Mass Effect 2: My Thoughts So Far...

Now that we're nearly through the first month of the year 2010 I thought it would be a good idea to write about Mass Effect 2 and my experiences with it thus far.

When it first arrived in my post yesterday I was eager to play it but I could not because I wanted to finish up my second play-through of Mass Effect 1 in order to receive the best reward when porting my character over to Mass Effect 2.

You can imagine my desperation as I still had Feros, Virmire and Illos to complete which took me a good three hours. Once I had completed it and listened to the satisfying credits song for the third time I quickly installed the game and jumped straight back into the world of the Mass Effect series.

Immediately I noticed a huge difference in visual presentation compared to the first game and the performance was much better possibly because the game was actually using the full power of my PC unlike older games which were not designed to use Quad Core technology.

From here I'll be talking about a few minor spoilers that take place from start to about five hours in.

Once I gained control of Shepherd I soon realised the controls had been changed and old mechanics have been removed. The changes that effected me the most was the lack of a radar in the corner and the switching of the "shift" and "space" keys on the keyboard. I soon got used to it though and like it more because it means I can rest my thumb on the "space" key and do most of my actions using just my thumb.

As for story I won't go into details as the game is fairly new but some parts such as the return to the Citadel actually brought out an emotional response. I was expecting the council to welcome me back and honour me for what I did in the first game but instead they dismissed all my hard work and the resulting atmosphere was quite sad and frustrating. It was even more effective because hours ago I had saved their lives by sacrificing my fellow humans in the first game.

You have to admit a game that can do that must be very powerful emotionally and I have to praise the story writers at Bioware because so far they've surprised even me.

At one point you meet your old friend Garrus from Mass Effect 1 and unfortunately he gets shot down by an enemy flying aircraft. I literally said out loud "No, he can't die, that's not fair. He's an awesome character..." Luckily he survives but he is scarred quite badly which again made me feel sad because he hides his injuries with jokes to uplift the mood.

Enough about the story though, as for gameplay, I am impressed with how fluid it feels now. One improvement is the weapons which now fire more accurate lasers that actually sound like guns unlike the "hairdryer" sound effects from the first game. Taking cover is easier now and issuing commands to your squad has been fixed so that you use the "q" and "e" keys instead of the out of reach "arrow" keys.

As for space travel they have also improved that greatly by allowing you to drive a "mini" Normandy. You can fly to a planet and use a new scanning mechanic that is a hell of a lot better than landing on it and driving around doing the same missions over and over in the first game. It allows you to scan the planet for resources and send probes that search for minerals which are sent back to you so that you can upgrade weapons, armour and even the ship. Searching for resources is necessary as the game designers have stated that you can die at the end of the game if you are not prepared.

Overall I'm five hours in right now and I already feel attached to the story and the characters that inhabit the universe. This is going to be a long game since I'm taking my time with it and I hope you do too.

Merry Christmas from Habboi

It's 12:10 and I've just said Merry Christmas a bunch of times to friends on the Internet. I then randomly popped onto my blog and felt it needed something new so here it is!

Anyway I won't be opening the presents until 8:00 or later and since I ordered most of them myself it won't be much of a surprise this year.

Still I look forward to solving puzzles in Scribblenauts and driving a train in Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Earlier today I worked on my university project because it is due on the 11th of January and I've got a fair amount to do such as modelling humans, a wolf, rigging, animating and programming it all to work together.

So I thought I'd get the house out of the way by tweaking it in 3DS Max, optimising it and UV mapping it. One day I'll look back and laugh at the crappy modelling I've done because it's not bad but it was poorly executed due to the way I made it.

I don't intend to work today as it's Christmas and everyone should enjoy the day. The best part for me is the food and I especially look forward to the turkey and stuffing.

Lastly I bought myself a late Christmas present on Screw Attack called AVGN Series 3 which if you don't know is a funny series about a nerd who reviews old games. I don't think I've laughed so hard watching his videos and I especially liked his "Plumbers don't wear ties" episode. Oh did I mention you can watch it all for free? Yeah but by buying the series you support him in the future. Besides AVGN he makes other videos on cinemassacre which are great time passers!

Alright, thanks for reading. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and for all you Brits out there, enjoy Doctor Who. (I know I will.)

EA's Left 4 Dead 2 Event

'This is the building where it took place.'

Last week I was invited to the Left 4 Dead 2 event in London which was created to promote Valve's new sequel to Left 4 Dead 1.

It was very entertaining because we were trained to hit "infected" mannequins with weapons related to the game such as baseball bats, frying pans and assault rifles (although we didn't get to shoot them).


'Food rations and beer.'

There were also food rations and a corner where you could get your face painted to look like an "infected" from the game. (Obviously I opted to look like a Hunter since I was wearing a hoody).


'Infected face paint at its best.'

After hitting the mannequins around and getting our faces painted, we went down to the basement where they had set up four Xbox 360's to playtest the game.


'The gamers' basement.'

The version we played was an early test build that had a few glitches but other than that it was playable and I had a good time playing it. (The EA guy behind me was calling us hardcore because we got to the safe room at the end of the demo although I'm pretty sure it was because Director felt sorry for the people who played before us).

As an owner of the first game on the PC platform I already knew how to play the game so it was easy to pick up. I was very surprised at how good it was to aim with the Xbox 360 controller as my past experiences with FPS games on consoles have been difficult to aim with.

Left 4 Dead 2 is very similar to its prequel except that it is vastly improved with new enemies, weapons, characters, campaigns and an updated director AI which makes the gameplay different depending on how well the player is doing.

I feel that the large amount of game content justifies the price tag; however I still believe that it is too early to release a sequel especially since there are hardly any custom campaigns for the original game.

Lastly I was very excited to meet Valve's Chet Faliszek who shook my hand (still haven't washed them) but unfortunately my camera man was upstairs getting a beer and Chet disappeared as soon as I turned my back. I wanted to ask him about Half Life 2 Episode 3 and try to pry some facts out of him, oh well.

Overall my friend and I had a fantastic time and it was an honour attending. I just hope the next event I go to involves hitting something with a frying pan because that was the best part of the night!

Below are more pictures taken at the event which includes my friend who hit the mannequins so hard that a cricket bat splintered and flesh flew past people's heads. Scary.





(Thanks again Yasir!)

P.S. This is my 50th blog post!!!

Machinarium Review

Machinarium is a flash-based, point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design, the creators of the excellent Samorost series.

The game took an amazing 3 years to create and the end result is something spectacular. The art style is all hand drawn and touched up on the PC and definitely gives the game a unique style that really captures your imagination about the world you are walking in. Speaking of the world, the game features some fantastic animation that brings the characters to life and makes you think "Wow".

I really fell in love with the "thought bubbles" which appear when you don't press anything for a short duration. They show off some of the back-story between the protagonist and his robot girlfriend and generally make you laugh hysterically.


'The art style is really beautiful.'

The game features some of the best collection of songs I have heard in a game this year and I believe that Tomas Dvorak has really captured the feeling of each area that you are playing in. One of my favourite songs is Mr Handagote and you can hear it below:



The puzzles are solved by clicking on objects of interest and either combining them with other objects or using them on the environment to progress. However the overall impression given was that the game featured lots of environmental puzzles but instead I felt that the game had too many logical puzzles and mini-games such as the second arcade machine where you move blocks in a certain order to get to the exit or the brain mini-game where you shoot viruses.

I believe they included a "Space Invaders" mini-game because they wanted to remind the younger gamers about a time when computer games were simple. Unfortunately I feel that they were also used to prolong the life of the game and it worked because the game took me a staggering 8 hours to complete.


'The game features an inventory.'

Now if you are like me and you are not always good at solving puzzles then you can either keep on trying or look up a guide and thankfully, Amanita have supplied an in-game book that unlocks once you pass a little test. You control a little key and have to avoid spiders by shooting them. At the end, the player reaches the key-hole and the book opens up revealing fantastic drawings of what you have to do to solve the puzzle. The only issue I have with this mechanic is that to sway you off doing it again, you have to repeat the mini-game even if you have unlocked it already.

Of course no game is perfect and there are a few issues that have come up during my play-through such as minor glitches where the robot "zaps" to certain places when clicking on objects. I also noticed that certain items could be used on places where they should not have, causing the game to break and forcing the player to restart if they saved it.

I also found that one particular puzzle kept disappearing if you took too long to click and that was especially irritating for my mother who does not play games and was trying to understand the mechanics.


'I love the little references to Samorost. (Make sure to click the robot)'

You may also be surprised to hear that the game was made using Adobe Flash and it is amazing how it compares to professional games which use more complex programming such as C++. I noticed a lot of reviewers complained about the right click function which brings up the Adobe menu and that can't be avoided however the game never specifies to use it which is why I can't understand why they complain about it.

Lastly, I felt that the ending was a little short and without spoiling it I will say this:

If you have seen "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" then think back to the lift scene near the end. Imagine watching it take off and then suddenly it cuts off as the lift smashes through the glass. That's the best way to describe it in my opinion and I really wish they had just added one last scene like in Samorost 2 where the protagonist dances with the space taxi driver.

Overall Machinarium is a fantastic adventure with a beautiful soundtrack and has many thrilling puzzles that even your parents would enjoy solving.

I know mine do...

Play the demo here and please buy it if you enjoyed it because it helps the team develop new games in the future: http://machinarium.net/demo/

(They slowed it down a little in order to make it last longer and in my opinion, the game looks a lot better when playing the full version as it supports fullscreen.)

P.S. I would like to add that the game won the Excellence in Visual Art award at the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival.

Machinarium by Amanita Design

If you've never heard of the Samorost series then you seriously need to open your ears because it is by far one of the most immersive games you'll probably ever play. Go now! Play them for free!

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-1/

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-2/

Now back to the topic, Machinarium. The game is similar to the Samorost series in that it is an artistic, immersive point and click adventure game. The attention to detail is amazing in terms of story and the art that makes up the environment.



Now the game isn't out until the 16th October 2009 but you can grab the demo on Steam and I've heard of a rumoured hidden version with an extra puzzle although you might as well wait till the full game comes out.

One of the best elements in Amanita's games is the music by Tomas Dvorak. I would go as far as to say that it makes the games what they are. Tomas has a real talent for making ambience that really reflects the area that you're in. Very powerful.

Overall there will always be some people who won't enjoy it and in a way I pity them because I just feel it's one of those spiritual games where you really feel part of the world, similar to Shadow of the Colossus.

Pre-order it now! Support the indie developers as it's very difficult to gamble and develop such an adventurous game only for it to not sell well!

(Source Image: http://machinarium.net/gallery.html - Date Accessed: 10 October 2009)

Ahoy Fellow Pirates tis Talk like a Pirate Day

Yar Matey's 'tis Talk like a Pirate Day today and to celebrate this brilliant holiday you can download Tales of Monkey Island (Episode One) FOR FREE YAAAAAAARRRR HARRRR!

Get it ere' right now!

http://www.telltalegames.com/playlikeapirate

Last year I got a post from Chris Applegate who posted some great Pirate games so hopefully he has more this year! Arrrr.

I hope you enjoy your bootyful day! Arrrrrr :D

(Source image: http://brainsonfire.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/Talk_Like_a_Pirate_Day.png - Date Accessed - 19 September 2009)

Dirty Coding Stories

I came across this article on Gamasutra today and I haven't laughed so hard in a long while. I think you need a little programming experience to get some of the stories but it goes to show what it is really like to work in the games industry with a tough deadline.

My personal favourite is the one with the space fix:

"We opened up the text file responsible for the conflict, added a space at the end, and saved it. We looked at each other with huge grins on our faces and said: Ship it!"

(Source Image: http://www.funnyjunksite.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/programmer.jpg - Date Accessed: 26 August 2009)