Blogging Video Games: Mass Effect

Mass Effect is the newest game in my collection, as I just got it last week. I have already gotten through about half of the game, though, and I'm here to share my experience. Mass Effect is a science fiction game in which you play as a commander named Shepard. While I found the game to be fun and the characters hilarious and amazing, I found the gaming itself and the combat to be a bit frustrating. The storyline in the game, though, is wonderful and well-written, and the characters and events fit in perfectly.

Mass Effect takes place in the year 2183, which is 26 years after humans found out that they weren't alone in the galaxy. There are hundreds of different types of aliens that the humans are now in contact with.You play as Commander Shepard, who can be either male or female (you can choose) and can look however you want them to look. Shepard is the commander of a ship called the SSV Normandy, which is headed to the colony of Eden Prime on a distant planet because of an unearthed Prothean beacon. This beacon could advance technology by decades if it is able to be used. You head down to the planet with Lt. Kaidan Alenko and a turian (kind of bug-like aliens) Spectre named Nihlus to find it is being attacked by synthetic life forms, or the geth. You meet a woman named Ashley Williams, who helps you find the beacon, but before you can get there, you find Nihlus dead, killed by another Spectre named Saren. You do not get the chance to confront Saren because you find the beacon, and Alenko (if you're a woman) or Williams (if you're a man) will approach it and be seized by it. You push them out of the way and take on the beacon yourself, which will give you visions of a force known as the Reapers who have wiped out entire civilizations before. The rest of the game is you attempting to warn people about the Reapers and stop Saren before he kills everyone.

As I said, I love the plot, but the gameplay is difficult. The controls are not fun, and I found it difficult to maneuver in the game. Shooting and aiming is wobbly and I can never hit my intended target. I even have the game on casual mode. You also have to drive around this other land rover type thing that is extremely difficult to handle over the rocky terrain of many of the planets you land on.

The characters, though, are wonderful. They are just as funny and kick-butt as characters in the other games I've played. The romances are unique and kind of awkwardly hilarious, and the unique stories each character has are fun to watch and listen to as the game progresses.

All-in-all, I would give the game a 7 out of 10 so far. I will continue playing and see if it gets easier! Thanks for reading!