Game Over: Mass Effect 3

/

Mass Effect 3 has to be the first game to get an award for the most hated ending of all time. But why is that? How did it come to petitions (although at least this is being done in a positive light, http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play) to a gamer actually bringing the issue to the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau claiming that the ending of the game does not live up to claims made in their advertising campaign and PR interviews. The user wants a new ending within 30 days or he plans to return the game (http://kotaku.com/5894278/mass-effect-3-fan-complains-to-the-feds-over-the-games-ending). But why all the hate? If you have not beat the game yet, do so them come back, this sucker is going to have spoilers leaking from everywhere.

Click here to read more...

This Weeks Geek - Sentient Machines or Old Gods?

/
We are so screwed.The Reapers have arrived, and with them marks the doom of all sentient races in the galaxy. But what if their arrival had actually been foretold far before Shepard found the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime? What if there were texts that warned of a beast that would bring us to our end? What if we could have seen this all coming before we had even walked the stars?
Read More

Review - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

/

Fate has a plan for you. When you are born your are already destined for failure, greatness, or mediocrity. There is nothing you can do to change it. There is no free will, there is only what has been foretold. Then your character died, and everything changed. You have been resurrected, and as such have been removed from fate’s weave. You are the only one that can decide what will happen to you, for good or worse. 

 

Click Here to Read More...

This Weeks Geek - Beta? Demo? Bema?

/

In this day and age all triple A games are expected to have a demo or a beta before it launches.  Gamers are expected to have a chance to play through a small portion of a game before they have to actually commit money to it. I know the demo and beta is nothing new, but the ease at which they are accessible is. The question then becomes, what is really the difference between a beta and a demo, especially an open beta that seems to really blur the line? That is the focus of This Weeks Geek.

A beta is traditionally software that is nearly complete, but not quite there. The main code has been completed, but there are still bugs. These bugs can range from graphical glitches to game balance issues. The creators will invite a group of people to start playing the game, and in exchange they get bug reports. These reports are then used to improve the final game. This is very important as a company normally cannot afford as many in house testers as they get from a beta. The result is (traditionally) a more polished game at release.

Now a demo, in the past, has been part of a released game. Developers take a level or two from the completed project and make it available to everyone. People can play and make an informed decision of a game before it even comes out. I don't think I even need to explain why it is great that you get to test a game before buying it.

So the differences seem pretty clear cut, or at least they did until the advent of the open beta and pre-release demo. Open beta's are near release versions of the games that anyone can play. Most people, even though it says beta on the title, expect these to accuratly reflect the final product. And while the product claims to be in testing, you will be hard pressed to find a bug in an open beta. Their may be precious balance issues that are found this way, but mostly it is a marketing gimick to promote the game.  In this sense the beta feels more like a demo.  Then you have the pre-release demo, as seen most recently in Kingdoms of Amalur and Mass Effect 3. While both of these are good demos, they have bugs. While you are supposed to playing an example of the finished game, it seems like they are using this as an excuse for us to find said bugs, and hope they are reported (or at least they look for the complaints on forums, we gamers love to complain). An example of this is the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer demo where your characters abilities will not be on the quick bar when you change to a new character while in a lobby.

Now I am not saying there are not dedicated betas and demos out there. Most MMO's have demos that allow you to play a portion of the game, and then play to continue. And Diablo 3 is under a closed beta which is constantly being changed and balanced. But I am saying the line is becoming blurred. What does it mean for the future? When will a beta actually be nothing more then a marketing gimmick (more so then they are now)? Or am I looking too deep into this and I just need to sit down and play more games?

This Week(end)s Geek - DLC Part 2

/

A few weeks ago I did an article supporting publishers on having day one DLC for games. For those that missed it you can find it here. When I wrote the article the I mentioned how publishers had been doing day one DLC did not really bother me. The day one DLC was included with new purchases of games. You only had to buy it if you purchased the game used. My rational was they were supporting their customers on the rational that you are not their customer if you buy it used as they get no profits from a used game, and only become a customer if you buy the new game or the DLC.  It seemed like a good argument when I wrote the initial article. Then EA / Bioware goes and f*&ks it up.

Not a screen cap from the DLC, I just liked Legion.

With the release of Mass Effect 3 they are going to have the day one DLC From Ashes. This DLC does come with the game, but only the collectors edition or digital deluxe versions of the game (which was not announced until this month). If you happen to only purchase the normal version of the game then you have to shell out the $10.00 for the DLC should you want to play it. Now it feels like they are sticking it to their existing customer base with this. The DLC is not content they started working on after launch to add to the life of the game; it is not a bonus for buying a new copy over a used one, it just seems like a money grab. Don't get me wrong, I am a sucker and will be getting the DLC.  I even canceled my normal version pre-order at Gamestop and placed an order for the digital deluxe version on Origin (since now it would only be a $10.00 difference between standard and digital deluxe). But I still feel like I am getting slighted by the publisher on this one.

(Ok, this was more of a rant then normal articles are, but I wanted this off my chest).

This Weeks Geek - System Change

/
As many of you know Mass Effect 3 comes out in a few weeks. Now for a long time I have played the Mass Effect series on Xbox 360. It is where I played the first Mass Effect game (twice) and it is where I have played the second Mass Effect series (twice). But then I made a mistake. I downloaded the demo for Mass Effect 3 on both my Xbox and my computer.  Doing so made me realize how much better the game looks on my 7 month old computer then my 7 year old console. Ok, so it is not the original console, but the same tech is inside it (minus the red rings, after two of those I better not get another one). This made me want to play the game on the younger and more powerful PC. But I have invested 80+ hours into Sheapard already, and I wanted to keep with him.  How was I to do this?  Would I have to just face facts and start from scratch? Buy the games on PC and start over to have the more subtle choices move from one game to the next? No, I would not do such a thing, and thanks to the internet, I will not have to.
Read More