MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE GAME BELOW PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL THIS MAGNIFICENT GAME FOR YOURSELF
Released in late 2007, Mass Effect was another science fiction AAA-blockbuster dropped into an industry saturated by contemporary big-budget shooters like Gears of War, Halo 3 and Half-Life 2: Episode 2. While Mass Effect came from an established studio with what was surely a blockbuster budget, it eschewed industry powerhouse trends in favor of a character-focused story and one of the most pure distillations of role-playing in popular games.
Exploration is at the heart of every good RPG. Humanity is so new to the galaxy, and the player to the Mass Effect universe. In a way, the player learns as Shepard does, about alien races and their cultures, conflicts and forgotten civilizations. There’s a galaxy to explore in the first game with desolate planets to land on with the Mako and a delicious plot to uncover.
Mass Effect’s biggest strength is its faith in its universe and the characters within. Its self-confidence releases the player with little guidance into a game with hours of content to see. Even the planets that compose the game’s main plot are tackled at the player’s discretion or delayed in favor of side quests.
A couple hours into the game, Shepard is given the magic ticket to go anywhere and do anything in the galaxy: Spectre status. As a Spectre, the resources of the galactic government are at his or her disposal. A state-of-the-art ship and a penchant for convincing aliens to join the crew, means there’s always a surprise around the corner.
On the CRT Screen 