Realism of Mass Effect timeline?

it comes out friday here in the UK and i understand its out in the US already, looks like an amazing game for those interested in space and im sure it will fufill a lot of our fantasises of exploring the universe.

What do you guys think of the game and do you think its realistic in terms of timeline and technology?

2148 AD
Humanity discovers a small cache of highly advanced alien technology hidden deep beneath the surface of Mars. Building on the remnants of this long extinct race - known as the Protheans - humanity quickly masters the science of mass effect fields, leading to the development of faster than light travel.

2149 AD
Spreading out through their own solar system, humanity discovers that Charon, Pluto's moon, is actually a massive piece of dormant Prothean technology - a mass relay - encased in ice.

Once activated, humanity discovers that the mass relay allows instantaneous travel across thousands of light years to a synchronized mass relay in another part of the galaxy.

There they discover several more dormant relays. Over the next decade humanity expands rapidly, establishing colonies and activating dormant relays to open up more and more unexplored regions of space.

2155 AD
To defend its rapidly expanding empire, humanity assembles a massive fleet and constructs an enormous military space station at the nexus of several key mass relays...even though they have yet to encounter another intelligent space-faring species.


2157 AD
Humanity makes first contact with another space-faring culture: the turians. Unfortunately, the encounter is far from peaceful. Over the next several months a brief but tense conflict known on Earth as the First Contact war ensues.

This conflict draws the attention of the Citadel Council - a multi-species government body that maintains peace and stability throughout the known galaxy. The Council intervenes before hostilities escalate further, revealing the existence of the greater galactic community to humanity and brokering a peace between them and the turians.

2165 AD
Humanity continues to expand, founding more colonies and establishing trade alliances with many of the other species who recognize the authority of the Citadel Council. In 2165 the Council makes official recognition of humanity's growing power and influence in the galactic community. Humanity is granted an embassy on the Citadel, the political and economic heart of the galaxy.

2183 AD
Commander Shepard - a promising young officer in the Human Alliance military - is assigned to the crew of the Normandy, the most advanced prototype vessel ever designed.

would it really take that long to explore mars and that little to move from mars to charon?

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[edit on 20-11-2007 by detective_gray]

[edit on 20-11-2007 by detective_gray]

This should probably go in belowtopsecret.com forums.

But to answer your question I have not got it, but one of my buddies does and says it is really good. I hear that it got really good reviews as well.

[edit on 20-11-2007 by detective_gray]

reply to post by detective_gray


By far, Mass Effect is the greatest game I've ever played. The BioWare team did an amazing job with this title. I finished it and am playing through a second time.

Becker