#S: Mass effect 2

[harveywritings92]

{After Graves betrayal and their team is scattered, Orphan is making her way through a makeshift hospital on her way to meet up with Soap and Ghost.}  

Ghost, upon hearing where Orphan is: That's unfortunate.

Soap: Yeah, Hospitals aren't fun to fight through.  

Orphan, hiding under a bed: And what is fun to fight through? 

Ghost: Gardens, electronic shops...

Soap: ...Antique stores, but only if they're classy.

Orphan: Hm, I’ll be sure to keep those places in mind the next time I’m getting my ass shot at by Blume.

[harveybwabbit92]

[Seven and Zero talk to some random patients who have been previously treated by Akari.]

Patient 1: Y'know, I used to be afraid to go to miss Yuri for help?

Zero: Why?

Patient 2: Because that girl is dangerous.

Seven: And what exactly makes Akari worse then dying alone in the wilderness?

Patient 1: Well, a few months ago some thugs showed up in town- tried to hassle Akari for protection money. She stunned them with some kind of toxin; then beat them... brutally. Nurses don't do that. normal ones anyway. They don't execute people and put their bodies up on display as a warning to others....

Patient 2: Yeah, Akari is totally crazy! She'll patch up any wound free of charge, then kick your ass and throw you out on the street when you try to sneak out a few painkillers...

Patient 1, looks at his friend dully: Dude c'mon, honestly? You totally had that coming...

Patient 2: My point is, she ain't normal, I never seen any kind of nurse take down a group of thugs like that! She's a monster. So you best behave yourself if your ever in her care...

{Seven and Zero swallowed hard and went to Akari to confirm these stories. Yes, they were true, except for the killing part. She did beat the thugs that tried to extort her, but didn't kill them, she just put them in a coma and made it so their healing process was a very slow and painful one.]

[valka-arialitan]

My Shepard sucks at biotics. In many ways.

BUUUT I recently re-played that one mission on Illium where you get exposed to Minagen X3 ((thanks @mallaidhsomo for reminding me of its name)) and thought I could make something out of it.

Quick recap for those who don't know what it is ; it's an illegal chemical that boosts biotics, but a large quantity can be lethal to the user.

[pirunika]

Torian Cadera (SWTOR)

Aric Jorgan (SWTOR)

Alain Richter (LOVE & LEGENDS LOVESTRUCK)

Fenris (DRAGON AGE 2)

Danse (FO4)

Laurent (PERFUMARE WIP)

Blade (SHOH WIP)

AND on the same BUT Outwardly Emotional corner we got:

Astraeus (ASTORIA LOVESTRUCK)

Jaal ama Darav (MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA) okay exception is that he was not brought up that way but i wanna add him here so

Elliott (STARDEW VALLEY) dunno abt his youth but i think?

Uses sarcasm to hide feelings gang

Garrus Vakarian (MASS EFFECT TRILOGY)

M (WAYHAVEN CHRONICLES)

[wendeeesaucy]

Garrus: Okay, time to make it super romantic!

Garrus: [Puts on night club music]

Garrus: /(' v ')\ ...

[fllagellant]

One of them hyperspecific polls but

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 2

Leaving Earth from Mass Effect 3

vs.

Them's Fightin' Words from Hylics 2

No propaganda was submitted for either track.

If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

THE BEST OF PRIORITY: MARS (PART 1)

Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Maj. Kaidan Alenko, Lt. James Vega, and Dr. Liara T'Soni Sophie, I don't know what you are- or who. Not since Cerberus rebuilt you. For all I know, you could be their puppet- controlled by The Illusive Man himself. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

[help-the-horse]

On this day I finished my first full playthrough of the Mass Effect trilogy and my brain chemistry will never be the same.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

oh yeah the way mass effect made me think of portal which is surely what youtube was doing too in sliding me a portal related video which made me think of like ah yes that little harmonizing thing want you gone credits song does, another banger. then i was like wait speaking of secret losersongs filmed rehearsal videos just the other day was reexperiencing like code monkey's really a banger as well, the way that part of the chorus could have one line end on One Pitch then the next line end a half step up but Doesn't & that pwns actually. then going hang on and they're both jonathan coulton. they're All jonathan coulton (adding in: wow just like will putting still alive on his off the shits jared kleinman a.m. pump up playlist)

[molliehaswords]

I’m not sure which is worse:

BioWare saying practically everything is “about a year ago” and not aging characters appropriately (*cough* Wynne, Loghain, Eamon, Teagan *cough*)

Or Bethesda setting things “after the Great War” which was 25-30 years ago but having characters talk like the event was less than a decade ago and only aging characters maybe 10 years. (*glares at Skyrim and Fallout 76… and a little bit at Fallout 4 too*)

[harveybwabbit92]

[Akari takes Dan (Ultraseven) and Shin (Zero) through the ARD customs where the scanners start to short out when scanning Dan.]

Security officer, into his radio: Shut it down!

[The guard is silence by the person on the other end.]

Security officer: What? You sure?....Okay.

[The guard turns to the Moroboshi family.]

Security officer: Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Somethings wrong with our scanner, it seems to think your dead.

Dan: Ah, yes. I was listed as missing in action a few years back.

Officer: Regardless of the reason, my captain wants to see you at her station, just pass the doors up front you can't miss it.

{The three do as the officer instructed, they are greeted by a tired looking woman in her early 40s waiting for them.]

Captain Akine : Yes. I see the problem already Mr. Moroboshi, my console says your dead...

Dan: How can you be so sure that it's truly me and not someone pretending to be me?

Captain Akine: This outpost has the best scanners on earth that money can buy, It could get DNA off of skin flakes. Plus, I'm fairly sure it's you. You worked with my father after all.

Dan: Your father?

Captain Akine: *Nods* Sugo.

Dan: Sugo's child...Right, he did have a girlfriend he was talking about marriage last I heard.

Captain Akine: Right, Now. Let's focus on your situation. Now usually, you'd have to go through security admin to reactivate your IDs, Then through Customs and immigration for a citizenship card to gain access to both the Alien refugee and Earth residential districts themselves, and then maybe visit the Bank while your at it: spending 50 years dead is popular tax dodge...

[Dan and Shin looked blue in the face causing Akari to snicker at them.]

Captain Akine: But.. I can see you're a busy man. So how about I just press this little button here, and we call it done?

Shin: Is that even legal?

Captain Akine: Would you rather sit in stuffy room for hours with 60 other people waiting for some machine to call your number just so you can fill out what is essentially just the same form 50 times over? or would you rather take my shortcut?

Dan: Do it.

Captain Akine, presses the button: There now you're already to go, enjoy your stay in the ARD and try to stay out of trouble, tensions are high enough already.

Akari, as they're leaving the station: You got lucky it was her that flagged you guys down and not the other captain.

Shin: Does the other captain not like Aliens sharing space with humans?

Akari, looks disgusted: He had lady Valky who runs a bakery a few blocks from here arrested. Her crime? For having a human son! He had that poor woman held up in interrogation for hours cos' he was so convinced that she had kidnapped the boy; despite everyone showing him the proof that she had adopted the kid...

Shin: That's awful.

Akari: Yeah...Luckily, everything was ok in the end; The UFG stepped in and he backed off, but that fool had no idea how close he came to starting a riot on both sides with his narrow mindedness... My place is this way.

[Akari proceeded to show her father and brother around the Alien refugee district before taking them junkyard she was living in.]

[mxanigel]

<Shepard walks into Life Support after they successfully complete the ME2 suicide mission>

Shepard: Thane, I have a question. Thane: Certainly. Shepard: Do you often gaze into the engine room from here? Thane: Yes. It's calming. Shepard: And you have perfect memories? Thane: Indeed. Shepard: Right. You didn't happen to notice when Miranda and I-- Thane: I noticed, yes. Shepard: Well. Shit.

[ghostthemaddhatter]

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Hello, Ghosts, Ghouls, and Space Cadets! Commander Ghost here reviewing the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a remaster of BioWare's acclaimed sci-fi trilogy. It was nice to revisit my adventures across the Milky Way, though some design elements definitely show their age. Let's blast into the ratings:

1) Gameplay: 3/5 Hats. The cover shooting holds up reasonably well, though isn't as refined as modern third-person shooters. Using squad powers in tandem remains fun. Inventory management is still a chore.

2) Story: 4/5 Hats. The epic space opera storytelling and memorable characters haven't lost their magic. Player choices meaningfully impact the narrative. The ending is still controversial. 

3) Replayability: 4/5 Hats. With different classes, romance options, and major decisions, there are compelling reasons to replay these 80+ hour epics. The Mako segments can be a slog though.

4) Graphics: 3/5 Hats. While vastly improved, the visuals are inconsistent between stellar new textures and dated character models. Lip syncing remains wonky.

Overall, I give the Mass Effect Legendary Edition a solid 4/5 Hats. It's still a worthwhile journey for sci-fi fans, though shows its age in places. The amount of content and choices here can't be beaten. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a galaxy to save!

[fabiansociety]

one of the major criticisms of dragon age 2 is that nothing you do matters, but that speaks more to our understanding of tragedy as something fundamentally disempowering, that happens to people without agency. you’re not more constrained in your choices than in origins or inquisitions, or at least you’re equally locked into a specific arc of story in all three games; whatever you choose in origins, you’re going to kill the archdemon and end the blight. because the game throws you a party at the end and tells you you saved the day, it FEELS empowering, but ultimately the only choice that really matters was your decision to keep moving through the game.

this isn’t a criticism of the games—the importance of narrative choice in games is wildly overrated—but more of the audience. hawke’s refusal to simply LEAVE kirkwall is what makes the game a tragedy, the same way that the warden’s refusal to leave ferelden is what makes origin a heroic epic. the choices you make within that unstated, inarguable choice still matter, and are the main style of collaboration between authors and audience.

da2 isn't the best dragon age game *because* it's openly a tragedy, but being a tragedy forces a level of narrative coherence that the other games in the series don't have, and *that's* what makes it a better game.

okay, so. dragon age 2 runs on nested foreshadowing and a limited set of themes that almost every character and plot beat fall into: love is not enough, wealth is not enough, power is not enough, good intent is not enough. the problems you run into are structural, rather than individual, and your ability to resolve them as one person is strictly limited. the arishok is a central figure for this, because he prefigures every other tragedy and makes the game's thesis statement as clear as possible. he doesn't want to be in kirkwall, but he is compelled to remain until he gets back what was stolen. he doesn't want to lead a coup attempt, but he is compelled by qunari codes of justice to act. he does not want to die and fail his duty, but but he is compelled to by the other two impossible demands. every tragedy in kirkwall is the result of too many people with wildly different definitions of justice crammed into one place specifically designed to maximize human misery and suffering, and so you get a wonderfully nested narrative onion where each quest reinforces that idea, where there are no good options, just positions you can take — even the affinity system plays into that, where constantly gassing up your friends or constantly pushing them to change are equally correct ways to go, but ones that won't ultimately make a huge difference in their lives or characters, because no matter how much they like you, they're not under your control.

this coherence is even justified by the framing device. of *course* the moral of the game is "insisting on a dogmatic, narrow idea of justice destroys individuals and societies," it's a yarn being spun by varric the con artist to a chantry cop!

neither origins or inquisition play with that sort of narrative complexity. origins is a jaundiced hero's quest, certainly, but it's still basically a hero's quest; inquisition has a number of characters who question what you're doing and why, but the multitude of voices pulls the game in too many potential directions. DA2 was so constrained in its production that it pulled on decidedly ancient theatrical traditions, and it worked so, so well

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 2

C-Sec Academy from Mass Effect

vs.

Space from Outer Wilds

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

C-Sec Academy:

I haven't played much of Mass Effect (the little green bugs scared the shit out of me, so I stopped playing), but whenever I was at the Citadel I went to C-Sec just to listen to this music.

Space:

This song is a song you don't notice until you're alone, far away from the planets, trying to find something new, trying to get a new perspective, and then you just notice it playing, being beautiful and it's exactly what space is. It's constantly there and you just don't notice it until you do. The beauty of space when you have all these cool planets too.