The strength of the story is carried forth by some of the most impressive graphics seen to date. The eye-catching alien character designs put the Mos Eisley Cantina's rogue's gallery to shame. The characters, their equipment, the world they inhabit, it's all remarkably detailed and a pleasure to examine. On the other hand, there are some hardware limitations affecting performance here, as you'll notice that quite often textures will take a few seconds to load before appearing fully.
While there aren't a very great many different alien species inhabiting this corner of the universe, the variety is of a broader range than, say, early "Star Trek" episodes. The complexity of the game's different cultures and social structures is also quite evident. For example, you can find the all-female blue-skinned race of Asari throughout Mass Effect, occupying the highest offices of the galactic council, or working as dancers in a gentleman's club.
Many of the characters you'll encounter, human and otherwise, are more interesting than your usual cardboard cutout NPCs, and that's thanks largely to the strengths of the voice work and the excellent dialogue sequences. In these scenes, the characters emote in a believable and engrossing manner, with body language and gestures that are a testament to the amount of thought and effort put into the superlative dialogue sequences.
Fans of BioWare's previous efforts will also be pleased to know that the subject of romance is approached tastefully, thoughtfully, and quite entertainingly. Sure, virtual flirtation isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's good to see that interpersonal relationships can be handled with class in a world where Grand Theft Auto: San Andrea's "Hot Coffee" debacle set a low standard for the mainstream press.
Explore, Fight, Make Out with Aliens
It's easy to knock the combat after experiencing the great role-playing elements. Part of the problem is that the game can be downright difficult on the higher difficulty settings if you don't embrace the min-maxing necessary to excel in every encounter, particularly if you're not playing the Soldier class. While you can choose to specialize in tech or biotics (read: magic), Mass Effect rewards you for keeping your head in a firefight. You have to learn to fire in bursts, make smart use of cover, and know when to call for your AI-controlled squadmates to fall back to defensive positions. You'll also be well served by tweaking your equipment to best fit every situation. A simple thing like swapping out armor-piercing ammunition for shredder rounds against organics can mean the difference between failure and success.
But even if you're not a huge fan of the combat, you may find yourself completely in love with the prospect of taking your ship and exploring the Milky Way. Aside from crucial story missions that are highlighted clearly on the Galaxy map, you're free to explore a large number of star systems during your time as Commander Shepard.
