Monday 12 March 2012

New - Mass Effect 3

There has been an inordinate amount of controversy surrounding the launch of Mass Effect 3. Between online passes, day one DLC, the multiplayer effectively being required for the best ending, rumors of said DLC being on the disc, human-like stock photo Quarians, and petitions to change the ending or at least add a more positive one, it's a wonder this game is still selling by the bucketload.

Or perhaps not. It's still the highly-anticipated ending to a series loved by millions (Mass Effect 2 sold 2 million in the first week alone), and I don't know a whole lot of people that can walk away from something they care about without knowing the ending. I'm certainly not one of them.

Mass Effect 3 is one of the few times I've really felt the time difference between when America gets a game and when the UK does. I wish I'd have been able to go in blind, without seeing all the controversy. It was impossible to avoid all the impotent nerd rage on the internet, even with avoiding opening articles in my RSS feeds. I spent two days with the horrible feeling that ME3 was going to be a massive disappointment before my copy came in the post (a day before release, thanks Amazon).

Setting aside all the things that everyone else is angry about, I'd just like to add my two cents. One: It's Mass Effect. If you liked Mass Effect, you'll almost definitely like this one. And two: Why the FUCK is my Shepard's main job playing errand-boy for every Tom Dick and Harry in the galaxy? The Reapers have arrived, suck it the fuck up and KICK SOME ASS.

Saturday 3 March 2012

:C: - The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

It's been a long time coming, but I finally did it. I finished all my goals for completing Skyrim. I feel quite embarrased, because for a long time I've had just one goal left - getting all the Dragon Priest Masks. And when I loaded up my save tonight, I found I had 8, and the only thing left to do was to go to Labyrinthia to get the final special one.

So that's it. It's kind of underwhelming, really. I'll still be playing it, of course, because I'm still missing that one last achievement and I'm still in love with the idea of it being my first 100% retail game. Hopefully I can do all the Daedric Quests with another character before the DLC comes out (which I'll get on day one and play to death).

There's also the PC version to consider. I'm planning on buying a new PC at some point which can run Skyrim so I don't have to play on my family's computer with the 20 billion mods my brother has inevitably installed. So I've got that to look forward to as well - and I'll be able to take screenshots! Won't that be exciting?

Here's to much more Skyrim in the future. It is a neverending game after all.

New - Credit is Awesome!

So I had a bunch of credit after trading in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and The Sims 3, and some loyalty points, so when SSX came out I trundled along to my local Gamestation to pick it up.

There was no way in any universe that I wasn't getting the new SSX. The series had a profound influence on me in my easily influenced early teen years, and I've had a thing for extreme sports games ever since. There are many bands I listen to regularly that I would never have found if it weren't for Tricky and 3. I played On Tour briefly on my PSP and skipped Blur entirely, but they were shit anyway, but I've been excited for this one since the first trailer. And, for what it's worth I'm not disappointed.

After SSX I had a bunch of credit left, so I went browsing, and after some deliberation, I picked out RAGE and Shadows of the Damned. Both I've been meaning to pick up ever since they came out but never got round to, so this was a good opportunity.

I love getting free stuff. SSX (with pre-order DLC), RAGE and Shadows of the Damned for a grand total of £1.07. Phenomenal. This is why I hope GAME Group doesn't collapse. I'd miss this (and the people, too).