A look at Halo 4's Longbow map

NAME: LONGBOW 

LOCATION: Northern regions of the planet Concord. 

DESCRIPTION: Located in the northern polar region of the planet Concord, the frigid climate and unique gravitational conditions provide an optimal perch for Longbow Station's channel-based mass drivers. Before the Covenant War, the UEG launched deep space monitoring relays from here in an effort to study far-flung star systems.
Longbow

From Sidewinder to Containment to Snowbound to Avalanche, Halo has a long multiplayer map history speckled with various virtual snow-filled expanses. That history continues into Halo 4 with Longbow.

The goal of Longbow was to create a playspace that showcases one of our new (and unannounced) game modes. Early in development, 343 considered several options, including making it something like a big Arecibo-type telescope built into a valley.

They experimented with having extremes of Fire and Ice on opposite sides, but ultimately decided a glacier theme fit better with the spectrum of themes from other maps. 

343 wanted a big engineering effort that connected to the war or the resources needed for the UNSC, so when looking at the designers' initial idea for the map from the top, we began thinking of a Y-shape or loop shape that accommodated this single big machine—a magnetic launcher that works on similar principles as a MAC Cannon. 

Originally spied here. 

Did my ME3 questions get answered with the DLC?

I played the ME3 Extended Cut last night, choosing the destroy ending. I started from where Sheppard is about to enter the Citadel.

I thought I'd go back to this post I did I a while ago and see if my questions were answered by Casey and the ME3 writing crew.

Overall, I appreciated the nods made at attempting to answer some questions I hadn't noted. Yes, the Krogan's had a child! Yes, the relay and Citadel could be rebuilt! 

The announcement of the Mass Effect DLC is sure to be soon and like every gaming fan out there, I’ve said my two cents on the game’s ending. Here’s what I would like to see in the DLC.

Number One: I want an explanation as to why everyone has to die to stop synthetics taking over the world by using synthetics to kill everything. The Reaper Child states that without his intervention, synthetics would destroy all organic life. For him to be so absolutely assured and certain of this theory, it must have happened at some point in the history of the galaxy. Other wise he's merely speculating. Indeed, it's a rather disingenuous claim because if  "all" organic life was extinguished at any point in time, the current crop organic life would not exist. 

Nope, not really but to learn the Reaper Child was an A.I. construct was terribly amusing and kind of ironic. 

Two: I want to know how the fuck Garrus got back on the Normandy when he was with me on the final charge and should be dead.

Nope, no answer for me that I could tell. 

Three:  What was that cool planet the Normandy landed on and why did they know to outrun the Mass Effect explosion?

First half not explained (unless it was a the rendezvous point), the second was, Hackett ordered all ships in the fleet to meet at the rendevous point once the crucible was in place. Nice work Bioware. 

Four: How did the Reapers know to use the invisible child with the image of the child that had begun to haunt Sheppard’s dreams after he witnessed him die? Was it mind reading and if so, how does that play into the so called Indoctrination Theory?

No answers. Indoctrination theory is rooted however as the events and effects as a result of his choice, actually occurred in the real world. 

Five:  Yes let’s get to it, the Indoctrination Theory. Real or just a bloody good idea by fans to cover up the nebulus ending (having played the game again and noticing lots of references that I ascribe to the ending of the game, I don’t think the theory was intended).

Just a bloody good idea by the looks of it.

Six: This is not really for DLC but I would like the producers to explain why they saw it fit to determine that the final ending of the game bore no causal relationship to the machinations Sheppard went through to get to that point. Don't get me wrong though, I loved the whole ending of the game (basically from when you get to Earth, I count as the ending).

Was never gonna get an answer.

Seven: Did the game really end with the possible starvation of many of the races that came to Earth's aid?

The order to head to the rendevous point by Commander Hacket for the fleet means this question is no longer applicable, no one was stuck around Earth.

Come on Casey Hudson, please pony us up some answers!

Eight: When is the next game going to announced, I'm in.

No announcement however the note at the end of the game noted clearly the bioware team looked forward to bringing us more adventures in the ME universe (that could just mean more DLC though...). 

What do you reckon? Did Bioware do enough? I think they made a pretty decent fist of it. 

Mass Effect Extended Cut DLC date revealed

Mass Effect Extended Cut DLC date revealed

Following the ballsy but much hated ending to ME3, Bioware promised an extended cut and it's coming to the XBL on 26 June.

Fans of the game who were praying for a miracle will not get what they want. If you listen to this interview with Bioware's Casey Hudson, the 10 mins of extra in game footage is merely saying good bye to your friends for a  little bit longer.

Perhaps I was taking a cheap shot. The official Bioware description says:

"It provides more of the answers and closure that players have been asking for. It gives a sense of what the future holds as a result of the decisions made throughout the series. And it shows greater detail in the successes or failures based on how players achieved their endings."

Let's hope it's not like the final of TV show lost where they promise all the answers but only create more. 

Maybe a journalist should ask Casey Hudson whether the indoctrination theory is what was actually going on in the game's conclusion? Maybe they could ask him if the 8 ME3 questions I want answered will be?

I'm in love with Halo - One Direction Parody

And people say I've got a big head

I'm in love with Halo - One Direction Parody

Rod Fergusson slips up, announces Gears of War 4

Do they?

Rod Fergusson announces Gears of War 4 - Well kind of indirectly announces it.

I had my misgivings about the new Gears of War Judgement game being a prequel. I mean Baird is the main character and the Jar Jar Binks of the Gears series, Cole "Wooooooo" Train appears to be the Dom to Baird's Marcus. However the whole game being told by way of a 'trial for their sins' concept is a nice twist so I'll play ball.

Now that I think about it, the paragraph above is completely redundant to this post. However, I'll never win an Oscar Award for editing so it can stay.

The point of this post? When Rod Fergusson, a dude who's Robin to Cliff Bleszinksis's Batman does an interview on Gears of War: Judgement you watch it.

And watch at the 1.20 minute mark of the interview. He appears to freely admits that GOW Judgement is a game to keep GOW fans happy until a new GOW game is released on the next version of the Xbox, whatever that might be.

Here's what Rod actually says after mentioning the wait before the next generation Xbox: "we didn't want to go too long with out Gears fans having something to play"

So this is not speculation or rumour, the dude who knows exactly where the GOW franchise is headed has let slip that there will be another Gears of War game following Judgement. Yeah, this is no really surprise however, you heard it hear first on Gears of Halo ;). So in 2013 when Game Informer gets the scoop on everyone just before E3, I'll refer everyone back to this post...

Jokes aside, make no mistake, those words by Rod were carefully crafted for the interview. He knew what he was saying. Maybe Casey Hudson could take some lessons from him?

I'm calling it Gears of War 4 following the naming pattern of the Halo series....

To Infinity and Beyond the H4 Campaign

To Infinity and Beyond the Halo 4 Campaign 

Here's something I had not realised - the Infinity crashes into Requiem but Spartan Ops is set actually 6 months after the Campaign - with the Infinity happily floating in space.

Frankie explains to Venture Beat

Will the Halo 4 campaign be a complete story unto itself? One of the first things we see in the campaign is the USNC Infinity crashing into the planet Requiem. But six months later, when the fiction for [co-op multiplayer mode] Spartan Ops takes place, it’s back up in the sky. And isn’t that a little spoilery?

Frank O’Connor: That is a little spoilery, and it’s a necessary spoiler. But the game will end with the universe having changed pretty dramatically. It’ll be a satisfying ending, and you’ll have achieved a lot, but you’ll lose stuff, too. We’re trying to tell a much more emotionally resonant story this time.

A brief and colourful history of The Master Chief

A brief and colourful history of The Master Chief can be found at Halo Way Point

http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/detail/who-is-the-master-chief/982bb0b3-0020-4359-99ad-2e5e63d590b5

A chat about GOW: Judgement's artwork direction

Game Informer has an article on the direction that the artwork of Gears of War: Judgement may take. Chris Perna answers the questions - here's some extracts from the interview:

Game Informer: What was your approach when designing Gears of War: Judgment’s visual theme, and how does it compares with what the series has done in the past?

Garron Paduck

Chris Perna: I think one of the things that we want to get across is a lot more brutality of the Locust, a lot more fear. I think visually, it’s probably a darker theme than the other games as far as the Locust being scary again. We kind of got away from that a little bit over the course of the series. We’re trying to bring some of that back...some of the intensity, some of the fear. You know when we really concepted these things, they were stealers of children in the night. They were these ghostly figures. It was almost a survival horror game at one point. We kind of wanted to get back to the roots of the Locust and emergence day and show them as more vicious and fearsome.

The RAAM’s Shadow DLC also took place prior to the trilogy. Did that serve as any indication of what we can expect from the world?

Yeah, and I think we really learned a few things from RAAM’s Shadow as far as quality and visual bar and things like that. I think that visually, this will be more of an enhancement from that. We’ve tweaked the engine a bit and added advanced bloom and different types of effects, and it’s really pushing things in a different direction. So, I think it will be an evolution from RAAM’s Shadow.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process of designing a younger Cole and Baird?

Baird

Yeah, sending him back was kind of tricky. Baird is actually an officer when he starts out. He’s cropped and trimmed. What we did was take a look at Baird in Gears 1, and he was acne-scarred. Denis Leary was part of the inspiration for Baird. You know, just this wisecracking, kind of *** guy. If you’ve ever Denis Leary’s stand up he’s smoking and drinking and just kind of ripping. So, that was Baird to me anyway. So we took him and we gave him some acne scarring and some battle damage and dirt and that was Gears 1.

Pretty much throughout the whole Gears series, his fiction was getting busted down to private, and he was pissed about it and taking orders from Marcus. We took a look at where he was and then we said “well, what is he like as an officer? Well he’s fresh and he’s confident and he’s cropped and his hair is a little different, a little neater. His face doesn’t have acne. It isn’t dirty. And he’s a little bit younger and he doesn’t have the lines on his face and the battle wear.” So that’s what we did there. And Cole was an athlete, so he’s thinner and more agile. We kind of took him and made him a couple years younger and made his body a little more fit.

Rod Fergusson talks GOW: Judgement direction

Kilo Squad

Game Informer has a pretty sweet interview with Rod Fergusson which discusses the direction that Gears of War Judgement is headed in.

A key thing I took from it is the ability that during the trial of Kilo Squad, the player can choose to offer additional evidence that 'declassifies' information which then alters the actual game play.

For example stating that Dark Wretches were present in a mission means they might just turn up in the campaign.

Rod also indirectly confirms there will be another Gears of War game that will be released on the next generation Xbox

For now, let's just say there are two Didacts..

A didact

HBO pointed out this most interesting response by Greg Bear to a fan letter.


From: Cameron Gazey
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date: 05/16/2012
Greg,

Suffice it to say I am a huge Halo fan, and I enjoy it primarily for the story. I've read Cryptum and am currently reading through Primordium right now and there's just ONE thing with reading these books that made me seek you out.

The reason why I loved the idea of this book series so much was because I was very intrigued by the Terminal transcripts found on Halo 3, the first look players ever really got into the minds of Forerunners during their battles with the Flood.

What I wanted to know was whether or not those terminal transcripts from Halo 3 are considered canon and were used as sources of information for writing your series? I ask because of some timeline inconsistencies between these terminal transcripts and your series. I don't want to be rude and list them all out because if the terminals aren't canon then the inconsistencies are moot. Besides, the possibility exists that my questions will also be answered in Silentium.

Thanks in advance! And keep up the great writing, I'll be sure to buy Silentium when it comes out!

- Cameron

Re: The Forerunner Saga

From: Greg Bear
Date: 05/22/2012
We're working on those connections. For now, let's just say there are two Didacts...

Meet Garron Paduk from GOW: Judgement

Meet Garron Paduk from GOW: Judgement

Name: Garron Paduk

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 215 lbs

Paduk comes from the other side of the Pendulum Wars. Originally Paduk fought for the Union of Independent Republics. His home nation of Gorasnaya was destroyed by the Locust Horde very early on in the war.

Fortunately for Paduk, the COG navy helped him and a few others flee his demolished home. Originally considered a Prisoner of War by the COG authorities, Paduk eventually managed to convince his captors that he'd be of more use killing Locust with Baird's Kilo Squad than rotting away in a small prison cell.

You may have already met Sofia Hendrik, another COG that will feature in Gears of War: Judgement.

Body painted Super Heroines doing cosplay

The Punisher

It's time for another round of body paint cos play - no nude Star Trek fans this time, we've got the well formed female Punisher and the ravishing in read Elecktra to start things off. Let's hope the paint tried before they went and and kicked some ass!

Bungie never intended to make Halo 4?!

Those who were born under the proverbial rock and never crawled out from underneath will recall that Halo 3 ended with a cliff hanger where the Chief and Cortana where left floating in space aboard the Pillar of Autumn, seemingly headed to some kind of strange planet.

As part of his endless set of interviews during E3 Expo, Frank O'Connor had this to say about that ending:

"It was a cliffhanger Bungie never intended to resolve"

Never. Intended. To. Resolve.

What the heck Bungie? Were you really going to leave us like that? Perhaps you always intended to do Halo: Reach as a prequel? Maybe your battle of wills with Microsoft was getting in the way and you made other plans.

Imagine if there was never a Halo set after the wonderful H3? Fans would be arguing forever and a day about what happened to our heroes and what that planet was. Indeed Frank further said"

"And they let people imagine what happened to the Chief. It was a great idea and a perfect parting gift, but there's something nice about being able to say "the thing I thought that happened was..." and being able to craft it."

As it turned about fanboys did go nuts trying to figure it out out. For example and from memory, I think a Marathon symbol was identified in the planet / sphere which lead to people to speculate Halo was about to find itself being cast in the world of Bungie's prior Marathon game mytholgies, or the more obvious that it had something to do with Forerunners.

Regardless, Frank's comment is a nice little reminder that we cannot always take things for granted in gaming. Our heroes will not always be running round saving all the planets - sure, the cash cows will always be milked for all their worth (how many war based games are there these days?) but some times sleeping dogs are left to lie.

There might be a XBL Halo 4 demonstration?

The Little English Halo blog has spied that there might be a Halo 4 demonstration on the way...

Meet Sofia Hendrik, COG

Sofia

Meet Sofia Hendrik,  a COG from GOW: Judgement

Name: Sofia Hendrik
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 135 lbs

Before those nasty Locusts decided to invade hit Halvo Bay, Sofia Hendrix was training as an Onyx Guard cadet. Sofia stepped into the fight against the Locust Horde after being exposed to the atrocities of war as a media correspondent towards the end of the years-long Pendulum Wars. 


Having seen terrible actiond and crimes committed during battle, she sets out to ensure that the conduct of war is properly waged, and that personal ethics and morals must not be sacrificed for victory.


Sounds like a damn goody too shoes....

Halo 4 post E3 Q and A with Frank

Here's a steal of the lastest Halo Waypoint Halo Bulletin featuring a sweet Q and A with Frankie. If you follow the links at the bottom of the images, you'll get some massive images you can use for wall paper.

-

How will we acquire the Spartan Ops missions every week? Will they take up a large amount of room on the hard drive? -Spartan King

It will require storage and, more importantly, an Xbox Live Gold account - for online play and downloadable content. Folks should definitely consider this when purchasing Halo 4. Although I would note that it doesn't matter which version of the game - LE or Standard, since it is included in the price of Halo 4.

Demon and Fury are two names of War Games squads. Will we be able to pick the name for our squad? Will it be from a list of pre-selected names compiled by 343? Also, why are there different names for Spartan Ops squads (Majestic and Crimson)? -HaloFanForLife1

Those were temp names for the E3 build. The final game will ship with variants aplenty, but these will not be user customizable, nor should they be confused with clans, groups or other social modes of team identification. Effectively these are fictional constructs that we will give the player some choice options for.

Apart from Master Chief and Cortana, will there be any characters from past Halo games returning? -AKG Range

It's important to the plot that we not actually give this way. It would be equally important from either side of that coin. So I will say that Sgt. Johnson, while sexy and epic, will NOT be back. But our story will extend beyond the events of Halo 4, so we have to be careful how we frame this.

Will Halo 4's Forge have themed forge maps with a greater forge palette as to prevent the problem that Halo: Reach had with all of its maps looking like gray Forerunner buildings? -Majatek

Halo 4 Forge, like all aspects of the game, will have significant improvements, changes and/or overhauls. We will be talking about those later this summer. I will, however, ask people to retain some semblance of dignity when imagining infinite tools that allow them to build a universe from scratch. To be clear, this will be a significant improvement in functionality and results, but it will continue the tradition of Forge's ease of use, scale and scope. But I also won't be a buzzkill. It will be cool.

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How many vehicles are in the game? -Rtas9

Some.

On a scale of 0 to Epic, how would you rate the feedback you got from E3, and how will it be utilized in future builds? -Eco Maiden

E3 was actually a really compelling experience for us. A team of over 200 men, women and in my case, children, have been working slavishly just trying to make a Halo game that lived up to the series' legacy and our own tightly-strung expectations of ourselves and the Halo legend's appeal, quality and nature. To get anywhere near that, to have people pay the slightest interest in our effort, was an honor and a privilege. The people who work here LOVE Halo, and to collaborate and cooperate with folks of this talent level, passion, intensity and focus has been a privilege. To try to create something this righteously demanding audience can relate to is something else entirely. We will work and grind until the last possible moment to live up to your expectations and your patience.

What can we expect on the control schemes side of things? Can we change Sprint and AA behavior like we can with crouch (click or hold)? How many layouts will there be? Will they be based off of layouts from previous games? Will I be able to go back and forth between Halo 4 and previous titles with ease? -JDHarbs19

Control schemes right now are plentiful, but this is also the area of laser-like focus and concentration. The addition of Sprint on a controller you've become accustomed to over seven years is a challenge we take extremely seriously. We have lots of data, lots of ideas, and lots of options.

Will the armor you wear in multiplayer affect your gameplay, or will it be completely cosmetic? -MobiusBlue121

The appearance of the front of your armor is cosmetic, to a degree. However, Armor Abilities will affect your silhouette, and silhouettes, however trivially, do affect gameplay. Not a "back of Elite head in SWAT" effect, but we are also not naive enough to ignore aesthetics as they affect gameplay.

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Will there be Spectator Mode in Halo 4? -CyReN CE

There will be some changes to post-death camera, but full spectator mode is a bandwidth hog that we would not introduce into a competitive arena.

What are the exact kill times of the DMR, Carbine, and BR? -Unsaf3st

These are almost-but-not-quite fixed. Some tweaks, tunes and changes will happen between now and launch.

Will the medals remain as they are now, or will they be changed to the original Halo medal color style? -TBearrr

All UI elements are early complete, but undergoing final passes on art and design. Expect the game to look somewhat like the E3 build, but don't be surprised by alterations and tweaks.

How long does a season of Spartan Ops last? And also, how many seasons will there be? -MeCauseIShotYou

A season of Spartan Ops will be months, rather than mere weeks. Each mission should take about 15 minutes or more, depending on number of players and difficulty rating. Fiction will be incorporated into gameplay via vignettes, voiceover, and other methods, and compounded by episodes of straight drama, around seven minutes in length. And there will be five MISSIONS per week and one episode of naked fiction, which roughly equals well over an hour of content per episode. Between Spartan Ops and Campaign, you're basically getting two campaign equivalents for one price.

How limited is the Limited Edition? -Guywired

We are producing significantly less copies of the Halo 4 LE than previous Halo releases. So, a small percentage of total manufactured units.

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If you had the opportunity to hang out with Master Chief for a day, what activities would you do? -Kalamari

Obviously me personally, I would do a bench press contest, or wrestle. But you guys? Chess.

How exactly will the custom loadouts be balanced, as well as the upgrades received by ordnance? Is there anything to prevent veteran players from spawning with rocket launchers and shotguns and outright dominating everybody else, or will power weapons be limited in some way? -Retr0Gamer64

Matchmaking will account for skill level, experience, equipment and more.

How similar is the Thrustpack ability to Reach's Evade? Can it be used in all directions? How many times can it be used before being depleted? -Nuclear Taco 42

It is very different. It will be used in different scenarios.

Is Spartan Ops strictly co-op, or can you play it solo? -iTz Lazerz

Spartan Ops is hard, but achievable in solo. However, you can also Matchmake on a per-mission basis. It should be relatively trivial to find help on tougher missions if your friends are all lame or dead.

Will Bumper Jumper be changed to LT to Grenade, or will another button layout based on the "Halo 3/Halo: Reach" Bumper Jumper be made for Halo 4? -coca mola

Control schemes are not yet final.

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Do the War Games and Spartan Ops take place before, during, or after the events of Halo 4? -Astrogenesis

War Games, and by extension Spartan Ops, ostensibly take place starting about six months after the Halo 4 Campaign. That's a very light spoiler.

We saw Frankie rank up to A-7 in a video clip. Is that just some random placeholder, or is that hinting at a new type of ranking system? -Degeneratlon

If I made it to 7, then assume it's placeholder.

In both impressions and gameplay footage, some players seem to be lowering their aim sensitivity. Has the overall look mechanic speed been increased? i.e. the new 10 is faster than the old 10? *insert it goes to 11 joke* -Wyld3 KNFr

Look sensitivity in E3 builds is NOT final. By any stretch of the imagination.

Is Infinity Slayer a replacement for normal Slayer? -pedrocs21

No. Infinity Slayer is an added, but vital mode.

Will there be a place for people who prefer a more stripped-down type of Halo game in Matchmaking at launch? -Overdoz1z

Yes. And Halo 4 Matchmaking modes will be more streamlined.

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Will Halo 4 have a little more cowbell? -Coux73

Cowbell is set to 11, globally.

I noticed that friendly fire was off during the E3 demo. Was that solely to stop people from ruining the fun for others in the demo, or will it remain off in the default game types once the full game hits? -Loscocco

Friendly fire is set at a Matchmaking level. Imagine variants.

Will the ordnance drops always guarantee a weapon and power-up, or will the drops be completely random when earned? -Solis Argentum

Ordnance drops can and will vary based on Matchmaking parameters.

How does the Join In Progress feature work in Halo 4 multiplayer? If we join in during the game, will everyone's screen go black? Or will the game stop in any way to compensate the change? Are there certain restrictions as to how the new feature works? At what point in the game do we enter in? Beginning? Middle? Or the end? -CypressSmurf

You will enter Join In Progress based on playlist parameters, which will vary from DO NOT JOIN IN PROGRESS to JOIN AT ANY TIME.

How final in terms of graphics and AI is the Campaign demo we saw? -SON OF JUREL

Nothing we have shown so far is final; but most of what we have shown is at least representative.

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What is that new mech in the E3 trailer? Many believe it to be the Cyclops, and I know it isn't, so some clarification would be nice. -M0aHerder

What is a Mech?

Are we going to be seeing any enemies other than the ones shown in the E3 Stage Demo? -Negative 9

The new enemy class has been unveiled, but we haven't revealed all of the enemy types yet, or the ancient evil...

If I miss a week or more of the Spartan Ops, because of military duties or other unfortunate reasons, will I be able to make up previous weekly mission installments? Including watching the cinematography videos that are to be released with each weekly mission installment? -eLantern

Relax. Your 360 will act like a DVR with a Season Pass. Play when you want. Replay when you want.

We already know Elites are not in, which means no Invasion as we know it in Halo 4. Have you considered releasing a game type (both at launch and after launch) which relied on some of the aspects which made Invasion great? -Gabotron ES

Elites are in Campaign. Elites are not playable MP types. We will, however, add some interesting variety to MP which will scratch that itch.

How far through the campaign is the E3 Campaign demo? -DirtyRepublican

About a third of the way through. Give or take.

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Will 343i be showing basically everything before release, like with Halo CEA? I, like many others, want to get the game and be surprised. Basically, is it a good time to go dark? -randomrosso93

In some ways, we've shown a lot, but ultimately the story has more content than the sandbox, so it's a mixed bag. Don't worry. There are lots of surprises to come.

Brits rule EA did not exaggerate ME3's advertising claims

Brits rule EA did not exaggerate ME3's advertising claims 

Remember how everyone was pretty pissed with the Mass Effect 3 ending because it did appear to allow you to have a firm control over Commander Sheppard's destiny?

Some one laid a complaint with thee British Advertising Standards Authority suggesting Electronic Arts had exaggerated their claims. The ASA's verdict / determination is in and they found that EA's online advertising regards claims about the game did not breach the Code established for advertisers.

I'm sure this decision won't sway the firm views of many rabid fans ...

Here's the determination from the ASA.

Ad

Claims on masseffect.bioware.com/about/story, a website promoting the computer game Mass Effect 3, stated "INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING EXPERIENCE THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF AN EMOTIONAL STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER, WHERE THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE COMPLETELY SHAPE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND OUTCOME ... Mass Effect 3 plunges you into an all-out galactic war to take Earth back from a nearly unstoppable foe - and how you fight that war is entirely up to you. Choose a fast-paced cinematic experience or delve into a deeper, more choice-driven narrative. Either way, intense combat propels the action as you fight to unite a war-torn galaxy against a common enemy ... Along the way, your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilisations, and even radically different ending scenarios".
Issue

Three complainants challenged whether the claims "where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome" and "your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilisations, and even radically different ending scenarios" misleadingly exaggerated the variety of outcomes available in the game and the differences between the outcomes.
Response

Electronic Arts Ltd (EA) said they did not consider the "ending" experience of Mass Effect 3 (ME3) was limited to what appeared in the final cut scene, and that the consequences and implications of player's choices were actually presented during the last three to five hours of the game.

They explained that war assets were the collected people, forces and technology that the player had earned over the course of ME3, and that many of the assets that were collected by players would be impacted by choices from earlier games, or from activity external to the single player game. They explained that the total score of all assets was accumulated and then modified by the player's galactic readiness to produce an Effective Military Strength (EMS) score and that score would then determine the choices that were available to players in the endgame, along with the cut scenes which would be triggered to illustrate the consequences of players' choices. They said almost every decision a player made in the game would impact the EMS score in some way, and they therefore considered that each decision would impact the player's experience during the last hours of the game.

They said the final decision a player made in the game would have a drastic impact on the implied end state of the player's story, and that the endings came in the form of three possible choices, the availability and outcome of which were determined by the player's EMS score. An optimal play through would result in all three choices being available but players may have only two options or no choice at all, depending on their previous actions. They said the effectiveness of the choice made was also dependent on the EMS score, for example whether the main character "Shepard" would survive and whether the Earth was destroyed. They said there were also a large number of other, more minor, variations. In particular, they explained how the outcome of the Geth/Quarian Campaign and the Genophage Campaign would impact on the cinematic experience at the end of the game, and the implied end state of the player's story. They said that characters who had died during previous games in the series, as a result of player actions, would not be present in ME3, and that other actions in previous games could also lead to the death of supporting characters in the game.

Assessment


Not upheld

The ASA acknowledged the complainants' belief that players' choices in the game did not influence the outcome to the extent claimed by EA. However, we considered that the three choices at the end of the game were thematically quite different, and that the availability and effectiveness of those choices would be directly determined by a player's EMS score, which was calculated with reference to previous performance in the game(s). We also acknowledged that there appeared to be a large number of minor variations in the end stages of ME3, and that those were directly impacted by choices made by players earlier in the game(s). Whilst we acknowledged that the advertiser had placed particular emphasis on the role that player choices would play in determining the outcome of the game, we considered that most consumers would realise there would be a finite number of possible outcomes within the game and, because we considered that the advertiser had shown that players' previous choices and performance would impact on the ending of the game, we concluded that the ad was not misleading.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising) and 3.11 (Exaggeration) but did not find it in breach.
Action

No further action necessary.

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut leak is not a leak!!

Will the DLC fix this mess?

I can't help but notice the immense reporting of the so called leak for the ME3 new DLC -  the DLC that is supposed to resolve all the issues with the ending of the game.

Here's what some dude posted on Reddit:

“Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut: An expanded ending for Mass Effect 3. Additional scenes and an extended epilogue reveal the impact of Shepard’s choices on the future of the galaxy.”

How the frack is that a leak? It's a description of something we knew was coming already. Can all you gaming sites stop calling it a leak or go and read a fracking dictionary?

Now, if the Reddit poster had of said something like, the DLC confirms it was all just a dream in Sheppard's mind, that would have been a leak. 

Top Ten E3 Booth Babes

Forza's booth babe. Does she have a license to drive?

Top Ten Booth Babes from E3

Some conventions ban booth babes because they show toooo much breast or toooo much cleavage or leave nottthhinnng to the imagination. Not the E3 expo, where booth babes and their lack of clothes are considered as much as part of the furniture as a Halo announcement. Here's some pictures of said booth babes as spied from around the internets... is this the top ten? What do you think?

Come fly with me

What are the armor abilities for Halo 4?

What are the armour abilities for Halo 4?

Within the War Games and Spartan Ops modes on offer in Halo 4, the players take the role of a highly specialized SPARTAN-IV super-soldier, deployed from UNSC Infinity and utilizing a state-of-the-art Mjolnir GEN2 armor system.

While running around ducking and diving blasts from Scattershots and Sticky Detonators your Spartan can utilise the following abilities. No more Reach armour lock for you it seems!

THRUSTER PACK

DESIGNATION: M805X Forward Acceleration System/Fulcrum Mitigating

MANUFACTURER: Lethbridge Industrial

The M805X Thruster Pack, similar to other EVA-focused thrust modules, is a movement acceleration system that mitigates the user’s need for a fulcrum or pivoting articulation. 

This ability allows the user to move quickly and aggressively in combat, whether closing the gap between the user and an enemy or finding cover.

HARDLIGHT SHIELD

DESIGNATION: Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter/Aegis
MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin

The recently recovered Z-90 Hardlight Shield appears to be a photon emitter that can fuse particles of light into a rigid, dissipative barrier. For Spartans who choose to integrate it, the technology functions as a full-size aegis-class, anti-personnel defensive shield.

 HOLOGRAM

DESIGNATION: T-27 Responsive Holographic Form Emulator
MANUFACTURER: Materials Group

The T-27 Decoy package, referred in shorthand as “Hologram,” is a responsive emulator that generates an extremely realistic holographic copy of the user's physical form and movement. Once used exclusively by the Covenant, this decoy technology has now been reverse engineered for Mjolnir armor systems, and is used as a ruse in the field to trick enemy infantry and armor into revealing their position, thereby placing them at a disadvantage.

PROMETHEAN VISION

DESIGNATION: Z-5080 Short-Range Spectrum Augmenter/Vision
MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin

The Z-5080 Vision Modification system, colloquially referred to as “Promethean Vision,” is a short-range full-spectrum enhancement package that enables users to detect shapes and movement through solid barriers. Coupled with the VISR 4.0 tech suite, this software is one of the most formidable leveraged by GEN2 armor systems.

Descriptions and images sourced from the Halo Waypoint Site. 

What are the names of the Halo 4 Maps?

What are the names of the Halo 4 Maps?

So far three Halo 4 multiplayer maps have been revealed, Haven, Adrift and Longbow.

Here's their official descriptions from Halo Waypoint.

HAVEN

Resting high above Requiem’s surface, harmonic-resonance platforms appear to facilitate the monitoring and management of the shield world’s solar preservation system. These elaborate machines enable artificial planets to support their immense populations of indigenous life.





ADRIFT

Although this CAA mining vessel was refitted as an ordnance transport, damage sustained during the Battle of Kholo has condemned it to an inescapable slide down the gravity well of a gas giant. On board, its automated systems continue unabated, their operations executed in eerie futility as they drift ever-closer to destruction.






LONGBOW

The frigid climate and unique gravitational conditions of Concord’s northern polar region provide an optimal perch for Longbow Station’s channel-based mass drivers. Before the Covenant War, the UEG launched deep space monitoring relays from here in an effort to study far-flung star systems.

E3 Halo 4 News Wrap Up

E3 Halo 4 News - all wrapped up nicely in blue. Enjoy dear Halo fan!

• Louis Wu plays Spartan Ops, makes me jealous.
• Spartan Ops Images Revealed
• So what did we think of the Halo 4 game play?
• What is the Scattershot from Halo 4?
• What is a Promethean Watcher? 
• What is the MJOLNIR GEN2 POWERED ASSAULT ARMOR?
• What is the M363 Remote Projectile Detonator?
• What is the UNSC Infinity?
• What is a Promethean Knight? 
• What is a Promethean Crawler? 
• Halo 4 campaign screen grabs from E3
• Halo 4 Campaign Action from E3 Expo
• What are the armor abilities for Halo 4?
• What are the names of the Halo 4 Maps?

Louis Wu plays Spartan Ops, makes me jealous.

Legendary Halo fan 'Louis Wu' got to have some hands on time with Halo 4's Spartan Ops at E3

Here's a bit of what he had to say:

"In some ways, Spartan Ops is like firefight - you have battles against computer-based enemies, with reinforcements as you clear them. In other ways... it's way beyond firefight; you aren't holding a fixed position against attacking enemies but rather are moving forward towards your goals, all of your objectives are explained with story features, the enemy variety is large, you have goals beyond "protect this area" or "clear all enemies"."

"The mission we played lasted about 5 or 6 minutes. (My second run-through was faster; I knew what needed to be cleared, and where, and where the switches to open the next areas would appear.) It's a great way to play a quick match with some friends - they're planning on releasing five of these each week, during each 'season' (5 or so weeks). There is no word on releases past Season 1 - they might continue them, they might not. (I'm guessing it depends on how popular the feature is.)"

Check out Lu's full write up here. 

Bioware gets one thing right!

So you might recall this story where the producers of Fall Out sent an angry ceases and desist to the artist who, in a celebration of the game, created some posters in homage for others to download.

Well here's an example of a company doing it right. In this Bioware Blog post on Nick Clifford, they have embraced this wicked piece of fan art and used it as the header image for the post.

I reckon that's some awesome community spirit on show by Bioware, well done!

Original poster can be found on Flickr

Spartan Ops Images Revealed

The Two Towers?

Spartan Ops Images Revealed 

Following yesterdays wondrous reveal of the Halo 4 campaign, details the Halo mode Spartan Ops have been revealed - basically it's a peek into the world of multiplayer. As per yesterday's campaign screen shots, these images show a well designed multiplayer environment and are sure to allow for some great Halo matchmaking!

This way to drop the ring off Frodo

Running from the Eye of Sauron?