Released in November last year, Mass Effect is an epic science-fiction action and role-playing game (RPG) experience created by BioWare and published by Microsoft Game Studios.
During the game, the players assume the role of an elite human Spectre agent, Commander Shepard, entrusted with keeping law and order in the galaxy. Shepard uncovers a threat so great it could destroy all life in the galaxy, but her job is complicated by the fact that no one will believe the word of a human, a race not fully trusted by the other alien races. However, the galaxy must be convinced of the grave threat at hand or all life could be exterminated.
Casey Hudson, the man who spent almost three years directing the developing team behind this project, explained that the game’s title is related to what the physicists are currently calling “dark energy” in real life. Inside the game’s universe, the “mass effect” is a physics phenomenon that the humans have just discovered and that some alien creatures can sense and manipulate.
BioWare was innovative enough to use some of the most sophisticated graphics for “drawing” the characters’ faces and not only the battles’ explosions. The game seems to be rather “filmed,” just like a movie, so that the players can see the characters’ faces and how they react and feel in different situations. BioWare was able to even render the speaking digital faces of the characters, which until now seemed to be almost impossible.
The game has received an M “Mature” rating from ESRB which means it is only sold to 17+ year olds. The game has sold 1.6 million copies since its launch.
