Mass Effect [X360]

Outside of a fight, though, the game delivers some of the most impressive performances we've seen on the platform. Shepard's companions feel real, thanks to the game's excellent writing, convincing facial animations and outstanding voice acting. It's hard to think of another game that's delivered such believable dialogue. Yes, they're still "talking heads" rather than genuine actors, but in a world where one-dimensional stereotypes are the norm, Mass Effect is genuinely refreshing.

Not so inspirational is the game's lumpy difficulty level. Frustrating one minute, a breeze the next, it'll have you constantly tweaking the settings looking for the right level of challenge. Even set to "Veteran," we strolled through most casual fights, and while harder difficulty settings exist you'll have to complete the game to unlock them.

Ever felt frustrated at RPGs that shoehorn you into running from pre-determined location to pre-determined location, and never let you genuinely explore the world? Mass Effect offers the chance to check out uncharted worlds along your route, and while it sounds tempting it's where you'll find Mass Effect at its weakest. Surveying bland, lifeless planet after bland, lifeless planet just isn't interesting. The collision detection is adequate at best, the six-wheeled rover's peculiar controls never feel comfortable, and the whole affair comes across as unpolished.

None of these gripes should dissuade you from playing the game, however. Flawed though it is, Mass Effect is a tremendous ride. Sure, it overreaches from time to time, but better that than a game that toes the same, tired old RPG line. Nothing's sufficiently amiss here to prevent you from enjoying Mass Effect's class-leading gameplay, and it deserves to be remembered as the first truly great role-playing game of this generation.

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