Mass Effect -- Initial Impression.

We're moving on to another of the major releases this holiday season with Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. Mass Effect is the next game from BioWare, makers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur's Gate among others. Mass Effect is a science fiction theme action role-playing game. If you were to boil it down, Mass Effect is supposed to carry over everything from Knights of the Old Republic as far as character interaction and freedom in character upgradability are concerned while adding in a truer action based combat. You know, being able to walk a good, bad, or indifferent path while picking only the skills you want for each of the characters under your command so you can pretend you're having it your way. Only this time actually having to aim those shots in the combat this time around. BioWare is famous for making glitchy but good games with deep storylines and character. Based on my time spent playing the game it seems like there is great potential for good characters and a deep story. But it also seems they're still not making the most stable of console titles. Nothing fatal so far, just characters getting themselves stuck and being unable to regroup. The combat seems like it's going to be more enjoyable than the combat in Knights of the Old Republic with its illusion of action based battles. But just how deep is this combat going to be? And how deep are the characters and story going to get? Mass Effect is the first entry in a supposed trilogy of games. Hopefully the first entry leaves me wanting more. Only one way to know for sure, as always...