Last week Dean Takahashi of The Mercury News gave
Mass Effect a written review lashing, going as far as to call it "Mass Defect". Takahashi was steadfast in claiming that his
Mass Effect experience was lackluster, the game's mechanics were weak and that there really wasn't all that much to enjoy. Overhyped to no end, get the picture? But after a quick replay over the holiday break (and with the help of a few tips), Takahashi retracted his review apologizing to BioWare saying that they made "a better game than I thought" and that it isn't "as flawed as I thought". Interesting stuff.
So why a change of heart so quickly after the replay? Well, Mr. Takahashi admitted that he only put in eight hours for his review and seemingly forgot to upgrade his character along the way. But after giving the upgrading system a chance he soon experienced RPG bliss and everything came full circle. It was like a re-birth of
Mass Effect.
Lesson learned kids. Always navigate a games' menus and be sure to upgrade your character whenever possible. Also, it's okay to admit you're wrong. We all make mistakes. Now group hug.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
1-02-2008 @ 12:35PM
xenocidic said...
that would be like going through bioshock without saving/harvesting any little sisters.
what a freaking n00b
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1-02-2008 @ 12:55PM
DjDATZ said...
BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH. lol...i love it. someone actually called him a n00b. xeno FTW.
1-02-2008 @ 1:15PM
itsburnsie said...
Yup, he's a noob.
What I want to know is how someone who is a GAME REVIEWER not only puts 8 hrs into a 20hr game and calls that good... but also misses using A KEY GAME MECHANIC FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THOSE 8 measly hours.
This guy may as well quit now... his reputation is toast. Maybe Gardening?
Oh wait, he'd probably wonder why all of his plants are dying because he forgot to water them.
/ALL MUH PLANTZ R DYIN' DIS JOB IS TEH SUXXORZ!
1-02-2008 @ 1:22PM
xenocidic said...
so you're suggesting he play Viva Pinata?
1-02-2008 @ 1:28PM
xenocidic said...
although he's still a n00b, i do respect that he's publicly admitting his n00bosity and correcting his erroneous review
1-02-2008 @ 1:55PM
L4MB said...
hah, n00bosity, i love it
1-03-2008 @ 6:53AM
Boff said...
Fuck yeah he's a n00b. Or complete twat as we'd say in my part of the world.
8hrs? No upgrading? And he's a fucking game reviewer???
Do your job properly you twat.
Sorry for the rant but that really wound me up!
1-02-2008 @ 12:40PM
Josh said...
I love Mass Effect however the damn glitches (getting stuck on the walls) and framerate problems (pretty choppy during battles) really hinder the gameplay sometimes.
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1-02-2008 @ 12:43PM
Loban said...
So he wrote a review of a game after having only played less than half of it and never even touching any of the upgrade system. Yeah, I don't think i'll ever trust a review by this guy, EVER.
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1-02-2008 @ 12:45PM
Bobicus said...
this is what seemed to be the problem with most reviews... play the game for yourself then decide, i mean eight hours is hardly off the first part
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1-02-2008 @ 12:47PM
Larry said...
Loban,
I agree. I think Dean is more reliable when it comes to hardware for the 360. I wonder what he has to say about the integrated HD-DVD drive. That, unlike his reviews, I would actually pay attention to.
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1-02-2008 @ 2:46PM
Phocas said...
Exactly, I think I will stick with Dean's "Inside the XBox" media and stay away from his game reviews!
1-02-2008 @ 12:49PM
Tony said...
I can accept the technical issues the game has as hurting the game, but the rest are clearly pretty goofy. The game tells you how to upgrade your character and every time you go in the menu and have to the section is flashing. I guess he just doesn't read much, although the menus are kind of confusing anyway.
I'm used to reviewers not playing through games and obviously in a lot of ways it is understandable. I can't imagine them all putting 30+ hours into every RPG that appears, for example. Still it gets frustrating... I don't know if anyone played Digital Devil Saga, but there are some comments in Gamespot's review that instantly imply they never got more than 6 hours into it (a voice complaint that is part of the story and is quickly explained and rectified).
That's why stuff like metacritic and gamerankings and gamefly are good things in my life lol.
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1-02-2008 @ 12:50PM
Big Filth said...
u can has upgrades in Mass Effect?? SWEET!
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1-02-2008 @ 12:51PM
Etchasketchist said...
I saw the defects on my first playthrough. Now that I'm digging through the second (and have plans for third and fourth) I'm really beginning to see the brilliance more than the flaws.
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1-02-2008 @ 12:54PM
Kamal said...
RTFM?
I wonder if he did not want to end up Gerstmanated.
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1-02-2008 @ 12:58PM
DjDATZ said...
like xeno said. what a n00b.
upgrading your character in ME is basically as important as learning to pull the right trigger.
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1-02-2008 @ 1:01PM
Grant said...
jesus, forgot to upgrade his character?
they tell you how to do it while you're playing.
this leads to 3 conclusions:
1. He has NEVER played an RPG before.
2. He can't follow directions, put on the screen that you have to press buttons to skip through.
3. He's an idiot.
I mean even if you had NO clue to upgrade anything, you would probably do it by accident at least once playing with the menus.
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1-02-2008 @ 1:07PM
BananaBoat said...
There is no defending Mass Effect in the bugs department. It HAS bugs, that is a fact. I also think parts of the game were pretty broken (playing as just a biotics user for instance, is nearly impossible) and the enemy AI, along with your squad AI, is terrible.
Having said all of that, it's a solid 85/100 or so. Since it doesn't have any sort of multiplayer, I wouldn't buy it (if I already hadn't) but in no way is it as much of a dissapointment as Assassins Creed.
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1-02-2008 @ 1:07PM
BananaBoat said...
There is no defending Mass Effect in the bugs department. It HAS bugs, that is a fact. I also think parts of the game were pretty broken (playing as just a biotics user for instance, is nearly impossible) and the enemy AI, along with your squad AI, is terrible.
Having said all of that, it's a solid 85/100 or so. Since it doesn't have any sort of multiplayer, I wouldn't buy it (if I already hadn't) but in no way is it as much of a dissapointment as Assassins Creed.
Reply