Highlights: Internally consistent sci-fi world, excellent story, great performances, choices that feel like they matter.
Flaws: Clunky gameplay systems, dated graphics.
Admittedly, the story starts out pretty slow since it has a lot of exposition to get through, but paying attention to the lore details really pays off by the third act. I also really felt that my choices mattered, and while the binary Paragon/Renegade (good/evil) skill system is a little limited, it still works better than most choice-based RPG's I've played. I also love that the world is really internally consistent, with everything about its technology and politics making sense with each other.
The graphics and game mechanics may have been impressive for 2007, but playing it now they are pretty painfully clunky. While there are quite a lot of combat playstyles (guns/tech/biotic), the gameplay never really felt that fun. Still, it's definitely worth it to get through it and experience the excellent story.
Overall, this was a great game made me feel confident in my decisions - my story path and my Shepard are "canon" to me now. Unlike other games where I tend to want to explore every possible branch and outcome, here I'd rather miss out on some content and keep my "illusion of choice", so to speak. While I may eventually come back for another playthrough, I'm definitely going to play through the rest of the series first.
Flaws: Clunky gameplay systems, dated graphics.
Admittedly, the story starts out pretty slow since it has a lot of exposition to get through, but paying attention to the lore details really pays off by the third act. I also really felt that my choices mattered, and while the binary Paragon/Renegade (good/evil) skill system is a little limited, it still works better than most choice-based RPG's I've played. I also love that the world is really internally consistent, with everything about its technology and politics making sense with each other.
The graphics and game mechanics may have been impressive for 2007, but playing it now they are pretty painfully clunky. While there are quite a lot of combat playstyles (guns/tech/biotic), the gameplay never really felt that fun. Still, it's definitely worth it to get through it and experience the excellent story.
Overall, this was a great game made me feel confident in my decisions - my story path and my Shepard are "canon" to me now. Unlike other games where I tend to want to explore every possible branch and outcome, here I'd rather miss out on some content and keep my "illusion of choice", so to speak. While I may eventually come back for another playthrough, I'm definitely going to play through the rest of the series first.