Massively Effective Combat

Nov 9, 2007

Take a quick look at a few screenshots or videos of Mass Effect and you may be tricked into thinking the game is a standard shooter. It's not. This is a role-playing game through and through. The combat certainly looks like a Ghost Recon style game at first glance which has left many wondering how it actually plays. We've found that the combat in Mass Effect takes roughly four or five hours to fully wrap your head around because it isn't exactly like a shooter, but it also plays differently from almost every other RPG out there. Once you do get the hang of it, you'll see just how much fun it can be.

Like many Western RPGs, the combat in Mass Effect is all real-time. That means there won't be any pauses or menu prompts to let you know that the fighting has begun. As it turns out, a bullet to the chest armor sends the same message. You lose if Commander Shepard loses all of his or her hit points. A protective and regenerating shield is your first line of defense, but you'll need to avoid the attacks to survive as the shields only offer a limited amount of protection. You can move into the combat ready stance at any time by pressing either of the triggers, bumpers, or X Button. To go back at ease, you simply push the B Button. That's all it takes to move from blasting enemies to having a friendly conversation. All XP and loot are automatically awarded to you as you take the enemies down.

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Once in the combat ready mode, pressing up against cover will automatically cause you to take position behind it. Pulling the right trigger will cause you to lean out and fire, or you can use the left trigger to aim your gun. The left trigger, incidentally, works as a zoom/aim button outside of cover as well. An extra level of zoom can be had with some weapons by clicking the right thumbstick. Which weapon type you use (shotgun, sniper rifle, pistol, or assault rifle) will dictate how aggressive you get with your use of the guns. To keep things simple, there isn't any need to reload your weapon. There are no bullets in the future. Instead, firing your gun too often will cause it to overheat. Some guns do this more quickly than others which, again, will affect how aggressive you get.

Of course, you're not alone on the battlefield. Two AI-controlled squad mates will be at your side. You can have as much or as little control over them as you want, though all will likely make use of the limited squad control mechanics present in the game. These are all mapped to the d-pad. Hitting the left direction will cause the squad to rally to your position. Right will make them to target whatever is in your crosshairs. Up will tell them to move to where you are looking, while down commands them to take cover. You can't control each individually, though, so the efficacy of these commands often comes into question.

Not every class in Mass Effect can equip every weapon. Many, though, can equip more than one which is why the weapon wheel becomes important. By holding down the left bumper button, players can access a wheel where they can swap any of the three party members' weapons on the fly. In this way, you can quickly change between a weapon load out that is great against ranged enemies and one suited for more close quarters combat.

So far, this probably sounds like a run of the mill shooter and you're probably wondering what sets Mass Effect apart. The first thing that does is the weapon upgrades. Each weapon can have at least two upgrades slotted on it allowing for enough variety that it how you upgrade your gun can be the difference between success and defeat. Tungsten rounds, for example, do added damage against synthetic enemies. These are a must for anyone looking to take down a legion of geth. They won't help you against a mad krogan. For that you'll want something like shredder rounds.

If this is all you're doing, then you're missing out on all of the fun. You'll also probably die quite a bit. Even those playing the game as a straight soldier class with a pure shooter mentality will want to take advantage of the powers. The three primary classes, (biotic user, soldier, and engineer) each have their own list of powers that can be called into use at any time by using the right bumper to call up the power wheel. Holding this button down pauses the game and allows you to use your powers, as well command your squad members to use theirs. Unlike KOTOR, there is no stacking of commands -- you can issue one command at a time to your allies. Some may balk at this, but it forces the real-time elements of Mass Effect. You can still look around while the power wheel is up, allowing you to target several different enemies before resuming action. If you have one particular power you love, you can map it to the X Button for easy use.

For those who haven't been following the game, biotic characters are similar to magic users in other RPGs. They have powers such as force throws, creating singularities, and putting enemies into a stasis. Soldiers have more technical powers that increase the strength or accuracy of their weapons. Engineers use their skills primarily against mechanical enemies, of which there are many in Mass Effect. An engineer can hack enemies to make them temporarily fight for you, overheat weapons, damage shields, or disable enemy powers.

There aren't any mana or magic points associated with the powers, so you can use as many as you like in succession. The only limit on them is that each has its own individual recharge time -- a time limit that becomes smaller as you level up. Combining powers is the secret to great success. Our favorite is to combine two biotic powers, lift and throw. First we make an enemy float up into the air. Then, just as they reach their apex, we pull out a throw move to send them flying. Another good twist on this is to use a grenade (by hitting the back button once to throw it, then again to detonate) on an enemy caught in a lift or singularity. By combining the powers from each of the three disciplines, you can become a force to be reckoned with.

There isn't much of a tutorial in Mass Effect for any aspect of the game, so figuring out what works and what doesn't in combat is largely up to the player. This can make things a bit frustrating when you first start and you'll almost surely die a number of times trying to figure out the ins and outs of the system. Once you unlock a good number of powers and start to upgrade your equipment, the game begins to open up and make more sense. After a few hours, the combat becomes fluid, dynamic and remains fast paced enough that action junkies will find this much more interesting than a traditional RPG.