this article about how Mass Effect 2 players will have to change discs at some point in the gameplay

Sucks for those guys.

Then again, since Mass Effect 2 isn’t even coming to the PS3 [despite earlier rumors] I guess it actually sucks for PS3 players.

But will I still laugh at the disc change?

You betcha.

Since I’m all about time wasting on the internet, I figured I might as well look around and see if any other games are going to require the dreaded disc change like Mass Effect 2.

Guess what I found?

Final Fantasy XIII on THREE discs if you buy the game for Xbox 360.

I don’t remember the last time I played a game that required multiple discs but I’m pretty certain it was a PS2 game.

So I can’t help but wonder, if you have both systems, will you be buying Final Fantasy XIII for PS3 to get out of the dreaded disc switch or do you not care and for you future Mass Effect 2 owners out there, do you think the disc switch is going to annoy you?

Image|Bioware

Post from: EveryJoe

Mass Effect 2 Includes Dreaded Disc Change

If you thought the story of Mass Effect was over, think again. In the wake of the events of the first game, humans have begun disappearing all over the galaxy, and Shepherd and his crew have signed on with a black ops agency known as Cerberus to find out what’s happening — and discover the new evil power behind it. BioWare calls Mass Effect 2 a “brutal descent into the darkest parts of the Mass Effect Universe,” and from what I saw, that could be an understatement.

Perhaps the biggest (and best!) news out of E3 about Mass Effect 2 is that all of your saved game information from the first game — your customized character, the characters on your crew that survived, your weapons, upgrades, everything — can be imported into Mass Effect 2, so that the story continues exactly the way you left it. BioWare intends to continue this philosophy for the third and final game in the trilogy as well, so that the whole thing is not just Shepherd’s story — it’s your story. But the game has also been crafted to allow for newcomers to easily pick it up and start playing, too. The twist is that Shepherd can die in ME2 — if your instance of Shepherd doesn’t survive, you won’t be able to import him and continue his story in ME3. (Presumably, you’ll start from scratch with a new Shepherd instead.)

A lot of buzz has been building about how ME2 ups the ante in the game’s shooter aspects, streamlining the RPG elements to keep the action coming fast and furious. What BioWare describes as a “new, precision shooter feel” has been added to the combat, making it a more rewarding experience. There are tons of new weapons and new enemies — and new enemy races, as well.

The exploration aspects of the game have been beefed up; no longer will planets be generic, non-terraformed rocks. Many planets now include vegetation, bodies of water, and indigenous life forms. Some even contain entire civilizations. Conversation trees have been streamlined too, and you can even interrupt conversations at various points and take action instead of just standing around and talking all the time.

The demo I witnessed showed off a major spoiler as an example of the new, darker tone of the game, and it’s too big and too heartbreaking to ruin for you here. It’s always been a goal of the ME experience to generate emotional responses in the player, and the ME2 demo I saw was successful in causing that reaction in me.

I can’t wait to follow Shepherd as his adventure continues!

Images: Copyright 2009 ©BioWare.

Post from: EveryJoe

E3 ‘09: Mass Effect 2 impressions

We’re less than two days away from the official start of E3 here in sunny L.A., which begins on Tuesday (though a trio of major press conferences take place Monday). I got into town today and took a long walk around the Los Angeles Convention Center, where signs of E3 are popping up all over. If there was any doubt about this year’s event being a return to the truly big E3s of yesteryear, those thoughts were washed away by these larger-than-life sights around the convention center!

Click through to see all 27 photos for yourself:

The outer entrance to West Hall, where Sony and Nintendo will be exhibiting. That’s Kratos’ arm from the God of War games, holding a PS3 controller. A sure hint that God of War III is going to be shown.

This Jack Black-voiced titled is finally seeing the light of day. (Hey, I made a funny.)

Three banners showing off what is without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated games of E3 2009: Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

After many long delays (and what looks like a makeover for protagonist Sam Fisher), it looks like Splinter Cell: Conviction might be ready to drop.

Can’t wait to see more of this one… I loved the first game!

An appropriate centerpiece for the main lobby at the massive South Hall.

The Sims 3 adorns a building directly across the street from the Convention Center.

Without a doubt, the biggest banner on display at E3 — inside or out. It’s advertising Assassin’s Creed II, the sequel to my favorite game of all time.

I’m admitting nothing, but it’s possible I might have peed a tiny little bit when I saw this.

Another ginormous ad for Modern Warfare 2.

Had to stop by the historical Los Angeles Theatre this afternoon to pick up my press badge. The event takes place tomorrow evening.

Get ready… get set…

Here we go.

Complete coverage of E3 2009 begins tomorrow with the press conferences for Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft. Stay tuned!

Post from: EveryJoe

L.A. Convention Center readies for E3