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Mass Effect
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game has one brief sex scene involving an apparent female alien. The scene more alludes to sex as opposed to showing graphic acts -- but the encounter even occurs when you create a female character, which opens the door to same-sex relationships. The in-game violence is on par with most shooters, but isn't gratuitous; players will shoot with pistols, shotguns, and rifles, and use grenades. But the focus of this game is on the interactive storyline where players decide the dialogue of their characte, leading to moral decisions about whether you traverse the galaxy as a diplomatic hero or a renegade willing to bend the laws, and these decisions have consequences.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
I'm sorry, but "No Kids"? Too far.
Does not deserve m rating!
What's it about?
In MASS EFFECT, your character must traverse galaxies to thwart an ancient machine race's effort to wipe out all organic civilization. How that story unfolds is mostly up to you. You'll start by selecting a character -- you can opt for the standard protagonist, Commander Shepherd, or create your own from scratch. Gamers have six classes to choose from, each with varying degrees of combat, technological, and magic-like (\"biotic\") skills. Players control their character's dialogue, and can therefore dictate how interactions play out in the future.
Is it any good?
Mass Effect represents a bold attempt at reshaping the RPG, if you can get past the glitches and inconsistent action.
It's anchor is its engaging, robust storyline. Powerful voice acting, lifelike facial models, and cinematic presentation make Mass Effect's story one of the few you can truly invest in. Action, on the other hand, doesn't reach the high bar set by the story. For the most part, it's solid, but suffers through inconsistencies.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how this game compares with other role-playing games. Did you feel conflicted making some of the moral choices? Should more games involve equally engrossing storylines where you decide your character's reactions?
Game details
- Platforms: Xbox 360
- Price: $59.99
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: BioWare
- Release date: November 19, 2007
- Genre: Role-Playing
- ESRB rating: M for Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.