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Xbox 360 | RPG | Mass Effect

Boxart for Mass Effect
Mass Effect 134 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.25
  • SOUND: 4.00
  • CONTROL: 3.75
  • FUN FACTOR 4.75
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.9
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.8
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: Mass Effect: The Best RPG of 2007

Review by Cameron Lewis | 11/19/2007 | 13:25:28 PM PST

Strap yourselves in and break out the Tang: GamePro is blasting off to explore the magical world of Mass Effect!

Mass Effect was selected as our Game Of The Month in the upcoming January 2008 issue of GamePro (on newstands soon!)

Mass Effect was selected as our Game Of The Month in the upcoming January 2008 issue of GamePro (on newstands soon!)

It's been an amazing year for gamers as a veritable avalanche of quality games have hit store shelves in the past few months. But while all of them are worth playing, only a few have what it takes to rise to the top and attain "must own" status. And not only is the latest title from acclaimed developer Bioware a "must own" title, it is also an early frontrunner for Game of the Year honors.

Mass Effect At A Glance

PROS:
  • The game features an absorbing story that is expertly told.
  • There is a tremendous amount of depth to the game, from the character customization options to the world at large.
  • The overall presentation is also fantastic with pleasing visuals, a vibrant galaxy and an intuitive interface.
  • Variety is also key: the game offers you a ton of things to do.
  • We could go on and on here but we're running out of room so let us just say that Mass Effect is one of the best games we've played this year...or any other year for that matter.
CONS:
  • The enemy and ally A.I. is surprisingly dim.
  • Having to use the Back button to throw grenades sucks.
  • The elevator rides are also ridiculously long.

We knew that we had something special on our hands right from the beginning. When we received the game for review for our January issue, we were in a heated debate as to which game should win our coveted Game of the Month award. We had a tough time deciding between some amazing games, such as Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4 and Mario Galaxy. Each title had its merits and the GamePro offices were witness to some epic debates; we finally reached a standstill and we began discussing other possibilities, like awarding the award to more than one game.

But then Mass Effect rolled into town and all the arguments ended. This is not meant as a knock against the other games we mentioned--we could have singled out any of those other titles and no one would have batted an eye. But with is stellar mix of action and story, Mass Effect left a lasting impression on the editors and helped it to earn the distinction.

This is also why we enlisted the services of top-notch game reviewer Cameron Lewis for the review; we knew we would need someone trustworthy to handle the game. And as always, Cameron does not disappoint. He does an amazing job of encapsulating the immense gaming experience that Mass Effect has to offer. But we've purposefully kept the finer details hidden because Mass Effect is a game that you have to play for yourself. Then, and only then, will you fully understand the game's depth and intricate nature.

So click through to the next page and see what Cameron has to say about Mass Effect. And right after that, start crafting the excuses that you'll use to get out of work for the next three weeks so that you can obsessively play this game!


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