Mass Effect 3 demo thoughts - March 6 cannot come soon enough

Alright since I went over “Mass Effect 3” in my “Most Anticipated Games,” I’m not gonna waste time with any fancy or creative intros on this one, I’m just gonna dive right in. Go download the “Mass Effect 3” demo. Start it up now and you’ll be playing by the time you’re done reading this post. (I mean, probably – how am I supposed to know how fast your connection is?)

The demo, which went live on Feb. 14, features single and multiplayer portions of the upcoming BioWare sci-fi epic “Mass Effect 3.” I’ll address the single player portion first followed by an overview of the multiplayer goodness.

The single player part of the “ME3” demo features two missions – one at the outset of the game, as the Reapers invade Earth and one later in the game on the salarian homeworld as Shepard attempts to drum up support for humanity from the alien Council races. The second mission is meant to showcase the action and squad aspects of “ME3,” which is great and all but if you’re really looking to get a feel of the combat from the demo, just play the multiplayer portion. The first mission of the demo, however, serves as just a small taste of the level of emotion BioWare is hoping to convey with the final installment of this incredible sci-fi story.

The demo opens on Earth as Shepard is once again called on to discuss the return of the Reapers and what can be done to stop them. As Shepard is questioned and informed that more and more human colony worlds are falling silent, the unthinkable happens – Earth loses contact with all Lunar bases and the Reapers begin their assault on our home planet. Shepard and Anderson scramble to rally as many as possible and reach a nearby spaceport so Shepard can board the Normandy.

Seeing major death and destruction isn’t anything new for video games – even for Mass Effect. But BioWare has an incredible ability to tell a powerful story and those emotions are not lost in the demo. As Shepard and Anderson try to escape, Shepard comes across a small boy hiding in a vent. Shepard tells the boy he can help and to come with him, to which the boy replies, “You can’t help me.” The boy disappears and Shepard must fight his way to the spaceport past Reaper husks. Once on the Normandy, Shepard surveys the carnage from above. He sees the boy from the vent boarding one of numerous escape crafts fleeing the spaceport and can do nothing but watch helplessly as a Reaper annihilates each fleeing ship. These scenes are incredibly powerful and serve to show how little remorse the Reapers have and also to convey to the player (and to Shepard) that should you fail, all will be lost.

Though Shepard worked with Cerberus in "Mass Effect 2,"

they are once again your enemy in "Mass Effect 3"

Though the visuals are very similar to “ME2,” they have been polished very nicely for “ME3.” The character models are very similar but environmental textures have received a big upgrade which makes areas seem more alive, more lived in. The sound is greatly improved too, especially the sounds of the firearms. Each weapon now has a punch that they never had in the Mass Effect series – a great help now that the series is much more action-oriented.

I’ll be going over the controls and the feel of how “ME3” plays in the multiplayer section but I just wanted to go over one more thing for the solo campaign. Players can choose from Action, Story or RPG mode in the demo (each of which is detailed below in the Most Anticipated post). I wound up choosing Action because you needed to customize the appearance of your character for RPG and I just wanted to start playing. In Action mode, there are no dialogue choices and these character interactions are treated instead like in-game cinematic sequences. I was worried that in this mode, Shepard would be relegated to being a boy scout good guy and was very happy to find that even without my guiding hand, Shepard won’t be a pushover.

Now, onto the meat of the demo – the multiplayer. Those who bought “Battlefield 3” and redeemed the online pass get early access to the multiplayer portion of the demo (it opens to everyone on Friday). First off, I’ll admit, I was worried about BioWare putting multiplayer into a traditionally single player series like Mass Effect. Too many games these days seem to have tacked-on, afterthoughts of multiplayer modes that only take away from what should/could be a great game. Let me say right now, this is not true of “ME3.” The multiplayer portion of “ME3” is said to have a positive effect on the single player game (your created characters can be called upon to help you, allegedly) but it isn’t necessary to play if you don’t like multiplayer.

Atlas robots (left) can take a beating before being destroyed

There is no competitive multiplayer for “ME3,” only a co-op mode where a group of up to four work together to defeat increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Each game is 10 waves and at waves 3, 6, and 10 there are objectives that need to be accomplished, such as downloading data or taking out targeted enemies. Completing waves and killing enemies earns you XP to improve your character while completing objectives earns credits which can be used to buy new weapons, single use items or new character classes – though the method used to unlock these items is more akin to a card trading game than to other established first and third person shooters.

Ok, now I know what you’re thinking – just what the hell does that mean? Don’t worry, I’ll get to it in a second. When you first start up the multiplayer, you’re asked to pick a class (Adept, Soldier, Engineer, Vanguard, Sentinel or Infiltrator) and each of these classes has four different loadouts (usually denoted by a different race such as asari, krogan or quarian). Now, in most games, these other classes would be unlocked after reaching a certain level or perhaps by earning enough in-game credits to buy them. It’s slightly different in “ME3.” With the credits earned in game (and remember, you only earn credits from completing objectives), you can buy either a Rookie pack or a Veteran pack. Each pack contains five items that can be anything from one-time use items (like rockets or medi-gel), new weapons or new character classes. The Rookie pack costs less but has a lower likelihood of “Uncommon” items and is 5000 credits. The Veteran pack is 20,000 credits but is guaranteed to contain at least one Uncommon item. It’s an interesting method of obtaining new items/characters – by using pure chance as the method of unlocking new items in multiplayer, BioWare is pretty much guaranteeing you’ll keep playing forever because there’s always going to be one class or new character that you need to keep striving for but never happen to unlock. For example, I finally saved up enough money to buy a Veteran pack with the hopes that I’d get an Uncommon character. I wound up with a few new weapons and a ton of great items but no characters. Rather than being upset about not getting a character, I was motivated to keep playing so I could buy another Veteran pack cause even though my human Engineer is great, I’d really like a drell Vanguard or a salarian Infiltrator.

Shepard prepares to unleash a devastating heavy melee attack

In each class there are four options of loadouts which feature different powers. To keep it simple, each character only has five abilities to upgrade – three offensive powers, Allied Training (upgrades weapon and melee damage) and Fitness (upgrades health and shields). Each power is mapped to the Left and Right bumpers and Y buttons so that they can be used on the fly. While powers are always active, you can mix and match your loadout of weaponry to suit your play style. Be aware, though, the more weapons you carry the slower your biotic powers recharge. So say, for instance, you wanted to roll into battle with a sniper rifle, assault rifle and shotgun, you’d only be able to use your powers sparingly. But if you went into combat with only a pistol, your powers would available much more often, nearly to the point of recharging almost instantly. Allowing players to tweak their characters to their own personal play style was one of the most refreshing aspects of “ME3’s” multiplayer.

Now, like I usually say, these features wouldn’t mean a thing if the game wasn’t fun to play. However, “ME3” is incredibly fun to play – without-a-doubt the fastest, most fun and fluid combat of the entire series. I really was blown away by how smoothly not only the multiplayer performed but with the fluidity of my own character’s actions. Sprinting, rolling, aiming, getting into and out of cover – each action is solid and tight and has a feeling of weight to let you know it is being performed as asked. Though “ME3” is much more action-oriented than any past game in the series, it’s still very much Mass Effect.

When starting an online game, you can pick the arena to play in (only two in the demo) as well as the enemy as the challenge type (this being the difficulty of the game). Though you can only play against Cerberus in the demo, I’m sure that at least the Reaper forces will be available in the full game. There are multiple challenge types – bronze, silver and gold, bronze being the easiest. I’ve only tried a silver challenge once and even with my strongest character (a level 7 Engineer) playing with a full squad, we didn’t last one wave. This is due in part with the greatly improved enemy AI in “ME3.” Cerberus troops don’t just keep charging from one direction until they’re all dead. Rather, they use cover intelligently and work relentlessly to flank you. On top of that, there are numerous different enemy types in the demo alone, from standard assault troops to asari commandos to giant Atlas walker robots.

You'll need numerous talents to survive the more difficult challenge waves

Being that this is a demo, I’m letting slide the fact that it’s very easy to stick to cover when you just want to roll or sprint, for instance. On the other hand, there are a few things I can’t let slide. One being that the “A” button does too much. Sprinting, getting into cover, getting out of cover, rolling, interacting with the environment, reviving teammates – all these actions are handled by one button. Too many times I’ve watched teammates die as I repeatedly roll over their bleeding out corpse as I try in vain to revive them. Also, while the melee attack is a great addition and very helpful for when enemies get too close, it has a very, very short range and isn’t that powerful, unless you use a heavy melee attack (by holding down the B button) but even then, the heavy attack is very slow and leaves you open to attack. Different classes have different speeds of melee attacks, though, so it might just be that my Engineer’s melee is very slow. Also, I absolutely hate ladders. Interacting with them is even slower than performing a melee attack and leaves you even more open because at the end of interacting with a ladder, now you’re just on that ladder and not even able to attack. A stupid little complaint but it has screwed me too many times already.

Overall – I can’t wait for “ME3.” It was already one of the biggest releases of the year and one of my most anticipated and this demo is just making it worse. I wasn’t anticipating falling this hard for its multiplayer portion and now I’m afraid I won’t even play the single player (as much as I should) because of how much I’ll be playing co-op. Honestly my only concern for “ME3” after playing the demo – are my multiplayer stats going to carry over to the full game?

Just a few more notes I wanted to make:

The demo only gives you a small taste of how many different ways there are to customize each character. Not only are there the five core skills to upgrade (3 active, 2 passive) but each of those power trees branch off after a few levels have been earned which start to truly shape that power. For instance, my Engineer can summon a Combat Drone to attack and distract my enemies. After leveling it up a few times, I have to decide whether I want it to be more heavily armored or whether it gets a massive increase to its attack damage. Though I don’t see a way to re-spec a particular character, having four different characters per class should be more than enough to create a few interesting builds. It's also possible to upgrade your weapons with up to two different attachments such as increased ammo capacity or a scope.

Guardians (center) use massive shields to protect against most frontal assaults

After playing for a few days and coming across more and more powerful people, it gets a little intimidating to try and upgrade your lower level characters. I’m hoping that there might be some sort of matchmaking present in the full game to group similarly leveled characters together so that no one is at too much of an advantage or disadvantage.

I’m really enjoying the level of teamwork it takes to complete the later bronze challenges. It’s only once I was familiar enough with the game, and had a powerful enough character, did I start to realize just how much strategy must be needed to complete the silver and gold challenges. Once the enemies in the waves become more diverse, featuring enemies with different capabilities (such as the Combat Engineer’s armored turret, asari Phantoms with shields and tactical cloaks or the riot shield carrying Guardians), greater teamwork is needed to weaken and take out enemies. Cerberus troops also use smoke grenades to engage in flanking maneuvers as well as use it to close distance on you, as the smoke makes it much more difficult to target enemies with firearms as well as biotics.

Though I spend a majority of my time playing as a human Engineer, I’ve also started exploring the other classes as well. At first I wasn’t too thrilled with the majority of them, finding their low level powers not nearly as effective, I did eventually become aware of how useful the other classes could be, given the right build. For instance, the Infiltrator class can use a Tactical Cloak to turn invisible, Predator style, for a short time. Though shields don’t recharge while it’s in use, it gives you more than enough time to escape any hairy situation. Plus the class’ proficiency with sniper rifles makes it an excellent ‘lone wolf’ build. Also, again, given the right build, the Vanguard can be an incredibly powerful melee combatant. With its fast melee attacks and Charge ability, a Vanguard who goes light on weaponry can make very interesting use of its close combat capabilities.

Grizzly Gaming's Most Anticipated Games of 2012

This is the second part of part one of a series on the games I’m most looking forward to this year. I figured I’ve kept you waiting long enough for this part so let’s get on with it already! My Most Anticipated Games of 2012! (Part 2)

Max Payne 3

Slated release: May 15 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, May 29 for PC

It’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen the gruff, depressed, possibly addicted to pills cop Max Payne – almost a decade in fact. (Oh and revenge, he’s definitely addicted to that.) What has Max been doing since we last saw him in “Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne,” released all the way back in 2003? Well, hopefully, Rockstar’s upcoming “Max Payne 3” gives us some answers.

Though I’ve seen a few details about what Max has been doing with his life, none of them are particularly happy. After some hard times in New York (you know, after, pretty much everyone Max has ever cared about has been killed in some way or another), Max finds himself working protection for a wealthy family in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Set eight years after the second game, Max is older, wearier and more cynical than ever. Despite all this, trouble continues to follow the troubled former NYC cop as he investigates the kidnapping of his employer’s wife.

Max Payne was one of my favorite series’ back when the first two games came out. The first entry’s dark, noir-ish trappings, not to mention the comic/storyboarded style of story presentation gave the game a look and feel that few games before it had managed to pull off. Couple those narrative elements with its intense action and innovative (for the time) use of bullet-time made Max Payne a must-play third-person action title. Thought I doubt Rockstar will be winning any awards for the story or presentation of “Max Payne 3,” the series known for its action-packed firefights will be getting a considerable amount of help from Rockstar’s Euphoria engine.

"Max Payne 3" will allegedly take place mainly in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Euphoria, seen in games like “GTA IV” and “Red Dead Redemption,” is able to render digital movement in life-like ways never seen or duplicated by any other game. And its power and ability has only been boosted and refined for “Max Payne 3,” which should make for some wonderfully violent firefights. The Max Payne series has always been known for its ridiculously violent, action movie-esque firefights and allowing characters to move and react to gunshot wounds and explosions more realistically could make “Max Payne 3” one of the most visually stunning games of the year. Rockstar is even alleging that shots fired in bullet-time will each be rendered in real time and you’ll actually be able to see the damage you’re doing on an enemy’s character model.

Max undergoes some visible changes in "Max Payne 3"

I’ll be interested to see how Rockstar approaches multiplayer and whether they craft creative multiplayer modes around Max or just go with well-tread game types like deathmatch and capture-the-flag. Max Payne 1 and 2 were both of generations (on the console) that didn’t/couldn’t take much advantage of online gaming as opposed to today where developers try to squeeze multiplayer into any game they can. Obviously, “Max Payne 3” seem tailor made for multiplayer and only time will tell how much of an effort Rockstar puts into its multiplayer.

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Mass Effect 3

Slated release: March 6 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC

An ancient, unknowable alien menace threatens not only the human race but the survival of the universe itself and only one group of heroes led by an elite human soldier can save the day. Sound familiar? Well, yeah, of course it does – that basically the premise for every other game these days. It’s also, basically, the plot of the entire Mass Effect series, but more specifically, “Mass Effect 3.” So why, I can hear you asking, is a game with such a generic plot one of my most anticipated games of the year? Though the territory the story covers is well-tread, the game crafted around that story is one of the most solid, fun and engaging found on any platform.

Despite the over-arching story of Mass Effect being somewhat over-done – an alien race returns from unknown space to reclaim control of the universe – the draw of said story is how Commander Shepard, humanity’s greatest soldier, creates and leads his own team of heroes on a quest to save the universe from destruction by the Reapers. Though the story of Mass Effect 1 saw Shepard uncovering the Reaper’s plot, the story and character progression aspects of the series really came into their own in Mass Effect 2. In both games, and one would assume in “Mass Effect 3” as well, forming relationships with your teammates will not only net you XP, but also their respect which translates into battlefield efficiency and willingness to put their trust in your decisions.

Earth comes under direct attack from

the Reapers in "Mass Effect 3"

The plot of “Mass Effect 3” picks up directly following the events of Mass Effect 2 DLC, “Arrival,” in which Shepard’s actions have delayed the return of the Reapers but also cost hundreds of thousands of innocents their lives. In fact, “Mass Effect 3” opens during Shepard’s trial for his actions in Arrival and during the trial, Reapers invade the planet forcing Shepard and crew to eventually flee and seek help from the main alien races of the series such as the turians, asari and quarians. As before, save data from the previous two games will be imported into “Mass Effect 3” which can manifest in numerous ways – from a minor NPC’s opinion of Shepard to whether members of your crew are still alive or not. Also, in regards to the story, I’ve read two fairly interesting tidbits. First, and this may be fairly obvious, but “ME3” will be Shepard’s final appearance as the main character of the series. The next is that unlike the past two games, it will be possible to make the wrong decisions over the course of the game and ultimately fail to stop the Reapers.

Familiar faces such as (from left) Thane, Miranda, Grunt and

Mordin return...if they survived the last game.

It’s hard to say exactly why “ME3” is on my Most Anticipated list, for a few reasons. For one, “ME2” was very different from “ME1.” The first game of the series followed the conventions of an RPG much more closely than its follow up. Character creation/progression, large, random areas to explore and a multitude of items to find/buy/sell were all large parts of the first game’s formula were largely changed or straight up cut in the sequel. In “ME2,” planetary exploration (by way of the Mako) was cut entirely while character progression was condensed considerably and there was no item economy to speak of. In short, BioWare severely toned down the more “hardcore” RPG elements of the series in favor of strengthening the narrative and combat. Granted the combat is greatly improved in “ME2” and the narrative is a little stronger, many fans, as well as myself, lamented the loss of many parts of the RPG formula in the Mass Effect series. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call “ME2” “dumbed down” when compared to the original game, the differences between the two are immediately obvious to any RPG fan.

Well BioWare heard these complaints and made an effort to rectify them by offering different ways to experience “Mass Effect 3.” For the final installment of the trilogy, players will be able to pick from three different modes – Action, Story and RPG. In “Action Mode,” combat sequences are of a normal difficulty while speech options are chosen automatically. This is intended for players who aren’t as interested in carefully selecting their dialogue choices as they are blowing away enemies (who I can only assume are the Geth and Cerberus). “Story Mode” will be just the opposite where players manually pick their dialogue responses and the difficult of combat will be lesser while “RPG Mode” is the “true” Mass Effect experience with players picking their own dialogue options and the combat is of normal difficulty. It remains to be seen whether “Mass Effect 3” more closely resembles the first or second game in the series but BioWare has stated that Mako/Hammerhead missions will return in “ME3,” weapons are now customizable and skill trees have a little more depth – all things I’m sure hardcore RPG fans are glad to hear.

Players can also make use of a powerful

new melee attack in "Mass Effect 3"

I’ll also be very interested to see just how BioWare implements multiplayer into the Mass Effect recipe. Though I’m pretty certain that there is no competitive multiplayer modes, players will be able to team up co-operatively in the aptly named “Galaxy at War” mode. The mode, which has been described as “horde-esque,” tasks a group of players with taking over enemy strongholds and fighting against waves of enemies. It’s also said that competition of these specially designed multiplayer levels/areas will have a positive effect on the outcome of your single player game but aren’t necessary to complete the game. No story heroes, such as Shepard, Garrus or Liara will be playable in multiplayer but players can pick from various races such as humans, asari, turian and salarian.

Speaking of the multiplayer, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that multiplayer demo will be available on Xbox Live and the PSN on February 14. Which reminds me – if you purchased Battlefield 3 new and redeemed your online pass, you get early access to the “ME3” demo. I should probably go and do that.

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Slated release: Fall 2012 for Xbox 360, PC and Playstation 3

If you follow the gaming industry, you may have heard that 2K Marin has been planning/working on a new XCOM game for some time now. This title is a departure from the original series in that it tones down the strategic element of the game somewhat and also adds first-person shooting into the mix as well. While some fans (like myself) are very interested to see just how well those changes can be implemented, others are not as hopeful. And being that it has been pushed back to 2013 (at the earliest) it will probably be some time before we see this new XCOM title.

But look on the bright side, XCOM fans, there is hope. How excited would you be if Firaxis Studios, the development house created by strategy mastermind Sid Meier, was taking the reigns on creating an entirely new XCOM experience – one that perfectly captures everything that made the original a hit among fans and critics alike while also updating the package with a more modern feel and look? So excited you’d probably need to change your pants? That’s what I thought.

Sectoids (above) aren't dangerous one-on-one but deadly in groups

Earth in under siege by all manner of strange inter-stellar aliens. Humans are being abducted, towns are under attack – the planet and all of its inhabitants are at the mercy of these strange beings whose motives are wholly unknown. As a species our only options are to concede or fight back and in “XCOM: Enemy Unknown,” you lead the charge against these hostile aliens by establishing a planetary defense network, researching and developing new technology and most importantly, retaliating on the ground. But, how you accomplish these tasks is entirely up to you.

“X: EU” takes place, in terms of the story, after the events of the original game where the player, taking on the role of the commander of XCOM, must respond to a full-scale alien invasion in a battle against seemingly hopeless odds. The aliens humanity faces utilize far superior technology and employ units and tactics unknown to humans. Though the circumstances may seem overwhelming, fear not. All of XCOM’s resources are at your disposal and you’ll be tasked with creating/expanding the agency’s satellite coverage of the planet, reverse engineering alien technology for use against them and getting boots on the ground to meet the alien menace head-to-distended, oddly-colored head.

A heavy weapons soldier trains his sights on a hulking Muton.

However, this is a turn-based game, one where the player will not be able to accomplish every task presented. The player must make choices when it comes to using time and resources for research, aiding other countries with alien infestations, and fighting aliens on the ground. However, XCOM isn’t an independent agency – it depends on resources and money provided by the shadowy Funding Council. Made up of sixteen various countries around the world, the player must rely on the Council to provide them with resources. But they must also keep in mind that each country has their own evaluation of XCOM’s abilities/performance and, should circumstances become dire enough, withdraw their support of XCOM – resources and all.

When it comes time to meet the aliens on the ground, you’ll lead a team of XCOM soldiers into battle, each of whom have different abilities such as heavy weapons or sniping. Combat is turn-based and makes heavy use of the concepts of cover and line of sight. What will add another layer of depth to the combat is that your XCOM soldiers aren’t interchangeable, nameless grunts. Each soldier can earn experience, upgrades and learn new abilities and players would do well to make use of cover because if a soldier dies in combat, they’re lost forever.

Combat "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" is turn-based with great

emphasis placed on cover and lines of sight

It’s been a long time since a strategy game has captured my attention so much – probably because I’m one of those pretentious video game fans who turns his nose up at strategy games on the console. However, this title seems too good to pass on. From everything I’ve read so far, “X: EU” isn’t just a reboot but a complete overhaul to bring the classic game to a modern audience. I can already tell it’s going to be a title I’m going to agonize over. Do I send aid to a foreign country? Spend money launching another satellite to give me a better idea of the alien threat? Or do I use my research to create new weapons or upgrade my home base? And don’t even get me started on combat. I’ll probably have some sort of guilty, nervous breakdown the first time I lose a soldier who’s served me well. And I can’t friggin’ wait.