Quick ‘n Dirty Review: Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)
So, I'm just going to say it: Mass Effect 2 is the best game I've ever played in my life. It's not something I say lightly, as Bioware's latest outing manages to shove its way to the top of a very prestigious ladder littered with top-notch titles like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysey, Half-Life, Flashback, Secret of Mana and many, many more. But, there it is: Mass Effect 2 has managed to make me care for a fictional universe and its inhabitants more than anything else I've ever experienced in my life.
Shepard May Have A Drinking Problem
I don't know what I laughed about more during this exhange: Shepard going from zero to ridiculously drunk in about sixty seconds or the fact that Miranda's in the Men's room. The quiet disapproval on the squad's faces after Shepard wakes up on the Men's room floor is also pretty hilarious. I think right about when you're so drunk, you're laying in piss -- it's time to re-evaluate your life.
Do it!
I Ran Into This Weird Mass Effect 2 Glitch
The video pretty much explains it all. I was on Daratar, doing the Eclipse Cache mission, when I ran towards a rock and was vaulted into the air. My team (obviously) followed. They're a dedicated bunch!
Torchlight: Like Diablo II’s smarter, sexier baby
True story: I dropped out of college because of Diablo II -- seriously. The allure of doing Meph runs and Baal runs, of stacking loot and power-leveling MF (magic find, in D-speak) characters was too much for my weak-willed 19 year-old self to handle. I remember I wouldn't sleep for days on end, stopped showing up for my lucrative part-time position at Pep Boys and basically forgot what haircuts, shaves and -- more than I care to admit -- showers were. Enter: Torchlight, spiritual successor to Diablo II and Lord of Destruction, a title so finely crafted and adept at providing engaging dungeon crawling experiences and loot hoarding that I initially feared for my future. When I tried the demo, I kinda got worried that some of that old obsession might come crawling back, but the one thing that has kept it at bay has been the lack of multiplayer.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story review for Joystiq
My review for Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story went live on Joystiq this morning. Here's an excerpt:
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story doesn't put on airs about itself. Up until now, the series has been a collection of chuckle-filled titles, with light action and RPG elements designed to make the game accessible to just about everyone -- and this latest game is no different. It's plain and direct in what it wants to be, but it's set apart from its predecessors in a deepening of the core aspects of the series.
Check it out here and if you're interested in reading any more of my reviews, check out my reviews page.
5 fun things to do in Fable 2
If you read my blog, uh, ever, then you probably know I'm deeply in love with Fable 2 right now. I'm just getting a kick out of every little bit of that game, squeezing it like a wet rag so I can get all of the precious liquid out. Well, I've noticed that there have been 5 things I do every now and then in the game that give me such a kick. Call them diversions or whatever, but they're great fun if your character is super evil like mine is.
My 5 best games of 2008
I've been thinking long and hard about what my 5 favorite games for 2008 are. I knew what my favorite game was immediately, and one other game guaranteed itself a spot on the list, but what about the other 3? It's tough to pick, considering just how many games released. But, I'm glad to say that I've finally narrowed my list down to 5 games. Here they are.
Going corrupt in Fable 2
I first wrote off Fable 2 because, well, the first game failed to deliver on promises and I expected as much of the second game. However, the more I saw people on my friends' list playing it, the more I got curious. Then I saw it pop up as Joystiq's Game of the Year and my interest was piqued enough. I chatted up Ludwig about it and he kind of brought me down off the fence. So I've been playing it for almost a week now.
First of all, my guy is incredibly corrupt. Like, I killed an entire village corrupt. He's gigantic, covered in scars, and has huge horns. I guess when you drive up the rent on every property you own, it catches up with you.
Quick bio:Hi! I'm David Hinkle, Contributing Editor for Joystiq, former Lead of DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy (now known as Joystiq [Nintendo]) and co-host on the Xbox 360 Fancast. Basically, I write about games, talk about games and play games -- all of the time.
This place is mainly a dumping ground for random thoughts, but you can also find links to all of my reviews and my contact info. Email me by clicking on this link.
Paying the Bills
twitter.com/DaveHinkle
Awesome stuff
- (The Customer Is) Not Always Right
- Bearleaguer
- High-Def Digest
- How To Beat Up Anything
- Joystiq
- Quarterplay
- RandomThink
- The Fightins
- Why the F*** do you have a kid?
- X3F Podcast