For the five days leading up to the New Year, Ani-Gamers is posting an un-ranked list of our favorite titles from the year 2010, featuring up to two choices from each writer. Be sure to check back throughout the week to find out what geeky stuff our contributors really dug this year! We now present the choices from editor-in-chief and podcast host Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto.

Mass Effect 2 (BioWare): When I first started hearing the video game press rave about Mass Effect 2, I knew I had to finally sit down and play the original Mass Effect. It turned out to be just about as disappointing as the reviews made it out to be — a fun ride chock full of potential that doesn't always deliver. Mass Effect 2, on the other hand, fixes nearly every glaring problem with the original game. That's not to say it's perfect, but it's hard not to enjoy this interplanetary heist story, with its quick-paced action scenes, satisfying leveling mechanic, huge catalog of background data on the game world, and endlessly entertaining cast that sticks with you long after you've put down the controller. Mass Effect 2 is some of the finest gaming I've had in a long time, and if you're at all a fan of sci-fi or RPGs, this is the game to pick up this year.

Mass Effect 2 is also recommended by Ani-Gamers contributor Elliot Page.

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Ayako (Osamu Tezuka): While Japanese readers were introduced to Ayako in January of 1972, Osamu Tezuka's classic work of historical fiction arrived in the English-speaking world just this year, courtesy of publisher Vertical, Inc. and translator Mari Morimoto. Fans of the so-called "god of manga" (known for Astro Boy and Black Jack) will find him at his darkest point yet, as he weaves a dramatic yarn of deceit and suffering, set in post-war occupied Japan and centering around a young girl trapped by her own family in the storehouse cellar for 23 years. Despite its whopping 704-page single volume, Ayako is a gripping tale from start to finish, sure to leave even the most steadfast of Tezuka fans drained by the time they reach its powerful conclusion.

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See Also:

• Ani-Gamers Podcast #033 – Daryl Talks Mass Effect, part 1 & part 2
• Ayako review

Hosts: Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto, Mitchell Dyer, Daryl Surat
Topic: Mass Effect 2 (2010) and expectations for Mass Effect 3

We're back with more Mass Effect talk, this time with a discussion of Mass Effect 2 and 3 (which isn't out yet, though that doesn't stop us from spending a good portion of the episode on it). By the way, SPOILERS. Seriously, don't say I didn't warn you. If you've got something to say about Mass Effect or our opinions thereof, do let us know through the comments or e-mail.

Show notes and links will be posted after the break momentarily.

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(Runtime: 1 hour, 5 minutes)

[00:00] Opening Song: "R.O.D. Theme" by Taku Iwasaki (Read Or Die OAV OP)

[00:15] Evan re-introduces the podcast. Make sure you listen to Part 1 first!

[00:36] EVERYTHING IS BETTER. (Not really, but close.) Combat is certainly better!

[04:17] Daryl talks about the ups and downs (eh heh heh) of the Mako tank from Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2's response to some of those problems.

[08:09] Mitchy brings up the "Normandy Crash Site" DLC, which leads us into a discussion of Mass Effect 2's DLC.

[12:23] What kinds of things transfer between the games, and how will that affect Mass Effect 3?

[13:19] Romances come up. Daryl and Mitchy hate Jack. Evan disagrees.

[19:00] We talk about character interactions, and Evan talks about his feeling of "connection" with the team.

[23:32] Should you play both Mass Effects, or just skip to the considerably better Mass Effect 2? We answer your pressing question. That transitions into discussion of how your choices in 2 might effect big things in 3.

[36:05] Daryl complains about ME2's lack of urgency in most of its missions.

[40:44] You don't want to be playing the meta-game in the Mass Effect games, or else you'll miss out on great revelations and unexpected options.

[46:36] Everybody gives their final thoughts, which involve the overall gameplay structure of Mass Effect, the sense of connection between the player and characters, and the DLC situation.

[1:05:06] Daryl writes for Otaku USA Magazine and runs the Anime World Order Podcast. Mitchy writes for BitMob and hosts his own podcast, End Of Line.

[1:05:19] Ending Song: "WORLD END Instrumental" by FLOW (Code Geass R2 2nd OP)

Hosts: Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto, Mitchell Dyer, Daryl Surat
Topic: Mass Effect 1 (Mass Effect 2 and our expectations for 3 are in part 2)

We've got Anime World Order's Daryl Surat with us this episode to talk about the science-fiction action-RPG series Mass Effect. In part a, we talk about the first Mass Effect game ("Mass Effect 1" for clarity), touching on the parts we both liked and didn't like in both the storytelling and the gameplay. While I mentioned that the episode would have a lot of spoilers, this first part is relatively spoiler-free in terms of plot twists. However, we do discuss the meta-game a bit, so if you'd rather not know that, listen at your own risk.

Show notes and links are after the break.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - RSS Feed - iTunes - Send us Feedback! - More episodes


(Runtime: 39 minutes)

[00:00] Opening Song: "R.O.D. Theme" by Taku Iwasaki (Read Or Die OAV OP)

[00:15] Evan introduces Mitchy and Daryl before getting into the meat of the episode.

[01:13] What IS Mass Effect? We answer that question.

[02:47] Daryl and Evan provide some general opinions of Mass Effect 1. Also some discussion of the setting.

[11:17] Evan gets us into a discussion of the moral choices found frequently in the series.

[20:24] Uh oh, time to talk about Mass Effect's infamous romances.

[32:55] We talk about the combat and inventory.

[39:25] Just some info for people looking for the second half of the episode.

[39:35] Ending Song: "WORLD END Instrumental" by FLOW (Code Geass R2 2nd OP)

Hosts: Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto, Mitchell "MitchyD" Dyer, Elliot Page
Topic: "What'cha Been Doing?"

We're back, this time with a new format for our shows (and a new hosting service Podbean!). Instead of having What'cha Been Doing? segments before every discussion, we will be recording shorter podcasts dedicated to freeform discussion alongside episodes that only contain a review or a panel discussion. Thus, all of the episodes should clock in at 30-40 minutes, which should hopefully result in an acceleration of our release schedule. And don't you worry we'll still be doing our very best to get a variety of guest hosts on the podcast on a regular basis.

For this episode, I talk with Ani-Gamers staffers Mitchy and Elliot about what we've been watching, reading, and playing. The major discussions include Ode to Kirihito and Mass Effect (the original). By the way, I apologize for some of the weird sound problems (Mitchy's noisy recording and the occasional echoes). They should be fixed for next episode.

Show notes and links after the break.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - RSS Feed - iTunes - Send us Feedback! - More episodes (Runtime: 48 minutes)

[00:00] Intro: YOU WA SHOCK!

[00:17] Opening Song: "Ai wo Torimodose" by Crystal King (Fist of the North Star OP)

[00:41] Introduction falls apart. Elliot breaks the fourth wall.

[04:45] Elliot is reading Buddha.

[08:17] Evan is reading Ode to Kirihito. Tezuka's very similar MW is also mentioned.

[16:50] Evan is playing Mass Effect. Mitchy is playing Mass Effect 2, but he's not talking about it. We also throw in some Dragon Age: Origins discussion.

[29:47] Elliot is watching Hidamari Sketch.

[33:35] Mitchy was playing Darksiders, until he got too annoyed to finish.

[37:56] Evan and Elliot are watching the original Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy.

[44:28] Finally, Elliot is playing the Star Trek Online beta.

[46:05] We finish it off with the typical show outro. Make sure to visit DownWriteFierce and Luke and Elliot's Bearfighting Extravaganza and follow us on Twitter at AniGamers (the official Ani-Gamers account) VamptVo, MitchyD, and elliotpage.

[48:03] Ending Song: "Ai wo Torimodose" by Crystal King (Fist of the North StarOP)

In an interview with MTV’s Multiplayer Blog, BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk (zest-chuck?) hinted strongly at bringing some more downloadable content to their space opera Mass Effect. Its been about five months now since the first piece of DLC, Bring Down the Sky, went live on 360 for 400 points, and was later made free with the PC release of the game. Since then, fans across the net have been wondering if this was just a one-time affair, now Greg Zeschuk is here to shed some light on the subject.

Zeschuck explains:

“Well, we said it was a trilogy, so there’s some stuff happening. We’re also looking at some other post-release content. We’re working away. BioWare’s pretty busy these days… With everything we build now, we want to have this long-term relationship with the customer and always have something for them to try. So we’re definitely looking at that for Mass Effect.”

Definitive? Not exactly, but at least it’s something. It sounds like they’re trying to decide whether to release these extra missions they’re working on now as DLC now or save them for Mass Effect 2 where they’ll receive more polish and fine tuning.

[via 1UP]

I've got bad news, good news, and more good news; I'll start with the bad news: Chris Priestly, the community coordinator for BioWare stated on the Mass Effect Forums that Mass Effect PC will have to experience a slight delay from its original May 6th release, to May 28th, and June 6th (for Europe). Reason being is pretty simple, but you can over complicate it if you wish: they're doing some extra playtesting, polishing, and overall 'just making sure everything works,' so that quality is ensured.

And now for some good news: Soon after, BioWare announced a new HUD design for the PC version to heal the broken hearts bent on enjoying the crap out of Mass Effect on May 6th. It can easily be accessed with a simple slap on the space bar; allowing you to select your biotics, guns, etc. for yourself and squad members. To be perfectly honest, though, a new HUD really doesn't at all mend for annoying delay (however insignificant it was) caused by the original HUD.

The last of the good news is that I just know BioWare's only delaying it so it could match my birthdate.

[via Mass Effect forums]

Massive game publisher Electronic Arts announced on October 11th plans to purchase VG Holding Corp., the company that owns both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. This assimilates BioWare, which is currently working on the highly-anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive RPG/Action game Mass Effect, and Pandemic, which is currently working on Mercenaries 2, into the EA developer's structure.

According to EA and Microsoft, Microsoft Game Studios will still publish Mass Effect exclusively on the 360, but the franchise, which was previously owned by BioWare, will now be owned by EA. This means that EA can conceivably publish any possible sequels to Mass Effect on multiple consoles, though the publisher has stated that they have no current plans to take Mass Effect beyond the Xbox 360. In addition, both BioWare and Pandemic will now publish under EA's "EA Games" label. Finally. EA plans to publish BioWare's mysterious MMO project within a general 2011 time window.

Electronic Arts held a conference call on Thursday discussing the acquisition, claiming that the move was "mutually beneficial" for all parties. EA CEO John Riccitiello said that EA can "reach places where [BioWare and Pandemic] don't get to so we can build their properties bigger," also admitting that action and RPG games are not EA's specialty, so these new developers would broaden their focus.

The gaming community (myself among it) was shocked and angered by this news. EA is notorious among gamers for caring more about making money than making good games. While the acquisition of BioWare could theoretically help improve EA's reputation, the most likely effect of this change will be for BioWare's talent to leave, giving EA just the BioWare name and the Mass Effect IP. Ironically, this saddening news comes just days after Bungie announced their independence from Microsoft.

Enjoy Mass Effect, gamers, because that will be BioWare's last hurrah in their current independent form.
[via Joystiq]

BioWare's highly anticipated game Mass Effect was given a release date during Peter Moore's Microsoft press conference yesterday. The game will release on Xbox 360 this November, with an unconfirmed exact date.
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