I've just returned from Bioware's demonstration of their next big RPG - Mass Effect. The game is easily one of the best titles I've seen at the show up to now. This was kind of funny, because Bioware's booth appeared rather humble and pretty much similar to other booths I've visited as well.

Mass Effect is a science-fiction RPG, currently being developed for the Xbox 360, and all I can say is... it looks so awesome it makes me want to go buy an Xbox 360. When I say that the game looks awesome, this is sort of an understatement. The game looks goddamn phenomenal! The lighting effects, the environments, the character models and their faces, the explosions and gunfire effects, all of these are above and beyond what most games even dream of achieving, and the game is only going to look better.

Do I sound like a fanboy yet? (No, not yet. But, you seem to be on the right track - Ed. Vader).

The game is simply epic. It spans the entire Milky Way galaxy, with many different star systems, with different planets, moons, derelict spaceships, asteroids, and space stations. The sheer number of environments looks staggering, so in one system alone, there appear to be more planets than all of those from Knights of the Old Republic put together.

The universe itself, in addition to having a bajillion places to go, also has a ton of different alien species that interact with each another, along with humanity, a relative new comer to the galactic scene. Each of these characters has their own body language, facial expressions and emotions, and you can interact with them, in quick and nimble conversation, with heated animated exchanges. And while you're interacting with all of these characters, the environmental lighting plays off of everyone's face, giving the impression of a real, dynamic place. Furthermore, as humanity is new to many of these alien races, you're representing the human race, and if you're a total dick, these aliens are going to treat people differently than if you were a compassionate saint of a man. This comes as a substitute for the previous moral system of good and evil, and it is supposed to be much more complex than anything we have seen before.

The story revolves around the main character, Commander Shepard, a human that you can customize in any way you'd like. Shepard is a special guy, the only human to ever become a Specter, an elite badass commando. Shepard finds a plot early on that revolves around the dark history of the universe, and that danger from the past may soon be returning to wipe everyone out. Of course, you have to go kick its ass.

You're given your own ship and crew of people that you pick up along the way. Your crew will form their own opinions according to your actions, and you are going to influence their perception of you... similarly to Knights of the Old Republic 2. With your private ship, the Normandy, you can cruise around the galaxy, and upon choosing a planet that you like, you can either drive around in a fully customizable space jeep (which looks pretty damn cool as it flies down alien mountains, and barrels across vast deserts, packing a nice turret to boot), or you can simply get out and explore on foot.

Combat is mostly ranged, and while you have to aim somewhat, this is not a switch shooter, this is a role playing game, and that's why a lock-on ability is provided. This switches the focus of the game to the tactical decisions you make in combat, as opposed to how good of a shot you are or how many red bulls you've slammed. You can pause combat at any time to issue orders to your two party members, both of which are intelligent enough to survive on their own; they're going to help you out regardless of what you tell them. However, you can tell them what positions you want them to take, and as soon as you unpause, they will fly into action.

The developers did a splendid job on providing the characters with a wide variety of weapons, which look great by the way. All of the traditional weapons are in there: sniper rifles, shotguns, machine guns, grenades that fly like Frisbees and home in on your opponents, etc. Mass Effect has it all. In addition, you can also modify your weapons towards different effects. During the demo we saw, I got to see someone fire a sniper rifle that was equipped with an incinerator mod, so that as soon as the shot hit, it set its target on fire, and he burned to death. The weapons also interact with the environment in certain places, allowing you to collapse platforms on top of your opponents, crushing them underneath.

Bioware is tentatively aiming to have the game out this winter, and god damn it, it is going to destroy my GPA. I will probably wind up dropping out of school just to play it, and because it is scheduled to be a trilogy at this point, the third or second game will probably cause my divorce too. But it should all be worth it, if today is any indication. Waiting is the hardest fucking part.

-- Jackson 'Smapdey' Johns

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	General Edor Crespin	[mail] Sep 03 2009, 12:00 am EDT
	Reply This may be THE game that makes me buy a 360.

	Zilor	[mail] Sep 03 2009, 12:00 am EDT
	Reply This game is... I have no words for it at all. We need a new vocabulary to describe how absolutely awesome this game looks to be, we're going to have to go to Mars and get their fucking dictionary in order to even start to describe this game.