Mass Effect 2 Review
Mass Effect 2 is the easy way out. It’s a cover-based shooter, through and through, ripping out and squashing most of the RPG elements that existed in Mass Effect – inventory management, a surprisingly exhaustive set of skills, armor types, armor mods – but BioWare never really executed any of that well. Instead of revamping and refining all of that, Mass Effect 2 makes the compromise of focusing on the action while still retaining the metric tons of dialogue BioWare loves to pile onto their games. With a simple adjustment of expectations, it’s tough to not enjoy what’s in the game and what you’ll get out of it.
Shepard’s ship blew up, Shepard died, and it’s been two years since you either saved the council or let humanity become the dominant force in galactic politics. This all happens in the first hour of the game, and it’s the same kind of problem that Mass Effect ran into. The pacing for the main plotline is off. It starts by catapulting you into it, then it simmers and slows to the point that it goes off into the periphery. Instead, most of your time is spent recruiting and building a team to stop a threat that’s been abducting thousands of humans for the two years you’ve been knocked out. A few revelations about the greater arc are interspersed every once in a while, and importing your Shepard from the first game has some superficial impacts that come off as gimmicky, but a driving plot isn’t really something that exists in a relevant quantity in Mass Effect 2. When it does come in full force by the game’s end, it ends with the goofiest end boss imaginable. Without saying too much, it boils down to observing an obvious animation patterns and shooting obvious weak spots.
Instead, it’s the characters you recruit that take center stage. There are eleven in all, and all of them carry past regrets, uncertainties, or grievances that you can help them resolve. It’s an eclectic cast; the Drell assassin, Thane, has strange familial issues, returning characters like Garrus abd Tali have grown since you blew up, and it’s fun to see how much they’ve changed or haven’t changed. The second half in particular introduces the game’s most fascinating and unique characters, and while running into familiar faces is always nice, the new ones go ahead and establish themselves as the better cast.
"It helps that the writing has improved across the board…"
It helps that the writing has improved across the board for Mass Effect 2. It’s funnier, snappier, and all the characters have their own tone in how they present themselves with the kind of vocabulary and the various inflections that are used. The recruitment of these characters is essentially the game’s main quest, and it absolutely works. It can be surprisingly poignant when you’re learning and resolving their issues of the past, and it’s the people you meet that give Mass Effect 2 a strong emotional center to its story. The awkward romancing still exists; if only BioWare just kind of, like, stopped doing them. Also be prepared to routinely go down every floor of your ship to see if your party members have anything new to say, because the game never really indicates when and if you’ve exhausted all their dialogue. It’s something that still needs refinement and hopefully, someday, BioWare will do something about it instead of it letting it be, like they have been since their early CRPG days.
The dialogue is really the only part of the Mass Effect 2 that hasn’t gone through a thorough revision. Combat has been completely overhauled, favoring faster and more intense action, instead of the clumsy but ultimately satisfying mess that was Mass Effect’s combat. There are plenty of tweaks to how combat works. A functional cover system has been put in place, making cover a crucial barrier between you and bullets. The rest is self-explanatory. If you’ve played any cover-based shooter in the past three years, Mass Effect 2 will be instantly familiar.
It’s not some pale comparison to other games that specialize in just the action, either; Mass Effect 2’s combat is as good as or better than most games that revolve around ducking in and out of cover. The shooting itself feels incredibly tight and oh-so-right. The recoil from each pull of the trigger has a tangible snap; the move to reloadable heat sinks makes it all the more hectic and relentless. It all feels incredibly refined, and the usage of biotic powers gives Mass Effect 2’s combat its own distinct flavor. It’s such a thorough rebuild compared to Mass Effect 1’s combat that it feels nothing like its predecessor. If you’re looking for a great shooter, Mass Effect 2 fits the bill.
Outside of the game’s two main gameplay components, Mass Effect 2 starts to falter. Space exploration has gone through some changes. Scanning planets is alarmingly not fun. The idea of scoping and looking for small discoveries of resources and distress calls sounds fun in concept, but the execution of it falls so flat that it’s a wonder how BioWare thought this would be a marked improvement over what they did with the first game. The worst part is that it’s required you have enough resources to upgrade your ship and your party members if you plan on getting them all out of the end mission alive.
"The lack of landing on foreign and unexplored regions of the galaxy also makes the game feel smaller and much more compact.."
The lack of landing on foreign and unexplored regions of the galaxy also makes the game feel smaller and much more compact. Granted, the upside to this is a game that’s a lot more focused and evenly paced; you’re going to be bouncing from dialogue to combat with the occasional yawn-inducing bit of planet-scanning, but the scope of the game feels dramatically reduced, and it’s a shame that BioWare didn’t try to refine in a way that would expand.
Though with that smaller scope, there’s a lot more in the way of unique art and architecture dotted throughout all of the hubs and planets. Mass Effect 2 looks great, and if it weren’t for all the minor clipping and graphical bugs that persist throughout the entire game, it’d almost be juvenile to try nit-pick about anything else about the game graphically. The same can’t be said about the audio; it has ditched its heavy synth and electronic routes in favor of orchestral bombast. It works, but it never works well enough that retains the strong sense of identity Mass Effect’s soundtrack had. Voice acting is around par with BioWare’s previous efforts. Direction is spot-on, the number of voice actors is impressive, and you’ll never hear any obvious overlap. The ambience of the hubbub in the Citadel, the pounding music in Omega’s Afterlife nightclub – it’s some of the best sound design BioWare has ever done, if only the soundtrack followed suit.
For a sequel that’s generally much more focused, Mass Effect 2 should last you around 30 hours if you devote your time to doing all the character quests. There’s a lot more substance to all its quests, which means you’re going to run into a lot more dialogue. You’ll be able to continue playing after finishing if you make it out alive, but really, there’s not a lot to which to go back. Unless your idea of choices and consequences is seeing what happens when Shepard chooses the jerk-wad response, don’t expect much that will truly impact the game’s world. Outside of the final decision you make in the end, everything is mostly set in stone for Mass Effect 3. Perhaps by then BioWare won’t feel tethered down to tell a story, but rather will allow you to really get involved and shape events that have yet to come. Until then, Mass Effect 2 is a great shooter loaded with involving dialogue. The way it addresses some of the other issues varies in success, but it’s still an extremely entertaining product and a great way to kick off 2010’s amazing first-quarter barrage.
More Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 content in 2011
It seems that Bio Ware fans can rejoice, as they can look forward to even more content for their favourite RPG’s next year. As part of their annual earnings report EA have announced that Dragon: Age Origins will be getting yet another big PC expansion at the beginning of 2011. The game is currently only imaginatively titled “Dragon Age Title TBA” but it’s definitively on the EA PC release schedule for January-March period of 2011.
But the more recently released Mass Effect 2 won’t be left out in the cold. According to a report by Gamespot EA executives also talked about delivering “something far-reaching for Mass Effect (2),” in the same three month time period in 2011 during a post earnings report conference call.
All in all it sounds like EA have some serious long term plans for both Bio Ware’s RPG’s – hardly surprising when you look at the success of both brands. Mass Effect 2 is currently dominating the games charts following it’s release on the 29th of January.
Closer to the present Dragon Age: Origins will be getting its first major expansion, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, on March 16th
More Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 content in 2011
It seems that Bio Ware fans can rejoice, as they can look forward to even more content for their favourite RPG’s next year. As part of their annual earnings report EA have announced that Dragon: Age Origins will be getting yet another big PC expansion at the beginning of 2011. The game is currently only imaginatively titled “Dragon Age Title TBA” but it’s definitively on the EA PC release schedule for January-March period of 2011.
But the more recently released Mass Effect 2 won’t be left out in the cold. According to a report by Gamespot EA executives also talked about delivering “something far-reaching for Mass Effect (2),” in the same three month time period in 2011 during a post earnings report conference call.
All in all it sounds like EA have some serious long term plans for both Bio Ware’s RPG’s – hardly surprising when you look at the success of both brands. Mass Effect 2 is currently dominating the games charts following it’s release on the 29th of January.
Closer to the present Dragon Age: Origins will be getting its first major expansion, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, on March 16th
More Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2 content in 2011
It seems that Bio Ware fans can rejoice, as they can look forward to even more content for their favourite RPG’s next year. As part of their annual earnings report EA have announced that Dragon: Age Origins will be getting yet another big PC expansion at the beginning of 2011. The game is currently only imaginatively titled “Dragon Age Title TBA” but it’s definitively on the EA PC release schedule for January-March period of 2011.
But the more recently released Mass Effect 2 won’t be left out in the cold. According to a report by Gamespot EA executives also talked about delivering “something far-reaching for Mass Effect (2),” in the same three month time period in 2011 during a post earnings report conference call.
All in all it sounds like EA have some serious long term plans for both Bio Ware’s RPG’s – hardly surprising when you look at the success of both brands. Mass Effect 2 is currently dominating the games charts following it’s release on the 29th of January.
Closer to the present Dragon Age: Origins will be getting its first major expansion, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, on March 16th
The Many Failures of Mass Effect 2
One of our writers posted a critique of the latest wildly-popular BioWare RPG, Mass Effect 2, on our sister site, InfoAddict, and it’s seriously stirred up the emotions of quite a few fanboys so we thought we’d reprint it here for you to enjoy (or hate) too. (If you’d like to read some of the encouraging comments and fiery criticisms left on the original post, you can find it here.)
With an average score of 96 on Metacritic, one would be justified in believing Mass Effect 2 has little room for improvement. An overwhelming majority of so-called game critics have weighed-in, predictably showering Bioware’s latest RPG with roses and garlands.
Bioware is one of a select number of game companies that receives a +3 modifier in review scores. So take an average game that would normally receive a 7, add Bioware’s name to the box, and oila! Instant 10. While this may be great for Bioware’s bottom-line, it’s actually a grave disservice to the company and gamers, not to mention a glowing example of everything that is wrong in game journalism; criticism specifically.
Having played and finished Mass Effect 2, I can safely say, without reservation or hesitation, that Bioware’s latest RPG is a complete mess, from top-to-bottom and not a product worthy of Bioware’s heritage.
Before I launch my critiques, allow me to post a comment from Bioware’s very own Ray Muzyka that appeared in a recent interview given to Computer & Video Games:
Early feedback and reviews for Mass Effect 2 have been hugely positive. You must be delighted?
We look at it really practically. We’ve had a lot of 90-rated games right? Pretty much every game we’ve ever released has been 90-plus. So we take it in our stride. We kind of look at it that sometimes our teams are our worst critics in terms of the way they look at our past work.
While we’re really ecstatic about the feedback we also look at it and say ‘Where are the opportunities for improvement? How do we make the next installment in this trilogy better? How do we make the next installment of Dragon Age better? How do we make Star Wars: The Old Republic better?’ I look more to the future than to the past.
It’s interesting being at the EA meetings and receiving the launch congratulations. I appreciate it and it’s nice to receive nice words and congratulations, but I’m more interested in how we drive success in the future, how we make our next games even better than Mass Effect.
Well Ray, if you want to know how to improve your franchise then I highly recommend you don’t read any actual reviews, because my brethren in the journalism community are rabid fanboys who unfortunately have bylines. You also won’t find much at Metacritic because they de-list any site that has review scores that are not within some arbitrary average, which defeats the entire purpose of aggregate reviews when you remove low scores.
So Ray, that leaves you and me…and few lonely stragglers shouted down in forum posts. Besides, the public has spoken with their wallets: they love Mass Effect 2. Then again, people love the Transformers movies. There is no accounting for taste, but there is bookkeeping when it comes to quality.
Enough preamble.
Mako Gone = Great, Planet Survey = Bad
One of the many aspects of the original Mass Effect I despised was the awful Mako, an ATV the player drove to explore planets. The problem was the physics behind the Mako, which made it feel like a lame arcade game with all of its bouncing around and assorted nonsense. Bioware obviously heard people’s criticism but instead of fixing the issue they simply removed the feature altogether. Unfortunately, their overall solution is to have the player survey planets from the Normandy, a truly boring and repetitive process that involves holding the mouse button down as you scan the surface of a planet for minerals. This is presented in such a boring and uninteresting way that it comes across as a huge speed bump for the game, a necessary evil imposed on the player because you need those resources to create new upgrades.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Make surveying a planet challenging and truly interactive. Make it an experience. Develop an economic model that powers the entire enterprise, have the player fight off enemies for resources, invest in mines and factories. There are a lot of ways to handle this besides looking at a boring planet display and hovering your mouse over the surface. This concept wouldn’t pass muster as a free iPhone app.
The British Romans Effect
Mass Effect 2 places you within a bustling galaxy packed with many alien species and cultures. Unfortunately, they all speak English and have human mannerisms. They are alien in look only, which is quite lazy on the part of the designers. Perhaps Bioware believes people can’t stomach subtitles or have low reading comprehension. Whatever their reasoning, Mass Effect 2 reminds me of several TV shows recently, like Rome and the new Spartacus, wherein all the Romans have a British accent because the production company in question is British. At least when George Lucas made Star Wars, his aliens sounded and behaved like aliens, complete with subtitles. No one complained and it made the universe feel like it had aliens with tangible cultures. When George made the second trilogy, he drifted away from alien languages and we were left with Jar Jar Binks.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Develop alien languages for at least a few major species so your game doesn’t feel so culturally and racially vacant.
The Many Failures of Mass Effect 2
One of our writers posted a critique of the latest wildly-popular BioWare RPG, Mass Effect 2, on our sister site, InfoAddict, and it’s seriously stirred up the emotions of quite a few fanboys so we thought we’d reprint it here for you to enjoy (or hate) too. (If you’d like to read some of the encouraging comments and fiery criticisms left on the original post, you can find it here.)
With an average score of 96 on Metacritic, one would be justified in believing Mass Effect 2 has little room for improvement. An overwhelming majority of so-called game critics have weighed-in, predictably showering Bioware’s latest RPG with roses and garlands.
Bioware is one of a select number of game companies that receives a +3 modifier in review scores. So take an average game that would normally receive a 7, add Bioware’s name to the box, and oila! Instant 10. While this may be great for Bioware’s bottom-line, it’s actually a grave disservice to the company and gamers, not to mention a glowing example of everything that is wrong in game journalism; criticism specifically.
Having played and finished Mass Effect 2, I can safely say, without reservation or hesitation, that Bioware’s latest RPG is a complete mess, from top-to-bottom and not a product worthy of Bioware’s heritage.
Before I launch my critiques, allow me to post a comment from Bioware’s very own Ray Muzyka that appeared in a recent interview given to Computer & Video Games:
Early feedback and reviews for Mass Effect 2 have been hugely positive. You must be delighted?
We look at it really practically. We’ve had a lot of 90-rated games right? Pretty much every game we’ve ever released has been 90-plus. So we take it in our stride. We kind of look at it that sometimes our teams are our worst critics in terms of the way they look at our past work.
While we’re really ecstatic about the feedback we also look at it and say ‘Where are the opportunities for improvement? How do we make the next installment in this trilogy better? How do we make the next installment of Dragon Age better? How do we make Star Wars: The Old Republic better?’ I look more to the future than to the past.
It’s interesting being at the EA meetings and receiving the launch congratulations. I appreciate it and it’s nice to receive nice words and congratulations, but I’m more interested in how we drive success in the future, how we make our next games even better than Mass Effect.
Well Ray, if you want to know how to improve your franchise then I highly recommend you don’t read any actual reviews, because my brethren in the journalism community are rabid fanboys who unfortunately have bylines. You also won’t find much at Metacritic because they de-list any site that has review scores that are not within some arbitrary average, which defeats the entire purpose of aggregate reviews when you remove low scores.
So Ray, that leaves you and me…and few lonely stragglers shouted down in forum posts. Besides, the public has spoken with their wallets: they love Mass Effect 2. Then again, people love the Transformers movies. There is no accounting for taste, but there is bookkeeping when it comes to quality.
Enough preamble.
Mako Gone = Great, Planet Survey = Bad
One of the many aspects of the original Mass Effect I despised was the awful Mako, an ATV the player drove to explore planets. The problem was the physics behind the Mako, which made it feel like a lame arcade game with all of its bouncing around and assorted nonsense. Bioware obviously heard people’s criticism but instead of fixing the issue they simply removed the feature altogether. Unfortunately, their overall solution is to have the player survey planets from the Normandy, a truly boring and repetitive process that involves holding the mouse button down as you scan the surface of a planet for minerals. This is presented in such a boring and uninteresting way that it comes across as a huge speed bump for the game, a necessary evil imposed on the player because you need those resources to create new upgrades.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Make surveying a planet challenging and truly interactive. Make it an experience. Develop an economic model that powers the entire enterprise, have the player fight off enemies for resources, invest in mines and factories. There are a lot of ways to handle this besides looking at a boring planet display and hovering your mouse over the surface. This concept wouldn’t pass muster as a free iPhone app.
The British Romans Effect
Mass Effect 2 places you within a bustling galaxy packed with many alien species and cultures. Unfortunately, they all speak English and have human mannerisms. They are alien in look only, which is quite lazy on the part of the designers. Perhaps Bioware believes people can’t stomach subtitles or have low reading comprehension. Whatever their reasoning, Mass Effect 2 reminds me of several TV shows recently, like Rome and the new Spartacus, wherein all the Romans have a British accent because the production company in question is British. At least when George Lucas made Star Wars, his aliens sounded and behaved like aliens, complete with subtitles. No one complained and it made the universe feel like it had aliens with tangible cultures. When George made the second trilogy, he drifted away from alien languages and we were left with Jar Jar Binks.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Develop alien languages for at least a few major species so your game doesn’t feel so culturally and racially vacant.
Mass Effect 2 Has Been Shipped
BioWare today announced that "Mass Effect 2" has been shipped to retailers worldwide.
"Noted for its intense shooter gameplay and deep, hand-crafted story, Mass Effect 2 has received universal acclaim from top media outlets around the world, earning an average review score of 97 based on 29 reviews on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, making the game the second highest rated game for the platform of all time and 95 on PC according to MetaCritic.
Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA commented on the launch of Mass Effect 2 saying, “Rich, immersive worlds, compelling characters and stories, and intense action are some of the hallmarks of BioWare games, and Mass Effect 2 truly raises the bar in every area. I’m incredibly proud of our team, who worked passionately to deliver a very high quality game for our fans. This epic sequel in the stunning Mass Effect universe is an extraordinary accomplishment, one which we can’t wait to get into the hands of a world-wide audience!”
The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.
Gamers who purchase a new copy of Mass Effect 2 will also be able to activate the ‘Cerberus Network’, an in-game portal in Mass Effect 2 that will keep fans engaged with the Mass Effect universe through downloadable content (DLC) and news at no extra charge. The first piece of DLC is available today, featuring a new mission around the Normandy crash site. For players who do not buy the game new, the ‘Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of an activation code for 1200 MS points on the Xbox 360 and $15 on the PC.** BioWare will release additional news on future ‘Cerberus Network’ content in the coming weeks.
Mass Effect 2 is available for the Xbox 360 and the PC and is rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI. For more information, please follow the development team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at http://masseffect.bioware.com/."
Dragon Age: Origins Review
Had you followed Dragon Age: Origins during the last few months of its release, you’d have no idea that this is much more than just a game with an insatiable desire to cover itself in blood and sell itself with gratuitous sex. I lost faith in the game months before release thanks to just how badly the game was marketed, but here we are with a game that’s easily the best RPG BioWare has made ever since they started to veer off from their roots with Jade Empire. It’s smart, mature in its storytelling, and full of hard choices with real consequences. If you’ve always disliked BioWare’s method of constructing a RPG, you’ll probably dislike this game too, but if you’re a fan, then my god, you have to play this game.
"The amount of pure world BioWare has built is really impressive."
Origins starts off at a disadvantage. After picking your origin and background, you’re thrown into a world that feels painfully generic. Dwarves have beards, shoulder plates are generically massive, there are English accents everywhere, and everything looks like a shinier, more polished realization of the Sword Coast. That generic feeling always remains, but if you delve into the lore and try to learn about the universe BioWare has built, there’s more to it. Dwarves work in a rigid caste system, city elves are thrown into slavery and magic is more or less a mental illness that is skillfully controlled. The amount of pure world BioWare has built is really impressive.
Even with the above problem largely overcome with strong lore, the second disadvantage is the agonizingly generic fashion in which the narrative kicks off. The Blight, a sign of intense Darkspawn movement, has the potential to overtake the continent of Ferelden and, quite possibly, *gasp*, the entire world. So, you are chosen as a Grey Warden, a soldier trained specifically to ward off any Blight. Early on and through a series of hasty actions and figurative and literal backstabs from dissenting members of man, only two Grey Wardens remain: you and your plucky but insecure companion, Alistair. It’s up to you and the group of companions you gain throughout the game to build an army by resurrecting and securing old alliances from different races spread across. It’s a road that’s been traveled before, to be sure, if you've played BioWare games in the past – everything is at stake, it is epic, it is grandiose, only a small ragtag team can save the world, there are four hubs that must be tackled before completing, there is a twist that involves your character – but it’s in the details where it reveals itself to be BioWare's best execution of the formula. The game is very well written, as the writers found a way juxtapose grim seriousness with light-hearted bouts of humor. It makes the adventure feel natural, as the fantastic dialogue between your companions builds a real sense of camaraderie. As a whole, this is easily the best set of characters BioWare has crafted. You could single out HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic or Minsc from Baldur’s Gate II as some fine characters you can converse with, but with Morrigan’s sharp wit, Alistair’s surprisingly effective sarcasm, and Sten’s incredible terseness, there’s a broad range of archetypes that have been executed well to like and dislike for all the right reasons.
"If you value choices and consequences above all else in a RPG, then you have to give Origins a look."
Even more impressive is how much your involvement matters. BioWare’s recent games have prioritized linearity over flexibility in how you can shape the fate of the game’s world and people inhabiting it, but with Origins, the decisions you make in the extensive dialogue trees matter. While, in the big picture, you’re still going to end up with an endgame scenario that has you squashing the Blight, all the different actions you take within four main quest areas can shape the state of those zones permanently. The clash between the Dalish elves and the werewolves in the Brecilian Forest can end in numerous ways and branch off into different scenarios entirely depending on the choices you make. The situation in the Castle Redcliffe has at least three different outcomes, giving you a lot of decisions to make. Not all of it is straightforward, either; some decisions are morally ambiguous, such that no decision seems good. With the total lack of a morality meter representing your moral stature, Origins really delivers on this front. The choices you make can also affect how your companions feel about you, and if you go against the grain of their beliefs enough, they’ll abandon you outright or even resist your actions by taking you on in combat. The shame here is that you can just as easily buy the affection of your friends by giving them gifts; it’s a little dumb but nothing to condemn as nothing more than a little dumb. If you value choices and consequences above all else in a RPG, then you have to give Origins a look.
If you’re more of a combat and numbers man, the game can definitely satisfy that itch, but it’s also the worst element compared to everything else in the game. It feels limited initially with only three classes to choose from, but the classes have distinct skill trees, each one with its own play style, instead of a myriad of classes with only slight differentiations between them. The systems in place make for a great combat model, and Origins’ combat ends up being a great compromise between the fast-paced nature of real-time RPGs and the methodical and more tactical options present in turn-based RPGs. Many spells require little to no start-up, any actions can immediately be interrupted in the middle of an animation to either chug a potion or to be completely canceled, you can take cover behind objects, and spell combinations allow for quick and efficient kills.
It’s a great, tactical system, but the game has way too much combat. The Deep Roads, the Mage’s Tower, and pretty much all of the main quest areas are flooded with filler combat, making for slogs that last over an hour each. It’s one thing to have to have too much combat, but it’s another thing when the encounters themselves start to lack any interesting tactical scenarios. Cone of Cold combined with Overpower. Leliana circles around taunted group to gain the huge backstab advantage. Repeat for the next dozen encounters. It never gets to the point that it gets unbearable, because even in these long strings of combat, I was still having a good time, just not a great time. It’s a pacing issue that adds some unnecessary fat to the game. Cutting out a few hours of combat would’ve done the game wonders, and it still would’ve been a 40+ hour game. Really, Origins is a pretty long.
Actually, Origins is a massive game; god knows it has taken years to build this game, and it shows. Companion character models look great, while everyone else looks the same as everyone else. Some of the outdoor areas lack creativity, making for some plain vistas and towns. On the other hand, the indoor areas in the game look absolutely gorgeous. Indoors, the game takes on a hand-drawn look with every texture rich with colors and little deviations from the main color palette. Pan the camera back to the game’s isometric view and, I swear, some of it doesn’t look 3-D at all. Simply stunning.
The game’s audio is better. Ambient sounds are convincing and add a lot of life to cities and towns, voice acting is generally great and some interesting choices, like not giving any of the elves anything but an American accent, go a long way in giving the Dragon Age universe that much more of an identity. Inon Zur’s score works, but rarely is any of it memorable. Battle tracks are bombastic and loud, while the quieter ones serve to enhance the atmosphere, but outside of a few that utilize some strong vocals, I can’t recall much of the game’s soundtrack. It definitely does its job inside the game but doesn’t particularly excel at it.
A first play-through can range from anywhere between 25 to 50+ hours, depending on how many dialogue trees you exhaust, and how many sidequests you complete. Trying out the different origin stories makes for a unique first few hours, but after you complete that, there’s very little that makes an appreciable difference in the long run. Still, the good amount of choices and consequences alone makes a second playthrough definitely worth doing.
"The existence of a big-budget, very traditional computer role-playing game (CRPG) alone makes Dragon Age: Origins a huge accomplishment."
The existence of a big-budget, very traditional computer role-playing game (CRPG) alone makes Dragon Age: Origins a huge accomplishment. It’s the kind of game you just don’t expect in this day in age, as development costs are always rising and five-year development cycles are just financially irresponsible. Yet, here we are, with a brand new franchise and game that goes back to what worked well back then – isometric combat, choices and consequences and skill checks – and proves that it still works just as well now. Obsidian’s Neverwinter Nights 2 expansions and indie CRPGs have managed to keep the genre breathing, but Dragon Age: Origins essentially has jumpstarted it back to life. I pray this is the beginning of even bigger things.
Mass Effect 2 Will Have DLC at Launch
BioWare today announced details on "The Cerberus Network," an in-game portal which players will be able to use to get bonus content and DLC packs for "Mass Effect 2." In addition, day one DLC for the game has been confirmed.
"‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code*.
Mass Effect 2 is the first blockbuster video game release of 2010, having recently been named as one of the “Most Anticipated Games of the Year” by the New York Times, IGN and Wired.
“The Cerberus Network augments and extends the rich universe of Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward loyal BioWare and Mass Effect fans with ongoing, high quality content and provide a direct channel for our players to dive deeper into the intriguing lore of Mass Effect.”
Players who access ‘The Cerberus Network’ will receive the first DLC pack on January 26th (launch day in North America) featuring new missions and in-game items. Included in this pack is a mission that introduces Zaeed, a rugged and deadly gun-for-hire who is recruited to join Commander Shepard’s mission to save mankind.
After launch, BioWare will release another DLC pack for Mass Effect 2 that introduces the Hammerhead, a new vehicle in the Mass Effect universe. This agile hover tank features improved handling on rough terrain and maneuvers deftly in combat — a necessity for players traveling across harsh planetary environments throughout the galaxy. In addition to this new vehicle, BioWare will release new missions and unique in-game items, including Cerberus Assault Armor which boost shields, health and heavy weapon ammo and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.
The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.
Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI (please visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.eu for more information on ratings). For more news from the development team, please follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at http://masseffect.bioware.com/."
The Sims 3 Create A World Beta Release
EA today released a beta version of the "Create a World Tool" for The Sims 3, giving players a chance to build and share worlds
Registered players will be able to step into the shoes of The Sims 3 development team by using the same robust world-building tools the team uses to create worlds and towns for The Sims 3. This massive, creative tool allows players to design and build entire worlds for their Sims or begin their creations with pre-made Sunset Valley or Riverview terrains. Once players are satisfied with their brand new world, they can then share their creations online through The Sims 3 Exchange. The tool allows for endless creative possibilities and countless new stories to be told using a brand new world, designed by the players, as the canvas!
FEATURES
- Design Entire Worlds – Players can choose terrain patterns, vegetation and neighborhood accents like water towers and lighthouses, then place lots and roads to create something totally unique.
- Players Choice – Players can start with a blank canvas, or modify the terrains that formed the basis of Sunset Valley or Riverview.
- For Advanced Designers – Those with design skills can bring creativity to life by creating and importing designs from Photoshop and other programs into their world.
- Trees Galore! – Combine objects and items from The Sims 3 World Adventures expansion pack or items from The Sims 3 Store to create a one of a kind landscape.
- Share with the World – Created worlds can be shared and downloaded through The Sims 3 Exchange. Sims players will now have additional worlds to choose from beyond the extra town of Riverview, which has been downloaded 2MM times.
The Sims 3 Create a World Tool – BETA is a robust tool for avid Sims players that want to expand their gameplay experience and create an entire world. Players can build anything from mesas, mountains, and waterfalls to their favorite The Sims 2 neighborhood, their own home town, or even the Moon! A walk-through guide is located here to help players get started creating their own worlds. Now The Sims 3 players can be game designers and take their creativity to a whole new level.
The Create a World beta can be downloaded from www.TheSims3.com
