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Who is your favorite original founding Avenger?

New Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes And Ultimate Spider-Man Clip

March 30, 2012 0 comments


Marvel has released two new clips for The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Ultimate Spider-Man which are both premiering this Sunday on Disney XD during the Marvel Universe programming block.

If you won't be able to watch the premieres due to your cable company not including Disney XD, then I feel your pain; I'll be searching for a site to stream it off of the day after both shows are shown. 



New Avengers Trailer Shows A Close Up On Unknown Villains

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Earlier today a TV spot was released for The Avengers showing off new footage for the movie, after it was released Fandango posted the same trailer but with one big difference - a close up on Loki's partners. The faces of the creatures helping Loki attack Earth looks like cybernetic being; I have no idea what it is but I'm sure speculations are running wild.

[Thanks to Titz for this great find.]

AVX: VS #1 Variant

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Marvel has released a first look at Stuart Immomen's variant cover for AVX VS #1 today which resembles a boxing poster and features this series' first two matches - "The Plate-Armored Playboy" Iron Man vs "The Metal Manipulator" Magneto and Thing vs Namor.

New Avengers TV Spot Trailer

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A new trailer for The Avengers has been released today showing off new footage for fans. The trailer originally came from a Brazilian TV spot, but nonetheless it is still amazing.






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Avengers Vs. X-Men #0 Review

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Avengers vs X-Men #0 is a prelude to Marvel's annual big event Avengers vs X-Men so you would expect it to be incredible because it's part of the big event meaning the creative teams will put a lot of creativity behind the story, well they didn't.

This issue was broken into two stories - a Scarlet Witch one (written by Bendis) and a Hope Summers one (written by Jason Aaron).

The Scarlet Witch story obviously focuses on Scarlet Witch and her return after being Dr. Doom's fiance and being saved from the Young Avengers. The comic really didn't do her justice, Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful mutants in the world, and she gets overrun by M.O.D.O.K.'s robotic mutated animals which eventually causes her to need saving by Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel. As much as I like Scarlet Witch, I think having her back was a big mistake; there is nothing Marvel can do with her, once a major character in the Marvel universe she's most likely going to be a background character that won't be used to her full potential. The only thing I expect Bendis to do for her is to have almost everyone hating on her; Vision is the first to do so, which caught me by surprise.

Hope now knows that the Phoenix is coming for her, she doesn't know what it wants, but she's ready for it. But first she wants to figure out who she is, and that's what her story tries to focus on. In order to find herself, she goes and looks for trouble and eventually finds the Serpent Society who she brutally  beats the crap out of. Hope's story was better than Wanda's. Aaron portrayed Hope correctly, the comic has her going solo against the Serpent Society with a knife, her skills and of course her mutant powers. Hope is also a very strong person mentally, and Aaron showed that when she tells Scott that she is prepared for the Phoenix even though she does not know what it has in store for her.

Frank Cho was the artist behind this issue of Avengers vs. X-Men and I've honestly seen better from him; he's not bad in this issue, but I've seen better. His panels were simple and easy to read, nothing crazy was done; everything looked good until I saw Ms. Marvel's face. I don't know why, but Ms. Marvel's face looks awkward and it's just her, well not really, some of the other faces in the comic look weird. I do like how Jason Keith (this issue's color artist) did color Emma, he didn't blob Emma's face with makeup like usual colorists do.

All in all, this issue did nothing, sure it was a prologue but the prologue should set up the story even though Marvel has been setting up their event for awhile. The art was decent and could've been better; luckily Stuart Immomen will be doing the main art for the event.

Avengers vs. X-Men #0 - 7/10

Man Of Steel Logo Revealed

March 29, 2012 0 comments


The official Facebook page for Man of Steel has provided everyone a first look at the redesigned Superman logo for the upcoming Superman reboot movie directed by Zack Snyder.

Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Ayelet Zurer, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix and Christopher Meloni. Expect to see Man of Steel in theatres on June 14, 2013.

Complete First Season Of Adventure Time Coming To DVD This June

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The complete first season of Adventure Time is finally coming out on DVD. On June 10, 2012 Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video will be releasing the first season of Adventure Time along with Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People and Adventure Time: It Came from the Nightosphere.

The Finn themed box will come with two discs that contains the first 26 episodes of the show; of course there are "heaps of bonus features" within the DVDs, which are behind the scenes features, animatics, and commentaries for selected episodes. You can snag the box set for just $26.95.



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Pre-Order Your $6,000 Darth Malgus Life Size Statue Now

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Last November Sideshow Collectibles announced their creation of a life size Darth Malgus statue from Star Wars: The Old Republic, now they are finally accepting pre-orders for it.

In order to have Darth Malgus stand firmly in your house, you will have to pay $5,999.99. If you want to pre-order it then Sideshow Collectibles requires you to put down a $1,200 deposit. Don't they money for it at the moment? No worries, there are payment plans for that.

Check out the product page for more information and pictures.




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Tranformers: Fall Of Cybertron Coming Out This August

March 28, 2012 0 comments


It has been announced today by Activision that Transoformers: Fall of Cybertron will be out this August.

On August 28, Fall of Cyberton will be rolling out onto the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. That's not all that was announced though, a new trailer for the game has been released also.

Comic List - 3/28/2012

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  • Angel and Faith #8
  • B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Pickens County Horror #1
  • The Immortal: Demon in the Blood #4
















  • All Star Western #7
  • American Vampire #25
  • Aquaman #7
  • Batman The Dark Knight #7
  • Blackhawks #7
  • DMZ TPB Vol. 11 Free States Rising
  • Flash #7
  • Flash Omnibus By Geoff Johns HC Vol 02
  • Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #7
  • Gone To Amerikay HC
  • Green Lantern New Guardians #7
  • Justice League of America Dark Things TPB
  • Legion Secret Origin #6 (of 6)
  • Savage Hawkman #7
  • Scalped #57
  • Scooby Doo Where Are You TPB
  • Superman #7
  • Teen Titans #7
  • Uncharted #5 (of 6)
  • Unwritten #35.5
  • Voodoo #7
















  • Bloodstrike #26
  • Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #3 (of 6)
  • Carbon Grey Origins #2 (of 2)
  • Choker #6 (of 6)
  • Cover Girls HC
  • Darkness Accursed TPB Vol. 07
  • Elephantmen #38
  • Invincible #90
  • Lil Depressed Boy #10
  • Savage Dragon #179
  • Shinku #5
  • Whispers #2










  • Avengers #24.1
  • Avengins Spider-Man #5
  • Captain America and Bucky #628
  • Captain America Death of Red Skull TPB
  • Daken Dark Wolverine #23
  • Daredevil #10
  • Dark Tower Gunslinger Way Station #4 (of 5)
  • Deadpool Prem HC Vol. 10 Evil Deadpool
  • Deadpool TPB Vol. 08 Operative Annihilation
  • Fear Itself Youth In Revolt Prem HC
  • FF #16
  • Ghost Rider #9
  • Legion of Monsters TPB
  • Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Vol. 2 #24
  • Might Thor #12
  • Moon Knight #11
  • New Avengers #23
  • Secret Avengers #24
  • Secret Avengers prem HC Vol. 03 Mission Caught World
  • Secret Warriors TPB Vol. 06 Wheels Within Wheels
  • Shattered Heroes HC
  • Thunderbolts Great Escape TPB
  • Twelve #11 (of 12)
  • Ultimate Comics Ultimates #8
  • Uncanny X-Force #23
  • Wolverine Punisher Ghost Rider Off Index Marvel Universe #8 (of 8)
  • X-men Legacy #264

Capcom Opening A Retail Store In Japan

March 27, 2012 0 comments


First Capcom opened up a game based off of their video games, now they are going to open up a retail store in Japan.

Opening on April 4, the Capcom Official Shop e-Capcom Odabai Branc will feature limited edition products that range from games to t-shirts and other items; all the items available in their retail store can also be bought through their online store.



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Batman Live Coming To United States

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Batman is coming to major cities later this year in the Unites States live as a stage production for the family to see.

Originally premiering in the UK during the Summer of 2011, Batman Live World Arena Tour tells the story of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego - Batman. In this story, Batman and his boy wonder sidekick Robin save Gotham from Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Harley-Quinn.

To see if Batman Live will be shown near you, check out the tour venue, you can also buy tickets just in case you want to reserve a good seat. The first show will be premiered in Anaheim, California on September 5-9 and will end in Loveland, Colorado on October 26-28.





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Amazing Spider-Man Confirmed For Spider-Men

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Marvel has revealed on Spider-Man who is involved in the upcoming Spider-Men story coming this June.

Back in February, Marvel teased an image for Spider-Man by releasing an image that had Peter Parker's and Miles Morales' spider emblems mashed together. Then earlier this month Marvel released another image of silhouettes of two Spider-Men. Now today one of those silhouettes are filled in and showing us The Amazing Spider-Man with the second Spider-Man still blacked out. 

Michael Bay's TMNT Movie Titled Ninja Turtles

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A name for Michael Bay's upcoming adaptation for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has finally been decided, which is simply Ninja Turtles. Teenage and Mutant were taken out possibly due to the fact that Bay envisions the turtles as aliens and not mutants.

“Paramount marketing changed the name. They made the title simple,” Bay says on his website. “The characters you all remember are exactly the same, and yes they still act like teenagers. Everything you remember, why you liked the characters, is in the movie. This script is being developed by two very smart writers, with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles. They care VERY MUCH about making this film for the fans. Everyone on this team cares about the fans. Just give them a chance. Jonathan the director, is a major fan of the whole franchise. HE’S NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN.”

Jonathan Liebesman has worked on other films as a director such as Wrath of the Titans and Battles: Los Angeles. 



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Marvel Inspired Colognes Now On Sale

March 26, 2012 0 comments


Back in January it was announced that JADS International was making a line of cologne scents based off of Marvels' upcoming The Avengers movies but they were still waiting for the okay to sell the products, now they are officially for sale.

There are seven different scents to choose from, such as Mischief, Infinity Formula Cologne, Black Widow Perfume, Patriot Cologne, Mark VII Cologne, Smash and Worthy. Each one is worth $29.99 online or you can get the Avengers Cologne Set that includes Patriot, Mark VII, Smash and Worthy for a great price of $59.99.

If you're wondering what they smell like, then these descriptions are going to be the best way to know unless you can find these at a store.

  • Patriot Cologne, Your Attack Plan: inspired by Captain America, pays homage to the confident, stand-up to bullies, hard working average Joe in everyman. The cologne features hints of green lime and white pepper with finishes of dry oak wood, sandalwood and tequila. 

  • Mark VII Cologne, Armor Up: inspired by Iron Man, combines mandarin and jasmine with light patchouli to create a contemporary expression of "I don't play well with others" confidence; leaving you ready for whatever a genius, billionaire, playboy-philanthropist might encounter throughout their day. 

  • Worthy Cologne, Posses the Power: inspired by Thor, is a woody citrus cologne with a combination of bergamot, frozen ginger and wheatgrass blended with a hint of fresh natural grapefruit and layered with cypress; creating a deep dry masculine almost "God-like" musk. 

  • SMASH!, Be Angry: inspired by Hulk, is a clean scent with clear top notes of water lily and nutmeg, which carries on an intense woody dry down, enriched with Indian sandalwood, dry musk and warm cedar. Complimentary to full range emotions, it wears well at work, in the lab, or an evening out on the town. 

  • Black Widow Perfume Russian spy, trained assassin, world-class ballerina, girl from legal department. This perfume has a clear shot of citrus slowly giving way to sensual caramel and honey. The scent dries down with a blend of bitter chocolate, clear patchouli and praline. 

  • Infinity Formula Cologne – Inspired by Nick Fury, CIC of S.H.I.E.L.D., this cologne is a seductive fragrance for not just any man; but only for those who will risk everything to keep the dream of freedom alive. And sure, you could describe it as a citron cocktail smoothed over with a couple of stiff shots of tonka bean and guaiac wood; or you could just put it on and know it makes you smell good. 

  • Mischief Cologne – Inspired by Thor's bad brother, Loki, this unisex fragrance combines a base of green tea and amber with bergamot and cardamom in a dangerous-sexy, yet playful way that wears well on anyone; day or night. 



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Assassin's Creed 3 getting 3 collectors editions.

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I'm not sure if that was intentional but Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed III will be getting 3 collectors editions in the UK.


The Freedom Edition
-A 24cm Statue of Connor
-A steel book Case (this was available for a limited time at gamestop)
-George Washington's notebook revealing the Assassin Templar war during the revolution
-Exclusive lithograph
-2 new single player missions
-The sharpshooter mutliplayer pack


The Join or Die edition
-An Assassin medallion with high-quality curd ladel
-George Washington's Notebook (same as above)
-Ghost of War single-player mission
-Sharpshooter multiplayer pack
-Special edition collectors box

The Special Edition (No image available)
-Special collectors tin case
-A dangerous secret single-player mission

No word has been said about these editions coming over to the states, but expect some word from Ubisoft in the near future. It'd be weird if they were UK exclusive considering this game takes place during the American Revolution

AVX: Vs #1 Preview

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Story - Jason Aaron, Kathryim Immonen
Art - Adamn Kubert, Stuart Immonen
Cover - Adam Kubert, Stuart Immonen
Release Date - April 25, 2012














Marvel is getting closer to the release of Avengers vs X-Men and with that Marvel has released a new preview for the tie-in series AvX: VS #1, which has Iron Man going against Magneto and Thing going against Namor.





The Aresenal of Assassin's Creed III

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With the coming of the American Revolution the Assassin's must be armed with the latest technology to fight the Templar order. A new video has just been released showcasing what our new Assassin protagonist will be wielding as well a bit of info on his character.

South Park: Tenorman's Revenge Coming This Friday

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Another South park game is being made, but this one is being done by Other Ocean Interactive and South Park Digital Studios and will be download only for the Xbox 360.

South Park: Tenorman's Revenge is a platform style game and features co-op mode where up to four players can take control of Stan, Kyle, Cartman or Kenny for over 20 levels.

You can expect to see this game hit Xbox Arcade on March 30 for 800 Microsoft Points.


Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusions Also Announced

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Epic Mickey: The Power of Two isn't the only Epic Mickey game that has been announced within the week. Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion has also been announced for the 3DS through the cover of Nintendo Power.

Not much is known about the 3DS game, but we do know that it is a sequel to the first Epic Mickey.

Epic Mickey 2 Trailer

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Just a few days ago, Epic Mickey 2 was announced, not there is a new trailer to go with the announcement. The trailer shows off Oswald, who will be joining Mickey on this new adventure.

Epic Mickey: The Power of Two is expected to be out sometime this fall for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360.





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Assassin's Creed III Wii U Details

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Assassin's Creed III will be released for Wii U, but how will the game take advantage of the console's unique features? Yesterday Ubisoft released some information about what players can expect to see in the Wii U version of the game.

  • Wii U tablet controller can act as some form of link to the Assassin’s Creed “Animus”
  • Wii U tablet Animus can be used as a persistent on-screen map and navigation tool.
  • Animus Database entries that may pop up from time to time, could be displayed on the touchscreen instead and not interrupt the flow of the game.
  • The Animus can also act as an encyclopedia of information. Character biographies and bits of information that  would normally be cast aside could be displayed on the touchscreen (take a break and read up on the side story & character history while eating dinner?).
  • Easy touchscreen weapon selection during combat. Quick change from dual-wield combat to single with a simple touch.
  • Using the touchscreen as an alternate view for Eagle Vision. Using the built-in accelerometer to control the camera view while in Eagle Vision.



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A Meet the Pyro Coming Soon

March 25, 2012 1 comments


At GDC 2012 we got an interview with three writers from valve, that told us some pretty interesting information pertaining to our mysterious little friend. Pyro is the only class with out the "Meet the" video, and everyone has eagerly been awaiting for it. They have actually FINISHED Meet the Pyro, but they don't drop any hints as to what is really in it. In the interview with the three writers, they mention that it could be soon and that we most likely will be getting a big update that has to do with the release of the video. Most likely something similar to the Uber Update. We already knew it was bound to happen sometime this year, but at least we know they are one step closer to uploading the video.

Infected Mutant Bust From The Last Of Us

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Naughty Dog has given us a closer look at the mutated fungus people from The Last of Us through the form of an extremely realistic bust.

The bust is well detailed, especially with the mold fuzz that is growing on the mutated person's neck. I wonder if Naughty Dog will ever sell this bust, I'm sure it would cost an arm and a leg.



DICE Rolling Out A Huge Update For Battlefield 3

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A big patch update is coming to Battlefield 3 on the PlayStation 3 next week that includes fixes for what seems like almost everything.

PlayStation 3 players can get the update on March 27, PC and Xbox 360 players won't be getting it until an unknown time. PC players will be getting their own special update as well.

GENERAL GAMEPLAY FIXES

-Players should no longer take fall damage from short falls.
-Players now get up from Prone slightly faster, allowing better odds of getting away from a grenade or threat when prone.
-Fixed some situations that would unintentionally make a player unrevivable.
-Reduced the black screen fade in time on spawn. The fade is still necessary for properly streaming in loading content at spawn, but it has been substantially reduced.
-Increased the spawn protection time from 1sec to 2sec. The protection will still be immediately canceled as soon as the player moves or shoots.
-Spawn protection will no longer be canceled by the player looking around.
-Increased the speed at which a player regains accuracy when aiming after moving for a more responsive experience. Firing before fully zoomed will still result inaccurate fire.
-Increased the inaccuracy and recoil added when a player is fully suppressed.
-Shotgun Buck and Flechette rounds now have a less suppressive effect at medium to long range.
-Tweaked the damage levels of Buck and Flechette rounds to balance them with other weapons.
-Improved the suppression of the .44 magnum, .357 magnum, and the 5.8x42mm DAP88 rounds from the Type88 sniper.
-Attempting to Crouch (like Prone) will now properly interrupt Sprint.
-Increased the effectiveness of Suppression Resist Specialization.
-Parachutes now respond to turn and throttle inputs more quickly.
-Switching from primary weapons to sidearms and back now takes less time.
-Increased the effectiveness of explosive resistance.
-Tweaked bipod deploy settings so players can no longer deploy a bipod in places higher than chin level.
-The bipod should now be more reliable when deploying on top of sloped objects like cars and rocks.
-Fixed several issues with vaulting objects, especially for thin railings.
-The Knife now only takes two swipes to kill when attacking from a position where a takedown is not possible.
-CRAM weapons on Carriers now count towards stationary weapon awards.

VEHICLE FIXES

-The A10 properly gives Jet score again.
-Unguided tank rounds and RPGs will now instantly destroy Jets, Attack Helicopters, and Scout Helicopters.
-Increased the damage the MBT’s primary weapon does to the front and side armor of other main battle tanks. Primarily this means 1 less shot to the front, and very good hits to the side can result in a 1 hit to disable.
-Slightly reduced the repair speed of the repair tool.
-Increased the damage done by TOW weapons to armored vehicles.
-Increased the rate of fire and minimum damage of the Coax HMG.
-Increased the damage mounted gunner .50cal HMGs do at long range.
-Increased the power of the repair tool when killing soldiers or destroying vehicles slightly.
-Fixed a problem when locking on to two nearby targets, the locking should no longer jump rapidly between multiple targets. This applies to all locking weapons and Laser Designators.
-Increased the damage of the Javelin and Air to Ground missiles against laser designated targets.
-Javelin missiles fired without Laser targeting now do more damage to the side and rear of MBTs.
-Slightly reduced the locking time of all weapons vs Laser Designated targets.
-Laser Guided missiles can now be distracted by Flares.
-Increased the locking distance for AGM Missiles for Jets when locking on laser designated targets.
-Reduced the locking time for the AGM Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against ground targets.
-Reduced the locking time for AA Missiles for Jets to make them more viable against air targets.
-Flares will no longer break the lock of a vehicle that is locked on, it will only distract the missiles.
-Flares now more reliably distract missiles, especially for Helicopters.
-Flares for Jets and Choppers now reload at 11 seconds again, except for the gunner, which remains unchanged at 20sec.
-AA Missiles are more difficult to dodge in Jets, this was unintended behavior that created an imbalance against skilled pilots.
-AA Missiles should no longer kill the pilot instead of the vehicle.
-AA Missiles should no longer detonate before hitting their target or a Flare/ECM chaff cloud.
-Reduced the damage AA missiles do to jets to 45%.
-Fixed the SU-35 firing Air to Air missiles at a lower rate of fire than other vehicles.
-The IGLA and Stinger now lock on much more quickly and disable an attack aircraft in 1 hit, but have significantly reduced range. This should allow Stingers to mount an effective close range point defense, without dominating an entire airspace.
-Increased the speed of the Helicopter AA missiles lock on to reduce the tedious nature of Helicopter dogfights and improve the Helicopter’s defensive abilities vs Jets.
-Slightly reduced the damage of Jet cannons against Aircraft. Damage is now only slightly higher than it was originally at launch.
-Increased RPG and SMAW damage against aircraft.
-Guided Rockets will now only track ground targets, as originally intended.
-Reduced the direct damage done by Attack Helicopter gunners vs Armor.
-Helicopter guns should now suppress correctly.
-Improved the accuracy of the Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods, both guided and unguided.
-Slightly increased the damage of Attack Helicopter’s Rocket Pods vs Infantry and other Helicopters.
-Additional fixes have been made to the TV missile to prevent it from blowing up the lauching vehicle.
-The Mi28 has received upgrades to its climbing and yawing abilities.
-Fixed an issue where guided rockets from the Mi28 did not follow the crosshair properly.
-Improved the accuracy of the Mi28 gun to match the AH1 gun.
-Increased the direct hit damage of the APFSDS rounds for the IFVs.
-Decreased the locking time of the IFV Guided Missile to make it more viable as an unlock.
-Miniguns and Helicopter Gunners now more quickly destroy parked cars.
-Increased the power of explosions from cars and other explosive static objects.
-Dying from the explosion of a car or other explosive static object should now correctly credit the player who caused the explosion.
-Adjusted the F35′s Center of Mass and Hover Engine for more stable, level flight in all flight modes.
-Updated the F35 weapon systems to be consistent with the other Jets.
-The F35 will now only attempt to enter Hover at low altitudes, though it will maintain the hover until forward flight is resumed, even if it reaches high altitude.
-The F35 and SU35 now properly have Ejection seats to prevent players from being killed when exiting the vehicle.
-Changed the Kornets to TOW launchers on Wake Island and moved the spawn position of the AAV to a more level position.
-Fixed several bugs with air vehicles colliding with objects at high speeds and taking no damage.
-Players will no longer receive suicides or team kills if they crash their vehicle (dying is punishment enough).
-The MAV will no longer destroy vehicles that run into it, instead it should be destroyed.
-Jet and Helicopter collisions should now properly result in the death of both vehicles.
-You can now spot with the EOD bot.
-Increased the base accuracy for AA guns and added a decrease in accuracy over the course of a burst.
-Reduced the damage AA guns (both mobile and stationary) do to infantry.
-The carrier based CRAM stations are now properly tracked as stationary weapons.
-CRAM and Pantsir stationary AA weapons now have Air Radar equipped by default.
-Improved the sound feedback for damage to help players better understand the amount of damage their vehicle is taking.
-The A10′s extinguisher should now function properly.
-Disabled vehicles now have an increased reverse speed to help escape to cover after being disabled.
-The T90′s crosshair now more accurately represents the trajectory of the main gun.
-Toggle and Hold zoom settings now also apply to soldier controlled turrets on jeeps, transport helicopters, boats, and IFVs port guns.
-The AAV now has zoom and a 3P camera when using the turret.
-Tweaked the AAV’s turret controls to be more useful when the vehicle is moving.
-The Z11w now properly functions with Below Radar.
-Below Radar will now also prevent the lock on of Stinger and IGLA missiles.
-Added Horns to all Jeeps.
-Tanks can no longer drive into the water and cross the Wake Island lagoon completely submerged.

WEAPONS

Several weapons have had recoil or accuracy adjusted in orer to balance these weapons in effectiveness and also increase the feeling of individuality in each gun
-Added Extended Mags to the ASVAL. The Extended Mags can be unlocked at 200 kills with the AS VAL.
-Reduced the recoil of the SKS rifle and increased its maximum damage at close range.
-Fixed aimed firing max accuracy on the Pecheneg to be consistent with other LMGs.
-Semiautomatic and automatic shotguns firing FRAG rounds now do slightly less splash damage.
-The M26 MASS frag and slug rounds are now the more effective pump action versions.
-The M26 MASS and M320 now benefit from the Laser Sight when mounted with an Underslung Rail.
-Fixed the bolt action timer on the L96 that would cause an animation glitch.
-9x39mm rounds no longer benefit from the Sniper headshot bonus.
-Increased the damage of the 9x39mm rounds at long range.
-Fixed the AKS74u damage at max range, it was incorrectly higher than other carbines.
-Increased the damage of the .357 and .44 magnum rounds at max range.
-All semiautomatic and bolt weapons, including all shotgun slugs, now have their maximum damage out to 15m.
-Semiautomatic weapons will no longer “jam” if the player presses fire faster than the weapon is capable of shooting. Some semi-automatic weapons have had their rates of fire adjusted to fit this change.
-Bolt action sniper rounds now have a chance to kill at close range if the player is hit in the upper chest.
-Semiautomatic sniper rifles, Assault Rifles, LMGs, and shotgun slugs now have more consistent damage over long range. At maximum range shots to the legs will not require more hits to kill.
-The spread for Flechette rounds has been reduced slightly on all shotguns.
-The spread for Buckshot has been reduced on the M1014, DAO-12, and S12k. These weapons have an accuracy advantage over the USAS12 but are not as accurate as the 870.
-Zooming shotguns with Buckshot and Flechette loads will now result in a slightly tighter cone for the pellets.
-Reduced the delay time between quick knife attempts slightly. Attacks with the knife drawn are still significantly faster.
-Fixed the Rate of Fire when the USAS and MK3A1 are equipped with FRAG rounds. All other shotguns correctly had a reduced rate of fire with frags, except the USAS and MK3A1.
-Fixed an Accuracy bug when the MK3A1 shotgun is equipped with FRAG or Slug rounds.
-Shotguns equipped with slugs will no longer automatically begin reloading if the weapon is zoomed when the clip is empty. This allows players to see where the slug lands before reloading.
-Fixed 12g FRAG rounds not breaking glass at long range.
-Players can now earn the shotgun Ribbon using the M26 MASS.
-The underslung grenade launchers for Russian rifles now properly report GP30 in the kill log.
-Fixed the AEK971 40mm shotgun round listing itself as FRAG in the kill log.
-Fixed the 40mm smoke grenade so it no longer passes through soldiers and unbroken objects before it detonates.
-M27 IAR: No change. The M27 is a heavier version of the M416, giving it good all-around performance though it has worse performance on the move.
-RPK-74M: Reduced the initial recoil and vertical recoil. The RPK-74M is a more stable firing platform than the comparable M27, though it lacks the M27′s higher rate of fire.
-M249: Added an initial recoil. The M249 is the fastest firing belt fed LMG, giving it superior suppressive and damage abilities. The initial recoil makes it a bit harder to run and gun, while making little overall impact on performance.
-Type-88: Slightly increased the initial recoil, reduced muzzle drift. The Type88 fires the slowest of the medium caliber LMGs, though what it lacks in rate of fire it makes up for in controllability.
-PKP: Reduced recoil but added a slight initial recoil, increased damage at max range. The Pecheneg has a heavy vertical recoil with a hard hitting round and little drift, this makes it excellent at sustained fire.
-M60: Reduced the initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The M60 has a very low rate of fire that makes it the most controllable with the powerful 7.62x51mm round.
-M240B: Added an initial recoil, increased damage at all ranges. The fastest firing medium MG, the M240 has a substantial muzzle kick and drift that makes all that power difficult to control.
-QBB-95: Reduced the total recoil but increased muzzle drift and initial recoil. The QBB-95 should now kick harder but settle into full auto fire better, combined with the bullpup hip fire bonus this makes the QBB-95 a highly mobile LMG.
-MG36: Added an initial recoil. The MG36 fires at a fast 750rpm and makes a nice middle ground between the controllability of a clip LMG and the sustained firepower of a belt fed LMG.
-870: No change. The 870 is a popular and highly effective weapon.
-DAO-12: Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The DAO-12 has a high magazine capacity with a slow reload that makes it a solid all around shotgun.
M1014: Increased the rate of fire from 200 max to 210 max. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The M1014 was underperforming compared to the USAS12 and 870, it should now be more viable in CQB thanks to a higher rate of fire.
-S12k: Increased extended mag from 8 rounds to 10 rounds. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The S12k larger extended magazine but slower rate of fire should make it stand out against the M1014, while the DAO-12 has a higher capacity over all, but a slowe reload.
-MK3A1: Increased magazine capacity to 8 and 12 for normal and extended mag respectively. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The MK3A1 has a lower ROF than the USAS12, giving it slightly more ammo makes this an edge vs the USAS.
USAS-12: Increased the initial recoil. Reduced the total pellets fired from 12 to 9. The USAS 12 has a higher ROF than other shotguns, this recoil change better balances that advantage and the pellets balance its damage output.
-M4A1: No Change. Well-rounded carbine, with good rate of fire and controllable recoil.
-M4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
-AKS-74U: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AKS-74u’s low rate of fire is paired with great controllability. The overall increase in sustained fire control should help this carbine stand out, while the first kick gives it character.
-SG553: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The SG553 is a lower rate of fire carbine with greater controllability than the G36C. The change to initial recoil should better highlight this difference.
-A91: No Change. The A91′s high rate of fire and bullpup from the hip accuracy is offset by a poor controllability on full auto.
-G36C: Reduced initial recoil. The G36C is a well-rounded carbine, with a medium rate of fire and a medium recoil. The 2 round burst mode gives this weapon an edge at mid-range.
-SCAR-H: Increased damage at maximum range and increased max range. The SCAR-H fires a heavier round than all other carbines, giving it better stopping power at range at the cost of a low fire rate that penalizes it in CQB.
-G53: Reduced recoil and drift, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. The HK53 is a short carbine with a lot of initial kick but a stable recoil pattern and a medium rate of fire. The changes give it more character compared to the G36.
-QBZ-95B: Reduced muzzle sway, recoil settle times now similar to other carbines. A bullpup like the A91, the QBZ-95B is steady on the move with a lower rate of fire for controllable shots at longer range. The built in foregrip is now properly reflected in the weapon’s stats.
-AK-74M: Reduced initial recoil and vertical recoil. The AK-74M sacrifices rate of fire for controllable automatic fire, the initial recoil was negatively affecting the feeling of controllability.
-M16A3: No Change. The M16 (both A3 and A4) provide a well-rounded stable firing platform with a high rate of fire that is relatively controllable.
-M16A4: Increased vertical recoil, reduced horizontal recoil. The Burst only M16A4 should now feel different to its automatic sibling, the reduced horizontal recoil emphasizes the greater control you have in burst fire.
-M416: No change. The M416 is the middle ground AR, blending a medium recoil and rate of fire.
AEK-971: Increased initial recoil, reduced aimed accuracy slightly. The AEK has a very high rate of fire, and also a large muzzle drift that makes control difficult. The low initial recoil allowed a player to kill before the weapon’s weaknesses kicked in while the reduced accuracy highlights its close range role.
-F2000: Reduced vertical recoil, increased zoomed accuracy slightly. As a bullpup, the F2000 has a bonus to accuracy on the move and from the hip while its high rate of fire sacrifices controllability for saturation. The previous changes were an overreaction, this is a corrective update.
-AN94: Reduced vertical recoil. The AN94′s 2 round burst mode is incredibly accurate, but it suffers from a low rate of fire on fully automatic. The recoil in full auto has been reduced somewhat to offset this penalty and make the AN94 more attractive.
-G3A3: Increased damage at all ranges, reduced vertical recoil. The G3A3′s heavy recoil and heavy round are offset by a low rate of fire and a small magazine. The G3A3 was clearly outclassed at all ranges.
-KH2002: No Change. The KH2002 is locked to burst fire, with a high rate of fire and a large muzzle drift the weapon favors accurate mid-range fire.
-L85A2: Increased accuracy, reduced muzzle drift. The L85 differs from other bullpup style ARs by having a low rate of fire, the accuracy and controllability were too low to offset the rate of fire.
-FAMAS: The FAMAS combines an extreme rate of fire with extreme recoil making it very difficult to use at anything other than close quarters combat. Due to update restrictions, the FAMAS had different stats on all 3 platforms. The FAMAS is now uniform on all platforms and now has the correct 25 round magazine.
-PP2000: Reduced the initial recoil. The PP2000 has a lower ROF than other PDWs and needed the controllability to be balanced.
-UMP45: Reduced accuracy loss during full auto. The UMP45 hits hard and has a controllable recoil at the cost of a heavy initial recoil kick.
-MP7: No Change. The MP7 has a very low recoil and a high muzzle drift that favors longer bursts than the P90.
-AS VAL: Increased vertical recoil, reduced first shot recoil, reduced accuracy on the move. The AS VAL fires a long range, highly accurate, high damage projectile that favors short bursts or single fire when stationary. While still quite good from the hip, the AS VAL will suffer if fired while moving and aimed.
-PDW-R: Reduced the initial recoil. The PDW-R has high recoil and favors burst fire, the added initial recoil was making it less effective in small bursts.
-P90: Reduced the initial recoil. The P90 favors a run and gun play style using long bursts to control muzzle drift, the initial recoil was making bursting ineffective.
-PP-19: Slightly reduced the initial recoil when firing, increased base damage. The PP-19′s high initial recoil was over penalizing the burst fire needed to be effective on the low damage, high capacity weapon.
 
SCOPES

-Fixed the 7x scope not zooming to the full 7x on all weapons.
-Corrected the M39′s laser sight so it points at the point of impact and aligns with scopes when zoomed.
-Fixed a misaligned scope crosshair on the G3A3 using the Rifle Scope 6x.
-Fixed the PKA and PKA-S scopes on the M416 having swapped zoom levels.
-The L96 Straight Pull bolt now functions properly.
-The L96 ironsights have been adjusted for a clearer aiming picture and correct use of the integral front sight.
-The L96 now properly shows scope glint when using the 8x, and 12x scopes.
-Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
-Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
-Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
-Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule

BIPOD

-The Accuracy increase and Recoil reduction of the Bipod has been significantly improved for Assault Rifles and Carbines.
-The Bipod now provides similar Accuracy and Recoil benefits no matter if the weapon is fired while aiming or without aiming for all weapons. Previously only LMGs were worked this way. This especially improves the speed at which snipers can make follow up shots, and also allows effective unaimed suppressive fire with Assault Rifles and Carbines.
-Increased the Speed at which a bipod is deployed, allowing the user to obtain the bipod’s bonus sooner after the deploy has started and allowing the weapon to be aimed in a far shorter time. The speed has been increased 40-50%, depending on the weapon and animation.

HEAVY BARREL

-The Vertical Recoil penalty of the Heavy Barrel has been reduced. The value has been changed from a global percent increase to a weapon specific value.
-A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Heavy Barrel to represent the added weight of the accessory, as well as focus the attachment on accurate mid and long range fire. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.
-Several weapons with low default bullet speed now have their bullet speed increased when the Heavy Barrel is equipped. This is in effect for the A91, G3A3, AKS-74u, G36C, M4A1, SCAR-H, SG553, G53, and QBZ-95B.
-The Heavy Barrel is now also paired with Match Rounds which increase the maximum range of the weapon. The minimum and maximum damage are unchanged, weapons with the Heavy Barrel will be more effective in mid range.
-The Aimed Accuracy bonus provided by the Heavy Barrel has been increased. This will increase the effectiveness of the Heavy Barrel for small bursts, as originally intended.

IRNV FIXES

-Tweaked IRNV to be more consistent across all levels.
-Fixed a rendering issue with IRNV view when taking damage.
-Tweaked the IRNV zoom times and scope visible areas to be the same across all weapons (some were faster than others).
-Fixed the QBU-88 sniper and the L96 IRNV scopes to use the proper sniper reticule.

FOREGRIP

-The Horizontal Sway reduction has been changed from a global percent reduction to a weapon specific value reduction. For most guns this means very little change, for guns which have a large horizontal recoil the change is more substation. The FAMAS, F2000, and AEK971 are most effected, the AK-74, M16, and M416 are nearly unchanged.
-A small long range Aimed Accuracy penalty has been added to the foregrip. Players who generally find themselves fighting at mid to long range may want to change their accessory, while players fighting in CQB will go largely unaffected. Combining the Foregrip with a Silencer or a Heavy Barrel will offset this penalty.

LASER SIGHT

-The Hip Accuracy bonus provided by the Laser Sight has been increased. Some PDWs have had their crouch and prone base stats adjusted to prevent hip firing being more accurate than aimed fire when using a laser sight.
-The bonus is now a weapon specific value instead of a global percentage, some guns receive larger or smaller bonuses, though all bonuses are better than they were previously.

SUPPRESSOR

-The Suppressor no longer reduces the maximum damage of a weapon when equipped. Instead the Suppressor reduces the minimum and maximum range of the weapon, making it ideal for CQB and Stealth. This change will make the Suppressor slightly more effective at long range, where the bullet drop and speed makes shots difficult already, and reduces the power of the suppressor at mid range slightly.
-The Suppressor’s recoil bonus remains unchanged at a global 10% decrease. This is less than the Flash Suppressor’s bonus for all weapons.
-The Hip Accuracy penalty of the Suppressor has been changed from a global percentage to a per weapon value. Generally this penalty is higher now, but not for all weapons. Specifically, the belt LMGs and bolt Snipers do not have any additional hip fire penalty, as their penalty is already at the maximum possible value.
-Reduced the Aimed Accuracy bonus of the Suppressor from 50% to 25%. A Suppressor and Foregrip combo will have similar accuracy to a weapon without any Accessories, at the penalty of worse Hip Fire Accuracy and Range and with the benefit of much improved Stealth and reduced Recoil.

FLASH SUPPRESSOR

-The Flash Suppressor no longer reduces accuracy for Automatic Fire.
-The Flash Suppressor now also works as a recoil compensator, reducing the Vertical Recoil by a weapon specific value. This bonus is larger than the bonus provided by the Suppressor.
-A small Hip Accuracy penalty has been added to the Flash Suppressor to represent the added weight of the accessory. The exact penalty amount is a weapon specific value.

GADGETS

-Reduced the spot times on C4 and Claymore projectiles from 30 to 15 sec.
-Tweaked the controls and physics for the EOD bot to improve its handling and aiming capabilities.
-The Radio Beacon, Mortar, MAV, EOD bot, T-UGS, and SOFLAM should now be much easier to deploy.
-The MAV will now be destroyed when running into a soldier or vehicle at high speed. It is still possible to strategically sacrifice your MAV on a soldier; it will be destroyed in the process.
-The MAV now properly shows up in the Kill Feed. Previously it simply displayed “KILLED.”
-The MAV can no longer be used as an elevator.
-Matched the motion sensor sweep frequency and range on the MAV to the TUGS.
-Players will no longer auto enter SOFLAM, MAV, and EOD bots after they are deployed.
-Players may now use their knife to destroy enemy equipment.
-C4 will no longer be detonable after a player respawns, if the player is revived within 5 seconds he can still detonate his C4.
-The player may now have a maximum number of mines which will persist after the player’s death. Deploying more than the maximum of 6 mines will remove a previous mine from the world.
-Claymores now live up to 5 seconds after a player dies, the player can have a max 2 claymores planted at the same time.
-Claymores can now detonate from vehicles and can be used to disable jeeps or kill the passengers in light jeeps. Claymores will not do any damage to heavy vehicles.
-Ammobags now stay until the user redeploys them like Medkits.
-Ammobags resupply bullets more quickly, but explosives resupply more slowly, especially 40mm grenades.
-Slightly reduced the effective blast radius of the RPG, SMAW, and 40mm grenade projectiles against infantry.
-Reduced the total number of RPG and SMAW missiles carried from 5 to 4. Players desiring more rockets will want to use the Explosive spec.
-Slightly increased the heal rate of the Medical Crate.
-The MAV now will also descend by pressing the Crouch Toggle key. (PC)
-The M224 Mortar can no longer be deployed in an area that is out of combat for another team like a home base or other protected spawn.
-Tweaked M224 exit points so the player faces in the direction of the mortar when he exits.
-Mines, Claymores, C4 and other deployable items will now only appear on the minimap when spotted by a teammate.

TEAM DEATHMATCH

-Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
-Tehran Highway playable area has been doubled and is now the same as the Squad Deathmatch set up. Spawn points have been tweaked, and an extra spawn zone has been added north of the footbridge.
-Kharg Island has a new spawn zone layout, along with a bigger playable area and new cover objects. Spawn points have also been tweaked.
-Strike at Karkand spawns zones have been tweaked to improve player flow. Spawn points have been tweaked to improve safety upon spawning.
-Sharqi Peninsula spawn zones have been adjusted to optimize player movement. Spawn points have been tweaked so players spawn more safely.
-Seine Crossing spawn zone set up has been improved. There is a new spawn zone by the alleyway to the northwest with additional spawn points.
-Caspain Border spawn zones have been tweaked slightly.

SQUAD DEATHMATCH

-Fixed a bug where players would spawn close to the enemy team at the start of the round.
-Damavand Peak layout and spawn zones have been tightened to reduce the spread of players across the map
-Tehran Highway now features an extra spawn zone north of the footbridge, along with tweaked spawn points.
-Noshahr Canals spawn zones have been tweaked. Removed unsafe spawn points in the Northeast corner, and in the middle of the container area to the Southwest.

DISABLE ANTI-ALIASING ON PS3 TO REDUCE INPUT LAG

PlayStation 3 players may now turn off anti-alias in the options menu to reduce input lag.

FIXES FOR PC SERVER OPERATION

- Having the same map occur multiple times in the maplist now works properly
- If adding a new map to the servers maplist after a clear and then running “mapList.runNextRound” the server will ignore any remaining rounds on the map that it still run since before the clear and move to the new first map in the list. The server will now have reset the current rounds per map and run the map in the list for the number of rounds stated when adding the map.
- Maplist can contain up to 1000 entries now
- mapList.list will return at most 100 entries. To get the entire list, perform mapList.list repeatedly with increasing offsets (like banList.list)

IMPROVED COMMO-ROSE FOR PC


As has been rumored for some time, we are making some improvements to the commo-rose on PC. This is partially based on feedback from the community.

Please be aware that the commo-rose will change depending on your current position – vehicles and infantry each have separate call outs. Each function should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map.

Each button should trigger appropriate voice messages as well as icons on the mini map.  Players should keep an eye on the mini map for these icons that will flash when a team mate is requesting aid via the commo-rose.

IMPROVEMENTS TO MINIMAPWe are also adjusting the level of detail to give a clearer picture for players when using the mini-map.
The three new mini map modes are:

Review: Mass Effect 3

March 23, 2012 1 comments

After five years of waiting the Reapers have finally arrived and humanity faces extinction. Now only you, as Commander Shepard are the last hope of the entire galaxy. This game was nothing short of being the most intense and emotional joy ride I've experienced in a long time. The game was flawless in all it's aspects. Mass Effect 3 is truly a contender for game of the year.


The Good
-Rich character and weapon customization
-Intense and fast-paced combat
-Amazing story, dialogue and character development
-Choices you made in previous games will have a big impact in this one
-Big choices will have to be made
-Multiplayer is very fun and engaging
-Beautiful graphics and brilliant original score
The Bad
-Some minor glitches
-Long loading times
-Finding resources is still not that fun
The Ugly
-The ending left us with questions and made all our choices irrelevant

Story

Mass Effect has always had a strong story element, and this game is the strongest of them all. After the events of Mass Effect 2's Arrival, Commander Shepard has been relieved of duty and grounded. However, the Alliance has been finding massive signals approaching Earth, so they go to Shepard for his advice. And he/she has only one answer, the Reapers. At that moment, gigantic 2-story tall machines rained down the sky and began to decimate everything in their path. The Reapers have finally arrived. Now the first human spectre must travel across the entire galaxy to recruit every alien race and gather whatever you can to take Earth back from the Reapers.

What made this story so great was the emotional impact it had throughout the whole game. With the reapers slowly taking the galaxy by control, I was always on the edge of my seat always expecting the worse to happen. There were so many amazing moments throughout this game, there were parts where I laughed hysterically, parts that had a load of suspense and even parts where I actually cried, and if you loved the story of Mass Effect as much as I do, chances are you will cry too.

The struggle has taken a major toll on Shepard's morale

While in the first two games your paragon and renegade levels would always effect how you would handle a situation and could open new dialogue options, this time it is different. Now Shepard has a reputation system, where talking to citizens, aiding others in need, doing side quests will give him a higher reputation, unlocking paragon and renegade dialogue options that could help you solve impossible situations. Your paragon and renegade levels now only affect your appearance. And the choices you do have to make will be massive. In the other games big choices would usually either doing something or not doing it and the difference will be minor. Now entire races and even worlds depend on your decisions, but no pressure.

My biggest problem with this game would definitely be the ending. If you haven't heard already, there is a huge controversy over the ending. I'm not going to spoil anything for you but the only thing that bugged me about it was that the ending scene of the game seem a little too farfetched, even for Mass Effect and that how the ending was set up, made all the choices from all three games worth absolutely nothing, despite the fact Casey Hudson said himself that our choices will matter in the end. Despite this big snafu the game showed an exemplary example of amazing story telling, character development and dialogue.

Story: A+

Graphics

While Mass Effect 3 still has the artistic direction of Mass Effect 2, Bioware upped the ante by giving the game a rougher, grittier look while also making some of the most beautiful environments I have ever seen in a video game. From start to finish the game gives you a plethora of unique environments each being beautiful up close and far away. When you start the game on Earth, you can see once glamorous city being decimated right in front of you and even miles away as the Reapers landed right above you. It was a terrifying sight but I was still awe struck at amazing detail of the world around me.

We're gonna need a bigger gun...

The amazing imagery spread across the entire galaxy from the massive dust storm on Mars, the tropical cliffs of Sur'Kesh, the Desert Lands of Rannoch and even seeing the ancient ruins of Tuchanka, revealing that the Krogan were a once civilized and cultured race. I wish I could go into more detail but that would take just way too long so I'll just show you. (These are all screenshots from the game not concept art.)

The Salarian home world, Sur'Kesh

A Geth base on Rannoch, the Quarian home world

Mars and it's massive dust storm

Luckily all these amazing worlds didn't sacrifice the character models. All characters and npc's are brilliantly designed as well as the weapons and, which all look very unique and can be customized to look even cooler. Another cool bonus is that most armor pieces keeps Shepard's iconic N7 stripe on his/her right arm, well played Bioware.

Dressed for Success. And killing reapers.

Graphics: A+

Sound

Mass Effect 3 has one of the best scores I've ever heard. There are pieces that truly captures an intense emotional moment and ones that still retain its futuristic sound reminiscent from the first one. In the beginning of the game when you leave Earth and witness a small boy running for his life, you hear a soft piano that fills you with grief but also with hope, and is then overpowered by a blast of brass horns that resemble the terrifying call of a reaper, a true musical masterpiece. However, the game does reuses music used in the older games for instance the Citadel still uses the same soundtrack for the presidium in Mass Effect 1, but it's still good music.

Sound effects have received a major upgrade. The guns from the previous two were way too flimsy and sounded more like laser shooters than actual rifles. Now weapons sound and feel like real guns. When using the predator pistol it had an actual punch to it and sounded like a real handgun rather than some futuristic pea-shooter.

Sometimes "pew pew pew" doesn't cut it.

Weapons weren't the only one with improved effects, Shepard and his squadmates' abilities now sound as deadly as the are in action. In the previous games you could mix biotic attacks together to cause even more damage and mayhem. Now when you mix them, for example using pull on an enemy and have Liara finish them off with warp, the explosion is massive and will blast through your speakers. And that's not just with biotics, mixing tech and combat abilities will also create amazing sounds like shattering a frozen enemy with another ability will cause a giant cryo explosion that sounds like you blew up an iceberg with a rocket launcher.

Voice acting is brilliantly well done. Mass Effect brings promises with a huge star cast and returning characters including Martin Sheen (Illusive Man), Seth Green (Joker) and newcomers like Freddie Prinze Jr. (James Vega). Everyone brings their best performance in this game, and a great time to do so to enhance the intense feeling of loss, sacrifice and suspense as the game's running theme. Except for the voice actor for the little kid, he was pretty awful.

Sound: A+

Gameplay:

One thing I've noticed about a lot of other Mass Effect fans is that they complain about how Bioware made ME2 more like Gears of War than an actual RPG. But I'm also pretty sure most of those people were the PC users who never played Gears of War like I did and just went by watching videos. First I want to point out that Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 play NOTHING like Gears, they have a cover combat system and that's all they have in common. And second, Mass Effect was and always has been called and ACTION RPG, meaning it's supposed to have action based combat gameplay while still also having character customization, player choices and open world system like an RPG. This is what my interpretation of what the Mass Effect series is about, and it's MY opinion.

Mass Effect has been a constant evolving hybrid of both action shooter and RPG. The first one lacked action and had too many items that made organizing my inventory a chore. ME2 trimmed all that fat and got rid of useless features like omni-gel and exploring boring, lifeless planets, but took away too much of its RPG elements and not to mention scanning planets was annoying. Mass Effect 3 has a perfect blend of action and RPG, with easy but well detailed skill and weapon customization.

Things can get really tense with 20 story reaper trying to blast you to pieces.

Pacing of the combat is much faster but still has a strong practical approach. Combat, tech and biotic abilities can now be chained together rather than just one and can create multiple and deadly combos. And enemies come in three groups, Cerberus, Geth and Reapers. Each group comes with a different tactic and has a variety of enemies and they can get pretty overwhelming since their a.i. system allows to adapt as the battle changes.

You can survive a Husk's attack but other enemies can instantly kill you no matter what.

The skill tree is very similar to Mass Effect 2's but adds a whole new twist. You can fully upgrade all your abilities but by the fourth level increase you get to make a choice on how you want to upgrade it. Say you're a Vanguard class and is fully upgrading your signature Charge ability, by the fourth upgrade you can either increase its damage and force or can hit an extra 2 enemies within 2 meters of impact, then you can choose whether to temporarily increase your weapon damage after a charge or power damage, then the final upgrade gives you the choice for a 25% chance charge wont cause a cool-down or have 100% of your shields restored after one (great for chaining up with the nova attack), you can mix hundreds of skills between and your squad and can even reset them if you aren't happy with your current settings (for a price of course)

A treat to my fellow Vanguards, Shockwave is finally useful now.

Weapons can now be upgraded and customized like in the first game but in a different way. Weapons have different stats and functionality. You can put on two weapons attachments that can increase it stats like damage or accuracy and can purchase an upgrade for your weapons in your armory. Another note is that each class can carry any and as many weapons they want but each weapon has a carry weight. Weapons like Assault Rifles and Sniper Rifles will weigh more and will increase the time of you abilities cool-down period, soldier classes will have a higher carry weight and can use more and stronger weapons while adepts and engineers should stick to one or two smaller weapons for full effectiveness of their skills.


A new system in ME3 is collecting war assets. By completing missions, talking to others, doing fetch quests and playing multiplayer, Shepard will gain assets to help him fight the reapers to take back Earth. However you can also lose assets as easy as you can gain it, some choices you make will have a negative effect on your military strength later on. However these assents can't be everything, you also have an effective military strength that will ultimately decide the fate of Earth. The EMS (effective military strength) is determined by the galactic readiness, which is achieved by playing multilayer. However you don't need to play multiplayer to achieve the perfect ending, but it will require a lot more exploring in the galaxy.


I was first appalled with the inclusion of multiplayer but after careful investigation and actually playing it, I must say I am extremely impressed. Mass Effect 3 uses a four player class-based co-op where you fight through 11 waves of enemies. Teamwork will be needed to survive especially as enemies get more aggressive each wave. Skill and weapon customization is just like the one in single-player except you MP character will only have 3 skills to use. During one of these waves there's a chance you will be assigned with a certain task like unlocking several terminals throughout the map or killing high valued targets, these objectives are simple but failing to do them will cause you to instantly fail the mission, and most of these will require you to stick together.

Each alien race will have certain classes (except human) that they can use and each have different skills and special abilities. The only problem is that alien races have to be unlocked by purchasing packs that you can get by earning credits from playing multiplayer, whats worse is that finding these races will appear at random. But you'll probably enjoying yourself too much to notice. (You do get a random free race to use when you start though)

Still waiting to unlock a Drell...

Gameplay: A+

Replay

Mass Effect 3 will last you a while. Breezing through the story will take about 20 hours, add an extra ten or fifteen if you are going to take the extra time doing extra missions, building relationships and helping others. And even if you imported your ME2 save, you won't hit the level cap or purchase every upgrade weapon, mod or armor on your first playthrough. And if you're like me you might have multiple save files with different Shepard with different actions, choices, personality and romances so no two stories will be the same. And mutliplayer is made that you will be enjoying it for a while and come back for even more. (Your galactic readiness lowers by one percent every time you start up the game, to make it worth coming back to). Bioware has done a good job of making sure you continue to play afterwards even after beating the game, something that has plagues the first two Mass Effects.

Replay: A+

I'm glad to say that this game gets a perfect score from me, after several of my most anticipated games utterly disappointed me, I'm happy that this one did not. It played perfectly, sounded perfectly and is a true mix of amazing big budget gameplay while having a beautiful and independent art direction. Mass Effect 3 shines in all aspects what makes a good video game. If you loved the first two games, you'll love this one. And if you never picked up the first two Mass Effect games, while this one is more welcoming to newcomers, I definitely recommend playing the first two. Mass Effect 3 is a guarantee to get 2012's game of the year, without a doubt.

Gaming perfection.

Mass Effect 3: A+

 
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