Walkthrough

Mass Effect is a game that flirts with greatness. Perhaps the only flaw in
the game is the Mako driving sequences. There are small gripes such as some
menu behaviors and simple mechanics, but the Mako is probably the only flaw
in this game worth mentioning. To be honest, I don't know how something like
that made it into such a great game. What, did they want to add something that
would slow the game to a grinding halt so players would spend more time
gaming? Perhaps.

Other than the exploration element of driving the Mako, the rest of the game
is superb. Nothing I've played matches this level of customization and story-
telling; I haven't played KOTOR or Jade Empire, so this has all been new to
me (I have both games sitting on my shelf and haven't touched them beyond
making sure they work, but I'll eventually play them at least once, maybe).

Simple as that, great story, great custom-gaming, shaky fighting at times,
terrible driving mechanics, and great graphics minus the rendering delay at
times. The story itself starts fast, slows, speeds up a bit, slows to near-
death if you choose to go 'plorin', and then the game ends with perfect pacing.
So the only flaw with the story is anything side quest-related. The mysteries
and choices in the story will force gamers to play at least one extra time
as the opposite gender and with a different personality, so there is a lot of
game for your buck.

All this leads me to believe the next games will be perfect. Or at least I can
dream.

TheGum.