I strongly, strongly recommend it. I haven't had that much fun with a videogame since the original Halo, and I might--dare I say it--yup, it's better than Halo. What really grabbed me was the interaction with the characters. They are very interesting people, and it's FUN getting to know them and making decisions to see how they'll react. I even ended up having sex with one of the female soldiers! :) Okay, so maybe that's a bit shallow, but the game really makes you feel that your choices are significant and that they will have an impact on the story.

I can't think of any flaws. The game played like a dream. Trust me on this: get Mass Effect. You know ol' Fartin' Barton wouldn't lead you wrong.