Petition BioWare To Change Mass Effect 3 Ending

Mass Effect 3 offers a truly engaging and satisfying gameplay experience, but it seems that a large number of its players didn’t enjoy its ending(s).

One of those disgruntled fans is DeinonSlayer who took it upon himself to write a more satisfying ending for the game. Another fan started a poll on BoiWare’s Social Network, asking the game’s developer to issue a patch or update that would adopt DeinonSlayer’s ending.

Interestingly, more than 5,000 players have already joined the cause, compared to less than 150 players who preferred that the game keep its current ending. Additionally, around 2,000 players voted to change the game’s ending but not to DeinonSlayer’s one

MASS EFFECT 3

Mass Effect 3 draws from the best elements of its predecessors, offering the most satisfying and exciting combat gameplay of the series, and BioWare has again crafted a game that shines through its characters, dialogue and cinematic moments. More than the series’ other installments, there’s an inherent sense of urgency for players through Mass Effect 3′s emotionally gripping story, but BioWare fails to give many of the characters the sendoff they deserved in what amounts to a disappointing final act.

The story of Mass Effect 3 begins right where Mass Effect 2 left off, and players of the ‘Arrival’ DLC will have a heads up on the circumstances which bring Commander Shepard to Earth to stand trial for actions he took, sacrificing colonists in an effort to thwart the first stage of the Reaper invasion. Before the legal proceedings even begin however, the Reapers attack and Shepard is on his way to rally support and acquire war assets from conflicted space-faring races to find a way to save the galaxy. The war has begun and players can play the game in three different ways: Action, Role-Playing (the standard) and Story. The addition of these game modes – as well as the support of useful Kinect voice commands for Xbox 360 players – help Mass Effect 3 become accessible to franchise newcomers.
Like the previous two installments, players find themselves hopping back and forth across the galaxy aboard the Normandy which again sees a bit of a redesign. This time however, the ship feels a tad empty. Shepard’s team is substantially smaller than the previous games and characters who could previously be chosen for away missions now have their story arcs weaved into the overall narrative, instead of being recruited. A lot of familiar faces – and new ones – will appear aboard the Normandy while working with them on a specific mission, then they’re off to do their own thing once joining the cause and Shepard moves on to the next big mission.
In that respect, Mass Effect 3 is different than its predecessors and recruitment is not part of the game. Characters are kept relevant for the time they’re needed until the story moves on, but each gets their emotional moment with Shepard, infused with references to events of the previous games. While the game does a good job of finding interesting ways to meet up with all of these characters, most of them are underserved by the story’s end and fans of the franchise will be left wondering what happened to key players they’ve grown attached to throughout the series.

The galaxy map remains the focal point of the Normandy and it has also been improved to reflect the status of the galaxy during the Reaper invasion. Gone is the time-consuming planet scanning for minerals and in comes scanning for artifacts, intel and credits. It’s quicker, more rewarding and now offers a challenge since Reaper-infested star clusters won’t let players scan freely. BioWare’s created a fun, dodge-the-Reaper mini-game out of it, and it succeeds as an improvement over Mass Effect 2′s system, but not over Mass Effect 1′s for fans who enjoy vehicular gameplay and open-world areas to explore.
Mass Effect 1′s M35 Mako tank and Mass Effect 2′s (through DLC) M-44 Hammerhead hovercraft do not make a return appearance and there are no open areas to explore in the game outside of the Citadel hub. By design, Mass Effect 3 is a very linear experience as it focuses on delivering key events in a necessary order to move the plot forward. It’s not just the maps, missions and overall story that are linear however, the choices players can make throughout the game often have little to no impact on the war effort.
Mass Effect 3 offers a streamlined experience by not including vehicles and dropping needless mini-games (hacking, bypassing) and instead focuses on delivering more action. Players will find themselves always moving forward in battle through varied and dynamic environments, with some locations featuring the massive and monstrous Reapers moving in the beautiful backdrops. Mass Effect 3 looks similar to Mass Effect 2 from a graphical perspective, but it comes with more polish and improved animations. Mouth movements are still a little off in conversations however, and the game does experience the occasional framerate lag and texture pop-in, but nothing that hinders gameplay.

Fans of the original game will be pleased with the return of more weapons and RPG elements in customizing Shepard’s armor and load out. There are over a half-dozen guns under each of the five weapon types, all of which can be upgraded by purchasing better versions of each and buying mods (which also have multiple levels). All of the weapons are unique and useful in their own way, and the variety is a warm welcome when it comes to the game’s biggest addition: multiplayer.
Mass Effect 3 introduces a co-op survival mode where up to four players must work through a series of 11 waves of battling foes and holding king-of-the-hill style areas. Slow menus and matchmaking combined with only one mode and six maps (all exact locations from the campaign) make the mode feel tacked on but how it ties into the single-player campaign is brilliant and will motivate gamers to give it a spin. Fans will also get a kick out of finally being able to play as other species, each with their own abilities, unique melee attacks and in some cases, different methods of movement.
By completing all waves on a map, players increase their battle readiness percentage which will boost the effectiveness of Shepard’s war assets in the single-player campaign, helping players increase their chances of scoring a better game ending through the Galaxy at War system. It’s absolutely not necessary and won’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things should players decide to stick with the campaign, but it’s there for anyone who is interested. In multiplayer, players also earn experience and credits to unlock weapons, mods, boosts, and additional characters and that’s where the fun and replayability come into an otherwise basic multiplayer experience.

Having multiplayer tie into the bigger picture of Shepard’s quest of unifying the galaxy further exemplifies BioWare’s ability to innovate with the Mass Effect series. When combined with the incredible continuity which sees Mass Effect 3 utilize over a thousand variables from decisions and actions taken by players from the first two games, no series has offered such a long-spanning and fulfilling experience.
Players of the previous games who load up their save files for Mass Effect 3 are treated to countless references and dialogue from supporting characters, alluding back to Shepard’s missions and players’ choices. A lot of the throwbacks will pop up in conversation or add war assets to the cause, but the game fails to present the specific results of those acquisitions. Whether it be finding a few lost teams of marines or gaining fleets of ships from aliens once considered enemies, Mass Effect 3 doesn’t show how previous choices directly affect the final battle. All it does is add to the numerical representation of the Alliance fleet size.
The same problem applies to the key characters of Mass Effect 2 who join the fight – they are not shown at the end of the game and players are left hanging with questions about in-game friends they’ve bonded with over the years. Combine that with an end-game decision which has no discernible effect on the conclusion of the story and BioWare, deserved of applause for taking the risks they did and crafting a genre-defining experience, has dropped the ball on delivering a complete and satisfying end to the Mass Effect trilogy.
That’s not to say players won’t be emotionally invested – they will and the journey that is the Mass Effect experience is unmatched by any other franchise. Despite a disappointing final act which doesn’t let players truly make game-changing decisions, Mass Effect 3 does mostly round out the Reaper and Illusive Man storylines, at the same time solidifying the Mass Effect series as the ultimate sci-fi gaming experience. Looking back on what brought us to that point is a powerful realization in and of itself. You must play Mass Effect 3, just make time to play the first two before you do.by rob keyes

Infinity Blade Dungeons For I Pad 3

Epic Games has announced its newest Infinity Blade game for the new iPad, Infinity Blade Dungeons. The game is designed to take advantage of the Retina Display in the new iPad.
The game looks to be a departure from the typical Infinity Blade games. This one looks more like a Diablo-esque adventure game instead of the pure swordplay of the other two games. In this game it looks like you’ll have to fight multiple monsters at the same time using melee weapons and magic.
This being an Epic game Infinity Blade Dungeons uses the Unreal Engine which looks very impressive on the new display. We don’t have any video of the game yet, but from the still images we can say that the game looks pretty impressive.

The Epic Games representative pointed out that this new iPad has more memory and a higher resolution than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Perhaps that means we’ll see the Unreal Engine do even more on the new iPad. It still lacks the physical buttons of a home console, though. So the games could look as good as the consoles, but are in some ways more limited in what they’ll be able to do.by shawn ingram

Asura’s Wrath is Definitely One to Watch

In Asura's Wrath developer CyberConnect2 aimed to create a game that played like Japanese animation. Judging by the early reviews, someone forgot to tell them that you don't actively play Japanese animation.


Protect Heaven and Earth from the forces of the Gohma and what do you get? Your wife dead, your daughter kidnapped, and yourself framed for the murder of the Emperor. It's enough to make a guy go on a cosmic-sized rampage. Evil folks need to stop kidnapping loved ones. Just kill them. It breaks the spirit, and fives sidekicks a chance to calm heroes down with the old "It won't bring them back" speech.

Or give them fairly average review scores, as the assembled game reviewers have here. So far not one of them has gotten torn apart by a vengeful former Guardian General.

3D feature for Xbox 720

The new rumors keep popping up in connection with the immediate announcement of the latest-generation Xbox, the Xbox 720. Clearly, this console will be even stronger in the more stunning graphical displays, some rumor also mentions that Microsoft wants to develop it further as a home entertainment device. Microsoft had mentioned the possibility of integration of the 3D capabilities to be presented in this console, and a new job announcement indicates that they are still working hard to bring these features in the Xbox 720.

BGR recently found a new job listings posted by Microsoft in Haifa, Israel to find someone who could fill the position of the ‘Algorithm Research & Development Engineer to the XBOX team’. This position will work closely with the Interactive Entertainment Business unit of Microsoft that is responsible for ‘algorithm for the design and implementation in the form of 3D imaging systems in a joint team of hardware and software division, working with colleagues who are in Redmond, and is able to merge to the development team is moving and growing quickly. ‘

The vacancy information does not provide more detailed information, but from the job description mentioned clearly indicates that Microsoft is really serious in preparing this 3D feature. 3D gaming growing in popularity may be due to factors ranging widespread use of 3D HDTV, but it seems the gaming industry is still not really ready to optimize your existing content in their game into a 3D shape.

Microsoft will probably announce this latest generation Xbox console at the E3 trade show an annual event, although for the release may still have to wait much longer, namely in 2013. It remains unclear whether the latest 3D features will be presented simultaneously on the Xbox 720 or the following will be presented separately some time after the launch of the Xbox 720.

Alan Wake's New Survival Mode

Here’s How Alan Wake’s American Nightmare New Survival Mode Plays

After playing a few hours with it, I can say that Alan Wake's American Nightmare's survival mode, officially dubbed Fight 'Til Dawn, feels spiritually closer to Resident's Evil's survivor mode than Gears of War's Horde mode.

 

Emphasis is on surviving, not on mowing down schloads of enemies with your chainsaw gun (though if you manage to do that, I'm sure you would get more points). Mechanically, the game is exactly the same as the previous Alan Wake. There are new weapons, the most interesting being the crossbow which doesn't require you to use your flashlight first in order to kill with it. The trade-off is that you can only shoot it once before having to reload.

In games that have some sort of survival mode, I usually just try to hole up with my back to the wall somewhere. American Nightmare's was different in that regard though, for two reasons. The first reason is the two step nature of killing a Taken. Flashlight first. Then gun. It's difficult to quickly kill multiple Taken when you can't backpedal, waiting for the flashlight to do its work. The second is that the maps encourage you to explore. They tend to be quite big and have goodies, like ammo or new guns, liberally scattered around, making it sort of like a zombie-adrenaline-fueled scavenger hunt. Which is the best kind.

American Nightmare's survival mode is tense, difficult, and fun. I probably couldn't play it for too long in one sitting (because I'm a sissy and this game stresses me out), but that doesn't mean it won't be worth your time when the game comes out next week.by elyas gorogo-baker

Prototype 2 Awesome!!!

The first Prototype made me feel ugly. Radical's open-world action game tore through the city I love and live in, having me eat people—some of them innocent civilians—and destroy city blocks in the name of its plot. Prototype 2's probably going to make me feel worse.
I'm immediately struck by how much better Radical's return to virally-powered metahuman revenge looks than its predecessor. Improved facial animations, level of detail and lighting all make the Manhattan of the Prototype universe come across as particularly nightmarish. Most people already know that the game's main character Sgt. James Heller is on a mission to kill Alex Mercer. The game opens up with flashbacks from Heller's past, showing hazy, soft-focus shots of his wife Collette and daughter Amaya while phone conversations between the soldier and his family play. Heller's family dies off-screen thanks to events of Prototype 1 while he's away on active duty and he volunteers for missions in his hometown.
The NYZ, as the battered Big Apple of Prototype is called, is under martial law, divided into three zones. The Green Zone's the least chaotic, patrolled by the military Blackwatch division who maintain an iron grip over movement and information. In the less safe Yellow Zone, secret experiments happen in the crowded shantytowns left in the wake of Alex Mercer's rampage. Finally, the Red Zone's rampant with infection and the mutated horrors that it spawns.
When Heller comes to the NYZ, he encounters Mercer straight off and tries to kill him. He's no match, of course, and when Mercer overpowers him, the former scientist infects him with the Blacklight virus and tells him that everything is not that it seems with regard to the carnage. Media outlets are blaming Mercer for the death and destruction while Blackwatch clamps down on any evidence that says otherwise.
I played through about the first hour of Prototype 2 and saw how the gameplay's going to vary from zone to zone. The Red Zone's filled with damaged real estate that can topple onto Heller or his antagonists while there's going to be more predatory hunting in the Yellow and Green Zones where you won't be always able to tell who's deserving of Heller's beatdowns. After his encounter with Mercer, Hellr gets captured by Blackwatch and experimented on. The game's first action has him escaping the facility where he'sbeing held and eventually finding a safe haven in the Yellow Zone.
The world in Prototype 2 feels more alive than in Proto1, with more reactive NPCs. Citizens will cower in fear if you use the morphing abilities to copy the look of Blackwatch soldier and they'll constantly chatter at you or each other. Switching between your abilities gets streamlined in Proto2 with the ability to quick-choose between two powers (instead of just one in Proto1).
Skills upgrade from either doing side missions or beating mini-bosses. So, after beating the hulking Brawlers for the first time, Heller got his claws. You'll also have access to different contextual finishers depending on what type of enemy you're fighting.
Among the new features, I got to play aroud with was the Pack Leader ability, which lets Heller call down two Brawlers and command them to attack whomever he wants. You can use this as a distraction, too, drawing enemy awareness away from you. Once you're done with the Brawlers, you can explode them into a gooey mess that detonates across a wide swath of the environment.
Heller's saga feels like more Prototype—massive destruction done in the third-person in an open-world—but shows polish that the first game would've benefitted from. Radical's delivering more flexibility and combat customization so that you can rampage through the NYZ in decidedly different ways from other players. You're still going to be an revenge-obsessed man in Prototype 2 but your vengeance can be stealthier or more explosive than ever before when the sequel hits on April 24th.by evean narcisse