Milena Velba With Nadine

Mass Effect 2 or how to go around the galaxy in 40 hours.

Everyone already knows: Mass Effect was a small wonder in the world of action-RPG. A rich new universe, populated by races of aliens, crammed with pseudoscientific explanations and tension-Galactico geo-political achievement bourgeois atmosphere frankly successful. Even then, it was not a secret, Mass Effect was only the first of a trilogy Bioware.

Okay. Now we are in 2011, and I finally laid hands on Mass Effect 2. After 40 hours of gameplay, I only have to wait for the 3rd episode, and draw some conclusions.

40 hours of gameplay is rather good news . I might be able to pull up to 45h life if I was really careful, but overall, I have scoured the title content. It all starts with our Shepard, a hero of the first episode, on patrol in search of a bogus threat. Suddenly it's drama, a strange vessel vast warp of nowhere, tears in the Normandy 2, along with signing the end of the short trip of the hero and his pals. The scene ends with our hero stranded in space, its combination leaking, and a long fall to a dismal world. No surprise: one dies well, this kind of plan.

Without saying much more, so the game open on a medicalized process of resurrection of the hero, an excuse to allow recovery of "Shepard's which was built with love in ME1 ", and make any changes.

Subsequently, we find ourselves faced with a relatively efficient variant of Mass Effect. Fighting may be more dynamic, action-oriented, customized character sheets less progress. Personally, I rather regret this simplification and emphasis Action on the side of the license. However, the fighting are linked together without too much problem, even if Bioware is not very comfortable for us to release a really solid gameplay in Third Person Shooter. In normal mode, clashes often resemble the pigeon shooting behind obstacles . Nothing complicated, just forward cover, accompanied by his two teammates, quietly, and to align the easy frags. Too bad, because mine anything, in Mass Effect 2, you spend a lot of time exchanging gunfire biotic powers and rabid enemies with a little gutless.

More annoying, and there is a problem of game design that begins to irritate me very seriously in 2011: the incredible emptiness sets in which one moves, especially those clashes. Let's be serious at Bioware! Is it still reasonable to propose large warehouses, large rooms, decorated in a neutral and always synthetic, in which we more or less randomly placed boxes and walls whose function escapes me? Honestly, it's really a shame to see this kind of laziness in a big budget title whose claim is nonetheless offer an adventure of madness. The player finds himself So err of boxes in boxes in the levels of generic limits. This is particularly evident in everything that is small quests. And if it is forgivable on a small side quests, see the same thing in key and critical missions, it bothers a little. Not everything is disposable, however. Even if the level design is boring again with this lazy "say the cash galore," we must admit that quite a few passages are exotic, with lights, landscapes or environments remarkable. In other words, in terms of design and creativity, Mass Effect 2 provides, but it is high time that the game designer starts to page. The coating is good, the content is hollow.

ME1 had been widely criticized for passages of Mako and his somewhat laborious exploration of the solar system's universe. Bioware wanted to fix this. Mako finished, only a few short missions bonus offer to lead a kind of hovercraft not unpleasant. The exploration has been split into several aspects. First, you can / need to scan the planets in search of primary resources needed to benefit from improvements to your characters and Normandy 2. Sometimes, an abnormality is detected, and the opportunity to go explore it is offered. So ended the long walks on the surface of a planet with a grinning Mako bouncing, we arrive immediately at the heart of the action on short passages from a few minutes. Generally, it rather likes to players, but I admit to being a little nostalgic for awkward passages in Mako, which still allowed to walk in worlds with fantastic colors and enjoy a special atmosphere.

If Mass Effect 2 was a pure shooter, it would be a mediocre game and quickly forgotten. Fortunately, SW2, is primarily an adventure game, with the script, characters, quests and choices. And, fortunately, Bioware better control this domain. Note nevertheless that since Alpha Protocol (admittedly, really exceptional in that it offers freedom to build his story), SW2 took a little getting old. remains that we will have the opportunity to meet a nice bunch of characters, each with its own history, his style, his arms and endearing personalities. From convict punk raging through the Gallarien fun, we will find some old friends who are a pleasure to revisit. All this accompanied by a classical (Cons damage that the recipe is very similar for each character): the meeting - some discussion - a quest of loyalty - some discussions and that's all. This gives a small artificial side sauce RPG but as the dialogs are cool, we will overlook this aspect too mechanical. Different characters will still interact with either Shepard or between them, when conflicts or missions. This really appealed to me in SW1, and I am therefore pleased to find this whole side of space opera series in ME2. Be careful though, in French, some choice dialogue me a little confused sometimes. Note that the quests loyalty are often an opportunity to take a strong decision, whose impact will undoubtedly in the 3rd episode Mass Effect. It's really all do better.

On PC (because I play on PC, just to get the fluid and anti-aliased FullHD) Mass Effect 2 is beautiful . Not insanely beautiful, but beautiful. The Unreal Engine 3 has been put to better use, with good management textures, framerate indecent, beautiful lighting effects and more expressive faces and well modeled. Conversely, the plague on some textures a little slimy (including elsewhere on the characters, from one arrives at the torso, with loose clothing and ill-defined). Clashes enjoy explosions and showers of sparks cool. By cons, just like this game definitely very heterogeneous ME2 suffers from the recurring presence of small bugs , although not usually serious, but that break the mood. It is not uncommon (driver problem? PC version? I do not know) to see that the characters suddenly go from one pose to another. Sometimes they even teleport half a meter. I also remember a discussion with Asari, who suddenly shows me his back ... except that his face was still want to move towards me. Result, feverishly, the head of the Asari tried to face me, left to right and from right to left, without ever succeeding. Twice (about 40h), my character was suddenly blocked "in the air", obviously stuck in invisible walls. Too bad, the finish is a bit inadequate.

Regarding the balance "creative" in ME2 is a great success. I acknowledge that a good customer for science fiction, since it takes little to make me dream. Some planets in space, a black hole, it's good I'm already conquered. The universe is very consistent, with new races (the Drell and Vortchas), and new places "key" as Illium, great commercial city Asari, or Omega, ghetto lawless space attached to a dirty pebbles . The choice of colors and moods full of dark screens, neon, small conversations intercepted over the walks, the outrageousness of some landscape, all contribute to flatter the retina and launch the imagination. The characters are well regarded and enjoy a pleasant attention, in order outfits and small details. As for your ears, they will be amazed by soundtrack epic and effective, with beautiful set pieces and intriguing tracks, mystical and captivating. I especially appreciate these songs with synth, terribly "science fiction style. A style that had already capsized in the first episode. Great job, for once. Doubling French is honorable. Not wonderful, but honorable. I did not see any option for the American voices (boxed version of the game), which I regret, the U.S. version is very high. Moreover, in French, it seems to me that the game has some difficulties lypsinc with sentences just amputated on the end or mouths that continue to animate while the French voice has been silenced.

There is one final stretch of high quality, with his videos which are full view, important decisions to take action and dense and efficient. It exudes the glory, heroism and "admires the creative power of any of BioWare." A finding of a good standard, really nice, and paves the way to a fanfare conclusion of this trilogy. Mass will be remembered Effect 2 is a game that a good level, slightly heterogeneous, with average gameplay and its staging very good performance, finished with for improvement and design (visual and sound) of all beauty.

Deeply Mass Effect 3 at once!

Funny Openings To Wedding Speaches

God of War 3: Revenge ends here

Finally I'm allowed to see the end of the famous trilogy of "God of War. " Excellent surprise at the time, I could not but be impressed by a mythological universe sauce trash where the Greek gods and monsters of legend are collapsing mass at the feet of Kratos, Spartan mad, full of anger and violence. All in succession majestic panorama, which I admire as much as on PS2 PS3.

risk with bombastic beat them all is that we must ensure that each new episode for showing off the mug. When we know that the first episode took place already on a fortress built on the back of the Titan Cronus, it speaks volumes about the margin of increase that had the studio. And yet ... This 3rd episode offers improbable visions and totally epic. The game begins the assault on Mount Olympus with the Titans back in the breathtaking scenery. Mortals, small useless peons die in what already looks like the Apocalypse. Kratos distributes the blows without counting, and even the gods seem sometimes very frail to contain the frenzy of God of War. During the ten hours that the game lasts, the splendid landscapes are exploding: gigantism, decorations and charged lavish pyrotechnics galore, titanic beasts, monsters making 3 times the size of the hero, minotaurs and cyclops in armor of 500 pounds. .. only fighting, particularly violent and demented, are able to compete with the outrageousness of the decorations. Which is rather a guarantee of quality.

Exactly regarding the fighting, God Of War 3 does not change a recipe that works well. Accessible gameplay is simple enough finally served by a particularly rabid staging and beautiful lighting effects, textures ... The enemies of a reasonable size "offer hope for fighting nags, ending usually very QTE, classical, but to showcase the talents warrior Kratos. Eviscerate the Minotaur, butchering boss or ocular treatment of shock on the Cyclops, that GoW 3 seems to have very few limits. Kratos literally rolls into madness and brutal war. As for the boss, usually titans or Olympians, they come to an end in explosions of violence impressive. To be honest, the question of limits seems to be raised as some scenes are brutal and quite free. Is it really necessary to use a mistress of Poseidon as a prop-mechanism bloody, condemning her to a horrible death? Is it really needed to hammer blows of a deity that crawls on the ground before him blinded and badly to finish? Without impose my answers, I am sometimes a bit worried about the show given, although highly effective with a moderate government as 99% of players, but can be a little too transgressive to the occasion. Admittedly, it's part of the signature God of War, I do not know too well. To return to the gameplay itself, Kratos sometimes suffers from comparison with other games "standard" industry : Bayonetta, Devil May Cry ... even if the orders come out fighting and that the goods are fluid and violent, the degree of sophistication of GoW is substantially lower than other heavyweights beat them all (compared to Ninja Gaiden is day and night). The title is at once very accessible to the less gifted among us, but might leave a little to the hungry fans of ultra combos techniques and varieties in the art of cosmic crush Snitches. The high degree of difficulty playing on the amounts ultimately more damage than the requirement of fighting, we must remain aware and very possibly turn to the Ninja Gaiden Sigma if you really want confrontation "of progamers. ;

Whatever the time of the game as we approach, one must admit one thing: GoW3 is an absolutely beautiful game, from a technical standpoint. The PS3 is controlled admirably, providing a flawless framerate, high-end effects visually, textures sometimes impressive and very detailed models. With all the talent in the studio for staging, is a festival of sweets for the eyes, with tables quite amazing, stunning realism of the characters and enemies larger than life (the texture brilliant example of gorgonians , superb). The lighting effects are superb and everything is displayed without any clipping or aliasing. Great art technique, which proves that the PS3 is capable of beautiful things in spite of its strange architecture and capacity now exceeded.

And to glorify the whole, the soundtrack masterfully work with happiness. startling sound effects, noises of all kinds of glorifying violence fighting (crackling noise, strokes, blood spurting) and music moods very successful, regularly based on the main theme of the trilogy. It might still regret that musicians have failed to create other musical themes and brief strong to bring a little variety to our ears, but the result is Leclerc also reinforced a brand new, we do not hold them rigorously.

So Difficult to attack GoW3. The life a bit low is compensated by a high replayability, the realization is technically flawless, fun game is there, this intense and this episode closes with a brilliant trilogy that has always oozed quality and "good game ". It is therefore urgent for latecomers to jump on this game, and even the whole trilogy! I feel compelled, for my part, to acquire the remastered versions of GoW 1 and 2, to have fun again and the retinas find the atmosphere of the whole epic of this great series of video games!