Last night, the SPACE crew visited a launch party for Mass Effect, Bioware's ambitious role-playing game for the Xbox 360. The game is set to redefine standards for character interaction and development.

After filling up on mini-pizzas, we entered the screening room and watched as Project Director Casey Hudson gave us a crash course on the game. We started at the beginning of the game with a male character. This showed us how the dialogue is modified to work with whether you're male or female, as well as your chosen background history.

We were then shown scenes where you can make decisions on the fly during missions, such as ordering your squad. This included more indepth uses of the interactive cinematic conversations - where things are more complicated than "yes or no". We can choose what to ask or tell people, whether to brush 'em off or start swinging fists. In a later scene, we watched as the player decided to kill off a squad member Jack Bauer style.

On the surface it's a "choose your own adventure" movie but in this game there are actual repercussions. All your choices weave the tapestry that is not only your character's life but relationships with other characters. "You have to work and build those up over time, like in real life," Hudson explained. There's even the possibility of romance but despite what rumors suggest, whatever is in the game has been "done tastefully".

After the demo we were treated to a lengthy Q&A session. I asked whether the game will be released on another system or PC but right now they couldn't give an answer. However, Mass Effect will be a trilogy and you will have the option to continue your character in the next games.

The game is fairly immersive and low on the cheese factor. I only say 'fairly' because learning how to play the game takes time. But it doesn't take time to learn how to create your character. You have an endless amount of options when it comes to your appearance, making the amount of possible faces in the millions. This is a definite first for gaming because the character's face looks as detailed as any other character you encounter in the game. The eyes, mouths and expressions are also fully animated, whether you are human or not.

My only gripe is that since you're a character in the military, women can't have long hair. There are some makeup options, however. Community Manager Chris Priestly mentioned that a bug had male characters able to put on makeup while women were able to put on facial hair. I said that they should have left it in since some people might like that, it's not a bug... it's a feature!

:: Watch the Mass Effect - Cutscene Trailer
:: Watch the Mass Effect - Combat Soldier Trailer