Game Advertising Fail - Remember Me

Today, there's a great looking home page takeover on IGN.com to promote the release of the adventure game Remember Me. Published by Capcom, the game explores a dystopian "Neo-Paris" in the year 2084 where memories can be uploaded, shared, and augmented. Sounds cool, no?

Unfortunately, alongside the game's advertisement is the unfortunate placement of IGN's review of the game (which was a "mediocre" 5.9 out of 10) with the title suggesting that Remember Me is "best forgotten." Ouch...

If you decide you do want to remember Remember Me, it is available now on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut out tomorrow!

Disappointed Mass Effect fans take notice. The highly anticipated Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is due out tomorrow, June 26th. This downloadable content feature has been highly anticipated since the series' controversial conclusion earlier this year.

Should we make this beam red, blue, or green... fuchsia?

 The description on the Bioware Blog explains that the content pack will " expand upon the events at the end of Mass Effect 3... through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes." Don't expect the Extended Cut to dramatically change the ending, rather it will provide fans with "deeper insight to Commander Shepard’s journey based on player choices during the war against the Reapers." While this all sounds well and good, it should go without saying that there is virtually no way that the Extended Cut will please everyone, a point that Bioware readily admits in the brief documentary video included in the Extended Cut overview.


Dave Thier mentions on Forbes.com that, "Bioware has a lot riding on the ending, but in many ways that damage is already done." There has been a very loud segment of the series' more faithful consumers who have vocalized their disappointment. The blockbuster title received a lot of negative buzz extremely early in their product's life cycle. Thousands of their most dedicated and involved fans rallied together to "hold the line" in an attempt to get a new batch of endings through letter and charity campaigns. Some of these fans may think the E.C. is just the sort of closure that their Shepard's saga needed, whereas others will consider it to be salt poured into the wound. Implementing this content in a way that maximizes the favorable responses and minimizes the venomous ones will be critical for maintaining Bioware's fiercely loyal fan following.

When Mass Effect 3 owners can expect to find the DLC on their platform

The Extended Cut will be available at no additional charge for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 customers. However Playstation 3 customers outside of North America will have to wait until July 4th. Expect a hefty 1.9gb download, which hopefully demonstrates just how much content they crammed into this release. 

In order to access the Extended Cut content, players will need to load a save prior to the final Cerberus related mission.

Skyrim: Dawnguard DLC Trailer

After months of speculation, Bethesda has released the official trailer to their upcoming DLC for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Titled Dawnguard, the add-on looks to have a lot of things that should get any Dragonborn feeling giddy in their greaves. There a couple of things that should catch your attention as you watch the trailer. Crossbows, new Vampire feeding animations, Vampire transformation and flying, and a very menacing antagonist who's got a craving for blood and the Elder Scrolls.

See the full trailer below:



Still no word as to when this epic looking add-on will be released. Stay tuned for updates!

Mass Effect Launch Trailer: Nothing short of EPIC

Mass Effect 3 looms on the horizon, like the Reaper silhouettes over the ruins of Earth. We're just a few days away from the game's launch and Bioware/EA have released yet another trailer to feed the game's already considerable hype.

Nom, nom?

This trailer covers a whole wide range of what will hit the fan in Mass Effect 3. Over the course of  two minutes and forty-four seconds, there's plenty of hope and hopelessness, danger and combat, drama and intrigue. Trailer highlights include the Illusive Man (with Martin Sheen returning as Cerberus' cunning leader) warning Shepard not to cross him, high octane space battles over Earth, and one particularly irritated Thresher Maw taking a bite out of a Reaper. Does it taste like chicken (or a cold, robotic, chicken sociopath)?

For me, the greatest moment of the trailer was hearing Garrus say, "Go out there and give them hell. You were born to do this." Combined with an excellent choice of visual backdrops and an epic musical score, this one line fully nailed the space opera tone that this series has been building since the original came out in 2007.

Get ready for war when Mass Effect 3 is released this upcoming Tuesday, March 6 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Mass Effect 3 Demo Impressions

Valentine's Day 2012, a day of love, romance... and intense, biotic combat? That's right, V-Day 2012 meant one thing to Mass Effect fans: the demo for the series finale is live.

I had a chance to tinker with the demo and was pretty satisfied overall. A majority of my playtime went toward the single player demo, but I've been able to get my feet wet with the multiplayer mode.

Single Player Demo

The single player demo takes you through two missions: the introductory mission on Earth and a retrieval mission on the Salarian homeworld.Across these two levels, you get to experience the game's revised mobility mechanics. You can slide over crates, climb up ladders and drop off of ledges, just to name a few things. There are also a few new practical additions, such as dodge rolls and melee grabs around cover. I will admit, there were a couple of times where I felt like I was playing Gears of War with all the dodge rolling about.

Combat feels quite a bit heavier this time around, as weapons have a heavier feel and the auto-aim functions aren't doing as much of the heavy lifting as in Mass Effect 2. At least for single shot weapons like heavy pistols and the Mattock assault rifle, you need to place your shots pretty carefully. The new heavy melee attacks are pretty seamlessly implemented and are quite useful for eliminating (or at least staggering) the unfortunate sod in your path. The new gameplay elements (and the increased difficulty) lend to the "This is War" atmosphere that the Bioware team set out to create.

In order to avoid dropping any major demo/main game spoilers, I won't go into too much detail about the plot elements found in the demo. There are plenty of great Mass Effect moments, some humorous and some dramatic. You'll see some familiar faces that will bring a smile to yours. However, there's also one particular part that hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks. This type of story-telling finesse is what makes the game a true Mass Effect title, even with the vast array of changes the series has seen over the years.

Multiplayer Demo

Single player is all well and good, but the part that longtime fans are skeptically looking at is the new co-op multiplayer. It's a polarizing topic - people either love or hate the idea of adding multiplayer to their beloved series.

Based on my experience with the multiplayer, I love it. You are able to choose one of the main Mass Effect classes (and in the full-version, you can choose your race). Each class/race combination has a different combination of abilities and powers that you can level up. In addition, you can customize your loadout, attach weapon mods, and buy unique items to help you in-mission, including health packs, ammo boxes, and rocket launchers.

When you get into the fray, you quickly learn that Bioware definitely means for you to cooperate. Your primary goal is to survive for all ten waves, occasionally chasing down and completing objectives within a time limit. Enemies are merciless even on the lowest difficulties, and their AI works together surprisingly well to draw you out of cover and into their sights. For example, riot shield and melee enemies may try to herd you out of your cover and into an open area. In order to get through the final waves, you'll need to draw on your team's diverse range of abilities, such as having Infiltrators conduct hit-and-run attacks with their tactical cloak and Vanguards force baddies out of cover. As I've explained, Special Forces is hard work - but pulling together and beating "impossible odds" ends up being extremely fun!

Are you ready for war?

I walk away from the Mass Effect 3 demo very satisfied, despite some of the changes made to the Mass Effect formula. Combat mechanics feel closer to Gears of War than they do to Mass Effect 1, but it all plays very well. Bioware has done a phenomenal job updating and maintaining the series so they're not just releasing a re-shelled clone of the previous title (Call of Duty anyone?).

On top of that, the new multiplayer elements are surprisingly fun and addictive, albeit challenging. However, despite the quality of the game mode, its on-going success depends very heavily on the number of people that continue to play it after they complete the story. It's not something you can successfully do alone.

Nonetheless, even if this does come to pass, Mass Effect 3 looks like it will be able to deliver the same quality level of single player content that the series, and Bioware, is renowned for.



Mass Effect 3 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, March 6 on Xbox360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Mass Effect 3 Looks to Be Action Packed!

The "Adrenaline-Pumping Gameplay" trailer offers Mass Effect fans a look at some of the intense moments to look forward to in the upcoming finale. Most notable, at least for me, is that you're going to be fighting the Reapers on foot! To put it in perspective, that's roughly equivalent to an ant fighting a monster-truck.

Impossible odds? Sounds fun to me!



As if that wasn't epic enough, our friends over at Bioware have also released a "Reinstated" trailer that stars the female version of our favorite N7 Marine. The trailer looks awesome and I can't help but think that "Fem Shep" is the way Mass Effect 3 should be. Jennifer Hale's voice acting in Mass Effect 1 and 2 has been superb, and I  am excited to see (or hear) how she takes command of the character in Mass Effect 3. The trailer also features the new default face for Fem Shep, a major overhaul and upgrade from the series' past versions.

Mass Effect 3 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, March 6 on Xbox360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Mass Effect 3 Achievements

Additional Mass Effect 3 info has trickled out and, as with the Special Forces trailer, EA/Bioware continue to string along their eager fan-base.

This time around, we have a list of achievements for the series' finale.Hot entries include winning political stand-offs, learning the origins of a monstrous enemy, and defeating a new type of enemy: the Harvester. There's most likely a few spoilers hiding in the list, so be careful how closely you read if you're safeguarding your Mass Effect 3 experience. Otherwise, check out the complete list here.





Mass Effect 3 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, March 6 on Xbox360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Mass Effect 3 Teasers

After a longer hiatus than I would've liked, the blog is back up and running. Also, I couldn't think of a better topic to be the harbinger of our return - Mass Effect 3.

With nearly a month to go before the release of the grand finale of the Mass Effect trilogy, Bioware and EA have taunted fans with the perfect balance of information and mystery. While they release details about gameplay, they withhold the golden nuggets of the story and squad mates. I, for one, am practically drooling!

One of the biggest mysteries, the new cooperative multiplayer mode, has a new trailer that teases at the variety of classes and playstyles available. The multiplayer mode, called Special Forces, allows players to step into the shoes of the elite commandos supporting Commander Shepard's fight against the infamous Reapers. Based on the trailer, this new game mode promises to be an action packed, brutal, and exhilarating adventure.

Mass Effect 3 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, March 6 on Xbox360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Battlefield 3 beta on all platforms Sept. 29

A quick look at the Battlefield 3 website brings some new information that Battlefield fans have been eagerly awaiting since last year's Medal of Honor release - the beta is here...well, almost here.

The Battlefield 3 open beta will allow PC and console players to try out the rush game mode on the Operation Metro map from Thursday, September 29 to Monday, October 10. Even more good news for players who pre-ordered the game on Origin or purchased last year's lackluster Medal of Honor - they can access the beta starting September 27th.

Some gamers have expressed frustrations over the map selection, as many of the trailers have focused squarely on the Operation Metro map. Moreover, the exact same map and game mode was used during the PC alpha testing earlier this year.

I had the chance to play Battlefield 3 during the alpha and I, for one, am excited to get back into the fray - even if it is the same map! Operation Metro is a dynamic and exhilarating map that, in classic Battlefield style, caters to so many diverse styles of gameplay.

Below are some of my tactical recommendations based on my previous experience with each of the kits on this map:

• Assault
• When outside, either hop into a vehicle or hug cover around the outside of the map to ambush enemy snipers
• When inside the metro, drop your medkit for your teammates near the major chokepoints - they will need it!
• Engineer
• When outside, stick to a vehicle and keep it functional - if you go on foot you will become quick sniper fodder.
• When inside, you are the class at the greatest advantage as carbines have a higher rate of fire and you have RPGs/AT4s to clear the choke points!
• Support
• When outside, follow a similar strategy as the Assault class
• When inside, find a good spot to go prone and cover the choke points
• Recon
• When outside, pick off enemy snipers or engineers as they're repairing vehicles.
• When inside, look out for enemy snipers and the occasional enemy who runs around behind you.

Netflix spawns "Qwikster" and adds Video Game service

Current Netflix subscribers have recently received a message from Reed Hastings (Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix) that begins with the somber words "I messed up. I owe you an explanation." 

In the message, Hastings goes on to explain the rationale behind the now infamous Netflix price hike and drops yet another bomb on subscribers - "we will rename our DVD by mail service to 'Qwikster.'"

His message ends with a final statement, "Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions."

The Neflix giant was built on being the most convenient way to access movies and content - either by streaming or by delivery. By splitting into two services, with two separate accounts and two separate billing statements, that convenience has the potential to be compromised. As disgruntled user Jeremiah Cohick explains, "By separating and charging more for access, you're wildly less valuable to me [and] I'll likely cancel."

While this provokes some frustration from subscribers who use both streaming and delivery, Qwikster will receive additional value through a new "video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray." This upgrade will allow for Wii, Xbox360 and PS3 games to be delivered in a similar fashion to the traditional disc service, a change that Qwikster's dedicated "DVD by mail" team will be able to facilitate, according to Hastings.

The video game rental upgrade seems like a good way to steal some business from game rental company GameFly, but it remains to be seen how Netflix will implement this service and how prices compare to GameFly's $15.95 per month for 1 game out at a time.