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Mass Effect | 
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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $23.99
You Save: $6.00 (20%)
New (27) Used (5) from $23.99
Rating:  193 reviews
Sales Rank: 862
Format: Dvd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows Xp
Genre: shooter_action_games
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows 2000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 19081
Model: 19081
UPC: 014633190816
EAN: 0014633190816
ASIN: B00140P9BA
Release Date: May 27, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Opened box, guaranteed its all here, guaranteed to work
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| Features:
| | Experience a rich and engrossing story where your choices decide the fate of galaxy | | | Engage in emotionally charged interactions with the most realistic digital actors ever seen in a video game, using an innovative new dialog system | | | Immerse yourself in an incredible new adventure from world-famous masters of the RPG; BioWare | | | Stunning high resolution graphics, optimized GUI and controls for PC gamers | | | Dominate the battlefield with new individual squad member command system |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
You are Commander Shepard of the starship Normandy and you are the last hope for all life in the Galaxy. Saren, a rogue member of the elite and untouchable Spectre agents, has discovered the secret to unleashing an apocalyptic force on the galaxy, and only you stand in his way. To save the lives of billions, you must do whatever it takes to stop Saren and prevent the return of an ancient force bent on the destruction of all organic life.
High resolution visuals - highly detailed textures, characters and environments Fully customizable controls - you can re-map the control scheme any way you like Run & Gun Control - You can assign biotic powers or skills to 'hot keys' allowing you to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action Decryption mini-game New inventory screen GUI and functionality - The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for you to equip and modify your weapons and armor
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| Customer Reviews: Read 188 more reviews...
 Utterly Amazing July 25, 2008
Bookphile (USA)
17 out of 24 found this review helpful
I understand the issues that reviewers have with the DRM and I share their concerns. I was uncertain as to whether I would purchase the game until EA made the decision to tone it down--and that should be noted, that it was EA and not BioWare who put the DRM there in the first place. At any rate, while I do sympathize, I do not think that all the reviews knocking the game because of the DRM are fair.
I've long been a faithful and devoted BioWare fan. My first game was the outstanding Knights of the Old Republic and I've rabidly devoured BioWare's every subsequent game--with the exception of Jade Empire. I wasn't sure, however, that I really wanted to play this game. I've never really been into shooters and I was a bit worried that the combat would be so taxing for me as to render the game completely unenjoyable. However, I heard a lot of good things about it and decided to give it a go. Am I ever glad I did.
First off, a discussion of the combat is a must. I do know female gamers who enjoy shooters but I also know it's not uncommon for women, like me, to have some misgivings about this particular genre. It did take me a while to get used to the combat and there were times when I was very frustrated but I am so glad I persevered. I've always enjoyed RPGs and RTSes but this game has shown me that the shooter-style combat is more engaging and more fun overall than the point, click, kill style of your typical RPG. I sometimes find that the combat in a typical RPG seems to get in the way of the story, in that I am impatient for the combat to be over so that I can find out more about the plot. With this game, it was sometimes the opposite. The combat was so enjoyable that I sometimes wanted some of the more long-winded characters to finish up so that I could get back to it.
That's not meant to be a criticism of the RPG elements of the game--far from it. I can say without reservation that I believe this to be BioWare's finest game yet. When it comes to the party members, there wasn't one that I did not like. In fact, I was surprised by how much I liked Ashley as I usually tend to find the male PC's potential love interest to be annoying (Bastila cheesed me off to no end when I played KotOR). However, Ashley was like my female Shepard's best friend. She was extraordinarily well-written and often made me laugh with her brassy and sometimes outrageous comments. She was so good that I think the other potential party members got short shrift as I refused to go anywhere without her and Kaidan. As for Kaidan, he made for a pretty nice romance interest, though the romance itself was a bit thin. Still, as this is the first installment in a planned trilogy, I hope that the romance is one of many elements that will be more fully fleshed out over time. The alien crew members are very interesting as well and generate some compelling side quests.
The real strength of this game, though, comes from the choices that you, as Shepard, are forced to make. While it's easy enough to determine which conversation options are the goody two shoes options and which are the jerk options, it's still very unclear just whether the outcome is good or bad. I found myself spending a good deal of time mulling over the choices I had to make and agonizing about their long-term effects. The game is very gray and so even when I felt that my Paragon Shepard was doing what was best, I was often unsettled by the choice I had to make. There is one in particular which I will not cover in detail as it would be a major spoiler. Suffice it to say that it was a really difficult decision that left me feeling very unsatisfied--and that's good. Real life isn't tied up in pretty bows so having to make difficult choices in the game just lends it even more realism.
Further enhancing the realism is the subject matter. By setting things in the future and using aliens, BioWare has cleverly created a very mature game that has a lot to say about such heavy topics as racism, politics, and the ills of major corporations. A lot of the issues in the game hold a great deal of real-world relevance.
Overall, this is a very adult game and that in and of itself is refreshing. I'm thrilled to have a game that challenges me intellectually, so that it is more than mere passive entertainment. Like many BioWare fans, the past several years have provided a great deal of torment as I've waited and hoped for a release date for Dragon Age. However, after having played ME, I find that I would now rather have ME 2 than the long-anticipated DA.
A breathtakingly epic sci-fi adventure... November 18, 2008
Stephen Sanders (Coronado, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mass Effect might be the first truly cinematic video game experience. Everything from the electronic score to the optional film grain applied to the visuals to the top notch voice acting talent make you believe that you are the lead in a mid-80s classic science fiction film (think Blade Runner or Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan).
The plot is epic. You command a state-the-art starship (the Normandy, which is not unlike the Enterprise) in the twenty-third century with a crew of intersting and well-developed characters some of whom can join you on away missions and others who you can consult from time to time on board the ship. There is a vast galaxy to explore. When you land on a planet you take the Mako (a cross between a shuttle craft, a rover, and a tank) out for a spin. The main story revolves around the remergence of an ancient mechanical threat that will, unless stopped, wipe out all organic life. You, of course, are the only one that can stop it.
Combat is real-time third person with the ability to pause and give orders to your squad. Its fast and furious and tons of fun.
My only criticisms of the game would be its frame rate which drops like a rock during some of the more intense action sequences, especially in the more elaborate locations. Side quests, which to me are essential to achieve a high enough level to slice through the later plot, can get a bit repetitive, but they are generally short enough not to become boring. I only wish the game were longer. I remember days when playing Bioware's Baldur's Gate II, with every side quest, took me six-months. It was like a Biblical odyssey. Mass Effect took me two weeks, again like an extended movie, but there are two sequels in the works.
In spite of these minor problems, Mass Effect is a beautiful and engrossing game. Its a must play.
On the DRM: The mass of negative reviews piled on to this game and others are the result of activists. DRM cana be objectionable, but 99% of the people who buy this game will have no idea what they are complaining about.
forget the DRM, this game is amazing. September 12, 2008
Jake strout (Boston)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
Any EA game that has been released for the PC has gotten beaten down by amazon's user base. They are annoyed that the technology known as DRM is in the game. Its understandable to not want to be treated like a criminal, but at the same point, great games get marred by these reviews. Go look at 1up.com, Gamespot.com, Ign.com, etc, and you will see that Mass Effect is an amazing game. I played 28 hours of it in 3 days(pathetic, I know). Its truly an amazing game. The dialogue system is great, the combat system brings nothing new, but it doesn't need to. The game is beautiful. Both in narrative, and graphical presentation. I have been playing games since Commander Keen. I have played hundreds of games, and mass effect is easily in my Top 5. Even if you hate RPGs like I do, Mass Effect is great.
Negative reviews about the DRM aside, this is an excellent game October 4, 2008
Anthony Brett Ogden
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I almost did not purchase this one due to all the negative reviews mainly associate with the copy protection software.
The game is outstanding. The best graphics I have ever seen and it is incrediably stable. I had one crash to desktop during the entire time I played Mass Effect (approx 80 - 100 hours or so of gameplay). The only negative I have to say is all of the off story line missions use the same exact map layout which is a bit immersion breaking.
I ultimately decided to buy it because I was about to replace my computer anyways and was therefore not concerned with the problems that often come along with copy protection software.
I have had severe problems with the starforce line.
It is a shame that companies need to protect their intellectual property. I personally believe it penalizes those who purchase the software legally to a much greater extent than any protection it provides against cracking.
It would be nice if there was a fool-proof un-intrusive means of protecting digital data. Until there is though evils like securom and starforce are unfortunately what the industry has resorted to and I normally will vote no with my purchase.
Big Success August 15, 2008
B. D. Marshall (Bozeman MT)
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
First, I need to say that this game is lovely. Lighting is dynamic and the feel of the game is almost surreal. I pre-Ordered this game and had no problems out of the box. I play this cutting edge title on a computer that is almost 4 years old, but it was configured as a gaming machine (XPS gen4). The video card's chip is a an nVidea 7950 w/ 512MB, CPU is 3.25GHz(single core), 3GB RAM, Win XP. I suspect that most folks that are having issues with the game are playing with underpowered machines or vista or both.
Like some reviewers i found the targeting and movement ports from XBox360 a little annoying because it did not fully utilize the mouse. But I quickly adapted to it and it became less irksome as I played.
What makes this game great is the story. It is like a good scifi book--or maybe a movie. The characters are generally likable--or at least engaging. Just like a really good book, I reached the pinnacle of the story late at night, and had to play it through to the end... I love stories that compel you to finish them. When I was done, I eagerly started a new character, with different skills to replay the game making different choices. Replay should be further enhanced by an upcoming expansion for the game (not yet available).
Combat is definitely a large part of the game, but there are many FPS games that send you to the lab to clean up the results of bio-tech experiments gone awry. The thing that makes this game unique is the story, composition, and character development. Your decisions are important and affect future game play and other characters.
Voice acting is great. Although *Chuck Norris* is not listed as a voice actor, the actor providing the voice for the male protagonist sounds just like him. I swear, he must have used a pseudonym. Marina Sirtis (Star Trek TNG; Deanna Troy) does a NPC voice as well. All in all the voice acting is superb!
I think anyone who enjoys sci fi--especially readers--will enjoy this game. I say this because the story line, not because there is lots of reading involved. If you are running a cheaper system, you may want to play close attention to the negative feedback by people that have had problems to determine if you can run the game on your machine. Enjoy!
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