Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Mass Effect

“Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.”

                         -Carl Sagan

Yes! I've been waiting so long to talk about this one! Mass Effect is the epic science fiction action role-playing third-person shooter game developed by BioWare, the genius developers behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins, and EA (Electronic Arts), the company infamous for selling more DLC than actual gameplay, that was released back in 2007. Set in the year 2183, you play as Commander Shepherd, a decorated war hero, on a fantastic quest to stop a rogue agent from opening a portal that will give gateway to an ancient race known as the Reapers, whose goal is to eradicate all life and transform it into synthetic organisms. 

I have actually played a little of it in my first run through. I thought it looked good but unfortunately couldn't complete it, due to lacking the proper system at the time or I was more interested in other games. Yet I still wanted to play it just for the sake of experiencing what other gamers have said about it. Well, it's 2017. I bought both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 off steam for $9, and I'm finally getting the chance to fully play them just before the latest entry in the franchise makes its debut. Now that I've finally played it all the way through the first game, what can I say about Mass Effect? Holy fuck, this is one helluva amazing game!

The graphics, especially from a game dating back in 2007, look amazing. I left like I was apart of this universe. The worlds, the ships, the locations, they all come to life. It also helps when the developers have constructed such a vast and extraordinary history behind this universe. I seriously got so sucked into the lore my first playthrough. Hell trying to explain the history and even the alien races (such as the turians, krogans, asari, and the geth) could take up its own post.

One of the other selling points of this game is its characters, and man does Mass Effect have some very memorable characters. Commander Shepard, Garrus, Wrex, Ashley Williams, Tali, L'iara, Joker, Saren, Captain Anderson, Admiral Hackett, just to name a few. It really helps when the characters are so diverse and complex; and the fact that they are voiced by talented actors helps too. Joker is voiced by Robot Chicken's Seth Green, Saren is voiced by veteran voice actor Fred Tatasciore, Captain Anderson is voiced by Goliath of Gargoyles himself Keith David, and Admiral Hackett is voiced by the sci/fi legend Lance Henriksen. 

Gameplay is an important mechanic for any game, and this one is top notch. Combat is pretty basic. You seen an enemy, you shoot it. You can command teammates to provide certain attacks and defenses, and you can duck behind cover to avoid enemy fire. There's also sequences that require you to hack into consoles to gain loot, and a wide open range to explore planets. I found the gameplay to be very enjoyable, but at the same time a little too challenge. You'll most often come across enemies that are too powerful and you'll die every single time. So my best advice is to handle some side quests first to give yourself more XP than take on the main quests to challenge the bigger enemies.

Dialogue and choices are pretty important too. You can say something that inspires another character or you could be a total dick to everybody you meet. More importantly, the game operates on what choices you make throughout. You can make the right choice, gaining paragon points, for settling situations in a more diplomatic fashion, or you can make the bad calls, gaining renegade points, that could greatly devastate the outcome. And let's not forget about saying the right words so you can get some space booty! Ooooohhhh yeeeeeaaaah!

My biggest take away from this game is that some sequences require you to operate a vehicle known as the Mako, and it is the most frustrating thing in the entire game. You can barely control the damn thing. No, I said turn right! Right dammit! Back up, back up! GRAAAH! The controls for this thing are worthless. My friend commented that he didn't have much issue with it, but he played the games on console. Try pressing down on the keyboard while moving the mouse around! COME ON, CLIMB THAT DAMN ROCK! YOU'RE STUCK!?!? GAH YOU FUCKING BUCKET OF FUCKING WORTHLESS SHIT!!! I HATE THE MAKO!!!!!

Mass Effect has set the bar of what video games should be. They should be about building worlds and developing intriguing stories and characters that you'll love over time. I am so happy that I've finally managed to play this game, and I can finally see why this franchise is often regarded as one of the best game series of all time. I can't wait to try out Andromeda! Setting your calibrations for the grading scale!

                             Paragon:                                      Renegade:

                            -The lore                                      -The fucking Mako

                            -Gorgeous graphics                      -Combat difficulty

                            -Great characters

                            -Great gameplay (mostly)

                            -Engaging story

                            -Dialogue and morality

More paragon points than renegade. Final Grade: A-

So that is my review of Mass Effect, one of the most gorgeous games ever made. A big shout out to my friend Parker Williams for it is his birthday! Have you played this game? What are your thoughts? Excited for Andromeda? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more Harry Situation Reviews!