Now Playing: Mass Effect for the PC
I love shooters, whether they’re in third- or first-person view. It’s my favorite game genre. I also love Western role-playing games. I think they’re the closest we gamers can get to pen-and-paper RPGs. I never thought that these two major genres could be combined into a single, compelling experience.
Ion Storm did something similar in 2000’s Deus Ex. It combined FPS and RPG, but while multiple paths are available to the player, the role-playing elements are as hollow as protagonist JC Denton’s voice. The plot was all action, so like any Hollywood action flick, there was hardly time for meaningful characterization.
In addition, all the non-player characters are so daft that they could be easily outsmarted by inanimate rocks. Shooting them in the face was in no way satisfying.
Enter Bioware, a premier RPG maker that brought us Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The developer has created Mass Effect, which blends frantic third-person shooting and real “role-play.” Not shallow and linear JRPG role-play, but pen-and-paper-like role-play that lets gamers be anything they want to be characterization-wise.
Do you want to intimidate every person you meet? Or do you feel like playing as a goody two-shoe? You can choose to get involved in a relationship or you can ignore them altogether. You can be savior of the universe or scourge of everyone else. Talking is a huge part of the game–it determines the path you have to take and what kind of person your character is.
Because I’m a huge shooter fan, let me tell you this: the action in Mass Effect is satisfying. You’ll miss out on the gore, but you’ll hardly notice it because of all the fighting you have to go through. Mass Effect is not your typical bloody mess like Project Origin or Condemned 2, but I forgive Bioware because they’ve never done shooters before.
Since I haven’t finished Mass Effect, I can’t give a definite verdict yet. What I can tell you is that the game satisfies the staunch shooter and RPG fan in me. Would it continue until the very end? We’ll find out soon enough.
Image of Mass Effect for the PC is courtesy of EA.
