On Blogging, Movies and Other Things

It’s officially summer, which for most people means vacations, barbecues and lazy weekends by the pool. And while it’s entirely likely that I’ll be able to enjoy at least one of those things in a few weeks, right now my nose has been to the grindstone working on a variety of different projects for work. That being the case, finding time to blog consistently has been borderline impossible, so here’s a quick update:

• I saw Prometheus, and while I enjoyed it for the most part as I was watching it, I dislike it more and more the more I think about how the characters acted throughout and where the story ended up. 
• As critical as I’ve been about Sony rebooting the Spider-Man franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man – retelling Spider-Man’s origin a mere decade after the Sam Raimi original – the more I see from the film the more impressed I am. In fact, director Marc Webb and his team might have made the best Spider-Man film yet. Look for an article on that very subject very soon right here on The Wort Report.
•  I finished Mass Effect 3, and I join the legions of gamers online who were dissatisfied with the ending. I’ve invested a lot of time into this series since 2007, and I expected a bit more payoff when I saved the galaxy from utter destruction. I know that BioWare is putting out a downloadable epilogue on June 26 that will give the trilogy some necessary closure, but that’s something that should have been considered when the game was released back in March. For shame, BioWare.
•  Comic books are a necessity when you travel as much as I do, and I’m really enjoying a lot of what I’ve been reading lately. My “must-reads” at the moment include Mark Waid’s Daredevil, Greg Rucka’s The Punisher, Matt Fraction’s The Invincible Iron Man and Scott Snyder’s Batman.

That’s all for now. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for bite-sized nuggets of Wortman, and check out my photo-centric Tumblr, “Wortmania Unleashed!” by clicking here.

Filmmakers Aim to Adapt, Ruin Mass Effect

Remember how movies based on video games, as a rule, totally suck? Okay, good.

Moving right along, I’ve just learned via The Hollywood Reporter that Legendary Pictures has purchased the movie rights to Mass Effect, BioWare’s phenomenal 2007 space opera that spawned an even better sequel this past January. Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, Thor) is reportedly in talks to write the movie, which is being produced by Avi and Ari Arad alongside Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni.

Now, I always get fanboy douche chills whenever one of my favorite video game franchises makes that doomed voyage to the silver screen, but a Mass Effect movie? Aside from the fact that both Mass Effect games are pretty lengthy (each took me about 20 hours to complete, give or take), one of the primary appeals of this series is that ever-important element of choice. You choose Commander Shepard’s gender, appearance, past, abilities and moral choices. By stripping Mass Effect of that level of immersion, you’re left with a universe—as intricate and cinematic as it is—that’s far too similar to Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and other existing science fiction properties to stand on its own as a piece of non-interactive entertainment. To the general public, a Mass Effect movie will be wrongfully received as a Wars/Trek knockoff. This franchise is better than that.

THR notes that BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk will serve as executive producers on the adaptation, which should provie Mass Effect fans a glimmer of hope. After all, one of the main problems with these game-to-movie translations (from Super Mario Bros. right on down) is that the creative forces that made the source material so compelling are seldom involved. Perhaps the BioWare guys will keep this project focused and give some pointers as to how a story that depended so much on audience (player) involvement can work as a feature length film. Since the project is still in its infancy, it’s difficult to say whether or not that will be the case.

But until we hear otherwise, the game-to-movie curse lives on.

Mass Effect 2 DLC: Stolen Memories, Money

Let me preface this post by saying that Mass Effect 2 is among the best games I’ve ever played. Even after two playthroughs with two different Commander Shepards (one male and one female), I still find myself consistently drawn to this second chapter in BioWare’s meticulously-crafted space opera. So when I learned that Electronic Arts and BioWare were releasing “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory,” the first piece of premium downloadable content (DLC) for the game, I knew I needed to own it. After all, 560 Microsoft Points ($7) seemed at first like a small price to pay for a new mission, new weapons and a new character.

So I bought the mission pack and was introduced to a mysterious thief named Kasumi. She needs my help infiltrating a formal party so she can break into the high-security vault of smugger/weapons dealer/art aficionado Donovan Hock. In return, she’ll join the crew of the Normandy. Sounds reasonable.

I liked the secretive James Bond-esque feel of the first half of this mission, as Shepard must dismantle Hock’s security bit by bit without alarming the guests at the party. Once Shepard and Kasumi get into the vault to retrieve the titular “stolen memory” (housed in a device called a graybox), the mission more closely resembles a standard Mass Effect 2 loyalty mission, with legions of faceless enemy soldiers and mechs to mow down before a final showdown with Hock. It was over in just an hour, which is consistent with other loyalty missions in the game. But, then again, we didn’t have to pay extra for any of those.

While some hardcore Mass Effect fans might argue that “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” is worth the $7 it costs to download in spite of its brevity and the fact that Kasumi isn’t overwhelmingly interesting character-wise, the premium DLC trend is becoming a bit alarming. Why wasn’t this mission included in the release version of the game? Why must fans of the game shell out more than the $60 retail price of the game just to round out the crew of the Normandy? This is akin to a book publisher releasing an unfinished novel and asking readers to pay for additional chapters a few months later. Very lame.

EA Has “Far-Reaching” Plans for Mass Effect in 2011

Gaming blog Kotaku reports that Mass Effect 2 publisher Electronic Arts is planning “something far-reaching” for the Mass Effect franchise in early 2011.

Is this “far-reaching” something a spinoff? Downloadable content? Or could we be getting Mass Effect 3 next year? After finishing the second game—which is one of the most satisfying titles I’ve ever played—I immediately wanted to dive into the final installment.

BioWare project manager Casey Hudson has reportedly said the developers “definitely want to make Mass Effect 3 a fairly short turnaround.”

However, unless BioWare began working on the third game immediately after finishing the second—which is possible—getting it shipped next year could prove challenging even for them. The last thing we want is a rushed wrap-up to the so-far stellar Mass Effect trilogy.

Peer Pressure Prevails, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dragon Age: Origins

I’m not quite sure I should be telling the world that it took a healthy dose of peer pressure for me to buckle down and purchase one of the year’s best video games, but I finally picked up BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins this weekend after a strong recommendation from a friend. I suppose the abundance of top-tier titles being released this holiday season isn’t exactly a problem for gamers, but damn, the hobby gets expensive this time of year. After Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I thought I was all set with video games for a while (and so did my wallet). But I’m the highly suggestible type…or so people tell me.

At dinner, prior to a marathon Lego Rock Band session last night (another fun game), my friend Morgan told me that if I was into Mass Effect, also developed by BioWare, then Dragon Age would be right up my alley.

Now, if you’ve been following The Wort Report with any regularity over the past three years, you know that I’m a major BioWare role-playing game fanboy. I loved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (not just because I’m also a notoriously unapologetic Star Wars nerd), I played through Mass Effect several times and I’m counting down the days until Mass Effect 2’s January 26 release date. If Dragon Age was anything like Mass Effect, I needed to own it, despite already having far too many games to play right now. Again, not the worst of problems for a gamer.

There was a Target nearby, and everyone in the group was keen on going there after we were done eating. Okay, I thought. In all likelihood, the game would be sold out and the burning desire to buy it immediately would subside by morning. Damn, they had it. Double damn, there was a salesman nearby. And when he brought the game to the register, it was on sale for $39.99. Triple. Dog. Damn. I couldn’t even argue over the price! So, it was mine…the only trouble would be finding the time to actually play it.

While I haven’t gotten the chance to sink my teeth into it fully, I really like Dragon Age thus far. I’m still getting the hang of some of the micromanaging and combat mechanics (it’s a bit more like SW: KotOR than Mass Effect on that front, which isn’t a bad thing whatsoever), but I dig the medieval fantasy setting, the voice acting and the character customization thus far. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to finish the game and write up a detailed review anytime soon—if at all—but most of the reviews out there already are positive overall and seem mostly in line with my own thoughts. Click here to check out Dragon Age’s Xbox 360 Metacritic page.

And thanks, Morgan. Now I need to somehow invent a moderately healthy alternative to sleep.