It seems that 38 Studios, the game company founded by former Boston Red Sox ace and avid gamer Curt Schilling and involving best-selling fantasy author R.A. Salvatore (of Drizzt fame) and comic book guru Todd McFarlane, is working on a roleplaying game and has found a publisher for it.
Though there are pretty much no details on the game itself (including its title), here's what Kotaku had to report:
Quote:
Call it Project Mercury, and as of today, call it an EA game. The epic role-playing game that won't — confirmed! — be called The Adventures of Curt Schilling has a home and a whole lot of mystery around it.
Last week, top people involved in Project Mercury briefed Kotaku on the news being made official today that 38 Studios, the game company founded by former Boston Red Sox ace and avid gamer Curt Schilling, has signed a deal with Electronic Arts to have its mysterious, epic role-playing game published by EA's Partners label.
That's the same EA Partners program that has brought gamers projects from other non-EA development studios, including The Orange Box from Valve, Rock Band from MTV Games and Brutal Legend from Double Fine Productions.
But new details? Few were to be had.
As had already been reported, Schilling has partnered with comic book guru Todd McFarlane and best-selling fantasy author R.A. Salvatore to create a universe within which 38 Studios' Big Huge Games is creating a role-playing game. Heading the project at Big Huge Games is Ken Rolston, former lead designer of the Elder Scrolls games.
Kotaku joins gamers in wishing we knew anything more about the game. Referencing Rolston's resume, we theorized that this epic role-playing game might be similar to an Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. But 38 Studios CEO Jen MacLean said that supposing that "would do a disservice to Todd and R.A.'s involvement." Those two men and Schilling, she said, have envisioned a novel fantasy world.
We may be in the dark, but EA Partners dealmaker David DeMartini told Kotaku that two very good role-playing game experts, EA's own leaders of its RPG powerhouse studio Bioware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, were involved in vetting 38's game. "I would be a fool if I didn't tap into one of the best RPG developers in the world with Ray and Greg," he said. "They were involved in the collaboration and discussion of the project."
Schilling and company's game will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. No release timeframe was specified. The game won't be called Project Mercury when it comes out, and, as noted above, it won't be called The Adventures of Curt Schilling either. We threw that one out there. We asked. No chance.
Well, you can definitely color me intrigued. Though I've got the suspicion that this might be an MMO, in part because I stumbled over the following job application a while ago:
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Would you like to become part of the team that includes the creative visionaries behind Drizzt Do’Urden and Spawn? 38 Studios is currently seeking a User Interface Engineer to join our Engineering department. This is a full-time position with competitive salary, full benefits and 401(k), and the chance to be part of online gaming history!
Summary
As a User Interface Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and documenting features of an MMO User Interface while working closely with the UI team and other departments.
(More details at the link).
And yes, I strongly qualify for that position. But unfortunately it's in the US so haven't applied (yet).
But I can't help but wonder what they might be cooking up over there.
[UPDATE]
GamesIndustry.biz just posted the news as well. However, they're clearly calling it a single-player game:
Quote:
EA Partners to publish 38 Studios RPG
EA Partners has sign up to publish 38 Studios' single-player role-playing game, codenamed Project Mercury.
The game is in development at the recently acquired Big Huge Games, under the leadership of Elder Scrolls lead designer Ken Rolston, and based on the fantasy world of RA Salvatore and comic book artist Todd McFarlane.
"From day one, 38 Studios has been focused on creating the next generation of entertainment experiences that embrace all mediums, including film, television, comics, novels, toys and, of course, games," commented Curt Schilling, founder of 38 Studios.
"We are creating an enormous world, with heroes and villains and a rich back story from the brilliant minds of RA, Todd and Ken at its heart, and I can think of no finer partner than the global powerhouse that is EA Partners. Being able to leverage the expertise of EA's publishing organisation to bring our first product to market is a dream come true for 38 Studios."
Project Mercury is due for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Salvatore has sold over 15 million books worldwide, and McFarlane is best known for his art on Marvel's Spider-Man and his own Image Comics creation Spawn.
"We are thrilled to be working with 38 Studios. The world of RPG gaming is so rich and it is a perfect complement to our partners and title portfolio in EAP," said David DeMartini, SVP of EA Partners.
"Project Mercury is bursting with first-rate talent, with passion that spans across the board, from Curt to RA to Todd and Ken. We look forward to collaborating with them to create an amazing game set in this incredible new world."
Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
[UPDATE2]
After a couple more news items (like the press release at VG247 and the news item at GameSpot) it seems that 38 Studios is in fact working on two games (that we know of); an MMO codenamed "Copernicus" (for which the job listing is) and this single-player RPG codenamed "Project Mercury". EA has a publishing deal for the single-player RPG, not for the MMO.
Either way, it sounds like good times ahead for RPG fans.
[link] to news item at Kotaku.
[link] to job application at Gamasutra.
[link] to news item at GamesIndustry.biz.
[link] to press release at VG247.
[link] to news item at GameSpot.
Here is something that you might find interesting.
It seems that the television station HBO has greenlit a television series based on A Game of Thrones, the first book in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Here is the news from Hollywood Reporter:
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HBO greenlights 'Game of Thrones' to series
Winter is, indeed, coming.
HBO has greenlighted highly anticipated fantasy series "Game of Thrones."
The premium network has picked up the project for a first season debut next spring (below is the first released photo from the series). Nine episodes plus the pilot have been ordered. Production will begin in Belfast this June.
From the moment the project was first announced in development, the series based on the George R.R. Martin novels has generated enormous, perhaps unprecedented, online interest for a series at such an early stage.
The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) becomes the king's new right-hand man. The four-and-counting books in the series would each be used as one season of the series.
Unlike many fantasy novels, the "Thrones" series largely avoids relying on magical elements and instead goes for brutal realism -- think "Sopranos" with swords. Martin, a former TV writer ("Beauty and the Beast"), writes each chapter as a cliffhanger, which should lend itself well to series translation. David Benioff and Dan Weiss are the series creators.
Hollywood Reporter also has a list of the cast (with photos), showing Sean Bean as Eddard and Jason Momoa as Drogo. They also have a promotional photo:
I must admit though that I've never read any of Martin's books. It is my understanding that they're a fantasy staple, but I find myself reluctant to try them because I've got the impression that they tend to be fairly... depressing. But The Escapist has a bit on the plot of the first book (I think without really spoiling anything):
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Sean Bean plays Eddard Stark, who is asked to take the position of the Hand of The King for his friend Robert Baratheon. Stark reluctantly takes the job and relocates his family from Winterfell castle in the North to the seat of the Seven Kingdoms, King's Landing. The Stark family, from dutiful wife Catelyn and impetuous Robb to tomboy Arya and princess Sansa, are noble islands in a sea of intrigue which includes the king's wife, Cersei Lannister and her brothers, the great knight Jaime and the dwarf Tyrion (played by the Dink). There's a whole slew of subplots involving dragons and supernatural Others on the other side of an ancient wall, but it's just too huge to explain it all. Suffice to say, it is awesome and thankfully doesn't swing too far on the fantasy spectrum.
The plan is for the first season to encompass the events of the first book in the series, with the finale ending on the same cliffhanger. If that's the case, then you are all in for a great ride.
Winter is Coming!
And here I thought that it was almost spring.
[link] to greenlight news at Hollywood Reporter.
[link] to cast list at Hollywood Reporter.
[link] to announcement at The Escapist.
I’ve got another stack of Dragon Age news here for you. A number of them are for the upcoming expansion Awakening, but there are a number of other bits as well.
Let’s start with a BioWare Blog entry in which Lead Writer Ferret Baudoin talks about Sigrun, the dwarf rogue that can join your party in Awakening. Here’s an excerpt:
Quote:
What is her personality like?
People picture the Legion of the Dead as fatalistic warriors who are grimly eager to impale themselves upon a darkspawn spear. Sigrun defies that. She’s perky, upbeat, with a macabre sense of humor. As bleak as her life is in the Legion, it’s actually a step up from her threadbare existence in Dust Town. So she has that going for her. She also has a fascination with the world above, which she has never seen.
About the only thing she has a proper legionnaire attitude about are the darkspawn. She was initially afraid of them, but as new comrades and friends die one-by-one, it stokes her hatred. Now it burns very bright indeed.
A few more reviews have popped up, first two for the Return to Ostagar DLC. The first of these is over at Eurogamer and they’re not terribly impressed, giving it a 4/10. Here’s an excerpt:
Quote:
For a game so driven by character and story, it's a depressingly uneventful journey though. The path through Ostagar is completely linear, with only a few inessential trinkets and locked chests to find along the way. There are no puzzles, no curious secrets and, apart from the ill-fated soldier who sends you on the quest, there's no NPC interaction. You march through the map, slaughter everything in your path and open every sparkling box, crate or sack you can find.
Of course, they were one of the sites least enamored with the main game as well, but just from that quote above it seems that Return to Ostagar has pretty much nothing of what made the original game so good in the first place.
The second review for the DLC is over at IGN who give one of the most positive reviews for the DLC that I’ve seen (giving it an 8.5). I find myself wondering if they’re just giving it a better review because it’s “more Dragon Age”, or whether it is because they just really liked the combat (in both) and just really got into the DLC. Either way, here’s an excerpt:
Quote:
It's particularly cool to see the changes that have taken place in the ruins. I mean, they were already ruins, but now these are some ruined ruins. Getting a look at the demolished dog kennels or Duncan's old fire really gives players a chance to mark just how far their own story has progressed from those first days with the Wardens. On a purely practical level, it also gives us all a second chance at that intriguing Mage Chest.
The third review is one for the game itself over at GameBanshee, which I haven’t taken the time to read yet (it’s four pages long). Even so, here’s the review’s conclusion:
Quote:
Conclusion
If I had to come up with a single phrase to describe DA:O, it would be very professionally done, with numerous goofy exceptions. The game is smoothly executed. Everything fits together well. It looks good. The faces of the NPCs draw you in. The music stirs the heart. The voice actors are well chosen. The party dialog is vivid. There are strange anomalies, such as hand poisoning, and corpses loaded down with safety net products, and a walking, talking DLC ad in your camp. The latter are the price of the admission for the former, and if you want the game you just have to accept the bizarre flaws as the price to pay for everything else.
Yet at the same time, I get no sense from the game of a giant creative vision, or even a strong imagination. It is an exceptionally slick hack-n-slash, and a good example of what this new engine and system can do. The structure is there, with some tweaking, for an RPG that could do a lot more. DA:O’s dull, obvious plot, unbalanced, boring combat, rote quests, pay-for-combat AI, and numerous reality breakers simply get in the way too often for me to regard it as superlative. Yes, I moderately enjoy it, but I’m frankly more curious as to where BioWare will take the DA franchise next. Hopefully, it won’t be into the kind of cookie cutter mode that made those SSI gold and platinum games of the 1990s so interchangeable and ultimately forgettable. There’s a great opportunity here to improve upon a first offering, and I hope BioWare rises to the occasion.
Seems as if they’re not too enamored with the game, and I must say that I don’t really agree with their conclusion. But ah well, guess tastes differ or such.
Anyway, on to some comics. First with some disappointing news as it seems, as The Escapist reports, that the Dragon Age comic has been delayed to April. Here’s what they have to say:
Quote:
The Dragon Age comic series originally scheduled to launch next month has been pushed back to April, while the second issue in the series won't hit shelves until June.
Announced in December, the Dragon Age comics won't retell the story that unfolded in Dragon Age: Origins, but will instead focus on the powerful Circle of Magi, which unwittingly unleashed the Darkspawn on the world centuries ago. "Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars," publisher IDW said in the original announcement of the series. "It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever."
Sounds ominous! Unfortunately, Dragon Age fans are going to have to wait a little longer than they thought to find out what's in store for the world of Thedas; IDW now says the debut issue won't be coming out until April, while the follow-up is scheduled for a June release. Also interesting is the fact that, according to Big Download, best-selling author Orson Scott Card is still "expected" to co-write the series along with Aaron Johnston.
And now, here's a little insight from someone who used to buy a lot of comics. When the first issue of a new series gets pushed back a month and the publisher admits that it'll take another two months to come up with the second issue, things are not going well. Add to that the fact that Card, best known for the Ender's Game series of books, is now "expected" to write the series and it's probably fair to say that the Dragon Age comics may be in for a very rocky ride.
But luckily there’s some other comic news to make up for it. First being that the third page of the Penny Arcade Awakening comic has been released. There’s quite a bit of speculation that the guy in the comic will be the last new party NPC (with the announced onces, the last of which is below, and the returning Oghren making six party members).
But perhaps even more interesting is an entirely new comic available for viewing online. Called Dragon Age: The Revelation it’s been created as a collaboration between Lead Writer David Gaider and fan artist Irma “Aimo” Ahmed. Aimo has been making a ton of Dragon Age fan art, all of which really good, and that drew David’s attention for this collaboration. You can see more of her artwork at her website.
The story of the comic details one of the cutscenes that ended up being cut from the full game in which Morrigan struggles with a dilemma just before the final battle. If you’ve played the game then you know what I mean when I say “it’s just before she meets with you”. It gives the character a lot more depth and, had it been in the game, I know it would’ve made the choice I made right after more difficult. Oh, and I like that they’re referring to the player’s Grey Warden character as “her”. Anyway, well worth the minute or two it takes to read the eight pages.
Sticking with the main game for a moment, there’s a bit more awards-related news. Over on RPGamer they have a “The Top RPGs of the Decade” article where they list what they feel are the five best RPGs in the last ten years. And of course Dragon Age: Origins is in their list. Here’s some of what they had to say about it:
Quote:
But what makes Dragon Age so impressive? The answer is simple: choice. Lots of RPGs offer choices, but Dragon Age really took things a step further by applying the consequences of these decisions to all aspects of the game. Who will live and who will die? Other RPGs have offered this choice, but most tend to end there. In Origins, make a wrong choice and your party members might turn on you. The decisions forced upon you are not clear black and white, but lots of shades of gray, and this more than anything is what sets Dragon Age: Origins apart. Taking up the mantle of a user-created character, players actually play a role and that requires them to make the character their own and live with the choices.
The other games in their list are: Fallout 3, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy X and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. Though I haven’t played their number one (Persona 3), I must say that I don’t entirely agree with their list or their order (I’d personally have Dragon Age take the top spot). For example, I don’t feel that WoW actually fits the title “RPG”. And for another I’m missing Neverwinter Nights from the list (not for its main campaign, but for the community around it). Ah well, different people have different tastes.
Not quote any awards yet, but The Escapist posted their list of nominees (in lots of categories) for their “The Escapist Awards 2009”. And it seems that the people over at The Escapist really like Dragon Age: Origins, since it’s nominated in numerous categories including: Game of the Year, Best RPG, Best PC Game, Best Box Art, Best Voice Acting, Most Intense Death Scene, Most Escapist and the War Hound for Most Companionable Canine. Of course it’s still the question whether it’ll win any of those. It should at least get Best RPG and Best PC Game I think, the others are more questionable (I know what I would choose in each category, but that doesn’t mean that The Escapist agrees ). As far as I know they haven’t said when they’ll announce the winners yet.
Back to Dragon Age: Origins Awakening then. A number of sites, including Voodoo Extreme, have let know that BioWare will have a live demonstration of the expansion this Friday. Here’s their news:
Quote:
On Friday, March 5th, BioWare's Ferret Baudoin will be presenting a live demo of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening over the Xfire network. The action is set to roll at 5:00 PM PST, and demo will offer insight into the level design and will show off some of the new features of the upcoming DA:O expansion. There will also be an interactive chat session where your questions about Awakening will be answered; and there will be prize giveaways during the event.
I suspect that once the demonstration is done the videos will be available somewhere online. We’ll see.
Far to the south of Thedas, nestled between high, forboding mountains, is a place where they say dragons go to die. There, in that harsh and wild land, a dragon at the end of her days would lie down and allow the bitter cold to take her. The Tevinter Imperium believed the tales, and imagined that the bones of these great and ancient beasts must be suffused with power--power they could take for themselves. And thus they sought out the place that their legends spoke of. When they found it, and saw the bones piled upon ancient bones, they named it Drake's Fall.
Over at IGN they have a Hands On Preview for the expansion, giving quite some detail as to the kind of problems you’ll face. As such it might be considered a spoiler, though as you can see in the following quote they don’t consider it spoiling more than the introduction (I’m not sure if I agree considering the detail they go into, but then I haven’t played the expansion yet):
Quote:
It goes without saying, of course, that some of the information that follows spoils the first game. That's assuming of course, that you consider the player's potential to actually do something positive about the Blight as a spoiler. With that said, you won't find any details here that spoil the Awakening story beyond the basic introductory information. We're even holding back on a few specific details for the sake of those who don't want to know absolutely everything about the opening hours of the game.
With the Hands On also come a number of new gameplay videos. Though one might consider them slightly spoiler-ish (if you’re really sensitive to learning even the slightest thing) I don’t think that they’re that bad:
And finally there’s that new party member I mentioned above. As reported by Curse (among other sites) her name is Mhairi and she’s a warrior. Here’s her description followed by the introductory video:
Quote:
Mhairi
When Mhairi was a child, she was enraptured by tales of kings and nobles. All she wanted was to be like them, to fight for what she believed. Betrothed to a trader when she turned 16, she saw the life that lay ahead of her and enlisted in the army instead. Her fierce loyalty and devotion to Ferelden earned her the love and respect of her commanders and brothers-in-arms. King Cailan's betrayal and death hit Mhairi hard, and when she learned of the two Grey Wardens who quelled the Blight almost single-handedly, she vowed to serve the Wardens. When the call came for volunteers to help rebuild the order at Vigil's Keep, Mhairi jumped at the chance to join.
Sounds like a nice character to have in the party.
[link] to Sigrun Q&A at BioWare.
[link] to Return to Ostagar review at Eurogamer.
[link] to Return to Ostagar review at IGN.
[link] to Dragon Age: Origins review at GameBanshee.
[link] to comic delay news at The Escapist.
[link] to Penny Arcade Awakening comic at BioWare.
[link] to The Revelation comic at BioWare.
[link] to Top RPGs article at RPGamer.
[link] to The Escapist Awards 2009 nominees at The Escapist.
[link] to Live Demo news at Voodoo Extreme.
[link] to Dragonbone Wastes info at BioWare.
[link] to Rogue “Shadow” Specialization info at BioWare.
[link] to Rogue Skills and Abilities info at BioWare.
[link] to Hands On Preview at IGN.
[link] to gameplay videos at IGN.
[link] to Mhairi trailer at Curse.
Over the last month or so a couple of previews for the game Two Worlds II have surfaced. Though the first game hasn't been that well received (with a metacritic score of 65 on PC) it looks like the developers might've learned their lesson. And I seem to recall that long ago one of you asked me if I knew anything more about the game. So here you go.
The first preview comes from IGN. The article's tone can probably best be described as "cautiously optimistic". Here's an excerpt:
Quote:
With a development team twice the size of Two Worlds 1's, it's really not just a cheap second ride on the same merry-go-round. And while Two Worlds 1's 360 version was something of a brute-force port of a fairly complicated PC game, this time around console play comes first - so it should hopefully feel that much slicker in the hand. "We made a beautiful engine, then decided to make a console game," says Cromie. "I am confident this is a triple-A game." It's hard to say if we agree or not at this stage - much of the game is still to be shown, most especially the super-secret multiplayer mode, more on which shortly. Two Worlds II's certainly fat with promise and ideas, but it's incredibly difficult to get a good sense of an RPG without immersing yourself in it for several hours.
GamesRadar has a hands-on with the game, giving what looks to be a decent overview of the game. Here's an excerpt:
Quote:
Topware and Reality Pump have learned their lesson. The Polish devs are now focusing where their peculiar strengths lie – the development of the Grace Engine. Mirek Dymek is the technical director, and the Americans at Topware talk about him in awed tones. From the reverential talk of his extreme coding skills, you’d expect an emotionally reclusive savant – so when Mirek finally enters the room, it’s a relief to see a smiling, big-faced gentlemen with a charming line in self-deprecation and a down-to-earth attitude to prostitution (“While I can get it without paying for it, I will.”)
So, there’s plenty of eye-glazing talk about dynamic light sources, 3D surfaces and polygons – but even a casual glance at the screen confirms that considerable work has been done on the old girl. Stone walls look like they’re made of tangible rocks, and they like to flout Health and Safety by suspending flaming torches from chains, at a height that allows you to bump into it. “Look!” you can almost imagine them saying, “that’s dynamic lighting and physics ON SCREEN AT THE SAME TIME!”
BrutalGamer also has a preview. They seem to be quite taken with the improved graphics and are overall quite positive. Here's an excerpt:
Quote:
And this is where our preview properly begins, as this is where we were walked through the game and able to play it. We start off in the incredibly eerie dungeons of Gandohar’s Castle which works as a tutorial-like area for the player, showing the basic mechanics of the game such as running, sprinting and jumping, as well as the new addition of physic-based puzzles, like moving objects to climb to higher places – simple yet effective. As we continued through the dark dungeons, more and more we started to notice how bloody fantastic the game is looking already, and still has months more extra time of polishing ahead of it. As far as multiplatform titles go: this is definitely up there with the best of them. And as we all know that the graphics of any game will add to the atmosphere of any game dramatically, and that is another thing which seemed to be near-perfect.
Another preview can be found over at Cheat Code Central. They too seem to feel that the sequel improves upon the original, making numerous changes to try and fix the flaws of the earlier game. Here's an excerpt:
Quote:
Chief among the changes gamers can look forward to is a revamped combat engine intended to bring more action and excitement to battles reminiscent of a hack and slash experience. Combo attacks are a new addition as well as new blocking mechanics, adding a flair for the defensive-minded. For those that prefer to burn enemies with a fireball, magic is also customizable. Using what has been dubbed the DEMONS system magic cards can be combined to create unique spells suiting whatever aims a player envisions for his character.
VideoGamer has another preview for the game, spread over three pages. It's one of the more informative previews among the bunch. Interestingly this includes some bit of information that there's apparently a sex-scene in the game that the developers mo-capped ("just the movement"). Here's an excerpt concerning the writing:
Quote:
The second thing that jumps out at us is that most essential, but often overlooked, component of the RPG: words. One of the worst things about Two Worlds - and there were many - was the dialogue. "Verily", "forsooth" - words consigned to the vocabulary dustbin hundreds of years ago resurrected for use in a video game. It didn't work. It was embarrassing.
"We realised what happened in the first game and where we needed to go," James admits. "We were happy with the graphics being done on the Grace engine, but could never go down that road again where people in Poland were trying to write a worldwide game in English." Thankfully, what that means for players is, Two Worlds II makes sense.
One more preview can be found at NowGamer, spread across two pages. They too talk about all the improvements and how it, unlike the first game, might actually be quite good. Here's an excerpt:
Quote:
The GRACE engine that drives Two Worlds II is imbued with a fully realised physics system. We were shown swinging hooks on chains, barrels being thrown at other barrels and falling realistically to the floor and rolling around. All standard stuff, but crucial facets in a creating a complete and believable fantasy world. On top of this, with Two Worlds’ often shockingly bad animation system constantly coming under fire, the team has made the decision to almost entirely motion capture all the movement in the game. This is taken to the extent of employing German and Polish Olympic sword fighters to act out the weapon moves, and enlisting Hollywood’s largest mocap suite that specialises in horse riding for all the equine animations.
And the final preview comes from OXMOnline (which, besides looking like someone was playing tic-tac-toe when deciding on a name, is the online site for the official Xbox magazine). Here's an excerpt featuring Orc ass:
Quote:
As the sequel opens, our as-yet-unnamed hero races through a castle and dungeon, following a scantily clad female Orc ninja (or some approximation thereof) who urges you: “Keep your eyes off my ass.” While we can’t comment on said Orc ass, Two Worlds II has a ton of sharp details, from three-dimensional stonewalls to a polished dynamic-lighting system that responds realistically when lightning flashes from the castle’s dark windows.
Overall the game sounds like it could be interesting. Somehow I particularly like the description of the Village Mode online play. As per the VideoGamer preview:
Quote:
It's all down to the new RTS-esque Village Mode. In it, you build your very own city, which must be resource managed to craft powerful, PvP items and defended to keep your citizens from grizzly death. The game throws instanced quests at you, say, for example, orcs ransacking your city, that demand you team up with three friends via a Battle.net-esque lobby system to complete. If you don't bother to defend your city, your population will decrease, and your ability to pump out those shiny resources diminishes. It's like the love child of SimCity and World of Warcraft.
Though for me I'd hope that you could just have a village to invite friends to for socializing. But we'll see.
[link] to Two Worlds II main website.
[link] to preview at IGN.
[link] to hands-on at GamesRadar.
[link] to preview at BrutalGamer.
[link] to preview at Cheat Code Central.
[link] to preview at VideoGamer.
[link] to preview at NowGamer.
[link] to preview at OXMOnline.
[link] to Inside Two Worlds fansite.
[link] to Inside Two Worlds' YouTube channel.
I’ve been sitting on a bunch more bits of Mass Effect 2 for a bit. Nothing too special overall, but if you just can’t get enough Mass Effect 2 then you might find some of this interesting.
Well, dear readers, I've seen the future once again. A game has been released that has challenged the RPG genre and is the harbinger of the future of the RPG. It takes everything that is great about RPGs, trims out all of the useless tropes that plague the genre, and delivers an experience that made me realize that this is what I play these games for.
That game is Mass Effect 2 and I'm going to tell you why it's the future of the RPG.
I must say though that while there are some points I agree with, there’s also a fair bit I disagree with. In fact, looking at Mass Effect 2 it makes me wonder whether it really is a roleplaying game (and not just an adventure game with choices), and that has little to do with the streamlining of the stats system. The article poses that Mass Effect 2 removes everything that is wrong with RPGs (and looking at the planet scanning I disagree with that as well), but it also removes a number of things that are right with RPGs; such as letting players define their own character. And his “pauses” in Dragon Age’s dialogs are actually my moments where the roleplaying happens as my character expresses herself. Maybe asking people to use their imagination when playing is too much though.
But then I often get the feeling that what I mean with “roleplaying game” is something completely different from what most people seem to mean with “RPG”.
Anyway, Kotaku found something interesting: a rap about scanning resources. Called “Those Minerals” and made by Kabuto the Python you can hear it on community music site Tindeck:
GameBanshee has a review for the game. If you still aren’t sure whether to get Mass Effect 2 or not, or are just interested in GameBanshee’s views, then read it at the link. Just know that it contains spoilers for the early game. Here follows an excerpt:
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Sort of surprisingly, when you create a new character in Mass Effect 2, you’re not given a chance to specify anything that happened in Mass Effect. I think it would have been pretty easy to determine some of the major decisions through dialogue (there’s even a sequence where scientists check your memory), but for some reason BioWare chose not to pursue this option. Luckily, there are some web sites out there that store Mass Effect saves, and so chances are that you can find one that closely matches the way you played.
Otherwise, character development in Mass Effect 2 is roughly the same as it was in Mass Effect. There are still six classes to choose between, and you still gain levels and earn points to spend on powers, but there are even fewer ways to build your character now than there were before, and that’s saying something. For example, Mass Effect had several non-combat talents like Charm and Electronics, and you had to strike a balance between those talents and your combat talents. Now in Mass Effect 2, all of the non-combat talents have been removed, and about half of your new powers involve things like choosing different types of ammunition for your weapons.
I’m sure that you’ve noticed that pretty much all the trailers for Mass Effect 2 only show a male Shepard, and so too the original launch trailer. But as BioWare posted on their blog spigyboy made a version of the launch trailer featuring a female Shepard (the first 20 seconds is spigyboy’s intro):
Regarding the Mass Effect: Redemption comic, RPGWatch reported that the preview for the third issue is available now. You can get the preview dirctly as a pdf-file.
Shamus Young has a three-part article titled “Mass Effect 2: Plot Analysis” (part 1, part 2, part 3) over on his site. Since it looks at the plot it is obviously full of spoilers, so read at your own risk. Here is a spoiler-free excerpt though:
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When you plan ahead for a trilogy, then everything can be made to fit, and the three games together can end up greater than the sum of their parts. So many games are written as if each game will be the last, and knowing you have three games to tell your story is a rare and unique opportunity.
BioWare took this opportunity, and pissed it away with Mass Effect 2. The core story is a really small part of the game, which is good because it’s also the worst part of the game. Everything else is polished, engaging, and witty, while the central story features some of BioWare’s sloppiest plot-work in years.
The last review that I’ve seen for the game (so far) is the one over at ShackNews. It’s not particularly long (in fact it’s only four paragraphs) making you wonder why it took them this long to get one up. It’s also not all that positive, even if in the end they mainly conclude that it’s a good game that everyone should play. Here’s an excerpt:
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Mass Effect 2 boasts deep role-playing roots but they belie the game's more action-oriented up-tempo pace. It winds up in a design limbo somewhere between the two, held there by vestiges of traditional design that suddenly feel out of place. The worst of these disrupts the natural ramp up in the urge to see what happens next with a time-consuming process of scanning planets for resources needed to upgrade your crews' equipment.
Over on Critical Gamer there’s a two-part article titled “Mass Effect 2 Deconstructed” (part 1, part 2). This is another spoiler-heavy article that aims to take a deeper look at the game. The first part looks at what things could’ve been improved and the second part looks at why it’s a great game. Here’s an excerpt:
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OK, so Mass Effect 2 is in the middle of the trilogy, its purpose is to bridge the gap between the first and third games. But if the third game in the trilogy is similarly lacking in storyline depth it could do major damage to our retrospective opinion of the series as a whole. A space opera needs its twists and turns and we can’t help but wonder if Bioware had scrapped the over-large roster of companions (bye bye Jacob!), then perhaps the story could’ve been fleshed out a little more. Furthermore, the Collectors contained none of the intrigue or personal incentive of Mass Effect’s villains. Matriarch Benezia lent pathos and mystique to the first game, whilst the treacherous Saren gave us a worthy foe to pursue across the galaxy. The Collectors may have been equally as diabolical in their scheming, but there was no real focal point and no-one to personify their machinations. Instead it seems their purpose was simply to distract us from the Reapers, who are presumably being saved for the final instalment of the trilogy.
For those of you playing Mass Effect 2 on the PC it might be nice to know that BioWare released a patch for it, bringing it to version 1.01. Here are the patch notes:
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Fixed video hitching and crashes related to single core machines.
Single core users may experience short periods of black screen that may last up a few seconds between level loads, cinematic transitions or movies.
In rare cases, some single core users may notice dialog lines in certain conversations may be delayed up to a few seconds.
Fixed an issue where it appears ammunition can be picked up, but can't.
Fixed an issue where all Codex entries were marked as 'viewed', even if the player chose not to view them.
Fixed an issue where weapon icons are re-organized after downloadable content is used.
Fixed an issue where pressing F9 after the mission completion screen reset Shepard to Level 1.
Fixed an issue where remapping the right mouse button blocks camera control in the command HUD.
Fixed an issue where remapping the 'use' command affects the decryption minigame.
Fixed an issue where users were not prompted to restart when logging in to a different EA Online account.
Fixed an issue where movies do not play in DLC.
It is recommended that players reset their keyboard mapping to default values to ensure proper vehicle control.
Added useful messaging during the ME1 save game import.
Weapon icon for henchmen never changes from Collector Assault Rifle.
Czech language - Issues with Czech localization (subtitles) were amended, all text was corrected and improved.
Fixed an issue where the Mass Effect 2 launcher was being associated with files that have no extension.
Fixed an issue where uninstalling the game under Windows Vista or Windows 7 might uninstall Mass Effect 1.
Since I finished the game myself before the patch was released I haven’t tried any of it yet, but I’m assuming that Steam already updated the game for me.
And to close off there’s a “Strategize” video at IGN that gives pointers for how (male) Shepard can hook up with the female companions. Their help seems pretty useless to me (and boils down to “talk to them a lot and agree with them”), but that’s probably because it’s not really that complicated to romance any of the romanceable characters. It just seems that they could’ve done a bit more with the video. Either way, here it is:
And that’s all of it for now. Though I’ve got some bits here and there for a number of other games as well, I’ll post those at a later date.
[link] to “future of RPG” article at GamerNode.
[link] to planet scan rap at Kotaku.
[link] to review at GameBanshee.
[link] to female launch trailer at BioBlog.
[link] to comic preview #3 at RPGWatch.
[link] to plot analysis part 1 at Shamus Young.
[link] to plot analysis part 2 at Shamus Young.
[link] to plot analysis part 3 at Shamus Young.
[link] to review at ShackNews.
[link] to Deconstructed article part 1 at Critical Gamer.
[link] to Deconstructed article part 2 at Critical Gamer.
[link] to PC patch at BioWare.
[link] to “Strategize” video at IGN.
). As far as I know they haven’t said when they’ll announce the winners yet.
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