Mass Effect

Since the release of Mass Effect, the game has enjoyed great popularity within the RPG gamers’ community, the degree of customization granted to the player being the most prominent part of the game; in addition the story and the number of choices available and their effect on how the plot unfolds is also a very big part of what attracts gamers to this game; I can only say that Bioware did a great job with the development and plot line.

Mass Effect 2 takes place after the events of the first part of the game, due to the ability to import saved games from ME1, ME2 is effected by choices of ME1 were dead characters and living characters both effect who you meet and many events in the game. I can say that Bioware have done a very good job in linking the events of both games together. The fact that a save import is available in the upcoming ME3 can only show how many different scenarios are available and would unfold in that game, where it is possible for two people playing the game to have completely different endings and events that lead to those endings if they used saves imported from the previous games.

The story of Mass Effect is centered on Commander Shepard a human soldier who becomes the first human SPECTER (a special operative directly under the authority of the council the governing body of the greater part of the universe; though it is possible for the player to choose not to allow Shepard to become one and rather keep him/her a normal soldier) who is tracking down Seran, a Turian SPECTER Seran Arterius who appears to be attempting to destroy the universe by bringing a race of Machines called the Reapers who every specific time period after the current inhabitants reach a specific level of evolution and development, tend to destroy said universe; in the game the player collects companions in an attempt to stop Seran and the reapers from carrying out their plan.

The events of Mass Effect 2 expand on the story and answers several unanswered questions the player was faced with in the previous game; it also reveals what happened to some of the minor characters that were met in ME1; The choices made in ME1 affect how these go in ME2, for example saving the Rachnai an insect like alien race, that will result in ME2 with an emissary of their queen explaining that the rachnai wars were due to reaper interference and done against their own will, however if the player chose to kill the rachnai then the entire race is dead and there no explanations regarding the war.

When it comes to controls, the games are simple to understand and play and a short tutorial at the beginning of the game is more that good enough to explain how to play.

Graphics in the games are good and have been praised many times by different reviewers and gamers, the detail given to characters and their facial movements and expressions would put many other games to shame which is one of the main reasons Dragon Age received as much heat on the subject because of both being developed by the same people (Bioware).

The plot would win any RPG fan over and is simple to understand and easy to get attached to.

My only complaint about the series lies within ME2, which is the decrease of customizability, for the player can only change the appearance of their crew between 2 to 3 outfits depending on if a crew member’s loyalty mission has been carried out or not; and Shepard’s own appearance has a very limited amount of changes that can be done to in in terms of clothing.

In my own books the series as a whole (excluding ME3 which has not yet come out) takes a 9/10 the 1 missing because of the customization weaknesses mentioned above in ME2.