Mass Effect - Review @ Video Game Talk

[MudsAnimalFriend]

You may be disappointed if they were leaving the PC market (which they are not) or that their games have gone down the drain in your opinion.

At this stage I wouldn’t be disappointed (or even notice) if Bioware left the PC market.

Baldur's Gate (1998), PC game
- Tales of the Sword Coast expansion (1999)
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000), PC game
- Throne of Bhaal expansion (2001)
Neverwinter Nights expansion (2002), PC game
- Shadows of Undrentide expansion (2003)
- Hordes of the Underdark expansion (2003)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), Console game, ported to PC 4 months later.
Jade Empire (2005), Console game, ported to PC 2 years later.
Mass Effect (2007), Console game, no PC port confirmed as yet.

 

[Acleacius]

It will be interesting to see if average sales of ME would cause a port to PC quicker, to help give it a more diverse market.

It's hard to deny the at least 2 very negative aspects of Bioware, console exclusives and ea purchase, not only to PC games but to Bioware themselves if ea's past is any measure of direction.
ea, is so big they are all fat and bloat, they are forced to work to please investors, not the betterment of any game or genre, they are a slave to their corporatism, unless something has changed.

 

[woges]

5/5 at gamespy - I'll be off to buy a 360 then

 

[buckaroobonzai]

The comments about the bland environments seem pretty funny,
1. If you like the RPG aspect of a game more then the graphic aspect-For example the environmental graphics in Fallout were really bland even though they represented the scene well. But after playing that game for twenty hours you are so used to it that those graphics became just really ordinary. However, if you like RPGs, you can still play that game now and consider it to be one of the best.

2. The first time you played Oblivion when it was brand new on a top of the line PC, one thought the dungeon/cave, elvish architectural, and oblivion plane graphics were really excellent and outstanding. Then after playing it for 30-40-50 etc. hours they do not seem as incredible nor innovative anymore. Any game you play for 30 or more hours, the graphics will become ordinary eventually and not impress you as much, you get realy used to them, if not slightly tired of them-this is true for almost every game.

3. If you want to trully see innovative art design -play Hex (Chamber of the Sci Mutant Priesstess) or Albion. That stands up better then any modern game graphic in innovation.

Worrying about how "alien", "innovative", "unique" the evironments look should not affect you're enjoyment of this game after a few hours. You are playing this game for much more then the best graphics. It is still an action RPG, and if it is the quality of the KOTOR series it is still more interesting in its RPG aspects then the majority of old school hardcore classics-many of which were dungeon crawlers, with lots of stats and good turn based combat-but thats it. And that includes classics such as the SSI gold box series, Might and Magic, Wizardry, and even BG 1, though most likely not 2. This game looks to have a good-to-really good story, and some good dialogue at least. Add to that at least pretty good combat, and free from exploration- you've at least equalled if not bettered KOTOR.

Plus, it is in a new IP setting, and at least not in the same hackneyed medeival fantasy world.

We shall see how good the game is, just think about this, how many CRPGs are even made in a setting other then medeival fantasy as a ratio, 1 to 9? Hopefully we'll see more genres represented in the market especially if it does really well.

 

[Lethal Weapon]

I think the bland environments serve a very real purpose, ie DLC. This will also be in accordance with the level-scaling (much like Oblivion from what I've been reading), this is the perfect mechanism for introducing new adventures.

 

[MudsAnimalFriend]

[If Mass Effect] is the quality of the KOTOR series it is still more interesting in its RPG aspects then the majority of old school hardcore classics-many of which were dungeon crawlers, with lots of stats and good turn based combat-but thats it. And that includes classics such as the SSI gold box series, Might and Magic, Wizardry, and even BG 1

The rub is how one defines interesting RPG features. For me KOTOR contained little to none, whereas the classics you list as having less RPG aspects represent some of the finest examples of the genre. Obviously there’s a major disconnect in what various individuals consider important RPG attributes.

 

[doctor_kaz]

The comments about the bland environments seem pretty funny,
1. If you like the RPG aspect of a game more then the graphic aspect-For example the environmental graphics in Fallout were really bland even though they represented the scene well. But after playing that game for twenty hours you are so used to it that those graphics became just really ordinary. However, if you like RPGs, you can still play that game now and consider it to be one of the best.

Point taken, but since one of the major selling points of Mass Effect is graphics, it's OK to point out that Mass Effect's great graphics are almost entirely limited to faces and their animations. The importance of environments varies from person to person, but to me they are pretty important. I enjoy admiring the beauty of a nice-looking environment and it adds enjoyment on top of just the gameplay itself. It's not so much whether the graphics engine is technologically advanced as much as whether the graphics look like they have been designed with heart and soul. Jade Empire, Bioshock, Vampire -- The Masquerade: Bloodlines, The Witcher, and Planescape: Torment -- good examples. Neverwinter Nights and Mass Effect: bad examples.

 

[Thaurin]

I've read some comments that say the main environments, those that are a big part of the main storyline, have a great deal of detail to them. Judging from some screenshots I have seen, I think that may be true. There were some places (like this space station kinda of thing) that looked awesome, both in detail, amount of stuff there, design and architecture.

One thing I was surprised to see in videos, though, is that the lip-syncing looked awkward. I mean what the hell? Maybe it's just me.

 

[aries100]

-snip- One thing I was surprised to see in videos, though, is that the lip-syncing looked awkward. I mean what the hell? Maybe it's just me.

Sorry, to have snipped you post, Thaurin, but I really wanted to comment on the lip-syncing. It's not just you, other gamers have mentioned it too on the Bioware ME forums. Even I have noticed it, and I'm not usually a graphics noticer, but it really seems that bad. I have also noticed that when Shepard or the other characters walk, the waltking animations seem more akin or similar to what you'd see in old movie reel 90 years ago or so. You know, the news reel where you would see people moving about really awkward, and in kind of stop-go-go stop-go mode.

You guys might be correct about the whole DLC content and the open & bare landscapes on the planets you can go exploring in Mass Effect.

 

[doctor_kaz]

I think that the lip-syncing issues might be the good ole uncanny valley acting up.

 

[Squeek]

Instead of the way Bethesda, for example, handles DLC, here's a way that I think would be better for a game like Mass Effect:

Whenever I fulfilled the proper criteria by accomplishing a set of logical but unlikely acts, and in the proper sequence without any missteps at all, the game could pause and inform me that I'd accomplished something special and could obtain the result of that by downloading it as additional content.

But instead of paying for that content one DLC at a time whenever I was fortunate enough to gain access to it, I would prefer to subscribe for access to every bit of DLC available for a nominal fee. Of course, I would be risking the possibility of never being able to download anything at all, but I would be willing to give it a try.

If it worked out well enough, the makers of Mass Effect could mod their own game for as long as players were willing to subscribe. Each player would end up with a somewhat unique game, and the ME universe would just keep getting better and better.

 

[Thaurin]

At first I thought that maybe the lip-syncing looked awkward because of the improved graphics. I mean, everything else looks really realistic, the animation has to follow suit or it looks weird. If everything looks mediocre, it's not such an issue. But in a game like this, where the cinematic feel is emphasized, something like lip-syncing and character animation should be really good and on par to the quality of the graphics. I can't watch cut-scenes like that if they have terrible lip-sync (Two Worlds before the patch that fixed it, for example).

If it worked out well enough, the makers of Mass Effect could mod their own game for as long as players were willing to subscribe. Each player would end up with a somewhat unique game, and the ME universe would just keep getting better and better.

It sounds interesting, but it will never work. I mean, a major developer will never specifically develop content that not everybody may be able to unlock. Okay, so there are a few games that have really hard parts that only hardcore gamers will be able to play through (I heard Mario Galaxy has some of that). But this just sounds too much like investing a lot of time and money for a small group of people, which is a bad business decision and will therefore be unlikely to ever happen.

There are some really interesting possibilities for downloading extra content straight from the game, though! Sounds like the MMO model for single-player games.

 

[Thaurin]

By the way, I appreciate Tycho's comments on the game over at Penny Arcade. He outlines the bad as well as the good, as is honest and trustworthy as always. He has some nitpicks about some aspects of the game, both technical in nature and about what's in there. The interface is apparently horrible and there are load times that are worrying. He just completed the game in 17 hours without doing many of the side-quests:

I completed it last night, seventeen hours, with only a small fraction of the optional Gallivanting I could have done, so it's a game one could feasibly replay again. The setting, art, narrative, and music - my God, the music! - all argue a strong case for recidivism.

 

[Holly Avenger]

I think I'll wait for the inevitable PC port (and with EA taking over, who love multi-platform releases, you know that one will be along when the exclusivity period ends).

That way I can have a game that will both run better and have some of the more annoying niggles ready-fixed. And there's a fair chance the PC version will include all of the forthcoming DLC content and possibly more besides, all for a cost that is typically less than half the cost of a 360 title after you've shopped around a bit.

Plus I can use a mouse. I hate those console controllers.

 

[Thaurin]

Okay, after playing Mass Effect, I can only say: I love those console controllers! I wonder why you hate them so much. RPG's are so much fun with them.

 

[zakhal]

A finnish review game the game 10/10 because the "movie like acting scenes with characters are so good":
http://www.gamereactor.fi/arviot/129/Mass+Effect/

I dont hate console controllers. Infact Im playing FF4 through with ps2 one at the moment. I never understand why console players always think that pc gamers hate their stuff.

Sure there are few exceptions, bad game translations and kiddiefights (kids fights abt anything) but its hardly enough to turn majority of pc gamers to consolehating warmongers.

One reason to dislike gamepad might the lack of sofa. Its made to be utilized in maximized comfort - not the desktop office enviroment.

 

[Acleacius]

Point taken, but since one of the major selling points of Mass Effect is graphics, it's OK to point out that Mass Effect's great graphics are almost entirely limited to faces and their animations.

And that will always be the case, if current design trends continue with console games as they never seem to have enough memory to do any real detailed textures on the worlds, compared to PCs.
It's possible some console gamers don't recognize this as a problem, however it always seems to be the case, anytime a real PC game is tried to port over to console, it's the lack memory causing the limitations.

Even if you go way back to the original Deus Ex, seems they had hell getting onto consoles due to the level size, yet with this next generation consoles I bet they would have no trouble implementing the full Deus Ex larger levels and all.

This sort of gives a perspective on how limiting consoles are, how they are effecting game development and how PC gamers feel it's a negative problem.

 

[Thaurin]

Let's face it, PC gaming is going down! In ten years, we'll all be playing on an Xbox 360! Your expensive desktop toys will be absolutely irrelevant for gaming soon enough!

 

[MudsAnimalFriend]

Let's face it, PC gaming is going down! In ten years, we'll all be playing on an Xbox 360!

Well that's within the realms of possibility I suppose. If a meteor containing a hideous and unstoppable brain-eating virus capable of reducing the bulk of humanity to a semi-sentient feral state within ten years strikes Earth... then maybe… just maybe…

 

[Thaurin]

It's possible!