The video game franchise MASS EFFECT from Bioware/EA is slowly spreading its wings outside the realm of just gaming. There have been novel and comic book releases over the years and now they are stepping into the world of animation.
Titled MASS EFFECT: PARAGON LOST, the animated film comes from Funimation and serves as a prequel of sorts to MASS EFFECT 3 in that it focuses on the early career of Alliance Marine James Vega, one of the main squad members of the last game.
Synopsis:
Vega leads an elite Special Forces squad into battle against a mysterious alien threat known as The Collectors. Stationed at a colony in a remote star system, Vega and his soldiers must protect the civilians from a ruthless invasion determined to capture the population for unknown purposes.
One of the great things about living in this era of technology is being able to witness great properties inspire fans into creating works that everyone can see.
The video game series, MASS EFFECT, hit the apex of its well deserved popularity this year with the release of MASS EFFECT 3 and some talented fans out there not only created a fan film but an interactive one at that!
Called MASS EFFECT: ASSIGNMENT, the story of the film utilizes the game's decision aspect letting viewers choose between a paragon or renegade choice on several decisions that come up in the story that lead to four different endings.
Even being a fan film you cannot deny the quality of the production, with costumes, props and special effects that really make the atmosphere of the film being in the Mass Effect world believable.
March is now the most recent most anticipated month for gamers as EA/Bioware's MASS EFFECT 3 was released on March 6 for the XBOX 360, Playstation 3 & Nintendo Wii.
The war to take back Earth is in full progress at the moment and it only seemed right to share the launch trailer and get those that have not been hooked into the series to jump aboard while the frenzy is at full force.
The much anticipated third installment of MASS EFFECT, from EA and Bioware was released in demo form earlier this week for its various platforms (PC/PS3/360). Featuring two levels from the single-player campaign and access to the co-op multi-player portion of the game that is new to the series.
MASS EFFECT 3 continues the story of Commander Shepard as time has run out and the big bad threat of the previous two games, Reapers, have arrived and besieged Earth. Reunited with the Normandy and the Virmire survivor, it is up to Shepard to rally the different nations of the galaxy into a coalition big enough to fight back for survival.
Here are two of the promotional trailers that have been released so far. One is the first video of the series to use the female version of Shepard instead of the male and showing gameplay, while the second pulls heavily the emotional cinematic themes of the story.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo hits Los Angeles, California this week and as a result GeekPlate will be having an E3 week of coverage with the highlights from the news that breaks at the expo. Monday was not the technical start of E3 as the show floor does not open until Tuesday, but there was still news to be had as Microsoft and Sony held their annual press conferences.
MICROSOFT:
FABLE: THE JOURNEY, the next chapter of the FABLE game series from Lionhead Studios is scheduled to arrive on the XBOX 360 in 2012. And it features KINECT functionality, allowing players to use gestures to cast spells.
HALO 4 showed off its teaser trailer and has a scheduled release date of holiday 2012.
STAR WARS KINECT will bring players the ability to wield lightsabers, jump and kick their way through the Star Wars universe.
TOMB RAIDER, the next Lara Croft game from Square Enix for the XBOX 360, PS3 & PC takes players to the beginning of the character's journey for her first adventure.
--BING will be a feature on the new XBOX 360 dashboard coming in the fall, enabling players to search the entire marketplace for content using KINECT. --KINECT will become a big part of the new dashboard on XBOX 360, letting users control the entire experience through voice commands. --KINECT FUN LABS is a collection of mini-games available for free that allows players to participate in various activities including scanning real life objects into the game world and creating avatars using the KINECT camera. --MASS EFFECT 3, the next chapter in BioWare's scifi RPG series is coming in March 2012 and brings with it KINECT features like making conversation choices and battlefield directions through voice command. --UFC bouts will be coming to XBOX LIVE along with some interactive features where viewers can "call matches" and place bets with friends. --XBOX LIVE will soon be offering cloud storage for game saves and profiles, making it easier for players to sign into their accounts from any XBOX 360 console.
SONY:
BIOSHOCK INFINITE, is a first person shooter coming in 2012 to PS3, 360 & PC from developer Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BIOSHOCK.
DUST 514, a massively multiplayer online game with connections to EVE ONLINE is a PS3 exclusive scheduled to launch in 2012 with a closed beta testing period on PSN near the end of 2011.
LITTLE BIG PLANET, the PS3 hit game series is making its way to the PSVITA.
RESISTANCE 3, the very popular scifi first person shooter series from developer Insomniac Games comes to the PS3 in September.
Sly Cooper is heading to the PS3 in 2012 with SLY COOPER: THIEVES IN TIME, this time with developer Sanzaru Games taking over the creative reigns for Sucker Punch.
STAR TREK, a new co-op game for the PS3, 360 & PC from developer Digital Extremes is coming in 2012. Play as Captain Kirk and Spock in this new chapter spinning out from the recent blockbuster film.
UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE'S DECEPTION hits the PS3 on 11/1/11.
--GOD OF WAR ORIGINS COLLECTION, a 3D-enabled compilation of GOD OF WAR: GHOST OF SPARTA and CHAINS OF OLYMPUS (the two PSP titles in the series) is coming to the PS3 in September. --NBA 2K12 features unique MOVE functionality, where the basketball players will move on their own on the court and the player at home can use the MOVE controller to point at anybody on their team and control them. --Playstation-branded 24" 3D TV that comes with a pair of glasses, 6 foot HDMI cable and Resistance 3 in one bundle for only $499. --PLAYSTATION VITA, the next chapter in Sony's portable gaming platform, will launch worldwide by the end of 2011 with a WiFi-only model selling for $249 and a 3G/WiFi model at $299. AT&T will be the official wireless carrier for the handheld. --RUIN, a "social action RPG" for the PSVITA and PS3, will let players create their own hero and lair and laying siege to friends' lairs. This top-down game will use the connectivity feature between the PSVITA and PS3 in which players can transfer their saves between the gaming platforms at will.
That was it for GeekPlate's coverage of the Microsoft and Sony press conferences at E3 2011. Hope you are enjoying the videos and news highlighted. Look forward to tomorrow's post recapping the first official day of the convention and Nintendo's press conference.
Last weekend several industries traveled down to San Diego for a series of panels and interviews for fans that unveiled plans for the following year. Here's some of the interesting COMIC news to come out:
