Tag: mass effect

Comfort In Troubling Times: Video Games To Get Lost In

February 10, 2020

No matter what part of the world you’re living in we can all collectively agree that the times we’re in now are filled with uncertainty, upheaval, and malcontent. It’s a constant struggle to stay hopeful and optimistic when the barrage of breaking news stories serve to make us even more cynical about the direction humanity is headed in. While it’s easier to sit back and continue to watch the world burn all around us, I take comfort in knowing that there are still some safe spaces left to retreat to when everything gets too overwhelming. In times like these I go back to the video games that offer me some escape.

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Give Thanks: Video Game Characters I Would Have Friendsgiving With

November 19, 2018

Thanksgiving is just a few days away for many Americans who celebrate it. It’s a time for family (or friends) to gather together once more to give thanks for what we have and to eat ourselves into a turkey induced coma. While I look forward to piling my plate high with turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, and all the traditional foods you would see at a Thanksgiving table, what I really enjoy the most is the quality time I get to spend with my family. Food and great company are a perfect pairing, and it makes me think about a scenario in which I’d be able to celebrate Thanksgiving, or Friendsgiving, with some of my favorite video game characters. In honor of Thanksgiving week, I have created a shortlist of a cast of video game characters I would most want to spend Friendsgiving with.

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The Eternal Optimist: Romancing Andromeda Initiative’s Liam Kosta

July 24, 2017

A staple of most BioWare games are the romance options and paths you can choose from. Whenever a new game is announced from the developer, one of the things fans instantly think about are the potential romances players will get to experience. Mass Effect: Andromeda is BioWare’s fourth game in the Mass Effect series, but with a brand new story and a whole new cast of characters. Andromeda has very loose ties to the original trilogy and is meant to stand apart from it. The game’s sort of blank slate gives players the opportunity to follow the adventures of Pathfinder Ryder and his/her team as they travel the galaxy in search of a new home. Finding viable home worlds is a tall order, but no one ever said a little bit of romance couldn’t be on the table either. Andromeda has a number of romance options for a female/male Ryder to choose to cozy up to. My first playthrough of the video game led me to choose crisis response specialist for the Andromeda Initiative Liam Kosta as my Ryder’s love interest.

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Video Game Challenge (Special Edition) Progress Report 4: Mass Effect – Andromeda

July 10, 2017

You may be wondering why I have a progress report up earlier this month, instead of at the end of the month like I normally would. This can only mean one thing––it’s mission accomplished on Mass Effect: Andromeda! I decided to get this done sooner rather than later. Why wait until the end of the month when I can detail my final thoughts on the game now? I will be avoiding spoilers for the end of the game and key plot points in this report.

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Video Game Challenge (Special Edition) Progress Report 3: Mass Effect – Andromeda

June 26, 2017

Out of all the tasks Mass Effect: Andromeda has you doing, and there’s a lot, the best part about playing this game is the loyalty missions for your crew. What I noticed about playing Andromeda this month is how a huge chunk of my gameplay time has been spent on diving deep into who my Ryder’s crew is as individuals. What their strengths and weaknesses are. What they hope and fear for themselves and for others closest to them. It’s time to conclude this month with another video game progress report.

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Video Game Challenge (Special Edition) Progress Report 2: Mass Effect – Andromeda

May 29, 2017

Playing any RPG game like Mass Effect: Andromeda will require a ton of time and investment. Sometimes RPGs can be both vast and overwhelming to figure out what to do next. It’s a feeling I constantly confront every time I spend a few hours with the game. My journey through Andromeda continues with another special edition report of my video game challenge.

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When Boss Fights Aren’t Difficult, Just Annoyingly Long

May 8, 2017

When you play video games long enough, you become acquainted with fighting all types of boss fights. Easy boss fights. Average boss fights. Damn hard, WTF boss fights. Gamers will know and learn them well. Most video games aren’t complete with at least one major boss fight at the end of each level. Gamers come in always anticipating and expecting them. What will this boss fight be like? What strategy do I need to execute to get the best result at defeating the boss? Sometimes it’s almost easy to figure out your opponent’s go-to moves and attacks and then adjust accordingly. But once you figure out what you need to do, a fight should be quick and easy to get through, right? Not always, as I learned when fighting against the Cardinal boss in Mass Effect: Andromeda.

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Video Game Challenge (Special Edition) Progress Report 1: Mass Effect – Andromeda

April 24, 2017

Time flies when you’re having fun and April has been a great month of video gaming ever since Mass Effect: Andromeda came out. As April draws to a close this week, it’s time to start the first of many special edition video game challenge progress reports (spoiler-free unless stated otherwise) for Andromeda.

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Mass Effect: Andromeda – My First Four Hours With The Game

March 27, 2017

One of the most highly anticipated games of the year, Mass Effect: Andromeda, finally released last week and there’s already so much to say about the game. It’s a new adventure, story, and cast of characters. It may feel familiar, but there’s a lot about Andromeda that already feels different. Mostly in a good way so far.

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Countdown to Andromeda: Anticipation And Thoughts On The Upcoming Mass Effect

March 6, 2017

In all the time I have become a gamer, I learned I’m pretty selective about which games I’ll play or invest time and money on. While everyone may be playing the next hot game release to hit the shelves, I’ll be sitting on the other side of the fence either not particularly interested in the title or I’ll have some interest in it but not enough to get the game on Day 1. Video games are an expensive hobby and I’m not willing to buy every single game everyone seems to be talking about. This also helps control my backlog a bit. Not by much, but at least I’m not too bad off on the games in my possession that I may or may not ever play. When the calendar finally flipped to March, my excitement kicked in for the one, rare game I’ll never hesitate to throw my money at before or on release day––Mass Effect.

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