Here, have a Mass Effect 2 trailer. No no, it’s free. You don’t have to pay. Go ahead, watch it- there’s a potential spoiler there, so don’t do it if you really care about the plotline of the game. Perhaps you could get someone who doesn’t care to watch it for you and tell you how awesome the cities and stuff look, as well as the epic looking shot of the Normandy, but miss out any spoilers. Just make sure this person is really good at describing stuff. It’s a nice looking trailer.

Bioware are set to be delivering a lecture at the 2009 Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco about the level design process of Mass Effect 2. A detailed description of the level design process is to be shown, and “graphical examples of a level” will be used to back this up. Of course, this mean we’ll be getting new Mass Effect 2 info along with it once everyone pours out of the conference hall. Hit the jump for the full details, but don’t expect anything necessarily interesting unless you’re into game design.

The Iterative Level Design Process of Bioware’s MASS EFFECT 2
Speaker: Corey Andruko (Project Manager, BioWare), Dusty Everman (Lead Technical Designer, BioWare)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Production
Secondary Track: Game Design
Format: 60-minute Lecture
Experience Level: All

Session Description
This session examines the BioWare Mass Effect team’s new level-creation process, which is focused on maximizing iteration for quality while minimizing rework and cost. This approach to building levels strives to integrate the Design, Art, and Production teams such that the highest-risk level-creation issues are addressed early in the development cycle. Lessons learned from Mass Effect lead to a detailed description of the new level-creation process, and graphical examples of a level illustrate its progression through the necessary phases. The discussion also examines how BioWare is currently implementing this process using elements of Scrum and Lean Development.

Takeaway
Attendees will: – Gain insight into some of the major issues the development team encountered while building Mass Effect at BioWare; – Get a detailed look at the Mass Effect team’s new approach to creating levels while avoiding these issues; – Find out how this new process is working for the Mass Effect team; – Learn about new pitfalls the team discovered that can potentially be avoided on future game projects.

Intended Audience and Prerequisites
This lecture is intended for producers, designers, or any game developer involved in planning, specification, or content creation for game levels. An understanding of modern video game development workflows is recommended.

Via the ever-lovely GameZine.

Before we get to our top pick, we thought it might be nice to share with you all of the asses that were considered for this list. Of course, some of these are pretty fine posteriors that you may think are more deserving of Top 10 status than the ones we actually chose, but let me tell you — it was a difficult process, much more difficult than I expected it to be.

‘Not Safe For Work’ content inbound.

Honorable Mentions – The Mass Effect chicks

Even though they were in armor most of the time, the girls from Mass Effect had some pretty nice asses. Fan favorite Tali was unfortunately not one of your choices when it came down to which chick you want to get it on with, something the Internet has mocked us about (slightly NSFW).

Speaking of getting it on, the sex scene is Mass Effect is actually a bit different depending on which girl you choose. Liara (the blue chick) has a longer, more revealing cutscene, and we’ve provided that for you here:

Yes, that was a nice ass, Liara, and we thank you. Even so, it just wasn’t great enough to make the top 10.

The Soul Calibur chicks

The girls of the Soul Calibur games are always making their way into these lists, usually because of their huge knockers. For this list, however, those knockers do nothing to help them in their ranking. Everyone has their individual preference, and you can argue in the comments if you want.

A lot of dudes think Ivy’s the hottest thing in the gaming world, but just because she has more of it and ain’t afraid to show it doesn’t mean it’s actually all that great. Taki also scores points just because her outfit is painted on, and the innocence of Sophitia’s white undies makes her another favorite. Seriously, how could you choose just one? Simple — you don’t. That’s a life lesson right there. When it comes to asses, however, the Soul Calibur chicks just weren’t tight enough to make the top 10.

The Final Fantasy chicks

Specifically, Yuna and Rikku from Final Fantasy X and X-2, and even better are Fran and Ashe from Final Fantasy XII. I’m actually a pretty big fan of Fran’s booty, but I couldn’t find a decent picture or video of her ass anywhere. It wouldn’t be much of post without all of the awesome pictures to go with it, so I decided to put the one nice pic in with the other Final Fantasy chicks as an honorable mention. Sorry, Fran!

Nova (StarCraft Ghost)

Let’s face it: as great as Nova’s ass looks in this picture, she technically doesn’t exist yet in the world of videogames because StarCraft Ghost has never been released. Being that it’s on-hold “indefinitely”, it would be unfair to put her in the top 10 and have her game never come out or have it release with a less beautiful ass than the one we see here. Sorry, Nova, maybe next year.

Other Considerations

As much as I would like to put a description of every ass considered along with an explanation of why they didn’t make it, I’m sure that in the grand scheme of things you really don’t care. What you want is pictures of hot videogame-related chicks’ asses. Understandable. Here are a bunch of butts that I’ve seen recently that were at one point in the running for the Top 10 Nicest Asses in Videogames (click to enlarge):

Dishonorable Mentions – Shahdee (Prince of Persia: Warrior Within)

You actually may be somewhat surprised to see such a nice ass as a dishonorable mention, but there’s good reason for it. When Shahdee initially walks out, you are first greeted to this lovely shot of her good side. Unfortunately, this is followed up shortly thereafter by the reveal that she is actually Leon Kennedy circa Resident Evil 2. This is the kind of girl that begs you to cut off her head. What? Oh, alright, you can just put a bag over it.

Video proof:

While she would never make a ‘Hottest Chicks’ list, Shahdee definitely has what it takes to make a list about round rear ends, even though she’s on the bad side of it.

The Dead or Alive chicks

Let’s face it: everyone seems to think that the pretend innocent sluts of the Dead or Alive series of games are hot. I, too, once fell victim to their charms, but careful study has lead me to the truth — they don’t really have nice asses.

Team Ninja seem to be a bunch of boob men, or maybe they think that most other men are boob men. Either way, the DOA chicks all have huge floppy racks and a decent set of hips, but take a nice, hard look at those asses and what you’ll see is a boxy, flat, boring hunk of booty. Need visual proof?

Sorry I had to do that to you. It’s a difficult truth, I know.

The Rumble Roses chicks (Rumble Roses XX)

Okay, the Rumble Roses chicks have big fat asses. There are lots of people that like big fat asses, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, Rumble Roses girls, but your asses are too fat for this list. I’ll put up one more pic for the people that are into it, just to be a good sport.

Wow, after all of that, who’s left? What ass could possibly be at the number one spot? I know you’re curious, so check back tomorrow for the best booty of them all as we finish off our countdown of the Nicest Asses in Videogames.

All the Asses: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Special Mentions | 1

This rumor is like one of those things that you heard from a friend who heard it from their friend who heard if from their cousin, but it’s too juicy not to share. According to a Gamespot article, Mass Effect 2 is going to feature a five-man squad, along with five player co-op.

Here’s where it gets complicated. This info comes from a post on Colony of Gamers, where the poster claims to have gotten the information from a Norwegian message board. Also, the Gamespot link is totally dead. It just seems fishy all around and I wouldn’t get too excited if I were you.

For shits and giggles, the info also claimed that ME 2 would feature the ability to import your Mass Effect character (which would be awesome), a 120 level cap, and the ability to customize weapons. Also, the game is supposedly going to have a six month timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft for the Xbox 360.

We’re currently trying to get a hold of Gamespot to get their take on it and we’ll let you know when we hear back from them.

Source: CoG via Co-Optimus

Marvel producer guy Avi Arad, the dude behind such fine adaptations as the Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-men movies, has recently snatched up the rights to Bioware’s awesome story-driven RPG Mass Effect.

I personally think Mass Effect is already a movie, but the idea of slicing off all the running around and repetitive alien-squishing to concentrate more on the story certainly could make for a decent two-hour entertainment experience.  Oh yeah, and no load screens, though if they made a joke about an extremely long elevator ride, that could be pretty humorous.

I’m curious to see what the plans are for the license.  Will they simply just remake the trilogy of games into movies, will they incorporate the books into the films, or is there going to be a whole new story that just happens to take place in the Mass Effect universe?  Time will tell on this one… or not.

At this point, there is no other information on the project other than the rights being sold.  Considering the multitude of Marvel movies already slated for production by Avi Arad and crew in the next few years, Mass Effect doesn’t seem like it’s going to be hitting the theaters anytime soon unless it gets put on the fast-track.  There also exists the possibility that Mass Effect was picked up simply because it’s a popular game and nothing will actually become of it.

Avi Arad’s newly formed production company is currently working on another videogame movie that you may or may not have heard of — Lost Planet (which is being written by Solid Snake himself, David Hayter).  We’ll see how that turns out and let that be the gauge for how excited we should be about this Mass Effect movie news… unless it has hot blue alien lesbian scenes, in which case I will totally see it no matter how lame it is.

Source: Variety

The Internet age has lifted humanity up to a fast-paced, easily accessible society. When it comes to console videogames, online gaming has become an essential part of the overall experience.

Ten years ago when a gamer would complete a twelve-hour single player game, the experience was all but over, and the only way to enjoy the game further was to play it all over again, running through the same occurrences with little to no fresh experiences. Flash forward ten years later, and gamers can now rejoice as their short-lived single player experience may now be expanded through the infinite realms of online gaming and downloadable content.

While online play might be something that has been engraved into the videogame industry for over a decade now, downloadable content (DLC) is a newly introduced concept that allows developers to create fresh content such as maps, characters, and items so that a twelve-hour single game experience could be a whole new experience the second or third time through.

Downloadable content is available through the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live and PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Store ranging from prices of $5 to $10, which can be paid with a pre-paid card bought in stores such as Gamestop or with a debit/credit card. Downloadable content varies between games– for example, Rock Band’s DLC is typically a pack of 3 new songs, while Call of Duty 4’s DLC is a bundle of new multiplayer maps which provides the player with a variety of environments.

As a result, those small $5 or $10 investments may add just a few more months of fresh gameplay for that particular title. In 2008 alone, titles such as Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 were friendly to the DLC community. However, there are two titles that promised to appeal heavily to the DLC community, but as of today, they have failed to pursue that promise.

Grand Theft Auto IV

At the time Grand Theft Auto IV was initially announced at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), specifically for Xbox 360 owners, the hype machine was in full swing when it was declared that episodic content would be released exclusively for the 360. After a few delays and long periods of anticipation for new information, GTAIV finally released onto the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles in April 2008.

The game was met with critical accolades, boosting revenue higher for Take Two Interactive and ending a long, seven year wait for the new title. Gamers were finally satisfied, but the DLC announcement is something that Rockstar has been tight lipped on all year. By now, the initial buyers of GTAIV have probably completed the game at least one time, and have delved deep into the title’s stellar online realm. While GTA games in the past have withstood their lifespan without DLC and multiplayer, GTAIV is different in that respect. Microsoft in particular used downloadable episodic content in the title’s marketing.

The planned release for the DLC was set for sometime in early Fall. However, it seems that the wait for episodic content will go on into November or December 2008. Now that September is here and no official word on DLC has surfaced, uneasiness is beginning to settle in the minds of many owners.
We still don’t know when DLC for GTAIV will come about, and what it will contain. Could it be a new plot layered over the current story, or could it be a totally new location such as Vice City? The possibilities are endless, and let’s just hope that whatever comes out will truly live up to the high expectations and appease the masses.

Mass Effect

When Bioware, developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, introduced Mass Effect during the 2005 X05 convention, RPG gamers were instantly taken in by what appeared to be the flagship RPG for the Xbox 360. After the game was released in November 2007, it was met with great praise across the board and brought home a large number of awards.

One of the key selling points was that between all three games (Mass Effect is a planned trilogy), DLC would bridge the games together plot-wise. At least, that was the idea, because ten months into the release, Bioware has only released just one DLC mission that does not bridge the story between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, but rather branches off the main path into something trivial.

Bioware has also been secretive about future DLC, almost to the point where the Bring Down the Sky DLC for Mass Effect will be the first and only downloadable content that gamers see. I was visiting the Mass Effect forums on Bioware’s website and I ran into this statement made by the Community Communications Coordinator, Chris Priestly:

“There may be more DLCs in the future. Currently, we’re keeping our cards close to our chest, so you’ll have to wait and see what we come up with. Stay tuned.”

The choice of words “There may be more DLCs in the future” amuses me. From what we knew, it was a given that there would be multiple DLC packs for Mass Effect, so now it has been downgraded to an uncertain “may be”? Mass Effect is a great game, but it suffers a short playing time as the main storyline can be completed in less than 15 hours, which is short by RPG standards. So while it’s almost a given that DLC is in high demand for Mass Effect, but when will owners ever see more of it?

Each generation of videogames comes with a specific demand from its audience. The 90s was the graphics age and the new millennia brought online multiplayer. Now that online multiplayer has been established, downloadable content will be the next great demand in the next decade. Hopefully developers and publishers will key in on this model and make good use of it. As for Grand Theft Auto IV and Mass Effect, well, we continue to wait.

BioWare, a company that was once a bastion of the PC-iest of PC-centric game design, is forsaking their roots once more as word comes down that they are considering bringing several of their key franchises to the DS, including Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and Dragon Age.

Miles Holmes, the lead designer on the upcoming Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, remarked to Eurogamer that Bioware’s take on Sonic was only the beginning of the company’s move to position themselves in the handheld space, and that the company is looking to produce more handheld titles to support its franchises’ console entries.

“We have a lot of big plans for Mass Effect,” Holmes said. “Having a DS version would be an awesome way to keep interest alive and keep it going in addition to the next one.”

I can see Mass Effect’s gunplay working well on the touch screen, but otherwise the thought is just kinda weird.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

“The fact that so many middle income homes managed to find the money to buy the game (having already purchased the expensive hardware to drive it) indicates that the middle class is in no imminent danger of disappearance,” Medved wrote. “But the decision by so many consumers of every age and income group to invest countless hours of time in the dark world of Grand Theft Auto IV nonetheless demonstrates a threat to American values.”

Medved continues to relate the game to the decline of western civilization on GTA IV specifically, if not in general.

Townhall.com is the same conservative site that hosted Kevin McCullough’s similarly misinformed and poorly executed opinion on Mass Effect which garnered the attention of FOX News.

Let the rolling of the eyes begin.

Medved comes a tad late to the GTA IV auto de fe as the title has already been lambasted by the usual suspects. However, Medved’s insinuations border on the hallucinatory as he accuses GTA of America’s moral decline. In that vein GTA is also responsible for the African AIDS pandemic, global warming and the shrinking of the polar ice-caps, and political repression in China.

I can’t help but wonder where is vaunted conservatism was when he was staring at my girlfriend’s chest at the Seattle preview of Spider Man in 2002.

Source: Townhall.com

After supposedly stating in an interview that the Mass Effect trilogy would be exclusive to the Xbox 360, BioWare reps claim that CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka, in fact, never uttered those words.

The story broke on the Internet via the website XboxOz360, which claimed their source to be the magazine Australian 360.  The quote directly from the magazine is as follows:

“Speaking exclusively to 360 at EA’s European Showcase, BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka restated his company’s commitment to bring the Mass Effect trilogy exclusively to the Xbox 360, despite having been brought up by Electronic Arts and analysts claiming it would go multiplatform.”

So, as you can clearly see, Australian 360 printed the word “exclusively” in their magazine. This apparently must have been a misunderstanding on their part, as BioWare reps claim Dr. Ray “never confirmed any plans of Mass Effect exclusivity for the trilogy,” and that the “site is incorrect”.

So while this doesn’t necessarily rule out the Mass Effect trilogy as being exclusive, it certainly has confirmed that nothing has yet been confirmed.

Source: Joystiq and GameDaily

After confirming that the Mass Effect trilogy would not be coming to the Playstation 3, BioWare CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka commented that “the most important thing is quality, so we’re never going to compromise that.” Does that mean that developing for PS3 would compromise quality?

Here’s yet another instance of nit-picking someone’s words. While most 360 fans will almost certainly assume this is what Dr. Ray was saying (taking a subtle stab at the PS3), I think it’s more than likely he just thinks starting development on Mass Effect for another console would be detrimental to the momentum they already have on the 360.

Mass Effect was always slated as a 360 exclusive and was planned out long before the EA deal. Everyone thought the Mass Effect sequels would go multiplatform because of EA, but BioWare probably feels it would just slow them down. After all, if the 360’s successor is supposed to be out by 2010 (ha!) and the whole Mass Effect trilogy is supposed to be on 360, BioWare is working on a very limited time frame.

Then again, maybe he was ever so subtly professing his love for Xbox since BioWare was Xbox exclusive up until now. Who knows? Dr. Ray knows, but I’m sure he’ll never come out and explicitly confirm anything. That’s just not how BioWare rolls. They remain morally ambiguous and let you, the gamer, decide for yourself.

Source: XboxOz360

As you may or may not know, the PC port of Mass Effect has been delayed. It kinda sucks, but at least we have the consolation of further optimization for the PC (if yours can run it, that is). And if that wasn’t enough, we’re being told that those of you that have been holding off until the PC version are going to be rewarded with the awesome Bring Down The Sky DLC pack that was originally announced for the Xbox 360.

It’s not going to be included on your install disk, which is reportedly going to install an insane 12GB worth of data on your HDD. It’ll be available for download in time for the release of the PC game, for free, so long as you’re a registered member of the BioWare community. If we don’t see another delay, expect it on May 28th Stateside and June 6th for our European brethren.

Press release:

First Downloadable Content Free with Mass Effect PC EDMONTON, Alberta—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), has announced that “Bring Down the Sky,” the first piece of downloadable content for the award-winning space epic Mass Effect™, will be available for PC gamers to download free1 of charge when Mass Effect for the PC releases on May 28, 2008 in North America and June 6, 2008 in Europe.

Fully optimized for the PC, “Bring Down the Sky” is the first in a series of planned downloadable content that will further expand the Mass Effect story and universe. It includes a new uncharted world that introduces the deadly Batarian alien race, approximately 90 minutes of new gameplay and an original soundtrack.

Batarian extremists have hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only Commander Shepard can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

Originally released for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, “Bring Down the Sky” has received critical acclaim as one of the “must have” downloadable expansion packs. Mass Effect has also received critical acclaim throughout the world with more than 80 awards including Console Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year.

The “Bring Down the Sky” downloadable content for PC will be available at the launch of Mass Effect for the PC, and will be free of charge to registered BioWare community members.

An Electronic Arts analyst report has revealed that developer BioWare is working on a new sequel to the massively successful franchise Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

BioWare is known for several quality RPGs, most notably the first KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, and more recently, Mass Effect, to which they’re also working on two sequels.

Obsidian Entertainment took over the reigns for KOTOR 2, but it looks like BioWare is back in the saddle for the third installment. In addition to KOTOR 3 and Mass Effect 2 and 3, the developers are also currently working on the original RPG Dragon Age and possibly another MMO project. It’s a good day to be a BioWare fan.

Via Kotaku

Available at Target!

Gaming website Playfuls.com reported earlier today that in light of Fox’s recent Mass Effect debacle, US retailer Target is pulling the game off of shelves. They didn’t cite any sources, so I decided to make a few phone calls to see what I could dig up.

I called two Target stores in California, one in Santa Rosa (near where I live) and one in Berkeley, and spoke to people in electronics who had heard nothing about it. I then phoned the other end of the country, a Miami, Florida Target, and the employees at that store hadn’t heard anything either. Finally, I checked Target.com and found that they still have the game available as well, with no mention of it going anywhere.

Unless somebody else can prove otherwise, I think it’s safe to say that this rumor is false. That’s good to hear, as the last thing we need is for Target to jump on board this misinformed Mass Effect Porno bandwagon.

Source: Playfuls.com

Now that we’re done with the whole FOX “report” debacle, we can focus on the game itself, not the full frontal digital nudity — and what better way to do so than some damn nice DLC?

For a mere 400 MS points ($5) we’ll be receiving a new world to traverse, a new race to smack down, 90-minutes of your life to waste and 50 gamerpoints to earn. This new undiscovered world will introduce a new race to the already ginormongous codex.

The Batarians, apparently this disturbed little spec of a race saw fit to hijack a ‘mobile asteroid station’ that’s on course for the colony ‘Terra Nova’. And if A meets B, the answer will probably be boom!

Yep, I have no idea what I just said either.

Source: masseffect.bioware.com

Brian from Kotaku and Jack Thompson seem to exchange e-mails fairly frequently, and what came from this exchange may very well shake the ground that we walk on. Jack “I’ll Sue Anything That Walks” Thompson has stepped up to defend Mass Effect, also known as “Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas”. Well, defend is a relative term. Jack actually said, “This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous. Report that, why don’t you?”

Here’s the e-mail exchange as Brian himself posted it:

To: Brian
From: Jack
Immediate News Release – January 24, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV to Be Released April 29; Culture War Begins Now

To: Jack
From: Brian
I like your new glasses.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Wow, as usual you’re grasping the real news here.

To: Jack
From: Brian
I’m surprised you haven’t been looking into Mass Effect.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Why would you be surprised. I don’t see any problem with it. The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about. [Editors note: he may be talking about Debbie Does Dallas dude, see video below]

To: Jack
From: Brian
You mean you’re OK with mass effect?

To: Brian
From: Jack
Of course. This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous. Report that, why don’t you?

Brian, I don’t know how you managed to spike his drink from across the internet but you are a kind man, a scholar, a legend and a god.

And for those of you that missed out on Geoff Keighley and EA standing up to FOX News’ erroneous and downright offensive report of the sex scene that takes place in Mass Effect, please read our coverage of the situation and the eventual retraction by Cooper Lawrence.

If the helmet doesn’t fit, you must acquit.

Source: Kotaku

If there is one lesson the internet has taught us, it is that you should under no circumstance mess with geeks. It’s a lesson Cooper Lawrence is learning the hard way.

After going on an ill-informed diatribe on Faux, excuse me, Fox News about sex in Mass Effect, Lawrence felt the vicious sting of the internet savvy as her book, “The Cult of Perfection,” was digitally sodomized by hordes of vengeful nerds on Amazon.com.

The rating on Amazon has dropped to a single star, and the most popular tags for the book include “ignorant,” “hack,” “bigot” and “hypocrite.” As well as many more tags ranging from humorous to serious and down-right vulgar. My personal favorite has to be “We cut down a tree for this,” or maybe “Alien side cleavage is the death of America.” And the list goes on for four pages. On top of that, there are 59 pages of user comments, and you will be hard pressed to find a positive one. If you’re looking for a chuckle at the expensive of someone you really can’t feel bad laughing at, give them a read.

This little trick is a highly creative way of dealing with ignorant game-bashers, and hopefully will send a message to other “experts” that throwing about misinformation and spouting ignorant hate about our favorite pastime will not be taken sitting down! Well, it probably will be taken sitting down, at a computer. But in the age of the internet, that’s a powerful prospect.

Source: Amazon.com

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times is handing out yearly awards to various games and while most of the choices are no-brainers, there is one that kind of grinds my gears.

First off, let’s touch on a couple of unsurprising choices. Bioshock was awarded the title of “Best Newcomer.” I can’t disagree with that. While I do think the latter half of the game went severely downhill, all the way to the joke of an ending, the other fifty percent was outstanding and warrants massive critical praise (which it got).

What game walked away with the prestigious “Game of the Year” title? That would be Bioware’s epic Mass Effect. Again, I have my disappointments with the game, but for the most part is lives up to its promises. That being said, I personally think that Call of Duty 4 deserves this honor, but I’m not bitter about the choice.

They criticized two popular titles for being “unambitious.” One of the victims was Halo 3, and although I have a blast playing over Live, I’d have to agree. Master Chief’s armor has been polished to a mirror shine, but it’s still the same old armor he’s been wearing all along.

So here’s the part that irks me: the other game tagged as “unambitious” was Super Mario Galaxy. Now, Mario’s latest adventure isn’t perfect, but I don’t know if “unambitious” is the word I would use to describe it.

He comments that the game’s premise is the same old Mario thing, which is largely true, but does that really detract that much from the game’s incredible mechanics? The game’s use of gravity and various cleverly designed worlds is pretty damn ambitious, I would say. I wish Schiesel would have commented on what he did think was ambitious, so that I could know where the hell he’s coming from.

Via New York Times

The notoriously critical UK Magazine has revealed its December edition scores. Another 10 is given, but not to a PS3 or Xbox360 game. Interesting scores this month, with Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect getting the same score. Find out after the jump.

Edge only gave out five 10/10 scores in nine years, but in the last three months there have been three additions; Halo 3, The Orange Box, and now:

Super Mario Galaxy – 10
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – 8
Assassin’s Creed – 7
Crysis – 9
Mass Effect – 7
Call of Duty 4 – 9
Kane and Lynch – 6
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground – 6
The Simpson’s Game – 5
Zack and Wiki – 8
The Witcher – 5
Bladestorm – 8
Castlevania Dracular X – 7
Silent Hill Origins – 7
Hellgate: London – 6
Timeshift – 6
Mutant Storm Empire – 8
Guitar Hero III – 6
Beowulf – 5
Need for Speed: Pro Street – 6

As soon as we find out the magazines pluses and minuses about some of these games we will post them. So check back soon to find out why Bladestorm got an 8/10 and Mass Effect only got 7/10.

While you wait, why not have a read of our reviews here at Ripten.com, which stack up quite well against the very harsh Edge Magazine.

Source: Neogaf

Let’s start with what is incredible about Mass Effect. As a child of the 80’s, I was reared on The Black Hole, Blade Runner, The Last Starfighter, and Enemy Mine — a mix of cult classics and lovable garbage that tried to capture the public’s imagination between Star Wars episodes 4-6.

From the simple but elegant jumpsuits to the cheaply designed aliens and backdrops, Mass Effect ‘borrows’ these elements and I think it’s great. It’s a wonderful style choice that is the opposite of many space adventures that wants to progressively boost the amount of detail and techy crap that usually litters the environment. Simple is good sometimes.

There’s even a film-grain laid over the screen, which shows real dedication to old-school geeks of the genre. Sure, you can turn the grain off, but why would you?

All of the aliens and creatures look like they were designed by the Muppet Factory during the time of Labyrinth and I adore it. Although the animations can get a bit choppy, I give Mass Effect the benefit of the doubt due to the sheer scope of the multi-planet adventure. I’m just willing to look the other way because Mass Effect is about style, not graphics that push the envelope.

To coincide with the visuals, the music is a direct ode to keyboard cheese soundtracks from The Terminator and Escape from New York. This impacted me even more than the film-grain. John Carpenter himself couldn’t have picked a better soundtrack! I tripped out when the music began. It is a Casio-Keyboard classic.

Mass Effect has many ways to draw the player into this universe, like a satisfying character creation option that allowed me to put my visage on screen. This is important, since you have full control of the dialogue your character spews, and essentially, your mood and personality dictate the response you give. There are a lot of choices in the dialogue, and seeing all of this interaction with your face on-screen is strange and cool.

You also have far more options than the black & white of Bioshock. The amount of dialogue is staggering and epic. Everyone communicates, and with so many potential choices and reactions, I doubt the game could ever be played the same way twice. But by hour ten you may shout, “Enough with the damn talking!”

Mass Effect has so many conversations, side-quests, details and monotony that it can be boring, or worse, coma inducing. Casual gamers need not apply. Battles are so few and far between, that it won’t take long for you to wonder if you accidentally purchased the “My Dinner with Andre” video game that Martin Prince once played on The Simpsons.

You have to constantly check journals, talk to people, fetch more items, and talk some more before finally someone will draw a gun and cause a 23 second battle. More action does eventually follow, but it takes a good 5+ hours before you can even planet-hop and take on some real challenges.

I don’t know about you, but 5 hours just to get the ball rolling on a game is 5 hours I typically don’t have. Bioware is telling a long tale here, which is pretty good but takes its sweet time getting the plot across to any players left awake. That is the deciding factor.

Hype is like a snowball, thundering down a mountain, gaining size and momentum as it barrels towards the quaint Swiss ski village nestled below. Mass Effect’s hype may have snowballed, but that doesn’t mean it’s terrible.

It’s a really good game that tries to offer the universe as its playground, but it occasionally simulates a long conversation with the old man at the bus stop who won’t shut up about Aunt Bea’s trip to Maine in 1974.

If RPGs are your thing, then Mass Effect is a fantastic investment. For those who want satisfying action and excitement, I recommend waiting until you have a vacation long enough to play this epic.

While I was under the impression that everyone liked hot lesbian sex, apparently I was wrong. Singapore’s Media Development Authority (sounds so official) has decided to ban Mass Effect due to the game’s inclusion of hot alien girl on human girl action, or “lesbian intimacy” as they so eloquently referred to it.

This is not the first time that an alien has shared an intimate moment with a human being. I clearly recall ET gazing into Elliot’s eyes as he made contact with the young boy’s fleshy limb. Seems like a double standard to me.

Update: 110:14PM EST 11/16
It appears that the intergalactic lesbian love is back on again. Singapore’s Media Development Authority has had a change of heart regarding Mass Effect, and will now be allowing the sale of the game with a Mature 18 rating.

For every one that breaks free, two more get sucked in. As Microsoft’s cleaning crews entered the empty offices once held by the employees of Bungie Studios, another industry giant, Electronic Arts, was finalizing a deal to purchase VG Holding Corp, owners of both Bioware Corp (Mass Effect) and Pandemic Studios (Mercenaries 2: World in Flames & Saboteur).

“These are two of the most respected studios in the industry and I’m glad to be working with them again. They’ll make a strong contribution to our strategic growth initiatives on quality, online gaming and developing new intellectual properties,” said John Riccitiello, EA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We also expect this will drive long-term value for our shareholders.”

Price tag for all this? In the ballpark of $785 million — $620 million in cash to the companies stockholders, and an additional $155 million in equity to “certain employees” of the VG Holding Corp. We are going to go out on a limb and say that the janitor and kitchen crew won’t be seeing any of that dough. Have at the press release after the jump.

EA TO ACQUIRE BIOWARE CORP. AND PANDEMIC STUDIOS

Leaders in RPG, Action and Adventure Genres; Ten Franchises in Development – Six Wholly Owned

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., October 11, 2007 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to acquire VG Holding Corp. — the owner of both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. This acquisition gives EA a strong competitive position in key genres in interactive entertainment: action, adventure and role-playing games. The two studios have been recognized for creating some of the highest-quality games in the industry.

BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios have ten franchises under development, including six wholly owned games. BioWare Corp. is currently developing the highly anticipated Mass Effect, which will be published by Microsoft in November, and is in the early development stages of a massively multiplayer online game. Pandemic Studios is redefining open-world games with its upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ and Saboteur™, in addition to several unannounced projects.

Pandemic Studios and BioWare Corp. employ roughly 800 people across four studios located in Edmonton, Canada; Los Angeles; Austin; and Brisbane, Australia.

“These are two of the most respected studios in the industry and I’m glad to be working with them again. They’ll make a strong contribution to our strategic growth initiatives on quality, online gaming and developing new intellectual properties,” said John Riccitiello, EA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We also expect this will drive long-term value for our shareholders.”

Pandemic Studios is led by Andrew Goldman, Josh Resnick and Greg Borrud. BioWare Corp. is jointly led by Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka. These teams will join the EA™ Games Label run by Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games.

“Pandemic Studios remains focused on attracting the best talent and creating blockbuster action games,” said Josh Resnick, President and Co-founder of Pandemic Studios. “As a worldwide publishing leader, EA represents the ideal partner to bring our titles to market as global entertainment events.”

“We are truly excited by John Riccitiello’s new vision for EA,” said Ray Muzyka, Co-founder and CEO of BioWare Corp. “This vision is consistent with BioWare’s focus on crafting the highest quality story-driven games in the world. It will enable us to further the careers of the passionate, creative and hard working teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin.”

EA will pay up to $620 million in cash to the stockholders of VG Holding Corp. and will issue up to an additional $155 million in equity to certain employees of VG Holding Corp., which will be subject to time-based or performance-based vesting criteria. EA will also assume outstanding VG Holding Corp. stock options. In addition, EA has agreed to lend VG Holding Corp. up to $35 million through the closing of the acquisition.

Transaction and Financial Information

· The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory

· approvals.

· The transaction is expected to close in January 2008.

· On a GAAP basis, the acquisition is expected to be dilutive to EA’s fiscal 2008 results by approximately $0.30 to $0.40 due to non-recurring acquisition-related charges, stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets. This amount is a preliminary estimate based on currently-available information and is subject to change.

· On a non-GAAP basis, the acquisition is expected to be dilutive to EA’s fiscal 2008 fourth quarter results by approximately $0.05. This amount is a preliminary estimate based on currently-available information and is subject to change.