Mass Effect has been one of the best trilogies I have ever had the privilege to enjoy from start to finish, and so I thought I’d write about how it’s affected me. While I haven’t written any specific spoilers, you may still wish to avoid this article if you care about that sort of thing.
So it’s all over. The trilogy has come to a close and the epic finale has rounded up and packed in the conclusion to one of gaming’s greatest, most incredible experiences. Shepard has come a long way from his mission on Eden Prime, and the conspiracy that first drew him into this impending battle for humanity’s survival, and the 100+ total hours of time I must have devoted to the franchise has been incredible.
Over the last 5 years, we’ve met an amazing cast of characters, alien species and galaxy ravaging machines, had awe-inspiring moments, saddening moments, and even hilarious comical moments, and it all comes together gloriously in a three-part package that tells the story of one man and his journey to save the galaxy from it’s biggest threat, and makes us feel both truly small and yet absolutely integral to the fate of every living being in the game’s universe.
To say it’s been an emotional ride could be considered an overstatement, but throughout the adventure, much like in any film, I’ve grown fond and attached to certain characters in the story, and playing a part in whether they live or die, love or hate, and ultimately achieve their goals or fail entirely has made this connection to the characters ever stronger, upon each iteration of the trilogy. Whilst the conclusion to the trilogy has been widely considered ‘disappointing’, I was personally both thrilled and saddened to see it all come to a close.
To me, the ending couldn’t have been any more epic and enthralling, and whilst I sat there, slack jawed in absolute awe, experiencing what would be the final battle for mankind’s survival, I felt a mixture of happiness, sadness, closure and longing. Happy to have been a part of the story from the very beginning, sad to say goodbye to characters who truly gave the story life and emotional connection, closure for seeing everything wrapped up (though undoubtedly, there were some unusual plot-holes and events at the very end that didn’t make a whole lot of sense), and longing for the story to continue.
However, since the ending wrapped up the narrative very nicely, with an emotional and satisfying conclusion to the plight of the human race, it seems pretty clear to me that the story is over – and being a part of it has been one of the best experiences in gaming I have ever had the pleasure of putting my time into.
Dome Keeper is an excellent little spin on the tower defense game, in which you play the role of a jetpacking miner defending his base from swarms of aliens, whilst searching for a hidden relic buried somewhere beneath him. And now, with this huge free update, you can play it with friends.
I want to talk about Cloudpunk, a game where you get to be a flying-car delivery driver in a futuristic cyberpunk city. Its world is an incredible achievement of environmental design, and while the gameplay itself may be basic, the city of Nivalis is a thing of beauty to behold. Nivalis is built out of hundreds of hand-modelled cuboid buildings; there’s nothing procedural about it. Apparently it took 3 years for the devs to design the city, and it really shows.
I do love me some quality pixel art, and it doesn’t get much better than this. Cast n Chill is a cozy side-scrolling fishing game by small indie dev team Wombat Brawler, with absolutely gorgeous visuals. It’s simple to play, and you you can dip in and out of it at your leisure, making it a fine addition to our collection of coffee break games.
There’s not a lot I can say about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that hasn’t already been said, but here’s my take anyway. The game deservedly garnered a heap of attention when it came out for being a fantastic example of a JRPG, that happened to be made in France. Technically, ignoring the fact that the team includes a bunch of ex-Ubisoft veterans, it’s the debut title from developers Sandfall. And what a debut game it is.
Now and then one can’t help climbing aboard the hype train. You work yourself up into a frothing frenzy in anticipation of some new game whose trailers and screenshots make it seem like the best…thing…EVER. That’s how I felt about Conker’s Bad Fur Day when I first read about it in N64 Magazine (before the internet butchered the magazine industry). They did several preview write-ups about it in the years before it was released, and it changed from being a cutesy 3D adventure, to merely looking like a cutesy 3D adventure plastered with a layer of adult filth. I couldn’t have been more excited to play it. Did it live up to my expectations? Hell yes.
I don’t get on with the Souls games at all, but I really wish that I did. For me, the combat was just a little too clunky and, oh, you know, fucking difficult.
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