You know what I think is odd about the Penny Arcade comics about Mass Effect? As you probably know, Penny Arcade has had Assassin's Creed ads all over their site for the longest time, and they did some art cels I believe related to the game. Whenever the game came out and started getting mediocre reviews Gabe posted this long ass post about how they were all wrong and that they must have rushed through the game as fast as possible. He also said they don't even allow advertisements unless they get an alpha or beta version of the game so that they can see if it sucks or not. Basically they are saying that they only do ads if they believe in the game, and they have no obligations to the companies that pay them.
Then Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed biggest competitor right now, comes out, gets significantly better reviews, and they make an entire series of comics talking crap about the game. Hrmmm...
however, i agree with all of their complaints about the game they have made. the game is fun, but the elevators are insanely long. like, long enough for a piss and smoke break.
they do kind of throw you into the game, without really telling you how to play. an example, decrypting shit in the first level. I didnt know what was going on. the thing was up on the screen for like 2 seconds and never told me what to do. after a few tries i figured it out, but i think their points are valid.
plus, the framerate is kinda weird in the game. seems like mine is dipping all the time. dunno, could just be me.
Yea, I'd been thinkin the same thing Sonic. Actually VERY disappointed in the Penny-Arcade guys for their Mass Effect stuff.
Mainly because I'd hoped they were atleast above this idiotic trend in gaming journalism of completely ignoring the whole in order to nit pick the unimportant things. Any game that is as large and complex as Mass Effect (Or Rock Band or Assassin's Creed) is going to have issues. No ways around that. So when journalists and reviewers start concentrating on these few bugs rather than looking at the experience as a whole they have totally lost their perspective and become more of a blight to the industry than something beneficial as they should be.
With the way things are now the only games that can get great reviews are simplistic games or games which use tried and true formulas. The games which try to innovate or create new experiences which are what almost all game critics cry out that we need more of, are the ones that those same people will nitpick the bad on upon release.
Sorry for the random rant, just been fairly annoyed with this crap of late. (That said not all reviewers and stuff are like that. I find Gamespy tends to be very good at looking at the whole as do a few other sites).
i'm enjoying the game so far. about 9 hours in and on the first mission after leaving the Citadel.
always hard to decide which characters to use in these games. only complaints i have as of now are the inventory system could have been a bit more intuitive and there's a few minor issues with the text on a SD tv. nothing major though like was speculated earlier in this thread.
driving the Mako id fun but i imagine the rest of my squad is screaming in terror the entire trip.
re: Penny Arcade. i was under the impression that they called it Nitpicking Mass Effect because it was so good they only had a few nitpicks with it. they aren't picking these issues out and screaming "OMG!!!!11!! this sucks!!!! how did this make it into the game!"
The penny arcade guys have had the game for a bit, and already expressed their love of the story. They established that, and are now just nitpicking the little things, as they clearly state. They've been beating off to mass effect for so long, it was refreshing to know they can see the bad stuff, too.
When innovating, that is when we need the nitpicking. we need to point out what is not working when things break new ground - that is how we establish what works. If we all just let things pass because it was new, these new things wouldn't ever get polished.
@Asherr: thank you for bein the bearer of good news. guess i wont haveta shell out for an HDTV [yes, i love this game that much]
about the Penny Arcade things... well
they DID say that they're just nitpickin for the heck of it. like sectaurs said, they're not JUST talking shit about it. they're just nitpicking [hence the title of the comics].
but yea.
my parents convinced me into not pre=ordering it cuz i just got AC. meanwhile, we got a ph call yesterday from somewhere, and after the call, my dad told my mum that he's going "there". so i have high hopes that its my bday gift .
i hope.
but that only means waiting 13 more days [gack].
btw: congrats on another 'game' [wat term should i use?] spacemonkey! and other polycounters who contributed too! srry i dont know all the names.... cant wait to see specifically what you've made, and then i cant wait to see / play as / wear / shoot using / destroy whatever it is u made :P!
Good point guys. I did over react a bit to it all. It does however leave a bad impression to the majority of their users who will only read the comics, not the write ups in which they mention the good. 3 comics in a row complaining about a game is a bit much for me.
I'm more annoyed with reviews in general lately. The idea that "no game is perfect" and giving decimal point scores to games is ridiculous. Either do away with the scores or make it a more intelligent scale.
Ahh well, I'm just venting, don't really care that much anyways, doesn't change the quality of the game any.
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re: Penny Arcade. i was under the impression that they called it Nitpicking Mass Effect because it was so good they only had a few nitpicks with it. they aren't picking these issues out and screaming "OMG!!!!11!! this sucks!!!! how did this make it into the game!"
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Well, they have very little good to say about the game in the last 3 writeups, and plenty of bad.
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Mass Effect is an odd game. I find the overly complex/poorly designed menus really frustrating. Also there's the almost complete lack of a tutorial, frequent loads and an auto save feature I'd describe as punishing. I actually almost gave up on the game all together. I'm glad I didn't though. I just wrapped up a pretty major mission and I finally feel like I have a pretty good grip on the combat. I'm not 100% sure but I think I actually enjoyed myself. Entering a menu still makes me want to snap my controller in half but I think I can put up with that to get this story. It's a really odd game. It sort of oscillates between being totally amazing and sort of sucking.
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Yet, this was his previous post about Assassin's Creed.
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I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.
I'm telling you all this because I want you to understand that if Assassins Creed actually was a 7.0 game I'd tell you. I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.
There are about four or five reviews of the game with scores in the low to mid 7's. I want to cover some of the common complaints these reviewers had in case anyone out there is worried about them.
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And he spends the next 4 or 5 paragraphs defending each part that everyone else has criticized!
So they can nitpick Mass Effect for three comics and write all the things that piss them off, but defend every single point about AC? Lame.
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If, as you are playing, you exclaim to yourself that "this isn't as bad as he said," then good. I wish I'd had someone to adjust my expectations prior to their contact with some grim realities.
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Do I even have to point out the irony in that quote?
aside from the obvious "everyone's opinions differ" and "they're not professional reviewers", I don't see anything wrong with their reactions. They're acting just like everyone I know... when a game is heralded as perfect, they point out the flaws. When a game is called rubbish, they point out the good parts.
since they've been advertising the game, and they only advertise games they like, does it really surprise you that they're saying they liked the game?
but perhaps i'm naive, and they're really being paid to keep up the lip service. we'll never know. but now you know you shouldn't take their recommendations.
To be honest, I am kind of arguing for the sake of arguing. I still think the dudes at PA fucking rock and I would probably buy any game they recommended
Anything that can take over Penny Arcade for an entire week of strips has got to command respect, regardless of whether they are "nitpicking" it or not. Those guys aren't exactly ever short of ideas, giving up a ton of potential stories to devote themselves to a single game is very telling.
@acc: i think the point is to make people react to the comics. some ppl find it funny cuz its tru. and its not like they're saying "this game is so fucked cuz of long load times"... i mean... they're saying it... only with humour... its different from a 'review'. its a small jab at the game. cuz they know that they cant insult the game, or look down upon it.
and isnt it natural that the 'next big thing' is always nit picked? cuz there's nothing more to pick on! just the small stuff... and i figure that yes, PA has MANY ideas... and these nitpicks are among them !
one of the best games i have ever played in my life. it's so glitchy...but that matters NONE to me(well..almost). the music is so good...the story is so good...the sense of exploration is so good. GOTY hands down. i have syd mead artbooks in my library...anyone else notice how much they chomp on dudes designs? not like that's a bad thing AT ALL!!
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one of the best games i have ever played in my life. it's so glitchy...but that matters NONE to me(well..almost). the music is so good...the story is so good...the sense of exploration is so good. GOTY hands down. i have syd mead artbooks in my library...anyone else notice how much they chomp on dudes designs? not like that's a bad thing AT ALL!!
[/ QUOTE ]Second this, there's just something about this universe that makes the game so compelling. First MAKO sequence gave me goosebumps, the music and art just worked perfectly together. The technical issues certainly do exist though, but are more than excusable. Can't wait for installment 2... Just hope EA knows that they've got something they shouldn't fuck up.
This is an example of how fucking lazy game music directors can be. After hearing a nearly identical theme across 20 games, the same goddamn poorly sampled orchestral pieces are getting a bit stale. I don't have anything against that kind of music, but give it a fucking rest. Mass Effect is phresh, and rots your balls off with originality & quality.
best game ever, and now my consolehating girlfriend has been playing it all weekend, hogging the 360.., try that nintendo, JUST TRY THAT! mario aint got nothing on mass effect.
rofl. just beat it, it got pretty damn awesome towards the end. I hated the beginning of it, way too slow and boring.
The vehicle also drove me completely insane, its not like there's some super advanced gameplay associated with it, all you do is drive and shoot, why did they have to fuck with regular vehicle controls that 100 gazillion other games have used before?
other than that though i think they did a pretty good job, the dialog system was pretty good and actually offered quite a few choices that seemed like they would impact the way things would play out. in the end ofcourse it all came down to the last little bit, but still, i mean what is it really worth to throw in some text and give the player an impression of choice, give them some sense that their actions affect things, that they can actually decide how to go about doing things, i think this bit was taken way further than most other bioware rpgs, and hell further than most rpgs from the past decade...
*spoilers ahead*
A few things i wish they did is let you keep playing after you beat the game, and finish off all those 100s of side quests you get.
And while the ending was cool i wish they'd let you rule the gallaxy with an iron fist yourself...
ive been enjoying it! the package as a whole is brilliant, the music + art + animation + environments + sounds + subtle film grains... makes it all come together beautifully, even if some areas may not be as up-to-snuff as the others. They really nailed a sense of scale, feels great.
i learned to loathe elevators, but the personal transport system in the Citadel made me happy. I'm not too far in, but far enough to be hooked
edit: i also started enjoying the combat more when i started playing less like Assassin's Creed, and more like Ghost Recon. I was dying left and right
Just as I thought I would, I adore this game so far, my only gripe is the auto-save feature is redundant..
I've had to refight and get slaughtered by boss confrontations or making silly suicidial mistakes in the mako only to be sent back by an hour's worth of play.
I'm saving a shit tonne more regularly now :P
Congrats Bioware and all the polycounters who helped make one of the best games since sliced bread!
Glad to hear you guys are enjoying it! I recommend grabbing the OST if you like the music in the game - I think its pretty decent. Also there is an hardback art book available with the Prima Strategy guide... full of concepts and worth checking out.
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Glad to hear you guys are enjoying it! I recommend grabbing the OST if you like the music in the game - I think its pretty decent. Also there is an hardback art book available with the Prima Strategy guide... full of concepts and worth checking out.
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asdljfas;jldf! Bastages at EB didn't give me one of those!!! aaarrrggghhh must go destroy!
monkeh, i really love the texture work on the characters, specifically the fabrics. All of that stuff came out beautifully, ya'll did some awesome work. The humans aren't as exciting as all the alien critters, but all of the character designs and costume designs blow me away. Its all vrr purdy. I want those big cow things with face-flap-mouths to be real and have one live at my house.
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edit: i also started enjoying the combat more when i started playing less like Assassin's Creed, and more like Ghost Recon. I was dying left and right
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hehe, me too, 'cept I was trying to play as if it were UT and that wasn't working out so well. The game wasn't hooking me 'til I learned about cover, and then I was having a hard time putting it down to go to bed. Sweet game!
you can run and gun a lot more when you get barrier up to a decent level, everything fears my vanguard when barrier is up and his shotgun is blasting away.
save your money as much as you can, you can hit 1 million credits while in your twenties and get access to the spectre weapons which make combat much more pwntastic.
ooo. Where do you get spectre weapons? I havent had much trouble, takes me only a few seconds to kill the big geth with my assault rifle. Plus with all my shield upgrades I take alot of hits. Game seems to get alot easier at level 30+.
You know, I wish they had just left the driving part out of this game. It seems they tried to use the Halo system and failed miserably. There are so many times that I will zoom to shoot a turret and the mako will just turn sideways and get stuck for no reason, and I can't move it again until I aim sideways.
A bit of an aside here; Mass Effect has really sparked my desire for a good space flight sim game. As near as I can tell, the last one was from about 5 years ago. Was thinking about trying the free trial of EVE Online, but looking for something a little more action-y. Any recommendations?
It certainly is one of the best looking games on 360, but there's a price to pay for that much goodness, yay texture pop-ins! Honestly it doesn't bother me that much but for some reason people have got a right bee in their bonnett about it.
only managed 30minutes into it lol... too much work !
but yea... turned film grain off, and it looks better... but yea.. watsit.. the lip syncing isnt as good as i was expecting unfortunately...
but yea, so far its a great game!
but i havent even got past the parts they showed in one demonstration lol!
kk... for u guys, this games gottne old probabaly.. but now that ive played it for a while, i just wanna say OMFG! its awesome!
the only negative are the pop ins and the elevators [lol].
and my favourite "art pieces" so far are garrus and wrex.. well saren's the best looking turian yet if u ask me. but yea... wrex.... holy CRAP his voice is amazing, and the voice acting... and that attidute!
props to whoever came up with that dude!
oh, and is it just me, or is music lacking during some cutscenes?
like, the beacon blowing one... no music?!
thats the only other bother i got.
all in all: AMAZING!
now i want hdtv to get rid of the aliasing dammit!
Replies
I really hope its enormously long... PLZZZZZZZ let it be uber long... lol
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if you consider 20-30 hours enormously long.
or else you could just play it through more than once to see the tons of different options
Then Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed biggest competitor right now, comes out, gets significantly better reviews, and they make an entire series of comics talking crap about the game. Hrmmm...
they do kind of throw you into the game, without really telling you how to play. an example, decrypting shit in the first level. I didnt know what was going on. the thing was up on the screen for like 2 seconds and never told me what to do. after a few tries i figured it out, but i think their points are valid.
plus, the framerate is kinda weird in the game. seems like mine is dipping all the time. dunno, could just be me.
Mainly because I'd hoped they were atleast above this idiotic trend in gaming journalism of completely ignoring the whole in order to nit pick the unimportant things. Any game that is as large and complex as Mass Effect (Or Rock Band or Assassin's Creed) is going to have issues. No ways around that. So when journalists and reviewers start concentrating on these few bugs rather than looking at the experience as a whole they have totally lost their perspective and become more of a blight to the industry than something beneficial as they should be.
With the way things are now the only games that can get great reviews are simplistic games or games which use tried and true formulas. The games which try to innovate or create new experiences which are what almost all game critics cry out that we need more of, are the ones that those same people will nitpick the bad on upon release.
Sorry for the random rant, just been fairly annoyed with this crap of late. (That said not all reviewers and stuff are like that. I find Gamespy tends to be very good at looking at the whole as do a few other sites).
always hard to decide which characters to use in these games. only complaints i have as of now are the inventory system could have been a bit more intuitive and there's a few minor issues with the text on a SD tv. nothing major though like was speculated earlier in this thread.
driving the Mako id fun but i imagine the rest of my squad is screaming in terror the entire trip.
re: Penny Arcade. i was under the impression that they called it Nitpicking Mass Effect because it was so good they only had a few nitpicks with it. they aren't picking these issues out and screaming "OMG!!!!11!! this sucks!!!! how did this make it into the game!"
When innovating, that is when we need the nitpicking. we need to point out what is not working when things break new ground - that is how we establish what works. If we all just let things pass because it was new, these new things wouldn't ever get polished.
about the Penny Arcade things... well
they DID say that they're just nitpickin for the heck of it. like sectaurs said, they're not JUST talking shit about it. they're just nitpicking [hence the title of the comics].
but yea.
my parents convinced me into not pre=ordering it cuz i just got AC. meanwhile, we got a ph call yesterday from somewhere, and after the call, my dad told my mum that he's going "there". so i have high hopes that its my bday gift
i hope.
but that only means waiting 13 more days [gack].
btw: congrats on another 'game' [wat term should i use?] spacemonkey! and other polycounters who contributed too! srry i dont know all the names.... cant wait to see specifically what you've made, and then i cant wait to see / play as / wear / shoot using / destroy whatever it is u made :P!
cheers
I'm more annoyed with reviews in general lately. The idea that "no game is perfect" and giving decimal point scores to games is ridiculous. Either do away with the scores or make it a more intelligent scale.
Ahh well, I'm just venting, don't really care that much anyways, doesn't change the quality of the game any.
re: Penny Arcade. i was under the impression that they called it Nitpicking Mass Effect because it was so good they only had a few nitpicks with it. they aren't picking these issues out and screaming "OMG!!!!11!! this sucks!!!! how did this make it into the game!"
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Well, they have very little good to say about the game in the last 3 writeups, and plenty of bad.
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Mass Effect is an odd game. I find the overly complex/poorly designed menus really frustrating. Also there's the almost complete lack of a tutorial, frequent loads and an auto save feature I'd describe as punishing. I actually almost gave up on the game all together. I'm glad I didn't though. I just wrapped up a pretty major mission and I finally feel like I have a pretty good grip on the combat. I'm not 100% sure but I think I actually enjoyed myself. Entering a menu still makes me want to snap my controller in half but I think I can put up with that to get this story. It's a really odd game. It sort of oscillates between being totally amazing and sort of sucking.
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Yet, this was his previous post about Assassin's Creed.
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I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.
I'm telling you all this because I want you to understand that if Assassins Creed actually was a 7.0 game I'd tell you. I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.
There are about four or five reviews of the game with scores in the low to mid 7's. I want to cover some of the common complaints these reviewers had in case anyone out there is worried about them.
[/ QUOTE ]
And he spends the next 4 or 5 paragraphs defending each part that everyone else has criticized!
So they can nitpick Mass Effect for three comics and write all the things that piss them off, but defend every single point about AC? Lame.
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If, as you are playing, you exclaim to yourself that "this isn't as bad as he said," then good. I wish I'd had someone to adjust my expectations prior to their contact with some grim realities.
[/ QUOTE ]
Do I even have to point out the irony in that quote?
since they've been advertising the game, and they only advertise games they like, does it really surprise you that they're saying they liked the game?
but perhaps i'm naive, and they're really being paid to keep up the lip service. we'll never know. but now you know you shouldn't take their recommendations.
and isnt it natural that the 'next big thing' is always nit picked? cuz there's nothing more to pick on! just the small stuff... and i figure that yes, PA has MANY ideas... and these nitpicks are among them
one of the best games i have ever played in my life. it's so glitchy...but that matters NONE to me(well..almost). the music is so good...the story is so good...the sense of exploration is so good. GOTY hands down. i have syd mead artbooks in my library...anyone else notice how much they chomp on dudes designs? not like that's a bad thing AT ALL!!
one of the best games i have ever played in my life. it's so glitchy...but that matters NONE to me(well..almost). the music is so good...the story is so good...the sense of exploration is so good. GOTY hands down. i have syd mead artbooks in my library...anyone else notice how much they chomp on dudes designs? not like that's a bad thing AT ALL!!
[/ QUOTE ]Second this, there's just something about this universe that makes the game so compelling. First MAKO sequence gave me goosebumps, the music and art just worked perfectly together. The technical issues certainly do exist though, but are more than excusable. Can't wait for installment 2... Just hope EA knows that they've got something they shouldn't fuck up.
This is an example of how fucking lazy game music directors can be. After hearing a nearly identical theme across 20 games, the same goddamn poorly sampled orchestral pieces are getting a bit stale. I don't have anything against that kind of music, but give it a fucking rest. Mass Effect is phresh, and rots your balls off with originality & quality.
It's fucking Blade Runner Blues good.
The vehicle also drove me completely insane, its not like there's some super advanced gameplay associated with it, all you do is drive and shoot, why did they have to fuck with regular vehicle controls that 100 gazillion other games have used before?
other than that though i think they did a pretty good job, the dialog system was pretty good and actually offered quite a few choices that seemed like they would impact the way things would play out. in the end ofcourse it all came down to the last little bit, but still, i mean what is it really worth to throw in some text and give the player an impression of choice, give them some sense that their actions affect things, that they can actually decide how to go about doing things, i think this bit was taken way further than most other bioware rpgs, and hell further than most rpgs from the past decade...
*spoilers ahead*
A few things i wish they did is let you keep playing after you beat the game, and finish off all those 100s of side quests you get.
And while the ending was cool i wish they'd let you rule the gallaxy with an iron fist yourself...
i am utterly dumbfounded how bioware has come to acheive such an awesome task. hats off to all you guys. AWESOME GAME!!!
argh cant wait!
i learned to loathe elevators, but the personal transport system in the Citadel made me happy. I'm not too far in, but far enough to be hooked
edit: i also started enjoying the combat more when i started playing less like Assassin's Creed, and more like Ghost Recon. I was dying left and right
I've had to refight and get slaughtered by boss confrontations or making silly suicidial mistakes in the mako only to be sent back by an hour's worth of play.
I'm saving a shit tonne more regularly now :P
Congrats Bioware and all the polycounters who helped make one of the best games since sliced bread!
Glad to hear you guys are enjoying it!
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asdljfas;jldf! Bastages at EB didn't give me one of those!!! aaarrrggghhh must go destroy!
monkeh, i really love the texture work on the characters, specifically the fabrics. All of that stuff came out beautifully, ya'll did some awesome work. The humans aren't as exciting as all the alien critters, but all of the character designs and costume designs blow me away. Its all vrr purdy. I want those big cow things with face-flap-mouths to be real and have one live at my house.
edit: i also started enjoying the combat more when i started playing less like Assassin's Creed, and more like Ghost Recon. I was dying left and right
[/ QUOTE ]
hehe, me too, 'cept I was trying to play as if it were UT and that wasn't working out so well. The game wasn't hooking me 'til I learned about cover, and then I was having a hard time putting it down to go to bed. Sweet game!
I already bought the OST, love it.. Kinda reminds me of Tangerine Dream and all that jazz
save your money as much as you can, you can hit 1 million credits while in your twenties and get access to the spectre weapons which make combat much more pwntastic.
Been hearing a lot of good stuff about this game, hope it hits the PC in the not too distant future.
about to start playing
It certainly is one of the best looking games on 360, but there's a price to pay for that much goodness, yay texture pop-ins! Honestly it doesn't bother me that much but for some reason people have got a right bee in their bonnett about it.
only managed 30minutes into it lol... too much work
but yea... turned film grain off, and it looks better... but yea.. watsit.. the lip syncing isnt as good as i was expecting unfortunately...
but yea, so far its a great game!
but i havent even got past the parts they showed in one demonstration lol!
good job by the team! i can say THAT!
the only negative are the pop ins and the elevators [lol].
and my favourite "art pieces" so far are garrus and wrex.. well saren's the best looking turian yet if u ask me. but yea... wrex.... holy CRAP his voice is amazing, and the voice acting... and that attidute!
props to whoever came up with that dude!
oh, and is it just me, or is music lacking during some cutscenes?
like, the beacon blowing one... no music?!
thats the only other bother i got.
all in all: AMAZING!
now i want hdtv to get rid of the aliasing dammit!