Mass Effect

What is your humanity worth?

Mass Effect is a science-fiction role-playing action game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360. According to BioWare, the game will be the first installment of a trilogy (however, EA has stated that "Mass Effect will be a franchise for [EA] for a very long time"). It was released in 2007 on November 20 in USA and Canada, November 22 in Australia and New Zealand, and on November 23 in Europe. Mass Effect was also released as a Limited Collector's Edition.

The game was later re-made by BioWare and Demiurge 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 is in development for the Xbox 360 only.

The game takes place in the year 2183, with the player taking on the role of an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard. The main story (warning: link leads to plot spoilers) revolves around the quest to find and stop a rogue agent, which then uncovers a plot threatening the entire galaxy.

In addition to the Mass Effect planned trilogy of games, BioWare has released the first paid episodic content via Xbox Live Marketplace, "Bring Down The Sky". This is available as a free download for buyers of the PC version. A spinoff game for iPhone and iPod Touch, Mass Effect Galaxy, is in the works.

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.

Details

 * Players: 1
 * Resolution: Xbox 360: HDTV 720p/1080i/ 1080p // PC: unrestricted screen resolution.
 * Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
 * Developer: BioWare Corp.®
 * Format: DVD for the Xbox 360, DVD for PC
 * Rating: "M" for Mature (USA). Age "12" (UK). 18+ (PEGI). 16 (usk)
 * Availability: November 20, 2007, PC Edition released May 27, 2008