Others say...

"One of the Best Soundtracks Ever Heard for a Video Game"
Mass Effect is flat-out one of the best games of the past five years. And one of the things that makes it so great is the soundtrack, which is a real score, instead of some cardboard effort, or some stock music. Nope, this is full studio work, and actual thought went into it. No, the the soundtrack isn't there for background, it's part of the living breathing game. They build off each other. The soundtrack helps complete the mood and atmosphere, instead of hindering it.

It's a tribute to 80's sci-fi movies with its constant synth use, but there's also plenty of horns, some piano and somehow, it all comes together in epic fashion. And epic it is. This could easily be in any movie, and it should. Jack Wall and Sam Hulick did an amazing job here. Not once did I think that a piece of score was overdone while listening to the music itself. Something I can't say for most modern movie composers.

Memorable Highlights:

"Mass Effect Theme"
"Love Theme"
"Uncharted Worlds"

I also found the credits track rather interesting. It's not amazing, but it'll keep any electronic/indie/80's music fan happy. The guitar work in it isn't half-bad either.

Overall, another great achievement in video gaming: an amazing soundtrack that makes others cringe in terror. An amazing game, an amazing soundtrack with memorable tracks, keeping you interested and into the mood. And although it's too short (most tracks clocking in at 1:30), it's still an amazing job. The standard in video game music has just been set a lot higher, courtesy the synths and scores from Mass Effect.

"Beautiful Score, But So Short..."
Mass Effect is a beautiful game.

So it could be assumed that the soundtrack of the game is beautiful as well. And beautiful it is. The soundtrack is nothing more than what you'd expect: the music--ambient or otherwise--from the game.

But, being an avid soundtrack purchaser, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with this as compared with the soundtracks from the three Halo games, because each track is only as long as a single run through that track would be in game. This means that you'll burn through the soundtrack in about an hour, maybe less.

Regardless, it's still a piece I'd recommend to fans of the game, and goes great in the background as you read the book, as well.

"Highly recommended"
It's not often that a developer takes a chance with their soundtrack like this, and it was a rather rewarding gamble on Bioware's part in the end. Mass Effect, by itself a great game, will be remembered for a long time for its soundtrack. It made the game larger than life, and made me feel like I was in a space epic/opera. After beating the game I still wanted more, so this soundtrack and the prequel novel were right up my alley. I received both items a little later than expected, but that is the price I pay for having USPS ship over the holiday's.

If you are a fan of the Blade Runner and Dune soundtrack, or 80's scifi music in general, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. It features heavy synth mixed with orchesra level acoustics, which may not sound like it would work together at first, but melds perfectly throughout.

There is a reason Gamespot awarded it with soundtrack of the year over cult favorites like Halo.

"Very good soundtrack."
A very good soundtrack of an incredible videogame, you will listen to all the music and songs you had as an accompainement during your journey in the galaxy. Fond memories of a videogame and great music, what more could you ask for?

"Excellent take on 80's/90's sci-fi scores"
Evocative of the Blade Runner, Dune, Alien, and Terminator scores without feeling purely derivative.

Fits great within the game, stands up pretty well on its own. Could use a few more themes, a bit less synth strings, and of course more cowbell IMO. Can get somewhat repetitive when listening from end to end.