Mass Effect 3 - Review

The Holy Trinity...Anybody who knows me or has been reading any of my past Conversations with IrishPride articles, knows that I am absolutely enamored with the Mass Effect universe.  Well, I just finished Mass Effect 3 and I come to you with a review of the final chapter.  Does the conclusion of Commander Shepard's epic trilogy end with a big bang?  (See what I did there with the big bang comment, it being a sci fi game and all, I know, I'm weird!)

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Conversations with IrishPride Episode 18

I'm So Excited and I Just Can't Hide It!!

 

Hello everybody and welcome to episode 18 of Conversations with IrishPride!  Today I am going to talk about how it has been a long time since I've been extremely excited for a game to be released.  Anyone that knows me or has kept up with my past episodes will know that I am talking about Mass Effect 3.

 

I am a huge Mass Effect fan.  The story is top notch, the gameplay and action is stellar and it has huge replay values, everything we gamers look for in a game.  I am absolutely enamored with the story of Mass Effect.  Never before in a video game have I been invested with the characters on screen.  The decisions that you make throughout the story actually has meaningful outcomes.  You care about your teammates and it's hard to see them get killed.  In preparation for Mass Effect 3, I decided to play though Mass Effect 2 yet again and there is one thing I learned about ME2... it's still a great game.

 Time to save the galaxy.

After putting 100+ hours into Mass Effect 2, I still enjoyed it as much as the first time.  It's rare for me to replay a video game, but I've done so with ME multiple times.  After beating ME2 and all the dlc available, I'm am even more excited to conclude Commander Shepherd's story.  I'm also a little sad knowing that it will be over soon.  BioWare did tell fans to hold onto their ME3 save files hinting at the possibility of a Mass Effect 4, but I don't want to give my hopes up.  It has been a long time since I was so excited for a video game release, even more so than ZeldaQueen was for Skyward Sword.  Luckily the wait is almost over.  Until then, I'm going to continue to play the fantastic multiplayer demo with Assimilator.

 

This is IrishPride signing off.  Is anyone else super excited for Mass Effect 3?

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 17

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!

 

Wow, I must be in a writing mood since I'm only a few days removed from my last installment of CwIP.  Anyway, welcome to episode 17 of Conversations with IrishPride.  I may have pissed off some of you with my last installment, so I figured I might as well keep this hate train going!  Today I'm going to talk about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Now you may be asking yourself, "But IrishPride, TMNT is awesome, why would you be continuing this so called 'hate train'?"  Well, I'm going to be explaining why Donatello is the best one of the bunch and this may piss some people off.Heroes in a half shell!

 

Everybody who likes TMNT (which should be everyone) has their own opinion on who is the best turtle.  While I have never conducted a "scientific" poll on which turtle is one's favorite, the people I have asked, I have found that I recieve mixed results about their favorite turtle.  I'll briefly explain each turtle's pros, but in the end will explain why Donatello is the best.  First off is Michelangelo, a major favorite among fans.  Truthfully, it's hard not to like Michelangelo.  Mikey is the goof ball; care free spirit that makes him great.  He makes light of any situation and keeps the rest of the turtles loose and upbeat.  Leonardo is next and is great on his own accord, but he's no Donatello.  There is a reason why Leo starts with the letter 'L' (now I sound like Sesame Street) because he is the natural leader.  The letter 'L' is for leader, Sesame Street style.  He is the Tim Tebow of the turtles, if you will.  When the turtles are up against unbeatable odds, Leonardo is there to encourage his fellow turtles that anything is possible.  Leo leads by example and let's his actions do the talking for him.  Next up, the red headed step child, Raphael.  I mean honestly, does anyone, I mean anyone, like Raphael?  He's the only turtle that his name doesn't end in the letter 'O'.  He's rude, can be a jerk face and can be a Debbie downer.  You know that one friend, everybody has one, that makes everybody around them feel down?  The one friend that feels like if they can't have fun, no one can have fun?  Well, that's Raphael.  Now finally, the best turtle of them all, Donatello.  Donatello takes the aspects of what makes Mikey and Leo great and incorporates Cream of the crop.it into his own style.  Like Mikey, Don has a great sense of humor.  He knows how to crack that well timed joke that has the entire room busting a nut.  Like Leo, Donatello can be quick on his feet assessing the current situation and lead the turtles out of danger with his quick thinking.  And what makes Donatello stand out from the rest of the turtles is that he's smart.  He is a freaking turtle Macgyver!  Always conducting experiments; looking for ways to improve their way of life, Donatello does it all.  He also takes no traits from Raphael which is always a good thing. 

 

So there you have it.  While all the turtles, with the exception of Raphael, are pretty awesome on their own right, Donatello takes the cake.  He is smart, funny and wears the color purple, the color of royalty.  Yeah, that's right, royalty. 

 

This is IrishPride signing off.  Let me know in the comments below who your favorite turtle is!  Now, back to work...

 

~IrishPride

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 16

If You See Cupid, Punch Him in the Face!!

 

What it is, what it is!  Welcome to Conversations with IrishPride episode 16.  I've realized the last few episodes I've talked a lot about video games, so today I figured I should go back to something random, since that's what this segment is all about.  I want to wish everybody a happy "Singles Awareness Day!"

 

That's right.  Today is not what most people call "Valentines Day", today should be known as "Singles Awareness Day."  Why you ask?  Well, being one of the few people in my circle of friends/family that is actually single, I am constantly reminded of my singleness.  Every February 14th singles everywhere are hit hard with this reminder, that yes, we're single.  Facebook is the worst.  I want to vomit in my mouth when I log on and I see all these "couples" posting love sentiments to each other.  Showing off that piece of jewelry their boyfriend/husband got for them or gushing over the dozen roses that were waiting at work for them.  Give me a break.  Valentines Day is simply a Hallmark holiday where they force all the foolish couples into buying cards, flowers, chocolate, etc to prove their love for one another.  Why does there have to be one day a year where you "have" to prove to your significant other that you care about them.  Why not send flowers to your girlfriend/wife on May 23rd just cause you can.  Why not send your boyfriend/husband an edible arrangement on August 28th?  Come on "couples", Valentines Day is a joke and you don't have to go around making your single friends feel even more, pardon the pun, 'singled' out.

 

A lot of you reading this may think I am bitter because I am single.  That's not the case.  When I was in a relationship, I still hated the concept of Valentines Day.  If you really love and care about your significant other, you would do special things for them throughout the year.  So, all you singles out there, this day is for us!  Go out with all your single friends, grab a few drinks and let the good times roll!  Also, it's entertaining to make fun of all the "romantic couples" so give that a try!

 

This is IrishPride signing off and remember, the greatest holiday of them all is a little over a month a way!

 

~IrishPride

Initial Impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Hello everybody!  At the end of episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride, I said I would have my initial impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after I had a chance to play it.  Well, after putting seven hours into the game, I'm ready to give you my very quick impressions of the game.

 

The reason this is going to be a very short article is because Assimilator will be posting a full fledged review shortly.  But, I said I would provide you all with my initial impressions and I am here to deliver that.

 

Fun is to be had in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning!!!I was right about KoAR, it is simply a fun game to play.  The story is intruging enough to make the bland questing not feel monotonous.  All the characters are voice acted, except for you, and they do a pretty good job keeping you engaged.  It's no Mass Effect voiced dialogue, but for the sheer content of this game, the voice acting is good.  Where KoAR really shines above other open world RPG's is the combat system.  Combat is fast, fluid and the animations are spot on.  It is super easy to be striking an opponent with your primary weapon, then add your secondary weapon, followed by a lightning spell.  I'm actively looking for something to kill when I'm exploring the lands because the combat is that much fun!

 

That's all I'm going to say about KoAR since Assimilator will have a kick ass review shortly.  But, if you're impatient and don't want to wait for the review and you are wondering if this game is any fun, I will say emphatically, YES!  It is a lot of fun and I cannot wait to get back into the game.  My rogue character is itching to kill some more bandits.  Stay tuned for Assimilator's review!

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 15

It's All About the Gameplay Baby!

Herro everybody and welcome to episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride!  While our podcast section is close to the mammoth benchmark of 100 episodes, I'm pleased that I've reached 15, that's good for me *air high five*!  Okay, I'm done patting myself on the back.  Today I'm going to be talking about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.Can't wait to get started!

 

It's been awhile since I've bought a new game on release day, this whole trying to buy a house thing really puts a damper on my game purchases!  Anyhow, I've been keeping an eye on KoAR and decided to buy myself a birthday present and get it.  I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet due to work, but I have it installed and ready to go on Steam when I get home from house shopping. 

 

I've played the demo and must say, it is a blast to play.  Sometimes as gamers we forget why we play games.  Or there are some gamers out there, specifically in the MMO world, where they take games way to seriously.  I don't know about you all, but I play games because they are fun.  They are a form of entertainment that I use to forget about daily stresses and not have to worry about bills, work and life in general.  KoAR seems to have struck a fantastic balance for me in the 'just plain fun' department.

 

When playing a new game, a lot of gamers want to know how it looks.  If the graphics are top notch.  Others want to know about the story.  Is the game worth my time.  One of the biggest criteria I look for in a game is the gameplay.  When you're potentially going to be sinking multiple hours into a game, especially an RPG, I need to know I will enjoy my time and to me, flawed gameplay is not enjoyable. 

 

Knowing very little of the story, I essentially bought KoAR simply for the flawless gameplay.  The combat in Reckoning is an absolute blast to play.  I'm a fan of RPG's and am a bigger fan of level progression, loot and action paced combat RPG's and KoAR seemed to be right up my alley.  I'm eagerly waiting to sink my teeth into this game to see if it was worth a day one purchase.  Check back soon and I'll have my initial impressions of the game.

 

This is IrishPride signing off and until next time, go ninja go ninja go!

 

~IrishPride

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 14

Click, click, click

 

Hello everybody!  Can I get a "Hell Yeah!" for back to back weeks of CwIP!?!  Today I'm going to talk about how I took my MMO experiences to a whole new level.

 

When I play MMO's, I've always been a "clicker" when it comes to activating my abilities.  I know I'm in the minority when it comes to this because, for the most part, everybody I know (excluding ZeldaQueen, she is a mouse clicker with me) uses the keyboard bindings to activate hotkeys.  I've never had a problem using my mouse to click, but there was one point while playing SWTOR that I couldn't find my cursor and thus couldn't activate an ability that could have saved my life.  I then decided it was time for a change.  I never really liked using the keyboard binding because I like my fingers to stay in the same WSAD area and not have to worry about the position.  But I also knew that I needed to change from mouse clicking.  After doing some research, I decided to buy a new mouse, the Razer Naga Epic.

 

Now this thing is a beast.  There are 12 programmable bindings on the side of the mouse thatThe word "Epic" in the name is appropiate. essentially work as the 12 keys on your keyboard that activates the abilities.  Now, most of you know that when you play MMO's there are tons of abilities for you to use.  So 12 may not seem like a lot, but add the Shift button with the 12 keys and now you have 24 different bindings.  Let's not forget the 3 other buttons on top of the mouse.

 

I admit, I am extremely late to the party when it comes to keyboard bindings.  And to be honest, I'm still not using the keyboard to activate my abilities (aside from pressing the Shift key), I'm still using my mouse.  However, the Razer Naga Epic allows me not to have to worry where my cursor is and can spam a certain ability thinking the faster I click it the faster it will come off cool down.  The Razer Naga Epic has been a perfect compromise for the way I like to play.  My left hand can still stay put in the WSAD area, while I'm no longer having to click all my abilities.  Granted, it did take me awhile to get use to the 12 keys on the side of the mouse.  My problem wasn't locating the 12 different numbers with my thumb, but remembering what skills I had programmed to each button.  But after a few hours of gameplay, I am now an elite Bounty Hunter.

 

So, if you're tired of your friends making fun of you because you are a "clicker" or you are like me and wanted to improve your gameplay experience, I highly recommend the Razer Naga Epic.  I also recommend the cheaper Razer, but if you're like me and need wireless, go with the Naga Epic.  I look forward to using this mouse and becoming more comfortable with the configurations of it.  Besides, having a smoother gameplay session is what it's all about.

 

This is IrishPride signing out and until next time...Go Broncos!!!  (Bet you thought I was going to say something related to the Naga Epic huh?)

Review-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is not only the most recent iteration of the Elder Scrolls franchise, it's also one of the best open world RPG's out there today.  While you will find the occasional glitches Elder Scrolls is known for, they will definitely not detract you from one of the best games out this year.

 

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