Update: Galactic Pillow May 2012
After nearly two months of non-stop Mass Effect coverage it is about time this blog went back to its regular programming. While I am sure that there will be a lot more to be said about Bioware’s final installment in Commander Shepard’s story the next period of great interest will be when the extended ending director’s cut will be released sometime in the summer. Judging from the overall persistent negativity from some fans I really have my doubts whether or not many will be swayed by this new ending even though as of this writing I have really no clue what Bioware is going to do except keep their original ending the way it is.
Editorial – The Reaper’s Advocate: A Different Take on the Mass Effect 3 Ending
This is a guest post by Rei who is a translator/editor and software developer who loved watching his city get wrecked at the beginning of ME3. Additionally, like many fans, he played femshep because broshep’s voice was kinda dry plus he didn’t feel like watching his N7 ass for 100 hours.
The Mass Effect 3 ending has become a social phenomenon of its own category. Somewhere between the apparently low-budget ending sequence, the contrived interpretations and the misuse of charitable organizations to bring attention to the fans’ disappointment, there’s a decent ending: an ending that does for the most part make sense and could have been emotionally satisfying if not for a few unfortunate circumstances.
Editorial – Mass Effect 3: Ending Analysis
I realize the brewing firestorm that is going on right now with Mass Effect fans about the ending to Mass Effect 3 but I really do hope no one replies to this post with a lot of vitriol. I do not write this blog entry as a way to force or influence the way those who don’t like it think. Everyone’s experience with the ending is valid. If you hated it then I have no complaints to listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn’t descend into ranting or name calling like I have read on other forums. On the other hand if you liked it I would love to hear how it affected you or what you thought. Let’s keep this civil, please. Finally, this entire post spoils the entire plot of the game so if you intend to play it without any knowledge be warned that I touch on many things here.
Editorial – You Can’t Unwatch it!
Okay, this is going to be a short post but after seeing a video game trailer today I almost threw up on my laptop as I was laughing so hard. People who know me by now realize that I have always been an ardent Star Trek fan over Star Wars. Yes, this is one of those eternal science fiction debates that will probably wage on for the rest of eternity with no easy answer in sight. Actually, I find it ironic that I’m writing this right after my rather long post about the relative merits of Mass Effect which has been often described as being the “Star Wars” of this generation where I came to the conclusion that the two series should not be compared yet after this video it makes me wonder if Mass Effect has already surpassed it.
Editorial – Mass Effect Series
On the eve of the release of the final game in the trilogy I’ve finally gotten around to writing about why I thought Canadian video game company Bioware’s Mass Effect series was perhaps the most influential new franchise of the past decade. Others have already done so who more or less succeed in mentioning many of the points I had in mind yet I decided the time was right for my own thoughts. Some writers have made their case that Mass Effect is the “Star Wars” of this generation which I find an amusing opinion albeit open to much fan derision. It is not as if the series doesn’t have worth but this sort of comparison is bound to ignite a lot of divisive chatter amongst the Internet crowd.
Business: Face-Palm
Why do people watch reality TV? While there are plenty of reasons one might point out I am sure a huge percentage of people tune in weekly just to see how ridiculously bad/awful/ridiculous things are for those “performers” and are elated that compared to them, their own situation seems imminently much better. There is some sort of sadistic emotional resonance going on when people watch other people implode whether through economic hardship or plain old romantic failure. The list of disasters these virtual families go through make day time soap operas seem tame. Nevertheless, in terms of the business world the same phenomenon can be seen except instead of virtual families we revel in watching big hulking corporations explode before us in a cacophony of sheer stupidity.
Marketing – Polycarbonate to the Rescue
Nokia continues its global campaign for its Lumia line of Windows Phone devices and while initial reports range from them doing below expectations to higher than expected all we can say for sure is to wait for Nokia’s quarterly results which will no doubt shed light on how well it did or didn’t do. When rumoured sales figures come in as low as 500,000 to higher than 2 million it shows that many have no idea how well Nokia can execute as the Lumia is essentially a re-launch of the brand.
Life – Miniatur Wunderland
It’s not so often that I get pleasantly surprised while surfing the Internet for whatever stories catch my eye but here is a Youtube video extolling the virtues of the Miniatur Wunderland tourist attraction in Hamburg, Germany. I have seen miniature models before but never of this scope and as this feature video presents I am stunned by the level of quality craftsmanship and attention to detail that is apparent in this project.
