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Power to the shields!
As with most RPGs, Mass Effect starts by allowing you to customise the look of your character. The range of options is not vast - you can only change facial features and all hair styles are short (this is the military, after all) – but the number of options in each category is staggering.You can also give your character a facial scar, as befits Shepard’s battle-hardened nature. I feel that facial customisation in games is something that has been missing until now, but the introduction of scars in Mass Effect goes some way towards redressing the balance.
It’s even possible give Shepard a new first name, although you can’t change his surname. This actually works to the benefit of the game, as dialogue can actually refer to Shepard by name rather than just awkward pauses or saying “you” all the time.
During customisation, you’ll also be able to choose snippets of your personal history which get mentioned throughout the game by various characters you meet – an enormously nice touch which helps bring bucketfuls of backstory and character to in-game dialogue.
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There are just six different classes to choose from, made up of three main classes, and three sub-classes. Each class is a combination of combat, tech and biotic (basically, magic) skills and all have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, soldiers are able to use the best armour and weapons but have limited hacking and special skills. Adepts are able to use biotic skills but can only wield a pistol and wear light armour.
The different character classes are quite well balanced, but it would have been nice to have an extra choice or two. All games nowadays seem to have fewer character classes to choose from than they used to. What happened to the days of Baldur's Gate 2, which had dozens of different classes and specialities?
As you progress through the game, you’ll pick up a group of six companions, two of which are able accompany you on away missions. You pick up companions fairly early on in the game, so they’re available for most missions.
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The companions themselves offer a good range of skills between them and it’s quite easy to build a well-rounded away team in terms of combat, tech and biotic skills. It’s just a shame you can’t tell them wearing a red shirt on an away mission with the captain is equivalent to wearing a target in a warzone.
And yes, as with other BioWare games, it is possible to romance team members of the opposite sex – and get experience points for doing so too. It feels naughty – hell, it is naughty, but it’s maturely handled too.
It always amazes me the sheer strength of the connection that some players build up for their NPC allies – especially in games like Planescape: Torment, where each ally has a deep and painful connection to the player character which the player must learn to deal with. While that trend isn’t as strong as it might have been in past games, it still holds true to a degree and players can expect to find themselves becoming very involved with their characters.
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