Game reception and rating:Mass Effect

Xbox 360 reviews

Game Informer awarded Mass Effect a 9.75 out of 10, declaring it "the next big franchise for science fiction junkies to latch onto... a huge step forward for video games," and that it "rings in a new age of interactive storytelling." The key negative points of the review were the balancing issues and problematic AI of the combat system.[65] Official Xbox Magazine gave Mass Effect the sixth '10' in the magazine's history, raving, "Mass Effect is a great science-fiction novel in video game form. Meaning, it mixes the highest caliber of pure story with the decision making and raw action of the best games." The OXM reviewer also praised it saying "It's the best game I've ever played" and remarked that it had "The best story ever told in a videogame. Period."[66] Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded Mass Effect a Gold Award with scores of 9, 9.5, and 9, also citing that the negative points of the review were balance issues with the character classes, as well as a steep learning curve with the Mako IFV.[67] GameSpy and X-Play both gave it a 5 out of 5 and a special episode "Mass Effect takes interactive entertainment to breathtaking new heights and is wholeheartedly recommended. This is one of the best games of the year, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest games ever made."[68] Shacknews praised, "While the core gameplay is nothing new — sometimes disappointingly so — Mass Effect represents a generational jump in storytelling artistry."[69] Slashdot's review also praised the storytelling, saying "[The] storyline Mass Effect will have you laughing, furious, and deeply saddened — in some cases all about the same character." GameTrailers gave Mass Effect a 9.6 out of 10, one of its highest reviews ever.[70] GameSpot reviewed the X360 version as "a great game with moments of brilliance and a number of small but significant obstacles that hold it back from reaching its true potential." It subsequently reviewed the PC version and gave it a higher score calling it "best choice for experiencing this excellent game."

IGN awarded the game a 9.4 of 10, and while saying it was "a new high mark for storytelling in games," it also pointed out a common criticism in most of the reviews for the game, that while "the RPG elements are outstanding," the "glitches, poor AI, and weak squad mechanics weigh the game down."[71] Eurogamer stated in its review, "Mass Effect is most definitely a great game with an awful lot going for it — but one that does not quite deserve unquestioning praise."[72] Awarding Mass Effect "The Best RPG of 2007," GamePro raves about the tremendous amount of depth to the game, from the character customization options to the world at large. The negative to the game they mention is that "the elevator rides are ridiculously long."[73] In October 2008 IGN declared Mass Effect the Best Xbox 360 game.[74]

According to updated figures from Microsoft, in the six weeks after the game was released, it had sold 1.6 million copies.[75]
[edit] Windows reviews

Early reviews of the Windows version by Ars Technica and PC Zone have hailed it as the "definitive" Mass Effect, and an outstanding port to the Windows platform. The game entered the US Windows game charts[citation needed] at number 3, beaten by two different versions of Age of Conan at 1 and 2. The first mainstream print magazine review of Mass Effect for Windows was from PC Zone, scoring 92%. PC Gamer US gave the game a 91%, despite stating that "inventory management is a nightmare".[76]