Few games build a world as deep and complete as BioWare did for their sci-fi RPG action game Mass Effect. Complete with rich written histories of each alien species, piece of technology, government agency, and even planets, it is not hard to argue that the lore and detail of its world is the strength of the first game in the trilogy.
Indeed, much of the gameplay leaves a bit to be desired. There are plenty of aspects to the combat that are great or could have been great. Issuing orders to squad mates, for example, is a good idea that never functions as it is supposed to, and instead winds up becoming the source of irritation in a firefight. Weapons that do not require ammunition, but will overheat and jam might be the single best aspect of battles, with minimal downside. The Mako, a ground vehicle used at the start of every story mission, is a solid idea, but falls far short in its execution. Even the dialogue wheel, complete with binary morality, is pretty good, yet has a number of shortcomings.
Probably the most frustrating aspect is that of exploring planets. In every star system, there are a few planets that you can land on and explore. Discovering gorgeous, realistic planets and moons goes a long way to crafting a compelling and engaging universe, but it actually is kind of bad game design. Realistic planets with realistic mountains might increase the realism of the larger game world, but it is such a slog to have to cross over in the Mako. Bad enough that the Mako handles like a cross between a crappy tank and a drunk refrigerator; having to scale steep cliffs to get to an element deposit is tedious at best. Why they thought it was a good idea to put stuff at the top of mountains is beyond my comprehension, and is one of the ways where developing the world seems to come at the cost of gameplay.
The first Mass Effect also doesn't run particularly smoothly. The controls are a bit clunky, certain functions don't work as they're supposed to, and when a lot of action is going on, there is often a noticeable drop in frame rate and rendering. Load times aren't the best (although I still actually like the long elevator rides that result in unique conversation between team mates), but they aren't necessarily the worst either. Certainly playing it today on XBox One, you can't help but notice how much the new console reduces them. The game can't handle swarming enemies well, which becomes a glaring issue when ambushed by rachni or large groups of geth or gangsters.
That, mixed with being more of an action RPG than a traditional third person shooter, can make it a hard game for new players to get into. By all means, Mass Effect is a game with an incredible world, great characters, and then almost nothing but unfulfilled potential as a game. In fact, when people ask me about it, I tend to suggest they just start with Mass Effect 2. The series eventually transitions further away from some of the better RPG elements found in the first game, but that actually does make it more palatable. Still, the leveling system - basic and simple, yet granting more freedom to the players - is an aspect that would have been nice to see get carried over in future games.
Half of the game isn't even combat, or infuriating combat with the Mako. A good chunk of the game is spent talking to people, whether it is folks on a colony planet with problems you need to solve or just shooting the breeze with your squad mates on board your ship, some of the most captivating elements of the game involve your choices in conversation. The overly simplistic, binary moral system of Paragon (good) versus Renegade (bad) is a bit bland and boring, but it actually works for the game given the story is one built on sci-fi and action tropes. Play enough times, however, and you notice how little your choices in conversation matter. In many instances, Commander Shepard will say the same exact thing with the same exact inflection regardless of which option you pick. And the choices themselves are rarely complex or difficult. In fact, probably the best, hardest decision to make comes in the "Bring Down The Sky" DLC, in which you are actually presented with a sort of lose-lose scenario. Allow the terrorist to leave, and you get to free the hostages. Stop the terrorist then and there, and the hostages will be killed.
Most of the voice actors are fine, but it isn't hard to notice that most actors are recording their dialogue in completely separate rooms at completely different times. There's a clunky sound to their rhythms. It doesn't break the game, of course, and that is often more than made up with the incredibly atmosphere, electronic and spacey soundtrack, but it does add to how dated the game seems by today's standards.
Frankly, for as much as I love Mass Effect, it really hasn't aged particularly well. Things would improve as the series continued, even despite it's final missteps, but that first game is still a little difficult to get through. If you're into really well defined and interesting characters, a super detailed world rich with lore and its own history, and that would be enough to make up for sometimes trying gameplay, then Mass Effect is a game you should have checked out by now. All the things it does amazingly - characters, world-building, et cetera - more than made up for the sloppy gameplay for me, but it likely won't be everyone's cup of tea.
REDUCTIVE RATING: It's Fine
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