Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: BioWare

Genre: Role-Playing

Price: €50

Rating: M

Platforms: PC/Xbox 360/PlayStation 3

Earth is burning. The Reapers, a race of synthetics, are determined to rid the galaxy of organics and only one person stands in their way: Commander Shepard.

In Mass Effect, you were sent to stop Saren and his Geth army. In Mass Effect 2, you have to stop the Collectors, who have been abducting human colonies, and go into a suicide mission where the odds of coming back are next to none. Finally, in Mass Effect 3, you have to stop the Reaper invasion from destroying the universe.

Mass Effect was good, but the gameplay was lacking. I loved Mass Effect 2, with its better gameplay, and the weaker story didn’t stop me from enjoying it – it was more focused on characters, which, considering the premise, fitted the game.  I went into Mass Effect 3 with my expectations set high – and they were blown out of the water.

Like the original Mass Effect, the third instalment of the series focuses more on story and Shepard’s hell-bent resolve to stop the Reapers. Some game-play elements such as weapon customization, which were sadly absent from Mass Effect 2, made a welcome comeback and brought Mass Effect 3 closer to the role-playing experience of the original game. Gameplay is still fun, as it was in the second game, but it’s more difficult – which, considering the situation Shepard is in, makes a lot of sense.

Another aspect that has changed from the previous games is how you can “persuade” or “intimidate”. In Mass Effect, you just had to spend points in Charm or Intimidate options; in Mass Effect 2, those options were unlocked according to your Paragon/Renegade score. In Mass Effect 3, it’s your Reputation score that handles that – a score which you can increase by doing several side-missions, talking to party members and so on.

I had a lot of fun during combat sequences, but what really makes Mass Effect 3 so endearing is the story and the tie-ins with previous games. Decisions made previously matter and their consequences are important. You may find yourself at odds with old friends due to the choices you made previously. All major characters, so as long as they made it through Mass Effect 2, make a comeback and when you meet them again, they incite emotions that range from happy to sad – and when you have to say goodbye, it tears at your heart.

The story is filled with tension and there’s a sense of urgency about it. You need all the help you can get to deal with the Reapers and you’re desperate to get it. You can unify old enemies, make peace between organics and synthetics, give a friend their homeworld back… I found certain elements of the plot to be beautiful, really, and very well-written.

Romances were also particularly well taken care off. I didn’t try out all of them (there are just too many options), but the ones I did (Kaidan and Garrus) were spot-on, sweet and heart-wrenching. The way the lines are delivered by the actors, the animations, everything is so… well done. There isn’t a thing I would have changed in the way those romances played out and that’s saying something.

The voice acting is stellar. Although I still find the male Shepard – played by Mark Meer, – lacking, he’s improved. Jennifer Hale, who voices the female Commander Shepard, is brilliant as she was in previous games. All other characters – from the supporting cast to the main cast – are terrific.

The music is nearly flawless. The composers made an OST that fits the game in every aspect, ranging from bittersweet to desperate to downright epic. I believe it is the best soundtrack of all Mass Effect games.

Finally, there’s the matter of the ending. You have three to choose from and the one I chose was so powerfully sad it brought tears to my eyes. It was a definite ending, one that played out beautifully and one that was filled with hope. I wish certain parts of the ending could have gone differently, but when I think about it… The ending was a perfect conclusion to Shepard’s story. It was sad, yes, but it was fitting.

With a gripping plot, amazing characters, great voice-acting and a beautiful soundtrack, Mass Effect 3 is a great ending to a great series. As a journey, the trilogy is among one of my favourite pieces of gaming in history and it proves that video games, when well-written and well-acted, can make you feel all sorts of emotions. You go from a marine to a Spectre, you die and come back to life, you survive a suicide mission and become the strongest force against a threat whose likes the galaxy has never seen. It’s an epic journey and whether you’re a veteran gamer or a novice, I cannot recommend this series enough.

The Good:

Terrific voice acting brings life to the characters

Gripping story

Choices carried from earlier Mass Effect games matter

The Bad:

Fewer dialogue options than previous installments

Final Score: 10/10

Welcome to the world of your worst nightmare.  The Outbreak has devastated humanity and life as we know it and those that have survived are busy trying to scrape back some sense of the life that went before. Seattle has become a walled fortress, rife with crime, black market dealings and extreme religious cults. Despite it all, Sadie and her nephew Shane have found some sense of safety, after all the Infected are kept firmly at bay by the wall. But when Sadie is betrayed and Shane is stolen and the Infected break through, the only escape is by water and she’s seen for herself the fate that met those who tried that last time. Sadie must face fears that may just be worse than the hordes of Zombie’s in pursuit.

Zombies. We’ve all thought about how we would survive if it ever happened at least once. Heck in my house where the male equivalent outweighs the female, it has become dinner table conversation more than once. I used to think I had a fair chance of surviving but after entering the world Roux has created, I’m not so sure.

“Sadie Walker is Stranded” is the follow up novel to “Allison Hewitt is Trapped” and drops us right back into the action, gore and fight for our lives. We are introduced to a whole new cast and a fresh new writing style that will hook you right from the beginning. This is more than just scare-the-pants-off -you zombie fiction. It truly is an amazing account of survival despite all the odds – and the unrelenting strength of the human spirit.

Roux has gifted us with a twisted road trip of epic proportions that despite the high gore level and often confronting scenes, just plain works.   Even if zombies aren’t your normal “villain” of choice, the lessons learnt the characters and fantastic plot makes this series one to definitely brave the frights to read.

Sadie spoke to me from the very first meeting and there was a softness about her that had me vested in her survival. In addition to fighting for her own life, she has to find her feet as an almost instant mother. This upped the ante to a whole new level. It also added an extra “human” feel despite the “ick” factor.

If you haven’t read Allison’s story, I strongly recommend you do before joining Sadie’s. This is a completely different experience to the first book. It still maintains the same intensity and action that made the Allison’s journey outstanding but with Sadie the focus has slightly shifted. Even though the Infected pose just as much of a risk, we are now months into the Outbreak and they have become more of a part of life. The urgency has lessened and the reader has more time to think through actions and decisions before they have to be taken. These are ordinary everyday people who, through extraordinary circumstances, find the strength to start to re-make the world.

So for those of you who like myself have always been sure you’d survive. Enter Roux’s world and put your belief to the test. The lessons learnt here may just help save your life.

Sadie Walker is Stranded- Madeline Roux

Headline

ISBN:978-0-7553-7916-3

Released:10^th January 2012

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel #1)

After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It’s filled with intrigue, danger – and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

Paperback, 144 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Razorbill

ISBN 1595144293 (ISBN13: 9781595144294)

For what I have come to know of graphic novels this version does not have much on the side of “novel”. I have read the book, the first in the very well known Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and was very much looking forward to see how it was interpreted into graphic novel form.

The first thing I noticed was the format of this particular book, it’s glossy full colored pages are very detailed and eye-catching. I think the artist did a great job. What I was surprised to see was the lack of dialogue and “novel”. The story has been shortened so much it just includes the basic points that drive the story, lots of drama and huge emotional scenes, and then it’s over.

What this does lead to is a very fast paced action packed story. All key points are hit on and a great re-cap of book one of the series. It’s a very short book at 144 pages and can be easily read through in one sitting. There is just enough intrigue and romantic influence that the reader can get a feel to the characters and the world.

Kylie:

Red Glove, the second book in the Curse Workers series, picks up where White Cat leaves off, with curses and cons, magic and the mob, unreliable memories, betrayal and manipulation – and it beats its predecessor hands down!

Cassel Sharpe has grown up in a family of “workers”, Black’s term for those with the ability to work curses, but had always believed that the abilities his family possessed had somehow skipped him. Now he finds that he is in fact, one of the rarest and most powerful workers of all – a transformation worker – one who has the ability to turn anything, or anyone, into something else.

A power that could be most desirable to those wanting to commit the perfect murder.

Cassel is thrown into a world where the ones he loves and trust most have deceived him and where he is a wanted man – both by the mob who would use his powers for their own devious ends, and by the police who need his help to find a killer. In fact, the murderer of his own brother.

Things are further complicated by Cassel’s relationship with Lila (who spent much of book one as a cat). Cassel’s morality is bought into question on more than one occasion with the object of his love and desire willing to do anything for him. But are any of her feelings real or are they all the result of a curse by Cassel’s mother; an emotions worker?

I found this a more gripping read than the first – the characters were more developed, particularly Cassel’s friends who take on a more pivotal role in this book. Cassel himself is far more interesting as his belief systems are put to the test and the moral compass that was almost irritating in the first book, waivers. Cassel became more human with weaknesses and flaws that made him far more likable.

The ease with which I slipped back into this alternate world is a credit to Black’s world building – after the first page, the cons, the magic and a reality where nobody can be trusted were beyond question.

Some of the themes surrounding workers and non-workers – the segregation, the marches, the activist movements and the zealots on both sides, were echoes of our own world, both past and present, and were all the more poignant because of that. It was easy to become embroiled in the debate as a reader.

Some of the plot, which is essentially a murder mystery with a supernatural twist, was predictable but this did nothing to detract from my reading experience.

Hopefully this series continues to develop as it has from the first to the second book. I’m certainly looking forward to reading the third book, Black Heart.

Mandy:

I have to say I agree wholeheartedly with Kylie on Red Glove. Where White Cat could be confusing due to the ‘rules’ of the world, along with Cassel’s unreliable memories – Red Glove is fast, exciting and with higher stakes for each character. The revelation of Cassel being a transformation worker, while not surprising, definitely amps this story up. Cassel’s mother also plays a bigger role in Red Glove, now out of jail and continuing her addiction to the con. She’s about as unlikeable as a fictional mother can get, which makes Cassel’s own morals all the more interesting.

The Curse Workers series is, so far, unlike anything else out there in Young Adult Fiction. A successful mash-up of magic, the Mafia, murder and segregation whisks the reader along at a diabolical pace. Unlike Kylie, I didn’t see all the twists and turns before they I was deep within them – making Red Glove a much more successful story than its predecessor.

I’m also looking forward to getting my (un-gloved) hands on Black Heart when it’s released in early April this year.