Umm games... most of the games I have for the original, I now have for the PC save for Jade Empire which will be out In February :), of which I'll be getting BTW. There is Halo 2 Limited Edition and I sometimes play NHL 2K6 with friends and whatnot...

I might just keep mine for the time being.... oh and I just remembered while typing this, my brother-in-law might want this...

Can anyone of you please explain to mw why all major developers seem to be going for cinematics looks in a videogame, and by that I mean that games
are looking more & more like interactive movies which could mean that the gameplay aspect of the game is toned a bit (or a lot).

I just don't understand this decision that seem to have the major game developers & publishers these days, including, but not limited to Bioware, of course...

The only reason for this move is the 'well, maybe if we make the game more like movies, then people won't say bad things about games anymore' thingie, or maybe it is the 'hey, every major movie studios is making games out of their actions hits. Now, the game devs./publishers are gonna do the opposite, well,then, maybe major film & movie studios will fund our games.'

Either way, my take on this is that games are games and really should be games. Games a totally different kind of experience than watching a movie.
I play games for fun, for the enjoyment & the thrill of thinking about how
a cleverly designed puzzle can be solved, if I play an adventure game.
If I play an rpg, I want to play as someone else, not as myself IN the game, meaning that if I want to play a thief I want to do just that, not be able to play as myself just immersed in another world. If I wanted do that I would go
on experiencing the greatest roleplaying experience: Life, IRL, it self.

First of all, let me just say I agree that games shouldn't try to mimic movies just for the sake of it, I hate that. But making games more cinematic doesn't necessarily mean dumbing down the gameplay.

There are valid reasons for employing a number cinematic techniques in games and you can read more about some of them at the excellent Silicon Knights' blog (look for the entries written by Dr. Barry Grant).

Man I hate when reviewers give a good score based on how "cinematic" a game is. The game industry has a complex with trying to become the next respected art form, I guess, which is fine and good but it should be on the merits of what makes a game unique, i.e. gameplay, than on cinematic aspects.

Soooooo when is Mass Effect going to be released :9~ I am craving some more Bioware goodness.

Well I just found out today that Bioware will be releasing at least one game for the DS. Old news, I know. Here's hoping for Infinity Engine remakes!

This is supposed to be the official Mass Effect box art.

I don't know, I would've preferred a more minimalistic design, but they do have to sell this game so...

Whats with the orange logo? I thought it was blue. :P

Maybe we'll get a better cover for the European release.

I think it's 'cause I'm so used to seeing the title in glowing blue that that orange version strikes me as odd. But what I'm wondering about is how they decided to not have the three characters carrying their weapons.

What would have been intriguingly effective is if they had made Shepard hold a weapon in one hand and have the other hand glow a bit, conveying his biotic powers. Other than that it's a fairly attractive looking cover.

It's too fucking symmetrical.

Seems they went the safe route and used textbook design as their guide.

Its about the game afterall, not the cover. :P

:P Hey, you're the one commenting on the logo colour.

Yeah but I didn't swear about it!

:P Doesn't matter. Too late!! You griped, griped, griped!!



< runs >

Bioware maybe developing something for the PS3

It's just a rumour but if this is true it's a HUGE twist...

That's awesome. It's great for consumers that Bioware is not only a one platform developer, and they are spreading the love to as many platforms as possible, including the DS :)

;) Soccsie, that's only because they need to make even more money now. Screw the love. The cost of developing AAA titles is skyrocketing (and we're all to blame) so multiplatforming is the way to go. Far, far more is at stake.

The same could be said about Io Interactive's upcoming title, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, which was just announced to be possibly headed for the PS2, PS3, and PSP (no official announcement yet).

Fuck yea, but I hope the DS game isn't going to be some Mass Effect product. I don't care about that game except for the prettiness and the conversation mechanics.

Seriously, I have a good feeling they will be attempting to port Infinity games to the DS. And while I love new IPs, I think I'd appreciate DS Infinity games more than anything. Someone should also port the Fallout games to the DS, as well as Planescape. And SCUMM games while they're at it. And Grim Fandango. Basically, any PC game that I really liked from pre-2000.