The Cross and The Controller: Mass Effect’s Picture of Faith

SPOILER WARNING: This article will talk about the death of a major character in Mass Effect 3 that takes place about a third of the way through the game… unless, of course, that character died in your playthrough of Mass Effect 2.

Prayer is a very strange thing. It takes numerous forms, from the recitation of memorized words, often ancient, to the spontaneous utterances of exuberant or anguished hearts. It can be practiced in deep silence, and it can be as informal as a muttered word for help before a surgery or a battle. Prayer flows out of human beings; we seem to be hardwired for it, either by some quirk of natural selection or through deep enculturation. The old saying “there are no atheists in foxholes” suggests the fact that, at our core, humanity is a praying species.

It’s important to note that none of this is an apologetic for the existence of God. One needs a particular understanding of the bare facts to interpret them in any particular way. Our penchant for prayer may be a quirk of genetic mutation; it may be a result of millennia of conditioning. Neither suggests that there is anyone listening to our prayer. So, while I do believe that our prayers are heard, I do not think the fact that we pray is somehow proof of that.

Press Start to Continue

Posted in Features, PC, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Zombie Slayer Diox, Blackjack, Carmen Sandiego

In addition to several new 3D music videos, today’s Nintendo Download includes a trio of new titles and a special message from an Oscar-winning dog.

Is the suspense killing you? Here’s all the details on this week’s new releases:

Zombie Slayer Diox (3DS eShop) – Zombie Slayer Diox is a rhythm-action game with a side-scrolling twist. Don the jeans and leather boots of a samurai guitarist living in a future time when zombies have taken over most of the world.

1st Class Poker & BlackJack (DSiWare) – This collection offers many varieties of poker, blackjack and video poker, including Texas Hold’em, Double Flop Hold’em, Omaha and Pineapple. Play solo or try the local multiplayer mode.

Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Island of Diamonds (WiiWare) – Crack the case of the Island of Diamonds in single-player Story Mode. Perfect your math skills in single-player Practice Mode. Challenge your friends and family to solve math puzzles against the clock in Multiplayer Mode.

And as for that dog… Nintendo is sending out a special Swapnote inspired by Uggie, the canine star of The Artist and the “spokesdog” for Nintendogs + Cats.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii |

Daily Scoop: March 22, 2012 – Too many shirts

There are way too many cool shirts available on the cheap today. I had to actually hide my wallet from myself! Which is really going to suck at lunchtime, let me tell you.

Amazon’s got a decent Deal of the Day in video games today… it’s an extra $25 gift card if you buy the Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle. So it’s $50 off AND you get a $25 gift card to boot. Scoop it up!

Quite a few sweet gamer shirts today – one at a daily site, and the rest part of Threadless’ sale!

Press Start to Continue

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, Xbox 360 |

Zynga acquires Draw Something developer

Zynga, the ubiquitous juggernaut behind FarmVille, CityVille, Words With Friends, and a lot of other Facebook timewasters has acquired OMGPop, the developer behind the newest iOS sensation, Draw Something.

“The OMGPop team has created a game that’s fun, expressive and engenders real social interaction,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. “Draw Something has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. We love the way they’ve worked playful and relevant culture into their games from Devo to Daft Punk, from Lin to Beckham. We’re honored to have the opportunity to partner with and support such an innovative team of creative inventors.”

Just how big is the Draw Something phenomenon? The game has been downloaded 35 million times (to be fair, it is free) and players have created over one billion drawings in the last week alone. So, that big.

Or in other words, if OMGPop CEO Dan Porter is ever asked to draw “fat stacks of cash,” he just draws a picture of himself.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Nintendo Video service gets 3D music videos from The Shins, Wale, B.o.B., more

Nintendo recently announced they are teaming up with top musical acts to provide new music videos in 3D for users of its free Nintendo Video service on the 3DS.

Available for download now are “The Rifle’s Spiral” from The Shins’ new album Port of Morrow, “Sabotage” from Wale, and “So Good” from B.o.B. Additional 3D videos that will be available soon are “Skyscrapers” from OK Go, “Breakn’ a Sweat” from Skrillex, “Underneath the Sycamore” from Death Cab for Cutie, and “Save World Get Girl” from I Fight Dragons.

All 3DS owners have to do to get these awesome videos is connect their 3DS to the Internet and download the Nintendo Video application. The music videos that are currently available will download automatically!

Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, News |

BioWare co-founder comments on Mass Effect 3 backlash, hints at new ending DLC

Developers at BioWare can’t stop talking about Mass Effect 3 and the fan backlash concerning the ending. They preface each new comment with some variation of “we’ll talk about it later” and then they proceed to talk about it right now in that diplomatic PR-speak that artists and entertainers use when they’ve screwed up: “I’m sorry, the team was great, I’m sorry, everybody else seems to like it, I’m sorry…”

The latest person to join the backlash bandwagon is BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, who took to the BioWare Blog to praise the development team, crow about the very positive critical response, and to again admit that answers to fan complaints are coming in “a timely way.”

But Muzyka also spoke about BioWare’s post-release plans for Mass Effect 3 including “a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions [of the ending], providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey.” While he didn’t come right out and say it, it seems likely that a “new ending” DLC pack is in the works as these content initiatives will join several additional Mass Effect 3 expansions the team was already developing. The developer promised that more information about these content initiatives will be revealed in April.

The BioWare General Manager also confirmed that the Mass Effect franchise will continue with “new full games” in the series. So let’s hope the launch of Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it’s called) goes much smoother.

Muzyka closed by thanking fans for their feedback and, once again, tried to assure them “we are listening.”

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Nostalgia Goes A Long Way at Art of Video Games Exhibit

The Smithsonian American Art Museum was full of a new kind of art this weekend: “The Art of Video Games,” their newest exhibit. While many joked about the absence of Roger Ebert, mostly there was an atmosphere of awe and reverence. It was a relief to see this much-contested medium celebrated instead of seeing it as the dispute of some controversial legislature. To many gamers present that weekend, the nostalgia felt a lot like our childhoods: it felt like home.

The exhibit was developed by guest curator and longtime gamer Chris Melissinos, who worked hard for nearly three years on it. The exhibit begins with an introduction from Melissinos, who talks about his introduction to – and romance with – video games. A room to the side has dozens of televisions, showing games in different countries throughout history. Continuing into the exhibit is a montage of some of the industry’s greatest creations: from Marble Madness to Heavy Rain, Pitfall to Shadow of the Colossus. I let the images wash over me, remembering the countless hours I spent as a child on Marble Madness alone.

Press Start to Continue

Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story |

Daily Scoop: March 21, 2012 – Another Wednesday

Ah, Wednesday – also known in some circles as “hump day.” How we appreciate the way that you lead us into the weekend so elegantly. Keep up the good work!

What’s going on today besides Dungeons and Dragons Encounters? I’m glad you asked! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics for the Wii. It’s $32.99 today down from $49.95, so if this is a title you wanted, now’s your chance! Amazon’s also having an Xbox 360 Gearfest, in which you can save 30% on select Xbox 360 accessories. And if you buy a 320GB PS3, you can get a game free! The games are MLB 12 The Show, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Twisted Metal, and the XL edition of Gran Turismo 5. Scoop ’em up!

Again, no game-related shirts today, but I really like this Calvin ‘n Hobbes/Spider-man mashup…

Press Start to Continue

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, Wii |