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Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare exclusively for the Xbox 360, which was released worldwide in November, 2007. The game takes place in the year 2183, with the player assuming the role of an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard, set out to explore a vast universe on his/her ship, the SSV Normandy.<ref>http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=579076&forum=104&sp=15</ref>

Besides plans for a trilogy—which BioWare claims "will cover the Xbox 360's five-plus year cycle"—there are plans for episodic content to be uploaded to Xbox Live that will fill in the story between each game, though these episodes are not essential for understanding the story of the main games.<ref> Mass Effect FAQ

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Sommaire

The term "Mass Effect"

Project Manager Casey Hudson explained the term "Mass Effect" as follows:<ref> What's a Mass Effect (sic), Anyway?

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Hudson explains that certain beings are able to sense and manipulate mass effect much like some real-life creatures (such as sharks and eels) can sense and manipulate electromagnetism. These abilities will be augmentable via implants, and the manipulation of mass effect is referred to as Biotics.

Synopsis

Plot

The game begins aboard the experimental Human Systems Alliance frigate SSV Normandy, commanded by Captain Anderson and his XO, Commander Shepard. The Normandy is being sent to the human colony world of Eden Prime to recover a Beacon built by a highly advanced extinct race, the Protheans. To assist in recovering the Beacon, the Citadel Council, the main government for most of the galaxy, have sent one of their top agents, a Turian "Spectre" named Nihlus.

Nihlus, Shepard, and a small team are sent down to Eden Prime to recover the Beacon, and discover that the colony is under attack by alien synthetic life forms known as the Geth. Nihlus encounters and is then killed by another Turian Spectre named Saren. Saren orders the Geth to destroy the colony, but Shepard prevents them from doing so. After the battle ends, Shepard discovers the Beacon and activates it, receiving a vision of biological creatures being slaughtered by machines.

The Normandy and its crew are summoned by Ambassador Udina to the Citadel to report on Saren. The Citadel Council concludes that there is not enough evidence to charge Saren with treason. Shepard discovers a recording of a conversation between Saren and one of his allies, an Asari Matriarch named Benezia, discussing their victory on Eden Prime. The recording also mentions the return of a force known as "the Reapers", which the Geth believe are a race of sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans, as well as an artifact called the "Conduit." Confronted with this evidence, the Council revokes Saren's status as a Spectre. The Council cannot send their fleet after Saren without provoking a major war with the independent Terminus Systems. The Council opts instead to make Shepard a Spectre, and charges him with hunting down Saren.

Shepard is given command of the Normandy by Captain Anderson. He uses the ship to follow up on several leads given by Anderson and Udina, but as a Spectre, Shepard is free to follow them in any order. Traveling to the planet Therum in the Artemis Tau Cluster, Shepard finds and rescues Liara T'soni, Matriarch Benezia's daughter, who is an expert on the Protheans. Liara identifies the Beacons as devices that transmit information directly into the user's mind, but the information is useless without the collective unconsciousness of the Prothean species, also known as the "Cipher". Arriving on the besieged colony world of Feros, Shepard fights off an army of Geth and discovers that the colony is housing an ancient life form known as the Thorian, a sentient plant-like creature that has absorbed vast knowledge from the Protheans. This knowledge forms the "Cipher" that can help interpret the contents of the Beacons. Shepard battles the Thorian and acquires the Cipher, learning of Saren's flagship, Sovereign, which seems to be capable of mind-control.

Shepard finds out that Matriarch Benezia is on the corporate-controlled world of Noveria. He tracks her down to a research facility where he is attacked by both Geth and alien insects known as Rachni. Shepard discovers that the Matriarch's goal was to recover the location of the Mu Relay, the location of which is possessed by the last surviving Rachni Queen. Benezia attacks Shepard but is defeated, and reveals that her mind is being controlled by Saren, through his ship Sovereign. She soon reverts to Saren's control and Shepard is forced to kill her.

After completing two of the previous three planets Shepard learns a Salarian spy unit has uncovered a base operated by Saren on Virmire. Traveling there, Shepard and his team learn that Saren is creating an army of Krogan warriors, and studying the process by which Sovereign controls minds. Shepard assaults the base to detonate the fusion reactor of a ship inside it.

With the assistance of the Salarian commandos, Shepard's stealth team breaches the base. Inside they discover another Prothean Beacon, which transfers its knowledge to Shepard. Shepard is then confronted by Sovereign itself, which reveals that it is what the Protheans and Geth consider to be a "Reaper." Sovereign explains that the Reapers allow organic life to develop, using the mass relays to control organic life, before extinguishing them when they reach a certain level of advancement. After planting the nuclear bomb and attempting to escape the facility, the team is attacked by Saren. He explains that he has aligned himself with the Reapers to save organic life by making it "useful". Shepard refuses to accept Saren's plan and escapes Virmire before the nuclear warhead is detonated.

With the Cipher and the information from the two Beacons, Liara is able to make sense of the information Shepard possesses. She pinpoints the Conduit's location on a Prothean world known as Ilos, a world that can only be accessed through the Mu Relay. Returning to the Citadel with this information, Shepard finds that the Council does not accept the Reapers as a genuine threat. Ambassador Udina locks Shepard out of the Normandy, but Captain Anderson steps in and allows Shepard to steal the ship back.

On the surface of Ilos, Shepard follows Saren into an ancient bunker deep within the planet and encounters a Prothean computer system named Vigil, which explains the Reapers' methodology. The Citadel Station is actually a mass relay facility built by the Reapers that will summon them from the dark space outside the galaxy. Before the Reapers invaded the researchers at Ilos were on the verge of understanding the mass relay system, and were able to finish their studies upon re-awakening. The Prothean researchers sabotaged the mass relay in the Citadel and created the Conduit, a miniaturized mass relay that allowed them to travel to the heart of the Citadel. Sovereign intends to use the Conduit to transport Saren and his Geth army directly into the Citadel, bypassing its security systems allowing him to manually open the Citadel mass relay.

Shepard pursues Saren through the Conduit. At the same time, Sovereign and a massive Geth fleet assault the Citadel itself, breaking through the Council fleets defending the station. Sovereign lands on the central tower of the Citadel and begins activating the relay, while Saren uses the Citadel's central control systems to close the station around the Reaper to protect it. Shepard fights up the tower to the control center and confronts Saren, either killing him personally or convincing him that he has fallen under Sovereign's indoctrination, prompting Saren to kill himself. The Human Systems Alliance fleet arrives to reinforce the beleaguered Council fleets while Shepard reopens the Citadel and exposes Sovereign. At this point, Shepard has a choice between ordering the Alliance fleet to save the Council, who are under attack by the Geth, or going directly to Sovereign. Saren's corpse suddenly reanimates under Sovereign's direct control, and begins attacking Shepard while the Alliance attacks Sovereign itself. When the dust settles, Sovereign is destroyed and the reanimated Saren corpse disintegrates.

The precise ending of the game depends on several factors, among them whether or not Shepard opts to save the Council during the final battle, and whether Shepard has a higher Paragon or Renegade meter. If Shepard saves the Council, they are inspired by Shepard's actions and bravery and grant humanity a seat on the Council. If the Council is destroyed, the Systems Alliance assumes control and humanity steps forward to lead the galaxy into the future. Shepard is also allowed to choose between Ambassador Udina or Captain Anderson as the new leader in the aftermath, but regardless of the choice, Shepard realizes that the Reapers are still a threat, and that they must be stopped.

Characters

Image:Masseffect 09 450x265.jpg
Garrus, left; Commander Shepard, center

The player assumes the role of Commander Shepard, a veteran soldier<ref> Mass Effect Interview

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.</ref> who can be customized by the player. The character's appearance also varies based on the weaponry and armor the player uses.<ref> Mass Effect Extended Impressions

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.</ref> Mass Effect allows the player to create their own customizable version of Commander Shepard. In addition to customising Shepards appearance, players can also choose a back story for the character, which influences dialogue throughout the game, as well as which side missions will be available to the character.

In addition to Commander Shepard, the player can have two additional characters following along and helping out with fighting and dialog. These characters are not created by the player and are only partially under the player's control. There are six characters met in the game who will join the fight; each has a detailed back-story and their own reasons for wanting to help. Two of the characters are human and the other four are aliens.

Alien species

While playing Mass Effect the player will encounter a number of sentient alien species. While human characters are present, much of the time will be taken up interacting with the other species in the game. Aliens include the reptilian Krogan, the raptor-like Turians and the Asari, a race of aliens who physically resemble human females.

Gameplay

Player creation and character classes

Although most of the game's screen shots and concept art show the same "default" male Commander Shepard, it is possible for the player to fully customize their character's appearance, gender, abilities and even military background.<ref> Mass Effect FAQ

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The game includes six character classes, along with six more unlockable ones.<ref> Mass Effect Community - Fields of Discipline (Character Classes)

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.</ref> Each class contains several talents; as each talent is leveled, the character either gains stats (extra health, stamina, etc), unlocks new abilities (leveling the Shotgun talent unlocks the Carnage ability, which allows the character to fire a concentrated blast from the Shotgun), or unlocks other talents. Each class also possesses a unique talent with the same name as its respective class; the characters may also have talents tied to their background.<ref> IGN - Mass Effect Preview

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.</ref> Characters who have reached level 20 will unlock a "Rogue VI" side-mission on Luna in the Sol system, in which upon completion, allows the player to choose one new specialist class. This unlocks one new "bar" of talents which can be earned. The specialist classes the character is offered depends on the base class.

Character background

When characters are first created six classes available: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel and Vanguard. Soldiers are the most skilled with weaponry, Engineers make use of the omni-tool and tech-abilities and the Adept are the best at using the biotics. The other three classes are combinations of the first three. Infiltrators are a combination of Soldiers and Engineers, the Sentinel is a combination between the Engineer and the Adept and the Vanguard are a combination of the Soldier and the Adept.

Players also have some control over their character's back story. They are able to choose either to have been a "spacer" (born and bred in space), a colonist or an "Earthborn". They also choose whether they have been the sole survivor of a terrible battle, a war-hero or a ruthless soldier. These backgrounds have only a small effect in the game, although many characters reference the player's chosen background when talking to Commander Shepard and these can also affect whether some side-quests are available. Except in a few situations, the player's background does not affect the player's dialog choices.

Dialogue

Previous BioWare titles such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire employed a conversation system where the player chose from several responses after non-player characters (NPCs) had finished speaking. Mass Effect introduces a new system in which responses to NPCs are displayed as the general tone of the message, rather than a word-for-word transcription of the message.

The 1UP.com preview states that "the dialog system is a refined, more dynamic version of what you've seen in previous BioWare games. You'll no longer read the lines and select which one you want to say; now you use a dialog wheel to choose the approach you want to take (bully, bribe, or be nice, for example), and your character takes it from there."<ref> "1UP preview"

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A radial command menu, divided into six equal sections like a pie chart, is shown at the bottom of the screen when a conversation is initiated. Each section is assigned a brief preview of the response, usually a short phrase such as "What's going on?". The response is selected by moving the analog stick in the direction of the desired response on the circle and pressing a button. The command menu is organized such that each section is assigned a particular inclination (i.e. being nice, aggressive, etc.), so that after players have become comfortable with the system they no longer have to read the menu, and are able to respond appropriately, immediately, if desired. BioWare hopes that the innovative system allows the game to be more cinematic and frees players from reading large amounts of dialog, as would be required with the commonly used system of simply having the player choose from complete, sometimes long, written statements.<ref> Mass Effect Extended Impressions

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Combat

Combat in Mass Effect takes place in real time, though much like a previous BioWare game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the player can pause at any time to give orders to other squad members. The player and his allies use firearms (modifiable with various upgrades throughout the game), Tech abilities (to interfere with enemy equipment and abilities), and Biotics (similar to magical attacks or Force powers in other games) to fight their enemies. Players directly control all of their own character's actions but cannot take direct command of their squad mates. They can, however, issue commands using the directional pad,<ref> Mass Effect Extended Impressions

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. Retrieved on 2007-01-25. </ref> allowing the player to tell other characters to get behind cover, regroup, attack a specific target, or to scout ahead. The player can also use the talent wheel interface to control which of their abilities or special powers squad mates use.

The abilities and special powers that characters have at their disposal are determined by the skill sets assigned to them at the beginning of the game and how further earned experience points have been allotted since then. Some special abilities include a telekinetic lift that can be used to pick up objects and enemies, and a tech ability that reduces the shields of enemies. Dialog and commercial abilities such as charm and intimidate are dependent on points, storyline progression, and the amount of paragon or renegade points the characters attain.

Tech abilities

Tech abilities are found to be very useful in the Mass Effect universe as most enemies are synthetic in some aspect. These abilities are activated through the OmniTool, which three of the main classes can use: Engineers, Infiltrators, and Sentinels. These abilities include destroying enemy shields and hacking robotic enemies to fire on their own squad.

Biotics

Biotics are accessed by using the implants in the characters that enhance natural abilities to manipulate dark energy. These abilities include raising shields that are resistant to enemy fire but still allow the player to fire through them and creating small singularities that cause destructible parts of the environment to fly at enemies. Three of the main character classes are able to use these powers: Adepts, Vanguards and Sentinels.

Weapons and equipment

Mass Effect features four classes of conventional weapons and a variety of weapon and armor upgrades. The player can pause the game at any time and change the equipment used by the members of the party. This is a major strategic aspect of the gameplay, as choosing the correct equipment can mean the difference between a quick victory and defeat. Equipped items are visible on the characters; the armors have different appearances and all weapons fold up into compact versions that are stored on the character's back. Weapons can be retrieved by using a weapon wheel similar to the talent wheel.

Morality

The side story and the number of character interaction choices in Mass Effect are affected by the player's chosen morality. Unlike in BioWare's previous titles, emphasis on becoming a pure "good" or pure "evil" character is lessened. Some characters may not like the player or leave the player's squad if the player's moral direction differs from their squad mates. The overall story is also affected by the player's personal choices. Project Director Casey Hudson of BioWare has said "[the player's] style of play throughout the game will result in diverging endings that determine the fate of humanity itself", affecting not only the first installment, but also the planned sequels.<ref>Modèle:Cite magazine</ref> Morality is mostly determined by the player's choices during conversations.<ref> Mass Effect Extended Impressions

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Hudson has further stated that instead of the "good" and "evil" approach that past BioWare games have taken, Mass Effect morality is based on giving points as a "Paragon" for choosing more polite and professional military actions, or as a "Renegade" for taking a more ruthless and take-no-prisoners approach. "Paragon" and "Renegade" points are scored on two separate scales (i.e. taking a "Paragon" option does not negate a past "Renegade" option), as opposed to other BioWare titles such as Knights of the Old Republic in which morality points were scored on a single scale so that making a "Light Side" choice negated the morality change characters underwent for making a "Dark Side" choice. NPCs react differently to a character depending on their past morality choices.<ref> Mass Effect Podcast 01, Part 2

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Travel

The SSV Normandy, the player character's ship, and a technological marvel in the setting of the game, serves as the primary mode of transportation.

Since the game spans the galaxy, many trips have to be made from planet to planet. Players choose destinations by selecting them through a galactic map of the Milky Way.<ref>Modèle:Cite magazine</ref> The galaxy is divided into numerous levels of organization, shrinking in scale from star clusters, to star systems, and finally down to planets.

Travel through the Mass Effect universe is aided through the use of Mass Relays, which are technological artifacts that are capable of transporting vessels nearly instantaneously between star clusters and systems. There are two types of Mass Relays, primary and secondary. Primary relays are "linked" with a twin, and so are one-directional, but can span as many as a hundred thousand light years—according to the game's "Codex". Secondary relays are omnidirectional and can send ships to any relay within its limited range of about a hundred light years.

Once the player decides on a planet to visit, several options are available. Some planets are simply there to complete the system. Others can only be surveyed for valuable materials. Finally, some planets can be landed on and explored. The player can move about on foot or using an all-terrain armored personnel carrier called the Mako. Some segments of the game feature combat requiring the use of this vehicle. Most main story segments (and many side missions) are geared toward on-foot shooter action.

Although the game follows a main story, Mass Effect includes a large number of side missions and free-roam "unexplored planets" that can be reached by selecting them through the galactic map.

Editions

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The cover art for the PAL version of the limited collector's edition.

Mass Effect was released in both a Standard and Limited edition of the game. The Limited Edition was available through pre-order only at online retailers GameStop.com, EBGames.com, Amazon.com, and BestBuy.com within the United States and in store in the European Union. The Limited Edition features are as follows:

  • A fiction book titled "Galactic Codex: Essentials" – A 36-page guide to the Mass Effect universe, including a Citadel time line and a guide to all non-human races, biotics and the key locations in the Perseus Arm of the galaxy
  • An art book titled "A Future Imagined" which includes a collection of concept art from the game.
  • A bonus DVD of exclusive Mass Effect background material and additional content including:
    • "The Vision of Mass Effect" documentary
    • "The Making of Mass Effect" documentary
    • "Interactive Storytelling" documentary
    • "Inside BioWare" documentary
    • 18 Mass Effect themed gamer pics
    • 4 dashboard themes
    • Ten songs from the Mass Effect soundtrack
    • Five historical trailers from X05 through E3 2007 and the official TV trailer
    • A demo for Blue Dragon and videos for Lost Odyssey, Halo 3 and Halo Wars
    • Design galleries featuring 600 concept images fully commented by the Art directors

The Limited Edition was made available for pre-order at online retailers only in the United States and Canada, as well as in stores only in the European Union. A DVD containing content concerning the development of the game was also distributed to all those who pre-ordered the game in the United States at GameStop, EBGames.com, and some Best Buy locations. The bonus content DVD was also made available for those who pre-ordered the game in Australia at selected retailers, but the Limited Edition is not.

Reception

Modèle:VG Reviews Mass Effect has received generally positive reviews. Game Informer awarded Mass Effect a 9.75 out of 10, declaring it "the next big franchise for science fiction junkies to latch onto", "a huge step forward for video games", and that it "rings in a new age of interactive storytelling". The key negative points of the review were the balancing issues and problematic AI of the combat system.<ref>Game Informer Gives Mass Effect 9.75</ref><ref>Game Informer scanned review</ref>. Official Xbox Magazine gave Mass Effect the sixth '10' in the magazine's history, raving, "Mass Effect is a great science-fiction novel in video game form. Meaning, it mixes the highest caliber of pure story with the decision making and raw action of the best games." The OXM reviewer also praised it saying "It's the best game i've ever played." <ref>Official Xbox Magazine, Issue #79</ref> Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded Mass Effect a Gold Award with scores of 9, 9.5, and 9, also citing that the negative points of the review were balance issues with the character classes, as well as a steep learning curve with the Mako IFV <ref>Electronic Gaming Monthly, Issue #223, Holiday 2007. pg. 85</ref>. GameSpy and X-Play gave it their highest rating, 5 stars and a special episode "Mass Effect takes interactive entertainment to breathtaking new heights and is wholeheartedly recommended. This is one of the best games of the year, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest games ever made."<ref>GameSpy Mass Effect review</ref> Shacknews praised, "While the core gameplay is nothing new—sometimes disappointingly so—Mass Effect represents a generational jump in storytelling artistry."<ref>Shacknews Mass Effect review</ref> Slashdot's review also praised the storytelling, saying "[The] storyline Mass Effect will have you laughing, furious, and deeply saddened—in some cases all about the same character." GameTrailers.com gave Mass Effect a 9.6 out of 10, one of its highest reviews ever.<ref name=gtrev>GameTrailers Mass Effect video review</ref>

IGN awarded the game a 9.4 of 10, and while saying it was "a new high mark for storytelling in games", it also pointed out a common criticism in most of the reviews for the game, that while "the RPG elements are outstanding", the "glitches, poor AI, and weak squad mechanics weigh the game down".<ref>IGN Mass Effect review</ref> Eurogamer stated in its review, "Mass Effect is most definitely a great game with an awful lot going for it—but one that doesn't quite deserve unquestioning praise."<ref name=eurog>Eurogamer Mass Effect review</ref>

Sales figures

In an interview with Gamedaily Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing for the Xbox 360, Jeff Bell was quoted as saying Mass Effect "...has sold more than a million copies in less than three weeks."<ref name=SalesGD>Microsoft Still Pushing Consumers to 'Jump In'</ref>

Street date violations

On Friday, November 9 2007, 11 days before the official release date of the game, news on the internet surfaced that the game was available for sale at several Kmart stores in the United States. This was later confirmed by Bioware Community Coordinator Chris Priestly on the official Mass Effect forum.<ref> On the rumors of a broken street date...


. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. </ref> The street date was also broken in Australia on November 16 2007 by EB Games who received their copies of the game early and took it as a sign to begin distributing. This was shortly followed by many game retailers including JB Hi-Fi, Gametraders, and GAME.<ref>http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2007/11/mass_effect_to_hit_oz_early.html</ref>

Cast


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. Retrieved on 2007-11-14. </ref><ref> SEE Magazine: September 28, 2006


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Awards

Mass EffectModèle:'s showing at E3 2006 was well received and resulted in the game winning several awards. These include:

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.</ref> Best of E3 2006: Best RPG<ref name=tx/>

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The game earned the following post-release awards and nominations:

Spike TV Awards<ref> Magrino, Tom



     (2007-11-11)
   
.    Halo 3, BioShock top Spike TV noms 
. GameSpot

. Retrieved on 2007-11-11. </ref>:

  • Nominated: Game of the Year, Best RPG, Best Graphics, Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Original Score.
  • Awarded: Best RPG
GameStooge Awards<ref> Falcon, Jonah



     (2007-11-11)
   
.    2007 GameStooge Award Nominations 
. 2old2play

. Retrieved on 2007-11-11. </ref>:

  • Nominated: Best Xbox 360 Game, Best Roleplaying Game, Best Music Score - Original, Best Writing.

A complete list of awards can be found at the game's official website.<ref name=officialsite> Mass Effect Awards


. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. </ref>

Novels

On February 21 2007, it was announced by BioWare that Del Rey, an imprint of Random House Inc., had acquired Mass Effect: Revelation, the prequel novel to the game. The novel, authored by the lead writer of the game (Drew Karpyshyn), will subsequently be accompanied by another book set in the world of Mass Effect.<ref>"Del Rey Acquires Prequel Novel to BioWare's Highly-Anticipated Video Game, Mass Effect". Bioware.com. February 21, 2007].</ref> Revelation was released on May 1 2007. The second novel, Mass Effect: Ascension, has been announced for the summer of 2008.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, composed by Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, Richard Jacques, and David Kates, was published by Sumthing, and features 37 tracks.<ref>Mass Effect Original Soundtrack Product Page, Sumthing.com</ref> According to the liner notes and press release, the music was inspired by classic sci-fi movies such as Blade Runner and Dune.<ref>Mass Effect Soundtrack Released, GameStooge.com</ref>

References

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External links

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