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Monday 14 January, 2008
SUMMERY:
Mass Effect is a futuristic space based RPG. However it has many elements which seperate it from your classic futuristic RPG. I think the key elements that make this game are its new mechanic, Mass Effect, the way it refers to you character during cinematics, the unique story it tells, and the innovation in RPG/Shooter combat.
GAMEPLAY:
I realy enjoyed playing Mass Effect throughout my game sessions. As I played I learned about the different things in the game that made it what it was, and why I enjoyed it.
To start, I will talk about the new mechanic Mass Effect has. Perhaps surprisingly, this is one of the few things I hated about the game. The idea for Mass Effect is similar magic which you may see in your standard fantasy RPG, or “The Force” in your Star Wars RPG. Even though I personally did not like this mechanic, I will talk about its good elements first. One thing that this mechanic had which I have not seen in any other RPG is the extent to which mass effect abilities can effect the environment. Its physics engine allows you to push enemies and objects as well as lift them or damage them. The problem with this mechanic however is the fact that you have to pause the game in order to use it. Though this may not seem like a problem at first, the fact is, this game plays more like your standard 3rd person shooter then an RPG as far as combat goes. Every time you have to pause the game to use your Mass Effect abilities, I feel like you lose the element of being in the moment. It feels like it disconnects you from the actual game and makes you more aware that you are the player and not the character. Thankfully both NPC allies and enemies can use this ability without pausing the game. Because of this, I simply let my allies use their Mass Effect abilities as they saw fit, rather then the option of me having to pause the game and use it for them. Meanwhile I simply played the game as an RPG shooter and ended up fully enjoying the other elements it had to offer.
One of the cool elements that this new RPG brought to the table was the incorporation of your character into cinematics. Although you get to choose your gender, appearance, and first name freely, your last name is restricted to the name “Shepard.” By doing this, the game made it so when characters refer to you, they simply call you Shepard. Though it may not seem like a big deal at first glance, it truly makes the game have a smooth flow to it. The cinematic conversations seem natural, realistic, and defiantly helped to immerse me in the story.
Though this is no doubt not the first futuristic RPG to have aliens and humans in it, I must say it has done an amazing job to make a realistic futuristic space environment. The sheer amount of detail that they put into every aspect of the game is unrivaled by any game I have ever played. I doubt I even read half the information that they put into the game in order to make sure it was realistic and understandable. As you travel through the game you can inspect different items which unlock a new option in your codex. By going to you codex you can read, and sometimes listen to a narration, about different elements of the game. This information in your codex ranges from how your weapons work and why, to the politics of alien governments. They even went to the extent of giving you information about every solar system you visit, and detailed information on every planet. Even though little of this information is useless when it comes to actual game play, I must say it made me feel like a real future they had created.
Although I started playing mass effect in the beginning of December, over our 3 week winter break I didn’t play it at all. The only reason I think this is interesting, or even relevant, is because over those 3 weeks I played both Knights of the Old Republic(KotOR) and KotOR 2. KotOR is an RPG game also made by the same company BioWare. What I found interesting about playing these games is it revealed something I had not previously known about Mass Effect. As it turns out, Mass Effect was simply a copy of the basic template used in both of the KotOR series games. What I mean by this, is you start out on your beginning planet, you run though some basic missions which essentially teach you how to play. Once you finish your basic missions on your starting planet you obtain a ship and can choose between 3 different planets to travel in order to complete other main objectives in the storyline. The order in which you complete these 3 different planet missions does not matter and is open to player discretion. I don’t think this fact interrupted or changed the game play of the game at all, I simply found it an interesting observation connecting BioWares previous titles to this one.
The last element of the game play that I want to talk about is its RPG/Shooter combat. I defiantly enjoyed this part of the game. Like some other 3rd person shooter titles, in this game you can hide behind obstacles, then pop out and shoot your enemies before quickly ducking back behind cover. You have to aim your weapons, although the corsair is big enough that you don’t need the skills of a normal shooter in order to be successful. The damage you do with your weapons is based on the weapon it self, the modifications you have added to it, and your skill with that type of weapon. The weapon skill and such adds to the RPG element of the combat system, where aiming, hiding, and sprinting at your enemies makes up the shooter elements of the game. Overall I must say it is a brilliant hybrid of shooter and RPG, forgiving the Mass Effect mechanic, and I hope to see more of its kind in the future.
DESIGN:
Thoughts on innovation:
I think the innovative elements of this game where its Mass Effect mechanic, how physics was incorporated into an RPG, and its hybrid combat system.
What makes it a good or bad game:
I think what makes the game good is its attention to the level of detail, how it immerses the player in the story, and lets the player make choices.
What are my thoughts on level design in the game:
I think the levels were fairly well designed in the game, because each main part of the story is based on a different planet, you get to explore new environments and fight different enemies. Obstacles are well placed to give you places to hide, and use its combat mechanics effectively.
What challenges does the game provide:
The game has both your standard combat, where you grind though waves of creatures attempting to reach your objective, and boss fights. Each boss fight is scripted differently making it a new and interesting experience for the player.
How does the game create conflict:
Perhaps one of the downfalls of the game is that the storyline is fairly rigid. Although at first glance it may appear that you have lots of choices to make, in the end these choices have little outcome on what happens in the game. Because of this, it is easy to just give you the bad guys, and then you have no choice but to go out and kill them. No joining the bad guys, sorry.
How does the game keep you interested:
The storyline itself is quite interesting, and it keeps you interested the same way a book does. You simply want to know what is going to happen next, and how the story is going to end. At least that’s how it worked for me.
Does the game help foster social interaction among players:
Sadly this game is only single player, I think if it didn’t have the mass effect mechanic they might have been able to add a cool co-op option to the game. But beyond talking about the game with other people who have played it, there is little to no interaction with other players.
What would you change about the game:
I would make it so you can simply have a current mass effect ability and you can execute dynamically by the press of a button without having to pause the game. This would keep a smooth and fun game play, and still allow the players to use the new mechanic.
What ideas does this game give you for your own game project:
I think the game gave me more ideas based on what it was lacking then based on what it had. Personally I want my choices in the game to make an actual difference on its outcome. Though this makes storyboarding a lot harder, because you have to make multiple paths, and possibly many of them, rather then just one with small variations.
You thoughts on the games use of cut scenes to support the narrative:
As I described in one of the paragraphs above, I think that the use of the character name in cinematics made the narrative support the game and help to tell the story. For me it defiantly helped to draw me into the story and excite me about what was to come.
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