Review by AdmiralCheez for Mass Effect
Rating:
My friends had been ranting about this game for a long time before I finally tried it out myself. I have to say that I was very, very impressed. Mass Effect isn’t new (the sequel’s been out for over a month, I think), but it is still worth playing. If you enjoy sci-fi, RPGS, or shooting aliens, this game is for you.

PROS: Incredible story in a massive universe. Superior voice-acting and genuinely lovable characters. Game experience is very engaging–combat is fairly smooth, and non-combat situations are still interesting. Player can customize character, team members, and even the story itself. Ties into the sequel perfectly.

CONS: A few minor glitches here and there–player can get stuck or frozen sometimes and will have to restart from the last save. Some parts are dull or repetitive. Controls take some getting used to, and non-linear plot can be confusing.

All in all, a great game with a few minor quirks and high replay value. I recommend it to anyone with a PC that meets the system requirements. Of course, you may not like it as much as I did. Also, please remember this game is rated “M,” and therefore definitely not for kids.

Review by Brian Baker for Mass Effect
Rating:
I had some time to kill after finishing the excellent “Mask of the Betrayer” and while waiting for “Fallout 3″ to come out, so I thought I’d take “Mass Effect” for a spin.

All I can say is, “Buh-bye fifty bucks!”

I played the game for a couple of hours or so, then finally gave up in boredom and frustration.

Unlike most RPGs today in which you control most of the game functions and character actions with the mouse, this game is almost totally controlled by keystrokes. This is a step backwards in technology of about ten years, in my opinion, and slows things down incredibly. Further, it requires memorizing all the appropriate key functions; like stepping back in time from Windows to MS-DOS.

The character inventory system is clunky and counter-intuitive, and very cumbersome to manipulate.

Worse yet, you can’t exit cut/movie scenes to re-enter gameplay, so if you’re having to repeat an action from a save, you have to sit through these looooong cut scenes repeatedly.

Not ready for Prime Time, folks. Save your bucks!