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On Mass Effect Andromeda

On Mass Effect Andromeda

Posted by on Oct 2, 2017 in Commentary, featured, PS4 |

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a half-baked mess. What was supposed to be a new and exciting adventure turned out to be a broken, limited game with lackluster characters and no compelling story. It’s like Bioware suddenly forgot what makes Mass Effect what it is after releasing the original trilogy.

I’m going to start with what they got half-right: the action. Combat in Mass Effect features third-person shooting mixed with the spellcasting. The game does not call it spellcasting, of course, but when characters are throwing fire and lightning from their hands then it’s just semantics. Andromeda got rid of character classes so players can buy any ability they want, which is great because mixing and matching abilities is something the series has never done before.

The problem is that the game limits usable abilities to three. Yes, only three. This design choice does not make any sense. First, what was the point of making all abilities available if you can only use three of them? Second, previous Mass Effect games had no such limit, even while running on last-gen consoles! Dragon Age Inquisition, another Bioware title, also allowed multiple ability usage.

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Mass Effect 3: The Ending and Damage Control

Posted by on Apr 6, 2012 in Commentary |

This is another “late to the party” post because I didn’t really have anything to say about Mass Effect 3’s ending that hasn’t been said already. But with the news of Bioware releasing a DLC pack to address exactly that, I don’t think there’s any point in withholding my reaction.

I like to think of my reaction to the ending as relatively mild compared to what I’ve seen online. I made a backup copy of the auto-save as soon as I got to the Crucible, then chose the Synthesis ending. After viewing that I loaded the backup and viewed the other two outcomes (the fact that I could choose an ending is disturbing enough). I was disappointed with all three, thinking “that’s it?!?!” and found myself in disbelief over what I just saw. I didn’t touch Mass Effect 3 for a week after that, opting for Dungeon Defenders and SFxT instead. It actually felt good to see that the reactions I read online expressed the same disappointment, with varying degrees of added fury.

If you want to know where the disappointment comes from, you can check a previous post about the subject. To elaborate further, let me tell you my story about Commander Shepard.

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Share the Reaper Love This Valentine’s Day with the Mass Effect 3 Demo

Posted by on Jan 19, 2012 in News, Press Releases |

EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), announced today that the demo for 2012’s first blockbuster game, Mass Effect™ 3 will be available beginning February 14, 2012. The extensive demo will allow players to experience the all-out galactic war against an ancient alien race known as the Reapers from multiple fronts, including the mind-blowing opening attack on Earth that kicks off the single-player campaign. Players will go deeper into the campaign and also get a taste of the franchise’s new co-operative multiplayer mode as they preview the epic story, adrenaline-pumping action and deep customization options that lie ahead when Mass Effect 3launches on March 6, 2012. The Mass Effect 3 demo will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.Mass Effect 3 will also be one of the first pre-launch demos to support full voice recognition functionality on Kinect™ for Xbox 360.

“We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we’ve ever done. With its intense action, deep customization and raw emotional power, Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike.”

In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to take Earth back and save the entire galaxy, assuming the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Mass Effect 3 also features a new co-operative gameplay mode that allows fans to experience the war from a different perspective. Players who want to try this new mode will be able to do so on February 17, or by qualifying for early access to the co-op portion of the demo which begins February 14. Gamers qualify for early access if they have activated their Battlefield 3™ online pass* or though other opportunities that will be announced in the near futurewww.masseffect.com.

Recently named by over 100 outlets around the world as one of the most anticipated games of 2012, including winning the fan-voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 award at the Spike TV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order** have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war. Mass Effect 3 arrives on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “like” the game on Facebook athttp://facebook.com/masseffect.

* Conditions and restrictions apply. Early access requirement and availability may differ by platform and/or region. See www.masseffect.com for more details.

** Conditions and restrictions apply. See http://masseffect.bioware.com/me3/game/preorderbonus/ for more details.

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Dragon Age 2: Very Early Impressions

Dragon Age 2: Very Early Impressions

Posted by on Mar 16, 2011 in Commentary |

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And by very early I mean 2-3 hours into the game. I know it’s ridiculous to be writing about it given that I haven’t spent enough time on it but hey, I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I saw the first preview.

Before I go on I’d like to say that my expectations for this game are low. After reading reviews and seeing what people are saying about it online, I was beginning to think that Dragon Age 2 was going to be a lesser game than the original. I wanted to find out if that was true or not.

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