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My name is Wayne Chamberlain and I'm a geek daddy who is into Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, books, movies, video games and talking to creative people about their work in these mediums. And that's what you'll find here, along with news, previews and reviews. I'm a journalist, an editor and co-host of the Star Wars Book Report podcast. So come on in and feel free to geek out in a fun, friendly environment.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Some classic films make their way to Blu-ray

Well, my friends, it’s time to crack open the DVD vault and take a look at some of the entertainment options currently available for your home viewing:
* French Immersion: One of my main complaints, both as someone who wanted to be a filmmaker and as a Canadian, is that Canadian films tend to be boring, overly moody and too introspective (and sometimes downright aloof).
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a classic example of a commercial film that couldn’t get made in Canada, despite the fact it’s a Canadian story. Nope, gotta set it in Chicago and its Canadian writer and star, Nia Vardalos, has to get Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson on board and suddenly the thing is a huge international hit. It should have been a Canadian film.
Enter French Immersion, a movie that follows in the tradition of Bon Cop, Bad Cop, in telling an actually amusing, entertaining Canadian story.
Writer Jefferson Lewis and co-writer/director Kevin Tierney deliver a feel-good story about five Anglos – four Canadians and a New Yorker, who move to the small fictional town of Saint-Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jesus (St. Isidore with the heart of Jesus if my own French isn’t too rusty).
This group wants to learn French, so they travel en masse to the village with the idea of spending two weeks immersing themselves in the lives of the citizens and learning the language by diving right in.
Of course, there’s a hockey scene … has to be, it’s mandatory in Canadian films these day, but what is most impressive is that this film scores with its sense of humour, enjoyable characterizations and a real sense of love for the unique Canadian experience this country and its hard-working, honorable and truly funny people have to offer.
Colm Feore is about the only ‘name’ actor that most people will recognize, but this ensemble cast is quite fun and special, so don’t let the lack of ‘names’ deter you from 92 minutes of good entertainment.
Now, if only we could get some films like this made outside of Quebec. I know Toronto and Vancouver are in service to Hollywood for TV and films and I don’t begrudge them that. But there are talented storytellers in all parts of this country, not just Quebec, and this country needs to do something to give these people an opportunity to tell these stories and help entertain the world with our unique Canadian sense of humour and perspective.
End of speech. Watch French Immersion today. You won’t regret it.
* Mama, I Want to Sing: Singer Ciara stars in this film based on a play about a troubled African-American family.
Ciara plays a famous diva pop singer, while Lynn Whitfield plays her mother, a popular preacher who is angered at the fact her daughter’s life flies in the face of what she tries to teach her followers. Add in a son who feels ignored by both of the women, but he’s a talented photographer who wants to go to the Middle East to photograph the war, as well as the wise grandpa, played by Ben Vereen, who watches all of this drama unfolding with a sense of sadness.
A basic morality play, the film features a positive message about family and love and there are some great musical sequences as Ciara has a lovely voice and gets to show it off.
While the movie is predictable, it’s still a decent, family-friendly flick that is good for a family movie night.
* Paranormal Activity 3: The latest edition of Katie and Kristie’s excellent adventure with a demon and a cult continues in this found-footage prequel to the other two films.
This time around, we see Katie and Kristie as little girls, as their mom’s boyfriend, who runs a wedding video company, starts videotaping events around the house in an effort to find out what is going on in their home.
Honestly, the atmosphere required to make these films truly scary has long worn off. Thankfully they’re not going for gross-out moments like Hostel or other torture porn flicks. Instead, it’s just more of the same kind of jumpy moments we’ve come to expect.
The kids used in the film are decent little actors and do a solid job of trying to deal matter-of-factly with the uncertainty unfolding around them. The littlest one doesn’t find it strange that no one else can see her ‘invisible’ friend who lives in a closet in their room.
The idea of trying to string along a narrative stringing the three films together takes the form that one of the girls seems to be destined to be ‘the bride’ of this demon and the girls’ grandmother seems to be part of some coven.
But it’s mostly nonsensical stuff. The real appeal still lies in the little moments that make you jump and there are a few decent ones here, such as when a camera operator and the youngest girl play Bloody Mary, unleashing something wicked in their home, or when a sheet-wearing entity appears behind a babysitter.
Sadly, these moments aren’t enough to really carry the entirety of the film. Still, fans of the genre should find it a decent enough way to spend 83 minutes (or 93 if you opt for the extended version).
The extras are incredibly lame. A couple ‘lost tapes’ which are basically practical jokes, as well as a bad commercial for the guy’s wedding video business. That’s it. No commentary. No making-of. Nothing to try to piece together the narrative. Very lazy filmmaking and inattention to the fact many people like DVD extras.
* Transformers: Dark of the Moon:  The summer blockbuster returns to stores with a limited edition Blu-ray 3D version, as well as a Blu-ray, standard def and digital copy of the movie all together in one box.
The movie is certainly much better than the second Transformers flick. It’s a solid, balls-to-the-wall action extravaganza that features some amazing sequences, including the military’s jump-suit freefall into Chicago and the near leveling of the Windy City.
While director Michael Bay clearly remains far more enamored with visual splendor and CGI tricks than story, at least there’s a semblance of an actual plot to Dark of the Moon and the actors have something to do other than just run around, gape in awe at the destruction and giant robots and duck when appropriate.
John Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand and Rose Huntington-Whiteley join the cast this time around, with the latter replacing the departed Megan Fox. She is surprisingly good, doing more than just playing the damsel in distress. McDormand, as a government operative in charge of the Autobots division, eats up her scenes with verve, while Dempsey appears to have some fun playing the rich villain.
Malkovich, however, is completely wasted here. It’s like he watched Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading and decided to outdo the younger thesp’s silliness. Malkovich as some kind of Asian mumbo-jumbo philosophy-spouting buffoon is just plain sad and a horrible use of one of the greatest character actors alive today.
The highlight of this set, besides the great high-def visuals, are the extras. There are more than three hours of featurettes, looking at the making of the movie, the filming of key sequences, a look at the future of NASA … some really cool, fascinating extras that make spending extra time with this set worth the investment.
* Manhattan and Annie Hall (Blu-ray): Two of Woody Allen’s great early films, and let’s face it, many consider Annie Hall to be his Citizen Kane (although Sleeper and Purple Rose of Cairo are still my two faves), make their way to Blu-ray. And … that’s it. The films are in high-def now.
There are no extras. No commentary tracks. No looks at the brilliance of some of these works. No retrospectives on the man’s career or the place these films hold in his filmography.
Just the movies in high-def.
Colour me disappointed.
* The Apartment (Blu-ray): This classic comedy, featuring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray won five Academy Awards in 1960, including Best Picture, so it’s a great time to settle back for a classic as it makes its Blu-ray debut.
Director Billy Wilder’s comedy focuses on a young businessman (Lemmon), who earns a series of promotions simply by allowing the bosses at the company where he works to use his apartment for a series of affairs.
But things get complicated when he winds up falling for one of the mistresses, so he has to make a choice between risking the loss of the love of his life or his comfortable job.
Extras (yay!) include an audio commentary track from film producer and historian Bruce Block, a look at the making of the movie and a featurette examining the work of Lemmon.
* Rebecca, Norotrious and Spellbound (Blu-ray): Three of Alfred Hitchcock’s signature films get the high-def treatment. While not his most famous films, all are fantastic movies in their own right, made more interesting by the outstanding set of extras accompanying each film. With commentary tracks by critics or film historians, interviews, radio plays, making-of featurettes and more, these movies offer fans an interesting glimpse into one of Hollywood’s iconic directors.
* 5 Star Day: Cam Gigandet, who has appeared in Twilight and Easy A, headlines this film about a man whose horoscope forecasts a perfect five-star day the morning of his birthday. But life turns out not to be so grand and after events that upset things in a big way, he decides to go on a trek to prove that astrology is a hoax. He decides to find three other people who were born the exact same time and day as him and see whether their lives are perfect, five-star existences.  Jena Malone, Yvette Montgomery and Wesley Henderson co-star.
Extras include a commentary track featuring director Danny Buday, deleted scenes, a short film and more.
* Bizarre Foods: Collection Five, Part Two: Host Andrew Zimmern offers up more than 10 hours of unique foods from all corners of the globe on this three-disc set sure to please adventurous foodies and travel junkies alike.
With episodes set in Indonesia, Suriname, Morocco, Jamaica, Finland, New York, Rio and even Montreal, as well as dishes featuring the likes of piranha and water buffalo entrails, this is a journey that is truly unique and interesting. Tasty … well, that may be an entirely different matter.
Extras include four previously unseen episodes, including trips to Alaska, Taiwan and Vietnam.
* Wings: The first Oscar winner for best picture, this movie was released in 1927 and tells the story of two pals who go to war, as well as the woman they left behind. Richard Arlen, Charles Rogers and Clara Bow co-star and the movie, which is renowned for its First World War aerial fighter sequences, also features a cameo by Gary Cooper.
* The Big Year
* Mannix: Season Six
* Beavis and Butt-head: Volume Four
* The Adventures of Chuck and Friends: Friends to the Finish
* Father Dowling Mysteries: Season One
* Love Story (Blu-ray)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Baseball pool is open to fellow Wars fans

@swbookreport free baseball pool is formed. we need at least 10 teams. can accommodate more. email jesse@starwarsbookreport.com #StarWars

Monday, February 13, 2012

Last-minute geeky gift ideas for your Valentine

Valentine’s Day, of course, brings with it the traditional gift ideas of flowers, chocolates, lingerie, fancy dinners … blah, blah, blah.
Let’s face it, if you’ve got a geek in your life, traditional gifts aren’t exactly going to carry the day. Romance is a state of mind and a gift from the heart means more than just another box of chocolates.
Here are a few geek-friendly ideas for you last-minute shoppers to consider:
* Tooks: Hats You Can Hear: This is my favourite little gadget of 2012 so far. Being a Canadian who has a shaved head, I can appreciate the warmth of a great touque. But you don’t need to be folicley challenged or living in the Great White North to dig this.
Tooks come in eight different styles and what makes them cool is that they have slits cut into them that you can slide the little speakers that come with them.
Yep, now you can have a warm head and listen to tunes in a stylish way. Just turn the Took inside out, insert the speakers into the slots, slip the rest of the cord into the slit at the back of the touque and plug into your MP3 player.
The speakers put out 40 mW and the cord is 48 inches long, so you’ve got plenty of give to get active in the great outdoors, making this a great idea for any snowboarding geeks out there.
The Tooks come in a variety of colours and styles, for both men and women. And there’s even a simple black band for those of you with enough hair to keep your head warm … or if you just really want to look cool.
Check these sweet lids out at www.TooksHats.com.
* Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: This Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC role-playing game is dripping with geek cred.
The culmination of the minds of writer R. A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston, this sprawling RPG (published by Electronic Arts) boasts dozens and dozens of hours of questing through a fully-fleshed out fantasy world.

You play as one of four races, a creature brought back to life by gnomes who rescued your soul from the ether and fashioned you a new body, all in the hope of creating a warrior who could help free the world of Amalur from a warrior race bent on wiping out all other forms of life.
Fate is a huge part of the citizens of Amalur’s belief system, for they believe you cannot alter destiny. But as one reborn from death, you have no pre-ordained destiny, and so the future is yours to fashion in whatever manner you see fit.
Like many traditional RPGs, there are main quests, secondary adventures and little odd jobs and tasks you can choose to tackle or ignore, depending on how deeply ingrained you wish to become in Salvatore’s fantasy realm.
Combat, skills, spells, character classes … everything is customizable depending on how you like to attack the problems facing Amalur.
Rated M.
Check it out at www.Reckoning.com.
* Anonymous: I love a good movie that makes you think and this bit of fanciful ‘What if?’ conjecture from acclaimed director Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff certainly does that.
The duo deliver a drama that dares audiences to question whether or not William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright in human history, was a fraud. And there is actually scholarly debate about whether Shakespeare did author the plays and sonnets that have made him a legend.
Rhys Ifans stars as an earl, a member of the royal court who many believe was the actual author of the plays and sonnets. This is based on his education and travels, which, when contrasted against the historical record that shows Shakespeare was an uneducated, illiterate man who never once left England, makes one wonder whether there’s more than meets the eye to this fascinating political drama.
Ifans is simply brilliant in the role, surprising considering I knew him mainly for his role as Hugh Grant’s slovenly roomie in the rom-com Notting Hill. He plays the Earl of Oxford with style, grace and a sense of devious purpose that is mesmerizing.
Vanessa Redgrave is outstanding as Queen Elizabeth I, a woman slowly descending into madness and paranoid about losing power, unafraid to dispatch anyone who threatens her reign.
David Thewlis co-stars as William Cecil, while Edward Hogg is phenomenal as Cecil’s son, Robert, a hunchback. The duo are largely responsible for doing Elizabeth’s dirty work and scheming to manipulate events and people for their own gain, since they enjoy tremendous power by serving at the pleasure of the monarch.
Anonymous is a brilliant film, not at all what you’d expect from the guy who brought the world 2012, Godzilla, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 10,000 BC.
* Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro: This little peripheral is a slick add-on that serious handheld gamers are going to appreciate.
The 3DS slips into the pad, which features an additional circle pad on the far right of the unit to give gamers more control, making the handheld feel and play more like a console gamepad, which features two stick controllers.
As well, there are additional shoulder buttons built into the pad.
* Resident Evil: Revelations: This Nintendo 3DS game, from Capcom, is the latest chapter in the zombie franchise.
Set between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the action unfolds on an abandoned cruise ship, giving gamers more of the creepy atmosphere they have come to love from this series.
The game features two-player online and offline co-op, as well as a single player campaign.
Rated M.
* Star Wars: Darth Plagueis: This latest novel, from writer James Luceno, is garnering heady praise from fans of the Expanded Universe, thanks to a detailed plot that explores the relationship between Darth Sidious, the evil Emperor of the Star Wars films, and his master, Darth Plagueis.
Plagueis was alluded to in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, used by Sidious to further draw Anakin Skywalker to the dark side because it was said Plagueis could use the Force to prevent those he loved from dying.
But there’s a lot more to this novel than that. Luceno weaves a broad, decades-spanning tale which fits neatly into many of the gaps in the timeline and more fully explores how a young man named Palpatine was recruited to become a Sith apprentice and eventually became a master and ruler of the galaxy.
* Good old reliable gift cards: Whether it’s iTunes, Chapters/Indigo, Future Shop or Best Buy, or any other establishment of your choice, these are always a solid idea. Not really romantic, but if you don’t know what geeky novel, album, piece of hardware, DVD or video game is on his/her most-wanted list, this is better than nothing.

Wayne Chamberlain is an editor at The Sudbury Star, who has covered the gaming industry and reviewed games since 2003, as well as a film school graduate who majored in writing and directing. He is also the co-host of Star Wars Book Report, a bi-weekly podcast available on iTunes. You can follow him on Twitter.com @ChamberlainW or @JediAragorn. Join his blog at jediaragorn.blogspot.com. 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Geeky news and notes from the past week

Some weird, wacky and wonderful tidbits from the past week for you to chew on:
* The 11th annual NAVGTR (The National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers) will be announcing the final nominees for its awards on Feb. 15. The event, which honours the best of video game art, technology and production, will be presided over by actors Tom Sizemore and Tara Platt. Not sure if this qualifies as community service for Sizemore, who has had a few run-ins with the law, but as a game reviewer (though not a member of this group) I am always keen to stay on top of what’s going on in the gaming industry.
* Feb. 28 marks the day that PlayStation 3 users who are members of the Call of Duty Elite Premium service will be able to get their first two DLC (downloadable content) packages.
Liberation and Piazza are their names.
Liberation, a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, features a vast landscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills. Mounted turrets on opposing ends of the map offer overwhelming firepower to anyone brave enough to man them, says game publisher Activision in a release.
Piazza, meanwhile, is set in an idyllic seaside village, an Italian getaway gone rogue, where blind corners and a complex network of branching pathways pose danger at every turn. Visceral close-quarters combat dominates in Piazza, and attacks from above and below are an ever-constant threat.
* I attended my first Fan Expo Canada in 2011 and enjoyed it, despite some rough spots with some of the overly aggressive and uninformed volunteers.
Patrick Stewart has been announced as one of the headline guests for 2012.  The Brit thesp is best known for his roles as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films.
Fan Expo Canada 2012 is also going to play host to writer/director Kevin Smith and his actor/pal Jason Mewes. They will be performing their show Jay and Silent Bob Get Old on Friday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are $39 for general admission, or a $69 (hey, it’s Kevin Smith) priority package that nets you better seating, a limited edition 8x10 autographed photo of Kevin and Jason and a complimentary one-hour preview of Fan Expo Canada.
Fan Expo Canada 2012 takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Aug. 23-26.
* Good news for Star Wars gaming fans this week as The Old Republic looks to be a success out of the gate.
The Massively Multiplayer Online game, from Canada’s BioWare Corp. and LucasArts, has sold more than two million copies and publisher Electronic Arts says in a press release that there are more than 1.7 million active subscribers playing the story-driven title.
“We’re truly honored and humbled by the incredibly strong support from our players who are enjoying Star Wars: The Old Republic,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWare and general manager of EA’s BioWare Label, in a release. “Our entire team worked very hard over the holidays to deliver a smooth experience at launch and the resulting response to the game from our fans and critics has been exceptionally gratifying.”
Added Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of BioWare and general manager of the BioWare MMO Business Unit: “We’re actively listening to our community for ongoing feedback to help us ensure the game and service continue to improve, and we’re working to deliver spectacular new high quality content on a regular cadence going forward.”
According to EA, there have been more than 239 million in-game hours, or more than 332,000 months and 27,000 years of in-game time played in the first month. There were over 20 billion NPCs killed and more than 148 billion credits spent.
I’ve had some time with the game and it’s definitely enjoyable. I plan to publish a review when I’ve spent a bit more time with it, so stay tuned.
* In the mood for some arcade titles? Well, Xbox Live has launched a new campaign called House Party.
Starting Feb. 15, 360 gamers can access a new downloadable game every Wednesday through to March 7. As a reward, if you buy all four of the games, you’ll receive 800 Microsoft Points, Xbox states in a press release.
Up first on Feb. 15 is Warp, from Electronic Arts, which costs 800 MS Points. You will play as Zero, an alien with a big score to settle in this puzzle-based stealth action game. Captured by the villainous Commander and imprisoned in his underwater facility, Zero must plan his ultimate escape using his arsenal of alien abilities — warp, frag, echo, swap and launch.
On Feb. 22, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare goes on sale for 1200 points. In this stand-alone game, novelist turned action hero Alan Wake fights the evil Mr. Scratch.
On Feb. 29, THQ delivers Nexuiz for 800 points. An arena-based first-person shooter, the game explores a reality TV show where you can alter the rules of the match and the laws of physics while dominating opponents in ever-changing hostile environments.
And then on March 7, Ubisoft launches I Am Alive, for 1200 points.
One year after a worldwide cataclysmic event wiped out most of humanity, a man struggles for survival. Faced with an insecure, decaying and hazardous world, he scours a desolate city, searching for his long-lost wife and daughter. Survive the suffocating, murky streets covered in dust. Climb the teetering remains of last-standing skyscrapers to reach breathable air and find untouched resources. Explore the crumbling ruins of a once-thriving metropolis. Discover a changed human condition, punctuated by distrustful survivors, dangerous armed gangs and victims in need. 
Sounds fun.
* Capcom confirmed that Resident Evil 6 is a go. It will be releasing Nov. 20 this year. Can’t wait.
* And finally this week, if you like some arcade action before or after you take in a movie at the theatre, Canada’s Cineplex Entertainment announced it has merged its New Way Sales Gaming with the amusement game and vending assets of Toronto-based Starburst Coin Machines. 
The new venture, Cineplex Starburst Inc., will form the largest distributor and operator of arcade games to the amusement industry in Canada.  The deal is worth approximately $4.5 million.
Starburst has supplied and serviced the arcade games located within all of the original Famous Players brand theatres for many years.  They also supply equipment to numerous arcades, amusement centers, bowling alleys, amusement parks and theatre circuits, in addition to owning and operating Playdium, the Family Entertainment Centre in Mississauga.
New Way supplies and services the equipment located within Cineplex Odeon and Galaxy Cinemas in addition to a number of other businesses. Following the merger, Cineplex Starburst Inc., will supply and service all Cineplex Entertainment theatres across Canada and continue to supply and support numerous other third parties.
Cineplex is the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada and owns leases or has a joint-venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,352 screens serving approximately 70 million guests annually.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Strong vocal cast to be a highlight of Mass Effect 3

Hey, hey, hey. It ain’t Fat Albert in da house, but rather Jedi Aragorn. Back from seeing a loved one become one with the Force (thank you to my friends and family, readers, listeners and followers who offered condolences across the spectrum of social media outlets I use to spread the good word) and ready to embrace all those geeky things that make life worth living here on this third rock from the big, burning ball of gas we circle.
So, let’s get down to business, shall we?
The countdown is on and console gamers like me are eagerly awaiting the third installment in the Mass Effect trilogy.
Mass Effect 3, available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, ships in North America on March 9, while the demo moves on both consoles Valentine's Day.
Developer BioWare looks set to deliver a triumphant finale to this remarkable role-playing game franchise, set around the adventures of Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre agent, as he helps defend the galaxy against an invasion by a terrifying race of machines.
Mass Effect 3's demo hits Feb. 14,
while the game launches on consoles March 9.
ME3 should continue the Canadian company’s legacy of delivering one of the most cinematic gaming experiences around. BioWare goes all out in securing outstanding voice talent for its projects because the good doctors who founded the company – Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk – are big believers in a truly artistic product being delivered to its appreciative audience.
You can see that commitment in games like the previous Mass Effect titles, where Martin Sheen was hired to voice the enigmatic human-centric character, the Illusive Man, as well as BioWare’s latest PC opus, Star Wars: The Old Republic, which features the likes of Jamie Glover (Malgus), Catherine Taber (Padme on The Clone Wars and Vette in the game) David Hayter (the male Jedi Knight, as well as Metal Gear Solid’s Snake), Grey DeLisle, Lacey Chabert, Tom Kane, Deborah Kara Unger … the list goes on and on.
Well, ME3’s voice cast is equally impressive. Sheen returns, as does Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale as the voices of the male and female Shepard, respectively, as well as Adam Baldwin, Seth Green, Tricia Helfer, Keith David, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lance Henriksen, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica).
“We are absolutely thrilled with the passion and emotion the entire cast brought to their performances in Mass Effect 3,” said Casey Hudson, executive producer of the Mass Effect series, in a press release.
“In a story where Earth and the entire galaxy are at war, we needed to take the performances to a level of dramatic power and intensity that we’ve never previously attempted. This extremely talented cast delivered.”
Sure, it’s easy to be snarky about someone like Prinze Jr. joining the cast. Hey, it’s Fred from those lame live-action Scooby Doo movies trying to sound like a bad-ass space marine … but cut the guy some slack. First off, it’s his voice you’re going to be hearing and the guy does have some decent pipes. So at least wait and hear what his character, a guy named Vega, sounds like before you draw the long knives, folks.
“I have always loved science fiction and I have always loved games and Mass Effect is really the first time both come together successfully,” said Prinze, Jr., in a release.
“It is a completely immersive game where you really feel like you’re part of this journey inside this universe. It will make you think, you will care about the character you are playing and you will care about the characters that you bring into battle with you.”
In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to save the galaxy from an ancient alien race known only as the Reapers, the release states. Players will assume the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Gamers can get their first taste of the galactic war when the Mass Effect 3 demo launches worldwide on February 14.
For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect,  or "like" the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect.
Me, I can’t wait to get my hands on this baby. BioWare is a master group, like the Pixar of video games, and it’s going to be fun to see what they’ve got up their sleeves for Shepard’s last ride. 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Sorry for the delay

Hey friends and readers. Sorry for the delay in posting. Had a death in the family, so trying to work around things. Will be back to normal shortly. Thanks for your patience.