Mass Effect

[Digital Gonzo 2013]

This is the first part of our epic trilogy of review podcasts focusing on the Mass Effect game series from Bioware. Originally released in 2007 on Xbox 360 and following on the heels of Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, this was the Canadian developer’s original take on a serious Sci-Fi space opera.

The first game is not without its flaws and the frustrating combat, slow beginning, vehicle sections, simplistic hacking, texture pop, and crazy glitches are all hauled over the coals, however, this is balanced with effusive praise for the characterization, in-depth discussions about the textured and detailed worlds they have built, first rate voice acting, storyline and narrative sweep.

If you’ve played it and enjoyed it overall you will be well at home. If you haven’t played it we keep the major spoilers for a section at the end so you can listen in and find out what all the fuss is about. My crew are Matt Ramsey of GamerDork, Neil Taylor of GameBurst, James Perkins of GameBurst and Geek Wad, Justin Smith of Last Save Loaded and Jerome McIntosh of the Gonzo planet community. We’ll be back in a month to talk about Mass Effect 2 and then four weeks after that for Mass Effect 3.