On Mass Effect 3: Headcanon edition

Yes, yes, I know. Another Mass Effect 3-related post, and still with the spoilers. I’ll get to saying something about something else sooner or later, it just will have to be awhile. For variety though, I thought I’d actually post something positive.

On Mass Effect 3: Partially Digested Edition

With now over a week having passed since I first completed Mass Effect 3, I’ve had some time to process both the content and my reaction to it. Since there’s one particular element that likes to stand out, I’ll go about tackling that first, if more for my own peace of mind than anything. As the previous post, this one contains massive spoilers, and adds several more paragraphs; you have been warned.

On Mass Effect 3, indigestion edition

Okay, so before I tackle anything else about Mass Effect 3, there’s one thing in particular I need to start off with… unfortunately, it will involve major spoilers so if you haven’t played through the thing already and want your experience to contain some semblance of surprise, stop reading now; I’ll see about getting to non-spoiler thoughts later. For the rest, well… I suspect you know what’s coming.

Big Shepard Waiting Time

Since well over a year or two ago I’ve taken to the habit of having FRAPS running in the background in case I feel the need to screenshot things for whatever reason – be it for a specific purpose or just because I like a scene or expressions at play or whatnot and think it’d be nice to keep. Considering how BioWare have declared that today is (or yesterday was, seeing how it’s almost midnight at the time of posting) officially FemShep Friday and how Mass Effect tends to be one of the main contributors to the latter reasoning, I decided to take a dive into my archived FRAPS screenshot folder in celebration of the fact that BioWare is finally acknowledging Jennifer Hale’s fantastic performance in promotional material.

Incidentally, I also discovered that I have a lot of screenshots of my own Commander Shepard.

Small Mini Centurion Fun Time

I generally don’t think too highly of EA’s marketing division – at least from my own perspective, can sometimes come across as almost more interested in alienating potential customers than actually drawing them in; BioWare titles in particular tend to suffer this peculiar trend. So with this in mind, I approached their latest scheme to sneak unlocks for a few additional Mass Effect 3 weapons and armour into demos of other games with a sort of tired dismissal. Of course, then a friend of mine reminded me of it when said demo was released, and I ultimately figured it couldn’t be that long, and surely I could manage what couldn’t be more than an hour or two for the sake of more shinies for my Shepard.

Considering I’m writing this with the benefit of hindsight however, I can only say well played, EA marketing division. Well played indeed… So. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: the Demo.

Big Glowy Sword Fun Time

So The Old Republic has been out for awhile – technically a week, with another week of early access for early preorders, which means that I’ve had ample time to play the game – ample enough that I’ve hit 50 with my first character, though I still have a few more narrative beats to go before reaching the actual conclusion of her class narrative. Still, it’s given me more time than a weekend to sample the game and collect my thoughts together regarding what I think of it.

Bigger Car Shooty Fun Time

I’ve been wanting to write a few words about Saints Row the Third for some time now, but I’ve been putting it off for pretty much the same reason that I want to write about it. My problem is basically this: How do I qualify that the most fun game I’ve played of 2011 is somehow still a bit of a disappointment? And furthermore, how do I keep the disappointment from overshadowing the fact that it’s still the most game I’ve played of the whole year?

Big Glowy Sword Fun Test Time

So The Old Republic had a beta weekend going last weekend, which to my understanding was open to pretty much everyone who had signed up for the chance to test the thing prior to the announcement that it would happen – meaning that I actually got a chance to try it. Though the amount of time I had with the game became somewhat limited between insomnia and spending almost an entire day between sunday and monday without electricity or internet, it’s given me the opportunity to formulate an opinion built on more qualified factors than trailers, developer claims and second hand experiences.

So, in the apparent catchphrase of my beta testing consular, This matter bears investigation.

Big Raptor Pouncy, Mace Bashy Fun Time

While there have been more than one game keeping me quite enthralled as of late, I’ve yet to figure just how how to best describe my thoughts on Saints Row the Third, so instead I’ll take the time to ramble on the game which I haven’t finished yet – part because the thing is nigh endless. So, with that in mind, let’s talk The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Big Car Shooty Fun Time

While I’ve been thinking about indulging in random renders or making some form of post regarding members of the Beyond the Tree cast or elements of the first arc that were cut out now when the last stretch is pretty much solidified or whatever, none of these thoughts have been sticking well in my head for something solid to formulate. So instead I’m going to ramble on a bit about another topic entirely, which is to say the interesting matter that a month which contains the PC releases of both Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Batman: Arkham City (staggered PC release dates can PPC up the fusion reactor, seriously)… the release I anticipate the most is somehow none of the above.

So. Let’s talk Saints Row.