Mass Effect
The Best Mass Effect Games: All 4 Ranked
The first Mass Effect game wast the one that started it all, giving players an intricately detailed sci-fi universe to explore, along with a cast of memorable party members. The title used a similar formula to what BioWare had done with games like Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, but focused even more on action-oriented combat and player choice.
Every decision you made in Mass Effect felt like it had weight behind it, and there were definitely some difficult situations scattered across your time. Choices you made could affect the lives of party members and characters around the world, also altering how the universe viewed your own character. The Paragon and Renegade system let you interject into cutscenes, changing how things played out based on your moral alignment. Commander Shepard quickly became a gaming icon, as players still crafted a personalized character with a well-defined personality.
Unlike more turn-based kind of games like KOTOR, Mass Effect was real-time, giving you an arsenal of weapons to use in battle. Pistol, machine guns, shotguns, grenades and more were all at your disposal, along with some pretty deep RPG customization that gave you various different types of armor and weapons, each of which granted you different bonuses. Unfortunately, combat in the first Mass Effect felt far too imprecise and the guns had a sort of floatiness to them. It certainly wasn’t without its fair share of bugs and framerate issues, too. Additionally, some infuriating segments had you taking control of a vehicle called the Mako, rolling over alien planets and exploring. The machine was just a pain to control, easily flipping over and not always doing what you were intending.
While the first Mass Effect feels like a prototype for the next games with its combat, the story still shines. It was an exhilarating title that gave you plenty of mysteries, pulse pounding action, and dramatic set pieces. Getting to know party members, romancing, and finding out the truth about the Reapers is still just as engaging as when the game first released, even if the gameplay doesn’t hold up. There’s so much story and lore crammed into the game, and Mass Effect successfully launched BioWare’s biggest franchise to date.
