Thursday, August 26, 2010

Mass Effect 2 coming to PlayStation 3

It's probably the biggest and best news for PlayStation 3 owners that the previously exclusive Mass Effect trilogy is coming to the Sony console. Because BioWare is now owned by EA and looking to expand its market, the series is coming to the PS3 in January of 2011 though the first installment will likely not see a release on the system nor can it be said whether Mass Effect 3 will hold a joint release between the Xbox and PlayStation versions. The news is bittersweet for passionate Mass Effect fans, not because a popular selling title of the Xbox is going multiplatform, but the fact that the epitome of the what made the core experience of Mass Effect so great will be lost without the first game. It is hoped that the crucial decisions that made ME1 so powerful and epic will be granted to new players of the PS3 community rather than being forced into being the smeg head who killed the council and just about every other character of importance in the galaxy (rest in peace, sweet Wrex). I can believe that BioWare could take the same road as Shenmue 2, featuring a brief film version of ME1 but with interactive options to develop the story for the overall ME2 experience. It's nothing impressive but will appease fans as well as gamers who could have cared less what happened in part one to begin with. BioWare has released a teaser trailer for the launch of ME2 on PS3 on its site. Even though I love PlayStation and can look forward to the prospect of finally playing ME2 in its entirety on a single disc (rather than switching over at the start of loyalty missions and then back to disc one for the suicide mission), something just doesn't feel right without ME1 to start us off down our road to fight the Reapers. Later, gamers!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Look at Scott Pilgrim

Until I heard about the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, I'd never even known of the character or the comic books. Friends and I had to see the movie not only because of the gaming references but the fact that legendary Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright was behind the project. Having seen the film now and read some of the books, I naturally moved on to the online arcade game released around the film's debut. It is a classic style beat'em up of the River City Ransom variety but with special twists keeping it out of legal hot water. Rather than being a movie tie-in with the usual lack-luster effort, Scott Pilgrim the game is more faithful to the comic books both in looks and themes. Besides the comic roots, the game is really fun to play and for the $10 price tag, it is an essential for fans of the series or classic gaming buffs the world over. The biggest drawback to an otherwise perfect nostalgic experience is the lack of online co-operative play. Check out Scott Pilgrim for yourselves and look back to GameOver for more on the series a little later on. Later, gamers!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The PlayStation Move is like a better Wii remote

Whenever I speak to anyone about the PlayStation Move controller, they always skip the impressive technology behind the system and go straight for the throat: It's just a rip-off of the Wii remote. I can't argue against this logic because it's true even down to the advertisement photos practically taken with the same hand models, but the Move is still something I'm looking forward to for the ingenuity rather than the possible copyright infringement. I don't think I will use the controller for the games that I would otherwise enjoy with a standard controller but the sports simulators and the fighting game it will launch with are both greatly appealing endeavors for Sony. This whole situation started me thinking of how Xbox is now following with PlayStation marketing changes and techniques. The comic explains this little observation I had and hopefully not get any heavy Microsoft fans on edge. I understand that all the new innovations for the Xbox consoles were planned for in advance and the intent was not to copy Sony. I love Xbox but you know these facts are kind of true at least in some sense. Later, gamers!

Monday, August 2, 2010

GameOver Blog Update

Hello gaming community at large,
I am sorry for being unable to really get a handle on this blog while finishing my college education. On a positive note, I will soon have the tools at my disposal to keep GameOver and in turn, Andy & Brett, alive and well for the future. I only ask for a little more time and patience as I make it through this brief transition period but I do not doubt your wait will worthwhile. Thanks for the support. Later, gamers!