Mass Effect [X360]

Watch Exclusive Trailer >>

The developers at BioWare are known for epic stories with big casts set in elaborately crafted universes. They've ranged from an even longer time ago in a galaxy far, far away (the Knights of the Old Republic games took place centuries before Star Wars) to the mythology of Ancient China (Jade Empire). Now they're going into the future with Mass Effect, a sci-fi yarn set against the backdrop of humanity learning how to get along in a newly discovered galaxy full of alien races.

During a recent demo of choice moments in the storyline, BioWare community manager Jay Watamaniuk says they've hired "cinematic specialists" to help with the cutscenes. Whatever that's supposed to mean, it shows. There's a fine grainy filter over the visuals that gives it the look of film (you can turn it off, but why would you want to?). Some of the cutscenes follow the action as if they were shot with a handheld camera. Your character's entrance onto the bridge of the Normandy, the spaceship you'll use to travel the galaxy, looks like Scorcese's long tracking shots from Goodfellas.

But perhaps most importantly, the character interaction plays out like scenes from a movie rather than dialogue trees from an RPG. In most RPGs, character interaction is a matter of reading a bunch of responses and choosing the one you want. While you ponder your options, the conversation is put on hold in the background. It lends the dialogue a staccato pace. Talk, talk, talk - hold for choice - talk, talk, talk - hold for choice - talk, talk, talk, and so on.

But in Mass Effect, a little dial discreetly pops up at the bottom of the screen while characters interact. Around the dial are a few simple responses. Steer the analog stick to make your choice. The short comments on the dial are just the subtext for whatever your character will say. So you make a choice and your character's response plays out as part of the scene, fitting neatly into the flow of the conversation, and letting you hear something other than what you just read. Responses are color coded if you can make them because your character's charm or intimidation talent is high enough. It's at once gamey and cinematic.

Watamaniuk also showed off the character creation screen, which contains the usual face morphing and customization. Then he moved through a series of choices for pre-service history and psychological profile, creating a space colonist who was the sole survivor of a disastrous mission. These details were referenced in the opening cinematic, in which your character is selected for a special mission. The implication is that they'll also play a role in later events.