Mass of Mass Effect news.

Fans of Mass Effect rejoice, for there is a sum of news for your beloved franchise. Bioware learned from the mistakes of games like Fallout 3 and their own Mass Effect 1. Closing the game down after the game is bad for business and bad for gamers. Even after the main quest is done, there is usually a thing or two missed by players which means there's still unplayed content! It also makes it hard to release DLC. Mass Effect 2 has fixed that though and is still kicking. So lets get to it, there's a few things to go over.

What's this? A gift for me?

This is something that happened very quietly and if you don't load your game up every day, you might have missed it. Bioware actually released yet another weapon via the Cerberus Network. This time they have released a heavy weapon by the name of ARC Projector. According to the Mass Effect website's arsenal page;

"The Arc Projector ionizes targets with a non-visible laser to ready them for a high-voltage electrical attack. As the lightning-like bolt hits its first target, a sophisticated auto-targeting system paints succeeding targets with the ionization laser, allowing the electricity to take the path of least resistance and arc between them."

If there was anything left in the universe for me to kill, I would totally check this one out...





Bioware gives the old one two!

Bioware has also announced the release date for two more DLC packs. On March 23rd they will be releasing both the "Firewalker" and "The Alternate Appearance Pack" DLC for Mass Effect 2.

Firewalker will be available for free for those connected to the Cerberus Network and will not only add 5 new missions, but will also add a ground vehicle. As players of the first Mass Effect will thankfully note, the Mako was missing from Mass Effect 2. Bioware is hoping the new Hammerhead hovering heavy assault vehicle will be everything that the Mako wasn't. Specifically, fun and entertaining.

The Alternate Appearance Pack will be the first bit of DLC released that will not be free to Cerberus Network users. For the small sum of 160 Microsoft Points (two dollars), you will be able to add additional outfits for your crew. My favorite so far is hands down Jack's Doc Brown wrap around sunglasses.

Cerberus gives you a Goto woman
Lastly in DLC news, in April Bioware will be releasing another premium DLC titled "Kasumi- Stolen Memory." Apparently in this new mission you receive the services of master thief Kasumi Goto as you help in some sort of heist all Thomas Crown Affair style. According to Mass Effect's DLC page you will apparently be attending a party for "the galaxy's richest and most deranged criminal minds to recover data of great importance to Kasumi... and to the galaxy at large."

Along with the new crewman and mission, you will also be getting some new casual attire, weapon(s), research upgrade(s), and achievement(s). The pricing has not been announced yet, but word has it this DLC will be hitting land on April 6th. Hopefully it won't break our bank accounts.

License Ho!
Fresh off the success of the Mass Effect Redemption mini-series, Dark Horse has acquired the license to create an ongoing Mass Effect title. Details are scarce at this point, but they did say the story will be taking place after the second game. I think it will be safe to say that many of your favorite characters will not make an appearance, but most of us will be reading it anyways...

Review - Dragon Age: Awakening

Much like the initial release of Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins Awakening snuck up on me. I came home after picking up dinner to find a little box from Amazon on my doorstep. Only at that moment did I remember that I even ordered it. Regardless of my awareness, I was pleased. So now that it's out, how does it stack up? Well, it's a lot more of the same. If you're like me  and you think Dragon Age: Origins was one of the best western-RPGs released in years, getting more of the same is not exactly a bad thing.

What's really interesting is that in this age of DLC, the number of legitimate expansions for games have sharply decreased. I'm sure many people out there are asking "Is this an expansion, is it a sequel, or is it simply overpriced DLC." I will say it is more than DLC and less than a sequel, so I think it falls squarely in the expansion range. I am over nine hours into the game and it seems there is still quite a deal of game left.  It has been reported that the expansion sports over twenty hours of gameplay.  If that is the case, this is way more than DLC.

One thing to note though, none of the items you collected in previous DLCs seem to work in Awakening. In the case of my character, I spawned into the expansion wearing only my underwear. You quickly find some decent items to replace them and by a few hours in you'll likely have even better items, but it just seems strange that Bioware's additional content wouldn't be compatible with... Biowares additional content...

The gameplay is more or less completely intact from the first game. Honestly, with the exception of the added skill lines I haven't seen much of anything change. The dialog seems to work the same, the combat is the same and all the menus are the same. This means that the flaws from the original are ever present and the same as well.

Maybe I am now spoiled by Mass Effect 2, Bioware's big release since DA:O, but some aspects of the game seem to go beyond depth and land in the realm of overly complicated. I never really had a problem with Dragon Age's inventory systems before, but maybe it's because I didn't know better. Even though you can easily expand your backpack, you will quickly find that even a capacity in the hundreds will have you getting the dreaded "inventory full" message. Team this up with a less than amazing way of organizing your inventory and an over abundence of junk you'll no doubt collect and you're looking at a digital episode of Hoarders. These are problems that have been present since day one with the series, so lets move on to some things that are unique to this expansion.

Some of the added skill lines are a lot of fun. As you progress, you will find some of the top tier powers are kill buttons. One of the mid tier warrior powers called "Peon's Plight" will give you a guaranteed kill of any non-colored enemy. While skills like this could completely break the game, Bioware is careful to make skills like this balance out by giving them longer cool downs and less damage on bosses and elite enemies. Of course, as always some of the skills aren't as good as others, but that is nothing new to RPG games and more often than not the skills are a lot of fun.

Now lets face it, many of you will play this game for the same reason you'll play any Bioware game... The Story. So how does this one stack up? Pretty good. As you go on, there are forces at work that you don't quite understand. The darkspawn haven't retreated after the archdemeon was killed and have continued to wreak havoc on the poor common folk. As the story goes on, you start to realize that you may not know as much about the darkspawn as you thought. The story as a whole seems to be a lot darker, if that is possible. No one in your party seems to be happy and are almost all brought to you due to misfortune. Also, for some reason, it seems that everyone in the land is committing suicide. Everywhere I turned, I found some poor asshole's remains and a note outlining that he killed himself over a woman or three. I am actually starting to worry about the mental well being of the Bioware writers...

You will be getting more or less a completely new party to adventure with as well. Some of these new comers, Nathaniel and Justice, have really unique and fun stories. Others... well... others seem to be a mash up of previous companions and are pretty typical RPG fodder. All the voice acting seems great and the characters are well written, but some of them are pretty unspectacular and lacking the dynamic story of other characters.

So in the end, Awakening provides the same core gameplay, same graphics and a story by the same developers. As logic stands, it would seem if you liked the Origins, you'll like Awakening. That is the case for me. There is enough content to keep you playing for a few days, new characters to meet and more phat lewt to collect. It doesn't really change a whole lot, but frankly, expansions rarely do. Is it a good expansion? I think so. Is it worth $40? Maybe if it lives up to it's reported 20 hour or more of playing. If it was in the $25-30 range, I think it would be perfect, but the pricing doesn't take away from the quality of the product. If you're a fan of Dragon Age, you will have to pick up the expansion eventually.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Episode 54: You Don't Know Jack

Carl is sick, but have no fear. Through the magics of the interwubs, there is a new episode! The guys get some emails, talk about some Bioware games and then talk about Avatar... again. Also, it's the return of KBP NEWS! All this at no cost to the listener!

This week's episode features music from Fitz and The Tantrums.

Play Episode

Direct Download: Right Click and Save Podcast Home: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/23055 RSS Subscription: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/recordings.talkshoe.com/rss23055.xml or just look us up on iTunes!

"The Pitt"falls of DLC: A look at my favourite games' DLC

So, I make it no secret that I am kind of picky about my games. I have so many hobbies and habits that I have to play it smart with my money. This is why many times you'll see me get very passionate about the games I play. I try to choose games that will have a lot of replay value and deep storylines. There are two such games that I have talked about at lengths that fall into this group. Mass Effect and Fallout 3 are prime examples of what I think is right in the video game world. They both feature a robust mixture of action and RPG. They both have deep storylines with moral choices that will rock you to your core. Both are just fun, rewarding and engaging games.

There is one other thing that both these games have in common, they both completely fail in the way they incorporate their post-release downloadable content. I have played to completion both games multiple times before this content was released. I was completely consumed by these games and couldn't stop playing them even if I wanted to. So why would both these games release content after the fact that depends on you not finishing the game? Do they expect me to not finish these wonderful games until they have released all their DLC? Apparently so, because in both cases, once you finish the game, that's it. There's no more exploring or free roaming as a post game reward. Unless you have the foresight or the blind dumb luck to have a save file, you're going to have to start a completely new character just so you can access this new content. In most cases, this new content is maybe a night's worth of extended play. Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but for me personally it is a deal killer. I have downloaded the Mass Effect DLC and have never played it. I never had the desire to start a fourth character just so I could do one extra mission.

More recently, I downloaded The Pitt expansion for Fallout 3 and was completely uninspired. I was lucky enough to have a save file from my first play through from right before the last mission. So I get my level 20 character up to the new map marker in my fully decked out Power Armor, only to be told "Yeah, you can't take any of your gear. All you can take is this gun or this knife, but not both. Your anal cavity only has room for one." Ok, I added the anal cavity part, but it's still the truth. So I do what any red blooded vault dweller would do in this situation, I ignore Snake Plissken and decide I am going to do what everyone says I can't do. I walk in with full armor and combat shotgun raining pain. I have no problems killing all their gate guards, only to be stopped at a second gate and beat down in a cut scene. That's right, the game can't stop me so it cheats and just knocks me out in a cut scene. So moments later, I wake up in a slave pit with nothing but the slave rags they put me in and the small handgun I smuggled in my ass. I attempt to start trudging my way through this campaign to get to the story which I am told is full of some great moral choices and such, but I can't do it...

I have been playing video games the better part of 27 years. I know all the cheap tricks. I know about invisible walls, random respawning enemies and the worst of the worst. The old "We can't balance the game play or we're having a problem making this challenging for the player, so we're going to take away all your power ups and make you start all over again." No sir. I do not approve. Taking away items/skills/power-ups, or Samus Disorder as I like to call it, should not be a part of any game, especially after the first fourth of the experience. Retconning a person's character never achieves anything but frustrating the player, unless said character is completely removed from the reality of the gameworld. Prime example of the proper use of this is the Fallout 3 DLC "Operation Anchorage" where almost the entire story takes place in a simulation.

In a situation where you're basically formatting a character, why bother even letting us use our old character? Why not just give us a new character to play. I would have been much more compelled if The Pitt was a stand alone game where I roll up a brand new level 15 character to play through the campaign. Grand Theft Auto did pretty much that with it's new GTA4 DLC to great success. Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and GTA4 all benefit from having a rich world where you could just plug in a new character, tell a new story and it would still be compelling.

So, I know there are a lot of people that say "Well, you're complaining a lot, but I bet you have no suggestions on making it better." Well, that's where you're wrong slapnuts. Here's my suggestion for Bioware and Mass Effect 2. Release the game and get as much content as you can on the release. After that, forget about adding anymore content to the main campaign. You're done. Just call it a night. Now, start working on a couple stand alone expansion packs that focus on either side characters or completely new characters that bridge the story from Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3. You can have that one for free Bioware, but if you want more, put me on the payroll.

So, in sort... here are my rules for good DLC content.

1. Don't use the original main character if the game locks after completion.
   
2. Don't Metroid us and take away everything away from our characters unless it serves a really good purpose.
   
3. Don't be afraid to use new characters if the game locks or if the main character dies.
   
4. Do use DLC as a bridge between sequels.
   
5. Do use the complex universe that you've created to it's fullest
   

Just follow these simple rules developers and we'll be cool.

Star Wars: The Old Republic fan update and some thoughts about the Latest WoW Xpack

So... It's no secret that I plan MMOs from time to time and one that I have been really excited about is the new Bioware Star Wars game. Just the other day, this video was sent out to fans that signed up for email updates.



Not a whole lot of really new info here, but some videos of some early pre-production was shown. I have to say, for a pre-production stuff, it looks pretty good. The details aren't really there yet and the armor looks like plastic, but this isn't even close to being finished. There was some discussion about the companion characters and what they plan to do with those. Overall, an interesting watch.

Now... As I said on the previous episode, I finally broke down and bought the latest WoW expansion. I really, really thought that I had it beat and wasn't going to buy it. Unfortunately, when I am bored, all bets are off.

The two things I will take away from this expansion are a wider variety of gameplay and a more in depth storytelling. With the new class, you start off in a new area and there are lots of new things. Firstly, this starting area changes as you go through the story. So every time you teleport to the starter area, things will be a little different. So, you'll see towns in ruins after you helped destroy them and things of that nature. This is a great step towards what Ryan and I have talked about in previous episodes about cause and effect, and there being consequences for your actions in game. It's not very big and I have only seen it put into play in the new starting area, but it's cool to see them take this step. I am not shocked to see that it was Blizzard were the people to push this out there first.

You will also find yourself doing things that aren't just you playing your character and grinding out your level. You steal horses, you shoot cannons and you even fly a dragon into battle shooting fireballs at the armies below you. It's nice to see this variety starting to pop up in the game. I hope they continue to add stuff like this. The mini-game feel to it all really helps break up what can really be a boring and repetitive game.

So, overall, I have to say the Lich King is a great expansion. New Profession, New Class, New lands and a new experience. Good job Blizzard.

It's coming...

So as we spoke about on previous episodes, Bioware is poised to make a huge announcement this Tuesday. Apparently, it's about something that has been rumoured about for years and is what we have all been waiting for. My money is on Shattered Steel Online, but for some reason a bunch of people think it's going to be a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG. So, with these people in mind, here are some things that I really hope to see if it does pan out to be KotOR online.

1. The Jedi Trap- In short, don't fall into it.  This game would have the benefit of being set in a time where Jedi haven't been hunted to nigh extinction.  So, unlike other games where you can't walk a foot without tripping over a lightsaber in world said devoid of Jedi (You know who you are), you will have a world that still has a Jedi Council and an active training/recruiting program for Jedi.  This doesn't mean that being a Jedi should be easy though.  I think a Jedi should be the hardest class to level in game.  Maybe have a completely different leveling system for them.  Make their leveling more of a quest based, task completion sort of leveling system.  So instead of grinding out XP, you have to complete a very long series of quests and tasks that have been given to you by the Jedi council.  So you can grind on a nest of Womp Rats all you want, but you won't get anywhere.  In an ideal world, I would love to see you be required to group with a "Master" until you're no longer a padawan, but that is kind of a hard thing to balance and make actually work in game.  Basically, a Jedi's life is completely different than anyone else's in the Galaxy, the gamplay experience should reflect that.


2. Jedi Trap Pt.2- There is more to the Star Wars Universe than Jedi. It is important not to forget this when designing a game. Galaxies had some great idea for classes, but it never really worked out in my opinion. As a Smuggler, I never smuggled. I want to actually get to smuggle goods and make money. I want to be a shadow character in this otherwise rube filled world. I want bounty hunters that actually hunt down players. I want a lot, but I know Bioware has a lot to offer. I hope that they, like Blizzard, can redefine the MMO industry. The thing that I hope the redefine the most is issue #3.


3. Story- KotOR left us with a lot of unanswered questions. I want a grand epic story that sucks me in and makes me want to continue playing the game. I want story updates through patching of the game, not just expansion sets. I want a clearly living world that changes and isn't static. I want over the top epic NPCs leading battles again each other for the fate of the universe. I know as a fact I won't get the experience that I want from this game. I don't think the technology and game design in general has reached what I personally want out of an MMORPG, but I think Bioware has the ability to push it in the direction that I want to see.


4. Skywalkers- I don't want to see a single fucking character named Skywalker.


5. Dialogue- I want Bioware's standard branching dialogue system. I don't want to have a one track conversation like you get in most other MMORPGs.


6. Mandalorians- I want a lot of Mandalorians. Nothing else. They play a part in both games before and a huge part of the comic book. I want them. No excuses.


7. Jedi Council- I want to see a lot of the Jedi Council. I honestly just want to see a lot of politics at work. I want each planet to have it's own police and local government. I want to do tasks for them. I want to become a folk hero on some backwater planet. I want to be faceless on Courescant (did I mention, I want to be able to go to Courescant?).

So there you have it kids, a short list of things I want to see (or don't want to see) in a KotORO. Check back Wednesday, I'm sure I will have a post about whatever was announced and I'm sure we will dedicate a chunk of the show this week to whatever they announce.