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Mass Effect: The hardest game to review, ever?
Written By Hige on Dec. 1, 2007.
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So Bioware's newest has been out for a week(ish) and undeniably proved that Westerners can crack out epic, sprawling RPGs as good as the Japanese... but what about everything else?
For me, it basically amounts to 'the combat is flawed almost to the point of being a nonissue, and everything else (bar a few graphical scuffs) is immersive, compulsive brilliance'.
Never in a game have I sat down and listened to all the encyclopaedic information about the setting/technology/etc. Perhaps because it’s never been read for me, but still; most of it is genuinely interesting and contributes to the broader experience.
I just pray to god they sort of the battle system/squad AI for the sequels (it’s going to be a trilogy apparently). So much about this game is fantastic, but weak fundamentals like the broken battle system immediately undermine any urge to evangelise (hence the topic).
Thoughts?
Tyme
Written Dec. 4, 2007 / Report /
I haven't played the game (might GameFly it) but I have been seeing reviews like this one cropping up, with the implication being the game could have been better.
Hige
Written Dec. 4, 2007 / Report /
Tyme:
That's a pretty impressive article; great for procrastinating while [not] doing essays. It also helped me reassess my problems with the game, although the problems it mentions that correspond with my own didn't ruin the thorough enjoyment I got from playing.
The demo comparisons did rile me a little, though. I remember being so excited by the particular video it cites, but (as BioWare probably hoped) I completely forgot about what I saw when it came to playing the finished product. Individual squad commands and direct squad control were two of the biggest things I cried out for while playing.
I genuinely hope, now they have the world/engine/fundamentals created, the sequels will flesh out and refine the experience enough to fulfil the massive potential Mass Effect has. Then the reviews can finally avoid using "It's amazing, but . . ." and wax lyrical without any objective obligations.
mudly1
Written Dec. 5, 2007 / Report /
I review games by the amount of time it takes me to return them. If I return them within a couple of days...the game is a yawner. More than a week - the game is good. I had BioShock for a week and returned it (after completing it). Mass effect has me hanging up on the 'friendly reminder calls' from the renting store. It's 3 weeks late and I am still playing it.
My only complaint is the combat systems strange flaws. IE. Shooting from the Mako vehicle on non level ground (which is most of the time) is fire and 'pray' targeting. I have seen my characters shooting from weird angles and still hitting their targets. Makes me wonder how well the AI hits.
The graphics and soundtrack - Superb!
For what it's worth.
jlaakso
Written Dec. 5, 2007 / Report /
It's absolutely game of the year material, warts and all. The combat may take some getting used to for some, but I really, really like it. The only grating bits are the unpolished driving sections, and they're not that bad, either.
The one thing they really ought to sort, preferably with a patch, is the inventory management, which is just... not there. You can't do that in a modern videogame. The other thing is the complete lack of instructions - the game has a lot more depth than is apparent from reading the sad excuse for a manual.
The dialogue, voice-acting and drama are top-drawer stuff. I haven't been this attached to my character in a very long time.