There are games you like. There are games you love, and replay many times.

And then there are the games which almost bring a tear to your eye every time you start them. The games which you've played enough times, you can quote the dialogue, speedrun the game perfectly, and remember every encounter from. Because those games are masterpieces.

This is one of those games.

Basically, that's the question, Commander Shepard, your character is asked early on in the game, asked as in obliged. This is a game developed at the time where BioWare was respecting its fanbase same as CD Projekt of today. That said, you get to play through a well written storyline, faulty combat that has its charm, original soundtrack that whenever you're going to listen to again, you're going to relive the feelings and last but not least, graphics that are today outdated, yet possible to mod with some sweet 4k textures and having a strong art style, it still got the touch.
The whole Mass Effect trilogy is remembered for it's characters, but the first one doesn't only have the memorable squad mates and NPCs, but also an original story, with the least tropes and cliches of the bunch and non-arugable, the most solid regarding plot and pace. In a galaxy where humanity is new and relatively unproven, you, Commander Shepard, get to be the first human Spectre, an agent authorized by the Council to do anything, have to catch a veteran rogue spectre, finding out his motives and putting an end to whatever he is scheming. It's the tale of your rise. A tale where you write history by fighting alongside humans and aliens, getting involved in both trivial and important matters, a tale that grows more grave as it progresses. And like any good BioWare games, you'll have to make hard choices that DO have consequences. There are conversations you can carry on with different characters(especially your crew) that can determine your relationship with them and leave a mark on them throughout the trilogy.
Regarding customization, you can change gender, facial traits(including scars), name, classes and background profile. The first and last two can change certain options in the story line. As you progress in the game, you'll gain either paragon, renegade or both kind of points, having more into one will make certain dialogue lines available to you and some gameplay bonuses. Also, the extreme of your morality will change the environment, soundtrack and a background picture at the end of the game.
Soundtrack is how it should be, giving the right vibes of what should any intro into a Sci-Fi should: the feeling you're stepping into mysterious grounds while wondering if the advancements you have will be enough. Certain key moments are enhanced by the soundtrack, decisions sound more dire, discoveries more interesting and the ending a hell lot more epic.
The gameplay is original as well; your weapons don't use ammo, but they can overheat. However, with the right weapons and the right weapon modding, shooting infinitely is almost reachable, but unnecessary, since most enemies die from the high level weapons. You can loot guns and equipment from corpses or crates, loot that can be used by you or your squadmaters, if the specifics are met.
There are unknown planets with different Eco systems and points of attractions for you to explore, with everyone's favorite vehicle, the Mako, which rides mountains just like horses in Skyrim(but with better logic) and bounces good enough to dance on "Moves like Jagger".
One more big fuss about this game is the romance options. You can end up into a relationship with a crew-mate. There are two options for each gender, the human of the opposite gender that is in the squad from the prologue or the hot blue alien which is a she no matter what.
For most good old games I feel the need to ask potential players to give it 3-6 hours or more for the game to get to them, but Mass Effect is engrossing since the beginning and it's new game plus material, not just for gameplay and achievements but for making different choices in the storyline you're going to remember for a long time.
Mass Effect is the starting point for a beloved trilogy, but also the kind of game that stands well on its own. It's not just nostalgia that makes some fans call it the best of the series. Even by today's standards, it's still unique and an example of how new Sci-Fi's should be made. The campaign can take between 15 to 60 hours, depending on how you play it, but even 15 is enough to satisfy(although you might find yourself spending more time than you'd decide). It runs with no problems with newer systems and the price is low regarding what is has to offer. In other words, it is a MUST BUY!
I'm a Mass Effect fan and this is my favorite game in the Galaxy!

Mass Effect changed how I look on games as media, before I liked games but I was almost never really invested in the stories they told, that all changed when I played this game. Mass Effect is a classic game that everyone should at least play once in their lifetime, the story is so well told and written it will keep you invested the whole way, the characters you meet and get to know are some of the best characters I have ever seen in a game. But this game is not only awesome because of the good story and well written characters but also because the world they made for this game is simply one of the best universes in not only games but in all of fiction. Both the aliens and the humans in this game feel real and convincing.

I’m a big sci fi nerd and I have always been fascinated by how they portray the human race, in most sci fi that is a huge hit or miss, example of this is how humans are in star trek (love star trek) they are simply too nice they don’t feel like the more grey humanity we know. In mass effect they made a human race that seems like a logical step from how we think and act today, no perfect goodwillers ( like star trek), not some evil war empire( like in 40k) but somewhere in between(maybe a bit more to the 40k on the scale then star trek, kind of on the same place as babylon 5 grey humans not black or white). The universe they made feels alive and almost real something most fiction fail at.

The gameplay is maybe weak in some areas like the mako but it doesn't really matter because what you get out of this game is simply more than just gameplay (gameplay is good in most parts) you get a good story. Should you buy this game? I think so because I think if you don’t you will miss out on one of the best modern games ever made, you will also miss the start of a saga that only got better in mass effect 2. This Game changed my whole view on games and it has stuck with me after all this years and I think that is a testament to how much of an impact this game had on me.

Story 10/10
Music 9/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Gameplay 8/10
Replayability 9/10

Final Score a solid 9/10 because no game or media is perfect.

PS: sorry for any bad English I have always been bad at typing and spelling even in my own language, also if you wonder why my playtime is so low its because i played the games on the xbox back in the day, think I finished mass effect 1 7 or 8 times. Was planning to play through all the games on pc but i haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.

It has an amazing storyline but the combat has become a bore and has not aged well.

Anderson with the right hook to udina's jaw, 10/10 would get grounded at citadel again

Words don't exist to describe the scale, brilliance and emotional intelligence of this series. The relationships that are possible to build within the game are ones that you will reflect on in daily life, the choices to make will have you wondering for days what could have happened had things gone the other way. This is a game that allows you to pour yourself into it in the most organic way. This is a game in which you make friends with the characters - hear me out - to the extent that you miss them when you don't play the game for a while. Well, I imagine you would, as I never go more than a month or two without revisiting this series.
Be prepared for plenty of room for improvement in Mass Effect 1. Like any game series, the first instalment leaves something to be desired of the combat and customisability, but Mass Effect 2 and 3 more than make up for that.
This is my favourite game series of all time, and if you don't play it, you're missing out. Trust me.

i really reccomend this game to everyone
i reccomend every masseffect game
im glad i grew up with masseffect as a part of my childhood and adult hood the graphics and story and options of what you can do is amazing and so is the designs of buildings weapons and worlds and every place you can travel and go the weapons are handy there are side missions to and tasks to addvance . characters are also amazing with detail but the other nice thing about masseffect games are when you talk to somone you have multi options for what you want to say and do and sometimes if you say the wrong words it can result in good or bad responces but all in all i definitly reccomend this game to everyone 10/10
((((((i just really reccomend every masseffect game)))))))

Not much playtime yet on steam but I've played quite a lot on PS3 (90 hours or so) and the steam version is like that but with better graphics, fps, and loading times.

It's a great sci-fi game and it's filled with a lot of exploration, backstory, and lore.
The rpg elements are ok-ish and the combat's not polished compared to newer games, but the shooting is serviceable, not absolutely horrible. Just not up to today's standards I'd say.

It's more star trek than any star trek game, because you get to be captain of a ship, make decisions that impact storylines and your relationship with your crew, pursue romantic interests, and explore plenty of planets (though admittedly they are sometimes kinda empty and the buildings are reused very often). And if you really like lore and backstories in your games, this game has plenty and a lot of them are fully voiced. What mass effect really does well is immersing you into its world.

Would definitely recommend this game to anyone even remotely interested in sci fi.

If you're new to the Mass Effect saga, you're probably here looking for alien sex, OR because of its reputation. Guess what, you get an amazing game AND the alien sex, what more could you ask for?

you’re never too ♥♥♥♥ed up to date an alien