Mass Effect

Reviewed by Lewis Denby (September 29, 2008)

I don't think I've played a game with this much all-round polish since Half-Life 2. Mass Effect simply sparkles, overflowing with cinematic sci-fi design, brimming with utter, undebatable confidence in its approach. It's about as close to an interactive movie as the medium has come, but it's absolutely a videogame, and makes no bones about it. It’s full of cut-scenes, boss battles and, at heart, complete linearity, but it's so much more than that. Mass Effect, despite on the surface being an impressive rehash of Star Wars, is one of the most atmospheric and involving games I've ever played...

Reviewed by Gary Hartley (March 30, 2008)

Mass Effect isn’t a game that deals just in moralistic black & white. These choices, while straightforward enough at first, are often draped in an ugly shade of red.

Reviewed by Mike Suskie (March 22, 2008)

I completed Mass Effect in little more than twenty hours, which may seem like a travesty when compared with many other successful RPGs. But Mass Effect’s amazingly involving methods of storytelling are truly unmatched, and with rarely a moment that isn’t spectacular, BioWare has (regardless of length) skillfully crafted one of the most compelling RPGs ever made.

Reviewed by fleinn (January 23, 2011)