Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

BioWare reaches for the stars, again.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 4 of 4

A game as big as Mass Effect is bound to show some seams. Most people will play it a manner that will fragment the experience, and the technical production is not without its flaws. But that's not what you'll remember about it. For one, after playing through it, you'll be rendered unable to palate the mediocre voice work that most games offer. Mass Effect has altered the playing field in a big way in this respect, and in doing so has highlighted one of the most glaring weaknesses of the interactive form today. Beyond this, though, it's hard to quantify just how engrossing it is to explore the game's exuberant world, even despite how underdeveloped some of it is. BioWare has built a great many permutations into Mass Effect that will keep RPG fiends playing and replaying till the inevitable sequel arrives. Games like this simply don't come along very often, and when they do, they're meant to be savored.

This review is based on a retail copy acquired through Microsoft's outside PR agency.