RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

With the Mass Effect Trilogy already available for 360 and PC, BioWare has revealed a date of December 4 for the bundle to hit the PS3 in North America. The European release will follow on December 7.

DLC-wise, the PS3 version will include Bring Down the Sky, Kasumi, Overlord, and Lair of the Shadow Broker. Mass Effect 3 will remain as it shipped, with the Extended Cut still free for download separately.

Source: Eurogamer

With last year’s orchestral album based on video game music under their belt, the London Philharmonic Orchestra is putting together a second one. The tellingly-named Greatest Video Game Music 2 launches on November 6, and includes the following tracklist: Continue reading ‘London Philharmonic Composes Second Game Music Album’ »

Via BioWare’s official blog, the oft-hinted Omega DLC for Mass Effect 3 has finally been confirmed. As was expected, the content will involve Aria T’Loak and her attempt to reclaim Omega, which was seized off-camera by Cerberus during the game.

Enforce Omega’s One Rule starting November 27 for all platforms (28 for PS3 in Europe). The original post can be read here.

BioWare has revealed plans to update Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer, namely adding a challenge system: a series of MP-centric achievements, with players scored through the clearance thereof. An upcoming N7 HQ website will track progression through these challenges, with gold-level challenges granting exclusive titles and banners. Additionally, the weekly Operation events will be replaced by weekly Challenges, with prizes granted immediately on an individual basis rather than globally on a set delay.

Source: Joystiq

The latest Mass Effect 3 expansion will bring back the Collectors, currently the only enemy race to successfully kill Commander Shepard… mostly. She got better, of course. Anyway, this multiplayer DLC, titled Retaliation adds six new maps, sixteen new characters, and the insectoid Collectors as enemies. Existing maps and forces will also see various updates, such as maps with major environmental hazards.

The content goes live on October 9.

Source: Eurogamer

BioWare has just announced a collection of the Mass Effect trilogy, covering all three games for all systems. This includes the original Mass Effect for PlayStation 3, which will also be released separately as a digital download. The box sets will include a limited selection of DLC, though the choice of content may differ based on platform; it is known that add-ons like Lair of the Shadow Broker (ME2) and Leviathan will not be among them. While the Trilogy Edition will not have an option for a Female Shepard cover, the official Mass Effect Twitter did mention it had “a little something special planned for FemShep coming.”

PC and 360 versions go live on November 6 in North America, with the PS3’s date still unknown.

Source: Eurogamer

As the title suggests, Nintendo UK announced the Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 will include the From Ashes DLC at launch; that being the one adding the Prothean squad member, Javik. As previously mentioned, the game will also feature the Extended Cut built-in, along with a digital comic covering events from the previous games.

Source: Eurogamer

Amidst the hubbub of Comic-Con, Mass Effect producer Mike Gamble commented on DLC for the third installment. While no singleplayer DLC besides the Extended Cut has been confirmed, he did state that Commander Shepard would remain the central (playable) figure. And speaking of the Extended Cut, Gamble confirmed that the Wii U version would have this installed by default over the original ending.

Source: Joystiq

BioWare has just released details of the multiplayer-centric Earth DLC for Mass Effect 3. The content features the previously rumored new maps for Rio, Vancouver, and London, three new weapons, and six new human N7 classes. Set for a July 17 release on all platforms (excepting European PS3, which launches July 18), the content will be free for download.

Source: Joystiq

The much-talked-about Extended Cut DLC for Mass Effect 3 is finally upon us, free and waiting only for you to update your copy. If you’re one of the three people that hasn’t notice this yet, stop reading this and go find out if the rumors about it de-suckifying the ending are true.

Source: Joystiq

Nintendo’s press conference this morning held an unexpected announcement buried in a video montage; it seems that Mass Effect 3 will be appearing on Nintendo’s new Wii U console. Bioware confirmed on its Twitter feed that ME3 would be available for the console at launch.

Bioware has announced the release of the Rebellion Pack, a second free DLC for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. The Rebellion Pack will give players new weapons, six unlockable characters including Vorcha and Ex-Cerberus agents, and two new maps: Firebase Jade, an abandoned Salarian reservoir on a jungle planet, and Firebase Goddess, an Asari stronghold on Thessia. Additionally, players will receive a gear slot that allows them to carry a gameplay bonus from match to match. A new in-mission objective will be added to the existing three that randomly occur during waves three, six, and ten.

The Rebellion Pack is due for release on May 29 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 in North America. PS3 owners in Europe will see a release date of May 30. The pack is free for all those with an Online Pass.

Full details available on Bioware’s blog

Five years prior, Mass Effect was BioWare’s new, unproven IP, and exclusive to the 360. Now it’s a critically acclaimed, multiplatform epic that’s broken records all the way to its third and presumably final chapter. Expectations couldn’t be higher, and no doubt BioWare could empathize in feeling the weight of a galaxy on their shoulders. Although noticeably flawed, for the most part Mass Effect 3 is every bit the emotional, action-packed, and deeply personal adventure it was advertised to be, and it’s not fair to claim that a highly criticized ending undermines the whole experience. Yet here I am, about to say exactly that: Mass Effect 3 fumbles the end so spectacularly that, rather than feeling satisfied or eager to revisit the saga, I’m just ready to put the whole sad mess behind me. Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 3 – Staff Review’ »

Ah, 16-bit-era Shadowrun. Come for the cyberpunk revenge plots and foxgirls, stay for the considerable XP/money grind so you can break the game in half. Good times, both SNES and Genesis. Anyway, on to the news:

• Sony’s financial woes catch up to them, doubling their loss forecast and forcing 10,000 layoffs.  “Holy s***, now what?” indeed, Mr. Hirai.
• Jack Tramiel, Commodore International founder and the man behind the C64, died at 83.  Yet another legend in the tech field that I knew almost nothing about.
• Peter Molyneux speaks out about leaving Microsoft for his indie venture.  Will it change the world, or will it OH JUST REMAKE SYNDICATE ALREADY GODDAMNIT
• The Better Business Bureau weighs in on the Mass Effect 3 ending furor, which is my personal “this has gone way too far” threshold.
• Meanwhile, Victor Ireland rather gloriously misreads Steam’s effect on RPG sales, while his own Clash of Heroes 2 Kickstarter falls well short of its goal.  Time to serve the Newell?  I’d say so.
• Wired’s Chris Kohler takes a scalpel to the argument that used games are hurting the industry.  The conclusion: the industry is hurting the industry.
• Project X Zone‘s creators are among the least likely to localize anything, Wasteland 2‘s Kickstarter coasts to a comfortable finish, and more!

 
Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – And I’ll Keep Lying, I Promise’ »

EA has just released the Resurgence Pack DLC for Mass Effect 3. As previously announced, the pack includes two new maps, six new classes – or “Krogan Vanguard and those other guys” as I call it – and an assortment of new weapons. The pack is free for all players with a valid online pass code.

Source: Joystiq

It used to be that when a game was patched it ran better, but times have changed. Today, if players download the new Xbox 360 patch for Mass Effect 3, they’ll be rolling the dice. The game might resolve underlying issues… or it might cause the system to freeze on the initial menu screen, rendering both the single player and multiplayer campaigns unplayable.

Multiple threads have appeared on BioWare’s forums and other sites regarding the issue. At this time BioWare is aware of the problem, but there’s no word on when–or if–it will be fixed.

BioWare and its parent company EA have been awash in bad press of late. Controversy surrounded Mass Effect 3‘s ending, and voters at the Consumerist chose EA as the “worst company in America.”

Yaknow, you can say what you want about Silent Hill: Downpour, but when it comes to being tense and creepy it doesn’t screw around. The actual enemies and combat are pretty naff, but it does a fine job instilling a sense of dread. There are rooms I just do not want to enter. I consider that a mission accomplished for a horror game.

Anyhow, on to the news:

• The Consumerist wrapped up their online poll for 2012’s Worst Company in America.  EA jumped to the front faster than you can say “biased sampling data.”  And speaking of EA…
• Mass Effect 3‘s Extended Cut DLC was announced, prompting LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE.  A PAX East BioWare panel offered some more information, likely only stoking the fire at this point.
• An industry analyst predicts doom for Nintendo, which happens often and just as often is disproven.  What’s new here is getting basic facts wrong.
• Get your credsticks out: a Shadowrun Kickstarter launched and met its goals handily.  Check it out here, chummer.
• Gamasutra ran a survey about salaries in the games industry, with some surprising data.  Long story short, I’m in the wrong line of work.
• Sonic the Hedgehog‘s creator winds up at Nintendo of America, Final Fantasy Versus XIII music winds up in Theatrhythm, and more!

Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Never Deal With a Dragon’ »

We have more news from BioWare. The first Mass Effect 3 patch will be coming out next week, on April 9 for the PC and April 10 for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It fixes a long list of issues including problems importing custom characters.

BioWare has also announced the Mass Effect 3 Resurgence Pack, a free DLC that expands multiplayer. The DLC will add two maps, Firebase Condor, situated on one of Palavin’s moons, and Firebase Hydra, an abandoned colony once belonging to the Quarians. Six new characters will now be playable, one for each character class: Asari Justicar (Adept), Krogan Battlemaster (Vanguard), Geth (Infiltrator and Engineer), and Batarian (Soldier and Sentinel). The DLC also adds three new collectible weapons and new consumables.

Players can check out the shiny DLC trailer.

BioWare sent out a press release today detailing how the developer would be handling changes to Mass Effect 3 in response to mounting dissatisfaction among fans regarding the game’s ending.

BioWare will be releasing these changes in the form of a free DLC patch for the game, to be called Extended Cut. The company stated that the DLC would provide “additional context and deeper insight to the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s journey,” adding additional cinematics and epilogue scenes to the game.

The press release went on to state that BioWare remains committed to and proud of “the artistic choices we made in the main game,” saying that they strongly believe in the development team’s vision for the end of the series.  The purpose of Extended Cut, they say, will be to offer greater context, rather than to alter Mass Effect 3‘s ending.

Extended Cut is scheduled for a release sometime this summer.

Yeah, I watched the Idolm@ster anime. What can I say? I indulge in the occasional weird Japanese thing. Went better than expected, although I’m not wading into the games anytime soon unless one can guarantee more box malfunctions.

Right then, to the news! This week we have the following:

• UK retailer GAME files for administration, the UK equivalent of Chapter 11.  Which means it’s game over NO MUST RESIST THE OBVIOUS PUN
• Meanwhile, Zynga buys out Omgpop, makers of Draw Something, for a whopping $200 million.  They’re gonna have to sell a lot of Zynga funbucks to make it up.
• BioWare plans “clarification” DLC for the Mass Effect 3 ending.  Forbes, by the way, has a better read on this fiasco than most games media outlets; spoilers aplenty, but give this article a read when you get time.
• Dragon Age 2 winds down as the team gets ready for Dragon Age 3.  Presumably they’re all just glad they’re not the Mass Effect team right about now.
• Speaking of dragons, Dragon’s Dogma‘s producer wants to sell ten million copies worldwide.  I’m just going to leave that there and let you picture it.
• Yet another producer, this one for Resident Evil: Revelations, tells the truth and breaks my heart about where the survival horror genre has gone in recent years.
• GameStop’s standing in retail is examined, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition gets confirmed for the iPad, the .Hack series gets a fighting game, and more!

 
Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – What Do You Do For Money, Hanii’ »