I recently read an article in EW claiming that the Sci-Fi genre was out of ideas. Remakes, rip-offs, and sequels seem to be the general consensus in Hollywood. While I agree the genre could use a good boost, I refuse to believe that the genre was "an endangered species". Originality is out there, maybe the execs are looking in the wrong place?

The narrative is extremely well written, which is complimented even more by the game's excellent voice acting. It's true. Conversations, not action or strategy, are the highlights of Mass Effect. With the help of the "dialog wheel" you'll be able to mold your adventure the way you please. Deciding to be a goody-too shoes or a complete bastard will result in much different responses. Instead of picking exactly what you'll say, the developers instead give you general suggestions to pick. This gameplay enhancement forces you to listen to your conversations. You'll believe in these characters, and will actually be interested to hear what they have to say.

So besides doing a lot of talking, Mass Effect also has one of the best Action/RPG battle systems yet. Combining the feeling of run and gun shooting, and selection based magic attacks, battles are fun and feel fresh. A better gambit system (FFXII) may have made a few custom-junkies a little happier, but would have also over complicated the situation. It turns out to be Mass Effect's second strong point, despite the game's overall low difficulty on Normal mode.

When it comes to low points, Mass Effect actually has quite a few. While the main quest is full of great locations, characters, and story. The sidequets are generally lacking in all of these things. Exploring the numerous galaxies seems impressive at first, but once you realize you'll be doing the same thing on every sidequest it's gets a little boring. You'll land on an empty planet, drive around in a tank, go to a base and kill everyone, and return to your ship. The planet's barren, the driving controls just manageable, and the bases consist of the same 4 blueprints. I guess in the future the settlers all live in similar houses? It's disappointing considering the amount of side quests present in the game. It made me wish for more main story missions (only about 4 or 5) to make up more of the play time (about 40 hours with everything, 15 without)

The game also has it's share of technical problems. Clipping, frame cuts, slowdown, glitches, all occur on a regular basis. It won't really ruin your time with the game, but it will make you wish they kept this one in the oven a little longer. In contrast, sound effects and music are top notch. Your house may shake when entering hyperspace, or when firing rockets from your tank.

It really is hard to come down on Mass Effect in the long run. Sure, it's got it's problems, but the experience is so rewarding you'll look past most of it. Luckily, the game has sold really well and a trilogy has already been talked about. It's a good thing, with the amount of hard work Bioware has done to create this galaxy, it would be a shame for it not to reach it's full potential. Here's to hoping the sequel fixes the minor issues. As of now, Mass Effect is truly the best RPG to come out this generation, and one that science fiction fans should not miss. Hollywood should take note.