Category Archives: Gaming

Latest Timesink: Mass Effect 2

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I’ve always been a fan of RPGs and since (re)discovering Bioware’s amazing storytelling arts in the original Mass Effect I’ve been hooked on their games.  I never got into Baldur’s Gate when it was originallyreleased and thus didn’t pay attention to their games for many years.  Perhaps my tastes changed over the years or maybe I prefer their current 3D platform, but in any case I’ve come to expect quality from Bioware as in Dragon Age from a few months back.   I’m glad to say the recently released Mass Effect 2 does not disappoint either ^^

Collector's Edition for PC

While I do have a 360, I chose to go with the PC version because not only do I have Mass Effect 1 on PC, I prefer PC controls over a console gamepad.  Mouse+keyboard is still tops for me!  Unfortunately, it seems Mass Effect 2 was designed primarily for console gamers in mind and the PC version seems less polished than it’s predecessor.  A lot of owners have complaints about mouse sensitivity, crashing, and other problems.  Personally, I’m very annoyed with the lack of mouse scrolling ability in-game.  Mass Effect 1 had this but it seems it was dropped from ME2.  All menu scrolling has to be done manually.  Come on Bioware!  Scroll wheels have only been around for like 15 years now =P

Aside from these technical problems (which I’m hoping will be addressed in a patch soon), the game is pretty satisfying ^^.  Bioware did decide to go with a more actiony feel to the game this time around.  While it does retain RPG elements with a deep, engaging story and characters, the combat system has been entirely revamped.  It feels much more like a shooter with RPG components blended in.  The health system is now like many FPS games in that you regenerate health if you take cover to allow your character to recover.  The classes have been overhauled as well, with each type only being able to use certain weapons and powers.  It has taken a bit of time to get used to but I don’t think it’s bad.  It’s just different.  Bioware is obviously trying to target non-traditional RPG gamers (like console FPS fans).  The end result is a combat system that is much faster paced, edgier, and keeps things pretty exciting.

Go, go, go!

Thankfully, Bioware has kept strong RPG roots in the game with an excellent story and interesting characters.  I’m not quite halfway through the game so I can’t make any absolute judgments on the entire story, but it’s good so far ^^.  It does follow the Bioware style of character development that has been present since KOTOR.  Recruit new characters, befriend them, learn what makes them tick, help them on their personal quests/requests.  Whether you think that is a good thing or not is up for debate xD

Character aptly named "Grunt" ^^;

Well, I probably shouldn’t judge a game without finishing it yet, but I give Mass Effect 2 a 9/10 based on what I’ve seen/played so far.  If you’re an RPG fan, you should get this game!  Though you might want to play Mass Effect 1 first.  It can be found on Steam and other places for about $5 pretty often :).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get a bit more ME2 before it’s time to head off to bed ;)

Still Alive ^^;

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dragon-age-001

Posting an update to let readers know I am indeed still alive and not dead xD.  Have not posted in over a month due to a few factors.  My new place took longer to get settled in than I expected and things are finally returning to normal for me.

Of course, my recent move wasn’t the only thing keeping me away from the blog ^^;  I happened to pick up Dragon Age: Origins a few weeks back and I have been a slave to the game since xD  I just finished the game last night (finally!).

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Near the end of the game

I know Meronpan also got himself temporarily addicted to the game, so I’m not alone ^^;  I tend to take my time though so I probably played a bit longer than he did >_<.  My final play time was 67 hours.  I can’t recall the last game on which I spent so much time (excluding World of Warcraft, of course ^^;).  Was it worth it?  Heck, yeah.  I’m pretty picky about playing games all the way through and I wouldn’t have put that much time into this game if I didn’t like it.

I chose to play as a human female warrior.  Continuing the Bioware tradition, the game lets you chose between good and evil throughout the course of the story.  The actions you take and the choices you make will affect how your companions and NPCs view you as well as what quests you can get and what abilities you can acquire.  This time around, I tried to play as an all good character ^^;  Of course, not all the choices in the game are clear cut between good and evil and more than once I had to stop and think about the possible consequences of my actions.

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One choice I do regret is using this hair/face combination for my character, as seen above.  Not that it’s a bad look, but sadly it turned out to be very similar to one of the main companions in the game (above left) and they ended up looking too alike >_<  I will probably replay Dragon Age but not immediately.  When I do, I will choose a more unique look for my character ^^  I would upload more screenshots but Bioware’s screenshot uploader thing is not working at the moment so I had to take manual screenshots from my last saves (mostly endgame).

Overall, an excellent game.  Story was superb, combat was pretty good (got a bit repetitive at times though), and the character development was top-notch.  Definitely a recommendation from me.  I don’t care much for Japanese RPGs these days, but this game reminds of what I do like in an RPG ^^b

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Aside from Dragon Age, I am done moving and it didn’t take me a month to do it despite the time elapsed since my last post ^^;  Had to buy some new furniture and such but my new home is now mostly complete.  Lots more storage room for all the lovely figures that were once crowded :).  Will have pics of the new crib up in a day or so.

P.S. Morrigan is awesome :D

Happy Dreamcast Day!

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10 years ago today (9/9/1999 in the US), the Sega Dreamcast was launched.  The quirky little console just won’t die and many fans have dubbed today Dreamcast Day in honor.

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Though short-lived against Sony and it’s PS2 marketing propaganda, many gamers still love the console as many of the relatively few games that were released for are still great games.

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Personally, I think I will pull out my own Dreamcast and play some classic Jet Grind Radio, Soul Calibur, and Toy Commander ^^.

The End of the World (of Warcraft)

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Some of you may not know, but I’m a WoW player. Yes… I’m one of them…
OK, I’m not really addicted, but I do put a lot of time into WoW but the time of epic raids and dungeon exploring is about to come to an end. I’ve decided to quit (again). /cry

No, really… I’m not addicted… I’m not T_T
All I have to do is follow these 12 easy steps and I’ll be clean in no time.
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