Mass Effect: First Couple of Hours

My copy of Mass Effect arrived early yesterday, just as I was headed off to work, so I wasn’t able to get into the sexy space-boots of Commander Shepard until about midnight. Still, I was able to squeeze in about two hours of play time, and I came away from it quite impressed.

First off, the game simple SCREAMS big budget space opera. It’s a sci-fi epic on the lines of Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5, with you in the crosshairs as the hero/heroine. Just setting up your character is cool with all the nice graphics and effects. Sure, it’s not as detailed as with Oblivion, and you can’t strip your character down to their skivvies, but it’s hell of a nice-looking game.
Anyways, you play the role of Commander John/Jane Shepard, exceptional human operative who’s looking to join the Galactic Council’s Spectres- some kind of special agent that is Mass Effect’s answer to the OO’s. You start off in the good ship Normandy, get chatty with your crewmates, meet up with your captain and then go off on a dangerous mission planetside. You lead a squad of three at anytime, and can give orders or just let your mates back you up as you run and gun. Just going Rambo won’t win you the day everytime- you have to sometimes pause and use a pertinent power, tactic or special weapon to turn the tide.

I’m still getting into the groove, but I’m really impressed by several things right off the bat- how gorgeous everything is, how cool and seamless the dialogue system is and the pretty flawless voice-acting. The story, which involves a Spectre named Saren going rogue and threatening the human race, is quite engaging. No question, this is what I’ll be sinking my teeth into this weekend.

I’ll try to capture some vids and more before a full review. For now, all I can say is- this game is the real thing. If you own a 360, get it. Get it NOW.