Metareview: Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
by Dan Dormer 
{ Nov 19th 2007 at 2:35PM }
We here at Joystiq are all primed and ready to save the universe, use our
- GameSpy (100/100): "Mass Effect's greatest strength is the quality of the narrative. BioWare has a track record of producing amazingly engrossing storylines, but never before have you been presented with this level of meaningful interaction. You'll experience difficult and thought-provoking situations, including moral and ethical questions without a clear right or wrong answer. The Commander Shepard character is thus defined by player involvement, sublimely capturing the essence of role-playing."
- IGN (94/100): "Mass Effect is game that is greater than the sum of its parts. Technical issues abound, but the majority of Mass Effect is so expertly delivered that it can transcend its weaknesses. Applying number ratings to a game like this doesn't do it justice because there is no way you can ignore its technical flaws. Simply put, Mass Effect is a game that must be played. Then it must be played again. Don't pass this one up."
- Eurogamer (80/100): "Forced to stumble towards a conclusion, I'd say that despite the niggles, Mass Effect is most definitely a great game with an awful lot going for it - but one that doesn't quite deserve unquestioning praise. For what it achieves in delivering a compelling narrative and wonderful atmosphere, BioWare deserves a huge amount of credit, as there are few games that come anywhere near it in this regard. The dialogue system, and the impact it has on individual missions and the game as a whole is exceptional, adding greatly to the potential replay value. Where it doesn't quite hit the mark for me is in the action stakes. Although it underpins the game with all sorts of excellent ideas that ought to make it a deeper, more intelligent and immersive experience, the simple truth is that the minute-to-minute combat simply isn't as intense and involving as you'd expect from a game in 2007. Throw in some grumbles about the somewhat unoptimised state of the frame-rate, texture pop-in and v-syncing terrors, and it's a game that just falls short of our expectations. An eight, then, but a good one..."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
embassy @ Nov 19th 2007 1:37PM
this game is amazing. but yeh IGN nailed it with the tech issues. but still, amazing experience. and this is coming from a guy wehos never played a bioware game, and hasnt a touched an RPG since ff10 ( which i played for 2 hrs total on a friends ps2)
gonk @ Nov 19th 2007 3:03PM
ff10 sucked balls. 7-9 were great though
and play kotor, the xbox version works on a 360
arrrgh @ Nov 19th 2007 3:08PM
there were no final fantasy games created after ff6. >8|
the latter entries in the series were more of a crude inside joke at square :(
FidliousWong @ Nov 19th 2007 3:29PM
I know, right? I mean... having to fight off a giant octopus during an opera was totally stupid in FFX. Oh, wait...
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 19th 2007 4:55PM
Ultros was the recurring joke boss of the game. He was there to interject humor more than anything else. So yes, it was absolutely stupid to fight a giant octopus during an opera. That was the point.
Purple Haze @ Nov 19th 2007 10:18PM
At least X had Hironobu help make it. Since then it hasn't even tried to be the same, with Final Fantasy X-2 Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII.
Leobebes @ Nov 19th 2007 2:06PM
B...b...but the 360 has nor RPG's!!!!
Mass Effect?
No..no...no! I meant real RPG's with men who like girls who have pruple hair, and cut scenes that last longer than gameplay! Also I like my characters to traverse a straight line the entire game and pressing one button for combat. You know so I don't get lost or try to hard in a game. Interactive movie...yea...thats it!
Neon Jebus @ Nov 19th 2007 2:44PM
I know you are kidding but you almost nailed Eternal Sonata with that. The cut scenes were so long. I still enjoyed the game though...but I'm not an RPG fan.
Shignami @ Nov 19th 2007 2:47PM
You sir, are thinking of JRPGs.
Mass effect, nay, all games, enjoy bonus points for not being JRPGs
Chimp @ Nov 19th 2007 2:48PM
A good game is a good game no matter what system it is on. Time for you to grow up. Anyway, I am looking forward to playing this, last BioWare game I played was KOTOR, and I thought that was amazing! However now that EA are in on the act I don't know what kind of future BioWare has....
FidliousWong @ Nov 19th 2007 4:06PM
I know I'll go against the grain here but a vast majority of the time, I HATE western RPGs. Here's all the reasons why...
-Usually a severe lack of focus in the story or even building and conceptualizing the world. You usually get a grand quest but it's told usually through pissant little quests or fetchruns.
-Lack of direction. Seriously, like every MMO, you get only a little guidance towards the beginning but then suddenly the entire world opens up and you're given a map and told "here, find your fun...."
-Punishing my choices. This is great that you give me the ability to be good or evil. I like it... so WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NOT SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE WHO DO PLAY EVIL? Why is my time spent between quests killing homeless bums just to keep my alignment? Why am I missing the last 5-10 hours of a game because I chose the dark side? If you present the choice to players, you better support that choice.
-d20 System... FTNFGA... Never going away... ever... despite the claims, despite the hype, almost every western RPG remains clinging to the d20 system.
-100 hour game, 70 hours too long. I'm grinding, talking, talking, walking, walking, loading, talking, fetching, and grinding.... forever. And if this wasn't the 30th time I entered the same hut in a different location on the world just to travel to a mildly shifted cave from the 30th cave from before, I wouldn't mind so much. But so much of the world is like so much of itself and grinding to completion feels more like busywork.
Mike-453 @ Nov 19th 2007 6:40PM
You dislike western RPGs because of level grinding?
Well i'll tell you this good sir, a Bioware RPG always has a grand story, an interesting world, and no level grinding.
sheppy2.0 @ Nov 19th 2007 10:59PM
Wow, good response. But I thing you missed points 2 and 3. Both of which, Bioware is very much guilty of. Not to mention much of Bioware gameplay revolves around tiny quests, more tiny quests, and even more tiny quests, essentially building towards 1 and 4. So while you are never forced to grind, that much is true, Bioware games still suffer through other tediums which may as well be considered grinding.
NaeemTHM @ Nov 19th 2007 2:42PM
DEATH TO EUROGAMER!
anduz @ Nov 19th 2007 7:42PM
I disagree. The highligt is on combat so lets use that as the example. If you buy Mass Effect expecting it to have the best combat ever you'll be sorely dissapointed. Such an expectation could fairly easily be obtained from watching one of the many official combat videos, and while the combat isn't bad it fankly isn't the new secks either.
By informing their readers of this Eurogamer actually delivers exactly what a good review is supposed to do. Despite being the popular trend these days reviews simply aren't ment to be the frosting on the hype cake.
Shignami @ Nov 19th 2007 2:43PM
*Obligatory lesbian alien sex comment*
gonk @ Nov 19th 2007 3:06PM
ready for round two?
Sam406 @ Nov 19th 2007 2:44PM
I don't want to start a flame war here, but I don't know what's so appealing about Mass Effect.
samfish @ Nov 19th 2007 2:50PM
Neither do I.
kinshadow @ Nov 19th 2007 2:51PM
Personally, I like the game because you do not.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Nov 19th 2007 3:07PM
I can see the appeal of Mass Effect, but I also know that in my job and fiance having life, I do not even come close to having enough time to play it.
jake11 @ Nov 19th 2007 3:53PM
i don't understand people who dont understand the appeal of mass effect
ogvor @ Nov 19th 2007 4:05PM
Question: Did you play Knights of the Old Republic or any other Bioware games, and do you like Science Fiction?
PiratePete @ Nov 19th 2007 5:21PM
It's the interesting character interaction, good story and free galaxy roaming that really interests me. Also the graphics are great.
kinshadow @ Nov 19th 2007 2:50PM
Personally, I like the game because you do not.
kinshadow @ Nov 19th 2007 2:52PM
stupid comment system
Sam406 @ Nov 19th 2007 2:55PM
No need to get angry, that's just my opinion,
I WAS looking forward to Assasins Creed and Ace Combat 6, WAS because they are already out but I haven't bought them yet.
kinshadow @ Nov 19th 2007 3:00PM
I'm not angry, that was just a lame attempt at being funny.
For me, Mass Effect has everything I would ever want in a game:
-Draws from early '80s based sci-fi
-Has lots of cools characters
-Lets me be a bad ass import person
-Has special powers
-Is a totally new IP
-Doesn't depend on reflex reaction, but is still action oriented
arrrgh @ Nov 19th 2007 3:11PM
yeah sorry man you lost points due to the repeat :(
xXFenixKnightXx @ Nov 19th 2007 3:20PM
That was still funny though! +1 heart
Jerk Face @ Nov 19th 2007 2:51PM
God DAMN it do I need a 360! I think I'm going to just stop paying bills and get one.
FrankTheCrank @ Nov 19th 2007 3:00PM
I would love one as well, I just fear getting RROD....plus I have four other platforms(Wii, PS3, PC, PS2) to buy games for...it's getting CRAZY. Teh money$ are disappearing. And I don't do credit cards.
Second job it is.
xXFenixKnightXx @ Nov 19th 2007 3:06PM
Lol!! Yeah screw teh bills. Is there a non-profit organization for ppl that just want to play videogames all day?? =(
Jerk Face @ Nov 19th 2007 3:06PM
Seriously, if I could work more I would! I'm already chugging away at 50-some hours a week.
My wife and kids are always whining for "food" and for me to "pay the gas bill, because it's really cold."
Freaking whiners! It's really cramping my gaming life.
gonk @ Nov 19th 2007 3:10PM
frank, credit cards are great if you pay it off every month so you don't incur interest charges. it's good to start a credit line, it'll help you get lower % loans on cars and stuff in the future
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 19th 2007 3:35PM
I haven't heard a RRoD story in ages. I think its safe to assume that RRoD is now the exception, not the expected rule.
Burritoclock @ Nov 19th 2007 4:37PM
Anyone that says credit cards are great is a solid jackass.
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Nov 19th 2007 4:57PM
but you do need a credit card.
how are you supposed to buy a nice house if you don't even have a credit report?
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 19th 2007 5:04PM
Credit Cards are evil if you look at it as "Free Money YAY!!!"
Credit Cards are a necessity if you look at is as "I don't get paid for 3 days but I need these fucking groceries!!"
As long as you pay it off in a month or so, Credit cards are nice and good. If you run up your balance to the maximum, then they're evil, because you are then officially fucked.
And don't miss a payment, or they'll jack your interest rate to 29.99%
giantenemycrab @ Nov 19th 2007 2:52PM
Well, looking at the scores, then I'd say Mario is taking the GotY award.
Deuz Augustine @ Nov 19th 2007 2:52PM
Can we stop giving 100s out so easily? It's a little insulting to the games that really earned them (basically, OoT and little else).
embassy @ Nov 19th 2007 2:59PM
i dont see the problem...
no ones batted in eyelash the last 100 years when movie/music publications award 5 stars to great films/albums.
why the double standard for games?
Deuz Augustine @ Nov 19th 2007 3:01PM
5/5 and 100/100 are not the same thing.
Maybe I shouldn't have inserted the OoT qualifier, but jeez, it seems like there's a new game with a rating of 100 every single month.
zero @ Nov 19th 2007 4:40PM
Well it is that time of the year...
James @ Nov 19th 2007 2:55PM
I'm sorry IGN, but to say you can't ignore it's technical issues and flaws but only docking it .6 points, is a bit crazy. There's no excuse for that kind of crap. Scores should have a technical performance category added to them to balance this kind of crap out.
finnith @ Nov 19th 2007 4:18PM
If you were like me (which you aren't), a veteran of Bioware games (KOTOR to be specific) you learn to sit through the glitches.
So your sprite just disappeared, deal with it.
James @ Nov 19th 2007 11:29PM
Actually Finnith, I have played alot of Bioware games and I'm a huge fan of them. My comment wasn't directed at the quality of the game, but the accuracy of IGN's review. Tell me, if you were to complain about "technical issues abound", would you still give a game 96/100? The summary of the review shows they mentioned the tech flaws at least twice... if I were writing that review and felt that way, I would not be giving it a 9.6.
The DCD @ Nov 19th 2007 3:14PM
GameDaily review just went up as well. 10/10, baby!
Wakey, Dormer, wakey!
BananaBoat @ Nov 19th 2007 2:58PM
Mass Effect is so appealing because it's basically Star Wars KOTOR 3, but without the Star Wars license attached.
Having said that, these companies need to rethink their reviewing strategies. Gamepro throws around 100/100's like nobodies business (which is why I'm no longer a subscriber). On the flip side of that, there is no way Mass Effect is an 80, with all the things you can do in it, how good it looks, and how fun it is etc. If Mass Effect is an 80, Assassins Creed is a 70.
I'd say Mass Effect is a solid 90/100, losing points for the technical issues that all the reviews seem to say it has.
I hope it sells well, because I loved Kotor to death, and it would be a shame if they stopped making this sort of offline MMORPG game.
Chris @ Nov 19th 2007 3:02PM
Sorry I'm not British, but what the hell is a niggle?