I played this game last night for 10 minutes and it was enough to convince me that it was Play of the Week material. Creating myself in the game was enough fun to warrant such a thing. I created Deacon Shepard, an Earth-born hybrid type of guy who survived the streets to become the bad ass solider he was meant to be.
It gave me the feeling that I was in for an amazing ride and that’s what I love in a game. The opening sequence of Call of Duty 4 did the same thing. I felt a rush when I started Mass Effect last night. Be on the lookout for a review of this puppy soon. It looks like I finally have a story worth giving a damn about.
I’m sure you thought your pockets and checkbooks were safe this week but it appears that you were wrong. Prepare for some massive, effective rock this week!
Mass Effect - As one of the first human beings to step onto the galactic stage, you face a grave threat that may destroy all of civilization. Your job is complicated by the fact that no one believes that there is any threat at all. $59.99 / $69.99 Limited Edition
Rock Band - It’s an all-new platform for you to experience music, giving you the chance to rock in the shoes of the biggest guitarists, bassists, drummers, and singers of all time as a solo superstar or as part of a hard-rocking band. $169.99 (bundle) / $59.99 (game only)
BioWare fans and Mass Effect drones prepare to celebrate as the highly anticipated title has gone gold, and will be offered in a limited collector’s edition. Additionally, an exclusive bonus disc will be offered to consumers who pre-order the game. The bonus disc is available at participating U.S. retailers while supplies last.
I’m going to try to get the CE and run it through the Edition Examiner ofcourse. The limited collector’s edition will be offered through participating retailers, and will include a host of bonus materials. You can check out all the CE features as well as the bonus disc features by clicking here. They’re both loaded with good stuff.
The Collector’s Edition will retail for $69.99 and will be available next month along with the standard edition. I’m guessing that Gamestop will be the prime location to get your exclusive pre-order goodies.
“Resistance is futile.” Star Trek fans will know this classic line from the famed series. It is a line from an alien race called The Borg. They assimilate everything they come into contact with and eventually every race becomes a Borg race.
Well many jokes in the industry have been aimed at Electronic Arts being the Borg of the industry that simply assimilate all these different studios. Today, BioWare and Pandemic Studios are a part of the Borg collective. EA is set to acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios making it an even stronger powerhouse.
“Pandemic Studios remains focused on attracting the best talent and creating blockbuster action games,” said Josh Resnick, President and Co-founder of Pandemic Studios. “As a worldwide publishing leader, EA represents the ideal partner to bring our titles to market as global entertainment events.”
BioWare is currently working on the highly anticipated title, Mass Effect which will continue to be published by Microsoft. Read more about this acquisition here.
When this title was announced it was one that I thought could not be done. The initial idea of it was great but in the back of my mind I thought it just couldn’t be done. Even with Bioware behind it, I had my reservations. However, since seeing it at PAX and seeing this latest video, I’m starting to understand that it has been done. This game looks incredible! I just hope the gameplay ends up being as fluid and precise as the visuals are.
The video is a glimpse into the personalities of several key characters that players will encounter in “Mass Effect,” such as the powerful Krogan battle master Urdnot Wrex, Alliance military Captain David Anderson, the Quarian nomad Tali’zorah Nar Ray Ya and the mysterious Turian Spectre Nihlus. All footage in the video is taken directly from the game, and you’ll get to see a sampling of scenes for each character that showcase their personality.
Video: Mass Effect Character Profile (see below)
I know many of you have been wondering what’s next after the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta? What can Xbox 360 owners look forward to playing as the wait for September 25th begins? Here’s my rundown of titles that you can look forward to and some that you can head out to play right now (or again).
Forza Motorsport 2 - May 29
Racing fans around the globe have been eagerly anticipating the release of this sequel. It’s the Xbox 360’s premiere simulation racer so you know the goodies are packed within. Try playing it with the 360 wireless wheel for maximum experience.
Shadowrun PC/Xbox 360 - May 29
Hey you asked for something to do while you wait and this is a very viable option. If only for the PC to Xbox 360 play, Shadowrun is worth a test drive. The multiplayer has as good a chance as any game to be great especially considering it’s the only option available.
So now that the torture has ended and the scheduled maintenance for Xbox Live is complete, allow me to introduce you to the Mass Effect Fan Site Kit. BioWare and Microsoft Game Studios are making it easier than ever for gamers to create a fan site for the upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Sci-Fi RPG, Mass Effect. Along with the usual assortment of concept art, forum avatars, renders and other web-ready artwork to enable fans to create quality sites, the fan site kit contains some exclusive new Mass Effect desktop wallpapers available in various resolutions.
The fan site kit may be downloaded from the official site at masseffect.bioware.com. For those of you who create fan sites, register your site for official inclusion on the Mass Effect site at masseffect.bioware.com/community. The wallpapers are excellent in this kit!
I’m sure you’ve seen it but here it is for those who may have missed the official box art for Mass Effect.
What will the year 2007 bring for Xbox 360 fans? Will there be another 3 million title seller this year as there was with 2006’s Untouchable of the Year winner, Gears of War?
I’ll give you a rundown of my 11 most anticipated releases this year. If you’re an Xbox 360 owner, then you’re in for a treat in 2007. If you’re not, then you should head out to the nearest retail store and hop on the train!
Halo 3 - With news circulating about the public beta of Halo 3, I believe the ball is just starting to roll with Halo 3 mania. What will the Master Chief aim to do in what has been billed as his final chapter? New weapons. New vehicles. It’s the story of Halo with the power of the 360 behind it and it will surely be a sight to see and an event to play. And I know everyone is itching to find out about this ‘X’ button that changes the way we play right?
BioShock - It was a dark, lonely night when I downloaded the BioShock trailer from X06. Since then, I’ve been counting the days until I would have the chance to play this underwater epic. 2K has already gone on record saying their focus is completely on delivering an outstanding single campaign/story. It better be one hell of a story to please all the multiplayer heads out there who won’t get to go head up against anyone on Xbox Live.
