Xbox 360 impressions: Mass Effect

by Ludwig Kietzmann { May 11th 2006 at 2:30PM }

It really is a testament to the quality of Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic when, years after its release, we still want to compare it to some of the best parts of Mass Effect. The game clearly represents Bioware's desire to create involving and highly cinematic story-driven games, as it features some of the most lifelike characters we've yet seen in a video game. Upon entering a futuristic seedy bar with two of your squad mates, you strike up some conversations with patrons in the nearby vicinity. Much like KOTOR and some of Bioware's past games, the conversations are written in such a way so as to prompt the player for frequent input. Your potential responses are now mapped to different directions on the analogue stick and, because they appear on-screen before the NPC has even finished his or her (or its) line of dialogue, the exchanges between the game characters come off as extremely fluid and cinematic.

Bioware really went to town with the facial animations, something which immediately becomes obvious when you start whipping out your gun and shoving it in people's faces in your efforts to get information. NPCs become visibly frightened when threatened, their eyes widening in terror and their brows crumpling up. There's a certain sadistic quality to it, though your squad mates will quickly share their opinions on your behavior, sometimes even squabbling amongst themselves about how well or poorly you handled a given situation. Unlike many RPGs which require you to navigate large chunks of cutscenes in-between dungeons, the character interaction and plot advancement in Mass Effect appears to be really natural, cinematic and above all, fun.

The concept of a "dungeon" really seems to be in stark contrast with the scale of the world presented in Mass Effect. Actually, make that worlds. Once the central story kicks off, you're placed in command of your own ship and set loose upon a galaxy filled with multiple planets. If you find one you'd like to explore, you can drop off an armored vehicle and rove about, taking in the local sights before promptly blasting them to smithereens. Bioware made specific mention of downloadable content, stating that Xbox 360 gamers would be able to eventually download entire new planets to explore, some with independent story arcs and more unique sets of challenges.

When it comes down to combat, the game is a mixture of traditional RPG statistics and third-person tactical shooting (think Ghost Recon). You can control any of the three members of your squad directly, but just like KOTOR, the two you don't control can often handle themselves well enough The action can be paused at any moment, allowing you to move the camera about the area and place 3D waypoints for your squad mates to converge on. The Bioware guy controlling the demonstration placed waypoints behind some nasty alien fellows and in doing so, allowed two of his characters to flank them. It was an effective strategy, though having everybody equipped with gigantic, heavily modified weapons may have swayed the outcome just a bit.

Even though your character's class, abilities and statistics determine how effective he (or she) is at taking down the alien menace, the combat still requires a good deal of input from you. Largely thanks to the game's stunning visuals and sound, firing off guns and lobbing grenades really seems like a very visceral experience, regardless of all the dice being rolled deep within the Xbox 360's processors. We'd like to experience some more of the combat first-hand before venturing any further opinions, but based solely on presentation, the combat seems to be the gun-toting equivalent of Jade Empire. As far as we're concerned, that's a good thing.

Tags: Bioware, E32006, Futuristic, KOTOR, Sci-Fi

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

matthew @ May 11th 2006 1:59PM

I love the coverage you guys are giving us poor non-industry gamers. I'm flipping out for Wii, can't wait to play Splinter Cell and Gears on my 360. And now I'm drooling over your initial Mass Effect comments. Between Nintendo's fantastically great presentation and Microsoft's wonderful everything, I have to go ahead and say this may be my favorite E3 ever. Nintendo has gotten me as excited about gaming as I was when I first played an NES so long ago. I was skeptical of MS entering the feild at fisrt, but still got an Xbox two months after the release and enjoyed it for years. Now I'm just happy to see it's paid off with the 360 as well and I can see that Microsoft cares about gaming for real. Way to go Nintendo and Microsoft!

jaemz @ May 11th 2006 2:35PM

The more I hear about this game, the more I look forward to it coming out.

Bioware is on fire.

ac @ May 11th 2006 2:40PM

Yeah... I can't wait until there's light saber and game for the revolution. I can't wait to play a demo of this game on the 360. Nintendo and Microsoft will be keeping me quite buys over the next few years... sorry Sony, you're time is up.

Will @ May 11th 2006 2:53PM

This is one of my most anticipated games. I can't wait.

KilgoreTrout XL @ May 11th 2006 2:55PM

Good to hear that it's shaping up nicely. I bet the only rival this game will have on the 360 is the masterpiece that is Oblivion. Do they have a release date?

I was getting a bit tired of the Star Wars license anyways- should be a nice breath of fresh air.

TiaMaster @ May 11th 2006 3:03PM

Yes, this looks to be shaping up nicely.
Its good to have Joystiq actually say some positive things sometimes...

Dread @ May 11th 2006 3:05PM

Gamestop has it as a 11/01/06 title. That basically means they have no clue. I bet 2007 knowing Biowares habit of running long.

Judd @ May 11th 2006 3:08PM

Too Human and Mass Effect both are: Sci-fi,trilogies,uses Unreal Engine 3, exclusively for the Xbox 360, and made by two developers I really respect. Which one do I go with? I'm leaning towards Too Human cause I like action more than RPG, but I did like Jade Empire. Since they're both trilogies whichever one I get I'll have to get the next two. Maybe I should get both. What do you guys think?

Geoff @ May 11th 2006 3:13PM

This is the game that will force me to buy a 360. I would get one eventually, but I have the sneaking suspicion that the second this game comes out I am going to buy a 360. KOTOR and Jade Empire provided me with a ridiculous amount of entertainment. Downloadable planets sounds really nice. Jade Empire real time combat built into a sci-fi setting will be a blast. I noticed that the facial expressions in Jade Empire were done really well. If Mass Effect has improved on that even more this is going to be one awesome game.

Brian @ May 11th 2006 3:22PM

Goddamn it. Bioware you know how to get me everytime. I bought an X-Box just to play KOTOR, now I have to buy a 360. And I really wanted a PS3, looks like that won't be happening soo.

Oh Bioware, why won't you be my wife?

duscrom @ May 11th 2006 4:00PM

This one is deffinatly my most wanted game of 2008, and reading the comments only make it more-so. KOTOR and Jade Empir were incredible experinces. Very involving and just fun. I can't wait for this one.

superguido @ May 11th 2006 4:28PM

"We'd like to experience some more of the combat first-hand before venturing any further opinions, but based solely on presentation, the combat seems to be the gun-toting equivalent of Jade Empire. As far as we're concerned, that's a good thing."

Ugh. I hope not. I liked KOTOR but I couldn't stand Jade Empire, especially it's gameplay.

SuicideNinja @ May 11th 2006 5:58PM

I find it interesting how so many people enjoyed Jade Empire. While I liked the idea behind the game, the limited attacks and quirky controls drove me nuts, and led me to trade it in before completing the game.

What's even more interesting, is how the 360's showings look fantastic as opposed to what Sony is saying.

Ben @ May 11th 2006 6:01PM

Yes, yes, Mass Effect is cool, we've seen the trailers, etc etc, the real question is can someone dig up some dirt on Bioware's MMO? I thought their press release said they would talk about it at E3. I'm not AT E3 so I have to rely on you people to get the info for me. Dig people!! DIG!

Trauts @ May 11th 2006 6:17PM

Mass Effect and Alan Wake have been the two games keeping me the most intrigued.

Alan Wake is the most frustrating of the two because it looks great, has an interesting enough premise, but there's no telling what style gameplay there even is.

With Mass Effect, it is just begging to be hyped. It's insanely ambitious for them to plan a TRILOGY when they haven't seen the reaction to the first one. I hope it lives up to their expectation. If it does, this would be the game (or 3 games) that made buying my 360 at launch worthwhile.