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Reverse the polarity!
Unlike KotOR, combat is played out in real-time, although you can pause the game briefly to change weapons or issue orders to your team-mates. Because combat is real time though you’ll need to learn not to go rushing into battles – using cover and firing in short bursts is the order of the day, especially since weapons overheat with constant use.Overheating weapons are a pain, but they're a necessary evil in order to stop the game becoming an everyday shooter.
There are only four weapons available, although you’ll find plenty of upgrades as the game progresses and can tweak them to your own tastes.
There are several different types of ammo for you to use too, each having varying effects on different enemies, so you’ll find yourself swapping ammo around as you enter battles which have multiple enemies in them. This is a great move by BioWare as it helps keep the game feeling both tactical and tense, despite being a Shooter/RPG.
The AI of Shepard’s team members sometimes leaves you wanting though. I don’t know whether it’s my management style or the fact that I don’t wash, but my companions do have a tendency to stand in the open and commit themselves wholeheartedly to a painful suicide.
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If you do intend to play the game then I’ll give you a bit of advice; get the Unity ability as soon as you can. It allows you to resurrect companions mid-battle – something you’ll be using frequently.
As well as using your feet to get around, you’ll also get the chance to drive the Mako on planet surfaces. This is a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle capable of climbing near-vertical walls. Unfortunately, the Mako bounces around the terrain so much that it is virtually impossible to control at anything more than a crawl, something which can be frustrating when you meet enemies on the ground.
Navigation between systems is achieved via the Galactic map on board your ship. Systems where you need to complete missions to advance the story are named, but there are many others that you can explore for side quests or just for the sheer hell of it. Each system contains numerous planets, only one or two of which you can actually land on, and the side quests on the planets tend to follow the same format: drive around and explore a little, find the baddies, kill them then get the loot.
The sidequests get a bit repetitive, but at least these extra planets are there if you want them - it reduces the feeling that you’re being forced along the main story arc.
As you’d expect from a BioWare game, Mass Effect contains huge quantities of dialogue. The quality of writing is top notch and BioWare has gathered together some fairly serious voice talent including Lance Henriksen, Marina Sirtis and Seth Green. Geek-pleasing favourites, every one of them.
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One thing I especially like about the dialogues though is that sometimes it seems that your response has little effect on the outcome of situations, while other times it seems that the whole galaxy awaits your dialogue choice. This adds to the atmosphere, as you’re always aware in the back of your mind that one wrong word might come back and bite you later on in the game.
There are times when some conversation options may be closed to you, for example your intimidation score might be enough to scare one character but not another, and this lends further credence to the idea that humanity is not as important as it would like to think. As with previous BioWare games, there is a good/evil balance to your character, and this will have some effect on how others react to you, although team members are less likely than before to leave your party because of your actions.
Most of the time, the load points are sensibly placed and well masked by actions such as tram rides or incredibly long waits in a lift, but occasionally you’ll come across a load point in the middle of an empty corridor. While it doesn’t ruin the game completely, it does lessen the sense of tension somewhat.
Another little annoyance happens in the character stats screen: each time you switch between members of your team, the game pauses as it loads the new character model. Given that these models are already being used in-game, I’m confused why they need to be loaded each time you switch. It doesn’t ruin the game completely, but it’s just another tiny niggle to add to the list.
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