In our examination of the controversy surrounding the release and ending of Mass Effect 3, we included a brief examination of the Indoctrination Theory and included the Indoctrination Theory documentary. Ahead of tomorrow’s release of the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC, Julian Kluk of CleverNoob.com is back with a second part to his epic examination of Mass Effect 3’s ending with The Indoctrination Theory – A Documentary Part 2. Continue reading
Mass Effect
BioWare Officially Announces Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut
Seemingly out of nowhere, BioWare officially announced the upcoming release of the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC which will be available for download on June 26th (this coming Tuesday). This is the much-anticipated updated ending to ME3 announced in April after fans complained about the lack of closure and plot holes contained in the ending of Mass Effect 3 that shipped with on the game disc.
After the jump, we have all of the official details from BioWare and our analysis. Continue reading
Mass Effect 3 Tipster Leaks New Multiplayer and Extended Cut DLC Info
A Reddit user named derptemp6698 was the first one to break news about the Rebellion DLC. His original Reddit post was almost three weeks before the accidental posting by Sony Hong Kong. Now he’s back with details of a new multiplayer DLC pack and an official looking description of the Extended Cut DLC. Continue reading
The Mass Effect 3 Controversy: What Went Wrong And Why It’s Not Entitlement
Last Friday, I posted my spoiler-free review of Mass Effect 3. By going spoiler-free, I didn’t discuss many of the more controversial moments of ME3 as that would involve spoiling most of the game to give any sort of context. While many gamer complaints about the game are written-off by larger gaming media outlets as “gamer entitlement” or gamers looking for a “happy ending,” many gamers have valid complaints about what was promised by BioWare and what they actually shipped in March.
After the jump, I take a look at some of the controversial moments in ME3 ahead of today’s EA press conference at E3. Continue reading
Video Game Review: Mass Effect 3 (or This Is It, Isn’t It)
A couple of months behind the rest of the world, I finally managed to finish playing Mass Effect 3. Being late to the party meant that I got to hear all the controversy over the ending and first day DLC. BioWare had a near impossible effort to make everyone happy with the concluding part to such a great trilogy. Were they able to pull it off or were the public right that EA is the worst company in America? Continue reading
Sunday Link-Off: Race Day
It’s the greatest day in motorsport today. That’s why today’s linkdump is up early. In a half-hour, it’s the Monaco Grand Prix. That’s followed by the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 this evening. So before the first green flag of the day wave, here’s American model Alyssa Miller. She seemed an appropriate choice for today. By the way, she’s not on Maxim’s Hot 100 list but Amanda Knox, Lois Griffin and anyone who did a Maxim shoot over the last 24 months or will do one appearing in the next three to six months is on there. What a waste of everybody’s time to acknowledge its existence.
Given the trouble that NCAA athletes seem to get themselves into, programs are using new ways to monitor their charges. They’re now contracting out to a social media monitoring service in order to keep their athletes out of trouble. (Deadspin)
Facebook opened just over a week ago at $38 per share. Now, it’s under $32 per share. How could the opening valuation be so wrong that Facebook has lost 16% of its value in a week? Maybe it’s because the current system is broken. (New Yorker)
The RIAA are fine, upstanding group protecting the interests of musicians. They’re so keen to protect music that they sued Limewire for $72 trillion. (AV Club)
After the jump, why can’t Leafs fans get over the 1993 Western Conference final, some Mass Effect links and wrestlers versus inanimate objects. Continue reading
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
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
Sunday Link-Off: A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Okay, the Star Wars Episode I 3D premiere was two weeks ago but that doesn’t mean that we can’t run scads of Star Wars links today. Let’s kick off with Cris Urena. She wasn’t in Star Wars but she is out of this world… I’ll show myself out.
For a while in the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the biggest name in smartphones and mobile devices. Then the iPhone happened. This is the story of the RIM’s downfall. (The Verge) In all seriousness, BlackBerry will be a case that will be used in business school strategy classes for years to come.
CM Punk apparent feud isn’t some publicity stunt but rather a legitimate beef with a woman beater who acts entitled because of a Grammy. (Hot 97FM)
Remember that fish that ended up on the ice in the Toronto/Vancouver game last weekend? The perpetrator did it as a tribute to his son. (Off The Bench)
After the jump, scads of Star Wars links, details on Mass Effect 3 and what if somebody had a hand in The Phantom Menace other than George. Continue reading
The Lowdown 