Video Games

Mass Effect 3 Review

To say that Mass Effect 3 was a hotly anticipated game would be quite the understatement.  Back in 2010, Mass Effect 2 released to an extremely good reaction, and made many of the Top 10 GOTY lists, even though it was released very early in the year.  The teaser trailers have been out and about for Mass Effect 3 for some time, and come March 6^th, we could finally get our hands on the game itself.  I found that despite the fact that Bioware had their own fiascos with the EA Origins stuff; Mass Effect 3 is a fun game that melds the RPG elements that were quite heavy in the first game with the action sequences that were much more present in the second iteration.  I feel like the discussion of whether 2 or 3 was the better version could be going on for a while, as they both are very strong games, but the fact remains that Mass Effect 3 is a very fitting addition to the trilogy of games, and it does well to scratch the itch of those looking to understand more of the story of Commander Shepard.

The gameplay in Mass Effect 3 is a bit of a fusion between the first and the second in some ways, and is also a very interesting upgrade in some other ways.  One big thing that I noticed was that in this game, there is a health system similar to that of Halo: Reach, where you have a shield that recharges, and then you have separate bars of health that do not.  This makes it so that the medi-gels (now called First Aid), are much more important, as the only way to heal the heath bar is to use first aid.  This adds an extra sense of urgency, which I thought was nice, because it forces the player to be much more aware of their health and current power statuses (if they are a biotic), and because of the fact that I found the enemy AI to be vastly superior to previous games, it really adds a challenging twist.

Microsoft Increasing Max Gamerscore for XBLA Titles

Are you tired of your downloadable titles from Xbox Live Arcade maxing out at 200 achievement points?  Well good news everyone, Microsoft recently confirmed via Major Nelson that games releasing on XBLA starting next month will have the option of increasing their maximum Gamerscore from 200 to 400.  Starting in June of this year, it will be mandatory for all XBLA games to have 30 achievements and a maximum Gamerscore of 400.

Phil Harrison to Occupy Peter Molyneux’s Vacant Position

A rumor that former Sony Europe Corporate Vice President Phil Harrison would be taking over Peter Molyneux’s vacated position as head of Microsoft Games in Europe has been confirmed.  Microsoft made the official announcement this morning after several sources confirmed the rumor yesterday.  Harrison will be responsible for overseeing Microsoft’s Lionhead, Soho, and Rare studios in the United Kingdom.  He will also be joining the Interactive Entertainment Business team as a corporate vice president.

Peter Molyneux’s Departure is not just “Black & White”

Last week Peter Molyneux announced that he was leaving Microsoft and Lionhead studios. But was his leaving really a grievance, or in fact a celebration? He left Microsoft Game Studios Europe, and Guildford, UK’s Lionhead Studios to pursue a career within new, indie company called  22 Cans. Whilst at Lionhead studios, he co-designed such memorable games as the Fable trilogy and the Black & White series.

Digital High Episode 30

As I’m sure most of you are aware, GDC happened last week, which was surprisingly light on the news/announcements front. Not to worry though, as perhaps an even bigger thing happened last week, I am of course talking about Mass Effect 3 coming out. We hand it over to Vince for all the not-so-gory details as I’m sure we’ll be doing for several weeks to come because me and Donna will probably never play it, you’ll just have to get over that as best you can.

Bloodforge: Blood-soaked Action

What hardcore gamer doesn’t love a good, bloody massacre? Bloodforge, shown recently at GDC 2012, looks to live up to the “blood” in its name. Developed by Climax Studios, with a release date in April, Bloodforge puts you in the role of Crom, a bloodthirsty protagonist seeking revenge for the death of his wife, who he killed himself through deception from the gods. Set in a Celtic world, Crom must defeat demonic soldiers and gods in the bloodiest manner possible.

Quantic Dream is Pushing the Envelope of Gaming

In 2006, Quantic Dream floored geeks and gamers with The Casting.  A tech demo that featured a digital actress auditioning for a movie role.  The entire scene played out with the actress’ performance conveying a full range of emotions for the camera.  The realism and emotion conveyed in the performance was unlike anything seen before in game engines. Heavy Rain was eventually born out of this technology and was extremely impressive.  The game was critically acclaimed and pushed many boundaries in how video games were played.  Building on what they learned from their previous game Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain provided an expertly executed, fluid storytelling mechanic that featured branching paths.  Heavy Rain kept the story advancing regardless of player performance.  In fact there was no incorrect way to play, as the death of a main character simply altered the story and ultimately its ending.