* Played on Legendary Edition. Taking the trilogy as a whole I would give it a clear 5 Stars.
Mass Effect is the best first instalment in a series I have ever played. It expertly introduces a layered and complex science fiction world which matches some of the greats. The level of thought put into the history of this universe and it's various species is truly something to behold. From the quarians to the turians to the asari, each species feels as well developed and has as rich a history as the humans themselves. ME1 focuses on exploration far more than the following entries in the series, and this is only bolstered by the rich backstory out there to be discovered. In terms of gameplay it is certainly the most clunky in the series, with gunplay that isn't particularly punchy or satisfying. The MAKO exploration is a particular hiccup for many players. Even with the improvements made by the Legendary Edition I still found this vehicle unwieldy and sometimes a real pain to use. I'm divided on whether I enjoy the planet exploration in ME1. On the one hand it really feels like you are exploring a universe since most of the planets you find are explorable, unlike ME2 or ME3 where you would simply scan the planets for resources from a distance. However this planet exploration is where ME1 really shows it's age. They are these vast open spaces which all look nearly identical aside from a few colour and weather changes to differentiate them. And when you go inside facilities on these planets, they all look the exact same and use the same assets, regardless of which species this planet was home to or how far apart these planets are on a galactic scale. Part of me wishes this planet exploration aspect was expanded upon in future entries as it really does make the world feel so much larger, even if the actual act of exploring is repetitive itself. But at the same time getting rid of this element allowed BioWare to focus more on the characters and main storyline of the following games, rather than padding out the galaxy with near identical planets. Although I don't necessarily think planetside exploration needed to be sacrificed completely, as ME1 managed to create a compelling main story and a fantastic set of characters while still dedicating a large amount of time to the exploration side. ME1 is a fantastic foundation for the series. It's so impressive that sequels aren't given a huge amount of room for improvement, aside from the wonky galaxy exploration. There's nothing quite like Mass Effect and I have a feeling I'll be revisiting this game many times in the years to come.
Mass Effect is the best first instalment in a series I have ever played. It expertly introduces a layered and complex science fiction world which matches some of the greats. The level of thought put into the history of this universe and it's various species is truly something to behold. From the quarians to the turians to the asari, each species feels as well developed and has as rich a history as the humans themselves. ME1 focuses on exploration far more than the following entries in the series, and this is only bolstered by the rich backstory out there to be discovered. In terms of gameplay it is certainly the most clunky in the series, with gunplay that isn't particularly punchy or satisfying. The MAKO exploration is a particular hiccup for many players. Even with the improvements made by the Legendary Edition I still found this vehicle unwieldy and sometimes a real pain to use. I'm divided on whether I enjoy the planet exploration in ME1. On the one hand it really feels like you are exploring a universe since most of the planets you find are explorable, unlike ME2 or ME3 where you would simply scan the planets for resources from a distance. However this planet exploration is where ME1 really shows it's age. They are these vast open spaces which all look nearly identical aside from a few colour and weather changes to differentiate them. And when you go inside facilities on these planets, they all look the exact same and use the same assets, regardless of which species this planet was home to or how far apart these planets are on a galactic scale. Part of me wishes this planet exploration aspect was expanded upon in future entries as it really does make the world feel so much larger, even if the actual act of exploring is repetitive itself. But at the same time getting rid of this element allowed BioWare to focus more on the characters and main storyline of the following games, rather than padding out the galaxy with near identical planets. Although I don't necessarily think planetside exploration needed to be sacrificed completely, as ME1 managed to create a compelling main story and a fantastic set of characters while still dedicating a large amount of time to the exploration side. ME1 is a fantastic foundation for the series. It's so impressive that sequels aren't given a huge amount of room for improvement, aside from the wonky galaxy exploration. There's nothing quite like Mass Effect and I have a feeling I'll be revisiting this game many times in the years to come.