showing 4 games

namepublisher(developer)year arrow_downwarddescription
Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided  LucasArts (Sony Online Entertainment;Electronic Arts)2003 labelimageminimize
Mass Effect  Microsoft Game Studios (BioWare;Demiurge Studios)2008Mass Effect is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known universe using technology left behind by advanced precursor civilizations.***
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[12]***Latest version: 1.02 (as of ?)
Version history:
* 1.01 (?)***Not as great as I expected, and the driving around in Mako is horrible most of the time as well as the final bit of the ending just makes me feel sickly. My recommendation is, if you want to enjoy this game, stick to the main story and avoid any side exploration/quests completely, and try to bear the last bit of the ending (the parts where humans talk). Replayability comes mostly from dialogs as otherwise the game gets quite dull, and unfortunately you need those dialogs to progress your renegade/paragon ranks to open the more interesting dialog choices since these are separate from your regular leveling and skills.***[b]Free expansions:[/b]
* [url=http://masseffect.bioware.com/galacticcodex/bringdownthesky.html]Bring Down the Sky[/url]

[b]Non-free expansions:[/b]
* Pinnacle Station (2009-10)***Comes on 2 DVDs but I have no idea what the second DVD is supposed to be for (backup?).***[b]technomagic[/b] — the "biotics" used in the game do not really fit into any of the groups we have neatly, technomagic and psionics being the closest, but since the ME universe also has psychics, technomagic is all that there's left.
[b]multiple endings[/b] — more like ending with variations; the core of it stays the same. [spoiler=Ending spoiler;Close spoiler]However, a notable difference is that if the alien council survived or not, depending on if you chose to save them. If you didn't, humanity will take charge, otherwise humanity is invited to take place as the fourth council race. Other, "more important", details stay the same regardless.[/spoiler]
[b]special agent protagonist[/b] — player is appointed a job similar to this somewhat early in the game, so this isn't true from the start.
[b]nationalism[/b] — the protagonist and his higher ups are constantly trying to drive the cause of the Human Alliance, it's importance and how you're part of it is constantly hammered at you and occasionally you get to do the same for others.
[b]unlikely sentients[/b] — Rachni, Geth to some degree (in mythos puts them on par with rogue A.I.), the plant creature, and some others
[b]dialog-keywords[/b] / [b]dialog-stance[/b] — some are full sentences but not actually what is said, generally these are only choices on what to discuss and [i]how[/i] to respond (aggressively or calm negotiator style)***[b]Minimum:[/b]
* Windows XP or Vista
* 2.4 GHz Intel or 2.0 GHz AMD CPU
* 1 GB RAM (XP), 2 GB RAM (Vista)
* GPU w/ Shader Model 3.0
* GeForce 6800 or ATI X1300 XT
* 12 GB free HD space
* 1X DVD-ROM drive

[b]Recommended:[/b]
* 2.6+ GHz Intel or 2.4+ GHz AMD CPU
* 2 GB RAM
* ATI X1800 XL or GeForce 7900 GTX or better***US 2008-05-27
EU 2008-06-05
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Mass Effect 2  Electronic Arts (BioWare;EA Montreal)2010Recruit. Explore. Control.

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.

To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.

Just like in the previous game, what you say to the other characters matters a great deal. Fortunately, the conversation system has been improved. The camera now pans around characters as they talk to one another to evoke a dramatic, cinematic feel. Also, Shepard can interrupt the conversation when given the appropriate prompt, taking situations into new directions that could help or hinder the mission.

Shepard is more customizable than ever, letting you create your ideal lead character — gender, facial features, class, and of course, attitude. Once you embark on missions, you’ll be treated to an improved battle system that lets you target weak points and blast off your enemy’s limbs with a variety of weapons.

Set out to lead your team to victory... or die at the hands of The Collectors. Either path is possible in BioWare’s smash hit, Mass Effect 2. Which destiny will you choose?***
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[12]***Mejora lo visto en el anterior juego, añade el elemento de la munición y simplifica la exploración de planetas.

Nunca "Shepard" dijo tanto

7 de 10***Besides removing pretty much everything that was bad about ME1, ME2 has some other improvements besides that. Though I did miss driving with the Mako on the planet with the Thorian, I'm still glad planetary surveys had been simplified to manual scanner sweeps over the old drive around with the Mako till you find something of interest. The game's RPG elements have been simplified, as most weapon skills no longer exist, and the ones that exist are temporary boosts or similar. Biotics were largely unchanged, though some new powers were added. A unique(?) feature was introduced with every single skill branching on the last (fourth) level into two alternatives that give various benefits. Otherwise the game remains largely the same, though there's almost none of the tedious running "quests" ME1 had on the Citadel. The locations you visit are much smaller, but generally speaking more unique. You won't feel like you're visiting the same place for the thousandth time unless you really are. That comes obviously with the cost that there's less optional things to do besides scanning planets for minerals, though I didn't bother to scan any more than was necessary (which probably left well over two thirds of the systems unexplored).

To summarize: ME2 is better in almost all aspects I could care about in ME1's sequel, was somewhat amazed at this achievement myself.***[b]Minimum:[/b]
* Windows XP, Vista or 7
* 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
* 1 GB RAM
* 256 MB VRAM
* GeForce 6800 or Radeon X1600 Pro GPU

[b]Recommended:[/b]
* 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
* 2 GB RAM
* GeForce 8800 GT or Radeon HD 2900 XT GPU
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Mass Effect 3 Electronic Arts (BioWare)2012As a result of Commander Shepard's affiliation with the Cerberus organisation in the past, he or she is removed from active service by the Alliance military upon returning to Earth. It is at this point that the alien machine race known as the Reapers launch an all-out assault on the planet. The Defense Committee asks Shepard for assistance, and Captain Anderson re-installs him as a member of the Alliance and Commander aboard his old ship, the Normandy. While Anderson stays on Earth, trying to hold its defenses against the overwhelming power of the Reapers, Shepard is sent to the Citadel to convince the galactic council to provide military aid for the struggling planet, and unite the alien races in a battle against the common enemy.

Mass Effect 3 is the third game in the series and forms the final part of the trilogy. As with previous games in the series, gameplay combines tactical, squad- and cover-based third-person combat with role-playing, in the form of different classes, customizable upgrades and dialogue choices. As with the second part of the trilogy, save files from the previous games can be imported with decisions being made in the first two games having an effect on the new situations.

In addition to combat difficulty selection, the player is offered a choice of three modes before starting the game. The "action" mode bypasses conversation choices, displaying them as non-interactive cutscenes; the "story" mode keeps choices intact, but lowers combat difficulty. The "role-playing" mode reflects most closely the gameplay of the two previous games, containing both choices and more challenging combat.

Most of combat-related and character development features have been carried out from the preceding installment. Melee combat plays a somewhat larger role: certain classes possess the ability to execute powerful charged close-combat moves. Weapons can be modified with two enhancements each, gaining more firepower, large magazines, increased accuracy, etc. Like before, abilities and powers can be upgraded when leveling up; each of them now offer two upgrade choices per level, and selecting one of them will lock the other enhancement permanently.

Entirely new to the series is a multiplayer option in the form of the co-op game mode Galaxy at War. It involves up to four players cooperatively taking over enemy strongholds. Players can take part in Galaxy at War as any race in the game's universe.***
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