Mass Effect with innovations and teething

In this review I try WITHOUT spoilers to rate Mass Effect.
So, Mass Effect is the first installment of the hit action shooter / RPG trilogy of Bioware and published in 2007.
You play Commander (John) Shepard, whose appearance, class (each class has different skills, such as Biotics, technical skills, weapon skills ....), gender and name you can choose.

Now you fight your way ye with your team through missions, explore planets, done side quests and talk to people.
While fighting strongly reminiscent of a shooter, as you dive, from cover to cover, shoot, exactly (apart from the skill points distribution) as the shooter up, Mass Effect mutated aboard your spaceship or in contact with peaceful NPCs to RPG.
Present your weapons / upgrades, talking with people (and help them with all their aches and pains), or simply admiring the impressive futuristic environment .... That's a good thing, because as a pure shooter could Mass Effect due to the rather simple battle sequences (lousy AI, rarely open world) and a moderate combat control unconvincing.
That 's it for gameplay.

The graphics of the game is decent for an RPG, but nothing more. Because on the Xbox you have always with thick graphic errors, stuttering and the reloading of textures, like a weak PC, expect.
But I found the character design even more impressive. Since dialogue in Mass Effect but have a fairly large proportion, the respective persons must be evenly also watch ;-) And that's thanks to the beautiful details, a good Synchro (the good not only on the lip movements, but also on the mood of your interlocutor is matched) and a class mimics a feast for the eyes.

While we're in the dialogs:
Here Mass Effect is truly interactive. Initially dismissed as unnecessary feature, I actually found later very great pleasure in it, to entertain me with my crew members and other people.
The player is always shown different possible answers, from which he can choose.
So moral decisions can be made, then the impact on the game.
That way you can make enemies, decide to play the game, or even certain people (or aliens) of the opposite sex ensnare so during the game may even arise a serious relationship. This has of course also an impact on the game.
Generally this also the scope of the game is clear. You can gradually deepen to conversations and learn so incredibly much about the culture, customs own attitude and character of the people. I really had to talk with people with a feeling soul & work. Therefore, one really feels responsible for his people and yells: "NEIIIIIIIIN !!!!" when one dies (depends con the choices). So you will not play Shepard, you are angry and Shepard and rejoice just like him. The grandiose soundtrack carries the rest of his cause an atmosphere is created that really captivated me.

So, and here come the negative aspects:
While there are tons of side quests, but these fit 1. not all the game ("What do you want ?? Um, I just wanted to save the world but ... anyway, then I'll stop your mail away ..". 2. to consider all suspicious änlich (Planet Search, land, chugging the goal, maybe a little dialogue, and fight back; and though all felt on the same map because some side quest planets differ only in color) and 3. FIG. . do you do that anyway just to level up or collect items 4 are the eeeewig long and boring and 5. can you not make up later (Tip: YES quests LONG SLIDE !!!)
So now to the interactive point:
The choice of partners for a virtual romance are doomed limited. In addition, the possible answers truncated on the screen are arg (must, after all, it fit), so you never know exactly what is and especially how Shepard say something now. I could have cried as a vermeitlicher joke among friends at once becomes furious accusation and my interlocutor accordingly reacts totally distraught and frightened it. Since the interactivity in the game, of course, not as far as goes that you can apologize later, can be something just by loading the last saved game undo what I personally but rather avoid. Sure is a lot of small talk and the occasional nervous, especially if, for example, the final boss to defeat one in each test him with the same Sch .... zulabert.
I personally fits all also too little in the main action, since all it does, except for a few decisions that you can count them on the hand, ultimately the fight against some villain who brings some evil people back to life and thus threatening the world, nothing changes.
The export of Scores in the following items 2 & 3 is very convenient, but if your partner is not provided in your virtual romance in the following story, he does not come across a few (but thoroughly and appropriately inszinierte) cameos addition. As have some ME Fans get stomach cramps when they learn in Part 2, have some of their virtual friends nothing more to say at a time.

So great the scope of Mass Effect is so confusing it is. The minimap does not help find your way around at all, instead it is more an enemy radar, even destinations you have to enter it yourself.
The partially tangled Level paths are there also anything but helpful if you have to guess just where resides the desired target. At the very beginning, for example, admired and hated by others, therefore, the size of the spaceport at the same time. The opponents strength is sometimes a bit too heavy for the one or other occasional gamers.
I started on these grounds after a familiarization period a new score in order to enjoy the first hours of play in the first place properly.

Short and sweet:

Pros and cons
* Much scope ....... the beginning quickly establishes confusion
* Nice character design + class played, but always had problems with the image (bucking, flicker, textures ...)
* Good and interactive dialogues .......... often have little Auswirkungenauf on the main story and come very late to the point
* Relations with crewmembers ......... but only with a limited selection of people
* Good mix of fighting, leveling, explore, talk ......... but you should if possible all of these features may
* Details can be influenced in the game and a lot of space
* Good Synchro
* High "Epic" factor
* Engrossing storyline and many side quests (romances, Quests, ...)
* High replayability thanks to different choices
* Depending on the order of quests rather difficult

Conclusion:
Mass Effect is in many respects innovative, impressed with a large scale, creating a unique game atmosphere.
By interactive dialogs can not be the main story, but everything all the way done in some cases even down to the details and influence brought the game therefore a high replayability; But often one has the feeling that the game is not yet fully mature. Many of these shortcomings were improved in subsequent parts, although anyone who wants to go into Mass Effect should definitely with the first part to begin. After all, it is an important part of the elaborate and grandiose story of Mass Effect - trilogy. We also know, if you start with ME 2 and 3, no longer appreciate the 1st part due to the weaker gameplay (would be a groooßer error). As a bonus, this one must then import the old score in Part 2, and therefore the action (albeit with the above mentioned restrictions) continue from part 1.