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'Starbound' is almost ready for everyone to explore
After years of being in Steam's Early Access program for in-development games, Starbound is readying to leave those confines. Four years on and the 1.0 patch, what developer Chucklefish refers to as "the story update," adds a ton to the charming 2D sci-fi title. In terms of narrative, your character is a member of a group called "Protectors" who are trying to guide the universe toward peace, and after your Earth-based graduation from the training program you'll head off to the stars to explore the galaxy.
BioWare loses another storyteller as Cameron Harris steps down
Senior Editor Cameron Harris will leave BioWare -- and the video game industry as a whole -- in April, she announced in a series of tweets on Friday. At BioWare, Harris had a hand in crafting the narratives of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect: Andromeda, which is due in 2017. She entered the video game industry in 2007 as a technical editor at Microsoft, and over the years she's also worked with Nintendo and ArenaNet, according to her LinkedIn profile.
EA says 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' not due till 2017
It's been almost four years since players gathered a crew on the SSV Normandy SR-2 and saved the universe with Commander Shepard. A new Mass Effect game was originally scheduled for 2016, however an investor call with EA's CFO Blake Jorgensen suggests that Andromeda has now slipped into 2017. During the presentation, he was asked which titles the publisher will be releasing in its "FY (fiscal year) 2017," to which he replied:
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' lead writer joins Bungie
Not long after the departure of writer David Gaider, another scribe from Canadian developer BioWare has left the company. This time it's the lead writer from the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda, Chris Schlerf. The announcement comes by way of Schlerf himself via a series of tweets. Naturally, he's proud of his work on the game and says he's excited to play it upon release, in addition to saying that working with BioWare was one of the best experiences of his career. Where's he working now? In another sci-fi universe under the employ of Bungie where he's presumably writing the next bits of Destiny.
'Mass Effect' is getting its own theme park attraction
Theme park attractions tend to be based on well-worn movies, if they're based on anything at all, but games? Not so much. However, Santa Clara-based California's Great America is planning to change that. It's launching a Mass Effect-based attraction in 2016 that will have a performer take you to a "distant planet," where you'll fight "larger-than-life foes" through a blend of 3D and "4D" (time travel?) effects. There's no mention of just who or what will make a cameo, although we wouldn't be surprised if Commander Shepard and the Reapers show up. Let's just hope it isn't too faithful to the in-game experience -- you probably wouldn't get a kick out of scanning planets for a few hours, or watching your favorite characters die. Mat Smith contributed a ridiculous picture to this post.
The Big Picture: 'Mass Effect' Reapers invade Los Santos
It's a mod, mod world when a universe-destroying Reaper from the Mass Effect series invades Grand Theft Auto V's Los Angeles stand-in, Los Santos. What you see up above is the result of Flickr user berdu applying the pretty self-explanatory "Mass Effect 3 Reaper as Blimp" modification to the PC version of Rockstar's stick-up simulator. It looks awesome and there's video of it in action after the break. As creator JJxORACLE writes on the (currently in beta testing) tweak's download page, sometimes the vanguard of our destruction will disappear from the skies completely and there doesn't seem to be any collision detection here. Oh, and its legs can touch the ground while it moves every now and again, because, you know, it's replacing Los Santos' legless blimp.
These are your favorite video game soundtracks
Not that long ago we published a list of the Engadget crew's favorite game soundtracks. But, of course, we left some of your favorites out. Well, we listened. What you'll find below are a selection of soundtracks that y'all made impassioned pleas for in the comments and on Facebook and Twitter. The big takeaway? You gals and guys really like the music from Eastern-developed games like Chrono Trigger and Shadow of the Colossus. You'll find those along with other, perhaps more modern, examples as well.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' coming holiday 2016
We've waited and waited for solid details on Mass Effect: Andromeda for what seems like an eternity and now we have a few more. The game launches next holiday season, to start. That's big enough on its own, but BioWare had even more to share from the stage of its press event here at E3 2015. Since it's using the Frostbite game engine pioneered by DICE, the game looks predictably gorgeous. It's in a new galaxy; the Mako is back; you're an N7 officer once again. You're playing as a human male or female, but not as the character seen in the trailer. BioWare says that Andromeda's "very much a new adventure" and that it takes place quite a bit after the events of Mass Effect 3.
'Mass Effect' director Casey Hudson joins Microsoft's HoloLens team
Casey Hudson, the producer largely responsible for EA and BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy, is now Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, where he's working on HoloLens and Xbox games. Microsoft appears to be all-in on HoloLens development -- Hudson now works alongside former Lionhead Studios boss John Needham and he reports directly to CVP of Next Gen Experiences Kudo Tsunoda, who previously led Microsoft's Kinect Games initiative. Hudson relocated from Edmonton, Canada, to Redmond, Washington, for his new role.
Almost all the sci-fi spaceships you know are on this massive chart
If you regularly follow geek culture, you've probably seen early versions of Dirk Loechel's spaceship comparison chart, which shows the relative sizes of vehicles from science fiction games, movies and TV shows. Well, it's finished -- and it's even more authoritative than the last time around. Get the full-size version and you'll see Babylon 5's Vorlon Planet Killer, Mass Effect's Normandy and seemingly everything in between. The chart even includes a real vessel, the International Space Station -- at 328 feet long, it seems downright puny next to its make-believe counterparts. Some story franchises have better representation than others (EVE is full of colossal ships), and you won't see moon-sized spacecraft like Star Wars' Death Star, but it's otherwise hard to imagine a more complete view of sci-fi transportation.
'Shadow Realms' is the next original game from the creators of 'Mass Effect'
EA subsidiary studio BioWare has made some pretty popular games, and is known most recently for its Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. Today at Gamescom, the developer gave us an insight into its first original title in some time -- Shadow Realms. The "online action RPG" pits a team of four "Heroes" against the ghouls and demons of the "Shadow Legions," including one player-controlled "Shadowlord." The evil, lone player is able to manipulate the environment, place traps and control ghastly minions in an effort to thwart the Heroes' progress.
Bioware teases next installment of 'Mass Effect' and new, unnamed title at E3
Prepare for a huge tease Mass Effect fans: Bioware showed off some "conceptual footage" of the game's next installment at Electronic Arts' E3 event. While we didn't get much in the way of actual gameplay footage, Bioware did go on at length about how fan feedback has helped to shape the new title under development at its Montreal Studio. The developers also hinted that the game would give players the opportunity to "pick a planet, fly there and see what to discover." Though no release date was given. Beyond a new Mass Effect, Bioware's Edmonton studio's also working on a brand-new IP. And it showed off even more concept designs to back that up. Again, we don't have much more to go on for the title aside from Bioware's focus on creating a fully fleshed out fictional world. Expect to hear more on that title later this year. Should you want a peek at what was shown today, check out the video embedded below.
Apple patent outs system for turning video game choices into comic books, is all about Mass Effect
Commander Shepard is not someone we expected to pop up in an Apple patent from 2009 (granted today), but here we are, staring into his icy visage. He and the rest of the Normandy's crew are used as just one example of a system that Apple patented, which turns game story choices into a unique comic book (nevermind the fact that Mass Effect comics exist on their own). Of course, like with so many of these patents, it's possible this system'll never see the light of day, but we'd like to detail it all the same for the sheer strangeness of its ambition. Essentially, the results of a player's in-game choices are used to populate a post-game comic book-style story -- progress, character info, settings, dialogue, achievements and screenshots are all pumped into an algorithm alongside the results of said variables, metrics from your playthrough, and your performance therein. The comic could be pushed to the cloud directly from your game console or PC, according to images included with the patent, which could then be pulled back down to a variety of devices (a tablet it shown, as well as standard televisions and PC monitors). Apparently Apple couldn't identify a good storytelling example from its own iTunes App Store, as Commander Shepard and co. are the only example given of a game use case. Again, it's rather unlikely we'll see this stuff pop up in Apple products anytime soon (if ever), but it's quite a concept nonetheless. That watch patent, however ... that's another story.
NVIDIA, Epic Games bringing Unreal Engine 3 to Windows 8 and Windows RT (video)
NVIDIA and Epic Games have successfully ported the full PC version of Unreal Engine 3 to both Windows 8 and, more importantly, Windows RT. Demonstrating the achievement on a Tegra 3-powered ASUS Vivo Tab RT, it played a buttery-smooth version of Epic Citadel, suggesting that developers of both PC and Xbox games should have no problem in bringing them over to the new operating system. It also casually mentioned that both Gears of War and Mass Effect were built on the engine, heavily implying that we could see titles of that caliber coming to Microsoft's low-power OS once it makes it debut on October 26th, but we'll let you decide for yourself after the break.
Mass Effect moaners kinda get their own way as people power strikes again
SPOILERS. Who can't name a beloved TV series that didn't end the way you wanted? BSG? Lost? Sapphire and Steel? Blake's Seven? Quantum Leap? The Sopranos? All of which ended either with tear-inducing bum-notes or confusing conclusions that caused furious head scratching. Despite that, the traditional reaction is to say "Well, I didn't enjoy that, but I respect the writer's artistic decision." Not so for gamers who felt short-changed by the intentionally devastating conclusion to Mass Effect 3. Fans of the game poured their outrage online, developer BioWare saying that the feedback it had received was "incredibly painful." A fan campaign that raised $80,000 in under a fortnight for Child's Play was enough to make the team behind the title concede defeat against the geo-political disruptor that is the internet with a cause. The company is now devoting all of its efforts to producing an "extended cut" DLC for the summer, but fans expecting a fourth ending where they can watch Commander Shepard on a sun-lounger, margarita in hand had better start complaining now -- the new content will only offer more depth and an extended epilogue to those tragic scenes you've already witnessed. SPOILERS END
Razer ready to dump massive mounds of Mass Effect 3 gear on an unsuspecting public
Prodigious piles of peripherals -- that's what Razer has in store for you -- all of them bearing the mark of Mass Effect 3. Most of the goods are simply rebrands of existing products: the Chimera wireless headset, the Vespula mouse pad, Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller, BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard and Imperator gaming mouse all get slathered in red and black and slapped with an N7 logo. The Bioware-branded electronics are accompanied by a messenger bag ($80) and iPhone case ($25). All will be hitting shelves next month for a roughly $10 premium over their unlicensed versions. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break for more details.
Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure
If you're the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas), then you'll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector's edition mold. It's an impressive feat you can view in heavily photographed detail at the source, but there's still one thing we're waiting on Krix to bring to life -- that space-skipping SSV Normandy.
Kinect support explodes, EA Sports, Mass Effect 3, and more hop on board
Kinect is almost as popular for its hacks as it is for actually playing games, but Microsoft and its third party developers are making a hard push for motion and voice-controlled games on the Xbox 360. Popular EA Sports franchises Madden NFL, FIFA World Cup, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour will all join the motion-gaming parade. No longer will you have to punch obscure sequences of buttons to pick plays, you'll actually be able to call out running patterns to your offensive line. Plenty of others are also getting in on the shouting and arm-flailing action, including Mass Effect 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Fable: The Journey, and Ghost Recon -- in fact, we were told, "all future titles in the Tom Clancy franchise will leverage Kinect." Crytek also offered a sneak peak at Ryse, a Roman-era brawler that will have you headbutting the air to take out baddies. Looks like you'll have to start stretching before firing up your console from now on. The following games will also be coming to Xbox 360 with Kinect Support: Minecraft Disneyland Adventures Kinect Star Wars Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster Kinect Fun Labs Kinect Sports: Season 2 Dance Central 2 Update: We've got a slew of demo videos of Kinect Fun Labs after the break -- it's Kinect hacks for the masses! %Gallery-125414% %Gallery-125428%
Gaikai enters closed beta, we get an exclusive first look
This is Mass Effect 2, running on a netbook -- a stock Eee PC -- with a single core Atom CPU that wouldn't dare to dream of actually processing the game. It works because the sci-fi opera's not taxing that silicon at all, but rather a beefy server miles away, streaming processed and compressed video frames direct to the 10.1-inch screen. It's called Gaikai, and if you're thinking it sounds just like OnLive by a different name, you'd be half-right. However, this streaming game service has a radically different business model which doesn't cost players a dime. Rather than provide a library of titles and charge you for on-demand, Gaikai will power game advertisements that let you actually play their games. If that sounds like an idea you'd like to hear more about, then we've got a treat for you. We spoke with founder David Perry about what the service can do, got an exclusive hands-on with the closed beta, and an extensive video walkthrough to boot. After the break, find the whole scoop. %Gallery-108541%
Waging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition
This week Waging WAR rides the double rainbow of gameplay customization via downloadable content and takes a cursory glance at the RvR packs being teased by the folks behind the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Let's follow along and see what Greg can unleash this time. It is difficult to talk about the future of WAR right now. Not because it doesn't have a future, but because the availability of information regarding it is not exactly easy to find. Actually, information on the future of WAR is all but non-existent, surrounded by controversy on all sides, and steeped in rumor, speculation, assumption and misinformation. The best I can put together is that we, as players, can look forward to some sort of set of three different "RvR Packs" allowing us to "customize" our gameplay experience moving forward. The packs have been called "Power," "Progression," and "Personality." What exactly each contains is a mystery, although the few talking points I was able to find regarding these RvR packs are speculatively disappointing at best. Although Carrie, Andy, and anyone else involved with the Mythic development team have said time and time again that they are not discussing moving toward the free-to-play business model, what they're proposing with these customization packs looks suspiciously like the item shop established by Turbine, implemented in Dungeons & Dragons Online and soon in Lord of the Rings Online as well. V.I.P. membership, anyone? Although concrete information is scarce and difficult to find, let's take a look at the most commonly referenced points of interest after the break.
