Continuing with the previous theme, Mass Effect is pretty god damn awesome. Tiny nitpicks are the worst of my complaints(and so far, they’re all featured on Penny Arcade). The game likes to load. A lot. The loading screens tend to be very pretty though, full of nice graphics and sound. Nothing more than a few exquisitely animated frames with sound effects, but I can’t complain at all about them. The elevators, well, they’re slow, but often provide audio that reflects recent player achievements, or has information opening new missions.
Combat is NOT a snooze affair like Jade Empire’s could be. Players won’t get the equivalent of Storm Dragon(a fighting style that stunned the majority of enemies opening them up for easy big damage attacks, followed by another stun, etc.), and making a bad move can prove highly fatal. Charging into a room, not knowing where cover is, or just sloppy positioning of teammates will get you killed, particularly when fighting a boss battle or side quest. Combat is, in a weird way, realistic. It’s not hard to compare to Rainbow Six: Vegas when playing, though R6 didn’t have long distance hacking or psionic attacks. Cover, teamwork, and judicious grenade use, along with a good choice of weapons, go a long way still, and taking a rocket to the face can put you all the way back.
Of course, when you pull off a really dangerous assault through a nasty enemy infested room, bunker, cave, or what-have-you, it feels so good.
Tomorrow, some thoughts on uncharted worlds and exploration, along with the most un-rollable troop transport ever.
