Mass Effect

About the game

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 organic civilizations on a 50,000-year cycle. Shepard must stop Saren before he can trigger their return.

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Time to beat

26 h 26 minAverage completion time
16 h 59 minMain
27 h 34 minMain + Sides
42 h 20 minCompletionist
14 h 13 minCo-op

Trailers

Details

Genres
Shooter • RPG
Game Modes
Single player
Player Perspective
Third person
Platforms and release dates

X360

2007-11-20

PC

2008-05-28

PS3

2012-12-07
Developers
BioWare • BioWare Edmonton
Publishers
Microsoft Game Studios • Electronic Arts
Other companies
Demiurge Studios • Edge of Reality
Game Engines
Unreal Engine 3
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Ratings

91
Metacritic74 ratings
88
IGDB4 ratings

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Description

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 organic civilizations on a 50,000-year cycle. Shepard must stop Saren before he can trigger their return.

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.

Details

Genres
Shooter • RPG
Game Modes
Single player
Player Perspective
Third person
Platforms and release dates

X360

2007-11-20

PC

2008-05-28

PS3

2012-12-07
Developers
BioWare • BioWare Edmonton
Publishers
Microsoft Game Studios • Electronic Arts
Other companies
Demiurge Studios • Edge of Reality
Game Engines
Unreal Engine 3