Mass Effect
Games

Mass Effect

BioWare, BioWare Edmonton

2007•Shooter•PEGI 18•About 30 hours

Taste attributes: actionadventurescience fictiondetectivehistoricalmafia/gangstermonster/alien/supernaturalrobots/ai/spaceromancefresh & originalunsavouryheavyimaginarysimplelineargrittyemotive & stirringall consuming questcomplex relationshipdeep rivalryfighting evilfish out of water/culture clashinjustice/tragedy/vengeancelove conquers allsocial commentarysolving the riddle/not as it seemsunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeAn otherworldly shooter that is serious and unsavoury. Best if you like depth over escapism.

Pace: balanced · Originality: balanced · Tone: dark · Weight: heavy · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: linear · Look: balanced · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

Mass Effect is an action role-playing game set in the year 2183. The player takes the role of Commander Shepard, a customizable character who serves as Executive Officer aboard the SSV Normandy. After a routine mission goes wrong, Shepard assembles a squad and pursues a threat that escalates into a galaxy-wide conflict. The game features real-time squad-based combat where players choose companions and tactics suited to different enemy types, from biotic-wielding opponents to heavily armored machines. The game spans a large science fiction universe, with explorable locations ranging from the Citadel space station to alien homeworlds and remote outposts. Player decisions affect mission outcomes, crew relationships, and the overarching narrative across the trilogy.

Summary: IGDB

Story

In the year 2183, Commander Shepard is sent to the human colony of Eden Prime to recover a Prothean beacon. The mission is disrupted by an attack from the synthetic Geth, led by Saren Arterius, a rogue Spectre agent. After making contact with the beacon and receiving a cryptic vision of destruction, Shepard is appointed the first human Spectre and tasked with hunting Saren across the galaxy. The investigation leads Shepard and a growing crew aboard the SSV Normandy through multiple worlds, uncovering a conspiracy tied to the Reapers, a highly advanced machine race believed to eradicate all...

Screenshots

  • Mass Effect screenshot
  • Mass Effect screenshot
  • Mass Effect screenshot
  • Mass Effect screenshot

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast
FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal
DarkTONEWholesome
LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy
FantasyREALISMRealistic
SimpleINTRICACYIntricate
Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear
UnderstatedSTYLEStylised
IntimateSCALEEpic
RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

ActionAdventureScience fictionDetectiveHistoricalMafia/gangsterMonster/alien/supernaturalRobots/ai/spaceRomanceAll consuming questComplex relationshipDeep rivalryFighting evilFish out of water/culture clashInjustice/tragedy/vengeanceLove conquers allSocial commentarySolving the riddle/not as it seemsUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

AliensSoldierMilitaryPermadeathSpaceshipFemale protagonistSlaveryRacism

Details

Developers
BioWare, BioWare Edmonton
Publishers
Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts
Released
20 November 2007
Series
Mass Effect
Platforms
PlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360
Modes
Single player
Perspective
Third person
Time to beat
16h rushed, 30h normally, 49h complete
Age rating
PEGI 18
Taste scores
How we score
Source
IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.

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Game data from IGDB.com.