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.
E3 2011 – Wii U Reveal
While videogame fans everywhere look forward to E3 every year there is no doubt that anticipation goes through the roof during those years when new hardware is revealed. This time around you could say it has been higher merely because this generation’s lifecycle seems to be lasting longer than the normal 5 year console lifespan. There are many reasons for this including the soaring costs of video game production but lo and behold we’ve finally got confirmation that the home console market is moving to the next stage.
Marketing – Dead Island CGI Trailer
As video games have become more complex their marketing has shifted to meet the demands of a new generation of consumers. In this case, video game companies have taken a decidedly Hollywood-esque approach and have moulded game previews to the movie trailer format to varying results. However, this CGI trailer for upcoming video game Dead Island is surely going to become one of the most talked about examples of quality marketing as it hits all the right emotional notes in this incredibly chilling yet personally bleak portrayal of a zombie plague.
E3 2011 – Will you look at that…
Now here’s something I was not expecting. Seeing as I am such an avid videogamer I’ve been following the start of E3 since yesterday and lo and behold here’s news that a new Star Trek game will be coming to Xbox 360s, PCs and Playstation 3s sometime next year 2012. In a surprise announcement the game isn’t going to be an adventure game or tactical space combat simulator but rather a first person shooter which at the present time looks very much like a cross between Mass Effect and Gears of War.
