Upon first booting the game and hopping into a free-for-all server, I was greeted by some maniac who shoved a billhook into my face as I watched my lifeless body flop to the ground while the other thirtysomething players in the server were carving eachother up with axes, maces, pitchforks, daggers, spears, and longswords. I knew at that point this game was going to be awesome. It's a neat little gem, but only in short bursts, as combat gets repetitive and mindless after a while. Well worth the price if you can grab it on sale.

Don't ask what this is or what you do in it. Just buy it and thank me later.

Step back to a time where you weren't automatically handed rengerating health bars and where mindless action sequences and explosions weren't shoved down our throats, where interesting plots, decisions with consequences, and emotion-grabbing moments take center stage. Then take some memorable characters, an intriguing story filled with twists and turns that are heavily fueled by the choices you make, and all the sci-fi drama you can handle. You owe it to yourself to play Mass Effect if you haven't done so already. Granted, it's far from perfect. The gunplay is very clunky and the graphics are somewhat dated, but compared to the downhill slope of the sequels at the hands of EA, this game is still a downright masterpiece. Once you set foot in this universe, you might not ever want to leave.