Charm? Intimidate? Show me the Shotguns!
Character development will be a large part of the Mass Effect experience, as customizable and as important as in one of BioWare's Dungeons & Dragons-based games. Shepard begins the adventure as one of six different character classes. Soldiers are skilled in all manner of gunplay and can wear the heaviest of armors, while forsaking the use of biotics and advanced tech. Engineers are tech specialists, yet only wield pistols and don't bother with biotics. Adepts are masters of biotics, and can't be bothered to deal with the omni-tool or advanced weaponry. The Sentinel, Vanguard and Infiltrator are essentially dual-class options, for those who would prefer the freedom of mixing qualities between two of the primary class types. The advantage to playing one of the core class types, for those who are planning to maximize character potential, is that certain classes will have access to key abilities that won't be shared with their dual-classing brethren. So for you to gain access to every biotic power in the game, you'll have to play an Adept.
Leveling up your character is easy enough, as with each level you'll be granted a number of talent points that can be slotted into your class talents. Reaching certain tiers in the talents will unlock their respective special abilities, and from glancing at the achievements list, there should be at least sixty levels to plow through in your quest for personal advancement. With a limited number of talent points, it stands to reason that finding the key plateaus to strive for with each talent will be imperative when trying to build that perfect character.
In Space, No One Can Hear You Cheat
For the first time, we were able to get our hands on a high-level character and take the full combat abilities of a geared-up and multi-talented Shepard out for a spin. Our particular soldier wore some impressive-looking red armor, which not only boosted his damage mitigation to high levels, but also protected him from biotic effects. His tricked-out assault rifle sprayed cryogenically-laced laser fire with minimal chance of overheating, and froze enemies to boot, while his shotgun was absolutely deadly from close range, even if its firing rate was far less impressive. The number of different weapons and armor types in the game appeared expansive, and is sure to satisfy the loot-hungry power gamer that lives in all of us.
During combat sequences that took place at a human outpost, we were set upon by various forms of Geth, the robotic enemies that will figure prominently throughout the campaign. These enemies came in a few troublesome varieties. You have one type of soldier with a knack for dropping energy shields as impromptu sources of cover, which can either be destroyed by direct fire or circumvented by taking a more advantageous firing lane from an unprotected flank. Another type of enemy bore the attributes of one of gaming's more popular archetypes -- it was the agile sort of foe that scurries up walls and ceilings, attacking via misdirection and utilizing agility and stealth to its advantage. Then there was the usual detail of security turrets and mechanical foes that may seem like minor annoyances, but can sway the tide of battle when your party members aren't directed to eliminate them during a firefight.
Combat is generally managed by pausing the action using a shoulder button and bringing up the power ring interface. This menu is shaped like a ring cut into three sections, one for the protagonist and one for each of your active party members. This menu allows you to pan the camera around 360 degrees, to fully take in the environment and any hostiles. You assign actions from this menu, highlighting a target first with the camera, and then using the analog stick to select an action for each party member. You can set your allies to act out of their own accord, and there are various settings to choose from, such as a mode where they use all abilities available to them, and another where they'll use none. Your best bet is to micromanage your party actions, but with suitable party composition and skillful play, one could conceivably play through all of the game's combat sequences in real-time.
