ChronoTech

I’ve been playing Bioware’s Mass Effect lately, and honestly, I got to say, I’m a bit confused. Am I playing an RPG, or an FPS? Hell, am I really playing Mass Effect, or am I actually playing KOTOR III?

Honestly, I wish this was KOTOR III. It’s an awesome game, and the addition of lightsabers could only make things better. It is a little weird playing what is most definitely an RPG, and still having to aim. On the other hand, there is a reasonably well developed magic-like system in the game, though it isn’t really quite as broad as one might hope. There could definitely be more spells. Unfortunately, as the default character, I was pushed firmly into the the default ‘Soldier’ class. That’s a little disappointing, and in a way, it turns the combat into just another FPS game, albeit with a couple of magic users (or not, depending on your choice of party members) as back up.

This is a weird trend in these types of games. I don’t mind playing them, but if wasn’t for the story, I wouldn’t be playing Mass Effect at all. While the cinematics and general look of the main story line are quite striking, the sidequests are fairly boring and cookie cutter. All of the buildings in those quests are laid out exactly the same, and they tend to get quite repetitive. I really hope this isn’t a sign of EA’s influence on Bioware, but I fear that is probably the case.

Overall, Mass Effect is an entertaining game, but it quite simply does not live up to the standard set in KOTOR, or in Neverwinter Nights. It doesn’t hold a candle to Jade Empire, which was quite simply a masterpiece of gameplay and story. I could be slightly biased. I’m going to restart the game with a magic user, and see how that works out. Hopefully, it’ll be better.

Of course, comparing it to other Bioware games might not be fair. If you compare it other non-bioware Xbox/PC RPG’s it’s in a class of it’s own. Remember Fable? That game sucked. So much promise, and so little delivery. Mass Effect definitely delivers a finally crafted experience story-wise, and it’s not shabby in the graphics department. It could use some improvement, but what game couldn’t?