I apologize for the terrible pun. It will be the last one this week, probably…

As I mentioned last week, the Mists of Pandaria beta started and shortly after I finished last week’s article, I got a key to join in on the beta. Murphy’s law in action right there, folks. There isn’t a whole lot of new content available right now. The mostly finished Pandaren starting zone is available for testing as is the monk class but all of the level 85+ content is presently closed off. Don’t be too sad though, there’s still plenty to talk about and I imagine there will be every week. Instead of just writing it all down for you I will be providing a brief video each week from the beta looking at some of the new features. This week I’m going to show off the new character creation screen, which is amazing. Enjoy the video. Read the full story

Cyanide may not have the best reputation (the studio, not the chemical compound…although, it doesn’t have a bright reputation either, come to think of it), but I find myself hoping against hope that their upcoming Game of Thrones RPG will be a good game. The script has been supervised by George R.R. Martin himself, many of the characters are modeled after the critically acclaimed HBO series, and it’s built on the Unreal 3 engine. Playing as either a brother of the Night’s Watch or as a Red Priest, you will fight your way through the intrigue and dangers of Westeros on a “grand quest.” Take a look at the plot trailer below: Read the full story

Following the trend set by many shooters over the past few years, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is incorporating a horde/firefight mode. Guerilla Mode, as it’s called in GRFS, was included to provide a more intense mode where the player would be able to feel overwhelmed, as if it were “four against an army.” On your own, split-screen, on a LAN, or online with your friends, you can fight through 50 waves of insurgents. Every ten waves, capture a new position, and defend it relentlessly. Take a look at Guerilla Mode in Ubisoft’s latest trailer release: Read the full story

First, there was Summer of Arcade. With the success of the Summer of Arcade promotion, Microsoft threw their first annual House Party. Now, it seems that a third event is being introduced with some big titles in the mix. Arcade Next, as it’s being called, kicks off April 18th and sees a new top notch title released each week through May 9th. What sets this event apart? It seems that this event will debut the new 400 achievement point limit for arcade games, and up to 30 achievements each. Read the full story

We should be back on our regular schedule of recording and publishing next week, with the podcast being available earlier in the day on Monday. This week’s episode of Marooners’ Talk, our 22nd, titled, “Oh, the horror!” jumps all over the place. We spend some time talking about the decline/demise of the survival horror genre, then transition into the apparent disappearance of great Japanese developed games from the Western market. A brief discussion about the “games as art” argument is followed by a resurgence of last week’s topic concerning the hatred that game journalists have for readers, and the disregard that game companies have for customers. The cost of game development gets a piece, and we close with Kotaku’s hard hitting coverage of…McDonald’s McFish Bites. Quality stuff there, Kotaku. Read the full story

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After a great deal of anticipation, the marketing machine for Assassin’s Creed III seems to be kicking into high gear with some awesome assets. This batch shows an Animus archive entry for Ratohnhaké:ton, aka: Connor. Beyond a bit of biographical information for the new entry’s protagonist, his arsenal of weapons is given a bit more detail. From dual pistols for medium range, bow and arrows for long range, a tomahawk for high power melee, and the classic hidden blade, Connor has everything he needs to succeed. Read the full story

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’s co-operative campaign is not for people like, oh I don’t know, let’s say my wife. Why do I use her as an example? She’s a loose cannon, a wild card, a loner. In co-op games where teamwork and cohesiveness are of paramount importance, she plays it like it’s Halo. Needless to say, she’s probably not invited to our GRFS co-op games when the time comes (sorry, sweetie). The latest trailer from Ubisoft for GRFS features the Valiant Hammer co-op campaign mission, with commentary by IP Director Adrian Lacy. Read the full story

Wheels of Destruction hits PSN tomorrow for $9.99. In advance of that, another class trailer has been released. The fourth such trailer details the Soldier class. Much like choosing to play as human in most fantasy RPGs, the Soldier is referenced as a “jack of all trades,” which would make him a master of none. The Soldier is likely the most balanced of the classes available in the title, for those who may want the versatility and diversity such a balance offers. See it in action in the trailer below: Read the full story

My initial impressions for Sumioni: Demon Arts were mixed. I had been eagerly anticipating the title as a beautiful and interesting platformer since I first heard of it back in December. It seemed to be a title that would be a great showcase for the touch mechanics of the Vita with a unique and exotic style. I started my first playthrough at approximately 5:30pm Wednesday evening. I finished my first playthrough at approximately 6:15pm Wednesday evening (including credits). Read the full story

After completing Mass Effect 3 a total of four times on two platforms, countless hours of multiplayer, and numerous podcasts covering the story and controversies around it, I still don’t know if I’m ready to talk about the game. My career with Mass Effect as a series has meant completion of every game on both Xbox 360 and again on PS3, reading comic books and novels, and pulling everyone I could into the series with me. There is deep emotional attachment that I have to the characters and the world mythology, more than any other game, and more than most book series, so saying good bye to my crew, my friends, was difficult. Writing a review about the end of this journey is eerily similar to writing a eulogy. In the end, that’s really all you need to know about Mass Effect 3. It has managed to create such an emotional resonance that we are discussing the end as if we lost a loved one. There are precious few entries into any medium that can claim that type of personal involvement, and while nowhere near perfect, Bioware set out with a goal in mind, and brought it to stunning fruition that people will strive to recreate for decades. Read the full story