Mass Effect 3 - is it worth playing? Ryan's Review of Mass Effect 3

Well, the epic finale to the Mass Effect series is here and assuming you have not played the game, or maybe you have but want a different take to the game, you are in luck.  I will share with you my experience with playing Mass Effect 3.

 

Overview / Story of Mass Effect 3

Ah, it is officially War of the Worlds, Mass Effect style.  I got Mass Effect 3 about a month after it came out and I was definitely looking forward to the game, especially after beating Mass Effect 2 twice not long before Mass Effect 3 came out and so I still had Mass Effect 2 still fresh in my memory when playing ME 3.  Storywise, as it turns out the first 2 games in the series seemed to have served to set the stage for the events in the 3rd game.  Saren from Mass Effect 1 and the Collectors from Mass Effect 2 were merely pawns of the reapers, which is an evil alien race basically bent of a genocidal war against the human race and other races they don't like and now in Mass Effect 3, the reapers have arrived and have launched a full scale war across the galaxy (which will definitely remind you of movies and books like Independence Day, War of the Worlds and even Power Rangers, where you get evil alien races trying to conquer the universe), and even Earth is facing possible destruction by the reapers.  Initially commander Shepard was relieved of his duties and was grounded on earth after the events of Mass Effect 2, as well as the expansion pack "The Arrival", namely his temporary alliance with Cerberus (the Alliance did not take kindly to Shepard's involvement with Cerberus) as well as an incident where he destroyed a warp drive in the Batarian sector of space and accidently killing Batarians when trying to keep the reapers from entering the Batarian sector and wreaking havoc early on.  However, once the reapers invade Earth, Shepard is once again called back to duty and it is basically up to him to amass a huge army of all of the races across the galaxy and create the ultimate weapon known as the Catalyst that can be used to stop the reapers.  To make matters worse, Shepard's former allies at Cerberus have gone rogue and the Illusive Man (who was possibly indoctrinated by the reapers) has launched a scheme to control the reapers as well as hinder Shepard's efforts to unite the galaxy against the reapers, forcing Shepard to both take on the Reapers as well as Cerberus (though luckily some Cerberus agents like Miranda and Jacob do remain loyal to Shepard).

 Highlights of the game includes but not limited to:

- Curing or sabatoging the genophage, thus drawing Shepard into the middle of a lenthy conflict between the Salarians and the Krogan races.
- Defending the citadel from attacks by Cerberus
- Regaining the trust of Ashley/Kaiden (their trust of Shepard had been shaken by Shepard's tenure at Cerberus during the events of Mass Effect 2) and Shepard maybe be forced to kill Ashley/Kaiden if he fails to regain their trust.
- Getting involved with the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians
- Lots of side missions too, including defending a biotic academy from Cerberus, diffusing a nuclear bomb on the Krogan homeworld, and many others
- Romance options.  In my renegade game, my guy dated Tali, but it is also possible to strike up a romance (at least from male perspective) with Liara, Miranda, Jack, Ashley, and some of the other female members of the crew.  Also, if you have dated 2 different people during the series, jealousy does ensue too and Shepard is forced into a love triangle.
- Massive Multiplayer mode (by the way, playing multiplayer can help improve your readiness rating.

General review of Mass Effect 3

 

The good:

1. Great storyline.  It is also darker than the previous two installments and is much more epic too.
2. I like how you can make choices in the game and how they impact how things play out.  By the way, the Mass Effect series is very unique in a way that choices you make in Mass Effects 1 and 2 can have a profound impact in Mass Effect 3 too .  For example, if any of your squad mates die in the first 2 games, they are dead for good and do not return in Mass Effect 3.  In Mass Effect 1, Kaiden or Ashley will have been killed off (if you played Mass Effect 1, there was a point where you had to save one or the other, but you could not save both) and the surviving character will appear in Mass Effect 3 (ultimately as a squad mate).  It is also possible to have Wrex killed off in the first game too (he will be replaced by his brother Wrev in that scenario).  In Mass Effect 2, characters who die in the suicide mission (btw, it is possible to keep everyone alive in Mass Effect 2 depending on how well you prepare for the suicide mission and how you did choice wise on the final mission, such as choosing the right specialists for the missions, upgrading weapons, shields and engines before launching the suicide mission as well as how well you were able to keep the loyalty of your crew).  By the way if you want to have romances in Mass Effect 3, for some of the characters, the relationship will have to have been started in ME 2 (such as Tali and Miranda).  Choices can also impact how people perceive you (were you a total jerk or were you a nice guy), who is on the council, and ultimately how the game plays out.  You also have big choices to make in Mass Effect 3 too that will also dictate how things play out too (one example is when you get involved in the war between the geth and the quarians, and at the end of that mission, you can either choose to bring peace to the two races or anhilation to one of the two races).  I've never seen anything like the choice system from the Mass Effect series where choices from one game can affect the other (even the Star Wars Knights of the Republic games did not have this).
3. The game is pretty long too.  Seems to be a little bit shorter than Mass Effect 2 and you don't have nearly as many side missions as you did in Mass Effect 1 or 2, but the story line will take you several days to play through.  By the way, there are expansion packs and additional missions that you can download from Xbox live, but it does cost extra to use them, but they can extend the game quite nicely.
4. Smooth controls
5. Multiple difficulty levels.  Casual players will probably like the easy mode difficulties, while more advanced players and diehard gamers will probably like the harder mode difficulties. 
6. Great voice acting.  I thought that the actors did a pretty good job portraying their roles
7. Lots of suspense and the game will keep you on edge. 
8. I liked the final showdown against the reapers as well as Cerberus.  Even the final confrontation against the Illusive man was pretty cool.
9. Great shooter elements too.  I like how you can customize your weapons as well as the selections of the weapons and abilities you can use.  I remember in Mass Effect 2, the selection was a bit more limited.
10. Excllent Grapics too - just as you would expect from an Xbox 360 game

 

The Bad

1. Like others, I thought that the endings could have been better, though the extended cut expansion pack does make them better and expands on each of the endings. Also I do have to admit that the final confrontation against the Harbinger and the Illusive man were a bit anticlimactic, a good final boss battle would have been awesome.  It would have been awesome to take on the Harbinger in an epic boss battle as well as the Illusive man being turned into a reaper monster that you have to fight.
2. This game might be too dark for some people.  If you thought that Mass Effect 2 was dark (especially during the final mission when you take on the collectors), Mass Effect 3 is significantly darker.  Even towards the beginning of the game when the reapers invade earth, it was pretty much "hell on earth" (much like a scene you would see in the game, Saving Private Ryan with onslaught from the reapers) and there is a scene where a kid (who Commander Shepard tries to help) and a bunch of other people try to escape in a shuttle only to be shot down and destroyed by one of the huge reaper machines (and that is just the beginning of the game).  Also, the entire galaxy is one giant battlefield.
3. I remember having to change disks frequently.  I liked it more in Mass Effect 2 where you only have to change disks twice (once after the horizon mission and once just before you start the final mission).
4. The multiplayer missions do get redundant after a while I know some people will probably like playing alone more.

Final thoughts about Mass Effect 3:
All and all I think Mass Effect 3 was a great game and I bet most if not all fans of the Mass Effect series will enjoy the third and final chapter of the series.  Obviously one can't make everyone happy and there are some downsides to the game too, such as the fact that the game is significantly darker than the previous 2 entries of the series, and the fact that the endings could have been better, but the game definitely has a lot to offer and makes a pretty good conclusion to the series in my opinion.  I found my self playing through the game twice myself and there are several incentives to do multiple playthroughs, such as trying to see how the outcome changes based on the choices you make, having Shepard get in relationships with fellow squad mates (my guy dated Tali in my second playthough, and I thought that was pretty cool).  The game is pretty long too and it will definitely keep you busy for hours if not days. 

Thinking about getting Mass Effect 3?  You can pick up a copy at Amazon.com here!

Mass Effect 4 Sequel? 
I have thought that Mass Effect 3 was the final game in the series, but it seems like there might be another game in the works (at least I have seen articles and rumors on it).  Not really sure what the next game will be about or whether Commander Shepard will be in it, but I suppose there are some sequel ideas I have:
- Prequels trilogy.  I know the Mass Effect series has an extensive back story (such as the story behind the protheans, who fell victim to the reapers long before the main games take place).  Also, the Krogan rebellion would make an interesting game.  There also seem to be events that take place between the games (such as Cerberus taking over Omega sometime between Mass Effects 2 and 3).  I suppose they can also do a "next generation" version of Mass Effect that takes place a whole generation or 2 after the events of Mass Effect 3.  I suppose only time will tell, but I guess we will find out soon enough about upcoming games.  By the way, I don't work for EA games or Bioware, so I have no idea what they are planning so I can only speculate for now.

Ryan Jones
Fellow Xbox 360 Gamer and Amazon.com Affiliate
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What do you think about Mass Effect 3?  Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.

Ryan's Review of Metal Slug XX for the Xbox 360

Hey guys, today I am going to be posting my review on the Xbox Live game, Metal Slug XX (also known as Metal Slug 7).

Overall Score (based on my experience): A-

By the way, here is a short video from Youtube showing off the first 2 levels in the game.


Overview and story (warning, this section contains spoilers, as I have played the game already and don't know if you have or not) -

Side by side comparison: doesn't General Morden from the Metal Slug Series look eerily similar to the former dictator, Saddam Hussein (long before he was executed several years back)?

Picture of Saddam Hussein (found on Flickr) Stock Photo of General Morden from the Metal Slug Series (picture found at http://www.gamekult.com/blog/bigbossff/)

Metal Slug XX (aka Metal Slug 7 for the Gameboy DS system) is the latest addition to the hit Metal Slug series and presumably takes place after the events of Metal Slug 6 (which was featured in Metal Slug Anthology for the Playstation 2 as well as the Nintndo Wii).  In Metal Slug XX, the evil General Mordin (the Saddam Hussein look alike that is the main antagonist of the series) is back and is up to his old tricks again, and even recruits soliders from the distant future to his cause and it is up tp Marco, Fio, and all of the other Metal Slug crew to foil Mordin's schemes once again.  Unlike many of the previous installments of the series, were Mordin is merely a pawn of a more sinister plot (such as the alien invasions that took place in Metal Slugs 2, X and 3, a corrupt business man in Metal Slug 4, a shadowy terroist organization in Metal Slug 5, and now mutant man eating insects in Metal Slug 6), Mordin is officially the main villian once again and will also fuction as the final boss character you fight (a first in the series since the first Metal Slug game).  It is also worth mentioning that the super solider, Allen (the Mr T look alike from Metal Slugs 1-4 that you fight) is back and will once again challenge the heros in a fight to the death, this time in a mech warrior style duel in one of the levels of the game.  Also, like in Metal Slug 6, there are several players available (along with a downloadable character if you are willing to pay a little extra) and each of them have their own unique moves and abilities.  Marco can shoot 2 handguns machine gun style when you hit the y button (based on default controls).  Fio (the lady with the orange hair and hat) is automatically equipped with a machine gun instead of the regular hand gun and can't lose the machine gun whenever she dies like the other characters do whenever they die in the game.  Eri has an extra arsenal of grenades and can throw them in almost any direction (up, down, diagonal, straight, etc) and can be extra useful against tough enemies (like boss fights, especially the one at the end of level 4 as you will find out as you play the game) as well as crowd conrol (and there are plenty of times where you will be outnumbered).  Also, the game is 7 missions long (which is actually longer than the average Metal Slug game, which is usually 5 or 6 missions long, which varies by game throughout the series) and it does come with a built in level select feature, which can be useful if you don't want to (or can't) play through the entire game in one setting (which is roughly about 2 hours along if played on the medium difficulty).  Like previous reviews, I will rate this game in a letter grade format (where an F is the worst and an A is the best) and you are free to agree or disagree with me.

Gameplay - B

Metal Slug XX plays out much like any other title in the series.  The game is a classic 2D style shooter that plays out much like a typical Contra game, where it is a side scroller shooter where you you go through the levels, shooting bad guys, avoiding bullets, as well as using special vehicles (scattered in various stages) as you play through each level (mission).  Most of the missions are big and fairly long and have a huge boss or boss machine that you have to fight at the end.  Like all Metal Slug and Contra games, one hit kills you (unless if you are driving one of the many vehicles in the game, in which case it usually takes several hits to kill you) and you do get 3 lives before you get a game over (though the game does come with a continue system).  You can also do 2 players and the Xbox 360 version does come with an Xbox live mode as well (though I haven't played it yet).  The game also comes with a "combat school" where you replay through the different missions of the game and try to meet certain goals (such as getting 100% accuracy when shooting enemies, not gettign killed, etc) for extra achievements and bragging rights.  By the way, I have read other reviews for this game, and I am actually surprised that some people find this game to be too short, even though it is actually 7 missions long (most Metal Slug games are only 5 or 6 missions long) and does take a little while to beat.  Of course, if you are looking for a much longer game, you might try other shooters like the Mass Effect Series, the Call of Duty series, etc). 

Difficulty - C

If you are a typical player when it come to games like Metal Slug and Contra, you will probably die ALOT in this game, even on easy mode.  Like other games in the series, one hit usually kills your character (btw, if you play as Ralph, you can usually take 2 hits before dying) and the levels do get progressively harder as you play through the game, especially levels 4 - 7 where death is nearly impossible to avoid unless if you have extremely good reflexes and can predict the enemies' movies (though I have seen Youtube videos of people playing through games like Metal Slug XX where they never die, let along get a game over, which is definitely an impressive feat to accomplish).  And there are places, where you are bound to die alot, especially in a section in level 4 where you battle man eating plants, soldiers and overhead man eating plants at the same time.  Also, I found the final level to be extra challenging, especially towards the end. By the way, if you have special weapons, you usually lose them when you die (with the exception of Fio's machine guns).  Luckily, when you almost inevitably run out of lives, the game does come with a continue system where you can continue in the mission and you do get infinite continues in the game as far as I can tell (which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on how you look at it).  Obviously, if you are looking for a much more challenging Metal Slug game, I recommend you get yourself a copy of Metal Slug 3 for the original Xbox (now that one is extra brutal as far as lives and continues are concerned, especially on the final mission) or even Metal Slug Anthology and turn off the unlimited continues mode (which is on by default, at least in the Playstation 2 version).  Anyways, the game is challenging, but it is definitely beatable (though you will probably go through lots of lives and continues by the end of hte game).

Sound-  A

Personally, I loved the sound and background music in the game.  Also, like in many of the newer installments, the boss music has changed again (at least for the regular bosses), though they did bring back the classic final boss theme at the final boss (the one from Metal Slug 2 when you fight the mothership).  Also, the voice acting and narrating is pretty nice too.

General - A

Personally, this game was pretty fun for me and where there are some things I didn't like, I definitely recommend this game to any of you who are into arcade style shooters and are a fan of the Metal Slug series.  Also, old time fans of the Metal Slug series will be pleased to see some of the recurring themes this game has to offer, including:

1) General Morden returns and is the main villian this time around.  Also, for the first time since Metal Slug 1, you will fight him as the final boss, and this time it is a much more epic boss fight and comes in 3 stages (unlike the anti-climatic battle against him in the first Metal Slug game).

2) Allen is back for the first time since Metal Slug 4.  If you missed him from Metal Slugs 4-6 you will be delighted to hear that he is definitely back and once again he will challenge you to a fight to the death once again (this time in a classic mech warrior style boss battle).

3) The final boss music from most of the Metal Slug games is back as well. 

Anyways, that is all for now.  You can find Metal Slug XX on Xbox live if you are looking for it and it is relatively cheap to download.  By the way, I have not played Metal Slug 7 on the Gameboy DS yet, so I don't really know how the two versions compare, though if you have played the other versions, feel free to share your experiences with them.

Things I like to see in the sequel (assuming they make another Metal Slug game):
1) Some next gen elements (such as 2.5D graphics and comic book style feel similar to that from Mega Man X8 and Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles).
2) Cut scenes and voice acting (that would be cool, especially if they have good voice actors for the characters).
3) 10 levels would be ideal
4) Some roleplaying elements might be cool as well (kind of like how it is in the Mass Effect series).
5) They should also have more stages with alternate routes and exits (like how it was in Metal Slug 3 where most of the levels had alterate routes that yu can take for some extra variety and replay value).
6) Aliens would be nice to have again, like the ones from Metal Slugs 2 and 3.
7) Cater to both casual gamers and hard core gamers (such as making so people can choose to have limited continues or unlimited continues as was the case in metal slug anthology).




Comments? 
Have you played Metal Slug XX yet?  Feel free to share your experiences in the game.  Did you like the game, did you not like the game?  What would you like to see in Metal Slug 8 (whenever they release it) and no I don't work for SNK, so I wouldn't know anything about the sequel, though I am assuming another sequel is in the works.

Other games you might like:
Metal Slug 7 for the DS - this is the gameboy ds version of this game
Metal Slug Anthology (Playstation 2) and Metal Slug Anthology (Nintendo Wii) (there is also a version for the PSP as well).  Metal Slug Anthology is definitely a must have fore Metal Slug series fans (though sadly they did not make a version for the Xbox 360, so you will have to get a Wii or Playstation 2 if you want to play that game) and features Metal Slugs 1-6 along with Metal Slug X (which is basically an alternate version of Metal Slug 2), and also has special artwork and interviews that you can unlock as you play the game.  The game collection also caters both to casual players and hardcore gamers with variable difficulty modes, variable starting lives, as well as the option to either have unlimited continues (which is on by default) or limited continues (up to 20 continues) if you think you are up to the the challenge.

Mass Effect 2, a must have sci fi adventure on the Xbox 360

You know, I think it is time for another game review.  Yesterday, I talked about Castlevania Harmony of Despair, and today I will talk about Mass Effect 2.  By the way, I did play through Mass Effect 3 twice, though I will talk about that game on another post (by the way, feel free to submit game reviews if you want as realistically I will probably not get to every single game for the Xbox 360 due to time and budget restraints).  Mass Efect 2 has been out for a while and I do have to admit that I am a fan of the game and series.  This game is definitely a must have if you are into science fiction games and films (like Star Trek).  Like in the last game review, I will rate this game under a letter grade ranking system (with an A meaning that the game and features are perfect, while an F means it is lousy).

Above is the official launch trailer for Mass Effect 2 posted by EA on Youtube

Overview / Story - A

If you like science fiction fantasy games and films (i.e., Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Knights of the Old Republic, etc), you will probably love Mass Effect 2.  This game was the official sequel to Mass Effect 1 and is the second of a 3 game series created by Bioware/EA Games.  In this action packed sequel, the game continues the story of Commander Shepard in his quest to ultimately stop the reapers from destroying the galaxy as we know it.  In Mass Effect 1, you played as Shepard (along with his crew) as he/she stopped the rogue specter Saren (who was posessed by a reaper called Soverign) from taking over the galaxy (for more information about the first game in the series, you can either buy the game here or read the article on the game on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_(video_game)). Of course, little did Shepard know is that the story is far from over.  In the prologue of the game, the Normandy (Shepard's ship) gets attacked by a mysterious race called the collectors and was apparently killed during the encounter.  2 years later, Shepard gets resurrected by Cerberus, which is a shadowy organization headed by the Illusive Man which wants to establish human dominance across the galaxy (a spinter group from the Alliance).  Although initially branded as a "terrorist organization" by the Alliance (some of the side missions in Mass Effect 1 even had you fighting Cerberus operatives), Ceberus sets aside their hostilities when entire human colonies begin to "disappear" as a dangerous alien race known as the collectors basicallhy begin launching a genocidal war against the human race by abducting and killing human colonists across the galaxy.  Shepard is forced to forge an uneasy alliance with Cerberus (even against the wishes of the Alliance), recruit a whole new set of squadmates and launch an epic and very survivable suicide mission against the Collector base (which is located literally at the center of the galaxy near the edge of the massive black hole at the galaxy's core).  Some squadmates from Mass Effect 1 (like Tali and Garrus) make their returns as squadmates (though you will have to "recruit" them once again), while others (like Liara, Ashley/Kaiden, and Wrex assuming he survives Mass Effect 1) return as NPC characters and so you will have a whole new set of squadmates this time around, including:

1) 2 Cerberus operatives: Miranda and Jacob (who join your party towards the beginning of the game)
2) A mercenary called Zaeed who was a former Blue Suns gang member and is an expert at combat
3) A salarian doctor/scientist named Mordin
4) A biotic convict female called Jack who was imprisoned on a huge prison ship headed by the Blue Suns who seems to have a grudge against Cerberus.
5) A justicar named Samara who is initially stationed at Illium (a huge Asari colony).  By the way, if you are going evil in Mass Effect 2, you can also replace her with her "evil" daughter named, Morinth , who is like a succubus (she has a reputation for killing people she mates with including Shepard if you decide to romance her).
6) A drell assassin called Thane
7) A prototype Krogan named Grunt
8) A "friendly" geth named Legion
9) A sophisticated female thief named, Kasumi (comes with the "Stolen Memory" DLC that you can buy and download on Xbox live).
10) Tali (who was initially on a pilgrimage) and Garrus (who was going by the alias of the archangel and is initially being hunted down by thugs on Omega (a huge space staion on an asteroid that doesn't have an official government and an Asari crimelord named Ari acting as the leader of Omega).

The game is divided into 3 phases, with several intermissions in between. In phase 1, you recruit your squad mates.  Phase 2 has you doing their loyalty missions (while the loyalty missions are optional, it is recommended that you get your squadmates' loyalty for best results on the suicide mission and plus it extends the game significantly as the game will seem extra short otherwise) along with optional side missions known as N7 assignments (these are pretty much random side missions you can do and have you do various miscellaneous tasks like doing "treasure hunting" on various worlds, fighting pirates, salvaging ships that have crashed, etc).  Phase 3 has you doing the climatic suicide mission against the Collector base.  There are also several extra storyline missions, including 2 where you have to investigate human colonies on Freedom's Progress and later on Horizon, as well as 2 where you have to do some covert ops on collector/reaper vessels.  Personally I liked the storyline, videos, and voice acting.  By the way, if you haven't played through Mass Effect 1, I do recommend playing through that game before doing Mass Effect 2, and there are several benefits of doing so:

1) You get the full backstory for Mass Effect 2, including the story with Saren, Soveriegn, planets you visited in Mass Effect 1 (such as Zhu's hope, Virmire, etc).
2) Choices you make in Mass Effect 1 do effect how Mass Effect 2 (and Mass Effect 3 for that matter) plays out.  Several key choices from Mass Effect 1 includes: did you save Ashley or Kaiden on Virmire (there is a situation where both of them were in dire situations on Virmire and you are forced to save one or the other, but not both) and by the way, while the choice doesn't have much effect on Mass Effect 2 (besides who returns), both become romance options in Mass Effect 3 (for example, if you are male shepard and want to romance Ashley, she will need to have survived Mass Effect 1 for you to play as her).  Other key choices will be Wrex's fate on Virmire (it appears he can be killed off on Virmire too) and if he dies, he will be replaced by his brother Wrev in Mass Effect 2, whether or not you save the council at the end of Mass Effect 1 when the citdel gets attacked by Sovereign, (the council will be more suspicious of Shepard if you didn't save them in the first game), whether Captain Anderson or Udina are the human councilors.  Also, it appears some NPCs do make appearences on Mass Effect 2 if you played Mass Effect 1 (such as Conrad Verner).  By the way, if you haven't played Mass Effect 1, those choices will be made for you (whether you like them or not) though there does seem to be a DLC add on (Genesis) that lets you make the key choices from Mass Effect 1. 
3) Imported Shepards do have their benefits, including extra experience points and power ups, free credits, free resources for upgrades, etc.

Finally, like Mass Effect 1, ME 2 does have a "choose your own adventure" style format where you have control over the conversations, Shepard's actions, etc.  You can either make your guy an "angel" or you can make him a total jerk too.  In mass effect 2, you also have new interupt options that appear on certain conversions, with paragon interupts being where Shepard trys to help or comfort the person he is interacting with, while renegade interupts has Shepard pulling more aggressive responses (such as shooting/threatening someone during arguments).  Also, some of your choices will have an impact on Mass Effect 3 (for example, squad mate who die on the suicide mission will not return in Mass Effect 3 and will usually be replaced by someone else).  By the way, Shepard can enter into relationships with certain squad mates.  As male Shepard, for example, you can enter into relationships with Miranda, Jack, Morinth (though she literally kills your character if you decide to go that route, though it is somewhat funny too), Tali and your first mate, Kelly Chambers.  As female shepard, it appears you can have relationships with Thane, Garrus and Jacob.  Finally, the game does have several possible endings, and it is possible for Shepard and his/her entire crew to die on the suicide missions (it is not supposed to end that way, but it is possible for Shepard to die at the end if you made poor choices both before and during the suicide mission, though personally, I found it much easier to survive the game's final mission than to get everyone killed off).  The only thing I didn't really like about the story is 1) the repuation bars do fill up slowly, and 2) some conversation options pretty much require you to max out your reputation bars (either renegade or paragon).  For example, I remember one part in the game where Miranda and Jack get into an argument about Cerberuse and Shepard is called to break up the arguement.  If you want to keep the loyalty of both crew members, you have to choose the paragon/renegade options, otherwise you will have to side with one of them at the cost of the loyalty of the other crew member, and yet sometimes the paragon/renegade options are unavailable even if you have a high paragon or renegade score, so you would have to commit to either going fully paragon or fully renegade early on in the game if you want to be able to use the extra conversation options (I remember on the Shadow Broker mission too, where in one of the conversations, the paragon/renegade options were greyed out even when I "maxed out" my paragon gauge).. 

Replay value - B

Chances are, you will probably find yourself playing through the game more than once.  There are several possible endings to the game: 1) everyone survives the suicide mission, 2) everyone (including Shepard) dies on the suicide mission, 3) some people survive/die during the final mission, and plus you can get either a parogon/renegade ending too (mostly depends on what you do to the collector base at the end, whether you decide to destroy the base or give the base to Cerberus, though that decision doesn't really seem to affect Mass Effect 3, so it doesn't really matter either way).  Also, there are lots of variables at play (especially if you played through ME 1) and they do affect Mass Effect 3 (for example, if you want to enter in a relationship with Tali or Miranda, you have to romance her in Mass Effect 2, otherwise you will miss out).  It can also be easy to miss things the first time or so around too (such as items you missed the first time).  Also, if you decide to romance squad mates, I found it easy to mess up and miss the opportunities (as the opportunities to get into relationships are limited and usually only come in short windows, where you have to pick certain conversation options for it to work, and you don't always get a second chance at it if you mess up the first time).  Also, unlike Mass Effects 1 and 3, Mass Effect 2 seems to have the most DLC content of all of the Mass Effect games, with extra missions you can download and play (such as the full version of Liara's quest to stop the evil shadow broker who wants Liara dead, as well as a mission that aims to fill the gap between Mass Effects 2 and 3 where Shepard has to do a covert mission on the batarian homeworld and later must make a tough decision to stop the pending reaper invasion, which also serves as a precursor to the events of ME3).

Sound - A
I didn't really notice anything I didn't like about the sound, music and voice acting.  Also, the cut scenes play quite nicely too (by the way, you can usually skip conversations and clip scenes if you want too, usually by pressing the b button, though sometimes that can cause you to automatically choose dialogue options during conversations too, whether you meant to choose them or not).

(to be continued later)
 
  

Castlevania Harmony of Despair Review

In a nutshell, if you are a Castlevania fan (especially the more recent titles, like Symphony of the Night, Portrait of Ruin, Dawn of Sorrow, etc), you will probably like Castlevania Harmony of Despair.

Ah, it's been a while since I posted here last (btw, this is not the only blog I have as I have several other ones as well, along with other stuff).  Lately, I have gotten my "hands" on the game, Castlevania Harmony of Despair for the Xbox 360 (it is on Xbox live) and I do have to say that I definitely like what it has to offer (especially after playing through previous titles like Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin.  Initially, I got the demo version, where you simply play through the first stage of the game, and later got the full version when I got the extra money for it (along with all 5 of the DLC levels as well).  The game is divided up into 6 lenghty levels, where you basically spend time fighting bad guys, collecting powerups from treasure chests, upgrade your character, and ultimately fight huge goulish bosses as you make your way through the stages.  In addition to the initial 6 levels, there are also 5 extra levels you can download as well (though they will cost you extra per DLC level), which can be useful for extending the game significantly if you find the game to be too short (considering that the main game is only 6 levels long).  The game also offers a huge co-op multiplayer mode (which is unique to the series as most other Castlevania games don't offer multiplayer game play) where you can team up with your buddies or people from around the world  and work together through the levels (which can be useful if you find the single player mode to be too difficult).   In this game review, I will rate the game and aspects of the game in letter grades (where an "A" means that it is the best game out there and an "F" means that the game is the worst game out there).  By the way, this review is based on my take of the game and you are free to agree or disagree with me (btw, feel free to comment below about your experiences with this title).

By the way, here is a short gameplay video of the game I found on Youtube (shows some dude playing through level 5 in the game):



1) Storyline - B
The game does borrow from other 2D Castlevania games, so you probably will get a feeling of de ja vu (especially with the boss fights), though the developers to add various twists through the games and levels.  Also the game is somewhat liner (though you do have huge maps to explore) and are filled with a huge array of enemies to fight through, puzzles to solve (for example, some doors require you to flip a switch that you can find hidden in the level).  The game is pretty much arcade style, so you won't get a complex storyline like you would in other games in the series (like Symphony of the Night) full of voice acting and all, but each level is unique and has their own elements.  By the way, Count Dracula is the main antagonist of the game, which will probably appeal to the traditional Castlevania fans (especially considering that not all of the newer titles have Dracula as the final boss).  The game also offers a decent collection of characters you can play as, including Soma (from Dawn of Sorrow), Alucard (Symphony of the Night), Shamoa (Order of Ecclesia), Jonathan (Portrait of Ruin), and Charlotte (Portrait of Ruin), though there are extra characters you can play as from the DLC content, including Julius Belmont, Richter, Simon Belmont, Maria, and others (which can be useful if you want a bigger collection of characters to play as, as well as if there are specific characters you want to play as not offered in the initial game).  Also, each character do have their own power, strengths and abilities.  Alucard, plays alot like the Alucard from Symphony of the Night (though toned down a bit, such as not being able to turn into mist or wolf form indefinitely like he could in Symphony of the Night) and is great at close range combat with a huge array of weapons and swords he can use.  Soma Cruse plays alot like the Soma from Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow and like in those games, not only is he good at close range combat, but he can also absorb "souls" (or abilities) of the characters he defeats.  By the way, like in dawn of sorrow, Soma won't always absorb souls of the enemies he defeats as it seems to happen at random, and by the way, unlike in Dawn of Sorrow, he won't automatically absorb the souls of the bosses he fights like he did in Dawn of Sorrow, so you will likely have play through the same stage and defeat the same bossess several times before obtaining the bosses' souls (which can get redundant and frustrating for some if you are trying to obtain all of the souls in the game, including the rare ones).  Charlotte and Shanoa are the powerful mage characters in the game, and while their regular weapons are relatively weak compared to some of the other characters, their spells do pack a huge punch and can easily desimate otherwise difficult to defeat foes (for example, Shamoa's lightning attack can easily topple dullahans in the game).  Jonathan is a whip user (though he can also use conventional weapons as well like the other male characters) and does have access to the different sub weapons he gets from Portrait of Ruin (such as axes, paper airplanes, richochet rocks, etc).  Of course every character do have their own unique strengths and weaknesses and some will have it easier than others on the levels you play through, so you will probably mix and match them in the game.  My favorites so far are Shanoa and Soma.

2) Difficulty / Gameplay - C
Like most other people who have played Harmony of Despair, I do have to admit that this game is extra challenging and each level does get progressively tougher to play through (especially after level 5), though with all of the power ups and abilities you get, they usually do get a little bit easier over time, though they will take some time, patience and effort.  Of course, if you find single player to be too difficult, then you can always take advantage of the co-op mode on Xbox live and work togther with other players on each level, and there are advantages and disadvantages to the multiplayer mode, which I will explain later.  I have heard about some people quitting after a while (for example people giving up after fighting the infamous Puppet Master boss on the second stage in the game), though each level is masterable and all of the bosses do have their unique patterns and weakenesses for you to learn and exploit (especially the first boss in the game, Gergoth, where his attack patterns are easy to learn and remember).  It is also worth mentioning that each levels is on a timer (usually 30 minutes) which constantly counts down as you play through the levels (when the counter hits '0') your character dies and it is game over, which can be a nuisance to some, especially if you take your time exploring each map, and naturally some levels are longer than others (for example, levels 8-11 can be extra challenging given the huger than normal map layout and all).  By the way, there really is no pause feature (even on single player mode) as the timer will count down and enemies will make their moves even when you need to "pause" the game or change your equipment, weapons, etc and that can be problematic if for whatever reason you need to take a short break of you have interuptions while playing (i.e., having to use the restroom, your family having dinner, phones ringing, someone at the door, etc) as the game will go on with or without you.  Also, your character can take damage from enemies or obstacles (such as when your character falls on a spike) while in "pause" mode, and this can be bad if you have to be away from the game for a little while (for example, your parents serving dinner while you are playing on the level).  In fact, remember recently, I was playing through level 7 and I got interupted and had to be away (everyone else in my family was home and I probably had to empty the dishwasher or something) for a bit, and even though I "paused" the game, by the time I got back, my character died and I had to do the level all over again. 

3) Multiplayer mode - C+
This is a unique feature to Castlevania HOD and I have yet to see another Castlevania game that also has a huge co-op multiplayer mode like the one you see in this game and is comparable to multiplayer modes you would find in games like Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim vs the World, where you can team up with other players (whether it is your buddies or other people from around the world) and work together as a team to play through specific levels of the game (usually chosen by the "host" player).  To get the most out of Castlevania Harmony of Despair, you should probably consider trying the multiplayer mode at least occasionally, and there are seveal benefits and drawbacks to the multiplayer modes:

Benefits
- Great for playing on levels that you are struggling on,  I know that some levels can be tougher than others (especially on the boss fights.
- Up to 6 people can play at the same time (by the way, assuming you each choose different characters, that can be to your advantage as every character does have their own unique abilities, strenths and weaknesses, and naturally you will have some stonger players in each level with you, especially on a typical game with 6 people in your team).
- You can obtain extra abilities earlier in the game.  For example if want more powers and abilities for your characters that you can't obtain earlier in the game, playing on multiplayer can simply that process.  Whenver treasure chests are open, everyone gets a power up in it  This can be especially useful if you are playing as Soma when obtaining the "souls" of your enemies since whenever you or your team mate(s) defeats an enemy, there is a chance you will get that sould power (which can be especially useful if you have some really good players in your team busting through the map as at least in my experience, you can play through the maps you will likely find a random soul powerup seem to pop up out of nowhere and you get that soul).  Also, assuming you are trying to get every treasure chests on a certain level, you might find that some are impossible to obatain on single player (at least for the charater you are playing as).  For example, some treasure chests and shortcuts for that matter will require Shanoa's magnus ability to get at.  Also, in the first stage of the game, there is a purple treasure chest that nearly impossible to get on single player without Soma's "medusa head ability" (which lets you hover as you jump) or Alucard's Mist form.
- You do have access to shortcuts and areas that you could not reach on single player.  For example, on the first stage, there is an elevator that you can use as a short cut to another section of the map that can only be used on multiplayer mode (where one person holds the switch down while you use it).
- Some levels will seem to be shorter and easier (especially if you have some really good characters in your team).  It has happened to me on various occasions, where you get some advanced players on your team who are able to get to the boss before everyone else does and beat them long before you get to the boss (a classic example of this is on level 3, where you fight Menace from Dawn of Sorrow, where someone will likely reach him before everyone else does and take him down rather quickly).
-  Whenever you beat a level as a team, you get credit for beating it no matter how far you are in the game (even on single player mone).  For example, if you just started a game and are on level 1, and you join a multiplayer game that plays through level 6 and your team successfully beats that level, you will get credit for beating that level and be able to jump ahead if you wanted to.     

Drawbacks of Multiplayer mode:
- Considering that the game has been around for a while, there do seem to be less people playing Castlevania Harmony of Despair lately, and even when doing "quick match" you won't always to be able to find a team to join, and that can be a bit frustrating too if you are trying to play on multiplayer mode.  The quick match usually scouts out possible teams you can join and if it finds a team you can join, you will automatically join that team, though it does not always yield teams for you to join, which means that you will have wait and try again.  Of course, you can always start your own team either invite your friends to join (assuming you have friends on Xbox live that have the game) or wait for random people to join your team (which usually doesn't take long if you are willing to wait a few minutes).
- If you go with a random team, you never really know who you will get paired up with and some people can definitely be out of your league (for example, his/her gamings are immensly superior to yours or vice versa).  For example on the last few times I played this game on multiplayer mode, the teams I got paired with usually played "level 10" on hard mode  (Castlevania Harmony of Despair has both a "normal" mode for casual players and a "hard" mode for more advanced players), and my character(s) usually don't last long on level 10 before getting defeated (I am still playing through normal mode as it is on single player, currently on level 9).   Also, you usually do get a few players who really know what they are doing and beat everyone to the end boss on the levels which can make the levels seem shorter than normal and can limit your ability to explore the map.  By the way, if your character dies on multiplayer mode, you will turn into a skeleton and will have to play through the maps in skeleton form unless if someone revives you (and on hard mode, skeletons are weak and can usually be killed within 1 or 2 hits) and each time someone dies, the game seems to penalize the team by reducing the time limit a bit and if everyone dies or the time runs out early, it is game over and you have to start over.  So, you will probably want to be selective on what teams you want to join.  Also, I find that some hosts can be a bit rude at times (especially if you have to make any preparations before a level, such as buying power ups, changing your character, etc).  For example, one time I joined a team and decided to change my character real quick (usually switching between Soma, Alucard and Shanoa), and the host decided to boot me from his team almost immediately (I guess he was in a hurry to start the game he was hosting and didn't like me changing my character).

Controls: A
Personally, I liked the controlls alot (at least the Xbox 360 version), and they are pretty easy to use and master.  By the way, if you need help learning certain moves and abilities, the game does offer a built in game manual that shows how you can use them (for example, copying the abilities of some of your foes as Shanoa, such as lightning and ice attacks).  They should be pretty straight forward. 

Replay value: B+
With so many characters to choose from, multiplayer modes, level designs and all, you will probably find yourself replaying various levels in the game over and over again.  Also, why play as only one character when you can try out the other characters as well?  For example, mage characters can be pretty fun to play as some times as you can hurle fireballs, lightning and similar attacks at your foes and bosses.  Also, there is quite a bit of DLC content and levels (including 2 based on the levels and bosses from Symphony of the Night, along with a level where you basically relive the good ol 8-bit castlevania games, particularly Castlvania 1, with lots of next gen twists and format and even has the classic remixed "vampire killer") music playing in the background as you play through the level you can add to the game if you find the initial game too dull and short as there as 5 additional levels you can download, extra characters you can play as, etc. 

Sound: A
You will probably like the remixed music that the game has (most are from the previous games in the series).  Personally, my favorites were the background musics of stages 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 1).  Also, the boss music is pretty much the remixed versions from the games the boss was originally from (for example, Dracula has the classic remixed version "Dance of Illusions" playing when you fight is 3rd form), The Puppet Master, Menace and Gergoth all have the same boss musics from when you fought them in Dawn of Sorrow, and so fourth.  By the way, as with Sonic Generations, if you don't like the background music on the levels you are playing on, you can always change it from the options menu (though it appears that you do have to beat the level that you want to change the music on at least once either on single player mode or multiplayer mode before you can change it).  Also, I did like the voice acting in the game, for each characters too.

Overall score: B+

I can go on an on about Castlevania Harmony of Despair, but I would give the game as a whole at least B+ as an Xbox 360 game.  It is definitely not perfect, but this game is definitely a must have if you are into the Castlevania series.  Sure the difficulty levels of the game may turn away some people (for example, there is nothing more frustrating when you fight the Puppet Master boss on stage 2 and he manages to kill you off by placing a voodo doll of you into one of the many iron maidens scattered throughout the stage, which can kill you within 1-3 hits depending on how high/low your health bar is) and the game does get progressively tougher as you progress through it (boy if you thought level 2 was hard even on normal mode, just wait till you try level 10 on hard mode even on multiplayer, now that is insane).  Also the game doesn't really have a pause feature (you open up an ingame menu when you hit start or access one of the books scattered throughout the stages that let you change your gear, powerups, etc), and so if you have to use the rest room or have other interruptions while you are playing through each level, you will probably want to keep that in mind, plus the time limit can be a nuisance to some people (and it does count down even if you try to pause the game too), especially on the bigger maps where you have more areas to explore, switches to flip, enemies to fight, etc, specially on level 10.  The multiplayer mode definitely has its benefits and does allow for co-operative play, and can be extra useful for levels you can't get through on your own on singleplayer mode, though it does have its obvious drawbacks too (like playing with people way out of your league or playing levels on "hard mode" when you are not ready for hard mode yet).  Overall, the game is decent and despite the drawbacks of this game, it does have an arcade feel to it, and the levels are pretty fun to playthrough and I do recommend it for almost any Castlevania fans out there.  By the way, the demo verision has you playing through all of stage 1 (better than some games where they cut your gameplay short long before you finish the demo stage, as is the case in Sonic 4 Episode 2, where the game resets before you finish the first level of the game). If you are interested in playing Castlevania Harmony of Despair, you can find it on Xbox Live arcade (I think there is also a version for PS3 and possibly the Wii, though I haven't tried those versions yet).  The game was a bit pricy for me, especially if you decide to get the extra levels as well, but it is defintely worth it.

By the way, have you played through Castlevania Harmony of Despair?  Did you like it or hate it?  Feel free to comment on this post and share your feelings about the game.

Similar games you might like (at Amazon.com).  Note: this is not an exhaustive list of Castlevania games as there are mroe out there of course).

Castlevania Symphony of the Night



Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow


Portrait of Ruin



Order of Ecclesia



Castlevania Lords of Shadow - this is the lastest 3D installment in the Castlevania series and functions as a sequel to Lamment of Innocence and Curse fo Darkness, though the storyline is definitely different from the previous 3D games and is a bit darker too.



Castlevania 1 - this is the original Castlevania game for the NES.  Note: level 10 is inspired by Castlevania 1.


As well as other Castlevania Games


Other similar games you might like includes:
Sonic Generations: this game seems to be Sega's answer to Castlvanis Harmony of Despair and is the latest installment of the 3D Sonic franchise where you pretty much play through remixed and both 2D and 3D versions of various levels throughout the series (including levels from Sonics 1-3, Sonic Adventures 1 and 2, etc) along with other features (I will go into more detail abotu Sonic Generations another time though).

Got Mass Effect 3 recently

Here is another thing worth posting about:  I got Mass Effect 3 lately and beat the game once as a paragon character.  I will post more about this game later.  By the way, here is a trailer for it you are curious about Mass Effect 3


Game features that you might like:
- Epic finale to the Mass Effect series
- The reapers have arrived and chaos ensues and Shepard (who was temporarily suspended after the events of Mass Effect 2) is called upon once again to save earth and the galaxy from extinction at the hands of the reapers (who launch a genocidal war against all races).
- New multiplayer mode (these didn't exist in the first two games in the series) where you team up with other players and battle hordes of enemies across the galaxy, including reapers, Cerberus (they officially become villians in the 3rd game), and geth
- Lots of story and fateful decisions to make (btw, if you played mass effects 1 and 2, some of your decisions and consequences will carry over to Mass Effect 3, for example if squad members die in the other 2 installments, they don't return in Mass Effect 3). 
- Romance storylines - Shepard can have relationships with other squad members.  Also, it appears that if you had 2 different romance partners from the previous 2 games, they will get jealous, which is kind of funny.
- There are multiple possible endings in the game (both good and bad).

I will talk more about Mass Effect 3 later.   By the way, have you played Mass Effect 3 yet?  If so, what are your experiences?  By the way, if you are new to the Mass Effect series, I recommend playing ME 1 and ME 2 first since not only do you get the full back story, but you have more control over what happens in Mass Effect 3 (otherwise major decisions from the first 2 games will be made for you).

Been playing through Castlevania Harmony of Despair lately

Hey guys, sorry it has been a while since posting last (btw, this is not the only blog I have as I have several other ones as well, both here on Blogspot as well as a blog at Instant Blog Subscribers).  Anyways, I recently got the full version of the game, Castlevania Harmon of Despair and it is definitely a classic in my opinion.



I am actually currently on level 6 in the game (technically the last level of the game unless if you have the DLC levels), and I do have to admit that it is pretty fun and challenging too.  Currently, I've been playing through the game as Shamoa (a female mage), though I will probably play through as other characters as well over time.  The game is pretty fun and is defintely a must for Castlevania fans (especially if you enjoyed titles like Symphony of the Night, Dawn of Sorrow, Portriat of Ruin and Order of Eclessia). 

Cool features in Harmony of Despair:

• 6 levels long (though there are 5 DLC levels that you can add too, for much longer gameplay)
• Multiple players to choose from, such as Shamoa, Soma, Alucard, Jonathan, Charlotte, as well as other castlevania characters (some can even be downloaded too, like Richter and Simon Belmont)
• Huge boss fights (especially on levels 2 and 3), by the way, they do get progressively more challengeing as you go along, especially on the battles against Death and later Dracula)
• Has both single player and multiplayer mode
• Lots of power ups and treasure chests.

I will post more detailed review about this game later, but I am definitely a fan so far.  By the way, if you are struggling on the single player mode, I recommend trying the multiplayer mode as it is usually easier on multiplayer mode (especially when you have a bunch of people in your party).

Got Castlevania Portrait of Ruin recently

Here is an update on games I have.  I recently got the game, Castlevania Portrait of Ruin.  The game is a prequel/sequel to Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and in the main game, you play as Jonathan Morris and/or Charlotte Orlean as they battle through Dracula's Castle in their quest to stop the evil Brauner and ultimately the vile Count Dracula.  The game also has several other modes where you can play as Richter Belmont (from the Dracula X and Symphony of the Night), as well as the sisters Stella and Loretta.  I don't have a whole lot of information about this game yet, but it is pretty good so far, much like Dawn of Sorrow in the way (by the way, many of the monsters from Dawn of Sorrow are present in Portrait of Ruin as well, including Lillith, the treasure mimic monster, zephyr and others). 

By the way, here is a trailer for the game from youtube:


Have any of you played Portrait of Ruin before?  What do you think about this game?