2007 is slated to be an epic year for games. Starting around September we will find ourselves eyeballs-deep in the games that have been responsible for a swelling epidemic of hype that has commanded our attention for more than a year. Halo 3, GTA 4, Spore, and Assassin’s Creed are some of the most indomitable of these iconic goliaths for which we will worshipfully sacrifice weeks of sunshine and social life simply to grasp what has been worth such anticipation.

I always follow the progress of such games and study the tide of popular opinion to try to identify what is going to be life-altering and what is just a cult following.  I am already as excited for Spore and Assassin’s Creed as I can be this far from launch, for example.  But for all of my tolerance of mob mania in the game world there is a rebel/gypsy/non-conformist chunk of my heart that is saving itself for a gem of 2007 that has so far coasted in the shadows of its monstrous competitors:  BioWare’s Mass Effect.

It’s a crying shame that great games can be overlooked and underappreciated when their releases coincide with that of much more hyped games.  Beyond Good and Evil, one of my favorite games of all time, was the victim of this phenomenon, as was Okami, my favorite game of 2006, which not only came out when all eyes were for Wii and PS3, but was overshadowed by the likes of hype mongers like Gears of War, Guitar Hero II, and Bully.  My personal goal is to never be so blinded by the glowing suns of everyone’s anticipation that I cannot see what other treasures are on the horizon.  This is all to explain why I might seem irrationally excited about Mass Effect.

Using GDC as an excuse to sneak into Microsoft’s series of press junkets, Jinx and I stumbled into a darkened hotel room at 9am and stepped on the feet of legitimate journalists while settling in to see BioWare’s latest masterpiece.  If you have forgotten the contents of their legendary game library, I will forgive you, but only this once!  Next time your forgetfulness will be at the cost of your gaming thumbs, for anyone who calls themselves a gamer should at least be aware of what BioWare has brought to our world.  Baldur’s Gate II (Best RPG of 2001 and one of my favorite games ever), Neverwinter Nights (a definitive D’n’D-based RPG), Jade Empire (Best RPG of 2005), and Knights of the Old Republic (2005 Game/RPG of the Year and one of my favorite games ever) are all part of BioWare’s portfolio; you can officially call me a BioWare fangirl.

Great RPGs revolve around strong storyline and strong character development.  BioWare’s best RPGs have always had these elements and with each new project the developers challenge themselves to evolve how the characters interact with the player and one another.  In Mass Effect, the dialogue is seamless and the player can determine the tone of their response with the push of a thumbstick.  As a spectator I had to pay close attention to identify when the player was deciding the main character’s reaction; the flow of the conversation was perfectly natural, adding a new measure of immersion to the experience.

I could start getting into depth here about the game’s cinematic camera blur-focus effects, the reactivity of the NPCs, the extensive universe containing hundreds of side-quests and additional worlds, and the captivating storyline, but there’s plenty enough time before launch to get into that later.  Instead I will summarize the stuff you REALLY need to know to get excited.  Every 50,000 years robots come to ‘harvest’ all organic civilizations; it’s now year 49,999.  Kick-ass female character!  Sci-fi gorgeousness!!  SPACE ZOMBIES!!!!!!  ‘Nuff said.