God Of War 3

The God of War series in general has a great soundtrack, but I picked the third game because that is the one I felt it most in. Kratos is on a war path in God of War 3 and the music really sets the mood for that. The God of War games all take place in a mythological ancient Greece and the soundtrack really reflects that setting as well as embodies the power of the situations and of Kratos’ rage. The song above is a great representation of God of War 3′s soundtrack, it’s very lively and inspiring. The game’s theme song is also a work of art.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time is arguably one of the best Legend of Zelda games in existence, and it’s soundtrack does not fail to represent its greatness. The music of the game is very simple yet it really captures the feeling of the surrounding area. All of the locations in the game have a different song to go with them, to tell you the truth these songs are all stuck in my head non-stop. They are very memorable, like the above song that serves as the theme for Gerudo Valley in the game. My personal favorite theme would have to be the one from the Lost Woods. It was my cell phone ringtone for about 2 years and I love it!

Uncharted 3

Like God of War, the Uncharted series in general features a fantastic soundtrack. I chose Uncharted 3 in particular because I felt like it was more refined in the game. While the theme is still the same, I felt more emotion from it in the third game. Drake’s Theme is an amazing song full rich emotion, and it happens to be my current cell phone ringtone. While Drake’s Theme is the most recognizable song from the game, Uncharted 3 also features plenty of other great songs including Small Beginnings and The Setup. Overall the series has three fantastic game soundtracks, with Uncharted 3 taking the lead.

Bioshock Infinite

This is again another series of great soundtracks, but I must say that the Bioshock Infinite soundtrack blew me away. While I loved the period music of the first two Bioshock games, Bioshock Infinite took it a step further with one of the most brilliant soundtracks of any game out there. The above them titled “Elizabeth” is one of the most stunning songs I have ever heard, but the game also features other amazing songs. One of the more popular being Beast of America, which was used in commercials and trailers for the game. There is also Will the Circle Be Unbroken sung by Courtnee Draper and played by Troy Baker (the voices of Elizabeth and Booker respectively) which is absolutely amazing. I mean how often do you get to see two voice actors play and sing a song in a game? There are also some awesome period style covers of songs like “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” found in the game.

DmC: Devil May Cry

This one is so much fun for me on so many levels. As I said above, I am a metal-head so listening to a soundtrack made up of Combichrist and Noisia was awe-worthy. On top of that my favorite band is Rammstein so Combichrist in general kind of comes naturally. The soundtrack for this game was basically composed by two amazing musical groups and it really fits right in with the game. Playing this game with the volume all the way up is the only way to play. The above song is one of my favorites in the entire game, but I also like Never Surrender and other battle themes in the game. DmC has one the best game soundtracks, hands down (to me). I really love the mixture of metal, techno, and even some hints of dubstep which is odd since I tend to dislike dubstep. It’s a great compilation and it makes the game that much more awesome.

Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII featured some fantastic and memorable songs. For it’s time, the music in the game was top-notch. I still find myself humming tunes from the game like the theme song above and Aeris’ Theme. I felt like FF7′s soundtrack went really well with the dark themes of the game. I still consider FF7 to be my personal favorite Final Fantasy game and a lot of that is related to the music and how it paired so well with what was going on the game. A lot of the memorable songs from Final Fantasy VII have also been remastered, reworked, and orchestrated such as Aeris’ Theme and others. It truly is a beautiful soundtrack, remastered or not.

Mass Effect 3

Come on, you saw this coming. Honestly though, fangirlism and bias aside, the Mass Effect series has featured a set of amazing soundtracks that only got better as time went on which is why I chose Mass Effect 3 as my favorite. No other soundtrack has made be burst into tears and feel like a badass at all the right moments. The song above for instance has an uncanny ability to make me tear up, listening to it while writing this is tough for that reason. There are a plethora of other great songs in the game that don’t make me cry though, like the theme for Club Purgatory and I Was Lost Without You. Ok, so I Was Lost Without You makes me tear up a little, but in a happier way. An emotion provoking game such as Mass Effect 3 needed and equally emotion provoking soundtrack and it definitely has one.

LittleBigPlanet 2

A fun game like LittleBigPlanet 2 needed an equally fun soundtrack, and that is precisely what it got. Not only is the original music fun and creative, but the game also brought in a lot of outside music such as “Ghosts” by Ladytron and “Whoever Brings The Night” by Nightwish. It makes the game very fun and appealing to everyone which makes it pair really well with the gameplay. For a game that focuses a lot on user creation and individuality it features a very apropos soundtrack.

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That concludes my top video game soundtracks post and I feel obligated to say that there are plenty more out there deserving of praise, but I just can’t fit them all into one post. Maybe I’ll do a part two at some point, who knows. What are some of your favorite video game soundtracks? Be sure to share them in the comment box below!

Heya peeps! After our little one week hiatus I am back in the saddle and ready to stream! I hope you all had a good week and enjoyed E3, we will have to talk all about it this week at the streams. To be honest, as much I appreciated the extra time I really did miss streaming. I missed you all and I also missed playing Mass Effect 2! Let’s crack into the schedule, remember that I am still working through Mass Effect 2 and don’t plan on finishing it this week, so here it is:

Sunday – June 16

• No stream

Monday – June 17

• No stream

Tuesday – June 18

• Stream begins at 6pm PDT

Wednesday – June 19

• Stream begins at 6pm PDT

Thursday – June 20

• Stream begins at 6pm PDT

Friday – June 21

• Stream begins at 7pm PDT

Saturday – June 22

• No stream

Streams take place over on my Twitch.tv channel.

See you all at the streams!

~LadyCroft3

Hello everyone! I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this year’s E3, I know that I sure did! I think it was honestly the best E3 I have ever been witness to. This year tons of new games and console specs were announced for the next generation of gaming, which is looking to be pretty awesome. Before I get into it, I want to reiterate that this is not really a complete re-cap style article, it’s more just what I personally found to be most interesting. Also, I’m going to be talking about the new consoles and my opinions on them, so keep in mind that these are just my opinions and should be regarded as such. Moving on, here’s my thoughts on E3 2013:

There was something special about this years E3, I think most of that was because of the next generation console announcements from earlier this year. Microsoft and Sony both announced their next generation consoles and gave us a little more information at E3 so that we the gamers can make our decisions on what to purchase later on. Microsoft took the stage Monday morning with mostly games, since their initial Xbox One  reveal consisted of TV talk and sports games, and they really showed off some neat titles. Titan Fall looks like a neat game, as does Ryse. As was expected Halo 5 was also teased at their press conference along with Dead Rising 3 and Sunset Overdrive. I’ll be honest, the only games I really care about from their line up is Titan Fall and possibly Ryse. I previously had some stake in Quantum Break, another Microsoft exclusive teased at the console reveal, but after finding out that it’s part TV show and part game I lost most of that interest. Halo 5 would normally be interesting to me, but I feel like I have lost my passion for the series as a whole, so it’s not really a big deal.

To me, Microsoft went about this whole announcement business the wrong way. They spent their reveal talking about stuff no one really cared about and built up this suspense for E3, then failed to really deliver anything substantial at their press conference. Sure, there are some cool exclusive and sure it’s all very enticing, but it’s not enough to make me even consider purchasing this system. A short time ago Microsoft shared some console specs with the world, including a rather odd used game policy and more detail to their “always on” connectivity status. People weren’t too happy to learn how much of a hassle it will be to buy or sell used games and to share games with friends on the Xbox One. Also, connecting to the internet once every 24 hours to “check in” is pretty ludicrous. This is all without the lingering thought that the Kinect 2 can be hacked, and since it never turns off and can watch/listen to you at all times a hack threat can be very concerning. Microsoft assures there will be security, additional safety measures, yadda yadda, but in reality a system hack is very real and can cause a ton of problems, most of which are scary. My point being that making us excited for E3 then announcing these specs and a lack luster game line up has disappointed a lot of people, end of story. It’s too bad but it sure seems as if Microsoft has given up on caring about gamers and their fanbase in general.

Sony, on the other hand, wowed fans with their amazing press conference. I mean, maybe I’m being a little bias, but did you all see that? It was so awesome! They started by showing us some new things for games releasing for the PS3 (such as The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, and Rain). After that they announced a really interesting PS4 exclusive game called The Order 1886, they segued into showing more on their previously announced PS4 exclusives (Infamous: Second Son, Knack, Drive Club, and Killzone: Shadowfall). What they showed was mainly just new trailers with cinematics and gameplay. Also announced was a game that fans of the Final Fantasy series have been waiting on for a long time – Final Fantasy Versus XIII (now called Final Fantasy XV). Kingdom Hearts 3 as well as some other neat games were also announced/shown, making the conference a big success at this point. What I liked most is the indie game support that the PS4 will offer. They showed off a handful of indie games at the conference and I thought that was super cool to give the indie companies some much deserved console support. Overall, it was really well done – oh and they also announced that there will be no Sony imposed restrictions on used game sales, purchases, and trading among friends as well as no required internet connection to play games.

Microsoft’s Xbox One was priced at $499 while Sony’s PS4 was priced at $399. The price difference was a big surprise to me as I honestly expected both to be around $500 originally, so it was good to see that the PS4 was such a good price. Battlefield 4, Mirrors Edge 2, and Dragon Age 3 were all announced and shown on the first day of E3 which was awesome. There were also a few other games such as The Division and Mad Max which sparked my interest. Overall, day one of E3 was spectacular. Day two was more of a Nintendo spotlight day. As some of you may have noticed, I have decided to give Nintendo another chance and I found their announcements to be interesting this year. Since I may be purchasing a Wii U at some point down the road the new Super Smash Bro’s and Mario World 3D (or whatever it was called) looked really fun. You should expect to see me report a little more on Nintendo happenings in the future.

Day three was all about trailers, gameplay, and demos. Check out GameTrailers.com for more of those. As I said above, my overall feeling for this years E3 was positive. My disgust for what Microsoft has become was reaffirmed and my love for Sony that was rekindled back in February has grown stronger. I have even come around to Nintendo and have given them another chance to wow me like they did back in the old days. I walked away from E3 with a good feeling, this is a great time to be a gamer and I couldn’t be more happy with what was presented this year.

For a full list of console exclusives and next-gen titles announced, check this link out.

What were your favorite parts of E3 2013 and what is your overall feeling now that it’s all said and done? Be sure to share your thoughts below in the comment box, and thank you for reading all about my E3 impressions and opinions.

• Game: Remember Me
• Release Date: June 4, 2013
• Publisher: Capcom
• Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
• Platform Chosen By Reviewer: PlayStation 3

Story/Plot:

Remember Me takes place in the year 2084 in Neo-Paris and follows a young woman named Nilin. The Memorize corporation has invented a brain implant called Sensen which allows the population to relive past memories as well as share and delete them. The Sensen gives Memorize a great degree of control over the population as they establish a surveillance system though the uploading of memories to the Sensen device. With every body of power comes a resistance group and these rebels are known as Errorists. The Errorists fight for freedom, in a way. They wish to expose Memorize and bring the corporation down for the crimes they have committed against humanity.

The game opens up with Nilin going through a complete memory wipe, a seemingly painful process in which all her memories are taken from her mind and stored elsewhere. She is left with a vague memory of her name and told that she will have that striped from her soon. As Nilin is guided to the next part of the memory wipe process a voice speaks to her, a man named Edge offers his help and guides her out of the place she is in. Edge claims to know her and says that she was an Errorist, like him, and that she must help him and others achieve their goal of bringing down Memorize. Not knowing anything else, Nilin embarks on an adventure full of intrigue, heartbreak, and the painful reawakening of memories as she attempts to bring down those who stole everything she was from her.

Featuring a very futuristic cyber-punk concept, the game highlights its unique qualities through the setting and story. While parts of  Neo-Paris look much like the Paris of today, much of it has changed for a more edgy and artistic ultramodern setting. Walking through the streets and surrounding areas feels fresh and new while still retaining what is characteristic of Paris such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The story itself is rather individual on its own, the concept of the control of memories is very captivating and inspires compassion as everyone can relate to being frightened of having someone else control or remove their most treasured memories. Seeing a strong female lead such as Nilin was uplifting, playing through the story from her point of view gains players a solitary view of the world they play in and insight to her as a person and her character.

Gameplay:

Remember Me features melee combat, players won’t find guns or other weapons to use, just Nilin’s hands and feet. The most interesting thing about the combat is the ability to construct combos for use in combat. Players will have the option to customize four different combos with a variety of moves that are unlocked in combat by gaining XP called PMP (Procedural Mastering Power). These individual moves are called Pressens and include hard-hitting attacks, attacks that regenerate health, chain attachments, and power cooldown bonuses. They can be strung together in different ways to create unique move combinations that when performed correctly will greatly benefit the player and Nilin.  As Nilin traverses through the plot she begins to remember specific powers related to combat called S-Pressens. These powerful moves include the Fury attack, Logic Bomb, and Sensen camo. There are five S-Pressens in total, all of which may be used once and are then subject to a cooldown time frame before they can be used again. This is where the cooldown bonus Pressens come in handy.

Platforming elements are also present in this game as Nilin scales buildings and other structures in the environment. This is particularly well done as the objects she scales do not appear to be specifically made for her to climb, as the environment does in other games that involve platforming. It seems simple for Nilin yet realistic, she does not perform any inhuman feats as she makes her way around. Players will be able to steal memories from other characters in the game and use them to maneuver around by seeing what they see and knowing what they know, including surveillance plans and access codes. This feature makes it easier for Nilin to get around in high security areas and is also another way in which memories are used and exploited in the game’s universe.

One of the most intriguing and unique parts of Remember Me is the ability to remix memories. Nilin has the power to go into someone’s head and change the way they remember things. This feature brings the player into a sub-world inside the head of another character where they must fast forward and rewind the memory while looking for glitches that can be exploited. Once a memory is remixed, the character will remember the instance differently which is usually in Nilin’s favor. This memory remixing aspect of the game is fantastic and well done, only adding on to all the other unique features of the game.

There are a few unintentional glitches here and there and some comprehensive mechanic flaws when it comes to the gameplay. None of this makes the game bad in any way, but there is room for improvement in future titles, if a sequel was to be made. Overall, the gameplay was enjoyable and full of life, leaving no dull or boring moments to speak of.

Presentation:

Remember Me is Dontnod Entertainment’s first AAA game title, and that being said the game is surprisingly well done. Graphically, Remember Me is beautiful. While it doesn’t showcase top of the line graphics it still looks visually appealing, especially when it comes to the scenery. The environment is outstanding and sets are great backdrop for the game’s story, the overall ambiance is brilliantly done. The game features an interesting compilation of cyber-punk themed music with techno and symphonic qualities. It is unique to the game and really adds to the game’s appeal when paired with the setting and combat.

Dialog was well done, though it can be a bit campy at times. Voice acting is also something that can be appreciated, the voice acting cast did a great job of bringing the characters to life and giving them emotions. It’s obvious that the strong suit of the game is its art direction, demonstrating some of the most unique architecture and stylized art in any video game to date. Remember Me is most definitely a very well put together game, worthy of praise in almost every aspect.

Scoring Breakdown:

• Story/Plot: 9.5
• Gameplay: 8
• Presentation: 9
• Length: 8-10 hours
• Replayability: Moderate
• Entertainment Value: High

Final Score:

9

Be careful, this article will contain a few spoilers for the games these characters are involved with so be careful when reading!

5. Booker DeWitt (Bioshock: Infinite)

Booker DeWitt is the protagonist in Bioshock: Infinite, the man whose shoes you fill when playing through the game. This choice is a shifty one since I don’t think DeWitt is a continuous anithero throughout the entire game. To me, DeWitt begins as an antihero by choosing to basically kidnap a girl he doesn’t know anything about in order to wipe away his own debt. He snatches her up and tells her he will take her to Paris when really he plans to bring her to New York City in order to clear out this debt of his. It’s a completely selfish reason for committing this crime and he lies to her in the process. By the end of the game though, he seems to change his mind and genuinely cares for the girl, risking his life to save her and whatnot, and helps her accomplish her goal. The thing of the matter is that her goal is to kill her dad. I suppose you could say that this is a heroic goal since her dad is the bad guy, but still – it’s murder. I think Booker DeWitt is a light anithero with the aptitude to change, which is why he fills the number five spot on my list.

4. Corvo Attano (Dishonored)

Crovo hits the list at number 4 for some obvious reasons, the main of which is that he is an assassin. Corvo’s job was to protect the empress of Dunwall, but when he failed and she gets murdered by an assassin named Daud, he is striped of his title and imprisoned. I consider him an antihero since he goes through the game on a revenge mission. The one hook here is that when played with a low chaos goal he is a pretty decent hero, but when played at medium or high chaos he is a cold-blooded killer. Regardless of how you play the game, he is an assassin who is looking for revenge and to atone for his failure to protect the empress. Even when attempting a low chaos playthrough, Corvo must get rid of his adversaries in a nonlethal way, and some may argue that while they are not killed directly by his hand their fate is worse than death – at least in some instances. This guy wasn’t completely innocent before the game took place, so it’s safe to assume that he has always had a knack for killing his enemies, or at least disposing of them in one way or another. This makes him my fourth favorite antihero and lands him spot on my list, respectively.

3. Dante & Vergil (DmC: Devil May Cry)

That’s right, I put two characters under one number, what of it? Okay let me explain: I had to put both Dante and Vergil in here together since they are equally antiheroic but in different ways. One without the other makes no sense, in my opinion. Dante starts off as a cocky, selfish, womanizing jerk who doesn’t care much for anyone or anything but himself. Oh, and his weapons. Dante is faced with the task of helping his twin brother Vergil eliminate a demon threat, and the twin brothers work together to achieve what appeared to be a similar goal. At the end, Dante gets over himself and begins to fight for the greater good of actually protecting humanity and those he has grown to love, until Vergil turns on him and reveals that he was the real anithero all along. They flip sides and switch roles in an instant, throwing us all for a loop while setting up the next game. Vergil could be categorized as a villain instead of an antihero, but in my opinion he has his own code and thinks that he is doing what is right, he isn’t intentionally screwing everyone over. These brothers take up the number three spot on my list since I really could pick one without naming the other and hey, it can be considered a two for one kind of deal!

2. Ada Wong (Resident Evil Series)

Ada Wong is present a handful of Resident Evil games and always seems to take on the role of  ass-kicking  femme fatale, but there is a little more to her than her good looks and combat prowess. She is typically seen working with the villains of the game series but takes it upon herself to help out the game’s main characters, specifically Leon S. Kennedy. Wong seems to typically have an ulterior motive and seems holds the upper hand over everyone she encounters, both villain and hero. While she seems to strive to help out with protagonist’s cause, she is still employed by a antagonist which places her right in the middle. Neither good or bad. That is what makes her such a stunning antiheroine, and she is definitely good at taking on that role. She is very secretive and it seems clear that she does not support either side fully, but more just what suits her at the time and helps her accomplish her tasks, whatever those are. Ada Wong is my favorite video game antiheroine, but still comes second to the antihero taking first place on my list.

1. Kratos (God of War Series)

This one should have been a little obvious. Kratos is a demigod hellbent on getting his revenge on the gods who have made his life a living hell. After learning he was tricked into slaughtering his own wife and daughter by Ares, Kratos turns into an all-powerful ass kicking machine, often being overly violent and amoral in most every way possible. He doesn’t even care who he kills, as long as it get’s him closer to his goal of murdering Zeus, king of the gods. Kratos is pretty much the epitome of antihero. Since Zeus is not a kind god as has committed various crimes on his own against humanity and other gods, Kratos’ need to kill him may seem justified. On the other hand, he is massacring everyone else in Olympus and it is a bit of much. He even ends up hurting others who care about him and protect him, like Athena, who he kills. Kratos takes the number one spot on my list of top anitheroes in video games due to his lack of morals and need to kill every man, woman, child, and monster who stands in his way.

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Well, there you have it. That was a list of my personal favorite video game antiheros, what are some of yours? There are plenty out there, and I even considered adding more to this list, but I wanted to keep it simple this time. Some honorable mentions include renegade Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series and evil Cole from InFAMOUS. Those are two characters that are great at being evil, but are made that way through player action so I didn’t really want to add them into the list. Be sure to share your favorites with me and tell me how my list stacked up against yours.

Hello everyone! So this week I am doing something a little more different and relaxing. We decided at the end of last Friday’s stream that we would take a little break this week so that we can focus on the awesomeness that is E3,so that is what I will be doing. I’ll be streaming on Saturday though and have added that time below, as for the rest of the week – take a break! I’m planning on getting some gaming done. I need to finish a couple of games (like Remember Me and Resident Evil Revelations) before The Last of us comes out this week, so I need to use this time to catch up.

Saturday – June 15

• Stream begins at 4pm PDT

Streams occur over on my Twitch.tv channel.

I hope you all have a fantastic week, we will have to talk all about our favorite and least favorite parts of E3 on Saturday. If you need to contact me for any reason, the contact page here on my blog should give you all the ways possible to get a hold of me short of calling my cell phone. See you all on Saturday!

~LadyCroft3

Written by Sarah Crompton

The new PlayStation from Sony, dubbed as the PlayStation 4, was announced in February, 2013. This gadget, one among the latest “eighth generation gaming consoles”, is all set to compete with the Xbox One from Microsoft. As the company released all the specifications of the product except the CPU clock speed, the gamers are predicting that this console is all set to take the gaming experience to a whole new level.

Game developers had already started developing high-end games for this gadget. Some of the high-profile gamers that are believed to be released just after the PS4 will be released are as below.

Battlefield 4:

Battlefield 4 is the 13th installment in the series of Battlefield games. Developed by EA Digital Illusions CE, this game is a first person shooter also comes equipped with a multiplayer mode. The game plot is set in the year 2020 where you will control Recker, a US Special Forces agent who holds highly confidential intelligence data and is also on the run from the Russian agents.

Beyond Good & Evil 2:

After the success and critical acclaim of Beyond Good & Evil in 2003, the game’s developer Ubisoft took a long time for bringing up a sequel to it. The new game is said to be developed keeping in mind the latest hardware of the PS4 and Xbox One. An already leaked trailer on the Internet is creating interests among avid gamers with its spectacular graphics.

Thief:

Thief is another upcoming video game that is specially designed for PlayStation 4. Although it is the 4th installment in the Thief series of stealth video games, the game’s makers announced that the premise and setting of the new game will have a complete makeover compared to the previous versions. Coming to the plot, as a master thief named Garret, your sole ambition is to steal from the rich. It is expected to be released in 2014.

Human Element:

Human Element is being developed by Robotoki in Los Angeles. Also available with a multiplayer version, the game is set to release in 2015. The plot revolves around how humans struggle to survive 35 years after a zombie apocalypse. As a player, you can start as an adult, child or an adult with child with each character having its own skills and vulnerabilities. The game is expected to be very immersive in nature.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag:

The Assassin’s Creed series has been winning the hearts of the gaming fans that love the historical action adventure genre. A new game of the series, the Assassin’s Creed 4 is set for release in October of 2013. Unlike the third part, it is a prequel to the original story set in an ancient history background.

Call of Duty: Ghosts:

If you are a big fan of the Call of Duty series, then the new instalment titled Call of Duty: Ghosts is definitely for you. This first-person shooter game is expected to sport a complete makeover from its predecessors as it is built on a whole new gaming engine. So, expect some spectacular graphics and smooth gameplay while playing on your PS4.

We hope all the above games give you sufficient reason to upgrade your PlayStation to PS4 for better gaming experience, for more details you use PlayStation network number. Happy Gaming.

• Game: Fuse
• Release Date: May 28, 2013
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: Insomniac Games
• Genre: Action, Third Person Shooter
• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
• Platform Chosen By Reviewer: Xbox 360

Story/Plot:

Fuse follows four mercenaries working for a private military company (PMC) as they uncover alien technology and try to stop a sadistic maniac from wreaking havoc on Earth. At the beginning of the game, the four mercenaries are sent into a high-security research facility after a rogue organization ransacked the place, and inside this facility they find a substance called fuse. Fuse is alien technology that, when weaponized, has some serious kick to it. The researches at this facility were testing it and making weapons out of it, weapons which the squad of four come across and decide to use. After the initial discovery of fuse, things get heated and the team must work together to stop a man named Fable. Fable is a terrorist who runs a secretive organization and plans on turning fuse against all his enemies, and the people of Earth in general.

Each member of the team gets a different weapon and power. Dalton Brooks, the team’s leader, gains the Mag Shield. It’s basically a large shield made of fuse that he can walk around with and shield teammates or make copies of to place around the environment. Naya Deveraux gains the Warp Gun, a gun that creates singularities in the enemy, and the ability to become invisible which is great for stealth kills. Jacob Kimble gets the Arcshot, a firey crossbow with all kinds of precision. Isabelle (Izzy) Sinclair acquires the Shattergun, a gun that uses fuse to crystallize enemies, and the ability to deploy medical beacons that revive and heal other players.

Gameplay:

Fuse is played in third person over-the-shoulder view and can be played either alone or cooperatively (online, with friends, or split-screen). Players can switch their character at any point in the game as long as someone else isn’t already using that character. For example, if a person is playing as Izzy but decides they would rather play as Dalton, they can easily switch over to the character at any point in real-time. Online players can also drop in and out of the game at any point without disrupting the campaign’s progress. The game appears to be intended for co-op play, so playing alone may prove difficult. The AI teammates that take over when no other human player is present (i.e. when alone) are incompetent and inefficient, not offering much in the way of cooperative help. When played with friends, the game really picks up, but be aware that playing in split-screen mode may also prove troublesome. The screen is split vertically and cannot be changed to a horizontal split. Also, the pause menu will take up the entire screen, so upgrading your character will cause the other split-screen buddy to sit back and watch without having the power to do anything else.

The game allows players to upgrade their characters via XP which is earned through killing enemies, completing challenges, and progressing through the campaign. Each time a player increases in level they will earn a point that can be put towards and upgrade. These upgrades can improve upon current skills such as adding more damage to weapons or can be used to add a new skill such as fuse grenades. Challenges are completed by finding extras throughout the game (intel, data pads, etc.) or through doing unique things in combat like killing a certain amount of enemies and whatnot. An interesting aspect of the gameplay is the ability to scale walls and climb around the environment in certain areas, adding a platforming feel in those areas.

In combat, each character’s fuse weapon can be combined with another characters fuse weapon for deadly results. For example, while Dalton is holding up his Mag Shield Jacob can stand behind it and kill enemies with his Arcshot through the shield. These combinations gain extra XP for the players involved and can be very helpful in large combat situations. Some characters are better at crowd control while others are better with support. Using the characters effectively in this sense allows for the ultimate playing experience. Players will also have access to regular, non-fuse weapons such as assault rifles and shotguns. The fuse weapons can run out of ammo, so having a back-up comes in handy in sticky situations.

Echelon Mode is the game’s multiplayer challenge mode. In Echelon Mode, players will be pitted against waves on enemies which they must survive while competing with one another for consecutive kills and high scores. Players will go through 12 stages, one mini-boss fight, and one main boss fight. Objectives are random and players must survive each stage to make it to the next. XP earned in Echelon Mode carries over to the main campaign.

Visuals/Presentation:

Visually, Fuse is rather mediocre. The graphics look a tad outdated but the scenery is detailed and interesting, balancing out the poor textures. There were plenty of glitches to be found throughout the game, but nothing that could be considered game breaking. Each console has its own glitches and it seems as if no two experiences are quiet the same, as far as these flaws go. Character development seems promising, but sadly falls flat as the backstories end up going nowhere and the players learn nothing more than the face value of each character.

Weapons and enemies are both very science fiction themed and sound as futuristic as they look. The game’s soundtrack itself is not at all memorable, though it’s also not necessarily bad. It keeps up with the gameplay and sets the mood but does little more than that. Dialog can be entertaining here and there, but ultimately becomes worthless as characters fall into mundane clichés and never really progress or change attitude. The voice acting cast is one of the best parts of the game. With actors such as Jennifer Hale, Ali Hillis, Khary Payton, and Brian Bloom behind the game’s main characters, players can expect to hear some very talented voice acting. It’s a shame the voice acting talent is seemingly wasted on the game’s mediocre dialog. Overall, the presentation of this game is very much in the middle – nothing spectacular yet not at all horrible.

Scoring Breakdown:

• Story/Plot: 7.5
• Gameplay: 8
• Visuals/Presentation: 7.5
• Length: 6-10 hours
• Replayability: Moderate
• Entertainment Value: Moderate/High

Final Score: 

7.5

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. Use the award logo in a post and/or on your blog. 

 2. Include a link back to whoever nominated you.

 3. Offer 10 pieces of random information about you.

 4. Nominate ten other bloggers who ‘positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.

 5. Let your nominees know about their much deserved award.

I have already accomplished some of these, as you can see the logo is already involved and I have linked simpleek (There, did it again since she deserves it!) since she is the awesome lass who nominated me in the first place!

Below you will see the 10 pieces of information about me. Some of this information may already be known, but hey, maybe it’s not. I will try to make it as random as possible. After that I will link my personal nominations for this award with the reasons why I wished to nominate them.

Random tidbits of information about me, LadyCroft3:

1. In high school I took 3 years of German language classes which led me to be involved in an exchange student program. I took in two separate German students on two separate occasions, they lived in my house for a month and basically went to school with me and experienced the typical American lifestyle. Then I was sent over to Germany to live with one of them for a month to experience the German lifestyle. Even though I was only 16 at the time, it was a ton of fun and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!

2. Most people are aware of my intense fear/hatred of spiders, but not everyone knows about my fear/hatred of other insects and creatures. I’m just as scared of scorpions as I am of spiders, if not more. I also freak out around most basic insects like earwigs and beetles. This fear goes beyond just being scared. I have panic attacks and sometimes get sick if I am around one of these things or think one is close by. Yet, strangely enough, I love snakes and plan on adopting one in the future.

3. I am really big into equal rights for the LBGT community and women. I believe that everyone should have the right to marry and be treated as a normal human being like everyone else, regardless of their sexual orientation. I also fight for equality among men and women and consider myself a feminist.

4. I have a weird problem with numbers. Now this one is one of the most embarrassing things about myself, and at first I was reluctant to share it, but I decided why the heck not. I don’t know why but my brain seems to have issues processing and remembering numbers. It’s so bad that I even have to second guess things like my own age and my boyfriend’s birthday/age. I have been brought to tears and emotional breakdowns by this problem and really just want to understand it. I’m not sure why it happens, but it does explain why I have always been so awful at math in school.

5. I have mild OCD, like most people do, but I am mostly fixated on the O portion. I am obsessive about things like cleanliness and organization and need to keep my living space clean and organized at all times. This spills over in my work space too, which can get rather annoying. I also have to check that my car is locked at least twice before leaving its vicinity and constantly double-check door locks as well as my alarm clock. None of this pairs very well with my intense anxiety either, but that’s life.

6. I love traveling. Whether it’s to Europe (as mentioned in #1) or just to the coast or another state. I love to take day trips as well as overnight trips, I just find it to be exhilarating and refreshing to get away from my day-to-day surroundings every so often. I don’t really care to be alone though, I like to go with my family or with my boyfriend. It’s just so much fun to go on an adventure with those you care about.

7. I am very close with my family. I have lived at home my whole life (I’m 23) and couldn’t be happier. Growing up I saw a lot of kids that were so ready to get out of their house as soon as they turned 18, but for me I was very content to stay at home. I like to hang out with mt parents and my brother and tend to find it more entertaining that going out with friends. Maybe that because I don’t have many friends, but regardless I love spending time with my family. When I do move out I don’t plan on going too far, I still want to come home whenever I want for some family time.

8. My Neighbor Totoro is one of my all time favorite movies. My brother and I used to watch it constantly when we were growing up and because of that it’s always held a special place in my heart. To this day I still watch it when I am feeling down or sad and it never fails to cheer me up. I also have a Totoro plush doll in my room with my other collectibles, though at the moment he is wearing a Dovahkiin hat.

9. I like singing. I like to sing in the car, in the shower, around my room, while playing games, and pretty much everywhere else. I really enjoy it and have even considered taking vocal lessons at some point.

10. Growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian, since I love animals so much. My local vet office used to have a program in which kids could work with the veterinarian for a day and see what the job is all about. I decided to enroll, I thought it would be a lot of fun. Well, it was a lot of fun but I quickly learned that I wasn’t cut out for it. I was allowed to watch as they preformed a spaying on cat. As soon as they cut the skin with the scalpel I nearly passed out and almost vomited. Now, I plan on going into law enforcement. Much less surgery and blood and all that jazz.

Now that the 10 random things about me portion is past, it’s on to the nominations! These nominations are given by me to the bloggers whom I find to have outrageous amounts of talent and great writing styles. Also, these folks are just awesome people and deserve to be recognized for their hard work and dedication!

1. Phoenix Down
2. Disk Read Error
3. Recollections of Play
4. Cheese Toastie
5. Wrong Button Blog
6. Robo♥Beat
7. The Chindividual
8. A Guide To Geekdom
9. JTM GAMES
10. Pixel Bubble

I realize that some of these awesome bloggers have already been nominated for this award, but they still deserve this nomination! If you aren’t already following these blogs, please do so. You wont regret it.

Thanks again for this honorable nomination! I hope I have been a good host for this award. I’ll be getting back to my usual game related blogging now, thanks for stopping by.

In this post I plan on sharing my top 10 favorite moments in the series, though if I were to detail all my favorites this would be more like a top 50+ article. These 10 moments always stand out in my mind as the most memorable and intriguing in the game, they are the most noteworthy in the series to me. They are in no particular order, mind you, just separated by game. They numbers are merely superficial way of writing them, since it would be too difficult for me to actually order them. Don’t forget to read the warning below, and let’s get started!

**WARNING! Spoilers for all three Mass Effect games ahead. Read on at your own discretion!**

10.  Meeting Sovereign (Mass Effect)

“You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it.”

The meeting with Sovereign is the first time in which Commander Shepard encounters a Reaper. We learn that they are massive, ancient, synthetic creatures that are bent on destroying life as we know it. This moment really stands out since it’s one of the first mind = blown instances in Mass Effect. It’s like everything you though was wrong. Sovereign is not just Saren’s ship made of Reaper technology, but it’s actually a Reaper itself. Throughout the conversation Sovereign demeans you and treats you almost like an ignorant child. The way in which it speaks and explains is frightening and overwhelming, it sends shivers down my spine every time. It’s a precursor of what is to come later on in the series while fighting against the Reapers, we see how cold and heartless they truly are in this moment for the first time.

9. Confronting Saren (Mass Effect)

“Goodbye Commander Shepard. Thank you…”

Meeting up with Saren at the end of Mass Effect on the Citadel is bittersweet. On one hand, it feels so good to finally have him in your sights, but on the other it’s sad to see what he has truly become. At the beginning of this confrontation Saren confesses that Shepard’s previous comments regarding his indoctrination on Virmir began to eat away at him, and that doubt formed. He states that Sovereign helped him though, and made him stronger through his implants and soon tries to recruit Shepard to join Sovereign. Shepard states that the implants are how Saren is being controlled and Saren is quick to realize that Shepard is right. He recognizes that his mind is no longer his own and that Sovereign has ultimate control. He is too late in this realization though, and he feels it’s too late for him but that Shepard has a chance. Saren commits suicide to break the bond with Sovereign but is brought back to life for the final battle. I love the emotion in this scene, watching Saren go from ultimate badass to weak and powerless is hard. In the end, we see that Saren is not really the bad guy here and that is why this scene is so great.

8. Getting Spaced (Mass Effect 2)

“Shepard!!!”

At the beginning of the game we watch a cinematic in which the Normandy is attacked by an unknown enemy. Shepard works hard to save everyone but ultimately sacrifices her (or his) own life in the process. Instead of leaving Joker to go down with the ship, Shepard runs in and pulls him out of the cockpit, telling him that he has to let the ship go. On the way to Joker you walk through the CIC and see the entire area blown apart, the ceiling completely gone and full of empty space. It’s quiet since at this point you are in space and the scene is just a big “WOW” moment. When Joker is put into an escape pod and explosion separates Shepard and she ejects him, leaving herself high and dry. Throughout the series I have loved the bond between Shepard and her crew, her willingness to sacrifice her own life to save others is commendable and this is the first time we really see that in her. She dies and is taken in by Cerberus to be rebuilt, so we don’t lose her forever, but what an opening scene that was.

7. The Birth of the Normandy SR-2 (Mass Effect 2)

“And there’s this. They only told me last night.”

Ok, this moment may come as a strange one to pick for a top 10 list, but I must say that it is one of the most simply brilliant moments in the series for me. The reuniting with Joker sets the scene. You talk with him briefly about what happened in the two years that you have been gone and he mentions that the Council took it all away and wanted to hide what Shepard accomplished in Mass Effect. Joker says “The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus” only to lead you up to a window in which you see the new Normandy for the first time. The cinematics of the scene really get me, and that music? Oh gosh, it brings tears to my eyes. This moment is one of the best moments in all three games for me, it embodies so much yet appears to be so simple. I love it.

6. Recruiting Archangel (Mass Effect 2)

“Shepard. I thought you were dead.”

Those of you that know me had to have seen this one coming. When I first played Mass Effect 2, I obviously had no clue who Archangel was so when I finally saw that is was Garrus I squealed like a little school girl. Garrus is amazing, and my hands down all time favorite Mass Effect character. I always romance him and I always bring him on every mission in all three games. That’s just how much I love the guy. This recruitment mission was full of all kinds of feelings for me. At first I was ecstatic about seeing Garrus again and recruiting him for the game. He’s an all around Turian bad boy after all. Then, things got dark when we started to get overwhelmed with enemies and I could tell it was taking a toll on Garrus. He was being worn down for days before I even got there, so I could imagine that he was probably ready to just go to sleep where he was standing. Finally, he takes a missile to the face and I initially thought he was dead. I mean, he was laying in a pool of his own blood while gargling. Thinking it was the end of him, I shouted “NOOOOOOOOO!” ala Darth Vader but was then pleasantly surprised to see him again back on the ship with some battle scars, but still breathing. This scene/moment/mission is one of my favorites in all of Mass Effect 2.

5. The Suicide Mission (Mass Effect 2)

“I’m not going alone, I’ve got some of the best working with me. If we stick together, we’ll make it.”

This is more than just a moment, it’s more the entire last quarter of the game, but overall it’s just amazing. I loved being able to basically use all of my team in all of their strong points, and the risk of losing anyone at any time made the whole thing so intense. Luckily enough, I saved everyone except one person on my very first playthrough and immediately went back through the mission after I was finished to make a better choice and save that person. I didn’t use any guides either, so I’m a bit proud of that. This mission is a great conclusion to an amazing game. It left me with a very good feeling of accomplishment and made me belive that I did all the right things. I wont detail all the things I did since well, that would not only take too long, it would be boring. I’ll just say that my choices made sense to me and made my team stronger and more powerful. Plus, that human Reaper at the end? That was creepy.

4. The Reapers Attack (Mass Effect 3)

“It’s a fight we cannot win. Not without help.”

Another opening scene makes the list, but I must say that this one is as much deserved as the last one. My favorite part about this scene as a whole is that it foreshadows the rest of the game. By that I mean we get to see Shepard ‘win’ or accomplish getting to the Normandy while protecting Anderson, but we also see her lose when the rescue ships get destroyed. That strange connection with the little boy who tells Shepard “You can’t help me” then goes off to get killed when the rescue ships are destroyed scars Shepard emotionally, which is made evident by her dreams throughout the game. There are about 7 individual moments/scenes in Mass Effect 3 that always make me cry every time I play the game – and this is one of those scenes. It’s like you can just feel that sharp pain in the expression on Shepard’s face, it is so sad. The gameplay throughout this whole opening sequence was great too, a really good way to reacquaint yourself with the game and learn the new aspects Mass Effect 3 had to offer. Overall, a very intense and memorable moment.

3. Losing to Kai Leng (Mass Effect 3)

“There’s only one way this ends.”

I am specifically talking about that scene in Thessia in which Kai Leng takes the Prothean device and gets away with it after kicking Shepard’s ass and almost killer her and her squadmates. I loved and hated this moment. This is the first time we truly see Shepard lose a battle. It pissed me off to see that jackass Kai Leng take the thing I worked so hard to get then just walk away, leaving me with nothing to show but a few injuries. It was one of the worst feelings for me, I didn’t know whether to be angry or to cry, so I did both. I love that it evoked so much emotion though, it was one of those moments where you just feel a bit lost. Luckily Shepard get’s her revenge on Kai Leng later on for this and for the death of Thane (which is another moment that made me cry uncontrollably), and saying “That was for Thane, you son of a bitch” was so gratifying after all he had done.

2. The Citadel DLC (Mass Effect 3)

“I should go, I SHOULD go, I should GO.”

This one isn’t quite a single moment either, but again I felt it deserved a space on this list. The Citadel DLC was a great way to cheer players like me up. Mass Effect 3 is one of those games that I just need a nap after, since the emotional toll just takes the energy right out of me. Playing through the comically cheesy dialog and fun reunions in the Citadel DLC just made me smile, laugh, and be generally happy. I felt that players really needed something like that since the game itself was so heavy, plus seeing all your friends from past games and having a fantastic party with them was absolutely entertaining to the max. One of the best things about this DLC though is that there is so much to it. The fights, the romance, the fun, it’s all so great! When I saw that it was $15 I thought that was a bit steep, but after playing it I realized it was well worth the money. Hell, I would have gladly spent $20 on it. It was that good.

1. The Final Choice (Mass Effect 3)

“Through her death, I was created. Through my birth, her thoughts were freed.  They guide me now, give me reason, direction.”

At the end of the game players must choose what they want to do: control the Reapers, destroy them, or synthesis. It was a hard choice, but I ultimately chose to control them. By this time in the game I had come to respect The Illusive Man to a certain extent, I knew that while he himself was evil and indoctrinated, his idea of controlling the Reapers was a good plan. He could never have carried it out, but I could. With the extended cut added and more explanation of my choice, I grew to love what I did. Not only was I controlling the Reapers and helping to rebuild, I was able to protect my friends and the galaxy forever. I died to protect everyone else. That is what I loved, and that was the most Paragon thing I could have done. I played through all the choices individually but I still prefer the control choice over all the others.

~~~~~~

Well that wraps up this top 10 list. It was hard to choose just 10 moments, but I think I did a pretty good job of representing my personal favorites. What is your favorite moment in the series? Share your thoughts and opinions, I’d love to read them since everyone plays and views these games a little differently. Thanks for reading, be sure to look out for more ‘Top 10′ lists in the future here on linksaveszelda.com!