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Mass Effect is a science-fiction role-playing action game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and later ported to the PC and the PlayStation 3. It is the first installment of the Mass Effect trilogy.

Release
Mass Effect 3 was released November 20, 2007 in North America, November 22, 2007 in Australia and New Zealand, and November 23, 2007 in Europe. It was also released as a Limited Collector's Edition, containing bonus materials including an art book and the Galactic Codex: Essentials Edition 2183 booklet, which gives background on the Mass Effect universe.

The game was later re-made by BioWare and Demiurge Studios for the PC, and the PC-DVD version was released in summer 2008. By summer 2008 there were also versions of the game translated into Spanish, French and Italian. A Japanese-language version was in development for the Xbox 360 only. Mass Effect is available via Xbox's Games on Demand; the full game is available for $19.99 in the USA and $29.99 in Canada. A Platinum Hits version of Mass Effect for Xbox 360 was also released, and included a bonus disc containing the game's soundtrack, the Bring Down the Sky DLC pack, trailers for the game, and pictures and themes for Xbox Live profiles.

Mass Effect is also included in the Mass Effect Trilogy, a boxed set containing all three Mass Effect games. The Trilogy was released on November 6, 2012 for Xbox 360 and PC for $59.99 USD. A PlayStation 3 version of the Trilogy, which brings Mass Effect to that console for the first time, was released on December 4, 2012 worldwide and December 7, 2012 in Europe. A standalone digital version of Mass Effect was also made available via the PlayStation Store for $14.99 USD, and was released on the same day as the PlayStation 3 version of the Trilogy.

Details
Players: 1 Resolution: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3: HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p // PC: unrestricted screen resolution Publisher: Xbox 360: Microsoft Game Studios // PC and PlayStation 3: Electronic Arts Developer: BioWare Corp® Format: 1x DVD (Xbox 360 and PC), 1x Blu-ray (PlayStation 3), Digital Download (PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), Rating: "M" for Mature (NA). Age "12" (UK). 18+ (PEGI). 16 (USK)

PC version
The PC version of the original Mass Effect was developed by BioWare and Demiurge Studios, and published by Electronic Arts in 2008.

System requirements
Notes:
 * For the best results, make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and audio cards. ATI X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements.

Changes from the Xbox 360 version
The main differences between the PC and Xbox 360 versions are tweaks to the combat GUI and the inventory system. The Power Wheel is replaced in the PC version by a tactical HUD (similar to the PC version of Dragon Age) that allows for more precise squad commands and the ability to hotkey tech and biotic talents. The often-criticised inventory system from the 360 version is also overhauled to be more user-friendly. Other differences include minor adjustments to the Mako's handling, an increase in speed to the Normandy's lift, and a minor graphical upgrade and a change to the hacking minigame (used when decrypting doors or containers).

There are no extra assignments or new characters in the PC version and the story is unchanged. However, it does allow the PC release of Bring Down the Sky to be downloaded for free.

Known bugs

 * After you reach 550 MB of pagefile (see the Task Manager in Windows) the game may crash or lead to loop graphic sequences. You will need to reboot your system or manually clean the pagefile. This bug is caused by nVidia graphic cards and Realtek audio card. One solution is to run the game in window mode and disable music and speech.
 * On Therum in the PC version, after Bring Down the Sky is installed, certain areas of the terrain become solid black, regardless of terrain type. Sometimes going to the configuration window (exiting the game, running the game launcher, and selecting configure, or running ) and selecting Repair &gt; Delete Local Shader Cache Files, may sometimes fix the problem. Vista users will need to run the application in Windows XP SP2 compatibility.
 * Quickly pressing the Enter key in confirmation prompts can sometimes leave a window stuck on the screen ("Convert this item into omnigel?"). The game no longer responds to keyboard or mouse input. However, it's still possible to autosave and auto-reload through the console or rebounded keys.

DRM controversy
The PC version of Mass Effect was originally intended to use SecuROM, including a periodic 10-day re-validation, meaning the game would cease to work after ten days without 'checking in' online. After criticism, this aspect of the DRM was removed from the PC version on 9th May 2008. The PC version can be authenticated five times. However, later copies of Mass Effect did not contain any internet authenticating activation mechanisms, allowing it to be installed limitlessly. In March 2009 Mass Effect was released on the Steam platform without the SecuROM copy protection due to the copy protection built into Steam.

PlayStation 3 version
The PS3 version was developed with the assistance of Edge of Reality and published by Electronic Arts in December of 2012. It is largely identical to the 360 version, utilizing the same inventory system and security bypass minigame, although Bring Down the Sky is included in the game. Bioware has stated that due to issues with the source material, Pinnacle Station will not be coming to the PS3 version.

The World of Mass Effect
The game is set in the year 2183 CE, 35 years after humans discovered the ruins of an ancient spacefaring race called the Protheans on Mars. With the technology from these ruins, humanity learned the secrets of mass effect physics and element zero, unlocking faster-than-light travel. Humans also discovered the mass relay network that threaded the galaxy, permitting instantaneous passage across thousands of light-years. Humanity began its journey among the stars, encountering various alien races and establishing itself on the galactic stage.

The First Human Spectre
The player takes on the role of Commander Shepard onboard the SSV Normandy. A routine mission to recover a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime goes awry when you are attacked by geth forces led by a rogue turian Spectre named Saren Arterius, who are also after the beacon. When you locate the beacon it activates, imparting strange visions of synthetics slaughtering organics in Shepard’s mind before becoming inactive. It turns out that Saren is trying to find the Conduit, a mysterious device that will lead to the return of the Reapers, an ancient machine race believed to have exterminated the Protheans. Shepard becomes the first human Spectre and is given command of the Normandy with orders to hunt down Saren. Now it is no longer just about bringing one man to justice, but also to save a galaxy from extinction...

Squad members
Shepard is able to recruit up to six companions to join the Commander in his mission to stop Saren:
 * Kaidan Alenko
 * Tali'Zorah vas Normandy
 * Liara T'Soni
 * Garrus Vakarian
 * Ashley Williams
 * Urdnot Wrex

Other characters
Many other characters are introduced that will become important in Shepard's struggle against the return of the Reapers.


 * Engineer Adams
 * David Anderson
 * Administrator Anoleis
 * Saren Arterius
 * Balak
 * Lizbeth Baynham
 * Matriarch Benezia
 * Kate Bowman
 * Doctor Chakwas
 * Citadel Council
 * Fai Dan
 * Fist
 * Admiral Hackett
 * Harkin
 * Major Kirrahe


 * Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani
 * Nihlus Kyrik
 * Jeff "Joker" Moreau
 * Gianna Parasini
 * Navigator Pressly
 * Lorik Qui'in
 * The Rachni Queen
 * Dr Saleon
 * Sha'ira
 * Shiala
 * The Thorian
 * Donnel Udina
 * Conrad Verner
 * Barla Von
 * Emily Wong

Locations
Commander Shepard and the team visit a wide variety of locations in Mass Effect, including: 1Requires Downloadable Content
 * The Citadel
 * Luna
 * Eden Prime
 * Feros
 * Noveria
 * Virmire
 * Therum
 * Ilos
 * Asteroid X-571
 * Pinnacle Station1

Save File Transfer
One of the main features introduced with Mass Effect was that save game files are able to be transferred to future installments. This means that several decisions made by the player have the potential to impact the story of future games.

Classes
Although most of the game's screen shots and concept art show the same "default" male Commander Shepard, it is possible for the player to fully customize his or her character's appearance, gender, abilities and even military background and personal history. The game includes six character classes. Each class contains several talents; as each talent is leveled, the character either gains stats (extra health, stamina, etc), unlocks new abilities (for example leveling the Shotgun talent unlocks the Carnage ability, which allows the character to fire a concentrated explosive blast from the shotgun), or unlocks other talents. Each class also possesses a unique talent with the same name as its respective class, such as Infiltrator. Characters who have reached level 20 will unlock a Rogue VI side-mission on Luna (Earth's moon) in the Sol system, upon the completion of which the player is allowed to choose a new specialist class. The specialist class the character is offered depends on the base class. When characters are first created, six classes are available: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel, and Vanguard. Soldiers are the most skilled with weaponry and other combat skills, Engineers make the most use of the omni-tool and tech-abilities, and Adepts are the best at using biotic powers. The other three classes are combinations of the first three: Infiltrators have a combination of combat and tech abilities, Sentinels have a combination of biotics and tech, and Vanguards possess combat and biotic skills. While the combination classes do not have the focus of the main classes, they are versatile and offer unique game-play opportunities.

Dialogue and morality
Mass Effect features a new conversation system in which responses to NPCs are displayed as the general tone of the message, rather than a word-for-word transcription of the message. A radial command menu, divided into six directional sections, is shown at the bottom of the screen when a conversation is initiated. Each section is assigned a brief description of the response's intent, usually a short phrase such as "What's going on?" The response is selected by moving the analog stick (or the mouse in the Windows version) in the direction of the desired response on the circle and pressing a button. The command menu is organised such that each section is assigned a particular inclination (being nice, aggressive, etc.), so that after players have become comfortable with the system they no longer have to read the menu, and are able to respond appropriately, immediately, if desired. BioWare intended the system to allow the game to be more cinematic and free players from reading large amounts of dialogue, as would be required with the commonly used system of simply having the player choose from complete, sometimes long, written statements. Dialogue is central to the game's morality system. Many actions within the game affect the characters morality, which in turn has an effect upon later character interactions. Unlike in BioWare's previous titles, emphasis on becoming a pure "good" or pure "evil" character is lessened. The overall story is also affected by the player's personal choices. Project Director Casey Hudson of BioWare has said "[the player's] style of play throughout the game will result in diverging endings that determine the fate of humanity itself," affecting not only the first installment, but also the planned sequels. Morality is mostly determined by the player's choices during conversations. Hudson has further stated that instead of the "good" and "evil" approach that past BioWare games have taken, Mass Effect morality is based on giving points as a Paragon for choosing more polite and professional military actions, or as a Renegade for taking a more ruthless approach. Paragon and Renegade points are scored on two separate scales (i.e. taking a "Paragon" option does not negate a past "Renegade" option), as opposed to other BioWare titles in which morality points were scored on a single scale. NPCs react differently to a character depending on their past morality choices.

Combat and abilities
Combat in Mass Effect takes place in real time, but the player can pause at any time to change the squad's weapons, select different talents for the squad members to use, or to give general squad orders. The player and his allies use firearms, tech abilities, and biotics to fight their enemies. Players directly control their character's actions as well as their squadmates' attacks, but cannot take direct command of their squadmates. They can, however, issue commands allowing the player to tell other characters to get behind cover, regroup, attack a specific target, or to scout ahead. Weapons and abilities of the squad members are selected via the use of two "wheel" interfaces: one for the weapons at the squad's disposal, and the other listing the available powers of each squad member and their respective cooldown times. The abilities and special powers that characters have at their disposal are determined by the skill sets assigned to them at the beginning of the game and how further earned experience points have been allotted since then. Two other abilities, Charm and Intimidate, are dependent on points, storyline progression, and the amount of Paragon or Renegade points the player attains; raising the levels of these will not unlock any attacks, but instead open new dialogue options within the game.

Weapons and equipment
Mass Effect features four classes of conventional firearms pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. There are also grenades, along with a variety of weapon and armor upgrades. The player can pause the game at any time and change the equipment used by the members of the party from the collected Inventory. This is a major strategic aspect of the gameplay, as choosing the correct equipment can mean the difference between a quick victory and defeat. Equipped items are visible on the characters; the armors have different appearances and all weapons fold up into compact versions that are stored on the character's back. Weapons can be retrieved by using a weapon wheel similar to the talent wheel. Ammunition is unlimited; instead of needing to reload, a weapon will build up heat until it overheats and becomes unable to fire again until it has sufficiently cooled down. In-game, the reasoning for this is that weapons are loaded with "blocks" of ammunition material, and each round fired is sheared off from this central supply of ammunition. The rounds themselves are described as being the size of a "grain of sand" and are launched through a mass effect field that accelerates it at extremely high speeds. Firing a weapon continuously or using a weapon that one is untrained with will result in decreased accuracy, represented by an expanding targeting reticle. The more Talent points that are spent on a weapon type, the greater the weapon type's accuracy and damage. The characters wear dual layer hardsuits which serve as combat armor and EVA suits. There are three classifications of armor: light, medium, and heavy. There are many suits of armor from many suppliers with different stats and levels. Armor can be upgraded, and some suits can also provide protection from environmental hazards. The suits also come equipped with kinetic barriers, which act as shields against incoming fire. Aside from Liara, who is able to wear human armor, each non-human character requires a different type of armor corresponding to their race. Biotic- or tech-wielding characters can also upgrade their biotic amps or omni-tools to give bonuses to their attacks or reduce their cooldown periods. The equipment found by the player generally increases in both stats and cost as the player levels up, denoted by a class marking from I to X. Higher class weapons and armor also have more upgrade slots than their lower-class counterparts. Upgrades found in the game fall into one of four categories: weapon upgrades, armor upgrades, ammo upgrades, and grenade upgrades. Weapon and armor upgrades add to certain stats of the item they are put in, such as accuracy or shields, while ammo and grenade upgrades grant such things as fire damage or reduced speed when shot or thrown at enemies.

Travel
The SSV Normandy, the player character's ship, and a technological marvel in the setting of the game, serves as the primary mode of transportation. Since the game spans the galaxy, many trips have to be made from planet to planet. Players choose destinations by selecting them through a galactic map of the Milky Way. The galaxy is divided into numerous levels of organization, shrinking in scale from star clusters, to star systems, and finally down to planets. Travel through the Mass Effect universe is aided through the use of Mass Relays, which are technological artifacts that are capable of transporting vessels nearly instantaneously between star clusters and systems. Once the player decides on a system to visit, several options are available. Some planets are simply there to complete the system. Others can only be surveyed for valuable materials. Some astral bodies such as asteroids, moons, and small space freighters are also available for survey. Finally, some planets can be landed on and explored. The player can move about on foot or using an all-terrain armored personnel carrier called the M35 Mako. Some segments of the game feature combat requiring the use of this vehicle. Although the game follows a main story, Mass Effect includes a large number of side missions and free-roam uncharted worlds that can be reached by selecting them through the Galaxy Map. Virtually every world is part of a side mission, whether the player has uncovered the mission or not. Normally, Shepard will be contacted as a solar system is selected to be briefed on the side mission by Admiral Hackett, of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, if the system contains a side mission that's of direct interest to the Systems Alliance military.

Patches
The current Mass Effect patch version for the PC is 1.02.


 * Patch 1.01
 * Patch 1.02

Expansions
In addition to the Mass Effect planned trilogy of games, BioWare has thus far released two pieces of downloadable content via Xbox Live Marketplace, "Bring Down The Sky" and "Pinnacle Station". Bring Down The Sky is available as a free download for buyers of the PC version and Pinnacle Station is available for $5 at the EA online store. A spinoff game for iPhone and iPod Touch, Mass Effect Galaxy, was released in June 2009.

The series is also expanded in tie-in novels, the first of which was the prequel Mass Effect: Revelation. The second, Mass Effect: Ascension, is set just after the events of the game, and reportedly bridges the first game and Mass Effect 2. Further novels have been released by Del Rey.

A comic, Mass Effect: Redemption, was released beginning in January 2010 by Dark Horse Comics. Several other series have been released since then, as well as shorter comics such as Mass Effect:Inquisition which have been made available digitally.

Film
Ex-Marvel CEO Avi Arad recently obtained the rights to create a film adaptation of the game. It is reported that the movie is now in the early stages of development and will be produced by Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. with Casey Hudson, Ray Muzyka, and Greg Zeschuck of BioWare serving as executive producers.

Trivia

 * "Load Limit Reached", a note in BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins, contains an easter egg reference to Mass Effect.
 * BioWare produced six other covers for Mass Effect which were not used as the final cover of the game for various reasons.