Shane Pierce's Gears of War 3 Concept Art

Shane Pierce’s Gears of War 3 concept art captures the battered grandeur of Sera: broken industry, heavy stone, old civilisation, and a world that looks like it has been punched repeatedly by history.

Artist Shane Pierce shared some of the concept artwork he created for Gears of War 3, and the focus here is exactly where it should be: landscapes, buildings, architecture, and the bruised world of Sera itself.

That matters because Gears of War has never been only about men with necks like tree trunks carrying guns with chainsaws strapped to them. Obviously, that helps. Tremendously. But the series works because Sera feels like a real place that has been ruined in layers. Human empire. Pendulum Wars. Emergence Day. Locust invasion. Lambent infection. Every wall looks like it has seen a government collapse, a monster crawl through it, or a COG soldier take cover behind it while shouting something emotionally damaged.

Design note: The best Gears of War environments do not just look destroyed. They look inhabited, defended, abandoned, and then destroyed again.

The World of Sera in Stone, Smoke, and Ruin

Pierce’s environmental work leans into one of the strongest visual ideas in the Gears series: Sera is not a sleek sci-fi future. It is a heavy world. Its buildings feel old, civic, proud, and absolutely doomed. The architecture has weight. Columns, plazas, industrial complexes, damaged walls, and broken skylines all suggest a civilisation that once believed it would last forever.

That is why Gears of War 3 concept art can feel so mournful beneath all the noise. The game is full of gunfire, monsters, muscle, and gore, but its environments often feel like memorials. You are not fighting through disposable arenas. You are moving through the remains of a world that had culture, pride, class divisions, governments, families, and probably a lot of very serious stone masons.

The architecture of Sera gives Gears of War its strange tragic weight. Even the buildings look like they are trying to survive the war.

Why Gears of War Environments Hit So Hard

The character design in Gears is famously excessive. The COG armour is massive. The Lancer is ridiculous. The Locust look like nightmares discovered under a gym. But the environments are often where the emotional scale lands. They show what everyone is fighting over, and what has already been lost.

Sera’s visual identity is built on contradiction. It is beautiful, but brutal. Elegant, but militarised. Industrial, but strangely classical. The world has fountains, grand civic spaces, estates, ruins, factories, and battle-scarred streets. Then the series throws the Locust Horde through all of it and lets the dust settle where it may.

That is where concept art like this becomes valuable. It is not just background decoration. It defines tone. A Gears environment has to support cover-based combat, but it also has to feel like a civilisation dying in public. The best pieces make you feel the weight of the world before Marcus Fenix even enters the frame.

Gears of War 3 uses architecture as emotional scenery. The cover is practical, but the ruin is the point.

The Beauty of a World Built for Cover

One of the clever tricks of Gears of War art direction is that its world has to serve two masters. It has to look like a believable place, and it has to play well as a tactical space full of waist-high cover, flanking routes, elevation changes, and hard corners where something horrible can charge at you.

That can make game environments feel artificial if the art direction is weak. In Gears, the heaviness solves the problem. Broken masonry, barricades, concrete slabs, collapsed walls, ruined stairways, and blasted industrial structures all feel natural to the setting. The world looks like cover because the world has been smashed into pieces.

Pierce’s artwork understands that balance. The buildings are not tidy illustrations of fictional architecture. They feel like game spaces with atmosphere. Places where you can imagine a firefight, but also places that existed before the firefight began.

Water, stone, decay, and heavy architecture give Sera a lived-in sadness. It is not just a battlefield. It is a world being slowly emptied out.

Shane Pierce’s Design Work for Gears of War 3

The strength of Shane Pierce’s Gears of War 3 concept work is that it respects the scale of the setting. These images are not flashy character pinups or monster reveals. They are mood builders. They help define the atmosphere that surrounds Delta Squad: cracked civilisation, military exhaustion, and the feeling that every victory is being won inside someone else’s ruins.

That is pretty awesome design work for the world of Sera. It gives the chainsaw bayonets somewhere worth roaring through.

Does this Savage Grenadier remind you of any one?

So I spied on the internets some dude gave another dude a drawing and I thought, how nice. And then I looked at this picture of the 'Savage Grenadier' from the Gears of War series and I thought that's cool but what does that face remind me of? And then it hit me. It was a subtle nod to one of the worst movies in history.

The Savage Grenadier looks like Howard the Duck:



Now haters gonna hate so don't tell me he's got a cloth around his face or anything, aight?

Come up to the lab, see what's on The Slab

Come up to the lab, see what's on The Slab

I totally missed this for sure but The Slab novel is to be released next month - the fifth Gears of War novel by Karen Travis, it's focus appears to be on the Fenix family - Adam's dealings with that nasty Queen and Marcus' term in the Prison known as the Slab - those who played the original game will recall that's where it starts - with Dom taking Marcus out of his cell. 

Here's some promo guff for the novel.

MARCUS FENIX. WAR HERO. LOYAL SON. TRAITOR.

Ten years after Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde advances on humanity’s last defended area—Ephyra—in a bloody war that has seen billions die, Marcus Fenix does the unthinkable: he defies orders and abandons his post during a critical battle in a bid to rescue his father, weapons scientist Adam Fenix. But Adam is buried in the rubble during a ferocious assault on the Fenix mansion, and Ephyra falls to the enemy. Marcus, grieving for a father everyone believes is dead, is court-martialed for dereliction of duty and sentenced to forty years in the Coalition of Ordered Government’s brutal maximum security prison, known simply as the Slab.

But Adam is very much alive, snatched from the destruction by the elite Onyx Guard on Chairman Richard Prescott’s orders. He’s now a long way from home and in a prison of his own—a COG doomsday bunker on the tropical island of Azura, a place hidden from the rest of Sera since the Pendulum Wars. His own guilty secret has been exposed: Adam knew the Locust existed deep below the surface of Sera long before Emergence Day, and were being driven from their tunnels by a lethal parasite known as the Lambent. Now he has to find a way to destroy the Lambent while the dwindling COG forces fight to hold back a growing Locust army that’s threatening to overrun the city.

As Adam struggles to find redemption in his comfortable island jail, Marcus seeks his own atonement in the squalid, closed world within the Slab’s granite walls. While Dom Santiago and Anya Stroud fight to get him released, ready to make any sacrifice to free him, Marcus gradually finds unexpected kinship among Sera’s most dangerous criminals—and a way to carry on his personal war against the Locust.

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Interest? Order a copy from Amazon right now soldier!

Cortana revealed - is she Paisha Coffey?

Cortana as found in Halo 4

We wondered in January if Paisha Coffey was really going to be the model for Halo 4 and now that some official screen shots of Cortana from the game have been released we can have a look for ourselves and decide. This guy from reddit was pretty convinced and this facebook shot suggests it- what do you think? Is Paisha really Cortana? The nose seems a little similar.....

Fans can relax however, Jen Taylor is definitely doing the voice of Cortana for the game!

Paisha Coffey, model

So when should the big guy sue the little guy?

Copyright Bethseda

The recent example of how Bethseda sicked the laywers on to the Fallout Poster fan site made me think of what a tricky line it is for video game producers and publishers to walk in terms of giving the community but not letting them dictate the terms of that community.

As usual, I have to cite Bungie as the archetype for community management - they have fostered the development of Halo fans so that those fans stay loyal to the game. Even Microsoft who own the Halo intellectual property for Halo allow fans to use game content and the like on the basis that no monetary gain is made (George Lucas is a famous example of this as well). 

However fans don't own the IP so when they make posters that breach copyright or a trade mark those rights holders have to ask themselves. Is this kid worth it? Is he contributing to the community? Or are the abusing it? Are they taking a yard instead of an inch? 

Some video gamers and fanboys (and girls!) can be observed to feeling they are rights to the games themselves. Think the Mass Effect 3 ending. People were outraged that the ending to their game sucked. And then promptly demanded ME3's producers change the ending. 

But fans don't have that right. In the case of the ME3 ending DLC, they might have won this short term battle but they sure as heck have not won the war. 

The converse applies to the issue as well. If a company comes down too hard they run the risk of looking like big giant corporate bullies who don't care about their fans.

So when should the big guy sue the little guy? What do you think?

Missed out on your free Fallout Poster?

Image Source: www.fallout-posters.com

Say you run a fan site about Fallout that allows fans to download fall out posters.... say the IP rights holder is not happy and sicks the lawyers on to you....do you take them down?

This happened to the administrator of Fallout Posters, Erling Anderson. In response to legal demands he stopped the posters from being able to be down loaded and has this to say.

"Now, I’m not out looking for trouble. I set up the website out of pure 'fandom', and the last thing I wanted – or expected – was to be threatened with a lawsuit by Bethesda," Andersen wrote. "What pisses me off isn’t the fact that they’re looking out for their trademark – as they have every right to do so. What I’m pissed about are large companies abusing their monetary power, hiring global law firms to go after a fan online, immediately threating with a lawsuit.

Anderson then went on to say 

"Had they had the slighest bit of PR-savyness, they would have shot me a quick personal mail asking me to remove the (supposed) infringing content – and preferrably sent me some nice Fallout-swag as a nice gesture (yes, I am that corrupt)."

Erling wrote the lawyers back a sweet little letter on his blog but  he's had no response to date. I wonder if Bethseda will take it further given the publicity that's resulted. 

What do you think? Should this fan art be allowed to stay on the interwebs?

Justin Beiber's Mass Effect

What does Justin Bieber have to do with Mass Effect? This cartoon apparently

As found on Kotaku.

Josh Holmes chats about why he's doing Halo 4

Cortana needs to wake the chief up

Check out Josh Holmes, who you perhaps recognise creative director of Halo 4 talkng about how he first played Halo and why he joined 343 Industries to make his own Halo game.  


Watch the video here

JJ Reviews: Primordium by Greg Bear

JJ Reviews: Primordium by Greg Bear

After finishing Greg Bear's Halo: Cryptum, and enjoying it enough to order the sequel almost immediately, I went into Primordium expecting the same blend of mythic scale, Forerunner mystery, and careful world-building. This review assumes you have already read Cryptum, because Primordium does not waste much time easing readers back in. It moves quickly into the aftermath of the first novel and begins from a place of disorientation, both for the reader and for Chakas himself.

Greg Bear's second Forerunner Saga novel pushes deeper into Halo's oldest mysteries, even when its pacing tests the reader's patience.

Primordium opens with a brisk recap of Cryptum before revealing that this is, in effect, a retelling of events connected to Chakas. From the outset there is a deliberate uncertainty around his identity. He does not seem wholly himself. He feels fragmented, displaced, as if memory and consciousness are being filtered through something artificial or transformed. That uncertainty gives the novel an immediate hook and suggests there is far more going on here than a simple continuation of the previous book.

Once Chakas crash-lands on a Halo installation, the novel introduces the intriguing idea of local inhabitants who are more than just wildlife. For anyone coming from the games, where Halo rings usually feel sterile apart from hostile forces, vegetation, and the occasional birdlife, this is an interesting expansion of the setting. It hints that Greg Bear is less interested in using the ring as a battlefield and more interested in using it as an archaeological and metaphysical space.

That said, Primordium takes its time, perhaps too much time, before the story fully settles into motion. A large early stretch of the novel follows Chakas and his companions as they move toward the abandoned city and search for Riser, but the narrative can feel frustratingly slow during this section. Atmosphere accumulates, details are layered in, and the sense of mystery is preserved, yet the novel sometimes withholds momentum for so long that the reader may begin to feel stranded inside the setup.

Once Bear does find his rhythm, the book becomes much more rewarding. He begins to thread in the deeper ideas that make the Forerunner Saga so compelling, references to the Librarian, the notion of geas, and the quiet sense that the events unfolding on the ring are tied to plans and histories far older than the characters themselves understand. This is where Primordium starts to justify its patience. It is not simply telling an adventure story. It is expanding Halo's mythological core.

The strongest turn in the novel comes when the sinister truth behind the ring becomes clearer. The revelation that the Precursor presence teased at the end of Cryptum is not only real, but active and influential, changes the tone dramatically. Suddenly the story feels less like a wandering survival tale and more like a confrontation with something ancient, intelligent, and deeply hostile. By the time Chakas reunites with Riser, the novel has finally found the darker gravity it has been circling from the start.

From there, Primordium builds toward a climax that is rich in Halo lore even when it is not always cleanly executed. The novel reaches for very large ideas, dead souls revived through geas, the return of buried knowledge, old servant-warriors re-entering the frame, and the terrible question of whether Halo should be preserved as a weapon against the Forerunners or denied that purpose. These are exactly the kinds of ideas that make the expanded Halo universe so fascinating. They connect the ring not only to war, but to memory, inheritance, and judgment.

The difficulty is that the final stretch can also feel cluttered. There is a great deal happening conceptually, and not all of it lands with equal clarity. Some of the imagery is striking, but some of the descriptive writing is so abstract that it becomes harder than it should be to picture events cleanly. The result is a climax that is undeniably ambitious and important to Halo lore, yet not always as emotionally sharp or immediately satisfying as the ending of Cryptum.

One twist in particular felt fairly easy to anticipate. I had a strong suspicion about it well before the novel made it explicit. Still, it fits neatly into established Halo mythology, and that matters. A predictable reveal is easier to forgive when it strengthens the internal logic of the universe rather than disrupting it. Bear deserves credit for making the reveal feel consistent with Halo's deeper canon rather than merely clever for its own sake.

So, was I satisfied with Primordium? Only partially. I admired it more than I enjoyed it. It contains major ideas, important lore, and a genuinely unsettling expansion of the Halo mythos, but the journey to get there is often long, dense, and uneven. The book asks for patience, sometimes more patience than it earns. Yet when it works, it works on a level few franchise novels even attempt.

More than anything, Primordium reinforces the impression that Cryptum and Primordium were conceived as parts of one larger design. The two novels feel deeply connected, less like separate adventures and more like adjoining acts in a single long narrative. That is not necessarily a criticism. In some respects it gives the saga weight and coherence. It also explains why Primordium can feel like a bridge text, essential in terms of lore, but less immediately thrilling as a standalone read.

At the time, that naturally raised the question of what the third Forerunner Saga novel would do next, especially with Halo 4 on the horizon and with 343 Industries openly signalling that the books were feeding directly into the next era of the games. Looking back, that connection is one of the most interesting things about Primordium. It may not be as instantly gripping as Cryptum, but it lays critical groundwork for the deeper themes of inheritance, Forerunner design, and human destiny that would later become much more explicit. For a newer companion read on that side of the lore, see The Forerunner Geas Found in Master Chief.

Primordium is, then, an important Halo novel rather than an entirely satisfying one. It broadens the universe, deepens its oldest mysteries, and commits fully to the weird, ancient, almost metaphysical side of Halo lore. It just does so at a pace that may test even committed readers.

What does Massive Attack have to do with Halo 4?

Recording sessions for the Halo 4 soundtrack

What does Massive Attack have to do with Halo 4?


The link is round about in the that composer Neil Davidge is the lead composer for the Halo 4 soundtrack. David produced Massive Attacks' albums, perhaps most notably Mezzanine.

Neil Davidge

He's now landed the role of the Halo 4 composer and had this to say:

“Music has always been at the heart of what makes Halo so captivating and iconic. With Halo 4, we want to build upon the franchise’s amazing legacy and create a score that captures the awe and wonder of the Halo universe, and reinforces the deeper and more emotionally impactful journey Master Chief will embark on.” Which sounds like complete PR spin to me ;)

This vidoc however strongly suggests he and 343 are on the right track for Halo 4's soundtrack.



Sotaro Tojima, Audio Director for Halo 4 had this to say of Neil "When we met up, it was perfect—I discovered that he was a huge fan of the Halo series and had an equally strong passion for matching the next Halo score with his technique and experience. He was also willing and, indeed, enthusiastic to have strong communication, collaboration, and tough iteration with 343 to build something really special with Halo fans in mind. We were exactly on the same page! For me, there was no reason to look any further."
And here's a sample of the music released by 343:



What do you think? Does the music sound like Halo? Is it too different? I reckon it's it's pretty epic with some nice chord changes.

You can download a short sample track right here - thanks 343!

How a Halo blogger reaches out via Twitter

Here's a post I thought I'd write for Twitip but it appears to be a dormant site so here you go...

A fair while I ago was delighted that Twitip chose to publish a couple of articles I wrote, 'You know you're addicted to twitter when' and 'The Angels and Demons Guide to Good Twitter Etiquette'. Since that time I've just got on with the job of blogging and using twitter to reach out to my readers. I thought I'd share what I've learned.

How a Halo blogger reaches out via Twitter

Halo is a massively popular series of games for the Xbox 360 and I’m a bit of a Halo nut and soon enough I created Gears of Halo, a blog dedicated to promoting and sharing the ‘fan boy love’ for Halo and other video games I enjoy.

The blog has been steadily building a faithful audience and I believe a stong part of this reader growth is due to using a dedicated Halo Twitter account.

Here’s the lessons I learnt on the way.

• Bite the bullet, forget your general twitter account and create a new account directly for your blog. It allows like to match to like – people who are only interested in your subject but not what you did on Saturday night will appreciate it. 
• Follow movers and shakers in your subject niche. I go for two sets of people. The producers of the video games and their industry associates. Another other group to target were the other fans who are clearly ‘talkers’ about Halo games. I know they sometimes check my site out and occasionally give out a RT. 
• Link your blog posts to your twitter account so when you publish a post, a tweet announcing the fact is made to your followers. Set the tweet so it’s clear it is a ‘New Post’ tweet. I use Twitterfeed. 
• Retweet news that other twitter folk come up with or create. This could help you noticed by the watchers and lurkers as being being someone with your finger on the pulse. When it’s time for you to show off your “L33T skillz”, they may just give you a RT. 
• Come to the party. In the Halo universe and other genres there are plenty of colourful characters – some have taken these over to the Twitterverse and tweet in character – playful engagement with these types of twitterers can help get you noticed in your subject area. Check out the famous Darth Vader twitter account as an example. The twitter force is strong with that one!
• Write a blog post about the Top Ten People to follow on Twitter in your niche. Let those people know about it and being flattered, they might just retweet the post giving you more exposure. Trust me, it works! 
• Aim to have more people following you than you follow yourself. It’s a ‘people like them so I'll like them’ psychology. I suspect there’s some kind of mental accounting people do when deciding whether to follow someone – having more followers than you follow might suggest your audience is more than just your friends and thus are worth following. 
• That said, anytime a follower engages with you, consider following them back. It may help cement their loyalty to you, your twitter account and perhaps more importantly, your blog. 
• How do you get more followers? Make it clear on your blog you have a twitter account. Invite people to follow you. I have a note at the bottom of every post, suggesting people follow. 

It's my conclusion that as a result of having a dedicated twitter account with followers that are specifically interested in your website’s subject matter, you're more likely to get more readers of your posts than without it.

Those readers are perhaps also more likely to engage with you on the site, for instance, they might leave comments.

Lastly, as your ‘authority’ as an being an expert within your subject niche grows, so does the chance that that authority will create more authority by way of new followers and increased through-put readership of your blog.

Now, how l33t are your retweet skillz?

ME3 Resurgence pack DLC is free!

Bioware have been busy with Mass Effect stuff lately with the patch release, the Extended Cut and now some new free DLC for ME3 multiplayer fans comes in the form of Resurgence pack.

I wonder in light of the fiasco around the ending (which I kinda liked) that Bioware chose not to charge a fee for the DLC so as to keep fans happy...? What do you think?

You can down load the DLC right now. 

Here's the promotional guff from Bioware.

Join the war for Earth in Mass Effect 3! Owners of Mass Effect 3 can download the first multiplayer expansion for no additional cost. The Mass Effect 3 Resurgence Pack adds new unlockable content: deadly weapons, new consumables, and powerful characters for each class in multiplayer, including the Asari Justicar, Batarian, Geth, and Krogan Battlemaster. Additionally, the Mass Effect 3 Resurgence Pack also includes 2 new maps, Firebase Condor and Firebase Hydra. Download this pack on April 10th and take the battle online in the critically acclaimed Mass Effect 3 multiplayer experience.

NEW CHARACTERS



CHARACTERS

Asari Justicar Adept

Asari are fierce, graceful warriors. They are incredibly powerful natural biotics. The asari excel at hit-and-run tactics that ruthlessly eliminate their opponents from the battlefield.

Krogan Battlemaster Vanguard

Krogan Vanguards are a brutish specimen. These fully mature krogan might be old and slow, but their biotic charge ability makes up for it. Their heavy shields and ability in close makes them a menace on the battlefield.

Geth Infiltrator
Geth Infiltrators converge quickly on a target while remaining undetected. Their unique perception systems give Geth Infiltrators an unsurpassed understanding of the battlefield.

Geth EngineerGeth Engineers are elite support specialists. Their unique perception systems give Geth Engineers an unsurpassed understanding of the battlefield.

Batarian Soldier & Sentinel
Batarians are large brawlers that use nets and spiked weapons to capture targets… or to bleed them dry on the battlefield. If an opponent gets too close, a Batarian bludgeons them with spiked armor and enforcement gauntlets.

NEW MAPS







MAPS

• Firebase Condor – A warzone outpost located on one of Palaven’s moons, Firebase Condor represents a crucial asset in the defense of the Turian homeworld, providing the beleaguered turian fleet with a place to refuel and repair. Its loss could grant the Reapers unparalleled access to the Inner Council Theatre.

• Firebase Hydra – Firebase Hydra is located in an old abandoned Quarian colony which humans took over when they originally settled the world of Ontarom. It has since been converted into a massive dam facility which powers the communications hub located at Firebase Dagger and the kinetic barrier which protects it. Without this critical power source, Systems Alliance communications within the entire theatre would go dark.

NEW WEAPONS

WEAPONS

• Striker Assault Rifle – Krogan rifle with explosive rounds. Its rate of fire increases when the trigger is held.
• Kishock Harpoon Gun – Deadly one-shot batarian weapon. Causes bleed-out or disruption of target.
• Geth Plasma SMG – Fully-automatic geth submachine gun. Its rate of fire increases when the trigger is held.

FAQ

When is the Resurgence Pack available?

The Resurgence Pack is available on April 10th for Xbox 360 and PC worldwide. For PlayStation 3 owners the pack will be available on April 10th in North American and April 11th in Europe.
What exactly is included in the Resurgence Pack?

Firebase Hydra and Firebase Condor are available to play on as soon as the Resurgence Pack is downloaded. The new weapons, characters, and equipment are available as rewards inside Reinforcement Packs.

How many new characters are there total?

There is a new character for each class in the game, so 6 new characters to play as total. There are also new races introduced including the Geth and Batarians.

Does each new character come with new abilities?

Yes the new characters will have their own unique abilities and loadouts.

How much does the Resurgence Pack cost to download?
The Resurgence Pack is available at no additional cost for Mass Effect 3 game owners.

Incredible Mass Effect 3 Cosplay from Pax

Incredible Mass Effect 3 Cosplay from Pax

It seems to me that Mass Effect cosplayers might be the best in costume play out there. Check out these images of the cos play action from the recent PAX event.

Tali

Samara

Mordin. No word on what the cosplayer sang...

Thane again and a certain doctor...

Check out some more Mass Effect costume players.

Screenshots from Assassin's Creed III revealed

Assasin's Creed 3 Screenshots revealed 

Assassin's Creed 3 in game screen shots have been released - check out what the next version of the blockbuster game series will look like. I'm sure you'll agree these images are a vast improvement on the prior games - no doubt due to a new game engine....

How many hours does the average player play Skyrim for?

According to Skyrim's producers, the average playtime for Skyrim players is around 85 hours. A another remarkable stat puts my 30 - 40 odd hours on Mass Effect to shame as well - nearly thirty percent of players have put in over of a hundred in-game hours in the world of Skyrim.

I imagine the fact that DLC is soon to be annnounced means those play hours will only increase....

What's the most amount of hours you've put into a video game? I'd hate to think how many hours I've clocked up on Halo's various multiplayer versions!

Just blow in the cartridge

As found on IGN's Google Plus.

Requiem for a Halo 4 Dream

The Game Informer article leak has confirmed a few things for the new Halo 4 game.

Halo 4 takes place four and a half years after the events of Halo 3 when Cortana wakes up the Chief after detecting an alien intruder aboard what is left of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.

The ship eventually crashes onto the planet Requiem, which is enclosed in a Dyson Shell. There's been a lot of speculation about what Requiem actually was so some fans will be pleased they were right.

We now know that we haven't quite got rid of the Covenant, however, the Chiefs main enemy is a new 'faction' that the article describes as being “kind of elevated in terms of their intelligence and complexity relative to the Covenant.”

This info is all kinda sketchy and just taken from fan sites around the place - things might change with the official release of the Game Informer magazine...

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut DLC formally announced

So I went to a place that had no internet for four days and came back to this encouraging press release from Bioware regarding the Mass Effect ending. As they promised, they've had a think and have decided to release a DLC.
-
An official press release went out today announcing how we are re-prioritizing the Mass Effect 3 post release content schedule to provide a more fleshed out experience for our fans. For many of you the “Extended Cut” will help answer some questions and give closure to this chapter of the Mass Effect story. Oh and it’s at no cost to you – the fan.

Here is a mini FAQ to help you understand what the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is and isn’t:

What can fans expect from the Extended Cut DLC?
For fans who want more closure in Mass Effect 3, the DLC will offer extended scenes that provide additional context and deeper insight to the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s journey.

Are there going to be more/different endings or ending DLCs in the future?

No. BioWare strongly believes in the team’s artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise. The extended cut DLC will expand on the existing endings, but no further ending DLC is planned.

What is BioWare adding to the ending with the Extended Cut DLC?
BioWare will expanding on the ending to Mass Effect 3 by creating additional cinematics and epilogue scenes to the existing ending sequences. The goal of these new scenes is to provide additional clarity and closure to Mass Effect 3.

When will the Extended Cut DLC be available?
Currently the Extended Cut DLC is planned for this summer, no specific date has been announced at this point.

Why are you releasing the Extended Cut DLC?
Though we remain committed and are proud of the artistic choices we made in the main game, we are aware that there are some fans who would like more closure to Mass Effect 3. The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard’s story.

Will there be more Mass Effect 3 DLC?
More content is being planned and we will release information at a later date.

So there you have it. Are we proud of the game we made and the team that made it? Hell yes. Are we going to change the ending of the game? No. Do we appreciate the passion and listen to the feedback delivered to us by our fans? Very much so and we are responding.

Summer is coming…

Bungie's Goodbye Sweetheart Halo Wallpaper

Bungie's Goodbye to Halo Wallpaper known as "Goodbye Sweetheart" is a pretty impressive look back across the Halo games.

Right click and 'save as' to get the wallpaper for yourself!

As found on Bungie's homepage. Check out the good bye multiplayer statistics!

Mass Effect writer interview: John Dombrow

Nicked from the Bioware Blog. The cynic in me suggests this was released to take some heat off Casey Hudson but it's probably just part of Bioware's community reach programme..... either way it's a very good insight into a video game writer's frame of mind and sense of purpose.

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
I’m John Dombrow and I’m a senior writer on the Mass Effect 3 team.

What is the best part about your job?
Having the job! When Mass Effect 1 came out in 2007, I was a BioWare fan like so many others. I ran over to Gamestop on release day and snagged a copy because all the previews I’d seen about the game looked amazing. I remember playing it and thinking “Wow, this Garrus guy is cool” or “This Wrex guy sure is a bad-ass” and then pondering all the questions that Mass Effect 1 posed like “I wonder what’s going to happen with this genophage problem?” Or “What were Protheans really like?”

So jump ahead to 2010 when I’m working on Mass Effect 3 and I got the writing assignments for bringing closure to the genophage issue, writing Wrex, writing Garrus, and writing our Prothean squadmate, Javik. And BioWare was going to pay me to do that? Wow. It was a dream come true, taking the passion I felt as a fan of Mass Effect 1 and applying it as a writer to Mass Effect 3.

What does an average day look like for you?
That depends on what stage we’re at in the project. Early in Mass Effect 3’s development it was all about meetings and brainstorming, trying to hash out the basics of a mission as we gradually worked our way towards a more detailed vision. All of that happened on paper. Then once we had approved mission documents and moved into production, the day was spent writing scenes, revising them, going to review meetings as the mission gradually took shape – artwork, level design, combat, cinematics, audio, VO dialogue –all of that started to work its way into the mission, getting more and more refined as we went. I’d play my missions constantly, assess what was working and what wasn’t, make adjustments, and so on. Then once everything was at a more finalized state, it was all about polish and bug-fixing, ironing out the kinks, trying to make it as perfect an experience as you can. The trick is you could have several missions that were your responsibility, so you’re doing all of this across multiple missions which could all be at various stages of the process. Writers at BioWare quickly learn how to juggle!

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
Lately, that would be experiencing the Tuchanka genophage mission. I had spent so much time thinking about it and then writing it, that to finally see it in all its final glory, with finished cinematics, music and sound FX, was incredible. I was so proud that we’d hit all the emotional beats we had hoped to hit and successfully brought closure to a complex issue with all the characters fans had come to love. Even better, was seeing the fan reaction to the mission. As a writer you hope that maybe once in your career, no matter the medium, you’ll emotionally move people, and I was so proud to see that was happening to players when they finished this mission. And I stress “we” because a mission of that size, scope, and ambition doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a true team effort.

I had an awesome level designer, Dave Feltham, who was in sync with the story, the themes, and what the mission was all about and how to pack with all these amazing action moments. Boyd McKenzie’s artwork was incredible, and then I worked with two great cinematic designers, John Ebenger and Richard Boisvert to bring the scenes alive, along with our cinematics team that handled the Reaper vs. Thresher Maw fight. Then another writer, the very talented Patrick Weekes, who had created Mordin in Mass Effect 2, got involved in shaping and writing Mordin’s final goodbye in this mission to give him a proper sendoff (along with one last chance for Mordin to sing a song). Add the final touches with sound and music from our audio department, and all cylinders were firing. There’s pride in that – pride in knowing you and your colleagues have brought your “A” game to the table, infused it with all your own individual talents, and created something whose sum is greater than its parts.

What’s a geeky thing about you?
I like to go back once in awhile and play old Infocom text adventures. Zork, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Lurking Horror, Planetfall – I still get a kick out of them. There’s something about a blank cursor waiting for you to make your move that gives you the illusion of total freedom.

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
Find what you’re good at and then keep getting better at it. Whether it’s writing, designing levels, creating sound FX, doing concept art – you’re only as good as your product. You should play games all the time, see what works, what doesn’t, and learn from the successes and failures of others. But also be realistic – you’re not going to land your first job in the industry as Lead Designer. Be prepared and willing to work hard starting from the ground floor, improve your craft, and eventually you can get where you want go.

If you weren’t working in the industry, what would you be doing?
Banging on the door trying to get into the industry. Failing that, when I was a kid I seriously wanted to be director of the CIA. I’m not sure why, but I had this phase where that seemed like a legitimate career goal. Now I think back and wonder – huh? What was I thinking? Because I had it all planned out – I knew how I was going to win the Cold War, which countries I’d recommend we invade, where I was going to send my spies on missions, and how I was going to read all the top secret files about UFOs.

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
I’m playing Skyrim followed by more Skyrim. Very addictive game. Book-wise, I’m in the middle of reading Guillermo del Toro’s third novel of his vampire trilogy, The Night Eternal. As for music – I’m pretty much a movie soundtrack guy most of the time. I find soundtracks provide the best inspiration for writing. Everything I did in Mass Effect 3 was inspired by some particular piece of movie music. And when I get tired of that, there’s always the aforementioned Patrick Weekes, who will gladly burst into song and give us all a Mordin tune whenever we ask for it.

Here's Briny's thoughts on the Mass Effect 3 ending.

Here's Briny's thoughts on the Mass Effect 3 ending. I think she took it pretty bad....

Movie references found in Mass Effect

Movie references found in Mass Effect

The entire Mass Effect game series is brimming with easter eggs and references to other games, movies and other popular culture. Here's a few movie nod though I think I've missed a whole heap of in jokes, direct lines and what not.

The Matrix

Joker refers to humans being organic batteries “Great this is where it starts, when we're all organic batteries guess who they'll blame?". This is in reference to the artificial intelligence EDI being freed of her programming locks.

A Spacey Odyssey 2001

Joker again. “What?! You're crazy! You start singing Daisy Bell and I'm done!" – The computer HAL 9000 sang Daisy Bell when it was beingdeactivated after going insane (or rampant perhaps). This itself was a reference to the IBM 7094 which was the first computer to sing and it sang the same song.

The Princess Bride

Commander Sheppard tells a C-Sec official that he was "just mostly dead." This was after Cerberus brought him back to life.

Star Trek

In the original ME, Commander Shepard tells a Krogan that the mine shift is collapsing and will surely kill them all. The Krogan replies, "Exhilirating, isn't it?", a direct reference to Klingon Kruge's response to Captain Kirk in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

If you take Sheppard to the Citadel and go to the bar on level 28 you can ask for a drink. The bar tender will pour you a tasty beverage. Shepard will exclaim 'This is green!'. This is a direct reference to Scotty's line from the original Star Trek movie.

ME2 - If you find yourself on Zakera Ward talking to Avina, can ask her why this area is more run down. She says "Asari futurists theorize that poverty will never truly be overcome by society until the invention of Cornucopia technology. A machine that can create anything the user desires. Such objects sadly do not exist out side science fiction literature" This is mostly potentially a reference to the replicator devices from Star Trek.

Star Wars 

In ME3, when Sheppard helps the Cerberus scientists escape, the line "The first transport is away.." is uttered and is a reference to the Rebels escaping the ice planet Hoth. 

Here's a more full list of Stars Wars references that can be found in Mass Effect.

The Hunt for Red October

During a ME3 mission with Tali, Joker activates the stealth drive saying "the only way they'll notice us is if everyone starts singing the Russian national anthem."

Battlestar Galactica 

OK it's a TV reference but while leaving the Geth Dreadnought Joker says "Just waggle your wings or something so I know which one is you" This is reference to the original Battlestar Galactica episode titled 'The Hand of God.'

What else is there? Leave your thoughts in the comments !

Star Wars references in the Mass Effect trilogy

Star Wars references found in Mass Effect

During my Mass Effect 3 run through I noticed a sweet Star Wars reference and thought it might be a good idea for a post so here's what I've found and what other kinds of easter eggs and reverential nods people have found in the campaign of the three games in the series.

The Original Game

• There are several instances of "I have a bad feeling about this."  being uttered.
• The Krogan Wrex say's "It's a trap" after being ambushed by Geth.
• Upon seeing the Sovereign, the line "Look at the size...", is dropped, a probable reference to the New Hope when Luke sees the Death Star for the first time.

Mass Effect 2

• Miranda's loyalty takes leads you to docking bay 94, which is the same number for the docking bay the Millennium Falcon was found in A New Hope.

Mass Effect 3

• When Sheppard helps the Cerberus scientists escape the line "The first transport is away.." is uttered and is a reference to the Rebels escaping the planet Hoth. In fact the whole scene is a homage.
• A lot of the characters that can be found in the Docks on the Citidel have the costumes and colours that appear to be inspired by the Star Wars universe - such as the orange jump suit Luke Skywalker wears in Empire Strikes Back.
• If you look at the Rachi ravagers (the ones with sacs) side on, they kind of look like those Droideka robots that 'roll' around in The Phantom Menace, kinda:

And if you liked all that, why don't you check out some Star Wars cosplay or just skip to Princess Leia in a bikini...

There were no Darth Vader film quotes that we could tell!