Kara

This video (which I've only recently watched) is from Quantic Dream (the makers of Heavy Rain) and this is a tech demo showing off how they've advanced their tech since making Heavy Rain. While I admit the tech is interesting to say the least, I am actually curious to know what happens to Kara. It is said that this is only a tech demo and not the makings of an actual game. That is too bad. 

To The End & Back Again

It hadn't felt like a lot of time, but a rare event happened for me whist playing BioWare's controversial, yet so goddamn awesome, Mass Effect 3. It is the first game in quite a while where I actually put 40+ hours into a game. In this day and age (for me), that just does not happen as much as it used to.

But given the gravity of the story and the state of the galaxy, how could this epic be tackled with any less time? I mean after being ignored by the Citadel Council (for basically the past 2 games) as well as your own kind, you are immediately tasked as Humanity's last beacon of hope. But what can be done when the enemy has descended upon all of Earth and is destroying and killing every single man, woman and child they can. Shepard said it best: They are more intelligent, they are more advanced, they do not fears humans and they will never show mercy. But no, you must leave the fight behind on Earth and gather all the forces of the galaxy to bring the fucking hurt down upon those called the Reapers.

Yes, that was the 40 hour mark back there in that cloud of dust.

Massive Effect

I don't blog on here quite as much as before, but nevertheless I am still alive and kicking and swearing and all that good stuff. Of course gaming is still a part of my daily life and today is absolutely no different. I'm actually here because the funniest things have been going on lately and a lot of that has to do with the finale of the Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect 3.

So much hate is what I keep seeing and people are hating this game for a variety of reasons. I'm a little surprised with the hate on the day one DLC, mostly because this was done before and to act surprised that it is done here is just stupid and foolish and really just a waste of time. Didn't pre-order Mass Effect 3's Collector's Edition? Couldn't afford it? Didn't have time to do it? Or were you stickin' it to the "man"? Whatever the reason might be, sorry friend but you are just plain shit out of luck. Don't want to pay for the extra mission and the bonus character?

Solution: Shut the fuck up and do NOT buy it! Don't buy the game either if that offends you so. Why buy the game and bitch and complain about how evil EA and BioWare are with their twisted ideas of making money! I mean the nerve of those sons of bitches! What are they? A goddamn business? And in this day and age, who wants to make money anyway? Better pay is so overrated.

The other funny issue is people absolutely hating on how this game comes to an end. Oh. My. Fucking. God. What is this? Grade school? Waaa! Waaa! I don't like the story! Waa! Waaaaa! I didn't get what I want!

The best view, in my opinion, is simple this: The way the story flows and the way that it ends is the vision of the team(s) that made this game. To demand that they "fix" the ending to cater to a bunch of whining, spoiled brats is just never going to happen. It shouldn't happen. Things are the way that they were intended and that is what people should learn to respect. If you hate it that much, go ahead and trade your copy in and be done with it. Hell, don't even buy their future games.

Personally I am enjoying the ride myself and I am getting ever closer to getting the chance to see how my Shepard deals with the might of the Reaper invasion head on. I've been building up a mighty alliance and I've brought together an impossible force to fight a seemingly unbeatable enemy. Whatever might be waiting at the end of all of this, I can say I simply know this about this whole experience: This trilogy of games has been one hell of a ride. From Saren's betrayal on Eden Prime, to seeing Shepard becoming the first human Spectre, to watching Shepard die, only to return and overcome the impossible, to this point where the final confrontation that has the entire galaxy hanging in the balance.

Despite it all, I'm about ready to see Shepard off into the sunset, where ever or however that might come to pass.

The Story So Far...

So I've managed to stay away from my blog for just over a month (month and a day) and through my brief time away, I suppose I've kept a little busy. This isn't to say that this is a return, maybe more just dropping a line for no apparent reason.

• Played Star Wars: The Old Republic and generally liked it for the most part (tried races and jobs on both the Republic and Empire factions). The most fun I had was as a Sith Inquisitor, mostly for the conversations that involve the ability to use Force Lightning on hapless NPCs that think they want to oppose me.
  
  But me being me, I got bored just about a month later and have now quit out. There is a bit more to this little story then this, but that will have to wait for another day. This joins other failed attempts on my part to get into MMOs (World of Warcraft, DC Universe Online and even Lord of the Rings Online being the others).
  
• I am now absolutely convinced that the glory days of the Final Fantasy series have come and gone now. Even while despising Final Fantasy XIII, I decided to try out Final Fantasy XIII-2 under the impression that there has been a lot of positive things said about it. It's has towns! People! More paths! Freedom!
  
  My own personal impression? Sure it does have some towns and people and all that jazz that XIII didn't. But as far as story telling is concerned? It is still shit and I don't really give a fuck about the characters. Serah and Noel just don't cut it for me. I mean even after hearing a bit of their back stories, I just don't care. I don't care that Noel is the last man alive in his time or that Serah is the only one that feels like maybe her older sister could very well not be dead.
  
  So overall, I am just sickened by how far this series truly has fallen. When did the fantasy portion die and crap was used to fill the holes in? You know what? I saw this picture and I think it explains my point perfectly...
  
  
  
• Speaking of Final Fantasy (the real stuff), I did pick up Final Fantasy VI (again) and was actually looking forward to playing it possibly at work on my PSP. But then my PSP has seemingly died. And no, I won't be getting a Vita any year soon. So I'll be finally making some decent use of my PS3 again...
  
• Amid all of this chaos, I started up Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning just the other day and have been generally having my fun there as of late. Like a lot of games these days, this one sure knows how to bury a player under a mountain of missions, quests, jobs, side jobs and everything in between.
  
• On top of all this madness, we are barely a month away from the conclusion of Commander Shepard's story in Mass Effect 3. I've got that little time to try and polish off a few of these games before that time.

So that's that, meaning that is what life has had for me as far as gaming is concerned. Full plate, considering I haven't quite cleared out those that I picked up over this past holiday season. Much to play and not really as much time to play 'em. I guess it is just a nasty habit I've developed, picking up more and more games before I can finish them off.