Video Games

10 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

Video Game Review: Mass Effect 2 (or ME2: Modern Warfare)

My hard drive failure forced reprogression through the Mass Effect trilogy brings me to Mass Effect 2. After the launch of Mass Effect, BioWare was bought by EA, who were recently named the worst company in America. The apparent influence of BioWare’s new corporate parent is readily apparent in changes made between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 (though we may never get the true story as to how much EA influenced the design of the game and how much of the changes were BioWare’s own choice). While Mass Effect could be described as an Action RPG, Mass Effect 2 edged toward Shooter RPG as many of the RPG elements from the first game underwent a complete overhaul.

Today, I review the second part of the Mass Effect trilogy with three year’s worth of hindsight and the accompanying DLCs. Continue reading →

6 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

Video Game Review: Mass Effect (or When Hard Drives Stop Dead)

Let me set the scene for you: It’s the last Friday of January. My 2010 HP Pavilion laptop is my third consecutive laptop which starts to experience major issues. It still ran but it was slower than my nearly 30-year-old Macintosh SE. I tried starting it up when I get home from work but it’s dead. It won’t go past the splash screen. The hard drive has seized up and won’t go any more. Apart from some photos and some old radio show clips, I’ve lost nearly everything from the last two years of my life.

Why do I bring that up at the start of a Mass Effect review? I’m one of the many who played the Mass Effect series on PC. My three Shepards and two games worth of story were lost. When I got my computer back two weeks later (with a new hard drive), it was back to Eden Prime to stop the Reapers. And since I had to do everything over from scratch, I thought it would be fun to re-review Mass Effect some four years after coming out for PC (five years after XBox 360) to see how hindsight affects how we perceive the game and how it influenced games since. Continue reading →

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

Gaming Has Its Benefits (Infographic)

I’m sure everyone’s parents and teachers said that video games would rot their minds. While I’m also sure that perception hasn’t changed and won’t any time soon, science is doing its damnedest to prove otherwise. Studies show that being a gamer makes you smarter and a better person than non-gamers. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Console Wars: Will The PS4 and XBox 720 Kill Console Gaming?

For the last couple of years, rumours have been flying about the next generation of video game consoles. Since, at least, the introduction of the Playstation 2 and original XBox, it seems as though the balance of power (and money) in video gaming belonged to the consoles. Very few if any big games weren’t released on console. However, with some of the recent rumours about the PS4 and the XBox 720, the console manufacturers could destroy themselves to help publishers. Continue reading →

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

2011 Spike VGA Trailer Roundup

While the Spike TV Video Game Awards are a bit of a laughing-stock among the video gaming press, everybody watches the VGAs for one reason. We all watch for game announcements and new trailers. This year was no exception as we had scads of new games announced and trailers released. After the jump, we give you each new trailer and analyze each. Continue reading →

3 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

2011 Spike Video Game Awards Nominations And Predictions

Tomorrow night is Spike TV’s annual Video Game Awards show. Since 2003, Spike has given the public the ability to vote for top their video games of the year. While it is often the target of criticism as it’s a glorified popularity contest, it is the starting point of the video game awards season. So let’s take a look at 2011 crop of VGA nominees and take a stab at who should win the awards and who we thing will win the awards. Continue reading →

3 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Sports, Video Games

Video Game Review: WRC 2 (FIA World Rally Championship)

There was a short period of time when the Speed Channel would air one-hour recaps of each World Rally Championship event. These shows would show highlights and results of most rally stages and would have interviews and technical features. I always thought these guys were sort of nuts to try to thread the needle of a 300 HP race car on a dirt/snow/poorly paved road that’s maybe a car-width and a half wide with trees or a cliff or a large drop on either side of the road. Fortunately, my dreams of being a rally driving lunatic can be fulfilled virtually in WRC 2. But how good is this game at recreating the rally experience? I review the game after the jump. Continue reading →

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

The Evolution of Video Games (Infographic)

Did you know that it’s been almost 40 years since Pong brought video games to mainstream popularity in 1972? Video games have come a long way since a white dot moving slowly across the screen. Today’s video games play in 1080p HD and in 3D with realistic graphics that could pass for a movie at a passing glance. So just how far have we gone over the last 40 years? This infographic explains. Continue reading →

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

Great Moments In Video Game Romance

Every once in a while, a video game transcends the typical shoot and kill stereotype that some games fall into and has an actual plot behind the action. One of the hardest to pull off is the convincing love story that seems almost cliché when Hollywood pumps out their dime a dozen romances. However, a good video game romance is hard to write and even harder to make work in the context of a game. So here’s my list of the best video game romances of all time. Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Entertainment, Video Games

Video Game Review: A Space Shooter For Two Bucks

A while back, we reviewed a PS Mini called Young Thor by Quebec-based developer Frima Studio. Well, Frima is back with their latest PS Mini which may just change the way that people look at the PS Mini genre with a fun, arcade-inspired game whose name is also serves as a summary of the game. It’s A Space Shooter For Two Bucks. Continue reading →