Posts tagged Mass Effect 2
The Backlog: Hey Ken, can I borrow that lawnmower? edition
May 15th
Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.
Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.
Anyway, let’s get down to it.
The Backlog: We Are The World Warriors Edition
May 1st
Plenty to discuss this week — racing games, zombies, spaaaaaaaaaaace! (warning: funny, but spoilers!), and world warriors.
Oh, the world warriors!
Enough of this nonsense, on to the backlog!
Review: Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)
Apr 30th
by Aaron Thayer
Mass Effect 2 is the greatest game BioWare has created in its 15 years as a developer. Its prolific development schedule seems all but impossible: to release one fantastic blockbuster in November (Dragon Age: Origins) and then, two months later, hurdle over the quality of that game with the launch of another — while simultaneously crafting a massively multiplayer online game set in the Star Wars universe, due out in 2011. It’s an enormous accomplishment, satellite studios or not, for a developer already respected for its history of producing top-tier software.
Yet greatness doesn’t always imply perfection, and the second title in the Mass Effect trilogy stumbles on occasion during an otherwise impressive stride. But with those minor problems in mind, Mass Effect 2 is still among the most satisfying games I’ve ever played. It deserves the praise and the hype.
Science-fiction space operas don’t appeal to every gamer, but I sincerely doubt that BioWare’s recent opus, with its intelligent gameplay, diverse characters and compelling plot, is incapable of attracting both role-playing game skeptics and shooter scoffers alike. This truly is the best of both worlds.
Love ME 2 Times
Apr 21st
We’ve got another podcast for you, and despite what the oh-so-clever title might suggest, it’s utterly devoid of references to The Doors. This latest podcast — our eighth so far — is so named because each participant on this recording has played Mass Effect 2 at least twice. And Aaron and Tyler, well…they’ve played it a lot more than that.
This one was recorded a couple of months back, but the discussion is hopefully just as relevant as ever. We’re hoping to jump-start things again over at Sasquatch HQ, so please stay tuned.
The Backlog: Sandbox of Chaos edition
Apr 5th
I kinda got carried away with Photoshop this week. You see, Rico Rodriguez, the protagonist from the Just Cause games, is chaotically belly-flopping into a child’s sandbox, which serves a visual metaphor for the open-world adventures he stars in. Hence the headline.
With that out of the way, I can tell you this edition of our beloved (by some — maybe our mothers) Backlog pertains to Nick’s first aural experiencing of Axis: Bold as Love, Doug’s dusting off of the old Xbox after his adventures in Asia and my unbelieving satisfaction from playing a ton of Just Cause 2.
The Backlog: Killer Bs edition
Feb 19th
Lots of good things start with the letter “b”; Many games right now, for instance (Battlefield and Bayonetta being two of them). Other things start with that letter — like business school, bad tests, The Beatles…and also brains.
Wait, brains? It will make more sense in a moment! So, without further ado, here’s the log.
The Backlog: (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bayonetta edition
Feb 12th
Why am I so conflicted over BioShock 2? The original was great, brilliant even. And if 2K Marin’s sequel is half as good as the first, that would still make it better than all of the dust-collecting shovelware currently sitting on store shelves.
Nick doesn’t seem as wracked with indecision this week as yours truly, and I fully believe it when he predicts BioShock 2 will soon find a spot in his vast library of interactive software. However, Nick doesn’t know that upon purchasing the game he will be obligated to review it. Sorry, friend.
Doug takes this edition’s opportunity to educate us on the intricate differences between Pro Evo Soccer 2010 and FIFA 10, and it’s an extremely informative primer about a segment of gaming I’ve all but forgotten. I actually want to give soccer sims another shot after reading it. Truly, I do.
And for me, well, I’m in love with Bayonetta — the game, mind you. Though with her strength-based sex appeal and quotes such as: “Do I look like I’m a child person? Making children, on the other hand,” it’s easy to swoon over the ridiculous charm of the character and to even feel all right about it; hopefully without coming off as a chauvinist.
Also, apologies for the article headline. An Otis Redding track pack is coming to Rock Band next week, and I thought the titular pun was appropriately humorous. I was likely wrong.
The Backlog: Resignation edition
Feb 6th
Mass Effect 3.
My Fellow Earthicans:
Good evening.
This is the 68th time I have spoken to you from this laptop, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Blog. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the blogosphere’s interest.
In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Blog. Throughout the long and difficult period of struggling through Mass Effect 2, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to overlook BioWare’s overzealous streamlining, to stop viewing the game as a RPG, and to make every possible effort to complete the sequel to the game I loved so much.
In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that Mass Effect 2 is, in fact, the brilliant, evolutionary sequel everyone has been raving about. And with that in mind, I come before you to admit that I made a grievous and inexcusable error in judgment.
Therefore, I shall resign to having been “completely, totally, 100% dead wrong” about Mass Effect 2 effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Thayer will be sworn in as “Guy Who Was Totally Right All Along Even Though Nick Won’t Admit It” at that hour in this office.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go flirt with Miranda some more. Don’t judge.
The Backlog: Mass Effect 2log
Jan 29th
So, yeah.
Some little game you might have heard of called Mass Effect 2 dropped in stores on Tuesday, and…yeah. We’ve all been putting some time into that — some of us at the detriment of schoolwork (*ahem*) — and yelling at anyone daring to spoil any aspect of the game (but that may just be me). We also have divided opinions on the game, too, so read on and see where the contention lies (spoiler free, naturally).
We’ve also been able to play some other games — Forza 3 and some iPhone games included — and it’s time to dig into the details in this week’s Backlog.
Our most anticipated games of early 2010
Dec 15th
Editor’s note: While discussing topics for the most recent podcast, Nick and Aaron took some time to talk in detail about which games they felt might be worth paying attention to as their release dates draw near. Thanks to the bizarre magic of Google Wave, our collaboration ended up turning into a full-fledged article. We hope this list serves as a helpful guide and gives you some ideas of what to look forward to.
The heroes from just a few of the major releases coming in the next few months: Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell: Conviction), Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII) and Shepard (Mass Effect 2).
After building this list from a shorter one we borrowed unceremoniously from Kotaku, we weighed the evidence presented to us so far and drew up our own shortlists of essential titles, as well as a handful of potentially great purchases.
You’ll find our own lists, along with our justifications, after the break. And if we ignored a great game or missed one completely, please let us know. Thanks!