As soon as Electronic Arts acquired BioWare, many folks — including myself — believed Mass Effect and its sequel Mass Effect 2 will eventually end up on the PlayStation 3.
That didn’t happen. Or at least not yet.
Hidden away in the PC version of Mass Effect 2 were references to an unavailable PS3 version of BioWare’s critically acclaimed sci-fi epic.
[SFXGame.BioSFHandler_CharacterR?ecord2]m_nMaxRenegade=1900
m_nMaxParagon=1957
m_srXPFormat=340881
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessageXBox?=348754
m_srParagonRenegadeMessageXBox=3?48755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePC=3?48753
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePC=348?755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePS3=?348755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePS3=15?3007
Some people pointed out that these references could be default Unreal Engine 3.0 code found in games such as the PC version of BioShock. However, those people would be wrong. The Unreal Engine doesn’t use “ParagonRenegade” messages.
I don’t think it’s a matter of “if“ anymore; it’s a matter of “when”. When will Mass Effect 2 come to the PlayStation 3? Will the original Mass Effect make it over as well? Many questions and, of course, EA is mum about it.
I wanted to repurchase Mass Effect for the Xbox 360, but I think I’ll hold off on that until we hear something about the PlayStation 3 versions. Why wait? Well, there could be a remote chance that the PlayStation 3 version will be re-worked and improved over the technically sketchy Xbox 360 build.
Who knows? By that time, I could probably pick up the Xbox 360 version for $10 again. Or maybe even have a new PC which can handle Mass Effect with 1080p resolution and at 60 frames per second.
I also wonder how much EA will charge for a three year old port of Mass Effect.
If there was a game out there which embodies the spirit of Batman more than Arkham Asylum, I haven’t played it. (In fact, I’ve never played any game featuring the Caped Crusader, but that’s besides the point.) The PlayStation 3 demo for Arkham Asylum hit the PlayStation Network store this evening and it took me completely by surprise. A lot of effort and love for Batman was showcased through this 1.1 GB demo making it one hell out of a demo.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
Tackling a lengthy role playing game with a flaky disc drive is not a good idea. This was why it took so long for me to play Sakaguchi’s Final Fantasy equivalent for Microsoft. I wish I could have shaken off the Final Fantasy comparisons though. Was it my fault for seeing them? Or was it Mistwalker’s and Feelplus’ for dressing this game with such familiar garbs?
I lay the “blame” with the developers, but not because of appearances. Aside from a few special affects and menu similarities, Lost Odyssey established its own visual identity with some of the most peculiar designs decisions I’ve ever seen. There were soldiers with giant looped helmets, guys wearing armor with exposed mid-drifts and the ability to dress said guys with the most effeminate accessories possible. Still, I liked the designs of the core party members themselves; I’m particularly fond of Seth and Sed’s.
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Crytek already announced their intentions to demonstrate and discuss the next CryEngine revision which will support PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC platforms. They’re touting CryEngine 3 as the hottest middleware out there and are hoping developers will be lining up to use it.
Epic Games will not be undone though. The current middleware giant dropped a few details concerning a handful of updates they’ve included to their highly successful Unreal Engine 3.0. If you remember last year’s Games Developer Conference, Epic Games demonstrated last revision’s updates with Gears of War 2. I doubt they’ll be debuting Gears of War 3 anytime soon so, I’m curious what they could be up to. Another Unreal Tournament? Doubtful.
Anyways, for the curious, here is a list of the changes:
- Unreal Lightmass – A brand new static lighting system
- Content Browser and Search Engine – Allows for quick game asset retrieval
- Unreal Master Control Program – Online community features similar to those found in Gears of War 2
- Massively multiplayer online backend solutions
Here’s part one of my “Gaming with Vin Diesel Weekend”. This week’s PlayStation Store update brought two game demos starring Vin Diesel: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and Tigon Studio’s The Wheelman. This little preview is about the latter.
The Wheelman’s premise was intriguing, promising to be action packed and empowering. Quality wise, I really had no idea what to expect from The Wheelman. The skeptic within me was doubting its technical merits, while the optimist was hoping it would look just as nice as the screenshot above.
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Blood splatter obscures the screen. The cringe worthy sound of metal shredding through leathery flesh clashes against the bloodlust scream of a man who can only be described as a “badass”. It’s the scene which many associate with Gears of War – it’s the scene which helped solidify Epic Games original IP as a premier franchise. Gears of War 2 was on my short list of known quantities – I knew it was going to be good, the only question was, “How good?”
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What’s the occassion? Why it’s The Last Remnant screenshot and artwork day! Seeing how the Xbox 360 version of this Unreal Engine 3.0 Square Enix JRPG is debuting on November 20th, 2008, I guess the JRPG juggernaut decided it was about time to build hype.
And what better way to do it than with janky looking screenshots.
I’m not particularly fond of their technical execution or the overly brown aesthetic. It is supposed to be a JRPG catered to Western tastes, but don’t take it so literally. To be fair, there were shots which I thought were nice, but when you have a batch of 70+ screenshots: some are bound to be good. Oh, and some are a bit old.
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