The universe is vast, detailed, and filled with pockets of gunfights and moral decisions. At least that's how BioWare, creators of games such as Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate, envisions the future of space travel. Mass Effect is their latest game that combines two genres into a fantastic new mix. Classic role-playing and finding new loot have been combined with the fast action and engaging pace of a third-person shooter and the result is a truly fun experience. Those who are looking for a big, engrossing adventure will find a lot to like in Mass Effect.

The story begins with you playing the role of John Sheppard (or a custom character of your choosing), a long-time veteran of the military. Both he and his crew are tasked with investigating a planet named Eden Prime. Not only is this mission important for the fate of the galaxy, but it is also a testing ground for Sheppard, as he is being evaluated. The galactic council is considering inducting Sheppard into the ranks of the Spectres, a group of elite warriors who protect the galaxy. On Eden Prime, Sheppard and his crew find Saren, a rogue Spectre, collecting information from a beacon. It is soon revealed that Saren has bigger plans beyond mere betrayal, and that he may even be developing some form of mind control weaponry. While the plot is not original, with more than a passing resemblance to the Star Wars movies, it does flow nicely and is enjoyable to play through. And like most games where the story plays a larger role, there are a few twists and surprises waiting for players in the later parts of the game.

Mass Effect's gunplay can be tailored to your specific play style.

The majority of the gameplay consists of two major elements: combat and dialog. Combat is handled similarly to Ghost Recon, where players have the ability to control their squad mates, find cover, and exchange shots in a firefight. However, an added element of control allows players to give specific commands to their allies, such as using a certain weapon or abilities, and the friendly AI executes these commands without fail. The combat system is actually so good that it can be played in several different ways, such as run and gun, or strategic and methodical. Another positive about the fighting is that the AI is really smart on both ends. If left alone, your allies will shoot, use dark energy in creative and intelligent ways, and generally help out when needed. On the other hand, enemies will also be doing their best to outsmart you, often charging at you directly when you're hiding behind something or lifting your cover with their gravitational abilities. The gunplay is dynamic and rewarding, but most impressively, it acclimates to the style of the player.

The dialog portion of the gameplay also has its share of fun. This is where players can really take their character and make some interesting choices. Dialog will generally give three or four options to select from, and each choice has the fairly obvious good, evil, and neutral selections. When certain abilities are leveled up, new dialog options become available, allowing you to select between utterly evil or altruistic. These strong dialog choices are outlined in red, for evil, and blue, for good, and can often decide the outcome of a discussion.

Both the combat and the dialog allow for gamers to play how they want to, and because of that, these choices will affect the kind of character that you are being molded into. Kill too many innocent people and you'll raise your rogue meter. Belittling a squad mate will also yield the same result. Choices like these allow you to become the kind of hero you want to be, but the options aren't limited to just that. Later on, the game will present players with truly difficult decisions that do not sit in the realm of good or evil, and this is where your decisions play a pivotal role. Not only do your actions help to shape your character, but they also drive the storyline in specific directions.

If you so choose, you can also take on side missions in the game. Most of these will direct your party to a random planet in the galaxy that you can explore using the Mako, an all-terrain moon buggy with guns. Exploration generally consists of looking at the map and going to designated marked spots, though sometimes some aimless searching will also be required. Once a destination is reached, there is generally a gunfight that will take place. The Mako is also used a few times in the main storyline as well. While it seems that BioWare tried to adapt the Warthog controls from the Halo series, they've unfortunately failed terribly. The controls for the vehicle are off by just enough to confuse players and make the driving itself a chore. First off, they are incredibly sensitive, so the slightest adjustment to the steering will veer the vehicle too much in one direction. Secondly, and possibly even worse, the Mako can get stuck going backwards and you'll sometimes have to wrestle with the controls to try to get back in the right direction. This is especially troubling when under fire. The control is so flawed that it is not an uncommon occurrence for you to simply drive off a path on the stage and die. Dying in combat because you make a mistake is one thing, but death as a result of driving off a cliff due to the terrible controls is something else entirely. Ultimately, the flawed controls ensure that the Mako portions of the game result in nothing more than pure frustration.

The other major strike against the game lies with the inventory management. You won't notice the faults with the system right away, but once you reach the maximum capacity for items, you'll have to start selling things or break them down into Omni Gel, which is an all-purpose material that can heal your team as well as open locks and solve puzzles. Selling items isn't worth it because the asking price is often so low that you're almost always better off sticking with the gel. The currency in the game isn't that useful anyway, and you'll have so much at the end that you'll probably stop caring about it altogether. The reason this is a hassle is because every time you break an item down, the cursor defaults back to the first object in your inventory. Since the game puts all of the most powerful items at the top, you will often be forced to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list for every item that you to salvage into gel. Furthermore, when your inventory is full and you come across a locker or box with more items, once you select said locker or box, you can't back out. As a result, anything offered must be reduced to gel no matter how great or new the item is. The game will literally not allow you to continue until these items are transformed, which effectively wastes them. Even if the lost equipment isn't vital to your survival, this is disappointing to see regardless.

The interactive conversations are one of the most compelled aspects of the game.

The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. On the positive side, they are highly detailed with some outstanding texture work. During cutscenes, lips move relatively well with the words that are spoken, especially when considering the enormous amount of dialog in the game. Ships and other vehicles are also incredible, with each having a high level of detail on both the interior and exterior sections. However, the animations are pretty robotic and clunky for almost all of the characters. Enemy deaths are especially drab, as there are no rag-doll physics or accompanying animations to make them look a bit more stylish. During combat, the frame rate tends to dip dramatically, especially when manipulating the camera, which results in instances where it's almost impossible to aim effectively. While most of the weaknesses in the graphics can be overlooked, the frame rate during combat cannot, as it may leave you repeatedly doing specific sections of the game over due to the aforementioned aiming issues.

The sound also has its share high and low points. The combat sounds are both weak and generic. The same can be said for the music, as there is not a single memorable track in the game. On the other hand, the voice acting is outstanding and consists of a lot of excellent and believable work. Considering the sheer amount of spoken dialog, especially for the major characters, the voice acting is never poor. Even the actors with smaller roles do a fine job, and they greatly help in immersing you into the experience.

Mass Effect does have its weaknesses. The graphics and sound are inconsistent, the vehicle controls feel like they lack actual testing, and the inventory system is sloppy. But when it comes down to it, none of that detracts much from the overall experience. The game is compelling and the story and characters will keep you coming back. The real-time battles are often thrilling and challenging, and are enough to satisfy any shooter fan. In a season where nearly every other game released is a contender for game of the year, Mass Effect proves that it deserves to be among that crowd.