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BioWare is the video game developer behind such games as Knights of the Old Republic I and II and Jade Empire, classic and critically acclaimed role-playing games with story-telling that rivals Hollywood film. Now BioWare has returned with Mass Effect, a sci-fi epic only available on Xbox 360 and their first game for the new generation of game consoles.

As you start you're given the choice to customize your main character, choose his background, his look, and his training. As far as the training is concerned, you have the option of making your character a soldier, a biotec, or tech expert or combinations of two of them. The soldier character gives you the strength and power of a military pro in regards to armor and weapons. The biotec has "Force" like powers allowing you to lift and throw enemies among other powers and the tech expert gives you the wisdom to disable people's weapons, robots, shields, etc. Whatever character you choose, you will have team mates who will have the expertise you don't have and that is available for your use as well, but we'll get into that later.

The story begins as your character, Shepard, heads to a planet to investigate why aliens are attacking a human settlement. Although the game plays like a role-playing game, very similar to Knights of the Old Republic, the fighting and battles is in the vein of Gears of War or any third-person shooting games. In the midst of battle, you have great ways to fight. Using the LB (Left Bumper button) you open a quick menu that allows you to choose a weapon for yourself and your team mates. When using the RB (Right Bumper button), you open a menu that allows you to use biotec powers, tech specifics, or soldier skills. For example, if you're a soldier, and you have a Biotec and a Tech on your squad, you can press RB and select which power from your entire team you want to use on an enemy at that moment. It's a great battle system that easy to learn and fun to use. As you fight more battles, you earn skill points that upgrade all of your team mates' skills, such as improvement on lifting enemies from 10 feet to 50 feet in the air to having flawless aim and power when using an assault rifle. There's so much that can be done.

The other impressive aspect of the game is conversation. When on your ship or visiting planets you interact with a wide array of characters. During conversations with these characters, there are different ways to respond to their questions and concerns that range from positively, neutral and negatively. Based on the way you respond, it affects your relationship to that character which sends the subplots within the game in drastically different directions. It's a great conversational system that will have you playing the entire game a few times just to see how things turn out differently in the next round.

Along with the battle system, conversation system, the epic sci-fi storyline that has you traveling the galaxy, the game is almost perfect. The graphics are superb and unlike anything you've seen but there are a few hiccups and stutters in some of the gameplay. In my experience of playing the game, it really didn't take much from the fun. I literally couldn't put the game down and I would have to say that this is one of the best games to come out in the last few years that can be played multiple times. You won't be disappointed.

Q's Rating: 5 out of 5

IGN: 9.4 out of 10

Gamespy: 5 out of 5

Check out the excellent trailer for the game here: