Game Curmudgeons

Mass Effect comes out on PC in may, according to EA games. No more complaints from anti-console PC gamers!

Straight from the press release:

Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:
• Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
• High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
• Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
• Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’ allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
• New decryption mini-game.
• New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.

Yes, that’s right, improved GUI. Let’s hope the PC release fixes one of the game’s two major issues(the shitty UI, and the infinite elevators, specifically), maybe both.

Previous coverage of Mass Effect can be found here and a review here.

I should have put up some Mass Effect impressions by now, but I just spent the last 24 hours with the vomiting and not being able to sit upright. Right now the most basic of video games is prettymuch beyond my grasp(so is typing right now), but for those waiting, the first impression is “God damn, this is great.”

So there you go. When my mind and body return to some sort of proper function, as neither is working at full capacity alone, much less in sync, I’ll have more.

According to Official Xbox Magazine, the next update for the dashboard will include a hell of a feature.

Downloadable Xbox games, for 1200 points(aka, $15). The list as of now includes: Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Fable, Burnout 3, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, Halo:Combat Evolved, and my personal favorite of the list, Indigo Prophecy.

If you haven’t played Indigo Prophecy(also known as Fahrenheit) yet, do it. It’s an amazing adventure game based on QTE action sequences, and interactions using the analog sticks to replicate motion. While the storytelling gets a touch disjointed or jumps once in a while, it, and the and characters, are sheer genius, making the game a must own.

It remains to be seen if Fable will be the original or director’s cut, but hopefully the latter.

Now if only they’d add Beyond Good and Evil to the list, and give me some software compatibility for Steel Battalion. I can buy the Xbox-USB adapter myself, but damn it, I spent $200 on that game!

Big update! The latest news release puts Psychonauts on the list for full games. Good stuff, that.

It’s now official.

Sonic The Hedgehog is going to be in Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Nintendo Wii, continuing the rivalry started in the 16-bit era and recently taken head to head in Sonic and Mario at The Olympic Games.

Solid Snake AND Sonic the Hedgehog? Nintendo, you’ve outdone yourself on this.

Mike Hayes, President and COO of SEGA Europe had the following to say:

“Its amazing that after all these years we get to see these two much loved characters compete against each other in another fantastic title. Bringing Mario and Sonic together again underlines the continuing partnerships between Nintendo and SEGA, and produces another industry first for our two companies.”

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is currently slated to hit the Wii sometime in early 2008.

For more information on this entry, visit Sonic’s entry, at the Super Smash Brothers Dojo. And for a bit more, here’s Sonic’s character trailer. Apparently, he’s brought his music along with him, and it looks like Super Sonic will be featured in the game. I’ll speculate it happens if he collect a star, but perhaps he’ll have some special conditions of his own with that. Chaos emeralds are visible around him in the trailer at transformation, and there’s a Sonic the Hedgehog spring-bumper shown as well. Hopefully they’ll bring more Sonic elements into the Nintendo world.

Valve is set to release The Orange Box in 8 hours.

Now, we’ve only played Team Fortress 2 so far, like everyone else in the beta. And that alone to me makes it worth it. We’ll have a full review up in a few days after the official release, but the beta has been an absolute blast, and gets better every day. Valve’s rapid patching, improvement of balance, and elimination of any exploits has been amazing.

Honestly, I’ve enjoyed TF2 more than any other multiplayer focused game. More than the BF games, more than Quake Wars, and yes, more than Counter-Strike or Halo 3.

While the full review is going to include HL2:Ep 2 and Portal(which are pretty sure bets), I feel I can safely say that TF2 alone is worth the price of admission. If you’re not so sure, there’s always the standalone for 30 dollars, which is absolutely worth it.