environmental attacks (multiple enemy throws, shield manipulations, etc.) and technical skills (first aid, lock decryption, electronic device tampering, etc.). While you can get a way with pretty much any party configuration, I do have two big suggestions. Always have a Decryption expert so you don’t miss quests and a First Aid expert, or, well, let’s say you better be extremely quick in the fight sequences. Electronics plays a good role too, but your Decryption expert should have both.

The background of this game, which already has a full length book, is a 22nd Century universe where Mass Relay technology allows space travel between various star systems (approximately 16 overall, each with multiple subsystems). I’d explain the whole thing, but so much science fiction went into putting together the game that it would take hours to read through all of the information you gather throughout the game. The game would have been quite good without all of this information. Its inclusion makes the game so much more enthralling. As you can imagine, exploring everything takes a very long time.

Like most of their games, the movies in the game are impressive, the sound effects and music is fantastic, and the level design are as good as ever from BioWare. If not for the slowest elevators in the history of gaming I would not have a single complaint about the game’s environment. Other elements which have been kept in from past games are party NPC interactions and dialogue that draws you into the story (along with some lively and memorable quotes).

The battles in this game take an FPS approach, so how you pick your class and abilities is very important. Like any decently built RPG character you need to beef up your charm/intimidate skills so your dialogue options are always open, but beyond that you always need to make sure the skills you choose to focus on are well complemented by your party. I can’t say I’ve ever truly enjoyed shooters, but they can be fun and in this game it is. Anyone familiar with the Gears of War mechanics will notice almost no difference. I think it works quite well for this game as taking cover is key for surviving the battles on the two unlockable difficulty levels.

If you’re reading this carefully, I have highly approved the graphics, sound, character creation, story, dialog, background, environment, and breadth of universe. Even the Xbox achievements you unlock add some depth to the gameplay. There are, however, two flaws out in the forefront.

One problem was the voice acting. Taking into account that the NPC’s are no longer stoic during conversations, the interactions were compelling. However a number of voice actors did not provide a lot of life with their lines. Some of them were good (most notably the voices of Bastila and Carth from KOTOR, Seth Green, and Marina Sirtis), while others had me convinced they had no context for any of their lines. Luckily the protagonist’s voice, male and female, were good.

The other area of concern was the ending. You’re able to be good or evil and have a great effect on future interactions. It is even possible to kill two party members (always a welcome choice). Whether you choose to help everyone at all costs, ignore people, or kill anyone that annoys you, you affect how people interact with you as the game unfolds. What bothers me is that, despite all of that good, the ending is only truly affected by a singular choice you make during the sequence of the final boss in the game… and either way you are a hero. Nothing else matters at all! Considering all of the work put into the dialogue trees it is time BioWare decides to put in more than two endings to the game (or, in this case, 1 1/2 endings).

As a whole this game has a ton of replay value and is a must buy if you have the means to play it. As for me, I’ve already played through the game twice and two more are already scheduled.

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