Heart of Funness

Like a Tsumani VII assault rifle cutting through a mass effect relay, I've been tunneling ever deeper into the heart of Mass Effect. The game is outstanding, a must play for anyone who enjoys good storytelling within the trappings of a RPG. My initial complaints about the game being a twitch shooter were based on limited gameplay. Rest assured, leveling and careful skill allocations prop up weak frag reflexes.

My favorite aspect of the game is its marriage between gameplay and cinema. Cutscenes use the game's engine and couple an excellent narrative with quality voice-acting. You'll recognize some of the voice talent instantly, like Seth Green, Lance Henriksen, and Marina Sirtis. Other voices are more obscure, but good nevertheless. I'm especially grateful that the actor who performs Commander Shepard is good because his need for dialogue spans the entire game.

The sci-fi slant of the game is intriguing, as good if not better than any of the fictional universes out there. As good as Star Wars even. I know I feel that way because the Star Wars prequels were bungled so badly. Imagine what the writers of Bioware could have done with the origin story for Darth Vader. I sigh fluffy pillows of angst and regret at such thoughts. If only the Geth could invade Earth, abduct George Lucas, and reset the motion picture time continuum.

I estimate I'm only halfway through Mass Effect right now, paced to finish in the coming week or so. If you've got an X-box 360 or PC, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this game. You won't be disappointed.