i have also heard reports that its incredibly un-optimized.
No. The only problem is lack of AA, and that's because the Unreal Engine, apparently (according to Bioware), doesn't support AA with DirectX 9. So the jaggies are there.
on the highest graphics it apparently looks the same as the 360 version
No.
http://www.videogamer.com/features/article/28-05-2008-425.html
"Mass Effect's graphics are stupendous on both the Xbox 360 and the PC. Let's get that out of the way first. The film grain effect, stunning backgrounds and character detail help create perhaps the coolest, most cinematic sci-fi game ever made. But we can't get away from the fact that the PC version facilitates higher resolutions than the 360 version - much higher resolutions. The 360 version peaks at 720p,
while the PC version can be set far higher. Obviously this results in a sharper, crisper game. To our eyes the biggest improvement is in the character faces, which in increased res look so convincing you'd be forgiven for thinking you were watching a live action movie.
The graphical differences extend to performance improvements too. The 360 version suffered from incredibly annoying texture pop in. This has been almost entirely eradicated for the PC version. Mass Effect on 360 was about as immersive an experience as you could hope for, but when bits of armour and face textures appeared as if from nowhere seconds after the main model loaded it reminded you that, actually, you were playing a video game after all. The problem simply doesn't exist on the PC version."
the only difference is the inventory menu.
Hardly
and you need a monster pc to run the same thing
Depends on your definition of "monster"
that runs great on a basically entry-level desktop with a decent video card (aka xbox 360).
It did not run great on a 360. Ask anyone about "elevator load times", and frame rate stuttering was present as well.
very disappointing, that its just a direct port.
No. It's not "just a direct port" at all. It's much better than the X-box version, as it should be.
source
http://pc.ign.com/articles/872/872756p1.html
"Right off the bat, if you have a high-end PC you should be able to rub your Xbox-owning friends' noses in the PC game's visuals, which are sharper and richer than those found in last year's console game. By tapping into the PC's more powerful processors and video cards, Mass Effect looks visually beautiful and fluid, and we saw none of the texture popping or frame rate stuttering that plagued the Xbox 360 version. (The game will also scale considerably if you don't have a high-end PC. BioWare says a two-year old machine should be able to play the game.) Even better, the game will load and save a lot faster, since the entire game is written to the hard drive. You also won't need to have the game DVD in the drive. This means that quick saving takes a fraction of a second, and that the elevator trips that masked the loading times in the Xbox 360 game are a lot faster on the PC. Want even more? We're told that PC game's save system is only limited by the size of your hard drive, which means you pretty much have as many saves slots as you need. Xbox gamers had to start overwriting existing saves on their platform because they had a limited number of save slots. This also means that you can play and maintain a bunch of characters and not worry about having to erase one to make room for another. Those are the key technical improvements in the PC game, but BioWare's changes went a lot deeper than that.
Basically every concern or issue that players had with the Xbox 360 game, such as the clumsy inventory system, has apparently been addressed in the PC game. For instance, the inventory system has been overhauled and redesigned so it's a lot easier and faster to use. One nice thing we noticed is that BioWare understands that PC gamers sit only a couple feet away from their monitors, which means that the big, chunky console game interfaces designed to be viewed from across a living room have little place here. The interfaces that we saw were smaller and tighter, packing more information on the screen than the Xbox game.
The controls have of course been redesigned for the keyboard and mouse, and it's simple to remap the keys to your satisfaction. Even better, there's now an eight-slot quick slot bar in the top-left corner of the screen where you can drag-and-drop powers and abilities for easy access, just like you would in World of Warcraft. This means combat feels a lot faster, as you do not have to fumble with the menu screens and interfaces to access different powers; they're at your fingertips already. And there is an aim assist that can be turned off or on, depending if you're more of an RPG fan who doesn't have lightning accurate reflexes, or more of a shooter fan who likes a good challenge.
Perhaps the most radical change in the PC version is the new tactical heads-up display, which is a powerful tool that allows you to issue individual commands to your two companion characters. In the Xbox 360 game, you couldn't issue individual commands, so you had to order your two companions as a group. Here, you might tell one companion to charge forward and take cover behind a rock on the left side, while you have the other set up on the right side, setting up a nice little crossfire with you sitting back. The tactical HUD also lets you quickly access your companions' powers and abilities, as well as switch between their weapons rapidly. What this basically means is that you'll have a lot more tactical control in the game, which could prove very rewarding, particularly in some of the hairier battles.
And the changes keep on coming. BioWare had to redesign the hacking minigame since it centered on tapping buttons on the Xbox 360's gamepad. In its place is a new circular minigame that should prove just a bit more challenging, as the goal is to guide an arrow through the layers of a circle while avoiding colored squares. You only have a handful of seconds to do this, though, so the pressure is on to find a path that avoids the dreaded red bricks that will reset your progress. Then there are improved driving controls thanks to the fact that the camera has now been tweaked on the Mako (the all-terrain vehicle in the game). This means that you can circle strafe those giant thresher maws fairly easily."
So not only are most of the X-box problems resolved, but those who buy the PC game also get "Bring Down the Sky" (downloadable content) for free.
Reviews:
1. 100% from Gamespy:
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/bioware-rpg/877353p1.html
2. 92% from IGN:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/876/876950p1.html
3. 100% from VideoGamer:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/mass_effect/review.html
