Currently Playing:

Mass Effect 3

Ah yes. Mass Effect 3 again! I thought I could play the new DLC right away, but it seems I only have a  saved file close to the beginning. Oh well. What a burden. To play Mass Effect 3 all over again... Suffice to say, I can't wait to be off work to play this game!!!!!!

Mass Effect Trilogy

Well!!!

This made my day!

Mass Effect Trilogy!

The Mass Effect 'Quad'

These set of toys are within the ranks of DC Direct. While they will probably not reciprocate the intricate details that the Playarts Kai will bring once I have them in my collection (Mass Effect: Playarts Kai), they do suffice in giving me satisfaction and bragging rights of just how having Mass Effect merchandise.

Tali was the first one I acquired a long time ago way before I was even in my new game room. She is the only one out of the three with the label: 'Mass Effect 2' and not 'Mass Effect 3'. Technically characters like Thane, Grunt, Legion, Mordin, and Miranda should be sold under the label of Mass Effect 2 since they originated from the game, but in some weird manner they are not sold that way.

Garrus' apparel are even from the second game! It comes complete with his battle 'scar' in his armor that he didn't bother to change at all in the game. Of course if one decides to put on his alternate outfit one can be rid of it, but still. My point is pretty clear about this is Mass Effect 2 merchandise. 

In terms of Krogan, I like Wrex better than Grunt. If they had a Wrex figure I'd buy him in a heartbeat, however, they do not. I had to make a choice between Grunt, Thane, Legion, Miranda, and Mordin... I would've picked Legion or Thane, but for some reason Grunt's weight and the work detail put into him just made me pick him in the end. But who am I kidding, I'll be getting the all someday!

I'll be very blatant about this. This figure doesn't exactly spell the best visage of Commander Shepard. In fact the face detail makes him look like one of the more nonsensical NPCs of the Mass Effect world, however it does have enough striking similarities that I am able to forgive the exuberance in it! But the detail in the armor is more than adequate and its' a Mass Effect merchandise! 

So needless to say, these are my Mass Effect collection! The Playarts Kai, when they arrive will spell great fortune in my collection world! 

Until then!

My Words On:

Story/Plot: This takes place before the game ends, obviously so a lot of the story of Mass Effect 3 could have already taken place, or not, depending on where the player decides to take it; however in general, the last time this could be accessed I would imagine where I was able to access it and it is before the final assault on Cerberus. As for the DLC's main content, basically it is an attempt to shine some light on the Reapers' history, where they came from, and how. A scientist and his daughter have been trailing a beast named 'Leviathan' who seemed to have the capability of destroying Reapers with very little to no effort. With that said, Shepard and the rest of the crew would undoubtedly want this creature/weapon to be part of the war.

In a series of events and many encounters from indoctrinated humanoids under the Leviathan's control, Shepard and his team are able to uncover some of what made the Reapers what they are now; it draws a tangible fact as to why they are, who they were, and why the gargantuan shape that seems to be the flag symbol of the Reapers. On my end, I honestly feel this adds more depths to the known enemy, the way it is executed and offered is of course Mass Effect caliber. But just like any other DLCs that offers this much (or lack of) gravity, I feel that it should've been part of the game already. I will remain obstinate that this was probably part o the game but of course the need to make profit will of course triumph over everything. Now such an epiphany about the enemies becomes a trivial fact because not all of us are willing to fork out the cash; especially those who still abhor how the ending and/or the Extended Cut turned out.

8/10

Gameplay: The things that makes Mass Effect 3 stand out from the previous two series in regards to gameplay was not stripped, it would've been asinine to do so, but on the other side of the coin, nothing new was added. I didn't expect much addition at all in regards to this department. What I got from the DLC in regards to gameplay is what I expected. While I muse at the notion of them possibly adding on new features to the way one plays, I wouldn't exactly count it against Bioware for not adding anything new. But some would argue that there was something 'new' and that is the very minuscule 'mini missions' one has to partake in order to progress. When not in battle, Shepard and EDI spends a lot of time going back and forth to a particular lab in the Citadel; scanning for clues and putting together evidence to locate certain areas to search/ and or obtain key 'artifacts' (or Leviathan itself). In combat, very small 'modifications' are added in like guiding a repair drone while being bombarded by Bashees and Cannibals and at the final stage the act of running back and forth to 'power sockets' in order to open a hatch. Other than that, nothing too spectacular.

To me, there was nothing new at all, but I thought I should point those out just in case some would want to distinguish that as new content in regards to Gameplay. So my final score still adheres to my review to Mass Effect 3 (My Words on: ME3).

10/10

Missed Opportunities: 

Length: I'm not going to sit here on a tirade that is far too obvious to 90% of DLC content in regards to gaming. We spend a good chunk of cash only to receive an hour to five hours of gameplay. While again, this complaint is not validated when it comes from me because I spend money on DLC's if I like the game enough, it does still point out that I could be a MUCH happier camper if the length would go pass one sitting.

New Equipment: Armor. New Weapons. It's almost detestable that they would pout out weapon content that gamers have to pay for! Shouldn't it be part of the DLC?! Like a 'Leviathan' armor complete with a weapon set perhaps? I don't know. But again, I paid for the last Weapons DLC so my complaint isn't exactly adequate since it would seem I have little to no qualms in regards to DLCs (capcom, I'm not talking to you by the way).

MORE HOURS INTO IT!

Overall: I enjoyed the game and any DLC offered I would be enamored to purchase just to support Mass Effect and of course to quench my need to game. If this would be the final DLC (I highly doubt it; I would capsulize that one more is at hand. Hint! Retake Omega, perhaps?!) I would say donning the N7 armor one more time (relatively speaking) for this kind of endeavor is a whimsical way to do so. While the DLC still holds in my opinion lack of real zest because of the looming 'bad ending' that Bioware produced when ME3 came out, I say, by itself it adds a good stripe on the series' belt. And casting the idea that this kind of content and story should have been part of the game to begin with, I still think it was worth my time. Is the said amount adequate? That opinion we will keep subdued because again, my lack of frugality when it comes to gaming doesn't entirely adhere to my opinion at times. DLCs are a good testament of that 'fault' I seem to have.

9/10

Currently Playing:

Darksiders II: This game is offering a myriad of puzzles, not as tedious as the first Darksiders, However it still has its own set of challenge. Have to admit, I do like War as playable character better but the fluidness of the sequel is of course more than adequate to say that it is fairing to be the better game.

Mass Effect 3 Leviathan: Just an hour into it and the story itself seems compelling. Since I have been deep into Mass Effect 2 lately, the difference between the two in terms of gameplay and graphics are apparent; more so than I thought. Perhaps I will do a comparison review a bit later? Anyways, I'll probably finish this DLC sooner than any of the other games so a review is bound to come up!

Playarts Kai: Mass Effect

Mass Effect Playarts

^Wow. These are going to be a must on my collection. Well, Maybe I can do without Ashley Williams, however the rest.... Shepard and Garrus?! Must have!

And of course this is the icing in the cake that brings all the news down to a minuscule and trivial facts; well sort of, but you know what I mean:

Tali and Fem Shepard!

These are a MUST! They must be added to my collection as soon as possible!!!!

My words on:

Story/Plot:  The galaxy is in dire need of hope as an ancient race of intelligent machines known as the Reapers have come to obliterate all organic life as they see fit and as they have done so every 50,000 years in  an an ever going cycle that is beyond present day's comprehension. Humans at this time have reached the pinnacle of technology and had claimed a name for themselves in the galaxy that is full life, some far more advanced than humanity itself. But all the races in the galaxy would have been side swiped by extinction if The Reapers proceeded with their usual tactics. If not for Commander Shepard reaching the Beacon of an extinct race known as the Protheans, then all would succumbed to their deaths with no warning, without a fight. With the help of his allies and his squad of humans and aliens, Shepard was able to delay and eventually cease the war with the Reapers but with a cost. He became that hope the Galaxy called for in what seemed to be their end of days.

While ME1 and ME2 were collectively just to rouse the inevitable war, Mass Effect 3 was the end all be all of the series where the Reapers now came to initiate what they have always done every cycle. As a leader and hope for humanity and all other races, Commander Shepard must lead his team one last time into missions to unite all species, end centuries of conflict, and of course tie up loose ends with some friends so that they may join him and the rest of all existence to the suicide battle against the greatest enemy of organic life. With their hope cascading on an ancient device that could possibly defeat the Reapers, their strife only builds up when the organization known as Cerberus seems to have their own plans for the war which only added to more unnecessary conflict aside from the Reapers. Hope seems dire at every turn, consequences causing millions of lives, and the ever growing thought of guilt. 

We Finally See Earth for the first time in the ME universe; and it looks bad.

These are the things one will go through as s/he steps inside the N7 armor of Commander Shepard. Like the previous games, one must make choices that will either rival ethics of the Shepard one chose to be, or shape logic in an epic war where even the smallest decisions can cause a ripple the could wipe out an entire race, or maybe just a really close friend.

The series had always been written well along with the progression of the story, and as well as the character development. These are some of the thins that made this game EPIC for me. Following the series for the last 7 or so years and watching it finally end brought tears to my eyes. The way they know how to press certain emotional buttons as well as keep the player wanting more until the end, well I'd say this was the epic game of all time, that and I can also say its one of the best, if not close to the best Game series I have ever played. 

10/10

Gameplay: A third person shooter with the elements of an rpg feel. It also touches base with the the real aspect of role playing by enabling players to make choices for good or bad which has major to minor affects in the game as well as the sequels following it. That had been what Mass Effect was about since the first game and tickled over to ME2 and finally coming together in ME3. With trials and tribulations, the gameplay itself smoothed out to the final product of the third game. While Mass Effect never lacked in fire fights and chaos, it did have many quirks that needed modifications which deterred the full potential of the game as we felt through ME1 and ME2. Cover system fully functional as well as the added perk of being able to roll, which made running into safety from being swiss cheesed much easier. The varieties of enemies and the threat they posses made one's tactics away from being bland; it deterred the player from merely staying in one cover area to aim and shoot. Certain parts of the game also forced the player to engage the battle differently depending on what is required for the story: Protection, survival, run and gun, and of course the epic Destroyer a Reaper head on was very much well appreciated and added so much flavor. It forces the player to be open with all kinds of tactics and very versatile which in the grand scheme of things makes the game less likely to feel stale even after the many hours and a couple of playthroughs.

One of the things that immediately stands out as a difference in the battle game play is the melee system, now much more effective and plays a huge roll in some areas for tactics. While the ability to beat an enemy with the butt of the gun had always been present in the previous two games, Mass Effect 3 added a much stronger melee. The blade omni tool is the most advertised one out of all of the class' use of the new perk, but each of them have their own specific animation which adds a sense of variety when playing as an Adept or an Engineer. There are also the cover melee which proves to be an instant kill, making cover not such a complete useless post when an enemy gets pass all the cross fires.

I like the idea that each class has a different cinematic action.


The role playing part of leveling up one's character kept the same functional feel as it did in ME2 with more choices in the characters' play style. After level three, each power can branch out in two choices depending on what the player wants that particular skill to do which makes squad mates even more interesting. I was more inclined to take characters that I myself don't particularly like because of the skill they are able to perform and what they can do for the party as a whole. Shepard's powers depending on the class one picks for him are also more diverse as they are also provided with a two way branch system, which of course adds to a more functional team depending on the player's way of going through the game. On insanity level, the once simple choice of this grid over the other one could be the leading cause of failure or victory.

Of course the biggest addition to Mass Effect 3 that was not a present at all in the first two games is the multiplayer. I have to admit I was very skeptic of the idea of adding multiplayer. A handful of good single player games seemed to have paid reverence to the idea of the need to 'have' an online presence and in my opinion did little to boost the games' entertainment level; to me it merely took away from the effort on the single player campaign thus diminishing its full potential when the product came out into the market. But of course that argument is digressing on a different field of battle completely so let me just say this, I thought the effort they were going to put into Mass Effect 3's multiplayer would have the same vicious circle result. I thought Mass Effect 3 would be another mediocre at best game with a appalling online presence. But to my surprise the game online is pretty decent; in fact it's rather entertaining. The gameplay is an exact replica of the single player campaign which of course equates to a smooth, fast paced, and very engaging and in turn could only mean a good addition to the whole game. There is only one mission to the multiplayer: obliterate all enemies in the location the player is placed in. A simple said fact which of course is nothing less than a good transition from dealing with story to just plain barrage of targets for either guns or the chosen power of the player. A definite good way to take a break from the abundance of story the player has to go through in one 

sitting.

I chose Quarian as my favorite race; Tali!

10/10

Graphics:  Probably the least polished quality of the third game. While I'm not going to say that Mass Effect 3 is ugly by any means, there doesn't seem to be too big of a jump from the second game. While don't get me wrong I don't think the aesthetics of each race are something to look pass when it comes to conveying a very intriguing world, I did find some grainy areas and sometimes it seems that limbs would somehow go through the customized armor as if the material is made out of water. But looking at the game as a whole it is a rather exhilarating sight from the stand point of in game fire fights, the facial expressions of characters as they talk their lives away in the middle of a Reaper invasion, and I can never stay away from feeling the infatuation from how intricately each race is thought out. While cut scenes may be scarce, they still offer a good sight when they did appear. All in all the game itself is a good looking game; the minor qualms I have does nothing to take away from the attraction it offers. 

9/10

Audio/Voice Acting: The characters are defined not only by their visuals, but also by the way their Voice actors convey the emotions of their specific role. The actors' ability to play out the feelings when under duress, the way one can interact in a certain mood, the use of their imagination and being able to project that through their voice, and also of course the effort they have put into studying and playing their characters. All of these came into play throughout the trilogy with each memorable character. Let's give a good example, shall we? Tali (and yes, I am a biased fan of the Quarian, but hear me out for a moment, please!). The girl had been a major crush for many gamers. Choose to disagree and we can pull up many 'Tali Appreciation' Threads, websites, blogs, etc. etc. My point will come swift and pretty apparent when I see that Tali's main attracting trait is her personality that is highly underlined by the way her actress, Liz Sroka, convey that through her voice. Her ability to make her voice fluctuate in parts of the game that required worry, fear, intimacy, intimidation, and anger was anything but impressive and not solely because she has that ability to use her voice acting well, but also she had that skill to make a 'faceless' character have such a compelling personality for many gamers. While the others such as Martin Sheen (Illusive Man), Seth Green (Joker), Mark Meer (Male Shepard), Keith David (Anderson), Brandon Keener(Garrus), and pretty much the whole cast did a stellar job throughout the series, most of their characters had the facial expression to aid them. While again it is no small feat to make a character that is not your own face convey the emotion the director/game requires of you, it's even a harder challenge to do so when the character has had enigma cover her face the whole entire time. Of course it is also a great asset to have a character with a very well developed story within her as a person and her whole entire race, but needless to say if the voice wasn't up to par, Tali would have been a mediocre character in my opinion. That statement also applies to the whole entire cast.

As for the background music, honestly, while I don't think it was terrible, it didn't really stand out too much like a lot of other classic RPGs. Maybe I was jut too damn busy paying attention to everything else the game had to offer that it didn't weigh heavily for or against me. Let's put it this way, it didn't make my ears screech to hear them. I mean generally the music fits the scene. The classic tune when exploring the galaxy was always nice for nostalgia but the battle theme was completely over taken by all the amounts of action and the trade fire going on all over the place. But let's just say what I got out of the voice overs was more than enough to make up for the back ground music.

10/10


Difficulty:  There was an article that I came across on the web mentioning that Mass Effect 3’s difficulty would be slightly more challenging than its predecessor to make it a bit more of a task for modern day gamers. As I recall, Mass Effect 2’s insanity was definitely no cake walk, however, having played the game three times through three different characters,  the game is only as difficult as how one knows the game, what class one decides to take, the skill of the player in regards to  the gameplay, and also just like any other game it heavily depended on how knowledgeable a player is in regards to the whole enemy set up and how they react through the different scenarios.

While to be fair, in Mass Effect 3 I only have the experience playing on hardcore as a Vanguard and an Adept, but  it is quick to see that the difference in class also plays a factor along with everything else I mentioned.  While as a female Adept, I have to be more cautious on how much fire I take while being out of cover while as a Vanguard I can take a little bit more damage before having to cover myself again. The Adept has the advantage of bombarding enemies with more biotic than my other class. Certain areas are easier as one, a few enemies were a lot more of a task as the other, and vice versa. But all in all I can only say that it still all depends highly on the player’s skill and tactics. While I am having a bit more of a hard time as an Adept on hardcore, one of you guys may find it a little casual as the same class in insanity difficulty. But regardless of skill I still think Bioware did a good job laying out the enemies and the set up.

The Banshees. They are a pain in the ass.

The variety of the task in certain missions for sure changes things up. Not all are depending on you killing the enemies, some highly depends on the player’s ability to keep people alive, reach the said objective while avoiding enemies, then there’s parts where the player merely has to survive the on going hordes of enemies. The enemies are also diverse which makes tactics a little different in some missions. Reapers would pose a different challenge for me as oppose to Geth. But then again it also depends on who is on the squad.

I may have a different point of view once I go through Insanity, but all in all I believe the challenge is note worthy but still fun.

9/10




Overall: The game had been a major title in the gaming world for the past 6 years offering 40 plus hours of gaming each, highly responsive gameplay that only improves with each game, compelling story and ever so colorful parade of characters, a multitude universe that was well written and creatively thought off, and of course there is just the beautiful way the whole world was put together graphic wise. With all the great things that Mass Effect offered, the unfortunate thing is that it has a flaw. I wouldn't say it was major, but it does put it in one critical point of a trilogy. The ending as well all know it wasn't up to par with the rest of the game. For lack of  better words the ending was rather vague and depriving. I won't spoil it, although I'm sure there are many other sites out there that can further add the details I won't put in but like I said, for a game that took 6 years to finish, I felt like the ending was rushed and poorly told. It almost felt like they ran out of money, time, or space to put all the details they need to make an ending; furthermore make it actually have some sort of closure. It was almost as bad as FFXIII-2 (that was a joke; The game and even it's horrendous ending will not come close to FFXIII-2).

But Bioware is taking their steps to try and deal with the backlash of negative fan feedback. They already had many announcement on the steps they will be taking for the future to try and fix this 'crisis'. So to me no real foul done as long as there are some sort of remedy for it and this summer there will be. I played a great game for the last few years, enjoyed ever minute I played, met some really good characters and took in the plight of the entire galaxy on my hands and 'saved' them in some odd way. I think my experience was anything but astonishing, epic, and memorable. I didn't and won't let the last ten minutes (as confusing and inadequate as it was) ruin the whole spectrum. Mass Effect 3 as a whole gave excellence like the previous two games. I'm going to say it now despite how early we are in that it is probably going to be game of the year for 2012.

10/10

My Late Words on:

On March 14, 2012 I finished Mass Effect 3, roughly almost a week after I bought the game. The ending as many have stated was a little confusing or anti climatic. A lot of loose ends in my opinion and I am leaning on some of the fans' petition to alter the ending. For me I don't necessarily want them to change it, I just want more explanation. I already expected the game to have a less than jovial conclusion, however I did want a little bit more knots on the loose ends. More importantly, I want to know what happened to the rest of the Crew, their story, their take on how it all concluded. What happened to the rest of the species? What happened to Earth? So forth.

But as my title claims this is more of a 'Late Review' on Mass Effect 2. Well it will not be a standard review since the game is long pass and I just want to clearly point out greatest quality of ME2 that I felt was lacking in ME3. With that statement alone many will jump the gun and say that I don't like ME3 as much as I like ME2. Not true. In fact I think ME3 was a great combination of both games previous to it, however like any other sequels, there are always some pieces left behind.

Tali + Garrus + Me = Reapers' Bane.

To me the best and the most satisfying part of Mass Effect 2 was the game's ability to really get you to be involved with the characters. The first and the third did that, yes, I'm not denying that at all, however ME2 focused greatly on the party members despite the fact that not all of them were not the greatest addition or some were just mediocre. But that's beyond the point, right? The fact that there are side missions for them that will either gain or lose their loyalty just proves that each character has a little bit more of a 'vocal' presence in the game. And of course the climatic part of the game where the crew has to go in and raid the collector base and take back what was stolen, That part on its own was just plain mindgasmic from my standpoint.

Yeah we all knew that there was going to be this last stage pivotal point of the game with lots of fire, return fire, some biotic waves and a whole horde full of collectors, but the real fun and flavor of the last part for me is the way one can choose how to delegate tasks to certain characters before the final battle. This is the part where one just can't pick a random character from the party to fulfill a critical mission. One must know how the character is and what his/her forte is. There was a part where one must know who has the command presence of a leader (Garrus for me) to lead a second squad while Shepard handles a certain mission. An area where certain control panels must be hacked to give a fighting edge (Tali!) and the player must choose a character that has the forte for tinkering. A biotic expert to shield the party from one of the Collectors' main weapons (I believe I picked Samara or Miranda; I forgot. Or maybe Jack). These choices were so critical for the mission that those sequences will either fail and the character placed will die if picked poorly, or succeed if the proper person was picked. Of course the main pivotal point of victory hangs on the player's hands as s/he commands his/her version of Commander Shepard.

Then of course we get the final boss battle. A gargantuan human reaper harvested by the Collectors from the missing population of  many colonies. That part on its own was fun as hell and on insanity a challenge! Along the way of course there was no lack of battle as the Collectors poured themselves left and right to try and prevent Shepard and his team from succeeding. To me it was just plain fun. It was an epic RPG feel of a final stage, last boss, with the real flare of adding in some side characters' crucial roles. Mass Effect 3 lacked that. The last part was for sure full of action, but I felt like there wasn't as much side character involvements.

But alas, I loved the game. I love the series. One day soon I will buy a X360 just to replay Mass Effect 1 so I can say I have the whole series. A bitter sweet emotion as I finish the game.... Well A review for the third installment shall be up soon.  In the mean time...

They forgot about me!!!