360: http://www.tescoentertainment.com/store/games/microsoft-xbox-360-mass-effect-3/8:774372/

PS3: http://www.tescoentertainment.com/store/games/-mass-effect-3/8:774363/

- Rax

6 default looks, but where is your money?

BioWare are running a Facebook survey to assist them with choosing the “default” female Shepard look for Mass Effect 3, which will feature both as the default character model in game, but also on the cover of the collector’s edition.

So, without further ado get on down to the Facebook page by clicking here and have your say! (Which you can do by liking one (or more) of the six photos in the album.

The “winner” will be the photo with the most “likes” come the end of the survey.

- Richard “Rax” Burley

For an MP3 copy of the show, right click the link below the player and choose Save As.
You can also get the RSS feed right here:  RSS Feed

If you’d like the show notes, click the more button.

Show Notes
——————–
Opening Song (Innocent Primeval Breaker – Ys Seven OST)
-The Mass Effect video Jason spoke of.
-A pic of the Wii U console.
-The FemShep trailer announcement.

There's Our Boy! Good ol' Shep... Here boy...

So, rumors concerning the third (and allegedly final?) installment of the ridiculously, and deservedly, popular Mass Effect series are staring to mount as we discover that not only will “FemShep” (the female version of the main character) feature on the packaging for some versions of Mass Effect 3, but that we will be treated to some much wished for Mass Effect Multi-Player in Mass Effect 3!!! (Early whispers are that this will be in the form of some cool co-op missions…)

Here’s hoping that good news comes in 3s, just like this “chapter” number, and that we soon have further news of great joy for you all!

- Rax

Yikes, how do you textualise excitement… erm… grrrggeeekekrgereelll!

OK, so that was pretty rubbish, but the trailer! Oh my! Kripes! Etc…

Watch, enjoy, drool, fidget… erm… yeah… Don’t just sit around waiting for Mass Effect 3, grab Arrival now…

For an MP3 copy of the show, right click the link and choose Save As.
You can also get the RSS feed right here:  RSS Feed

If you’d like the show notes, click the more button.

[H:MM:SS] – Show Time Line
——————–
Opening Song (Innocent Primeval Breaker – Ys Seven OST)

[0:00:43] – Introductions

[0:02:37] – Jason’s Now Playing

[1:18:52] – Steven’s Now Playing

[1:28:51] – News

[2:13:06] – Top 5 Games of 2010 Not Made In 2010

[2:36:14] – Wrap Up

[2:39:21] – End

Planescape: Torment: The story of a man whose memories have died when he cannot. Resurrected on a mortuary slab, with a floating skull for company and a tattoo on your back telling you the skull is not to be trusted, you are The Nameless One.  Grey, scarred, and plagued with nightmares that surface when you touch this or listen to that. You meet people you don’t remember, people who could never forget you, and over the course of the game you assemble a group of hapless misfits, some of whom you have met before in a previous life.

The kicker of the game is that you are responsible for your own Torment. This isn’t the clichéd amnesia tale where the murderer forgets he ever murdered – Torment goes far beyond that. In your former, forgotten incarnations you have murdered, yes. But far worse than that, you’ve decimated the worlds of the Planescape, cursing the lives you’ve touched, bringing friends down to your level, sacrificing loves, breaking minds, and driving your immortal soul further into damnation. Your final enemy is your own mortality, torn from you upon your command, hatching schemes from a Fortress of Regrets to kill the final facet of your living self as the spell that keeps it alive breaks and fades, taking the multiverse with it. This is the final enemy, but the ultimate enemy – the ultimate diabolical evil at the heart of the game – is yourself.

This is immutable. However you play the game, this is the secret at the very heart of it. But with your history set, you, the player can create your own destiny.

Deionarra - as ethereal as that girl you told all your schoolmates you met on holiday in Majorca

I met Deionarra in the Dustman mortuary. She was ephemeral, a phantasm trapped in the city of Sigil by her own regret, and that regret was her love for me. I discovered what had happened to her, what I had done, her abuse captured within crystals in a sensory library for any thrill-seeker or voyeur to watch and devour in the manner of an hallucinatory snuff film. Her death had been a sacrifice, except sacrifice implies I’d given something up. I hadn’t. This former, darker incarnation of me hadn’t. I loved her. I had to. The things I’d wrought upon her made me love her, because no matter how much she’d suffered at my hand she loved me still, beyond death itself. I could have pitied her. I could have scorned her, but I didn’t. I loved her for loving me.

I met Grace in a brothel that catered to intellectual rather than physical stimulation. She was the mistress there, and also a demon – her full name being Fall-From-Grace. She had leathery bat wings and the voice of an angel, and behind both was a mind so sharp it would never need a whetstone. She accompanied me on my quest to find myself, quipped when matters were dark, reasoned when cicumstances were irrational, and put up with the petty prejudiced jealousy that routinely and venomously spewed from Annah, a part-demon thief from an opposing faction, who hated Grace for reasons both racial and personal with a temperament that burned cold.

…Okay, so I might have told Annah that I loved her, but it was a lie, spun to ensure her return to my party. I liked Annah well enough, but she was a friend and nothing else. If she wanted something more from me, well,  she’d just have to grow up and realise that people don’t always get what they want.

But Grace, Grace I loved.

Falls-from-Grace - She's a devil in the sack.

In the final moments of the game, fighting the shades of the victims I’d murdered, confronting my true identity and unravelling my mortality’s existance with a blaze of pure reason, I admitted my love to both of these women. Upon hearing the words she’d forever longed to hear Deionarra faded, promising we’d be reunited in the halls of death. My love for her was the love of incarnations past, now freed from their prison and absorbed into my very being. It was the love of my dead and former selves for a dead and former companion, and I felt no guilt for telling her such; It was the truth.

Neither did I feel guilty when I told Grace I loved her, or when she told me she’d seek me out in my final damnation as I died and rose in Hell, not in Torment but in final freedom. She’d been my constant companion across so many worlds and now she would follow me beyond death as Deionarra before her had done, only this time the companion would follow me of her own free will. I would go to the evil planes, the hell dimensions, and there I would fight in the Blood War that wracked the universe. I would fight in damnation, fight for penance, and perhaps one day my love would find me.

There was never a sequel to Planescape: Torment. Whether or not Falls-From-Grace will ever find The Nameless One and rescue him is a story that will never be told. Perhaps that’s for the best. The game ends on a bittersweet note, tragic yet uplifting, and that’s part of the reason it has become legendary in PC gaming circles, and why people still talk about it over a decade after its release. Its complex and mature treatment of love is but a single part of its charm. There are few games that can conclude with the player choosing not from a given menu of options, but by feeling out his heart and deciding to do the right thing, whatever the right thing might be.

Tenderheart Bear's promotion to colonel soon led to Germany's downfall

These are war stories. It’s true they don’t feature much in the way of gunplay or mechanized space marine armies, but then, not every game has to be about space marine armies. Some video games aspire to be something more than a shooting range because they realise Pat Benatar had it right all along: Love IS a battlefield.

And battlefields breed war stories.

– Campfire Burning

We love hearing how a video warrior stormed the enemy camp, fought his way through legions of soldier drones until their high commander appeared; raining missiles down from his ambulatory mecha-tank. We love hearing how our hero defied death, sprung fifty feet into the air, smashed his hand through the cockpit window and tore the commander’s heart from his rib cage using ancient and deadly ninja magics. We love hearing stories like these because the reality; someone watching a TV and pushing a few buttons now and then, isn’t interesting at all.

It’s the on-screen action that counts, and how it gets inside our heads when we’re playing. It’s what makes us yell in victory, mourn in defeat, and sway left and right when taking corners on a grand prix race course that doesn’t actually exist. The stories we make, the stories we hear. The challenge. The adventure. This is why we’re here.

So let me tell you my story. Let me tell you how I told two women I loved them, and how I meant it.

Ladies please - there's more than enough of this model I'm pretending to be me to go around.

Now I’m a married man, and the woman I married, that’s the woman I love. There is no confusion in my mind. I’m not one of those lonely obsessives who falls in love with a girl on a video game screen and then proceeds to marry a Japanese pillow. My wife is flesh and blood, and I’m rather glad she’s not made from cheaply dyed fabric and sweatshop stitching. But sometimes the character I play in video games; the one that exists on the screen in front of me and in the realm of mad adventure somewhere in my mind… well… not being real and all, he doesn’t know about my wife. So sometimes he finds other women.

I’ve always been faithful, and I’ve always been a serial monogamist, so the concept of loving two women in a spiritual, sexual context is not one I can fully comprehend. This facet of my personality has leaked -as personality traits sometimes do – into the games I’ve played. I’ve always forced my characters to obey my own laws.

My Mass Effect Shepherd remained resolutely loyal to Liara, my KotOR Jedi to Bastilla, and my GTAIV Niko at least kept his amorous advances confined to one online date at a time. Even in Canis Canem Edit my Jimmy Hopkins didn’t hand out cooties to just any girl, oh no. Despite the fickle whimsy of youth he was true to his girl of the moment, and when he didn’t have a girl of the moment, well, that’s when that red head with the legs came into play. You know the one. Don’t pretend you don’t.

Video games about taking photos of schoolgirls - no longer just for the Japanese.

My in-game philosophy on cheating came into question with the arrival of Mass Effect 2. Soon after the game begins my Shepherd lost his crew and was forced to build a new one from personnel doled out to him by the Cerberus Coporation. One member of the new crew was bubbly redhead Yeoman Kelly Chambers, and yes, for a while Shepherd flirted with her, using his boyish charm to coerce her into keeping his pet fish fed (Please note that this is not a euphemism for something sordid). But their flirtations were soon ended by the arrival of a new crewmember: the encounter-suit wearing Tali’Zorah vas Neema.

Tali had been a crewmember on Shepherd’s first ship, but since he’d spent the game devoted to Asari Liara T’Soni she’d been mostly confined to the engine room. Over the course of Mass Effect 2, Shepherd and Tali’s relationship bloomed. The two of them fought side by side, both on the battlefield and in a court that sought to punish Tali for deeds her race had deemed crimes. The romance between Shepherd and Tali is quite a touching one, hinging on Tali’s vulnerability and the possibility of her death should she ever remove her encounter suit in order to consumate their relationship. Everything was going extremely well, and I was happy that these two lost creatures had found and embraced each other across an entire galaxy.

Then I ran into Liara.

Like i said, I’m a loyal man, and an honest man, and if I’d had the opportunity to tell her what was happening between myself and Tali, of course I would have. But until that moment not even a flicker of doubt had entered my mind. Why should it? After all, it’s only a video game, and romancing a video game character surely requires no more thought than, say, killing one. You press a button and before you know it, it’s done.

You don't have to be Sam Worthington or a morgue attendant in order to rock this blue chick's world.

I greeted Liara with a kiss, like nothing had happened, like time hadn’t passed, like I hadn’t been obliterated by fire and rebuilt from ash and we were together. Then she started to fill me in on the details of her recent past: of her crazed quest to try to find me and the trouble she’d gotten into in the process…and it became evident that while I’d been away, she’d changed. She wasn’t the innocent do-gooder she’d once been. Like many of the recurring characters in Mass Effect 2, I’d taken a great big bite out of the universe in the first game and in the second game, the universe had bitten back.

The full impact of my transgression didn’t hit home until later in the game, perhaps even after Tali had succumbed to my charm and revealed the face hidden behind her breathing apparatus. There was a picture of Liara in Shepherd’s quarters that would greet me on the odd occasion I’d return to my bed. After sleeping with Tali, the picture had been turned face down. As if to drive home the shame of the situation a loading screen message from Bioware informed me that my romantic entanglements could have severe consequences in the third game in the series. The THIRD game?! I hadn’t thought that far ahead, and I was stupid not to.

With Mass Effect, Bioware are playing the long game. They want you to play long enough to see the consequences of your actions, both large and small. All the way through Mass Effect 2 I’d marvelled at the clever craftsmanship that inserted negligable choices I’d made in the original game into the second, and showed me what I’d done to change these people’s lives. I was Commander John Shepard, and I made a difference that stretched beyond the final cut scene of the game. I should have known this was coming.

You wouldn't want this to go off in your hand.

Mass Effect fans await the third game – the conclusion of the trilogy – because they want to know what comes next in Shepard’s epic, galaxy spanning adventure. Will the Reapers be vanquished? Will humankind and its allies prevail? We want to know the fates of Wrex and the Krogan, and the Quarian fleet, and just where the Illusive Man fits into all of this. We want to know how our decisions have changed the world around us. We want to know our place in the universe we’ve created.

While I share in this excitement, I’m far more worried about the consequences of my romantic trysts. It’s the human (well, sentient lifeform) drama that interests me. I know that, whatever happens in the third game, I tried my best to be a heroic Shepard. I saved lives. I saved worlds. But while I did the human race proud, I lost a little of my own humanity. I’m not just John Shepard, hero – I’m John Shepherd, cheat. As a straight-as-an-arrow monogamist, that rankles.

– Campfire Burning

When compared to the original Mass Effect, which featured only two downloadable add ons, Mass Effect 2 has had a wealth of content within the first 6 months of its release. As one of EA’s flagship “Project $10” titles; games that give out $10 worth of free downloadable content to people that buy the game new, Mass Effect 2 has been key in testing out this new strategy.

We here at The Newb Review felt that writing a review for the free DLC was futile, seeing as the only thing it will cost you is time and hard drive space. That is, unless you pirated the game (shame on you) or bought it second hand (you fiends).

All you need to know about Zaeed: The Price of Revenge, The Normandy Crash Site, The Cerberus Weapon packs, and The Firewalker missions is that they are free and offer more playtime in this wonderful game. If you enjoyed playing Mass Effect 2 then there really is no excuse for not downloading these free missions.

But what of the recently released paid for downloadable content? Are they worth the time it takes to convert your hard earned money into the ambiguous Microsoft points?

Kasumi’s Stolen Memory

The first paid piece of downloadable content brought in a new squad member, the evasive super thief Kasumi Goto. After receiving a short message from the Illusive Man, you are instructed to head to the Citadel in order to make contact with Kasumi. Communicating with you through an interactive advert, Kasumi informs you that she would love to join your team on their suicide mission; however she has some unfinished business with shady arms dealer Donovan Hock.

Hock is a notorious criminal with a famous vault filled with all sorts of wonderful treasures, including some recognisable current day artifacts. However there is only one object in the vault that Kasumi desires, and it is of a more personal nature. Conveniently, Hock is hosting a lavish party at his estate, and Kasumi has forged an invite for you to attend.

'This looks familiar...'

Armed with little else other than a smart new suit (or dress if you are a lady), and a cunningly concealed pistol (don’t ask where), Shepard must infiltrate a party full of notorious criminals and find a way to recover Kasumi’s desired object.

Unlike other loyalty missions you spend the majority of your time on your own, wandering around Hock’s home looking for ways to neutralise his security. While Kasumi is technically accompanying you, she must remain out of sight until you manage to breach the vault. In order to breach the vault you must  break through varous barriers of security, with one demanding that you collect samples of DNA. The DNA collection mission offers up some (presumably) unintentional humour, with Shepard rummaging through bins and plant pots in the search for DNA samples.

While there is some shooting to be had in this opening, this pseudo stealth section is something of a departure for the Mass Effect series, and is actually quite fun. Once inside the vault the game reverts to its typical cover based shooting against hordes of enemies.

Once the mission is complete Kasumi takes residence in the final locked area of the Normandy, which turns out to be a bar, and can be used in your squad at any point.

Kasumi offers up the learnable flash bang skill, which as the name suggests, blinds enemies for a short period of time allowing you to get out of sticky situations. Playing as a Soldier, and with limited slots available, I did not find it the most useful skill in my available repertoire, but some players will doubtlessly love it.

Kasumi's List of Interests: Sparkly things and Love.

As well as recovering Kasumi’s object, you also find a high powered sub machine gun, which can be used by all squad members that are trained in sub machine guns. As a side bonus, you are also unlock a new casual outfit for wearing on the Normandy; if you are a male Shepard that means you get the luxury space tuxedo, and if you chose to be a female Shepard that grants you a low cut black dress.

There really is not much more to say about Kasumi’s Stolen Memory – you are given a new loyalty mission that lasts about half an hour or so, a new weapon and outfit, and a new permanent squad member that has plenty of unique dialogue. For 560 Microsoft Points (about £4.80) it is a fairly decent pack, especially when you consider the fact that Kasumi can be used in your squad as soon as you recruit her.

[starreview tpl=16]

4 Stolen Statues of Liberty out of 5

After releasing Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, Bioware released two 160 Microsoft Point (about £1.40) packs; the Alternate appearance pack, which added new outfits for Thane, Jack, and Garrus, and the Equaliser Weapon pack. Frankly, the changes brought about by these packs are so minimal, and while their cost may seem inconsiquental, I do not believe that they deserve a review. Personally I see them as a rip off on par with Oblivion’s Horse Armour, but you may see it differently.

Overlord

Much like with Kasumi’s Stolen Memory, this expansion offers up some new gameplay elements to the Mass Effect series. Where Kasumi offered stealth, Overlord offers an experience that is infused with Survival Horror, as well as a seemingly large open world to explore.

To set the scene, The Illusive Man sends Shepard another email – why does he always email bad news? – saying that a Cerberus Research Base has recently gone offline, and he would like you to investigate. Upon arriving at the base you discover that all of the scientists have been killed, save for the project director.

The director is conveniently able to inform you that the research they were conducting revolved around creating a Human/Geth artificial intelligence hybrid. To the director’s surprise  the test subject has gone insane, killed the entire team and locked himself in a bunker while he tries to copy himself onto the internet. The main mission in the expansion begins with you navigating your way across the planet to several different facilities  in order to gain access to the bunker and put a stop to the madness.

'I am the internetz'

At first the planet you explore seems like a large open world, with stunning vistas and numerous sites of natural beauty, as the tank’s on board computer sarcastically points out to you every five minutes. However, it does not take long to realise that, in actuality, the area you are allowed to explore is fairly small and linear. Still, at least it looks pretty.

Between storming bases you are given an optional side quest to recover secret Cerberus research data that is usually protected by numerous turrets. While your tank has plenty of fire power, these turrets can usually tear through your armour within a few seconds. This leads to some frustrating and tedious battles that revolve around you firing off a few shots, then using the boosters on the tank to jump and dodge out of the line of fire. Thankfully this mission is entirely optional and only the only thing it unlocks is a new achievement.

As for the main missions themselves, you will find yourself wandering down dark corridors, littered with corpses and stained with blood. The music, which is more ambient than usual, does a great job of heightening the tense atmosphere. The frightening ambience is also aided by the fact that the A.I will appear on screen and scream incoherently at you in a digitised voice, which is very unsettling.

'Set Status to Brown Trouser Mode!'

Even playing as a fully upgraded Commander Shepard with all the best guns, I still felt uneasy as I wandered through the bases, constantly expecting enemies to be lying in wait around every corner. In reality there are only a handful of enemy Geth in each base, but that does not take away anything from the overall experience; you come across a number of deactivated Geth lying about the place, and the threat that they may suddenly reactive is always at the front of your mind.

In order to reach each base you take control of the hover tank and must navigate some rough terrain. These sections of the game are the most “video-gamey”, as you have to use the tank’s booster to jump from one floating platform to another in a river of lava. The level design here feels as if it were ripped stright from a platforming game. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found it to be one of the least enjoyable sections.

While Mass Effect is well known for its moral choice system, the choice you are forced to make in this expansion is one of the most difficult yet. Without wishing to spoil anything, all I can say is that the only options available to you are making a bad decision or making an even worse decision.

Arguably, the Hover Tank sections are the worst bit about this expansion.

As much as I enjoyed the main mission, there were a few small problems. For instance, in most missions your squad mates tend to have a lot to say about what is going on. However, in Overlord, they remain oddly silent. It would have been interesting to see what Jack, Legion, or Mordin would have to say about the goings on in the research facility, and yet even when they are in your squad they say nothing.

Obviously this is because Bioware did not record any new dialogue for your squad mates, but it is distracting to see the squad mates standing around with their hands in their pockets while you talk about the ethics behind human experimentation. Their silence is a glaring omission from an otherwise excellent narrative.

To summarise, Overlord offers up some new gameplay elements to Mass Effect 2, taking inspiration from the Survival Horror genre as well as traditional Platforming games. It is an eclectic mix, with some segments working better than others, but overall it is entirely worth the 560 Microsoft points it will cost you, if only for the general uneasy feeling the main missions cause and heart breaking decision Shepard is forced to make.

[starreview tpl=16]

4 Angry AI Attacks out of 5

Check back with The Newb Review for reviews of future Mass Effect 2 DLC if and or when Bioware releases them.

- Luke Mears

Rise Of The Resistance

People are lazy… Very lazy. But this laziness isn’t written into our genetic code or as a result of our upbringing; it is the consequence of our ever-growing intelligence and the utilization of that intellect to create more and more gadgets and gizmos. The sole purpose of these are to make our lives a whole lot lazier.

Take the iPod for example, or in fact anything that Apple has ever ejaculated from the “enlightened” mind of Steve Jobs. If I were a little more wealthy I could, and probably would, buy everything with an Apple on it… I’d buy some pink ladies as well; that’s my favorite variety of apple. Then I would hire some ladies wearing matching pink uniforms to eat them while I observe from a balcony.

It would however be hard to keep my attention focused on these “pink ladies” because I would be more interested in the tweets on my iPad and the download speed of the new Biffy Clyro album from iTunes.

Were these Steve Jobs' idea!? I'm not sure of anything anymore...

However, as a man I am skilled in the art of multitasking; a skill the opposite sex has yet to master, and with this skill I would be able to play my Xbox while maintaining Skype calls to the fellow members of the future resistance around the globe.

What I am trying to say is; society is constantly forming ways to keep us locked inside our houses. This will be the cradle of our destruction. For you see, while you sit at your chair sifting through the loose filaments of my mind, robotic engineers and scientists are constantly developing new technologies to advance our civilization, albeit with very little funding from the government.

I believe that eventually we will construct sentient robots, and if the all knowing teacher that is Hollywood has taught me anything, it’s that our greatest creation, upon realizing their superiority, will turn on us.

That, fellow humans, is the dawn of our downfall. Only the strong, the brave and the good will survive. Staying in groups of four won’t work this time though folks; this isn’t going to be a walk in a zombie filled park.

Molotov’s and vials of puke will most likely prove to be an ineffective weapon against the adamantium infused bodies of our synthetic adversaries. They will most certainly be equipped with more than two arms, and more armaments than you as well. In fact, it’s safe to say we’re pretty much fertilizer.

A vision of the future. But I'm pretty sure it'll be robots instead of zombies.

But don’t worry! Carry on with your life as you normally would. Just keep in mind that the games industry is producing a mass of educational source material secretly designed to subconsciously train the gamer to survive the war between man and machine.

Case in point: Mass Effect. This is Survival 101 people because it contains essential man-versus-machine training modules. It contains everything you’ll need to know, ranging from how to hack a robot sentient to how to use the biotic powers that we will inevitably gain as a result of future scientific research.

Ever seen Terminator 2? apart from being the greatest film ever made (FACT) it’s actually a premonition. It is going to happen people! I have seen it in my dreams and my dreams never lie.

Terminator 2 is the greatest movie of all time. Anyone who says otherwise will be the first to go.

I wouldn’t be surprised if my gospel compels you to go jump out of a window… the truth is harsh I know. But there are equally positive forces dedicated to making us more like J.C. Denton (25 gamer score if you know who J.C. Denton is) than ever before.

Soon we will be more metal than matter and we may even have a fighting chance, just make sure that when you go to the club this weekend you practice the robot dance. The droids made by Microsoft won’t be as smart or as deadly as the ones from Japan or Europe so you may even be able to trick them provided you can pop and or lock to a fairly decent standard.

But have you heard of a little arcade game called Darwinia+ by Introversion? This stylishly retro RTS’esque game is just another example of how games are doing their best to train you up for the inevitable robot uprising set to occur in 2012. It serves as great way to teach your children some basic warfare strategy. Get your kids practicing in the playground and gather up your sprites, because we will be fighting a lot of viruses… Viruses in our computers… Viruses in our bodies… Even viruses in our freaking kitchen appliances.

Throw away those Nintendo Wii's and buy your kids Darwinia+. The future depends on it!

Oh, and you know those quick time events that seem to be freakin’ everywhere since Sega made Shenmue? Well, the little improvements QTEs make to your reaction time are an essential part of your five a day: caffeine, sugar, alcohol, QTE and weapons training. Fruit and Vegetables will be in short supply after the Cybernetic Organisms carpet bomb every farm in England, so get used to life without them.

I am telling you this so that when the robot revolution begins nobody can say I was wrong. Crazy I may be, but wrong I be not. I implore you to go out into the streets and tell as many as you can, “play more games! Or you might soon be subject to severe stab wounds, laser burns and anal probing”.

Tell them ItsActuallyAdam sent you… then tell them to plug their anus.

Leave us a review in iTunes and when we reach 50 reviews will will draw a name out of the hat and send that person a game of their choice (within reason – no band packs, imports, special editions etc)

MP3 Download / iTunes / RSS Feed

Finally reaching us some two years after the original, Mass Effect 2 has more than a little anticipation and hype. Any gaming fan has been left drooling over teaser footage as this sequel brings back the primary protagonist, Shepard, to once again kick ass and take names throughout the universe. Searching through even the least hardcore of gaming forums shows a lot of speculation as to the new gameplay style and, perhaps most importantly, where the developers are going to take the narrative of this lucrative franchise. So, does the game live up to the hype? Read on and you’ll find out…

Mass Effect 2 is the second in the trilogy (Mass Effect 3 is looking likely to be a late 2011 release), and the story follows on directly from Shepard’s first outing. Don’t let this put you off; the story is accessible even to those with absolutely no knowledge of the franchise. The beginning of the game briefly explains what went down when Sarren (a space cop turned rogue) tried to use the Geth (a race of hi-tech robots) to destroy the universe. We begin with Shepard’s ship, the Normandy, searching for Geth activity, when it is attacked by an unidentified ship and blown to smithereens.

Shepard is back and he looks a bit miffed...

It’s clear from the very beginning that Shepard’s second outing is a lot more focussed on action. The cinematic opening fills in any back story issues you may have, whilst simultaneously moving the narrative on at a blistering pace: all in all, a fantastic re-introduction to the franchise. Even the brief tutorial-style beginning to the actual gameplay is great for entry level gamers and veterans alike; the basic actions are introduced quickly and effectively to allow a good grip of the gameplay without the chance for boredom if you’ve seen this all before.

Once the opening scenes are completed, the narrative shoots forward two years (to tell you much more would ruin the initial surprises the opening has in store), and you’re introduced to a universe that is familiar, but oh so different from before. If you’ve played the first one, locales such as the Citadel will certainly feel familiar, but the ending of Mass Effect has left the developers plenty of opportunity for a redesign to keep things fresh and inviting.

It’s clear that Bioware are aiming this at a much larger audience than the first. The primary complaint of Mass Effect was the combat, and they’ve certainly gone to great lengths to rectify that. The first was a blend between FPS and RPG, with the weighting perhaps favouring the RPG elements more than visceral gamers would have liked. The sequel shifts the scales much more towards the FPS genre. Players of any call of duty or battlefield game will feel right at home in the new Mass Effect.

More FPS means big explosions - Yay!

So, whilst the franchise has certainly moved closer to Call of Duty in terms of gameplay, the extent to which the FPS demographic will be captured with this new title remains to be seen. Call of Duty is pure FPS, and whilst the combat of Mass Effect 2 is a lot more visceral and exciting than the previous title, the presence and depth of character development may switch some hardcore FPS gamers off.

The shooting is augmented by tech and biotic abilities, which make a welcome return from the first title. Lifting one enemy into the air whilst you concentrate fire on a second brings a new tactical element to the FPS formula, and it’s fairly straightforward to pull off some spectacular moves. As you move through the game the RPG elements kick in; gaining experience and levels that enable you to further develop your abilities. At the top levels, a choice of ability evolution must be made; essentially you can either affect a wide group of enemies, or opt for sheer power with any given move.

Biotic powers are pretty impressive

For much of the game you control Shepard, choosing two more comrades to take with you on missions. Whilst the squad system is a nice touch, it is a little basic. On the Xbox 360 at least, micromanagement was difficult to achieve effectively. Leaving your sidekicks to get on with their own thing whilst gunning down enemies seems to be the most successful strategy. You’ll quickly find that trying to overcomplicate the gameplay with strategy will lead to a swift death.

Graphically the game is superb. Whilst actual gameplay graphics are not quite as good as the cut scenes, it is difficult to spot the difference at times. At the beginning of the game my Dad was watching over my shoulder and asked, “How did you know when you were supposed to take control?” when the game moved from cut scene to actual gameplay. Bioware know they’ve done well with the graphics, just look at the number of times you’re treated to a landscape shot across the urban sprawl or a sweeping cinematic of a ship landing on a hostile planet.

Dave loved his new glow-in-the-dark tattoos, but they did make his eyes look funny

There are conversational choices to be made within almost any dialogue with another character. As with the first game, these range from extremely friendly and positive to downright callous. These conversation choices earn you points that shape your character as either a Paragon (Good guy) or Renegade (Bad guy).

At first you might think that the difference in narrative is minimal, and you’d be right; the overarching story doesn’t change drastically, until arguably right at the end. But it’s the development of your relationships with your companions and how you are treated by those you meet that really makes this system special. A second play through as a Renegade after adhering strictly to Paragon choices creates an entirely new experience.

In terms of sound, it’s difficult to find a game as diverse or accomplished as Mass Effect 2. There are a whole host of voices to be recognised throughout the narrative for any fan of Science Fiction. Likewise, the few more mainstream stars will have you smiling the moment you hear them; Martin Sheen is a big highlight. The soundtrack has an epic feel that harks back to Space Operas such as the Star Wars saga and 2001: A Space Odyssey. This game almost begs to be experienced in surround sound to be truly immersed.

The action looks and sounds great throughout

The game itself is fairly epic. It will take around 25 hours for a single run through of the story, with minimal attention to side-quests or item collection. Replayability is the name of the game however. Once completed, a kind of New Game + option arises where you can import Shepard from your completed file, choose a special ability to begin the game with (I’d recommend Miranda’s Slam – lifting enemies into the air and slamming them to the ground never gets old), and you’re treated to massive amounts of credits and mineral resources to get you going.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 4/5 A real step up from the first game. Graphically this game is stunning, but a few glitches here and there prevent a perfect score.

Sound: 5/5 If you’ve played Mass Effect, you’ll know what to expect here. If you haven’t, you’ll be blown away by the voice acting, and general cinematic feel the suitably epic soundtrack and great audio effects bring to this extremely well-polished product.

Gameplay: 4/5 The shift towards more action oriented FPS gameplay works really well. There were a few instances where it felt the RPG elements had been stripped away a little too much. But Bioware have walked a thin line in fine form.

Longevity: 5/5 There is a tonne of things to do on a first run through. When you factor in the replay value, this game will keep you coming back again and again, right up until Mass Effect 3.

Overall: 5 Mass Effect Relays out of 5. Cinematic certainly is the operative word here. The visuals, writing and voice acting are as good as any blockbuster. This is an instant classic, a true achievement. Now hurry up Bioware and finish Mass Effect 3 so we can play it.
[starreview tpl=16]

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When Mass Effect was first released, BioWare discussed the possibility of releasing numerous additional missions as downloadable content. With a game that has a gigantic open universe to explore, you would think that they would have every opportunity to easily expand the universe with numerous missions well after the original release. Here we are mere moments before the release of Mass Effect 2, and we have had just two downloadable packs for the game: Bring Down the Sky and Pinnacle Station. To cut a long story short, one is good and one is not as good as it should be. Let’s find out why…

Bring Down The Sky

Let’s start with the good. Bring Down the Sky takes place on a gigantic asteroid that is hurtling towards a densely populated planet. Shepard is asked to respond to the distress call placed by a scientific research team based on the asteroid. It transpires that the base has been taken over by anti-human terrorists, and they aim to destroy a booming human colony in retaliation for crimes they perceive the humans to have committed against them. Upon landing on the asteroid you have to drive around in the tank, disable the engines that the terrorists have installed on the asteroid that are pushing it towards the planet and try to save as many people as you can. As well as terrorist hunting and engine sabotage, you can travel around the asteroid looking for traces of a missing team of scientists. This involves simple detective work, such as following a trail of footprints across the asteroid’s surface.

Shepard races across an asteroid to stop the terrorists

This isn’t a particularly lengthy episode; clocking in at about an hour in length, but it does have some replayability with the inclusion of two possible endings. There’s developers have done very little to improve the combat in the game. So if that was a major obstacle for you with the full game, then it will continue to be so. Likewise, the tank controls remain the same. The really interesting thing in this add-on is the moral choice. When capturing the leader of the terrorists you are forced to make a decision, as the terrorists have placed the science team in a death trap, Batman villain style. Do you rescue the humans and give the terrorist leader time to escape or do you punish the terrorist and doom the humans?

Bring Down The Sky introduces some new species, like the Batarians

Pinnacle Station

Pinnacle station is the second and final add on, and is in no way as strong as the first. Shepard summoned to Pinnacle Station in order to try and best a combat simulator for the Alliance Military. Being Commander Shepard, the team on the station are very interested to see if you can best their times in the combat simulator. There are a number of maps, all based loosely on locations found in the single player, such as Sarren’s Krogan Factory, and there are a number of different games, ranging from timed survival, eliminating enemies within a time limit, and a king-of-the-hill-style game where you must capture of check points and attempt to control them all. In essence, it seems as if this add-on has been released as a try out for a Mass Effect multiplayer mode.

Pinnacle Station is basically a lot of combat challenges

One of the strengths of Mass Effect is its strong narrative and multiple dialogue options, however, none of these can be found with any real substance in Pinnacle Station. This is purely a combat exercise. While it is amusing enough at first, there is little reason to actually play through it, other than to earn some easy achievements. For the most part, it’s repetitive, tedious, and a waste of time. This is a real shame because Bring Down the Sky presented some real value, it was cheap and the story seemed significant to the overall Mass Effect Universe. It introduced a key new race; the human traffickers called Batarians. But Pinnacle Station introduces nothing beyond a simple combat mode in which you face off against bots. However, at the same time, I am not entirely sure that Pinnacle Station would be any better if you could play against other human beings, seeing as Mass Effect is a game that is driven by narrative rather than a focus on controls.

The Station itself is very small

REVIEW ROUND-UP

Graphics: 4/5 The character models and scenery are as beautiful as ever, with the sky line in Bring Down the Sky being particularly impressive.

Sound: 4/5 Once again, excellent voice acting, sound effects, and music. If you have played Mass Effect, you know what to expect.

Gameplay: 3/5 While both pieces of downloadable content play exactly the same way as the retail release of Mass Effect, Pinnacle Station lets the team down because it is purely combat based. I do not think it would be too unfair to say that the combat in Mass Effect is not its strongest feature.

Longevity: 2/5 Bring Down the Sky has two possible endings, and will keep you occupied for about an hour or so, which is pretty good considering the price point. Pinnacle Station has about a dozen or so challenges for you to overcome, but they quickly become tedious and repetitive.

Overall: 3 Hurtling Asteroids out of 5. The DLC is good overall, but Bring Down The Sky is the better of the two. Pinnacle Station is competent, but repetitive, and really does nothing to further the game’s story. On the whole I would recommend Pinnacle Station only to those that are completionists, as it can easily be skipped without missing anything important… Unless it crops up in Mass Effect 2 somewhere.