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An Effectively Massive RPG
By Arclayn on December 5th, 2009 under RPG, X360, PC,
Being an American, I do not know how well this game was received in Europe. But in America, I do know that Mass Effect was the centerpiece of a gargantuan hoax that was shamefully propogated by a major news outlet. After that, the PC release became embroiled in a very real controversy involving Digital Rights Management that was exceptionally harsh and unfair to paying customers. It's all very sad, doubly so as this game is amazing!
First and foremost, Mass Effect is an action RPG, but it is unlike any RPG normally seen in the console mainstream. Indeed, Bioware, Mass Effect's creators, got their start making games (and software game engines!) for the PC. Bioware's first foray into console game development is with MDK2 for the Sega Dreamcast and Playstation 2, but it won't be until the publication of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the original Xbox that Bioware shall truly break ground in console video games.
Anyone who has played Knights of the Old Republic or Jade Empire should already be familiar at how very different Bioware's presentation style really is. Those who have been following Bioware since its early days making PC games (like myself) have seen this style evolve brilliantly over 10+ years, having started with Baldur's Gate back in 1998!
As an RPG, the first question expected would be, "Is the story any good?" Absolutely, the story is excellent. Mass Effect is a space opera with all the requisites: space, spaceships, extra-terrestial worlds, lots of aliens (and not all of them hostile!), warfare, and even some intergalactic politics. As with any RPG, Mass Effect is driven by its story. Aside from being really well written, Mass Effect also tries to explain its pseudo-scientific elements in enough detail to be "believable", but not too much to confuse players. This game is deep and detailed, although what truly sets this game apart is how the story is presented.
For starters, you have the option to custom-create the protagonist, who is a space marine simply named "Commander Shepard". Shepard is completely customizable... gender, military specialty, background, and you can even customize his/her face! Facial customization is quite complex as just about every facial feature can be altered. As no two protagonists need to be anything alike, this gives the player a stronger sense of being in the game. Among those who choose to customize their protagonist, each player's "Commander Shepard" is their very own. The others who wish to jump right in can instead select a "pre-generated" John Shepard or Jane Shepard.
The concept may sound intimidating to the Square-Enix initiated, but it is this dymanic of being able to choose that sets Mass Effect (and most other Bioware RPGs) apart from the crowd! Understand that there are really no right or wrong answers. For starters, Shepard's responses allow him/her to grow as a character. Will Shepard become a cool-headed professional, or will Shepard become the kind of tough and hardened marine that even scares the grim reaper? To choose the path of paragon or renegade is entirely up the the player, and they are not mutually exclusive attitudes! There is no real good and evil here, so every marine is likely to achieve at least a dash of one trait, even while favoring the other.
Aside from character growth, some of Commander Shepard's choices will have consequences that affect the story. Keep in mind, again, there are no right or wrong choices, but some of Shepard's choices can have far reaching ramifications. So far reaching, they extend beyond one game and into two! Keep your old save games, so sayeth Casey Hudson (project director)! The choices made in the first game can be ported to affect the story of Mass Effect 2! Obviously, you don't have to have an old savegame to play Mass Effect 2, but I expect that having them could possibly alter the game compared to "generating" a new Commander Shepard. Talk about potential replay value!
Mass Effect is available on Xbox360 and the PC. The PC version has a questionable license agreement involving an oppressive digital rights management policy, but it also has gameplay improvements over its older Xbox360 brother. Even still, the Xbox360 version doesn't come with any special strings attached, and as such is the version I recommend most.
Last I read, Mass Effect 2 is slated for an early 2010 release on Xbox360 and PC under the Electronic Arts brand. I have no idea how that release date relates to gamers in Europe, though. Hopefully, it'll be a simultaneous international release.
Arclayn MoonSword
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We don't need another hero
By Tania on November 26th, 2009 under RPG, X360, PS3,The Tales series is a notorious victim of patchy videogame export. I’m not sure why yet, as I’ve only played 2 of them so far, but my guess would be that 1) it’s not Final Fantasy, and therefore, export tends to just forget about it, 2) it’s a bit too anime-y for the general public. I can’t argue with that last one: both Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Vesperia suffer from a few annoying anime clichés and are full of large-eyed androgynous characters. But Final Fantasy, the big favourite of the RPG world, isn’t totally exempt from those either, and yet, it’s the Tales series that usually gets the blame. Which is a shame, because it also has undeniable qualities.
Symphonia was a big hit, both in the US and Europe, and I was hoping for a similar experience when I bought Tales of Vesperia. “Similar” is right, as Symphonia veterans will definitely get a ladleful of déjà-vu: Estelle, the heroine, is almost a carbon copy of Colette (even down to the French names), Karol is extremely reminiscent of Genis, Judith is a calmer version of Sheena, and Raven, a kinder Zelos. Many of the sidequests return (Fell Arms, waitressing, quiz, hot springs), you still get titles and costumes for your characters, and some plot points are blatantly reused. But while this may not bode very well for the developers’ inventiveness, and while Symphonia still comes out on top by comparison—if only because it came first, and because it featured Kratos—, Vesperia is, nevertheless, lots of fun.
The most positive aspects of the game are the battle system and (some of) the characterization. The former is the usual Tales fare: a party of 4, of which you control one, the others being all up for grabs in multiplayer mode; otherwise, the AI takes care of them, and does a pretty good job of it too (except for Estelle…). 
You can give the AI suggestions with various Strategy settings, telling it to prioritize attack, healing, etc. Battles take place on a circular 3D field, where you can move freely. Each character has their own weapon type, as well as *oodles* of special attacks, which are activated by controller shortcuts (A + a direction on the left stick for the controlled character’s moves, for example), and which they learn either by levelling up, from storyline events, or by using previously learned attacks a certain number of times. Each attack is associated with a colour: use that colour enough times, and you’ll be given a chance to perform a Fatal Strike, which will instantly kill any non-boss enemy, and give you bonuses at the end of the fight. Each fight is graded according to your performance, and the accumulated points can then be used at the end of the game to purchase stuff for subsequent replays. Characters also learn various skills from their equipment (think FFIX). All in all, everything related to battle is a real pleasure: fluid, customizable, fast-paced and fun.
As for the characters, Yuri is a genuine breath of fresh air among video game heroes. His appearance already gives you a hint as to what to expect: he’s dressed entirely in black. And he doesn’t take crap from anyone. Cynical, confident and level-headed, with no trace of insecurity, he abhors cheesiness of any sort and enjoys his smartass comments, which he gets abundant occasions to dispense. He also has his own idea of right and wrong, and you might be a tad shocked when you see this in action; I know I was. The developers have undoubtedly made a bold choice with him, and I really wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh, and his voice actor is a very good fit.
The other big highlight is Raven. I thoroughly enjoy my comic relief, when it’s well-handled, and he definitely delivers in spades. He’s no Jansen (of Lost Odyssey fame; the closest available comparison and the best comic relief I’ve ever seen in a video game), but dammit, does he try. Among his most noteworthy achievements is his take on the classic “our weapons are…” end-of-battle quote, which Symphonia players will most likely remember. Trust me, it’s hilarious; if you’re not planning to play the game, at least take a look here. And if the humour wasn’t enough, Raven also gets the best backstory of the lot, hands down. His only downside would be the learning curve required to effectively use him in battle, if you’re ever inclined to control him yourself, as his fighting style is decidedly odd. 
This is a trait he shares with Judith, who, while nowhere near his level of awesomeness, or Yuri’s, is my third favourite among the cast, and is part of the rare breed of sensible, intelligent, easygoing female video game characters.
Now on to the less positive points. First of all, a peeve which is related to the Xbox 360 as a whole: the achievements. I understand that you’re in no way required to unlock them all, but for completionists like me, it can be very frustrating. And the achievements for Vesperia require at least 2 playthroughs. I like the game, but there’s still something annoying in the fact that you’re basically forced to replay it.
Secondly, the storyline is rather uninspiring, stock RPG fare: blah-blah...sacrificial female character...blah-blah...ancient menace that tries to destroy the world...blah-blah...humans are doing bad things to the planet. In its early stages, it also suffers from the characters’ indecisiveness: they keep trying to go their own ways, only to reunite, often instants later. They then decide on a goal, and proceed to do scores of completely unrelated things before they remember what they were supposed to be doing in the first place. Fortunately, this improves by the end of the game.
Thirdly, we have the rest of the cast. I frequently found myself wanting to smash Rita’s and Estelle’s heads together. Rita is a scolding hag, even though she’s only 15: she’s unbearably arrogant, her voice is annoying, and she gets angry on a regular basis, which is expressed by a healthy dose of yelling and smacking Karol around. I don’t like children in video games, but that kinda made me feel sorry for the poor kid as the story wore on. As for Estelle, it’s the same deal as with Colette: ENOUGH with the sickeningly naïve goody-two-shoes with whiny voices who constantly need rescuing, protecting and reassuring, I beg you!! Other than that, well, Repede’s a dog. A cool dog who fights with a katana, but still a dog.
And last, but not least, the TERRIBLE marketing strategy displayed by Namco-Bandai (or Bamco). The game originally came out for Xbox 360…only to get a port to PS3, which apparently includes not only 2 more playable characters, but also significant additions to both the storyline and the sidequests. Heck, from what I’ve seen, it’s almost a completely new game. And not only was this announced very shortly after the game was released, but the PS3 port is apparently due to make its way out of Japan as well. I’m not particularly interested in the new characters, but a more fleshed out storyline could’ve been nice. Bad move there, Bamco, bad move.
All in all, though, I’m pretty happy with Vesperia. Despite what may be wrong with it (and that includes bland music), it’s entertaining enough to warrant seeing it through to the end, and has replay value. If you’re looking for a good RPG for your Xbox 360, and have either already played Lost Odyssey, or aren’t a fan of turn-based combat, look no further.
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Will Kill, Can't Swim
By Tania on October 25th, 2009 under X360, PS3, PC, Action/Adventure,I’ve always been wary of action games, because I tend to think too much before acting, and was concerned that my reflexes wouldn’t be up to the task. However, as time went by, the “you won’t know until you try” credo grew on me, and I decided to expand my game collection with new genres. One of my friends pointed out that “you can’t own an Xbox 360 and not have played Assassin’s Creed”. Since the premise of the game already intrigued me, that finalized my decision.
The overall impression is a very favourable one. But I must say that both the storyline and characters left me with mixed feelings. Incarnating a skilled assassin during the Third Crusade plainly and simply rocks. Altair is undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the game. Maybe it’s just because I’m female—and therefore, you guessed it, find him scrumptiously shady—, but he really did the trick for me. The sleek moves, the sneakiness, the arrogance, the taciturnity, the beauty and symbolism of the name…heck, even the missing finger. There’s just one problem: why can’t a professional assassin swim? Seems a bit absurd to me…especially since I’m really not agile when it comes to hopping across poles and jetties, which resulted in my drowning poor Altair a countless number of times. But that’s just about his only drawback. However, since Altair isn’t the “real” hero of the game, that leaves us with Desmond, Altair’s descendent in modern times, as the main protagonist. And he has the charisma of a wet sock. Seriously, apart from the odd sarcastic quip, there isn’t a single interesting thing about him. And, yes, I know he’s supposed to look identical to Altair, but personality does go a long way, even for a fictional character, because Desmond feels like a complete doofus.
It’s pretty much the same issue with the storyline: the Medieval conspiracy works very well, and some of the assassinations are truly memorable. Garnier de Naplouse, the Hospitaller leader (second or third target, depending on the player’s choice), springs to mind: very convincingly unsettling, and the setting for his episode was well-nigh perfect. On top of all that, I like the sonorities of his name…My own weird tastes, I know. Moving right along, had they decided to make the Medieval part of the story stand on its own, I’m sure it would’ve worked just fine. The modern-day part just feels tacked on and uninteresting. Perhaps because it features Desmond. Perhaps because it’s simply innately boring.
Combat was my biggest dread in this game, for a good reason. The stealthy stuff, such as creeping up on an unsuspecting victim and swiftly sticking a knife in their back, came naturally enough. But open combat took some genuine work. I’m sure that it’s nothing too complicated for people who are used to this type of game, but I really had to give my reflexes a good shake to get used to the blocking and dodging. The beginning of the game had me spewing my guts quite a few times, which isn’t very impressive for a master assassin, as I’m sure you’ll concur. But it did progressively get better, I came to appreciate the various types of available weapons, and my swashbuckling skills were much more suited to Altair’s style by the end. Speaking of style, I must really commend the fluidity of the battle movements. When controlled correctly in open combat, Altair looks like he’s performing some sort of deadly dance…*drool*
The sandbox aspect of the game does its job well. It’s pretty fun to be able to clamber up just about anything (Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem was a definite highlight), break pots and dive into haystacks. Scaling minarets and belfries to get an overview of the area and then swallow-diving off them is particularly impressive, especially for someone who’s afraid of heights, like me…The leap from the cross of the cathedral of Acre, which is the highest building in the game, was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced.
Other positive aspects include graphics and localization. The former are beautiful, luminous and lush (well, as lush as Medieval Palestine can be), and the latter impressed me quite a bit. Historical accuracy may have been doctored a bit—most of the assassination targets were real historical figures, but they weren’t quite as…colourful as in the game—, but the linguistics are masterful. Ubisoft is a Canadian company, so I guess it stands to reason that their French would be good, but it still felt weird to finally hear a proper French accent in an Anglo-Saxon game. Even random soldiers who spoke entirely in French (“Je vais t’étriper!”) were perfectly fluent. Same for the German, as far as I could tell. I can’t vouch for the Arabic, but it sounded genuine enough. The only thing that could’ve made it better would’ve been if Altair himself had an accent. But it’s just a minor nitpick.
However, there are more problems to mitigate the positive points a little. First of all, the beggar women who plague every city are the devil incarnate (“I’m poor and sick and hungry!”); if you don’t know what I mean, play the game, and you soon will. Secondly, a lot of people complain about the game’s repetitiveness, and while I found each assassination episode to be interesting enough to make up for the fact that you essentially had to do the same thing every time, I can understand how it can seem tedious. There are also quite a few glitches (think random NPCs in gravity-defying positions on rooftops), which give the game a bit of an unpolished feel. The music is adequate, but nothing more. And the ending is just bad. I understand that they wanted to tie it in with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed II, but it was probably a little excessive. It’s like the game didn’t end at all.
Nevertheless, in spite of these various issues, I’m still looking forward to the next installment in the series. Roaming across Renaissance Venice is going to be a blast. Even if it seems like Desmorond will be back, and that Ezio (not sure I like that name) looks a tad more gimmicky than Altair (experimental gun prototype? really? well, at least I hope he knows how to swim). But I ain’t gonna complain before I sample the goods.
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A grab bag of thoughts
By Arclayn on September 15th, 2009 under General, RPG, X360, PS3, Mac, PC, Online,Cross Posted to Arclayn's Livejournal.
I have not posted in some time, and I am not inspired to discuss any one topic in length. So today, I offer a bunch of unrelated thoughts...
Recently, the Dungeons and Dragons official MMO was relaunched as a free to play game in North America. Those in Europe, who still have to purchase subscriptions, are not missing much. I sampled the game for a few hours and concluded it is quite terrible. Why is my elf swinging a rapier like a baton? Why doesn't the dungeon master actually say something other than what is already obvious? Oh I can go on and on about what's wrong with this game, but I'd rather not. Did the guys at Turbine get anything right? The writing is good, which is a rarity among free to play MMO games. The 3D modelling and textures are good too, when not animated (q.v. rapier/baton reference). Beyond that, not much else. The boys and girls at Turbine could take more than a few lessons from Bioware and Blizzard.
The wine project is an attempt to create a work environment within Linux/Unix that can run Windows software, including DirectX video games! While wine is not perfect, it is improving over time. I recently learned that this project is (supposedly) now working well with Mac OS X Leopard (that's Mac OS v10.5 for the Mac-uninitiated).
The notes on WineHQ's wiki regarding Macs are quite ambiguous. It doesn't help that there isn't a distributed binary for Mac, which means you have to download the source code and build it yourself. That is certainly NOT a task for just anyone, even someone who is "computer saavy". Even IT specialists (like myself) cringe at this prospect. All is not lost, however. Macports does make the build, install, and management process a bit easier, but you still have to be comfortable with the Terminal bash shell. You also need to read the online documentation very carefully.
I'm really looking forward to Dragon Age: Origins. Bioware is to Western style RPGs as Square-Enix is to Japanese style RPGs: Win and awesome! Last May, Bioware announced that they won't be using Securom with Dragon Age! I guess Electronic Arts (Bioware's owner/publisher) did learn a thing or three about how to properly treat a paying customer!
Arclayn MoonSword
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Communism is the very definition of failure!
By Joshie on June 30th, 2009 under RPG, X360, PS3,
Like a goldfish looking through the glass at the cat patiently waiting to eat it when the owner isn't looking, I couldn't help but feel slightly afraid of Madam Panada, the shop keeper in Fallout 3: Point Lookout. Maybe this video will explain the nightmares I have about this woman better than any written word could.
Without a doubt this is my favorite expansion to Fallout 3 yet and if you don't wish to splash the cash on them all, I highly recommend picking this up over the rest. Not only does Point Lookout have it's own (short) narrative set of quests, but there are many side missions to explore, all set in a new open landscape that includes a run down amusement park and board walk, a vast swamp, Victorian mansions, military base and a highly suspicious light house. Unlike the previous, more linear downloadable content, Point Lookout feels and plays much closer to the original game, providing a whole new location to explore should you grow tired of the capital wastes. With many memorable characters, religious cults and treasures awaiting, Point Lookout is without question a must buy.
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He killed me with a sword. How weird is that?
By Joshie on June 12th, 2009 under X360,
I'm not sure whether I should be ecstatic or torn apart by this photo really. On the one side my Xbox 360 has decided to commit sinful suicide at the very start of my two and a half week vacation, while on the other I feel I have reached a rite of passage among gamers. Just like a Bar Mitzvah I feel that receiving a Red Ring of Death is a sign from God that I have finally reached maturity and come of age.
This act should be celebrated with a phone call to Xbox support, where a delightful little hindu man will ask if all my cables are connected and whether or not I turned it off and on again. I should then proceed to acquire my own ceremonial packing box, which will be rushed by UPS chariots to the nearest repair center. In two to three working weeks I should expect my box returned to me; a wiser and more complete machine, and one that hopefully displays picture to screen.
Oh happy day!
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