When we wrote our Games of the Year pieces back last year, I wrote openly and honestly about the games that I had loved from last year. However, as is to be expected, I didn’t play every game, or even every AAA title, that was released last year. Since then though, I’ve had the chance to revisit a title which would have appeared at the top of my list – Dragon Age: Inquisition. …
Today The Reticule’s (not at) E3 Speculate-athon comes to an end as I take a look at Bioware’s sacrifices to the great gods of hype. With the possible exception of Robot Chicken Reggie at Nintendo Direct, Bioware’s trailers, demos and interviews stoked my excitement glands to the point where I’m considering actually investing in a PC capable of playing their games.
The first choice for me was one of great importance. It could mean the difference between life and death, the destruction of a whole civilisation or the lives of my crew members. At least that’s how important it felt. The decision of course was whether I wanted to keep the original Shepard on the front cover of my Mass Effect 3 box or flip over to the rather sleek looking reversible FemShep cover on the other side. I may come across a bit of stick for this but I changed to the FemShep cover, I didn’t think I would but until I saw it with my own eyes I had all but dismissed how anyone could even look at her. And that’s the essence of Mass Effect really. You may have watched your friend play or seen video footage of the game but until you play and make the decisions for yourself and deal with the consequences in your own way you will never really have experienced what the game is all about and it will hold no personal meaning to you. …
Even though planning your latest IP as a trilogy has been a fashionable thing to do during this console generation, Mass Effect 3 is a game that has truly been anticipated by some for the best part of half a decade. Despite of the needlessly late release of Mass Effect 3, many of the team have spent this weekend picking up where they left off, with the characters and choices they’ve carried forward from the two preceding games. Here are their thoughts and first impressions:
I’ve been quietly fuming away for the best part of 2 years over the pricing of Mass Effect 2‘s mission DLC. At 2480 of their intentionally obtuse ‘Bioware points’, you’re expected to pay about twice what the 40-hour base game costs itself these days. Which is how DLC typically works, but at least there’s usually a discount for those of us who’re never going to be fanatical enough to cough up that kind of money. Not in the case of the PC version: and that’s despite the fact that all but one of the DLC packs comes with the PS3 version, and the fact that Xbox Live has featured Mass Effect 2 DLC sales multiple times.
A few days ago I got the chance to take an early look at the Mass Effect 3 single player demo and all the glory that came with it. An updated levelling system, sharp graphics and some heart pounding action were just some of the highlights. Having played it to death however, it was time to move onto the much discussed and awaited multilpayer side of the Mass Effect 3 demo which was made available on the 14th for anyone who owns a Battlefield 3 online pass and will be available on the 17th for everyone else. The demo consists of two maps, all six available classes, three challenge modes and includes access to Xbox Live Gold for use only with the Mass Effect 3 demo for a limited amount of time. Bioware have not confirmed how long the free Gold access will last but they have made it very clear that it will be available only within multiplayer portion of the Mass Effect 3 demo. …
Mass Effect is on the horizon again and what better way to get worked up about saving the galaxy and making planet sized decisions with your favourite commander than to dig into the Mass Effect 3 demo. The single player section of the demo is in two parts and may be short and sweet but there is a lot to talk about and even more to get excited about. …
Freddie Prinze Jr. has been confirmed as the voice actor for Mass Effect 3‘s new character James Vega. In the video he talks about his real life inspirations for the character and his love for the series of Mass Effect, of which he seems a genuine fan.
He joins a host of stars who have signed up to do voice acting for Mass Effect 3 including: Seth Green, Adam Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Carrie-Anne Moss. The video shows lots of new footage from the upcoming Mass Effect 3 release but don’t worry, no spoilers.
Bioware have announced on their forums that, just like Battlefield 3, any physical or digital copies of Mass Effect 3 on the PC must use EA’s Origin service in order to run. A FAQ has been released answering a few interesting points including problems they have encountered with selling through Steam. …