The galactic exploration sequences pay homage to StarFlight, a science-fiction PC game released in the '80s. Each star system has multiple points of interest, which include planets, asteroids and moons that can be surveyed for minerals or remnants of ancient civilizations, and some planets that can be explored on your own armed and armored all-terrain vehicle.
The side missions and planetary exploration sequences all follow a similar formula. You have a few sites to explore above ground, with some minerals to survey, and a base to check out where you can fight a room full of enemies. There will also be loot in a back room that will provide closure to any quest that led you there. A variant will include a room full of enemies with two rooms in the back, mixing things up a bit. There's not a great amount of variety here, but some of the quests are quite rewarding, both tangibly and from a storyline perspective.
It's not always a utopian future, however, as some significant bugs found their way into the final release of Mass Effect. We were able to reproduce a glitch during one boss fight that completely impeded our progress, making it impossible to proceed unless we reloaded and tried a completely different approach. The AI controlling your squadmates is also less than perfect - they'll often try to steal the cover you're using, keeping you from getting a good look at the action, or just bumbling through a fight if not given proper direction.
The aforementioned texture issue can be annoying, but there are other times when the game can pull you out of the wonderful sense of immersion by forcing you to load as you run down a hall for no good reason. It's a shame when obvious technological constraints keep such a great experience from being flawless.
It's a rare thing when a game comes along with the power to move a player emotionally. Warts and all, you'll want to experience Mass Effect if you have any interest at all in enjoying one of the greatest efforts that modern videogaming has to offer. Mass Effect takes interactive entertainment to breathtaking new heights and is wholeheartedly recommended. This is one of the best games of the year, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest games ever made.
