PC Zone - Issue 195 - Mass Effect Review

8/14/2019 PC Zone - Issue 195 - Mass Effect Review

1/6

66 www.pczone.co.uk

REVIEWSMASSEFFECT

DEVELOPERBioWarePUBLISHEREA

WEBSITEmasseffect.bioware.comETA6 June

PRICE34.99

A classic BioWare RPG that improvesimmensely on its console cousin withexcellent combat, an unforgettable

story, and some fine space sex.

AT A GLANCE

92%

HOW IT STACKS

88%KNIGHTS OF THEOLD REPUBLIC II

MASS EFFECT

KNIGHTS OFTHE OLD REPUBLIC

Minimum system requirements:2.4GHz processor, 1GB RAM (2GB for

Vista), and a 256MB video card. Due todraconian copy protection, the game

wont work without a net connection.

94%

MASS EFFECTThe universe at risk and everything to play for,Ed Zitrondons his space lycra for the fight of his life...

THE EXCITEMENT IN the air

was thick as toothpaste. Mass

Effecthas already established

itself on the 360 as a classic RPG and

one that corrects many of the

complaints directed at BioWares

previous epics. Having twice played

through the console version, the true

source of my nervous excitement was

to see this great game arrive on my

platform of choice.

Porting a console game to PC is a

process that can go very wrong but

thankfully Mass Effectreaches its apex

on the PC. BioWare have made a game

that flatters the PCs controls so

perfectly that the 360 version feels, incomparison, as effective as a papier-

mch hammer. Gone without trace are

the clunky UI and irksome combat of the

360 with the mouse and keyboard,

players can look forward to a smoother,

more enjoyable and better-looking

escapade than their sofa-bound siblings.

SURE SHOTYou take on the part of Shepard, a

Commander in the Human Alliance. You

can gently customise his looks with a few

sliders, or leave him as the generic space

stud from the front of the box.

He can be given one of three

character histories. These will effect the

occasional dialogue tree but, ultimately,

dont have much meaning. Switching

genders is an option too, but playing Ms

Shepard doesnt make any impact on the

storyline, unless you have sweaty palms

for a spot of xenomorphic sapphic love.

Once your face and upbringing have been

set youre able to choose a class, and

thats where you really get to nail down

your own style.

Theres a choice of three classes.

Soldier places the focus of combat on

gunplay and has you leading the party in

a storm of precision shooting. The Adept

class specialises in biotic powers science-magic that will make Star Wars

fans think of the Force, and demands a

combat style that has you taking cover

and popping out like a angry gopher to

deliver your damage. Then theres the

Engineer a debuff class that lowers

your enemies defences, allowing party

members to kill them more effectively.

This is an unusual, and initially difficult,

class to play.

At the games start, you can also

select one of three combo-classes: the

Infiltrator a gunner that specialises in

long-range attacks, backed up with the

Engineers debuffing; the awesome

Vanguard a balls-out warrior who

blends the close-range attacks of the

Soldier and the Adept; and the Sentinel,

who focuses on defending and healing

allies. The early stages of the latter can

be challenging, but Sentinels more

powerful abilities such as higher-end

biotics are more devastating than the

most powerful guns.

SCRAPPY SHEPARDCombat plays out a little like Gears of

War having you dash behind various

barriers searching for cover and pressing

forward to deliver damage and use and

abuse your various sci-fi talents.Oddly for BioWare, combat is all in

real time mostly. Unlike Knights of the

Old Republic and Jade Empire you dont

have the option to stack attacks up in a

paused queue. The only time you can take

a break from combat is when you give

orders to your teammates. This stops the

combat briefly, allowing you to target

your teammates opponents and

designate the next attack youd like your

buddy to use. However, you never get to

control their every move, as you

can in KOTOR and Jade Empire.

For this reason, youll need to

The universal languageof a gun in your face.

Beware: triangle.

Well, damn.

PCZ195.revmass 66 8/5/08 09:08:08


2/6

67www.pczone.co.ukwww.pczone.co.uk

Mass Effecthas already establisheditself on the Xbox 360 as a classic RPG

PCZ195.revmass 67 8/5/08 09:08:20


3/6

68 www.pczone.co.uk

REVIEWSMASSEFFECT

While Id love to say BioWare

can do no wrong, whoever

thought that the Mako was agood, or even a tolerable, idea

was wrong. Its a six-wheeledmonstrosity that bounces and

cavorts around the landscape

like a bouncy castle onwheels made of oranges,seemingly seeking out the

roughest terrain and thenbounding towards it, almost

excited to see how far it can

lumber away from your goal.To add insult to injury, you

occasionally have to drive it while simultaneously commanding its turrets and dodgingenemy fire. This is troublesome as the bouncy handling makes aiming near-impossible

unless you slow down to a crawl. This makes you a sitting duck and as your shieldsrecharge so slowly, a very quickly dead duck. Worse still comes the few times when you

have to drive near ominous mountain ledges while fighting, leading to hilarious, yetfrustrating, deaths as one wheel accidentally bounces off of a random rock, flipping you

in a circle and off of a cliff.Thankfully, the Mako isnt in the game much, but youll very much notice when it is,

as its the one time that Mass Effectisnt a pleasure to play.

Mako Me CrazyThe worst vehicle in gaming history

On top of the first-rate combat, MassEffectsports some of the most dramaticstorytelling in gaming history

Wrex and Captain Andersonslove was forever left unspoken.

Staring contest, me and you.

Steady now, steady.

Eat my plasma. Shepard vs the universe.

PCZ195.revmass 68 8/5/08 09:08:24


4/6

69www.pczone.co.uk

choose your class carefully to make sure

you like its fighting style, as youll be

fighting a lot.

Most importantly though, fighting

is fun. A common issue with KOTOR and

Jade Empire was how floaty and distant

combat felt, but in Mass Effectyou

can turn the tide of battle with a well-

placed shot, cunning use of cover, using

appropriate weaponry or manipulating

distance to your advantage.

For a BioWare RPG, you feel

shockingly in control of your battles. For

example, the Vanguard specialises in

short-range weapons like pistols and

shotguns. Using the Throw ability (the

biotic version of Force Push) you can

slam an enemy down and give them a

devastating gob of shrapnel.

Id be going on a bit if I said that a

mouse and keyboard will always beat a

gamepad for accuracy and speed, but

console veterans will find it hard to

believe how much more control you have

over Shepard and his cohorts, while

those new to the game will find the

controls natural and intuitive.

Once youve gained mastery of your

squad, combat becomes a symphony of

paused squad orders and real-time

execution, and the thoughtful re-

interpretation of the UI allows for a new

feeling of grace and satisfaction. You can

forge a complex tactical battle with

relative ease, which becomes incredibly

valuable against the more unpleasant

geth (lethal robots with a hive mind, and

one of Shepards major adversaries)

found on the harder difficulty levels.

Youll be forced to think on your feet, or

lose your arse.

Thankfully, the tougher difficulties

reward you with more experience, money

and achievements, which many will be

glad to hear arent tied into Games For

Windows LIVE. So the rewards are

there, for those willing to throw

themselves at the mercy of the games

more brutal settings.

TALK TO MEOn top of the first-rate combat, Mass

Effectsports some of the most dramatic

storytelling in gaming. Drew Karpyshyns

return (he was KOTORs lead writer) is a

good sign, and his story of a band of

heroes saving the universe from genocide

is as rich in canonical sci-fi elements (or

cliches, to the less charitable) as it is in

brilliant characters and humanity.

As Shepard, you are made part of

the elite Spectre Unit, and at the behest

While youll often find yourself choosingfrom the generic staples of good and evil

in RPGs, Mass Effectbrings a new middleground the space arse.

While youre also able to be a massmurderer or universe saviour, you can

also mercilessly respond to people withsarcasm and insults, sucker punch a

doctor, steal from people and even, in onecase, tell somebody to turn to a life of

drugs. You can stick a gun in the face of an adoring fan and threaten him with physical

harm because hes bothering you, or dob in a random NPC for smuggling skipping halfan hour of a particularly dull mission. Better still is your ability to ignore The Council

after every mission, keeping them completely in the dark for most of the game until thevery last minute, annoying them immensely. Mass Effectleaves how to play it in your

hands, and lets you live your fantasy of being the universes biggest dick.

On being a bastardMorality inMass Effectis a funny thing...

make for enjoyable conversation far

beyond the main storyline. Yet its the

Unreal Engine 3s ability to portray

realistic expressions and body language,

and the excellent voice acting and motion

capture work that adds a cinematic

nuance to cutscenes and conversations,

which makes you truly engage with the

characters you play and meet.

Emotionally and narratively Mass

Effectdoes things like a big-

budget movie, rather than

settling for KOTORs flat, empty-

Shepard: Space Cowboy.

of the Council (a generic governmental

body that gets in your way) must hunt

down rogue Spectre agent Saren to

stop him unleashing an ancient race of

machines which will kill all intelligent life

in the universe.

Youre not alone in your quest as you

pick up all kinds of helpers on your

journey, from the homicidal yet intelligent

Urdnot Wrex, to Garrus, a humanoid bird

detective with a chip on his shoulder.

Shepards crew are some of the most

memorable of BioWares creations, and

Right, its 11 oclock.Get the hell out.

The galaxy map is easyto use and steamlined.

Aim steadily,shoot quickly.

Character creation doesntlet you have a porn stache.Hello, Earth-Clan.

PCZ195.revmass 69 8/5/08 09:08:38


5/6

70 www.pczone.co.uk

REVIEWSMASSEFFECT

faced conversations: Shepard raises an

eyebrow quizzically, Joker your pilot

grimaces in embarrassment, and chief

evil-doer Saren angrily chews space

furniture like no other.

Dialogue trees are handled slightly

differently to KOTOR and Jade Empire.

Rather than selecting an exact sentence

you pick a response that has a particular

tone. For example, telling Joker You

worry too much, starts Shepard on a

diatribe about him being too cautious.

Whats especially interesting is when you

use charming or intimidating answers

(highlighted in blue or red) they can end

in an altercation, a threat or even flirting.

Beyond this, youre able to choose the

generic paths of good (Paragon) and evil

(Renegade), but there are areas where

youre given choices that are definite

shades of grey. For example, when youre

choosing between letting a murderous

insect race live or die, characters voice

persuasive opinions both for and against

their genocide. These decisions are only

made more agonising by the genuine

emotions that BioWare have invested the

characters with. Even ardent evil-doers

may find themselves edging towards

friendlier acts when their long-neglected

conscience comes a-knockin.

Whats more, good works dont

negate evil ones. In KOTOR good and evil

were on a sliding scale, so doing nice

things made up for your prior evil doings

in a vaguely Church of England manner.

People you encountered liked you no

matter how much of a dick youd been a

few hours previously. In Mass Effect, if

you do evil, people will remember your

reprehensible actions and act on them,

even if its the only blemish on a career

path that makes a paladin look sleazy.

NO DIRECTION HOMEYour choices do have an effect on the

storyline, though theyre not as

pronounced as in, say, The Witcher.

Characters live and die by your actions,

and fall in and out of love with you

depending on how you treat them.

If youre clever, you can even create an

While content-wise the 360

and PC versions ofMass Effect

are virtually identical, the gameplays a damn sight easier with a

mouse and keyboard.

Dealing with menus isnt achore with a mouse, especiallyconsidering the amount of

buying, selling and navigation ofthe Galaxy Map youll be doing.

Hotkeying abilities alsomakes using biotic and

engineering abilities a lot less of a chore, though disappointingly you can only drag your

own abilities onto them it would have been amazing to have your teammates movesavailable that easily, but alas, no such luck. Theres also the new space bar key-bound

squad command UI, which speeds up combat immensely, and makes the 360s versionfeel so amateurish that youll never want to play it again.

Graphically, on low settings Mass Effectdelivers the same quality as on the 360. Ona tricked-out PC youll be looking at a crisper, smoother adventure and this game was

stunning on our lesser-resolution cousins. Mass Effects ability to run well and lookgood at lower settings seriously outdoes games likeAssassins Creedand Crysis.

Doing a 360We dont hate consoles. Were just better than them

Characters live or die by your actionsand fall in and out of love with you

Vantage points arethe key to victory.

Ghost ride the Normandy.

Your average 360 owner.

Chin up, Wrex.

PCZ195.revmass 70 8/5/08 09:08:46


6/6

71www.pczone.co.uk

92

Looks amazingCharacters display emotion

Genuinely dramatic

Action elements are fun

RPG elements and

conversations engaging

Mako a bit naff

Graphics Luscious, cinematic Sound Loud, proud, orchestralMultiplayer None

uncomfortable love triangle which comes

to a head in the briefing room like the

critical scene of seminal classic How To

Be A Player, with your two jealous

paramours crossing their arms and

pouting as you choose between them.

These moments of levity provide a

welcome and much-needed contrast to

the overwhelming shadow of impending

doom that spreads over the whole game,

encompassing a space operatic

adventure that stretches over 20 hours

on the first play. And thats if youre

mainly sticking to the primary storyline.

Mass Effects duration can be

stretched further by exploring remote

planets with the slightly irritating M35

Mako (see Mako Me Crazy) and taking

the chance to search for strange and

unusual stuff, from a small military base

full of renegades to a gigantic angry

Thresher Worm.

Occasionally, youll also receive

missions from the Alliance Navy,

members of your team, or residents of

the Citadel (the giant space station thats

the centre ofMass Effects civilisation)

that lead to more complex quests that

reward you with money and experience

and in one case a brand-new class

you didnt get offered at the games start.

Some of these missions are genuinely

brilliant stories such as hunting down

Dr Heart, an organ trader with a horrible

secret, and watching in awe as the usually

calm and friendly Garrus encourages you

to shoot him in the head. Dramatic stuff.

MASS HYSTERIATheres not a lot to dislike about Mass

Effect, but there are certainly things that

couldve been better. The Mako is one of

the least driveable vehicles in gaming

history, bumbling around like a drunken

St Bernard. The (mercifully few) times

that you pilot it seem lacking compared

to the rest of the game.

There are times when side missions

feel repetitive, with many being nothing

more than a brief skirmish, followed by a

conversation that ends in either a friendly

chat or a crispy corpse. Theyre not all

that low grade especially in the case of

the free-to-download Bring Down The

Skypack, which adds 90 minutes or so to

the game but the non-story planets can

lack polish and variety.

If you have the Xbox 360 version of

Mass Effect, youre in a pickle. On the one

hand, theres nothing truly new here. On

the other hand, playing the game on a

mouse and keyboard is like playing a

brand-new game. Unlike its console

predecessor, the PC version makes

combat exciting and fun, depending less

on auto aim and more on real skill.

After two playthroughs on the 360

and a third on the PC, I can honestly

say that this is how the game

was meant to be played, and

the experience is incredibly

refreshing. If youve never

played the game before, then this is an

unequivocal must-buy. If you have, and

the moneys knocking about then you

still might be interested in playing the

definitive Mass Effect.

This is simply one of the best action

RPGs to come out in years: beautiful,

dramatic and epic, with memorable

characters, replayability in bounds and

delivering fantastic in-game storytelling.

Considering you can complete the game

a second time to try and get different

endings, achievements and sexual

partners, theres at least two plays here

for both action and RPG fans alike.

If you are a fan of what BioWares

done in the past, like action with a hefty

dose of sci-fi and want something new,

or just like playing a really good game,

then you owe it to yourself to pick up this

fantastic title. pcz Massively effective

Shepard: crack shotand fantastic dancer.

Bloody blind dates.

Google Maps screwed us again.

Documents

PC Zone - Issue 195 - Mass Effect Review