Mass Effect for the PS3?

Commander Sheppard and his band of misfits, new and old, are on a continuing quest to save the galaxy from an inevitable threat known the Reapers, and that quest has solely been on the Xbox 360.

I can say that I’ve successfully gone through Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 a few times, and each time was better than the last. Each play through was on the Xbox 360, and I’m happy that it has been an Xbox Exclusive… until now, of course. I was just reading on IGN.com that Mass Effect 2 will be converted to the Playstation 3 early next year. This means that the series will be a multiplatform release when Mass Effect 3 finally hits stores.

That’s right! Mass Effect 2 will be made for those gamers who hate Xbox 360 with a passion, but heard that this game was fantastic and got their way. Not only that, but the game was such a fiery, glorious success and a well-oiled money train that BioWare and Electronic Arts had to cut a deal with Sony just to increase sales.

This reminds me of something comedian Lewis Black mentioned in his latest album, Stark Raving Black, when he spoke about the United States and her economic status.

“One of the things my country seems to have done is perfect greed.”

I think that rings true for any human being who can’t seem to get enough. Companies strive to make more money, and that’s how our little world works. So, when BW and EA sat down with Sony, I can only imagine how the conversation went;

“Okay, Sony. We’ve got a piece of gold here. Mass Effect 2 has been named the most ambitious science fiction game out there, but it’s not enough to just make the third game and continue to make downloadable content for the series. We want to put our already popular game on the Playstation 3 so it will be the most ambitious science fiction epic in the world. Oh, and the money would be awesome, too.”

It’s not enough that they are coming out with extra DLC that’s supposed to be released in a week, but now they want more and more money from the people that will buy it for the PS3. And people WILL buy it for the PS3 because it’s a freaking awesome game! Why wouldn’t they? This just shows that companies have no problem milking a successful series until it runs dry (Stargate, Friends, Law and Order, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who immediately come to mind).

This reminds me of how loyalty is important in the gaming industry. You wouldn’t believe how hard-up people can get over one piece of technology versus another. Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii are all battling against each other for supremacy, so there is bound to be tension between loyalists who have a certain playing preference. I’ve been in situations where I suggest Halo as a decent shooter, and the customer says, and I quote, “Fuck the Xbox and fuck Halo.”

I understand that some people aren’t fond of the series, but is it really that serious? In those moments, I found myself wanting to defend my beloved system and game, but I know better. I can’t afford to stoop to that level because I can’t afford to have a heavy bias between gaming consoles working at Gamestop. But when that happens, I find that it’s not the game itself… it’s the person. As I said, there is a certain loyalty factor that gets in the way of having a mature conversation between two adults that quickly turns into a who’s who of what’s better.

There are certain games on each console that are expected to remain on that console because of fans, loyalty, and licensing agreements. We all know that each gaming console has strengths and weaknesses, with respective games to go with them. For example, you will never see a Mario title on the Playstation 3, and you will never see God of War traipse over to the Xbox 360, etc.

Like Halo, I assumed that Mass Effect would strictly be an Xbox exclusive, but because Electronic Arts has a license with both Microsoft and Sony, they can do whatever they want. And because humans are greedy little squirrels trying to get all the nuts in the universe, I can’t blame them. The series is deep, expansive, easy to get into, and profitable, so it only makes sense for it to crossover. It doesn’t mean that I agree with it, but that’s the way life goes.

Writing, believing…

-V

Mass Effect Movie

A damaged hero battling suicidal odds with the brightest, toughest, and deadliest allies the universe has to offer; that sounds like a bestselling idea, right? Fortunately, it is. When it comes down to it, my taste for the larger-than-life story is as big as they come. So, when I read that BioWare sold the rights to Legendary Pictures for a Mass Effect movie, I was excited and nervous all at once.

The reason being is that Mass Effect is an expansive game that takes you from one corner of the galaxy to the other. There are so many characters to interact with and so many instances where the main character gets to make his presence known for better or for worse. He establishes himself by helping people with their problems or creating new one, but it all culminates in him saving the galaxy; if only for a short time.

Legendary Pictures has a track record for being awesome with such titles as both of Christian Nolan's Batman movies, 300, Beerfest, Watchmen, The Hangover, Clash of the Titans, and Inception. Inception, being the last movie to be released, is a big hit from what I hear, and I hope that Mass Effect will be among those hits, but I'm still skeptical.

I have to assume that the movie adaptation will have to cut a lot of the fat away from the game in order to focus on the main story. I can only assume that it will have a lot of holes because there is a bit of a mystery that needs solving before Sheppard saves the day. And I most definitely assume that, after seeing The Last Airbender, it will be a mosh pit of plot points that need exposition via one character talking to another.

Another reason why I’m skeptical about a Mass Effect movie is that there is a handful of alien history and culture. I enjoyed listening to members of my team talk about their races, but the movie can’t have that. I guess I can live with that if the movie comes out to be three hours. At least then, there will be a chance to fit the main story of a 50+ hour game.

Mass Effect 2, however, is a different story entirely. I know that they’re probably going to try and incorporate elements of the second game into the first movie, but as a fan, I can’t see how it would work. I haven’t gotten a chance to see Prince of Persia, but I was a fan of the games. I saw a multitude of elements from each game stuffed into trailer.

Keep in mind that I realize that it’s just a interpretation, and that some people go nuts over interpretations because it’s not what they pictured. For example, I heard a lot of fan opinions about Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker, and many people were offended because that Joker didn’t properly represent the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. So, yes, the Mass Effect movie will be an interpretation, but I can’t help but think about it in-depth.

Hollywood has a way of taking my favorite video games and television shows and turning them into rushed pieces of crap to make an extra buck. The Mass Effect movie is no exception, but I’m looking forward to it. Why? I’m excited to see how they will pull it off. I haven't found anything on when it will be released, but I'll keep you guys updated as I find information.

Still writing, still believing…

V

Mass Effect review

When someone mentions RPG, my mind automatically goes to the long and arduous Final Fantasy series. I have no problem with the series; I just have no patience when it comes to running around an open world and talking to strangers, especially when I have no idea what I’m looking for.

With that in mind, I recently discovered Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. It was released in 2007 under BioWare Corp., EA Games, and Microsoft Game Studios. I originally thought it was boring after spending a summer watching my roommate play it. All I saw were the conversations that the main character had with others, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Now that I’ve been playing the game for a few weeks, I see what my roommate was talking about.

Mass Effect is set one hundred and twenty eight years into the future. Humanity has discovered ancient artifacts on Mars that advance their technology and allow faster-than-light travel (FTL). Humans make contact with alien races and ally with them in a massive, ancient space station known as the Citadel. It serves as a United Nations of sorts, as well as the center for galactic civilization.

The main character, Sheppard (you can choose skin color, gender, and overall appearance at the beginning of the game), is the primary candidate to prove humanity deserves a spot on the Citadel council. Tensions rise when one of the most trusted agents of the Council goes rogue and is bent on universal domination. It’s up to Sheppard to build a team of experiences soldiers and mercenaries to hunt him down and stop him by any means necessary.

The game is completely interactive, and the outcome to certain situations is solely based on your decisions. With each good or bad choice you make, you get points toward that end result, and depending on how many of each choice you make will determine how other characters treat you during game play.

Along with the main plot, there are side quests that you can embark on in the most advanced ship in the galaxy. I have to say that the upgradeable characters and weapons throughout the game intrigued me. I have yet to finish playing the game, but I’m close, and the folks at BioWare Corp. have done a fantastical job in integrating graphics and sound with story and dialogue to make an absolutely stunning game.

For an involved storyline and open-choice game play, I give this game a 8 out of 10!

Gaming, believing…

V