Mass Effect PC

Let's face it: If you're at all into role-playing games, then there's a good chance you've already played Mass Effect. BioWare is a certifiable master of the genre, and when its magnificent space opera first hit the Xbox 360 last November, it was awarded perfect score after perfect score.

Back when we reviewed the Xbox 360 version, GamePro gave it a 4.75 out of 5, an Editor's Choice Award, and named it our Game of the Month in the January 2008 print issue. And yes, it deserved the high accolades.

Almost Perfect

Despite my adamant PC fanboyism, I couldn't resist grabbing the 360 version the moment it was released. I spent three solid days blowing through every nook and cranny and it was an experience unlike any I've had in all my years as a gamer. Though it was hamstrung with flaws like annoying graphical pop-ins and hands-down ridiculous loading times, I was grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. When the PC version came along, I couldn't wait to fire it up: all the glorious gameplay, I thought, without the annoying glitches.

And I was right -- sort of. The PC-only features are impressive and include higher-res textures, a completely revamped HUD and UI, blissfully short loading times -- no more insanely long elevator rides -- and much-improved squad management options. Unfortunately, these welcome improvements are offset by jarring inconsistencies that really rob the game of its shine. While some of the more glaring glitches of the 360 version were addressed, the PC version has problems of its own and they're just as distracting.

Magnum Opus

Take, for example, the texture work: almost universally pristine, but here and there it's so pixilated that some characters' outfits look like stitched quilts. Similarly, the dynamic shadows are gorgeous, except on faces, where they buzz and twitch so much that I had to turn them off so I could concentrate on what the characters were saying. The painful loading times are gone, but they've been replaced by periodic micro-loads that are just as distracting. Frankly, after a 40-minute install onto a high performance system running a DirectX 10.1-compatible graphics card, I shouldn't even be getting hiccups at all.

But really, this is just me nit-picking. As annoying as the glitches may be, Mass Effect's gameplay, which is just as good as it was on the Xbox 360, more than makes up for it. The new squadmate-specific combat interface and mouse-centric UI are a joy to use, and the story is theatrical and compelling, with a galaxy worth of content stuffed into one hell of game. If you've already tackled the console version, you certainly don't need to shell out for the PC version, too, but if you haven't yet experienced this magnum opus, this is the version you should play.

PROS: Eliminates most of the major problems of the 360 version; gameplay is just as good.
CONS: Has minor problems of its own that keep it from being just about perfect.


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Comments [22]

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franthewaffleman

Ah well, I guess there is NO good reason to own a 360 after all.
haha too true man

htown4life

Toneman Posted at: 05/27/08 at 3:04 PM PST Ah well, I guess there is NO good reason to own a 360 after all.
Yeah right. Keep tellin' urself that, everyone not shelling out money to upgrade pc's no more, when they can get a console version

GOBLOXXX187

NOW THIS is an RPG, not that magical girly boy non-sense sony & squenix are notoriously KNOWN for.

MikeTheGreat

I thought about getting this for the 360, but ended up not getting it when it was released in 2007. Still not gonna get this, but looks great on both, mabye even better on the P.C.

pixelsword

That's one thing I never got about the review scores for this game...

...This game has
glitches
pop-ins galore
load times that are crazy long
side missions that look like they take place on the same planet again and again
non-functioonal menus
control buttons that DON'T work from time to time
...and with all of those flaws, this game got neigh-perfect scores.

greensabre

pixelsword Posted at: 05/27/08 at 8:29 PM PST That's one thing I never got about the review scores for this game... ...This game has glitches pop-ins galore load times that are crazy long side missions that look like they take place on the same planet again and again non-functioonal menus control buttons that DON'T work from time to time ...and with all of those flaws, this game got neigh-perfect scores.
I don't know if you've played it, but I challenge someone to play the game all the way through and not enjoy the hell out of it like I did. The scores are fair; if it weren't for these minor problems it would have scored a lot higher.

greensabre

I actually don't remember having any problems with the controls or menus. I do remember being a little frustrated with the shooting mechanics at first, as it looked a little like Gears or Halo but wasn't nearly as smooth, but I got the hang of it pretty quick. I thought that controlling the squad with the menu was simple. The worst problems to me were the glitches, pop-ins, and load times.

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