SCI FI PI

PC


Hop on board the Normandy for some intergalactic mayhem.


This is tough one to review. Coming after it's massive success on the console market, Mass Effect is something that as a gamer either you're completely done with or still only mildly curious - if you haven't got it by now, well, what's stopping you? The only thing - you don't have a console and have waited for it to come on to the PC.

If that's the case, the wait was worth it! All the hype is true.



Ugly aliens versus even uglier aliens. Hard to know who to trust.


The first thing you'll notice is the sheer staggering beauty of Mass Effect. It looks sexy. Really sexy. This is a beautiful looking computer game. The details are often breathtaking - and a good level graphics card and a fast CPU can have you literally drooling, stopping the action and having a look around - and that's even before you've started any missions! The voice talent is top notch (Seth Green, for example, helps pilot the Normandy), but the really interesting thing for really old gamers (really old) is the use of a selective response adventure system. Basically, you move about the world and ask questions, and then get answers, and then you get the choice of several different kinds of questions to ask, depending on your own personality or on how you see the game unfolding.

This is one of the oldest kinds of computer games, and hearks back to before the term GUI was even invented.



No, I do not work for the SGC.


The game then corresponds to how you see it, which is new, and the answers you get are part of a logic 'cloud' not a set script, which is very cool, giving conversations a highly realistic feel. So, for example, instead of just saying 'yes' people will nod, or grunt or say 'agreed' depending on the situation or character. It makes for a much more organic feel and is something special to bolt onto a first person shooter - as such, there's much more of an adventure feel to the game. It really is more about a talk-your way through adventure than just a straight slaughterfest, which some may enjoy but others may baulk at.



Sweet ride! Although doesn't handle as well as you'd think...


So what's this adventure all about? You're elite soldier John Shepard (no Atlantis nuts, only one p!) who is sent down planet-side for some serious grunt work, but ever mindful that his missions are part of something bigger, some secret plot that involves humans and the aliens that they're involved with, as well as those baddies they fight.

Those who are hardcore about their FPS may find themselves disappointed in the day to day combat, but if you're looking for a good adventure, with a decent story, first and foremost, then Mass Effect will satisfy.



Finally managed to walk off the Mutant Enemy end credits card and now they've got me in a computer game! Arggh!


If you have the attention span of a gnat and tend to skip over anything that resembles a cut scene of dialogue, this is not the game for you. If you're looking for truly draw-dropping graphics and a world where the story comes first, this is a must have.



Another day, another fragging! Die alien robot scum, die!