Mass Effect: Windows

...

computer. Several customers used up all three activations within a couple of weeks of buying the game as they tried reinstalling windows, or upgrading hardware, to overcome technical difficulties. Once you run out of activations and try to play the game again, you get a message informing you that you have no more activations left and that you should buy another copy of the game to get more. If you do some searching, you will find out that EA says that they may provide you more activations, on a case by case basis, if you contact them. They refuse to state what circumstances will be considered acceptable to them before allowing you more activations. At a minimum, you may need to provide a copy of your purchase receipt. You do actually keep your purchase receipts for $50 games right?

Third, SecuROM is a highly controversial piece of software. Its existence is not disclosed on the box, nor do you get notified that it is being installed on your machine. SecuROM installs registry keys that are not deleted when you uninstall the game. And these registry keys use illegal characters to prevent the user from being able to delete them manually. You must use third-party software to do so.

Fourth, SecuROM can include a module that provides 'information' to the game publisher. Bioware claims it is not using that module to do so, but there is no way to verify this.

Fifth, Bioware cancelled the re-validate online every 5-10 days policy that they originally stated the game would have. Expect to see this return in future games.

Lastly, Bioware/EA provides no method to de-activate a computer once it has been activated. Uninstalling the game from one computer does not free up that activation. Therefore, your ability to sell your copy of the game second-hand, guaranteed in the Copyright Act (Doctrine of First Sale) has been violated by Bioware/EA. Expect to see some lawsuits before too much longer.

If you think I'm blowing up the DRM issue out of proportion then, by all means, go ahead and buy this game. While you are able to play it I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. However, do not expect to be able to keep playing it years into the future without paying extra for more activations.

The same DRM system is also intended for use on EA games like Spore, and likely also Dragonage, plus many others.

If you are concerned about this kind of practice becoming the industry standard, then I urge you not to spend your money on this game or any other titles from EA until they abandon this DRM fiasco. There are games publishers who take a different approach (for example, the game Sins of a Solar Empire is DRM free) and who are much more appreciative of your custom.

Mass Effect: Windows

...

computer. Several customers used up all three activations within a couple of weeks of buying the game as they tried reinstalling windows, or upgrading hardware, to overcome technical difficulties. Once you run out of activations and try to play the game again, you get a message informing you that you have no more activations left and that you should buy another copy of the game to get more. If you do some searching, you will find out that EA says that they may provide you more activations, on a case by case basis, if you contact them. They refuse to state what circumstances will be considered acceptable to them before allowing you more activations. At a minimum, you may need to provide a copy of your purchase receipt. You do actually keep your purchase receipts for $50 games right?



Third, SecuROM is a highly controversial piece of software. Its existence is not disclosed on the box, nor do you get notified that it is being installed on your machine. SecuROM installs registry keys that are not deleted when you uninstall the game. And these registry keys use illegal characters to prevent the user from being able to delete them manually. You must use third-party software to do so.



Fourth, SecuROM can include a module that provides 'information' to the game publisher. Bioware claims it is not using that module to do so, but there is no way to verify this.



Fifth, Bioware cancelled the re-validate online every 5-10 days policy that they originally stated the game would have. Expect to see this return in future games.



Lastly, Bioware/EA provides no method to de-activate a computer once it has been activated. Uninstalling the game from one computer does not free up that activation. Therefore, your ability to sell your copy of the game second-hand, guaranteed in the Copyright Act (Doctrine of First Sale) has been violated by Bioware/EA. Expect to see some lawsuits before too much longer.



If you think I'm blowing up the DRM issue out of proportion then, by all means, go ahead and buy this game. While you are able to play it I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. However, do not expect to be able to keep playing it years into the future without paying extra for more activations.



The same DRM system is also intended for use on EA games like Spore, and likely also Dragonage, plus many others.



If you are concerned about this kind of practice becoming the industry standard, then I urge you not to spend your money on this game or any other titles from EA until they abandon this DRM fiasco. There are games publishers who take a different approach (for example, the game Sins of a Solar Empire is DRM free) and who are much more appreciative of your custom.

Mass Effect: Windows

...

if you ask me. I have come to expect a lot of choice when it comes to RPGs. Why shouldn't I be able to wield large rocket launchers, or a more futuristic laser rifle, or hell...why can't I open up a can of whoopass ninja style? The combat just feels dumbed down and albeit fun, I would have liked more interesting sequences than the repetitive "Clear the room, move to next room" gameplay.

While we're on the subject of being repetitive, I have to say that going on offworld missions and driving on the same rocky terrain gathering trinkets and ore for the umpteenth time started grating on my nerves. Not to mention that the physics while driving your Mako lander would make Tony Hawk jealous. While those missions are optional, an RPG is about bettering your character and I felt compelled to sit through all of it, to get the full experience of the game. Every system you visit has at least one planet that you can land on and explore, the rest you can mine and search from space(which came as a relief near the end of the gathering missions). But every planet looks the same as the last, just with a different color scheme. It was fun the first few times, but after 20, I never wanted to see another planet again. On top of that, sometimes you are greeted by an outpost on one of these planets, and you guessed it. For the most part, they're all carbon copies of each other. It all just seems like filler to make the game seem more massive than it actually is. Filler can be done right and it can feel like it actually serves a bigger purpose than to level you up. Just look at Baldur's Gate 2. All the filler there was beautifully designed, they were unique and I never got bored with any location. By filler I mean anything that didn't directly involve your main quest of saving Imoen and dealing with Irenicus. Don't get me wrong, Mass Effect had some great environments, especially in the Citadel starting area. If the rest of the game were that well designed, this game would have been a classic to be replayed for years to come(assuming you don't have to reinstall your OS, but I digress). But the uniqueness is too few and far between. The filler becomes noticeable and turns into a chore.

The game is not all bad though. The story is well done and the character development is nice. You speak to your comrades after each major mission so they reveal more about themselves and it adds flavor to the world, something than an RPG always needs. A lot of that flavor comes in the form of your Codex, a sort of encyclopedia that gets updated as the game progresses. It's a nice addition to the game and I wish they could have explored the possibilities of using the information in your codex to solve quests. Mass Effect isn't a terrible game but it's certainly not a classic. It does alright though. There were just far too many missed opportunities that could have made this game fantastic. Because of this, I can only rate this game 3 stars.

But since you can never really sum up a product nice and neatly with a simple rating like that:

(On a scale from 1-10)
Graphics: 7
Very nice environment in the Citadel. However, outposts, bunkers, and even some cities look repetitive, bland and boring. Facial animation leaves something to be desired.

Sound:7
Voice acting could use some work and if you can't get great voice actors, all it does is drag down the performance.

Replayability:5
While you can play as 'good' or 'evil', I didn't feel as if I've missed out on large enough parts of the game to really go back and play it again. I may down the line but the decisions you make don't feel as if they make a difference so you never seriously wonder, "What if I made this decision instead?"

Story:8
The strong point of the game. Nicely written and has a sort of cinematic quality to it.

Fun:6
I had fun shooting up everything(unlimited ammo as a game mechanic sure helped) and it was a good time. But it didn't have the lasting appeal that I wanted. It's what separates good from classic, Serious Sam from Half-Life 2. But what really killed the fun was the repetitive nature of the subquests. It felt too much like grinding.

Overall:6.5
I'm not factoring in the DRM to this score, since it doesn't really affect gameplay. If you're into action games, it'll be fun for you. But you might not want to pick it up again after you finish. As an RPG lover, I felt that the game was lacking something intangible...it was lacking life.