Now that Mass Effect is available in the US (22nd in AUS, 23rd in EU), the reviews have started to pour in and so far - like expected - the game is widely praised. Although it seems to have some technical issues like frame rate hick-ups and texture popping here and there, the game looks absolutely beautiful and controls well. The biggest strength of the title is being agreed upon as being the story, which has the potential to become one the best sci-fi stories ever.

After reading and watching the reviews, check out our Mass Effect gallery as well where we’ve added eight new screenshots that have been released over the past few days.

Gamespot, 8.5/10: “..one of the best-acted games in recent memory. An all-star cast including such well-known actors as Fred Tatasciore and Seth Green bring Mass Effect’s characters to brilliant life. Not once will a drab line delivery or overzealous histrionics get in the way of your immersion.”

Yahoo! Video Games, 4.5/5: “In typical Bioware fashion, the plot’s not short of twists and turns and isn’t afraid to tackle some weighty issues along the way. Tough choices await Mass Effect players, and few will tire of the tale before the credits roll; twenty or thirty hours of gameplay is a decent expectation. You may well be tempted to play it through again, too, and you’ll need to if you want to rack up a full set of achievements.”

Games Radar, 9/10: “When we finished Mass Effect the first time, the very next thing we did was start it all over again. It’s clear that this is the beginning of a fantastic franchise, and we’re already salivating over the possibilities for Mass Effect II.”

IGN, 9.4/10: “BioWare has shown just how far ahead of the curve it is with Mass Effect. The cinematic design is nothing short of masterful. This is a game that takes the aspects of film that make cinema so compelling and crosses it with the interactivity of games with unprecedented success.”

TeamXbox, 9.6/10: “We can only hope that it really is the first part of a trilogy, as we can’t wait to see where the story goes next. We’ve heard people say that Mass Effect could be Star Wars for a new generation. If the first chapter is any indication of what BioWare has planned for the future, the sky’s the limit.”

GameDaily, 10/10: “Even the smallest of changes, like the decision to leave a party member behind or the way you react to questioning, shifts the tempo of the game almost in an entirely different direction. Your end goal is the same, but new missions arise that weren’t on the galaxy map before and people you thought you knew look at you in a different (but not altogether better) light.”

Gametrailers video review, 9.6/10:

[See also: Mass Effect gallery]