Mass Effect 3 - Xbox 360

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!


Loved:

• Quick save satisfies my obsessive-compulsive streak without a break in the action.
• Heal nearby, downed teammates without medi-gel.
• More guns. With better-than-original-Mass-Effect weapon mods! And easy gun-statistics comparison!! And the Spectre Shooting Range to try everything!!! (The latter two points are essential, and very welcome additions).
  
• Planet scanning in Mass Effect 3 can still be a chore, particularly when searching for similarly named systems/planets to which the story doesn't allow access yet, but it's an improvement over Mass Effect 2.
  
• Removal of Mass Effect 2's hacking and bypass. They aren't missed.
• "Replacement" of Mass Effect 2 heavy weapons with grenade powers.
  
• Significant impact of prior choices. An amazing breadth of characters and decision are reintroduced and revisited.
  
• Multiplayer seems like simple fun, but with reasonably deep customization.
  
• The "Leaving Earth" scene and music broke my heart. The "Mars" score is also great.
• Shepard's armor variants look cool. Ashley Williams and James Vega are especially badass too.
• (SPOILERS!) The unexpected portrayal of the Protheans as belligerent, interstellar despots was a fun, interesting twist.
  

Disliked:

• The impact of Galactic Readiness/War Assets/Effective Military Strength isn't obvious enough. Mass Effect 2 gives the player blatant (if brutal) results for their action (or inaction). (I think this is part of the dissatisfaction some players have with the Mass Effect 3 ending...).
• The Kai Leng confrontations didn't work for me. It felt like Shepard was supposed to have already developed some festering, deep-running loathing for Leng by their second, brief meeting. In my first playthrough, Leng gave a terminally ill friend's death meaning; this was unintentional on Leng's part, but my Shepard just wanted to kill Leng to stop the Illusive Man, not hate him.
  

The ending(s):

What become apparent as (the original) Mass Effect progressed, and more of the Codex was revealed, was that Mass Effect was unlike most console games. It was deep, deliberate science-fiction. When Mass Effect 2 and 3 were progressively faster paced, action-filled romps, I think players forgot (or just weren't aware of) Mass Effect's "hard science fiction" roots.

Loss, sacrifice and dilemma are prominent themes of Mass Effect 3; it shouldn't be a complete shock to see them feature at the finish. I might be more disappointed if the finale was Michael-Bay-flag-waving-nonsense, but I do feel the visuals and the (great) music focus more on the tragedy than the potentially hollow victory.

(SPOILERS!) All three endings seem to lean more toward Renegade than Paragon. Unilaterally decide every sentient should be an organic-synthetic-hybrid to achieve peace-at-any-cost, based on the dubious word of the Citadel-AI that a critically wounded, confused Shepard just met? Renegade. Continue to centrally control all AI, even though that's resulted in mass xenocide every 50,000 years for time immemorial? Renegade. Destroy all AI, including EDI and the Geth, who seem to disprove the Citadel-AI's "endless cycle of chaos" predictions? Renegade. Destroy all Mass Relays no matter what the decision? Renegade.

(SPOILERS!) A trilogy ending that raises more questions than it answers is not a worthy payoff. How do your immediate teammates survive the massacre before Shepard beams to the Citadel? Where in the galaxy do the Normandy crew crash land? What happens to all those left in the Sol system? Does Shepard survive or not? I don't necessarily want the endings changed, but it would be nice to know that those questions will be answered at some point, even if it's in a future game.

The Buzz Aldrin-voiced epilogue is an admirable tribute attempt, but poorly delivered and overly preachy. The ham-fisted "You finished! Now buy more DLC!" message, is also ill conceived.

(SPOILERS!) My suspicion is that this Mass Effect trilogy is to the Mass Effect universe as the The Old Republic is to the Star Wars universe. Trap the Mass Effect allied races in the desperate graveyard that the Sol system has become, so they must work together to solve interstellar travel without the destroyed Mass Relays (and I mean really work together, not just agree to point their guns at the same bad guys at the same time, or follow Ikea instructions in record time).


PS (SPOILERS!) I don't understand why so many players presume Mass Relay self-destruction would have the same results as destroying one by ramming an asteroid into it (as it did in "Arrival"). Google "controlled demolition".


PPS Penny Arcade shared a series of posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) and comics (1, 2, 3, 4) on Mass Effect 3 and its endings.

PPPS Posted early draft to BioWare after Dr Ray Muzyka's blog.

Mass Effect 2 - Xbox 360

Warning: Text and pictures contain spoilers.

In spite of its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed Mass Effect. The sequel was my first pre-order of 2010. I even splashed out for the "Collectors' Edition". (I bet that pun got both grins and grimaces at BioWare...).


The opening task in Mass Effect 2 is to retrieve over 500 MB of DLC including an additional character, missions and equipment. BioWare's recent Dragon Age: Origins featured similar content and this trend is set to continue for purchasers of new copies of EA titles.

Re-using Mass Effect saves is handled well. Veterans are rewarded with additional cash, experience and resources but not anchored to past appearance or class choices.

Mass Effect 2 makes a good first impression. Prettier than its predecessor, it's visual style doesn't seem far from other Unreal Engine 3 titles but if it ain't broke...

Gameplay:

The next revelation is that everything is streamlined. Mass Effect 2's take on RPG is a stark contrast to both its predecessor and the micro-management of Dragon Age. Elements such as leveling up and allocating skill points "intrude" only after discrete missions. All team members get an equal share. No need to worry about who killed what or even whether what was killed at all - completing the objective is paramount, not grinding out XP.

Equipment upgrade and distribution is similarly low-touch and egalitarian, yet still rewarding. Improve one weapon class and the whole team gets a sharper shooter.

Saving is also polished. Autosaves are frequent but not invasive. The most recent mission attempted includes a checkpoint to allow restarts on demand.

Storytelling:

The strong writing continues with NPC-stories and side-quests that are generally darker and more interesting. Needy whiners and inept losers are fewer. In fact, while still unabashedly space opera, the plot feels more mature. There's strong language but, except for one "troubled" recruit, it's used sparingly and the result makes a stronger impact. Physical violence is frequent but rarely graphic (Setting screaming enemy NPCs ablaze during combat doesn't seem to count).

Both humor and gravity are delivered with quality acting. Mordin, The Illusive Man, Engineer Donnelly and Zaeed are some personal favorites.

Shepard's reputation precedes you. NPCs are frequently in awe or in fear of past exploits.

The tale also holds its share of twists and surprises. Major and minor characters from the original re-appear, but they rarely behave as one might expect. The final operation is epic but unfortunately its climactic confrontation feels trite and uninspired.

Gripes:

(May seem nitpicky but two complete playthroughs takes about 100 hours)

• Planet Scanning. It beats Mass Effect's ugly, repetitive side-quests but the novelty wears off quickly and there are dozens (maybe 100+ ?) of areas to explore. It's unfortunate that it's a necessity for upgrades. (It seems like something EDI should be able to do automatically - maybe launch 30 probes for 90% of the available resources?). Also if a planet has been scanned but its resources have been only partially harvested, there's no way to tell other than re-scanning. (An earlier cue for Rich through Depleted would be helpful).
• Care for some ants-in-the-pants or whiplash with your dialogue? Some of the NPCs stand up, wander around, then sit down again every time they answer a question. Others try to look Shepard in the eye while facing in the opposite direction...This tranforms serious conversations, into Benny Hill auditioning for The Exorcist. Characters also still "pop" from one pose to the next far too often.
• Upgrade review menu order. Most things can be upgraded in multiple ways e.g. weapons can use more ammo and deal more physical/shield damage. However names differ for each upgrade so the alphabetical list (which grows long in the later stages) makes it difficult to answer questions such as "How powerful is this weapon class? How good is the ship? How talented are the biotics? How badass is Shepard?". For example:
  • AP Sniper Rifle
  • ...
  • SMG Shield Piercing
  • Sniper Rifle Damage
  • Submachine Gun Damage
  (Weapon codes can be deciphered. It's a cool detail but I didn't see it explicitly explained)
• Talent details. Talent name comes first, followed by text description, then numbers. When descriptions span multiple lines, comparison becomes more difficult than it needs to be. Reversing the description-number order would make this more legible.
• Repeated, idiotic soundbites during battle. This was an issue in the first game and persists in the sequel. It's especially aggravating when a teammate is asked to use a special power and they spout triumphant drivel after ineffectually blasting a wall rather than harming the death-dealing target.
• Using powers from cover. It just doesn't work reliably - again the terrain absorbs the brunt of the firepower. (Maybe biotics and techs just hate the ground?) Intentionally not aiming directly at targets allows projectile powers to curve around obstacles. This helps, but shouldn't it be done automatically? It also means you need to learn two ways of "shooting" and switch constantly between them...
• Ammunition re-fills. If a gun's ammo is depleted at the end of a mission, it starts the next in the same state. An odd inconsistency given the resources ultimately put at Shepard's disposal...(does this also make the game incedibly tough for Soldiers on higher difficulty settings?).
• Inter-NPC banter gone. While lengthy elevator loading is not missed (although I suspect it takes roughly the same time, but looks different), the verbal sparring between teammates is. (Admittedly it's difficult to see where this part of the old experience would fit in the new, denser universe).

Sounds:

The soundtrack by Jack Wall is available. Tracks that stand well on their own include "The Lazarus Project" (very Danny Elfman), "The Normandy Reborn", "Suicide Mission". "Thane" is also worth a spin for those who've "been there, done that". Discopolis from Kris Menace & Lifelike may have graduated from the same school of music. :-)


PS The Firewalker DLC marks a return to vehicle-based exploration and combat, and a new platforming element (??). There are improvements - the Hammerhead is more fun to pilot than the Mako. The level design is more varied than the wastelands of Mass Effect but similarly devoid of features. The Hammerhead is a little fragile so battles (still) devolve into long range shoot-outs against barely visible targets. Both these issues hurt the sense of scale - the Hammerhead seems more toy than a tank. Ultimately the experience is still less rewarding than the standard third-person action and the sparse storyline played out over 5 missions does not compensate. But hey, it's free, so gift, horse, mouth, right? :-)

PPS Evil Val Kilmer? Spaceman Randy Couture?

Mass Effect: Revelation

To paraphrase a friend (who was actually referencing elements of Mass Effect's game plot), Mass Effect: Revelation is a little goofy but ultimately charming.

It's an easy read - about 330 pages of (almost) pulp science fiction. I corral it in that pigeon hole in the most positive sense. Some of the dialog is genuinely funny - there are some great sound-bites. It seems even more like a Hollywood movie script than some of the material I normally peruse.

The book's main selling point was that it was touted as enriching the Mass Effect experience. It delivers in some respects. The novel further justifies humanity's portrayal as the petulant teenager and the Citadel Council's sometime Pontius-Pilate-School-of-Politics attitude. "Infinite" ammo (which never bothered me but was called out by some critics) is explained succinctly (come to think of it, it may also discussed in the game Codex). The batarian race features prominently - they are almost completely absent from the software title.

Where it failed to live up to (my) hopes is in its explanation of Saren's motives. Even after playing the game to completion and reading the book, I still find it difficult to reconcile his (original) goals and actions. Perhaps that's the intent anyway...?

Other issues the book highlights are some of the mild inconsistencies, probably due to technology/design limitations. There simply aren't enough people in the Citadel Wards - the book (and in-game background) describes them as packed. The Normandy is also far too roomy but this can be explained away by its unique nature.

Revelation also contains some spoiler-esque material for one of the chief game plot twists. However it's not that big a deal and the foreshadowing is probably just that much more obvious/enjoyable as a result.

Mass Effect: Ascension, the second book and "sequel" to the game, will allegedly be available in 2008. I think I'll be getting it. :-)

Assassin's Creed - Xbox 360

I'm not normally a fan of stealth action or platform games - Assassin's Creed wasn't on my shopping list until Gabe at Penny Arcade convinced me otherwise.

It is a truly beautiful game. The first sight of Damascus is breathtaking. Player character animation is fluid and graceful. Climbing (one of the key mechanics) is simple to control but still a joy to behold. Horse riding is also well implemented. However combat from the saddle is generally short lived (is there a market here? Sparhawk anyone?).

For me, most scenarios degenerated into sword-fights. Admittedly by "degenerate", I mean morph into beautifully choreographed, visceral steel-play - and I prefer the direct approach anyway. Knife fights can be *very* satisfying, especially on rooftops. :-) [The one-context-sensitive-button approach bugs some players, see below].

The futuristic bent on the medieval theme works surprisingly well. It also serves as a useful plot device for fast-forwarding directly to the action. The story fizzles a little at the close of this installment as the sequel directions are left wide open but I was four-armed [sic] and forewarned about that.

The pseudo-interactive cut-scenes also serve their purpose admirably - presuming that purpose is:

• look very pretty.
• provide further (brief) insight into a character who normally doesn't have a long life expectancy.

'Creed is not perfect e.g. making collectible objects (flags) look like graphical glitches isn't a good call unless the game is completely free of graphical glitches. A Crackdown-like aural cue when the player is close to such objects would have been a welcome addition. On the topic of sound, the NPC dialog can be repetitive, especially for tasks should as "Save Citizen". The combat-camera logic can also be a little unhelpful - it would be nice if it put it back where it came after it temporarily wrests control from the player.

On the whole, I'm glad I bought it. Thanks Gabe!

PS This is a big step closer to fulfilling the Quake to Half-Life 2, Crackdown to ???, "prophecy". Maybe the sequel(s) will reach those heady heights. ;-)

PPS Zero Punctuation takes a stab.

Mass Effect - Xbox 360

Summary: Gears of War + KOTOR == Mass Effect.

[Credit due to Penny Arcade again for giving me a spoiler-free heads-up on some aspects that otherwise might have been rather irritating: 1, 2, 3].

Mass Effect kicks off with the "Western" RPG staple - character creation and customization. The system works reasonably well but only allows for facial configuration (versus something like Saints Row where one can opt to be fat or skinny, slim or muscled or Oblivion where one can choose race). Character sex can also be chosen - this affects how a few NPCs interact with the player.

Before progressing too far, mess with the graphics options. They make a big difference. I disabled "film grain" and was happier with the results. The framerate seemed a little more reliable with "motion blur" off too, but maybe I was imagining things. Anyway, I tweaked the settings to my liking and was very impressed with what I saw.

Give it time. I truly began to be wowed more than ten hours in. (Mass Effect takes an appallingly significant time investment...).

I began playing Mass Effect while I was partway through (and sometimes immediately after) Assassin's Creed. While the cut scenes in Mass Effect are often fantastic, not having camera control during them (as the player does in Ubisoft's title) made them feel very stiff at first...That feeling dissipated after Bioware's product took center stage and by turnabout Assasin's Creed facial animation and static dialog fared worse in comparison.

Combat took a little getting used to. It uses a cover system similar to that in Gears of War and can be similarly unforgiving if you run-and-gun. However when your troupe of high-tech death dealers clears a room of cannon fodder, it can feel badass. You have the option of directing almost every action taken by your teammates but I set them to "Auto" and was satisfied with the results. Some of your fellow combatants can become especially lethal with Sniper Rifles...When someone like that "got your back" it helps (and keeps them out of your line of fire). It's also refreshing to play an RPG where there is (at least some) risk in mosts confrontations - the grinding is not so painful. Having said that, the unarmed enemies introduced in the first mission are repeated too often for my liking. They feel like an easy out on many levels...The "risk" also prompted me to save obsessively.

An unexpected side effect of the combat (and the hours spent playing it) was that my already weak shooter skillz degraded dramatically. Since Mass Effect combat is pseudo stats/dice roll-based one can shoot in the general vicinity of a target and still do quite a lot of damage. Be prepared to have to re-learn how to play Halo 3 etc. after it.

The musical score is apropos solid space opera. (I replayed the opening scenes repeatedly). Unfortunately the music suffers from a broader audio balance problem. It varies from absent, to almost inaudible, to deafening. Dialog suffers even more. Some characters consistently trail off into muffled mumbles. (Kaidan, Garrus - we know you're cool but so are clear, complete sentences!!). I spent too much time trying to adjust settings and each scenario seems to have its own. e.g. I often struggled to hear my teammates' observations (possibly due to spatially sensitive sound) but the panicking (doomed) NPCs down the corridor, spouted repeated gibberish in crystal clear tones.

Unlike KOTOR, all the dialog is spoken. A recognizable cast lends it some extra weight (but I am becoming a little jaded with Keith David). I could have sworn the Codex was read by the same guy who narrated Crackdown but apparently not.

Speaking of the Codex, Bioware built a convincing universe for this title. I peeked in to clarify some confusion on a subplot point and spent about twenty minutes reading up on space combat - it's solid sci-fi. The paperback prequel may be worth considering.

[SPOILER-ish] Ground vehicle driving ranges from fun (on the rolling plains) to uber-frustrating (while trying to reach some areas surrounded by almost impassable cliffs). BTW right bumper fires the cannon! (There are few, if any control prompts in-game - the physical user manual is your best source).

Inventory is far too fiddly. No sorting at all is big omission. In a game that already consumes many hours, spending a large portion of them trying to make sense of lists is not appreciated. Note, red and/or bigger guns shoot better. ;-)

On completion of the game, one has the option to re-start using the same character, levels, skills, any leftover credits and unassigned gear. Some of the achievements also unlock skills for any new characters created using the same Xbox Live GamerTag e.g. 150 assault rifle kills means any new character has the option of using that weapon, even if their class would normally prevent it. Mass Effect must be one of the most difficult Xbox 360 games to earn all the achievements. I guesstimate it at over 100 hours of play (at least 3 times through).

The last level(s) and ending are pretty solid.

I'm grateful that Bioware release "only" one title every couple of years - more often than that, and I would have no life outside the virtual ones they give me.


PS Zero Punctuation shares thoughts (and spoilers).

BioShock - Xbox 360

BioShock offers simple moral choices and a character and weapon enhancement system that bears comparison to Deus Ex. It adds a survival-horror theme and buckets of style - the use of (fore)shadow and sound is wonderful. The score is also fantastic and available to download.

Fortunately, BioShock doesn't (always) take itself too seriously. It boasts some truly cheap (but great) scarey moments. Prepare to be shocked, scream, shoot/swing/zap wildly, scream again then laugh (perhaps a little nervously) while you wipe the sweat from your brow and prepare for the next "surprise".

Creepiness comes in waves. Just when you think you're numb to the violent despair of Rapture, yet another superbly disturbed character is introduced and tips you over the edge again. (Sander Cohen's ode to rabbits anyone?!!). Juxtaposition is used to great effect. Classical music and crazed killers? Got it. Horrifying brutality followed by heartfelt sentimentality? Done and done.

I stuck to my guns and only played this game alone, in the dark, wearing headphones - I recommend the experience. ;-) Would you kindly go and get a copy?

PS In spite of early promise, the critics' consensus is that the Xbox 360 version port of Two Worlds sucks. Also, Assassin's Creed's review scores are suspiciously varied but after reading Gabe's reasoning, I caved and bought a copy. More at a later date...

Project Sylpheed - Xbox 360

I've been enamored with space based flight combat games since I chased womp rats in my T-16 back home. (X-Wing on the PC is an old favorite). Project Sylpheed is unapologetic arcade style action. Missions end promptly with a (often arbitrary) timeout or when primary objective(s) are achieved/failed, whichever comes first.

Playability is a big factor; all cut-scenes can be skipped (yet still watched later as "Extras") and loading times are minimal. Mission briefings are simple, cleanly presented, yet informative affairs. The multi-layer missions are sometimes frustrating but can be skipped after three consecutive failures (which is such an obvious feature but one so often omitted - I'm undecided whether it's a design flaw that the feature exists at all or whether it's a carefully considered addition - I like it either way). A definite gripe is that secondary objectives are never obvious. They're invariably related to destroying *all* the bad guys but it would be helpful if the radio chatter was a little more explicit about them. Also the option to stick it out and attempt to complete them, after primary concerns are dealt with, would be welcome.

Combat and controls are solid except that one cannot automatically lock on (only) primary objective targets.

The roleplaying element is surprisingly addictive; developing and equipping different weapons and mixing combinations to try to find the perfect mashup is an interesting diversion between levels.

Sylpheed's storyline cherry picks the cheesiest moments from from Top Gun, Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars, adds a Square Enix coated veneer and is illustrated with pretty movies.

A varied soundtrack ranging from Orbital-esque beats to Square Enix midi-orchestral beaps, sometimes enhances sometime distracts.

[Spoiler] The final mission is sofa-king-wee-todd-ed (repeat aloud) and a disappointment but doesn't prevent this project delivering a high velocity payload of melodramatic space based action.

PS I haven't played it in high def yet. I might update this after I do...

Wasting time...with Xbox Live demos

There are (at least) two demos currently available on Xbox Live for games that will ship this "US holiday season" where the primary mechanic is temporal manipulation.

• Stranglehold (demo)

Midway's origins are rooted in old-skool arcade games and this demo feels like you just fed a fistful of change into your console - the action is incessant, almost exhausting.

Some sources compare Stranglehold to Max Payne 2 and the primary game mechanic is almost identical - slow time and dive headlong into the violence, guns blazing. It's a tool that worked well for Remedy but Midway Chicago took it and added a large portion of environmental interaction; directed by Mr. John Woo the player can vault over, jump on, slide along or simply blast apart almost every part of every scene.

While designed as single player, the game is surprisingly fun to play as a group. Thoose not holding the controller seem compelled to point out objects that are yet to be shot to pieces and once a few of the special moves aka "Tequila Bombs", are unlocked, the groans/cheers as bullets-eye-view shots miss/strike hapless targets, soon follow.

It might not change your life but Sergeant Tequila promises some over-the-top fun.



• Timeshift (demo)
  
  Welcome to City 17 Haze Timeshift! Our bland NPCs are compelled to vocalize all their ridiculous internal monologue!
  
  Timeshift looks reasonable but it suffers from barely legible text on standard definition TV. This is a a relatively common problem for Xbox 360 games however most titles avoid the issue on the frickin' HUD...Also friendly NPCs don't seem to cast shadows, giving them that extra edge on believability.
  
  As already mentioned, the main gameplay mechanic is to pause or slow time. If you don't do this, you die, often instantly. Frequent checkpoints offset the resultant irritation but don't cure it.
  
  Timeshift checks the requisite boxes on the (modern) FPS list; crate, barrel, physics, machine-gun/rifle, shotgun, sniper-rifle and grenade are all present. Unfortunately simply showing up, is not enough.
  
  At one point an enemy NPC cried "Why don't you just give up?". Based on this demo I have.

If you want to play with time, play Stranglehold.

Enchanted Arms (last of the dull RPGs?)

Being a launch title for a new console is not an enviable task. Such games rarely stand the light of day, let alone review in retrospect. (Critic-developer-publisher-consoleVendor circle-jerking frequently clouds collective judgment initially).

Enchanted Arms is a by-the-numbers Japanese turn-based-battle RPG. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. Unfortunately it fails to deliver on most levels.

The "characters" are all irritating. In fact, sometimes they seem to vie to be the *most* irritating. The dialog is terrible. ("..." alone is not a sentence. Using it in every interaction does not make it more enlightening). While the English voice acting is entertainingly bad at first, the more characters are introduced, the more grating it all becomes. (It seemed to drive most critics crazy too). There's a slightly more tolerable original-spoken-Japanese option but even that cannot prevent the high pitched screeching of many of the characters...

The storyline is predictable and uninteresting. I've been waiting many hours (more than I'd like to admit) for the hook that will make me give a s**t about what's going on. I have yet to find one.

Enchanted Arms does try something a little different in its grid-based, turn-based battle system. Unfortunately battles soon begin to feel more like repetitive time-filling chores than fun.

I am officially over the standard fare from the Japanese turn-based battle RPG genre.

I'm not interested unless

1. I can customize my character appearance
2. my actions make an appreciable difference to battle outcome(s)
3. those battles are fun and not just filler/the necessary means to increase stats
4. I have some *role* in the decisions my character makes
5. those decisions make a noticeable difference to the story outcome.

or give me compelling characters and an engrossing storyline in lieu of #1, #4 and #5 e.g. Kingdom Hearts series on PS2 from Square Enix.

For some time I've considered the approach taken by most Eastern RPGs to be a (poor) excuse that was permissible only because of the limitations of the last console set i.e. PS2. With the advent of the Xbox 360 (and PS3) those excuses are no longer good enough. Strictly turn-based battles, "random" encounters with invisible enemies, party members becoming invisible while navigating dull environments and being "rewarded" for exploring every dead-end in said environments, need to become part of gaming history.

Fortunately games such as Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata do away with some of these jaded traditions and I hope spell the end of their use in the genre. Both games allow you to see the enemies you encounter and avoid them if you choose. Also, Eternal Sonata's battles, while still turn-based, have a countdown that begins as soon as a character moves, leaving you seconds to decide what action to take - this makes them refreshingly engrossing and exciting.

Roll on Two Worlds, BioShock, Mass Effect, Too Human and Fable 2...(unfortunately several of those titles risk being trapped in Uncanny Valley...but that's a topic for another day...).

Nazis and video games...

I think this is probably funnier if you have a working knowledge of what's happening in the video game industry...(be warned, some of the subtitle grammar is appalling...)

Speak no evil

After gum surgery I found myself under orders to avoid speaking, smiling or anything else that leads to facial movement. That pretty much ruled out human interaction for a few days so I relinquished a Tahoe trip for Brian Glover's birthday and the TNT triathlon team post-spring-season party to sequester myself at home with some new Xbox 360 games. I didn't have very high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised.

• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars
  
  The original games offered some classic moments and it's great to revisit live action cut-scenes. This time round they're a more polished (and slightly bigger budget I suspect) presentation but still offer generous helpings of pig and dairy based produce. TV/movie sci-fi fans will recognize much of the cast (and the series that inspired much of the game's effects). There are even some interesting twists in the storyline(s) (although it doesn't take much searching to find spoilers).
  
  In game, difficulty levels can be frustratingly unbalanced (why no "Restart?" option when a mission is failed??). Building placement could be a little less fiddly too; trying to find a valid spot when only a few pixels make the difference is a little frustrating (especially when the buildings in question are base defenses and your forces are being crushed while you wrestle with the thumbsticks).
  
  To be truly appreciated I suspect it requires a large screen to play on; even sitting just a few feet from the TV I frequently caught myself leaning forward, subconsciously straining to see what individual units were doing or to read text or both. However zooming does reveal an impressive amount of detail. Some later GDI campaign missions in particular are hotbeds of frantic mayhem and movie-esque action. The frame rate tanked in some (later) levels (maybe because there were two AI opponents?) but overall it was pretty solid.
  
  I haven't taken it online yet...Will it be good? Time vill tell...



• Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth II
  
  aka LOTR BFME II, this was the predecessor to C&C 3 so the control scheme is very similar. It boasts high production values; something it shares with Square Enix's collaboration with Disney for Kingdom Hearts I and II. Perhaps movie studios working with game developers on titles not directly related to movies might be a better idea than direct movie to game ports? At any rate EA and New Line continue to deliver on the Lord Of The Rings franchise (Tolkien just did a somersault on the f-word methinks). Transitions from animated cut scenes to (what looks like) static concept art and back again is a very nice touch.
  
  Sea battles suck - you cannot see enough of the ocean to locate units. However the land based combat (which is the vast majority of the game) works well; units are larger and smaller in number than in C&C3 so it is easier to see what's going on. If you like fantasy-real-time-strategy and enjoyed Tolkien's written work, then you should definitely get a copy. (A new copy only cost me $30 too!)
  
  The online experience was surprisingly good. Finding opponents was quick and painless. Lag was a little problematic but tolerable in bigger battles. After being caught by a few rushes and losing two epic struggles I finally gave in and rushed; it works in Middle Earth too.

Shadowrun

• It is not groundbreaking; apperently it's CounterStrike++ for the console.
• It is not the prettiest game; many of the environments seem overly angular and some of the animation decisions are questionable.
• It is not worth the high price (on the Xbox 360 at least).
• But it is like crack; even when you get your ass whupped you can always blame it on a particular race/magic/weapon/tech choice and start over - when you win, you're convinced you found the perfect combo and cannot wait to put it together again.

Getting a game started when you're already in a party seems to take too long. This is offset slightly by the fact that you can normally scan your Xbox Live ex-players list and rejoin folks you played with previously.

Crackdown - Xbox 360

Crackdown is an empty vessel but it can make a LOT of appealing noise. It is devoid of significant characters except for the sarcastic, disembodied voice that serves as co-pilot and tutor to your mute, latent superhuman aka "Agent". Anyone who played GTA or any of its clones will be familiar with Crackdown's open world style. Its contribution to the genre is being able to pick up a "commandeered" car (or Scud missile transport), jump from the street to the roof of a several story building in a single leap while carrying said vehicle, drive said vehicle while atop said building and...take it from there...It sets the bar for future super-hero games and some Spiderman 3 reviews are already comparing that game in a negative light to Realtime Worlds' offering.

The recent downloadable content with additional vehicles and activities is also worthwhile. "Street Racing" Crackdown-style can be particularly entertaining; while your AI competitors try to navigate the city at high speed, you build roadblocks, shoot out their tyres...or whatever takes your fancy.

A friend noted that he considered Quake a tapestry with Half-Life 2 being the masterpiece. It will be interesting to see how future titles paint the bar that Crackdown has raised.

Halo 3: Multiplayer Beta

I entered the Beta through my copy of Crackdown, Agent. I played two matches on the evening of Wednesday May 16th before the service became unavailable and recommended me to play Shadowrun. :P

The service was back up and running on Thursday May 17th and I played about a half dozen Rumble Slayer games.

Initial impressions:

• Matchmaking options seem even more thorough
• Looks a lot like Halo 2. Update: A pretty detailed comparison of both games' graphics.
• Use of the shoulder buttons on the Xbox 360 controller is welcome
• I didn't expect to enjoy using the re-introduced assault rifle but I do :-)

Area 51: Black Site, Xbox 360 teaser

Negatives:

• takes too long to load.
• is ridiculously short in duration, especially for the size of the download! (but I guess it is a "teaser"...).
• looks like a low rent Gears of War.

Positives:

• team commands are lightweight and seem to make an actual difference e.g. direct your teammates to attack a specific target and they normally do a reasonable job.
• special effect the demo closes with is cool (but "solid" objects passing through the characters is definitely not).

Verdict:

Not overly impressed but I seem to remember the demos for its predecessor being inconsistent too; I liked the squad-based-shooter-y type one but was not so keen on the i'm-changing-into-an-alien one (maybe it was better in context?).