Mass Effect, one of the games in the running for 2007's Game of the Year, finally makes its port over to the PC this week. If you've played Mass Effect for the Xbox then you know what's in store - an involved, complex, galaxy-spanning story, with intense shootouts and action galore.

From the makers of Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare, there's no doubt any fan of first-person shooters or role-playing games could NOT like this game.

Late last year there was a "controversy" over part of 'Mass Effect - there's a scene where your character (male or female) can have honest to god sex with another character. While this was enough to enrage most mothers, it's actually pretty LAME when you see the scene. It's mainly implied, but there's really nothing too bad about it. It's a lot like your buddy saying that he had sex with some random he picked up at the the bar for three hours - it sounds good, but in reality he just jerked off into a sock.

So as a bonus to the PC-lovers that had to wait so long for this game, it's being shipped with additional content that Xbox players had to pay serious money for. In addition, the graphics are bound to be far superior, unless your gaming PC is a pile of junk.

Check out this trailer and let me know what YOU think!

The Mass Effect

So I’ve ranted and raved about Mass Effect a bit previously, and there’s no shortage of reasons why not to. It’s an AMAZING game – easily my pick for Game of the Year for 2007 (yes, even beating out Bioshock for that title… if you don't agree you can bite me). Whether it’s the story that one can easily become immersed in, the fast-paced gameplay, the science-fiction setting, the deep character development, or the limitless possibilities with combinations of weapons/armor/abilities, Mass Effect is, simply put, amazing. But on top of all the listed reasons there’s one that stands out most in my mind: I played it from beginning to end.

That’s right, in an increasingly attention-deficit world it takes a lot to hold our interests, mine included. It seems that every other week there’s a new game that’s got my attention, pulling me from PC, to Xbox, to PS3, to the Wii – But Mass Effect managed to hold me in its spell for a whole month!

You instantly get INTO the game, literally, as you can customize the lead character to your specifics – name, gender, and appearance! You get to choose from hybrids of combat specialists, tech specialists, and biotic (or "force", for those that can relate better to it) powers. You can be a sniper with biotic powers, a close-combat soldier with tech proficiency or you can go gung-ho soldier and be a weapons expert – there are mix-and-match possibilities for everything.

The gist of the story is that you’re a battle-hardened soldier that’s been selected to join an elite ranks of a "space FBI"-type organization… not long afterwards you discover that another member of this group (know as Specters) has gone rogue and wants to bring about the end of the universe, and guess who has to stop him?

You’re joined by a host of human and alien cohorts from bounty hunters, to police, to fellow soldiers that aide you in your quest. The story gets so deep that even your accomplices interact with each other in candid situations, arguing or allying.

The gameplay is a mix of shooter/strategy/squad-based action, which allows you to pause combat and assign actions to your squad. While that does slow the gameplay down a bit, it also allows for perfect control of most situations. The conversation system and alignment that comes from your interactions with NPC's is deep and excellently done, one of the best I’ve ever come across in an RPG.

The story literally spans the galaxy and is epic. How much better can you get than saving the galaxy from the threat of annihilation? With branching paths and options you’re allowed enough flexibility, and there are dozens of side-quests to distract you (have I mentioned the attention-deficit thing yet?).

The voice acting and graphics are superbly done on the Xbox and they’re even better on the PC!), giving you the feeling of the cinematics being cinema quality! Lighting and particle effects are amazing, the enemies are frightening, and locations range from stark to lush.

You'll get lost in the world created by BioWare, the company that brought you the very similar Knights of the Old Republic games. If it can hold me from beginning to end, it'll hold you forever.

You owe it to yourself to play this game – it’s a masterwork of the genre!