Mass Effect

Reviewed by:
Scott Jones

Requirements to play this game: Patience, the willingness to read, and, surprise, more patience. But if you can meet those requirements, you'll find one of the deepest, most satisfying games of the year. This choose-your-own-adventure-style game is made by the same folks who made those chatty Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. If you liked those, you'll love this. If you didn't…well, you might want to give it a shot anyway. It's dense, cerebral, and, to our minds, could use less talky-talky and more shooty-shooty. As you travel the universe trying to convince the galaxy that doom is just around the corner, you'll make plenty of morally complex decisions. It's huge, it's ambitious, and it gets a spare star for its risqué lesbian sex sequence. (All right, ladies—go ahead and do what comes naturally to you!)