Part 1 of 4, by Jay Watamaniuk
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Mass Effect 2 E3 Preview: Shepard Lives, Shepard Dies
It is no longer be a spoiler to say that Commander Shepard, hero of Mass Effect, lives in Mass Effect 2. Despite the clever teaser, he is, again, the hero.
Dragon Age: Origins promises to be a rich, deep game. My time with it was brief here at the show, but given Bioware’s strong track record of delivering excellent RPGs, I think it’s safe to say that this is going to be a huge hit. Everything seems in place, from an excellent combat system that should appeal to those of all play types to a detailed character relationship system that will hopefully really help move forward a compelling storyline. It’s still a few months away from release, but Dragon Age Origins could very well be one of the most promising games of the show.
Mass Effect 2 just keeps looking better
We knew deep in our hearts that Shepard couldn’t be dead, and the new trailer confirmed it. We heard a voiceover exclaim, “Shepard, I thought you were dead!” or something along those lines – she must have watched the first teaser, too. Other notable bits include a precariously large rocket launcher unleashing a small mushroom cloud of Geth death, which indicates at least one new class of weapon, and plenty of the tactical sci-fi combat looks like a smoother experience than the first game. The climax of the trailer shows a new, mysterious (not the Geth) type of enemy approaching in an unknown ship. Gasp!
The star of the disjointed show was certainly Bioware. “Dragon Age: Origins”[and] “Mass Effect 2” managed to wow even just as trailers.” “…The ‘Mass Effect 2’ trailer was also suitably dramatic, showing off familiar faces, some fresh and speedy gunplay, and a promising lack of elevators.”
Image taken from Wired
Console Monster
“Shepard returns”, that is more than enough to get the hairs standing as the return of Mass Effect, one of the most acclaimed titles on the Xbox 360, is back with full force. Boasting a deeper story than the original, taking your team into the heart of enemy territory, with brand new characters, all new worlds and advanced new weaponry – I don’t need to know any more, just a release date will do.
Shepard a Geth? Mass Effect 2 E3 2009 trailer teases us more. Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 in early 2010. But that’s not stopping developer BioWare from generating a lot of hype very early on. Did Shepard die? Is (s)he a Geth now? Who knows, but this is one E3 2009 teaser you don’t want to miss.
I think the most exciting thing revealed at the EA conference was the Bioware trailers. I’m pretty excited about Mass Effect 2 [and] Dragon Age: Origins…” “It was refreshing to see EA making more games for girl gamers and expanding that market. I can’t wait to see what other trailers get shown throughout the show this week.”
Dragon Age: Origins will be gory. Very gory. The sheer amount of splatter in this game made quite a contrast to the above titles (Charm Club Girls. Littlest Pet Shop Friends.).
But probably the coolest thing I wasn’t familiar with already was Bioware’s Dragon Age Origins.
An RPG that’s like a true fantasy tale with blood, lust and betrayal, Dragon Age: Origins has graphics that look amazing, and it gameplay looks like it came straight out of a movie. Honestly, I wanted to go line up and reserve a copy after seeing the trailer. Mass Effect 2 was also shown briefly and it looks just as awesome as Dragon Age Origins.
Banner image taken from XBOXIST