The first Mass Effect. Mmm. Everybody knows, everyone has played.
Well. Not me. I had not played, I had not known.
Welcome to 2018. It has been like ten years since the release. I am neither into TPP games nor into pseudo RPG. At last the realm would be SF not Fantasy. Shepard has been given a credit of trust.
TL;DR:
I don't remember the last time when I had finished a game at 5 am.
The Long Story:
The beginning was cold - the game refused to run. After it'd been resolved I was dropped in the middle of a inconspicuous mission, which, of course, evolved into saving the galaxy. There is a lot of chaos at the beginning, you don't know what to do and what it is all about. There is a lot of information, I'd say even to much and you'll fell overwhelmed. But, to be honest, it's sorted out rather quickly and the story become interesting. The feeling, the vibe is what I like, and it's only better later on. Quests are not very sophisticated or over complicated, but the choices you have to make, from time to time, are not that obvious.
What I have not liked:
- repetitiveness of side missions - roaming on empty planets
- combat system
- quest like "bring me some item, then give another item to somebody"
I've completed all the side missions, so I know how it hurts...
About combat system - I've fought against it more than against enemies. At last I've got used to it, but still it's not well.
Some sub quest are... let's say debatable. We are an important figure, we have to save the universe, so it is completely normal, that we accept quests as important as toilet cleaning.
The graphics got old with dignity I'd say; and it is not that obvious for 3D games. Some of the locations are still kind of pretty. What strikes is the repetitiveness of rooms, their layouts and that everything is rectangular and not very detailed. On the other hand, ten years went by and it only shows that graphics development slowed a lot. Ten years before Mass Effect was released, the Quake 2 had been released. From my perspective the difference between Quake 2 and Mass Effect is much more visible than between Mass Effect and something modern. If we went back another ten years we would land in an uncomparable era...
In the end I definitely recommend Mass Effect to one, who like SF and has not yet tried. You won't be disappointed.