Nov 13, 2012

Some copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 have Mass Effect 2 on the second disc

Mass Effect 2 (2010 Edition)

Gamers on the Steam community forums, Reddit and the Call of Duty forums are reporting that when they try to install disc 2 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, they instead get Mass Effect 2. So that's what Treyarch meant when they said they were adding moral choices to the campaign.

Early reports were confirmed when PCGamesN discovered a video by zeroiez (embedded above) showing him inserting a CoDBlOps2 disc into his machine before getting a prompt to install BioWare's Mass Effect 2 instead.

Exactly how an EA game ended up in an Activision case is uncertain, but it's possible the two publishing giants contract the same company to produce discs, and there was a disc image mixup at the factory. We've reached out to Activision for comment.

So far the error seems to have affected a relatively small number of people, but if you're one of them your best bet is to use your CD key to download the game directly from Steam instead. I hope your internet is up to the task.

Meanwhile, we've got Martin hard at work playing the real Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 for our review. He's just gotten to the bit where you meet Garrus.

Nov 13, 2012

PC Version of Call of Duty: Black Ops II Comes With... Mass Effect 2?!

Call of Duty® (2003)

Some PC players of Call of Duty: Black Ops II report that disc 2 of their recently-purchased game is the wrong sequel entirely.

Players on the Call of Duty forums, the Steam forums, and Reddit are reporting that when they insert disc 2 as prompted, they receive a Mass Effect 2 read error. The video above (some language NSFW) demonstrates the issue.

The discs in question are correctly printed with the Black Ops II front, but appear to have received the wrong image where it matters: in the software. Clearly, something went awry in the manufacturing.

For most players, this won't be a show-stopping problem. Black Ops II authenticates through Steam, and so once players have associated their game's serial number with their Steam account, they can simply download any missing files.

Call of Duty publisher Activision and Mass Effect publisher EA are, of course, notoriously rivals with some bad blood between them. This manufacturing error is no doubt the only time players will ever find a Call of Duty game and a Mass Effect one in the same case.

Owners of the PC version of Black Ops 2 are getting a Mass Effect 2 disc read error. [Reddit]

Reads disk 2 incorrectly [Steam]

Disc 2 Error [Call of Duty]

Oct 19, 2012

Mass Effect 4 won’t include Shepard at all, says BioWare

Mass Effect (2007)

At some point between frantically disarming the 20th planet-devastating bomb and punching mono-gendered aliens in their vestigial fringe in Mass Effect, I realized the notion of more than one hero safeguarding the sprawling galaxy isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, it worked in Star Wars -- not only did Luke Skywalker's heroics mature only at the very end of Return of the Jedi (before that he mostly sat around complaining about power converters), they couldn't happen without the just-as-potent heroism of the people around him. To that end, BioWare Montreal Producer Fabrice Condominas told VG247 that Mass Effect 4 definitely won't include Shepard in any capacity.

"There is one thing we're absolutely sure of: There'll be no more Shepard, and the trilogy is over," Conominas said. "This is really our starting point. The Mass Effect universe is vast and very rich. So, at this point in time, we don’t even know what kind of time frame we’re going to be in. All we’re doing is gathering ideas from the teams and gathering feedback."

BioWare confirmed the development of the sci-fi fourth-quel shortly after co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk split from gaming for good mid-September. Like the eternal mystery of why Shepard's dance routine never improves, scant details surround the project.

"We don’t want to make ‘Shepard 2′ or Mass Effect 4 with like, ‘Oh, there’s no more Shepard, but you’re a soldier in the universe’," Conominas added. "So, this will be a very different context for sure. Nothing has been decided on the rest.”

Oct 10, 2012

Sins of a Solar Empire mod recreates Mass Effect, minus the magic starchild

Mass Effect (2007)

While we wait for a dedicated team of modders to recreate the epic space battles of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, we'll have to make do with this ambitious, and very likely cease-and-desistable, Sins of a Solar Empire mod, based on the space operatics of Mass Effect. As briefly mentioned yesterday, Mass Effect: Dawn of the Reapers will feature three factions - the Council, Cerberus, and the Reapers - with "asymmetrical gameplay unique to each race." That presumably means the robotic death-gods will be as all-powerful as they were in BioWare's original trilogy.

Cerberus Skunkworks, the aptly named team behind it, are obviously adding a bunch of new models and weapons to the game, including - rather amazingly - the Crucible, the doomsday weapon from Mass Effect 3. Befitting its awesome power, the team reassure that it will be a "tough research" and "the very last thing on the tech tree". If it's not capable of wiping out every last unit on the map, they've missed a trick.

Though this stupidly exciting mod hasn't matured to the point of a beta version, there are several videos, a metric ton of concept images, and frequent updates on its moddb page. We'll let you know as soon as it's released - or as soon as it's been squashed under the steel-capped boots of EA's legal team. Whatever the case, we'll always have this moderately awesome trailer.

Oct 10, 2012

Human Hands Can Actually Touch This Mass Effect 2 Sniper Rifle

Mass Effect (2007)

Human Hands Can Actually Touch This Mass Effect 2 Sniper Rifle Prop builder Zander Brandt specialises in turning video game guns into real-world playthings. Wonderful playthings. And his latest work is no exception.

It's an M-97 Viper sniper rifle from Mass Effect 2, and what I like about it—like most of Zander's work—is how well-crafted it is. He builds practically the entire thing out of wood, meaning it's got a hand-made and dare I say artistic quality to it that you don't see much of these days.

Mass Effect 2 M-97 Viper Sniper Rifle [ZPROPS]

Human Hands Can Actually Touch This Mass Effect 2 Sniper Rifle

Oct 10, 2012

Shepherds of A Solar Empire

Mass Effect (2007) - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alec Meer)

I tend to lose my sense of connection to science fictional narratives once they get into the realm of prophecies and pseudo-deities, so the idea of a return to the Mass Effect universe that’s only about the neat spaceshippy stuff and none of the Circle Of Destiny soapboxing appeals enormously. Frinstance, this unofficial mod for the TIGHT space strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire which plans to recreate the Normandy and its multi-species chums’ war against the Geth, Collectors and Reapers. (more…)

Sep 26, 2012

Today’s other news: Far Cry 3, Black Ops 2, Guild Wars 2, and more

Mass Effect (2007)

Today's serving of collection of news croutons is best paired with a baby spinach, bullets, and blasters. On the menu: Far Cry 3 system specs and a trailer, a Guild Wars 2 patch, dead people lusting for your flesh in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Rift's nose-tweak to Pandaria, and more.

Far Cry 3's system requirements includes one-time online activation instead of a persistent connection. Neat. Even better: Islands drive people insane. Wait, that might actually not be better on second thought.
Let's hope your windmills keep up with the shred-tastic music in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's zombie mode reveal trailer.
The Secret World Issue #3--"The Cat God"--resumes Funcom's fast-paced update schedule with two new missions and a new load of Lairs.
Every pre-order for Rift: Storm Legion until October 3 donates $1 to the Pandas International charity. Cheeky, Trion--but clever.
Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour's release trailer still doesn't explain how a heart entirely made of iron would work.
The latest Guild Wars 2 patch fixed up dungeon loot vendors and adjusted the difficulty of some story fixes, among numerous squashed bugs.
Patch 1.4 for Star Wars: The Old Republic zapped in from hyperspace this morning with a brand new Operation, planet, and obligatory loot.
The $60 Mass Effect Trilogy releases November 6 and packages the entirety of Shepard's saga in an appropriately sleek box.
"The poultry has been planted."

Sep 25, 2012

These Lovely Fan Made Posters Are For Mass Effect Movies I'd Actually Love To See

Mass Effect (2007)

These Lovely Fan Made Posters Are For Mass Effect Movies I'd Actually Love To See We keep hearing rumors here and there about a Mass Effect movie in the works. As much as I love the franchise, I'm not sure I ever really want to see one. My Shepard is, well, my Shepard, and any movie starring someone of that name is unlikely to tell the story I preferred having told.

But with all that said, I would totally watch the hell out of movies based on these loyalty missions from Mass Effect 2. If they were real. Which they're not, and never will be. Probably just as well.

Either way, these concept posters, from a Mass Effect fan on tumblr, are lovely. Maybe games should include them at the start of missions, the way a half-hour cartoon with three segments introduces each one. Scroll down or hit up the original link for the other four.

Mass Effect 2 posters [miristrahovski via Twitter]

These Lovely Fan Made Posters Are For Mass Effect Movies I'd Actually Love To See

Sep 13, 2012

The London Philharmonic Is Totally Going To Record The Music From Fez (And Some Other Games, Too)

Mass Effect (2007)

You may recall that a while back, we held a vote to help the London Philharmonic determine which music they'd include on their follow-up to their first "Greatest Video Game Music" album.

Many a vote was cast, and in the end, Mass Effect 3 won. Which was a lit-tle bit awkward, since IGN also held a poll, and Mass Effect 3 won there, too. So basically, you guys really ensured that Mass Effect 3 would be included on the album. Hey, that's cool, Mass Effect 3 had good music.

I was a bit bummed out because I personally wanted to hear what the London Philharmonic would do with the lovely, chiptune-inspired music from Fez, which was one of the options in the poll. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw the final track listing:

1. Assassin's Creed-Revelations: Main Theme
2 .Elder Scrolls – Skyrim: Far Horizons
3. Legend of Zelda – The Windwaker: Dragon Roost Island
4. Castlevania: A Symphonic Poem
5. Final Fantasy VII: One-Winged Angel
6. Mass Effect 3: A Future for the Krogan/An End Once And For All
7. Halo: Never Forget/Peril
8. Sonic the Hedgehog: A Symphonic Suite
9. Chrono Trigger: Main Theme
10. Luigi's Mansion: Main Theme
11. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
12. Street Fighter II: A Symphonic Suite
13. Kingdom Hearts: Fate of the Unknown
14. Super Metroid: A Symphonic Poem
15. Diablo III: Overture
16. Batman Arkham City: Main theme
17. Deus Ex-Human Revolution: Icarus Main Theme
18. Fez: Adventure
19. Portal: Still Alive
20. Little Big Planet: Orb Of Dreamers (The Cosmic Imagisphere)

We're gonna get to hear an orchestral rendition of Fez after all! Also, a symphonic suite of music from Sonic, and the theme from Wind Waker's Dragon Roost island. That news will make Luke so very happy. And, of course, we'll get "One-Winged Angel," since the world certainly needs one more orchestral/choral performance of "One-Winged Angel."

Seriously though, it's a pretty great list of tunes. In the video above, which was made especially for Kotaku, composer/conductor Andrew Skeet talks about the process of orchestrating the Mass Effect music, and conducts a singer through a bit of "A Future For The Krogan."

Sounds pretty good. There are a few more videos of the process up as well—you really get the sense that they burned through this sucker:

Here's day one…

…and here's Day 2, with some more cool footage of the choir and some more humorously frazzled footage of Skeet.

The album will be out on November 6, and will be available digitally through Amazon and iTunes. If it's as much fun as the last one was, it'll be worth picking up.

Aug 9, 2012

Mass Effect 3 Leviathan DLC to add new ending dialogue, Omega DLC teased

Mass Effect (2007)

Mass Effect 3's Leviathan DLC will add extra dialogue to the ending according to code pulled from the recently released Extended Cut DLC. Eurogamer spotted chatter on this (very spoilery) Bioware forum thread, which contains a link to this pastebin with new script lines referring to the upcoming DLC pack.

And that's as much as I'll say about that in case your eyes betray you skip a few sentences and start automatically absorbing spoilers at a rate of three twists per minute. Like mercury sinking into skin, once that knowledge is in there, it ain't coming out. However, you might be interested in the other files found in recent Mass Effect 3 updates, which subtly hint at some DLC related to Mass Effect's wretched hive of scum and villainy, Omega. Mass Effect 3 spoilers lie ahead.

During Mass Effect 3, Omega is occupied by Cerberus, but there's some Aria dialogue hidden in the game files that hint at a mission to retake the space station from the Illusive Man. Some new weapon mod upgrades are contained within the recent Firefight DLC pack, with six "Omg" maps listed, including one called "OmgHub," suggesting that we could be revisiting Omega in a future chunk of DLC.

That'll be a bit further off, though, and there's still no release date for Leviathan. Here's the Leviathan trailer via IGN, snipped from the EA Summer Showcase.