Tag Archives: Mass Effect 3

Train2Game news: UK Charts – Mass Effect 3 breaks series records to take No.1

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Train2Game students see the much anticipated Mass Effect 3 firmly take hold of No.1 in the UK Charts this week, as it achieves the biggest first week sales of the year so far.

It has also smashed previous launch figures of the previous games in the series, with Mass Effect 3’s week 1 sales beating those of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 combined. Mass Effect 3 also marks the first time the BioWare series has launched simultaneously across three platforms, but the Xbox 360 version proves most popular, providing almost three quarters of total sales.

You can find out more about BioWare in our interview with studio co-founders  Dr. Ray Muzyka & Dr. Greg Zeschuk, right here on The Train2Game Blog.

The success of Mass Effect 3 knocks fellow EA title, and last week’s chart topper, SSX down one spot to No.2. New release Street Fighter X Tekken, is the second highest new entry at No.3, while FIFA 12’s position continues to fluctuate, with the football title marking EA’s third appearance in this week’s top ten. Mario Party 9 slips two to No.5 in its second week on sale.

The Sims 3: Showtime, also from EA, debuts at No.6, sitting one place above Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 slips one to No.8, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations in a non-mover at No.9, while Zumba Fitness returns to complete the top ten.

PlayStation Vita title Unit 13 reaches No.15 in its first week on sale.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 10th March 2012 is therefore as follows:

1. Mass Effect 3 (EA)
2. SSX (EA)
3. Street Fighter X Tekken (Capcom)
4. FIFA 12 (EA)
5. Mario Party 9 (Nintendo)
6. The Sims 3: Showtime (EA)
7. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
9. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
10. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)

Releases for the week ahead include Silent Hill: Downpour, FIFA Street and the one you’ve been waiting for, European Bus Simulator.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Mass Effect 3’s record breaking No.1? What are your thoughts on the game? And do you expect it to stay at No.1 next week?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: Mass Effect 3 writer offers advice on getting into the industry

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Train2Game students who want the best chance of finding a job in the games industry should create their own games. That’s the advice from BioWare writer Sylvia Feketekuty, who is responsible for dialogue in Mass Effect 3.

“Try creating a game of your own. There’s a lot of community-supported game-making software out there.” she told the BioWare Blog in an interview about her role as writer for Mass Effect 3.

“Even if what you put together ends up small and basic, you’ll learn a lot about working in an interactive medium. It’ll really help you figure out where your strengths and interests lie. You’ll also have a lot of fun, too, between the bouts of frustration. Adjust what you have to, and don’t give up!”

Feketekuty also believes that game designers should read as much as possible, as it helps with creativity.

“I’d also encourage people to read as much as possible. Research topics you find interesting. Pick up a classic. Open up a play, or a movie script, or a travelogue if you’ve never checked one out before.” she said.

“Reading widely helps you become more creatively well-rounded, and that’s a trait developers always love to see.” the Mass Effect 3 writer added.

Train2Game students might find the BioWare Blog interview with Sylvia Feketekuty rather interesting, as she gives an insight into what it’s like working for the Mass Effect 3 studio.

Train2Game spoke to BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka & Dr. Greg Zeschuk in November last year. You can see their advice, and find out how they got into game development, here on The Train2Game Blog.

What are your thoughts on the advice from the Mass Effect 3 writer? Are you making your own games? And if you’re a game designer, do you read a lot?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on The Train2Game Forum.

[Source: BioWare Blog]

Train2Game news: Mass Effect 3 will be more accessible to new players

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Train2Game blog readers who played Mass Effect 2 without having previously played the original may have found it difficult to understand what was going on. They weren’t alone however, as Bioware don’t think they did enough to accommodate newcomers to the series

“In all honesty, we didn’t do a really good job of new player orientation,” Mass Effect 3 Marketing Manager Nick Clifford told IGN. “If you didn’t play the first game then 2 was pretty jarring for the first half hour.”

He said that in Mass Effect 3, new players without any previous experience in the series won’t hear references to past events they might not know about.

“If I’m a new player and some guy walks up to me and is like ‘Ohhhh Shepard! Remember that one time?’ I would be like ‘No. I don’t remember that one time,'” said Clifford.

“So we wanted to make sure that there aren’t those moments that the player is like, ‘Who is this? What’s going on? What are they talking about?’

It’s something that’s often missed in game development, the fact that a sequel might be a player’s first experience of a series, making the narrative confusing.

As previously reported by The Train2Game Blog, the Xbox 360 version of Mass Effect 3 will be connect compatible.

The Train2Game Blog interviewed Bioware founders Dr. Ray Muzyka & Dr. Greg Zeschuk in November last year. They discussed how they set up the studio and provided advice on getting into the games industry.

Mass Effect 3 is released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in March.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Mass Effect 3’s attempts to make the it easier for new players to understand? Is it something more sequels should try to achieve?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: IGN]

Train2Game E3 news: Microsoft goes Kinect heavy

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Mass Effect 3 will have Kinect support

Microsoft’s two hour E3 presentation focused on a range of improvements and new uses for Kinect.

As previously reported by the Train2Game blog, the hands free motion controller broke the 10 million sales barriers in March.  Microsoft’s E3 conference shows their looking to both consolidate and increase this market with Kinect news for both hardcore games and more casual applications.

Massive upcoming titles including Mass Effect 3 will see Kinect integrated into gameplay with the use of voice recognition technology.  It’ll mostly be used for selecting dialogue during conversations, with the option of commanding squad mates too. Of course, Mass Effect 3 will still feature regular control.

The introduction of Kinect compatibility for Mass Effect 3 does two things; firstly it allows Microsoft to take a step towards bringing Kinect to a hardcore audience – the Bioware title is highly anticipated by Train2Game forum users – while the voice commands are step towards making gaming a more interactive experience.

Interestingly, the Train2Game blog reported in April that Kinect developer Rare believe that voice commands are the future. The future may be here with Mass Effect 3 is released next year.

Microsoft’s E3 conference also revealed that Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be adding Kinect compatibility. Players will be using it to customise weapons and then test them on a virtual shooting range. It’ll be interesting to see how it works first hand, and then to see if’s implemented for the full-game. Again, it’s evidence of Microsoft attempting to bring Kinect to the hardcore.

Kinect Star Wars

However, in what may be disappointing news for Train2Game students, the Kinect Star Wars demo showed that it appears to be an on the rails game with a lightsaber instead of a gun – not the hardcore title many were looking for.

The press event also demonstrated that Microsoft are very much attempting to use Kinect to tap into the casual market that the Nintendo Wii has held for some time.  Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, and Kinect Fun Labs all demonstrated a family friendly direction for Kinect. We also got more casual titles in the form of Kinect Sports 2 and Dance Central 2.

At least when it came to non-Kinect titles there was something for the hardcore gamer, with live demos of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Tomb Raider looking very impressive. It very much looks like the Train2Game blog is justified in listing Tomb Raider as one of the most anticipated games of the year. (That is, if it’s released this year. There’s no date yet)

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Kinect heavy nature of the Microsoft presentation? Does it demonstrate Kinect is the future of the industry? Or are Microsoft just attempting to force it into as many titles as possible? How would you implement it into ‘hardcore’ games?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Mass Effect 3 & Elder Scrolls V among new games revealed at VGAs

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Mass Effect 3

The Spike TV Video Game Awards in Los Angeles has revealed a number of new games we can expect to see arrive in 2011 and beyond, and the excitement is already evident on the Train2Game forum.

The biggest announcements included Bioware showing off a trailer for Mass Effect 3 (So the teaser that featured on the Train2Game blog last month WAS for the third game in the series) and Bethesda revealing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

The Mass Effect 3 trailer see’s London overrun by an alien species, while a sniper inside Big Ben pleads for Commander Shepard to return to earth. The commander is looking down on the planet from space while huge alien machines lay waste to London. You can see the Mass Effect 3 reveal trailer for yourself on the Train2Game forum. The game will be coming to PC, Xbox 360 – and yes – the PlayStation 3 towards the end of 2011.

The VGAs also saw the revealing of another much rumoured RPG title in the form of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You can see the trailer for that here on the Train2Game forum. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a direct sequel to Oblivion and will be released on 11th November 2011. Another reveal included that of Resistance 3, with a trailer featuring a mix of live action footage and gameplay. The Resistance 3 trailer is also available in the VGA thread on the Train2Game forum.

Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception also had extended trailers shown off. The Uncharted 3 trailer – available on the Train2Game forum – shows what we can expect from Naughty Dog and reveals the game will come at the start of November.

Meanwhile, the Arkham City trailer reveals Doctor Hugo Strange as a villain and Train2Game students can watch it below.

Other reveals included Prototype 2, Guillermo Del Toro’s game InSane, but the latter not being scheduled for release until 2013!

So Train2Game, which of the VGA reveals and announcements are you most excited about? You see all of the trailers and leave your thoughts about them here on the Train2Game forum. Alternatively, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog.