"Contagion" alpha gameplay trailer

Indie title by a team of Source modders (Zombie Panic: Source) gone pro.

ME3 Day One (Addendum)

+ I want to ass-punch every member of the Council. STFU noobs.

+ The Alliance "retrofitted" the Normandy. That means they added a few new rooms, and broke most of the light bulbs. It's dank.

+ Big surprise with EDI. I did not see that coming.

Battlefield 3 Flashlight Unlock

ME3 - Day One

I've decided to blog my experience with ME3 day-by-day. It's a long game, so a review -- coming only at the end -- would exclude too much "present sense impression" material. Conversely, a single "first impressions" post would prevent me from tracking changes in my thinking about the game over time. For whatever reason, I'm guessing that will be an important thing to do.

I will make no effort at either structure or chronology in these posts. Expect a series of lists.

So, Day One:

+ The intro is rather terse. The Reapers are finally here to bring the genocide, and Shep-messiah is let off the leash.

+ The first thing I notice: everybody has bigger boobs.

+ The tutorial mission is also brief, and apart from some rolling and jumping stuff, the blunt force trauma lesson is this: people are going to die.

+ Anderson is still the most likable guy in the galaxy.

+ Ashley, despite the boob job and the hairdo, is more masculine this time around. And she's still two mental leaps behind everybody else.

+ The FOV appears to be locked between 65 and 70 degrees. The result is claustrophbic and somewhat disorienting at times. There must be a way to change it.

+ New skill system: like. New inventory/upgrade system: do not like.

+ Combat is balls, as usual. I knew that was coming, so I'm playing the game on "tell me a story" difficulty. I've been standing out in the open for the most part, and my shields haven't gone down yet. I may have to rethink that choice.

+ I'm already regretting choosing the Infiltrator class. Combat is faster than it was in the previous games, and there's a lot more CQC. Should have been a Vanguard.

+ Voice acting is a mixed bag, but still stronger than most games. The pauses between lines, though small, are becoming more noticeable.

+ This game has some incredible vistas ... if you happen to see them. Restricted FOV fail.

+ As expected, the first encounter with the Illusive Man borders on parody. He's already well into the transition from enigmatic mastermind to obtuse megalomaniac.

+ All our hopes rest on an uber-machine. I can already see a "Contact" -like scenario developing.

+ The first romance dilemma comes early and abruptly, and ends up being rather wooden. Meh.

+ Garrus is still a more witty -- and more Turian -- version of Anderson. Good character.

+ Udina is much more of a bro this time around. Good move.

+ The pacing feels slow thus far. Millions of little Earthlings are being slaughtered as I stand around bullshitting with various minor players, but I feel no sense of urgency.

I have ME3...

...because I have to see how it ends.

I bought the game because I wanted closure, which should be enough of an endorsement for any fan of Mass Effect. But -- and this is a huge but -- there are so many ways Bioware could get it wrong. I've never bought a game that I expected to disappoint me before, but that $60 is gone now.

I have been at war with myself these last few months, because of the publisher, because of the DLC, and because I don't believe Bioware when they say that the multiplayer (nothing more than a honey pot for yet another microtransaction market) won't impact the singleplayer.

Will closure be enough? I'm about to find out.

Gamer Girl...

The "Steam Box" Rumor

I honestly don't know what to make of this:

Exclusive: Valve said to be working on 'Steam Box' gaming console with partners, could announce at GDC (by Joshua Topolsky at theverge.com)

Here's the gist:

Recently there's been chatter that Valve — the company behind the massively popular gaming service Steam — has been considering getting into the hardware business. Specifically, there have been rumors that the company has been toying with the idea of creating a proper set-top console which could potentially pose a threat to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell even recently told Penny Arcade: "Well, if we have to sell hardware we will." 

At a glance that would simply be interesting fodder for a gaming forum debate, but we've uncovered information that suggests that not only has Valve been secretly working on gaming hardware for the living room, but that the company is actively pursuing a strategy which would place Steam at the center of an open gaming universe that mirrors what Google has done with Android. 

On the hardware:

Apparently meetings were held during CES to demo a hand-built version of the device to potential partners. We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The devices will be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up. 

Part of the goal of establishing a baseline for hardware, we're told, is that it will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years. Additionally, there won't be a required devkit, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform.

What it might mean:

Gaming consoles -- and the forthcoming Apple TV product line -- are closed platforms. The GabeCube would be something else entirely: a PC-grade, upgradable hardware layout with a console form factor, designed for the living room. Only an internet connection and a (free) Steam account required to play PC games. A PC-grade OS (wouldn't Windows be required for DirectX?), with PC-grade media and internet functionality. Most importantly: a baseline hardware and driver standard for the development of PC games. 

What it doesn't mean:

That any of this is real. I am enormously skeptical that even Valve has the money to subsidize the production costs of such a system. And seriously, how the hell would you get OEM Windows on the thing?

Operation Explosion Canonz

How to almost play Skyrim without killing anything. Total kills? Two. One undead, one dragon. Expert difficulty, and a lot of near-naked townsfolk.

My First Skyrim Mod

That's where I've been the past two nights is conjuring up my Mage's tower. I still have some interior decorating I want to do yet, and I haven't figured out how to make a working bookshelf yet. Otherwise it's good to go.

This mod will provide CyberMage's Tower just east and across the river from WhiteRun. It will add a fast-travel location to your map. Since I'm a fan of fast travel, from inside the tower (except the basement) you can fast-travel to other map locations despite being indoors.

Inside the tower is a forge, workbench, grinder, tanner, enchanter, alchemy workbench and shrine. Mostly for convenience. Also are 9 weapon racks, three mannequins and several chests and sacks. All containers (except two upstairs, see the journal on the upstairs table) are flagged to NOT respawn items, so it's safe to store items in them.

There are two "game-changer" things about it you should know. If you don't want to "cheat" then don't use them. In the upstairs bedroom are two respawning sacks filled with ingredients for a restore+fortify health. Also upstairs is a drastically overpowered dagger on the weapon rack.

Download it here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17380416/MagesTower.esp

From the empty wine bottles in the basement you can tell that Messiah has been there. And Stinky really shouldn't go in the basement. It's dangerous for him. ;-) And Blake gets three large noble style bookcases for his book collection.