The Game Mechanics of Mass Effect

Tantalizing tidbits of Bioware's epic Mass Effect™ have been surfacing for years now: a trailer here, some eyes-on demo time there, and even a narrated video walkthrough on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace. These have all whetted the public's appetite, but finally the teasing is over. We've been given a precious few hours of hands-on gameplay that has lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding Bioware's latest masterpiece, and revealed the game mechanics that power Mass Effect.

Time to go to work.

For more information, check out our Mass Effect preview. But if you want information on the details of how the game works, then read on!

Molding a Shepherd
You play as Commander Shepherd, but beyond the last name, your hero's look, feel, and disposition are entirely your own creation. Character creation begins by sculpting the look of your hero/antihero.

From the simple choice of male or female to your complexion, scarring, brow ridges, cheek bones, facial hair and even makeup, your appearance is limited only by your imagination and human anatomy. Sorry, no fur-covered faces or feather-sprouting hairdos for humanity's greatest hope.

There are more than just aesthetic considerations during character creation though. You must also come to terms with your early childhood and military backgrounds.

For example, you may have lived and breathed space travel from a young age, enlisted into the military and achieved glory on the battlefield. Of course, you could just have easily grown up planet-side, living as a street urchin and learning the art of self preservation in your formative years, only to enlist in the military and prove yourself ruthlessly efficient. The choice, or, more accurately, combination of choices, is yours.

Wonder what that does.

Class it Up
While your background selections form the basis of your personality and influence how other characters react to you, it's your character's class that determines how you play the game. Mass Effect provides six classes in all, with the first three representing distinct professions and the last three forming combinations of the first three. They are:

• Soldier: The classic artillery toting soldier is skilled with all manner of weapons and armor. His or her role in combat is perhaps the most simplified as they dish out and take as much raw damage as they can.
• Engineer: These masters of technology are skilled in turning all sorts of gadgets and machinery to their advantage. From overloading enemy weapons to destabilizing enemy shields, engineers play an obstructive and supporting role in combat.
• Adept: These more mystical characters have developed mysterious Biotic abilities through their manipulation of the dark-energy-powered Mass Effect. From something as simple as launching an opponent skyward to phasing their body into two dimensions (which helps reduce damage), Adepts are both supportive and assertive on the field of battle.
• Infiltrator: Combines the Soldier and Engineer classes.
• Sentinel: Combines the Engineer and Adept classes.
• Vanguard: Combines the Soldier and Adept classes.

While the combination classes offer a more rounded experience, they don't have access to all skills on both sides of their class. For example, the Soldier class will gain access to a wider variety of weapon-based combat skills than the Vanguard, which combines the Soldier and Adept class.

Organic Dialogue
Mass Effect's most publicized gameplay revolution is its fluid and dynamic dialogue system, and for good reason. Never before has dialogue flowed so naturally, creating moments of unparalleled drama and intensity. Essentially, your available options for dialogue appear in an unobtrusive wheel-like menu well before the non player character (NPC) is finished speaking. This gives you plenty of time to react, make a choice, and allow the conversation to carry on without any jarring pauses.

Long live the Krogan!

Also, your dialogue options represent more your character's gut reaction and not their literal response, so while you may select something along the lines of "Out of my way", Shepherd may actually say, "I just killed fifty bodyguards to get in here. What do you think I'm going to do to you?"

Perhaps even more impressive is Mass Effect's dramatic camera system, which pans, zooms, switches angles, and generally generates mood all on its own throughout each conversation. Gone are the tedious days of "your face-his face" camera angles.

The Wheels
Combat in Mass Effect is handled in the third person and (largely) in real time, and while you can certainly develop tactics based on cover, squad position, and enemy locations, the core of strategy in every combat encounter are the two "wheel" menus which grant access to both abilities and equipment at the touch of a button. These menus are navigated with the left stick.

Both menu wheels highlight all three members of your party, with the power wheel showcasing each member's special abilities (such as stasis, which traps an enemy) and the inventory wheel which allows you to swap weapons on the fly.

You are free to move about the galaxy.

Their use in combat is both essential and intuitive. For example, let's say you're jumped in a side alley by a party of Geth assault troopers. Instead of simply firing away and hoping for the best, bring the action to a tactical halt with the power wheel. Then, take your time and order one ally to overload an enemy's weapon, and the other to enable Overkill, allowing them to lay down intense fire without worry of their own weapon overheating. Meanwhile, unleash a Shield Boost to grant your own armor some extra stopping power.

With your armor fortified, march into the midst of battle. Once you're close enough, use the inventory wheel to swap out your assault rifle for a shotgun, and blast the Geth troopers up close with an acid-round powered, intergalactic street howitzer. Ta da!

Exploration

Freedom is central to Mass Effect. It's your choice what your character looks and acts like. It's up to you how they behave in combat and dish out justice to enemies, and it's up to you to explore your environment. Travel by foot, ship, or vehicle and use the following game elements:

• Galaxy Map: The spaceship Normandy is yours to command throughout Mass Effect and serves as an exceptional base of operations. From it you have access to the Galaxy Map—a slick, beautiful guide to the cosmos that allows you to pick and choose which planets, moons, and space stations you wish to visit.
• Ÿ Planetside: The Mako is a space-age all-terrain vehicle capable of traversing the most hostile of planets, and better yet, is equipped with devastating weaponry that can be upgraded over time. The Mako comes especially into its own when traveling across unexplored planets not directly involved in the core storyline.

Upgrade and Evolve
Whether it's a weapon, piece of armor, gadget or gizmo, chances are you can modify it for greater overall effectiveness or specialization. Throughout your adventures, upgrade kits will be found that can be slotted into place to improve equipment. For example, a pistol may have two available slots: one on the body of the gun (for an improved scope) and one for the ammo (such as for armor piercing rounds).

The gameplay mechanics of Mass Effect are at once all-encompassing and exquisitely transparent. After the first hour or so of gameplay, there never comes a time where you must stop, think, and remember how to "do this" or "find that." From the chaos of combat to the dialogue's dramatic flow and the simplicity of the leveling system, everything you want is just a button away.

Article by Ryan Treit