Mass Effect requires patience and imagination to fully enjoy. It's like tasting a new wine; the first sip might have been atrocious, but there was something in it that made you go for a second taste. Soon, the initial bitterness fades as the greatness overshadows any dissatisfaction.

Instead of writing paragraph after paragraph of pseudo-literati gaming opinion, I will be brief in why Mass Effect deserves your attention.

Let's start with a few of the countless flaws:
- Highly annoying texture pop-in.
- Far too many elevators.
- Lack of unique character mannerisms. Why does everyone shake their head and hold out their hands the same way?
- Some odd face glitches like eyelashes on Sheppard's forehead and blocky shadows.
- Radical audio mixing makes some things very difficult to hear.
- Lack of interactivity with the Normandy. I want to access a computer to play a minigame, or be able look out a window at the planet that I'm currently orbiting.
- Some areas feel barren even though they are populated with many NPCs.
- I'd like to be able to jump.
- Ashley is a bitch.

I imagined that this would be the place where I would make a list of Mass Effect's positive traits, but I just decided that it would be too long. Mass Effect is a wonderful game. I was never bored. The universe is believable enough to feel like it is actually out there and the gripping story should keep you playing until the very end. There is nothing like shooting a blackmailing punk in the face.

Like I mentioned earlier, this game takes a lot of patience. Mass Effect is one of the most vague games that I have ever played. It took me quite a while to get used to, but the combat is quite fun. Yes, I think that having grenades mapped to the back button actually works well. The Journal and Codex are helpful, but there is a lot for you to figure out on your own. It's actually refreshing to play a game that treats you like an adult. My first play through was as a soldier on the hardest difficulty with the manual level-up point system and I didn't find it overwhelming at all. Not bad for someone who rarely plays RPGs.

Mass Effect is for people who can look past it's flaws and realize how wonderful of a game it actually is. Definitely recommended.