The much anticipated sci fi RPG Mass Effect, developed by BioWare, has at last become available for purchase in North America for the Xbox 360. Mass Effect today joins the line of successful BioWare titles such as Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic and Jade Empire and has been describes by industry observers as one of the best games of 2007. The game has so far received a Game of The Month award from the publications Electronic Gaming Monthly and GamePro and a score of 10 out of 10 in addition to an Editor’s Choice Award from Official Xbox Magazine that dubbed Mass Effect as ““a transcendent experience, the new standard-setter for what a game can be.” It has also been given the accolades “Best Console Game” and “Best Role Playing Game” at the 2007 Game Critics Awards.

Mass Effect places players in the role of Commander Shepard, a highly competent Spectre agent, whose responsibility can be described as no less then the protecting of the whole galaxy. Players will encounter difficult ethical choices that will change the fates of races all across the galaxy and so, to save them, players must travel across the extensive reaches of space to stop a terrifying threat at large in the galaxy. The game is also reinforced by deep story lines, an engrossing squad-based combat system, and gameplay supported by high definition technology which results in a new level of realism and interaction. Numerous Hollywood voice talent such as Seth Green, Lance Henriksen, and Marina Sirtis who is best known by sci fi fans as Counselor Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The excitement among the gaming community is also mirrored by Jeff Bell, the corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Mass Effect’s publisher Microsoft, who was quoted as saying that “Mass Effect is like playing a movie!” which used “intense combat and intriguing story lines to create an emotional connection between players and their characters.” Mr. Bell also stated that Mass Effect is the latest example of our commitment to bringing original and captivating titles to fans everywhere.”

Ray Muzyka, the CEO for BioWare Corp, also added that ““We set out to redefine the video game experience with ‘Mass Effect’ and create an in depth and highly interactive game that draws players into a compelling universe” that provides “ an emotional connection between players and the characters they encounter, and Xbox 360 provided us with the perfect platform to tell this incredible story.”

The Sci-Fi channel will be celebrating the launch of the Mass Effect release by airing an episode titled “Sci vs Fi: Mass Effect” on Nov. 20 at 11 p.m EST and PST. The show will explain how technological innovation and creative thinking makes Mass Effect what it is. For more information please visit http://www.scifi.com/masseffect. Mass Effect is solely available for the Xbox 360 and carries an “M” for Mature rating from the ESRA. It retails for $59.99 and there is also a Limited Collector’s Edition which sells for $69.99 and contains a volume called “Galactic Codex Essentials”, an art book called “A Future Imagined” and a bonus DVD that reveals four documentaries detailing the creation of the game called “Inside BioWare” and 10 songs from the soundtrack.