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Ben’s Week In Review: July 24

This heat wave has to stop. Now.

BioWare, be careful

It's not that I don't believe you, BioWare. It's not that I have doubts about Mass Effect 3 . I've never gotten into the franchise, but the games have been undeniably great. Better still, they've been undeniably great for role-playing fans . What you just said about the gameplay being "more action/adventure-y" has disturbed your followers. That bit about one last chance to make the franchise "truly blockbuster" isn't helping, either. Yes, we're aware of that clarification where you said the RPG depth will certainly remain and in fact, it'll be even deeper than past installments. But we've heard similar claims before. From a company called Square Enix.

Furthermore, while I liked Dragon Age II and it was still an RPG (i.e., it played like an RPG should play), we already saw glimpses of "RPG Lite." A set-in-stone character, no equipment (beyond a complete suit of armor) for your allies, and virtually no exploration via world map or anything like that. Now, you're not really going to assist in killing off this genre with ME3's "action/adventure-y" focus, are you, BioWare? What's next? Guns in The Elder Scrolls ? It'd become a FPS…

If GTAV uses MotionScan, I'll be HAPPY

I've been a huge supporter of this new technology ever since it blew me away in L.A. Noire . I also talked about how such a tech could advance storytelling in the interactive entertainment world. So to combine it with one of my favorite franchises of all time is just icing on the cake ; don't think for a second that GTA can't use it. The series is known for it's gameplay, true, but entries also include big, sweeping storylines and lots of characters. MotionScan would push everything forward. The whole thing would just feel that much more natural and dynamic, and we'd be able to better connect with the characters.

I still wonder why we haven't heard much about GTAV so far. And if Rockstar does plan to implement MotionScan, how far along in development can they be…? That's what worries me a little.

Personal gaming update

So I finally finished inFamous 2 ; I've been savoring it for a long time but I finally had to beat it. I got all the Blast Shards and completed it as a Hero; I'd like to see the Infamous ending but I don't think I'll have time. I also want to finish Limbo ; it's surprisingly long and quite addictive. I just have to conquer the next puzzle! Besides, after the mess that was Call of Juarez: The Cartel , I don't have much to play until Catherine shows up this week. The review scores have been encouraging for that one, and it's quite original, so I'm excited.

We'll let you know when Episode #4 of the PSXE Show arrives in Home. We'll be doing the party on Thursday as per usual; there just aren't enough people around on Saturdays. We've also submitted a group of eight questions (all but one were submitted by readers) to Square Enix, as we promised . Just remember, with translation required, it might take some time. More news coming soon.

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Danny007
Danny007
12 years ago

Yes, Limbo is quite long and takes up very little space on my HDD, which makes me happy. The more space I have, the better. I'm going to need space for the load of games I'll be getting soon.

Plus, I just saw Bad Teacher tonight. I didn't know Kevin Butler was in it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Diaz is getting a little old and busted to be playing those parts. Not that World can't appreciate a cougar, but play your age ya know?

Danny007
Danny007
12 years ago

Yes, I understand. She's 38 now and in my opinion she isn't that great of an actress. They could have found someone funnier, who would have fit the role better.

Clamedeus
Clamedeus
12 years ago

He is? 😮 I guess I'll have to go and see it.

Danny007
Danny007
12 years ago

@Clamedeus… He only has like 3 lines. Just to let you know.

Clamedeus
Clamedeus
12 years ago

Aww. 🙁

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

You know I wanna see it but your right bout Diaz' age. She isn't aging well at all. You know who is though? Is Jennifer Aniston.

Anyways a little sidetracked there.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

Never cared for Diaz. I liked her best in one of her first roles in "The Mask." But that's about it.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

I agree with you all. She's definitely a lightweighter. Charming, by all means, but that in itself does not make a great actress.

Fane1024
Fane1024
12 years ago

I agree about Aniston. She's supposed to be an unwelcome cougar in Horrible Bosses and all I can think is "yes, please".

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I'm just hiding in the air conditioning here in MN, I don't get along with heat. Give me a blizzard over this any day.

I'm not worried about ME3, but I am worried about Dragon Age 3.

I think if Rockstar is using Motionscan it's all under wraps and that's why we haven't seen or heard anything concrete. They would want to make a huge announcement. The game could even be done and just need the faces grafted on for all we know.

I'm playing FEAR2, which has surprised me by being a pretty damn good shooter even if it doesn't handle the horror as well as I'd hoped. I feel more real in it than I do in your typical war game, I actually have a body and legs and stuff. Also bought EDF, which is fun, and Vanquish which I haven't gotten to. I'm up to the third guy in Yakuza 4 and so far the game has a great storyline.

Glad to hear about RE4 and Code Veronica in HD, the new Spartacus, Jurassic Park 4, and a new Underworld (Kate Beckinsale is my woman you bishes). Glad the people who speak English improperly will get Catherine too!

Clamedeus
Clamedeus
12 years ago

I'm with you on that, I HATE heat. I was born in June which probably doesn't make any sense. Lol

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

And why do the Brits and Aussies speak English improperly?

Clamedeus
Clamedeus
12 years ago

They do? O.o

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Honestly Damien I wish I knew since you guys invented the language.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 7/23/2011 10:21:05 PM

TheCanadianGuy
TheCanadianGuy
12 years ago

i'm with yall i hate the heat to i love the the fall best. beautiful weather the best games of the year. new seasons of tv shows. hockey! whats not to love ?


Last edited by TheCanadianGuy on 7/23/2011 10:25:59 PM

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

I blame it on the booze. The amount of drunkards around here… I'm surprised we're not slurring our words by nature.

Claire C
Claire C
12 years ago

@world, and you say I buy a lot of games.. =P

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

To my credit Claire they were all pretty cheap and old. Kinda like Cameron Diaz, HAH

Claire C
Claire C
12 years ago

Look good to me. I'd do her. 😉

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Not saying I'd kick her out of bed.

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
12 years ago

Yeah, we English don't speak proper English like Americans speak 😛

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

@World: You've discovered fear2 just recently too? A funny coincidence, I did the same just a couple of months ago! Its qualities surprised me a lot too. I guess that's more likely to happen when your initial expectations are not too high.
Love it when that happens!

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

World,

Ahhh, Kate Beckinsale one of my most favorite actresses!

Loved her in the her Underworld movies, along with Van Helsing & Pearl Harbor.

Ya know what? Kate was also voted as the most sexiest woman alive by Esquire Magazine too.

Check out one of her vid's here:

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/video/sexy-kate-beckinsale-video

Nlayer
Nlayer
12 years ago

Hey, I have a quick question to the people playing Fear 2. I played the first one and didn't enjoy it too much. Is the second one good enough to spend time playing through?

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

Beckinsale is amazing. Case closed.

OverBerg
OverBerg
12 years ago

I'm really enjoying Limbo so far! The review pushed me over the edge to download and give it a go.

I personally think the term RPG has been stretched way too far. Just because you can put a few character ability points here or there doesn't make the game an RPG (customization needs to be much more in depth, imo). While I enjoyed both ME3 and DA2, I don't consider them real RPGs. Great games in their own right, but not RPGs.

Heat wave is fine in San Diego! 🙂

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

I agree with you about RPG's. Mass Effect is just a clunky 3rd person shooter with half assed RPG elements in my opinion.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Gotta disagree with you this time Jawknee, since the focus of ME isn't on the TPS battles but is on the story and characters, and since it does have all the elements an RPG needs I think it's an RPG.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

I started up ME2 as isaid I would. Only played for about 2 hours and still doesn't feel like an RPG to me. Feels more about the combat if you ask me. Your in a lot of combat situations, lots of action. That's ok though I'm really liking it. The quests so far don't feel like quests as much as they do say a chapter in a shooter. But again I've only played for 2 hours. I'm hoping I pick up more from the RPG elements even though I'm completely satisfied with it right now.

Clamedeus
Clamedeus
12 years ago

I wish it had more customization to the character, more armor to choose, more weapons, and more RPG elements to it as well than what's in it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

It'll open up Bigrailer, I went off mission for weeks in that game.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

Nice excited for that. I love in RPG where I get carried away with other things.

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

I'll take your word for it World as I only completed the one hour PS+ trial. I just didn't like anything about it. I guess it's because I prefer RPG's with magic, swords(or gunblades) moogles and chocobos rather than space operas with clunky shooting mechanics and alien sex scenes.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
12 years ago

I wish I could be at home playing it. I really was enjoying it but I've had a busy weekend. I'll pick it Back up this week and hopefully dive deeper into these RPG elements.


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 7/24/2011 11:54:46 AM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I prefer fantasy stuff as well, I'd count myself somewhere between the ME faithful and Ben's position of not quite being sucked in by it. But I was impressed enough to play it all the way through and enjoy it. The only sex scene I had was with the tattooed bi*** who was very much human so with respect to Captain Kirk, no green or blue women found their way into my bed.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 7/24/2011 2:09:04 PM

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

I kind of wish for a heatwave now… Going to work in the mornings when it's 12 degrees or lower… No.

I do want to get ME2/3, but I've still got DA:O on my shelf barely played, and I want to pick up DA2 to go along with that sooner or later. With those, plus a whole bunch of other games higher on my list, I can't justify them. That being said, a more action/adventure-y feel goes hand in hand with faster pacing, and I don't see how RPG elements can fit it with that well. Maybe I'm wrong and they'll be adding it more engaging elements, rather than upping the pace, but I'll wait for the reviews to pass judgement.

Damnit, I just want R* to say something concrete about GTA: Next. They've been silent too long. And surely, they're not overly busy with this RDR fan pack DLC, L.A. Noire for PC and Max Payne that Agent is more than two years away and the next GTA is further. I want to see them at GamesCom.

Personal Update:
Just finished R&C:ToD. I'll want to go back sooner or later and get the rest of the skill points and finish Challenge Mode, but onwards and upwards. Q4B comes next!
Still on the moon in FFIV. Trying to grind before coming back down to Earth.
I'm planning to finish Sense and Sensibility later tonight, but I don't think that that's going to happen. We're supposed to be having a visitor, and I can't be too rude…
Also, I'll have to see whether I can squeeze in The Godfather Part III sometime later on.
Pretty sure that's all.
Peace.

P.S. Can't tell you how amped I am that Australia is finally going to be getting an R18+ rating. No more bans!


Last edited by Lawless SXE on 7/23/2011 9:58:49 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

I'm glad you guys are getting that rating too, I just hope stores will be allowed to carry those games. I wouldn't be surprised at this point if Agent was sh*tcanned, but I think it's just going multiplat now.

I still remember how cool it was to get to the moon in FFIV back when I was a youngster. Good times; even cooler to return there in FFVIII.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

Considering stores carry R rated movies, there should be no barrier.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
12 years ago

What I wouldn't do for 12 degrees right now… It was fu***** 102 yesterday. 🙁

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

39? No wonder you're wishing for it to drop a bit… Forget that!

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

I've only got Air conditioning in one room of my house. The bedroom. So at least I can sleep. Thermostat in the hallway in the house on Thursday? …… 91. Too hot for indoors, let alone outdoors.

Edit: Oh yeah, also, since where I live we're surrounded by great lakes (within 2 hours of 3 different great lakes!), the humidity is stupid.


Last edited by Underdog15 on 7/24/2011 12:11:54 AM

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
12 years ago

Luckily for me, i live right by the beach in chicago, about 30 feet from it. Yes. the midwest has beaches. Even better is the condo has central air, cuz this time last year was torture with just one AC in the living room

___________
___________
12 years ago

that does not mean there will be no more bans, games with explicit scenes or extreme violence will still get banned.
it just means that the lesser extreme scale will go for the higher rating.
we still need a MA rating, im really worried the other states caving in with SA and removing it totally.
i want a R rating, we NEED a R rating.
but not at the cost of the MA rating!

O, and as for weather you think thats bad go check out the blue mountains!
was there today, was only freaking 4 degrees!
my extremities are still thawing!
give me the heat over the cold any day.
at least in the heat you can strip down or jump in the pool.
in the cold though theres only so much you can do.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

Well… South Australians are a bit kooky. But I don't think the rest of the country will follow suit. The MA rating will stay in place. The R is for extreme violence and sexual violence, which should cover all games already on the market. Explicit sexual scenes will remain being banned, but they only come about once in a blue moon anyway, and generally only in games dedicated to the topic.

Yeah, stuff that for cold, but at least you're only standing in it. Try being on the back of a ute travelling between 60 and 80 kph in nine degrees. Really not fun. It does make the heat more appealing, but then it's consistently 80-90% humidity. Can't win in the tropics…

Kevin555
Kevin555
12 years ago

The new rating is a blessing but it will be interesting to see if it will make a big difference to retailers here with our inflated prices. The new classification doesn't really change much for me as i buy most of my games overseas online anyway for the price alone but it is still good to see that adults won't be left hanging by the short & curlies by our big brother government.

But remember this guys, games that are currently RC will stay that way unless (A) The publisher decides to resubmit the game under the new scheme or (B) WB release a special edition under the new guidelines. Games like Left 4 Dead 2 that were censored however are now allowed to be fully uncensored with the new rating. So enjoy shooting dead things in the face without them disappearing before they hit the ground. & don't worry about South Australia, noone really cares about them & they're the only state that has the ability to conduct their own classification scheme which is why crusty old wheelchair bound John Rau has got this senile idea of removing an MA15. It will suck for gamers in that state but not for the rest of the country, so rest easy.

So for the few unfornate Australians who don't own MK yet will be able to pull spinal cords out of arses soon enough.

As for weather, i will take your cold temperature anyday over Perth's endless desert sun. 😉


Last edited by Kevin555 on 7/24/2011 6:57:05 AM

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

@_______
I'd take the cold over heat any day. Autumn is my favorite season of the year since it's right in the middle, but I love winter too.

Of course, I'm from an area that will hit 100 in the summer, and in the winter… well… usually only around 5-15 degrees, but I distinctly remember a "snow day" in high school where with the wind chill the temperature was -60 F. You want cold… well, THAT is cold. I didn't go outside that day for more than 30 seconds to get the mail.

___________
___________
12 years ago

hopefully that stays in SA.
just hope they hurry up and implement it.
i wish valve would do a best of collection for L4D.
have both games and all the DLC released for it, perfect excuse to get it reclasified under the new system.
dunno why they dident do what they did with half life.
i think it was half life, it released but allot of people complained so it was reviewed and banned.
then instead of sensoring it, valve just cut everything, then patched it back in a online patch since DL content does not have to be rated.
sneeky b*astards!

i wish i was standing still, nope we were on a hike.
drenched in sweat so hot but then so cold.
such a weird feeling to have your face boilling but the rest of your body feeling like its been sitting in antartic waters for 6 weeks!
not the worst ive had though, a few years ago i ended up going to melbourne for a few weeks holiday, and on the way back a friend wanted to stop in perisher.
freaking snowing season and all we had was summer clothes!
not exactly fun walking around in the snow with shorts on!

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
12 years ago

Kevin,
There's supposedly an inquiry already going on with the prices of games being so high in comparison to much of the rest of the world, so I hope that ends up bringing it down somewhat, but the new rating certainly won't help that end. But yeah, kinda sucks that it won't automatically be retroactively applied to all games that were banned, or modified, but it'd be too much work to figure out which one might still be relevant and wanted and which ones they're better off not bothering with.

Underdog,
That sounds bloody awful! Remind me to never, ever, ever come to Canada.

Anon,
Haha… Better you than me. But I still want to see snow one day. I'll make sure to be properly rugged up though. Perisher… honestly.
Peace.

Underdog15
Underdog15
12 years ago

@Lawless
lol that was a freak of nature thing. Set a record in our area, I think. It went straight back to hovering near 25-35 F right after two days of brutal cold. It was like some freakish draft from the north. Usually, air comes up from the south or west.

Typically, in the summer, We experience weather between 78-100. In the winter, in Ontario where I am now (as opposed to high school) it's usually very close to 32. Snow comes, melts, comes again… melts. Southwestern Ontario winters aren't the stereotypical "Canadian Winter".

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