An image gallery with concept art from the video game Mass Effect

Mass Effect is an action role-playing game, developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and ported to Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The game takes place in the year 2183, with the player assuming direct control of an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard and setting out to explore the Galaxy on a starship, the SSV Normandy. The eponymous "mass effect" is a form of inertia-suppressing technology, allowing faster-than-light travel.