Mass Effect Legendary Edition is bringing a polished Mass Effect Trilogy to consoles and PC in spring 2021, Casey Hudson, BioWare's General Manager, announced as part of N7 Day celebrations.

The remaster collection is intended for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, though Hudson said it's compatible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with "targeted enhancements."

Mass Effect Legendary Edition includes the three numbered Mass Effect games, all single-player DLC from those games, plus promo weapons, armor, and packs.

Hudson said the goal was never remaking the Mass Effect Trilogy. BioWare wanted to "modernize the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form."

What that means for ME Legendary Edition is better framerates, improved visuals, and 4K HD support.

Hudson also said a brand-new Mass Effect game is in the works. It's still early in development, but Hudson said a "veteran team" is working on the new installment.

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition was rated in Korea in October and rumored to be announced that month. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Mass Effect news as it develops.

[Source: BioWare]

Mass Effect fans have been hoping for remasters of the series' first three games for what feels like an eternity. Nearly eight years after the release of the original Mass Effect Trilogy, it doesn't seem right that the already classic RPGs haven't received the remaster treatment.

Rumors of a remastered trilogy have swirled for some time, gaining more and more traction over the past several months. EA is reportedly set to announce the trilogy this month (October) with a release later this month, according to Jeff Grub of GamesBeat. Grubb has also said that the rumored trilogy would, in fact, be called the Legendary Edition. 

Now, it seems the October timeframe could be possible. According to Gematsu, a remastered Mass Effect trilogy, called Mass Effect Legendary Edition, has been rated in Korea.

As we know, the XCOM 2 Collection and Catherine Full Body were rated in Korea just ahead of their respective releases, and the PS5 remake of Demon's Souls was also rated in Korea about a month before its official release date reveal. With that in mind, we could be on the cusp of an official confirmation, but we'll have to wait and see. 

Right now, it's unclear what game or games are actually in the Legendary Edition. It could simply be a remaster of Mass Effect, but all signs and credible rumors squarely point to it being the entire trilogy, including Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.

There is currently no firm release date for the Legendary Edition. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more news as we learn, which will hopefully be very soon.

Remasters, remakes, definitive editions, HD collections; whatever you want to call them, they’re more prevalent in the industry than ever. Games that have barely had a few years of life on the shelf are already receiving a glossy coat of paint with all of the DLC thrown in to land a few extra bucks. It might be good for business, but it’s certainly not good for the evolution of the games industry as a whole. You could even say that this practice is actually devolving the world of video games to the eventual point of death.

The last generation of consoles saw HD collections of older games emerging. Classic titles from the Metal Gear Solid and Hitman, amongst a plethora of others, were repackaged and given HD treatment for newer systems for enhanced performance. This provided a nostalgia trip for returning fans as well an incentive to hop on board for those who never got the chance to experience the games when they first launched. These collections weren’t exceedingly common at this stage, though, so it was forgivable that we saw a few of them rear their heads.

Then came the current generation. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 toted much more powerful technology that allowed enhanced graphics, bigger games and better performance for any developer’s creation. However, the ever-growing games industry became a magnet for shady business practices, cutting corners for the sake of extra prophet. Easily being one of the biggest grossing entertainment industries on the planet, re-releasing games that are still fresh in players’ minds started to be the norm and it has skyrocketed these past couple of years. Let’s take a look at few examples.

The reboot of Tomb Raider was lauded over by many as the triumphant return of gaming icon Lara Croft. March 2013 was quite the month, thanks to Ms. Croft and her reimagined origin story. 

Later that year, the next generation of consoles were unleashed to the world, and of course, this brought along an advanced gaming system. Barely a few months later, Tomb Raider was re-released in the form of Tomb Raider Definitive Edition.

What was this? An option for those who wanted to see Lara’s escapades in higher definition? Or was it simply a cash grab, a sneaky tactic to acquire even more money on what was already deemed a successful title? Perhaps it’s a bit of both.

The Last of Us could be seen as Naughty Dog’s crowning achievement in their most recent years as a developer. This new IP was quite literally worshipped by gamers across the globe for its storytelling, sublime graphics, and solid gameplay, so what better way to celebrate this than to remaster it? Just over a year later, the title became The Last of Us Remastered on PS4.

In the same vein as Tomb Raider, the game was released prior to the next wave of consoles so there is the argument that fans wanted a higher performing version of both games while they were still fresh in their minds. However, the very fact that they were still fresh validates how pointless these re-releases really were.

Since the first remasters of this generation hit, many other developers and publishers decided to jump on the bandwagon. Sleeping Dogs, Gears of War, Dark Souls II, Uncharted and many more were ported over to the newer consoles under the banner of “Shiny, new and amazing edition”.

The problem with this is that many of these games simply aren’t old enough to justify these newer editions. While the difference can be seen in games that are older like the first Uncharted and the original Gears of War, the others aren’t as worthwhile.

There is also the flip side of the remaster practice. Developers have also given us remakes of much older games, or currently have them in the works. Ones of note are the remake of Final Fantasy VII and the Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy. These particular titles have received an extreme makeover, as the developers have literally made them from the ground up as though they were a new game.

Of course, we know that they aren’t brand new games as we have experienced these adventures in years gone by. Make no mistake, Crash looks sensational in his shiny new form and the nostalgia trip will be like no other, but one can’t help but think what those resources and hours of labour could have been used for instead. A whole new game, perhaps? We can only speculate.

We know that the big names of the industry jump at the opportunity to cash in on their most successful games, but there is one such company that has denied fans a remaster of a certain series, even after they specifically asked for it.

The Mass Effect series is plastered across the Internet more than ever at the moment, thanks to the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, but instead many are pining for a return trip to the Milky Way with Shepard in a remastered trilogy.

While originally pondering the idea, EA has basically said a flat out no to this happening. Whether this is one of the few series that deserve a remaster, or that fans have cottoned onto the growing trend and want this one as well is anyone’s guess, but it appears that EA has got the right idea in terms of trying to move the industry forward. However, it is still a little baffling that EA of all companies aren’t following through with a remaster. Profit is what they love, after all.

Innovation is what the games industry really needs to push it forward. When one developer found solace in remasters, many others followed so if another dev utilizes the tech available to them to its full potential, then with any luck the rest will attempt to do the same. With backwards compatibility on Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio making an entrance, there’s more reason than ever to leave old games behind and be revolutionary in what can be achieved.

Many of us have shamefully been lured into a tantalizing remaster or re-release at some point, and it’s hard to deny that a Mass Effect trilogy collection for the current generation, despite all three games being backwards compatible on Xbox One, would be a dream come true, but we must grit our teeth and see the real reason behind this business practice -- business.

Innovation and adventure should always come first in this industry if it really wants to succeed, so let’s hope that developers will have their clouded vision cleared. That way, their old titles don’t have to keep them afloat, but rather the immeasurable success of newer ones can see them shooting to gaming stardom.

In Mass Effect Andromeda, you have a scanner on your omni-tool which you use to scan and learn about objects of interest in the environment, while also earning research currency towards one of three categories. In Bioshock, you have a camera that you use to take photographs of enemies while earning research points that eventually unlock powerful upgrades. The mechanic itself is not really all that unique; it’s been done in everything from the Batman Arkham games to Beyond Good and Evil. However, despite the similarities between the scanner and camera, some small differences make a significant impact.

Different, but the Same

First, I need to make sure we are on the same page: the camera and the scanner operate very similarly mechanically. This is in spite of them being aesthetically different. You pull both up, frame what you wish to scan/photograph, and press a button. You are then rewarded for researching new objects.

There are particular affordances to both of these, however. Everyone is familiar with a camera. We know what it means to take a good picture; we understand photography as an art form. There is an end result, a literal photograph that’s leftover. When you are able to review photos later it gives you an incentive to try to take better ones. Final Fantasy XV showed us that even photos taken in a videogame can make you reminisce. It’s a large part of what makes the screenshot feature so alluring on the PS4, or Steam.

A scan, although similar in many ways, feels different even when it physically requires similar inputs. We understand it within a different context, a scientific context. Mass Effect Andromeda specifically lists properties off to the side of your scans, such as the chemical composition and boring facts. Meanwhile, the Batman Arkham games gave useful info via its scanner -- for instance, enemy heart rate helped you understand what state of distress your prey was in.

The scan itself is not inherently important, unlike photography, which we view as an art form. Instead, the results, namely the data, is what’s important. Scans are beside the point, which inherently makes them less fun to take than photographs. For instance, scanning enemies in the Batman Arkham games was mostly passive. And despite scanning being an action in Mass Effect Andromeda, you still did not have a picture database.

Why it's Done

What is the purpose of mechanics like this? I would argue the designers want you to slow down and look at the world. As such, these mechanics work best when they incentivize you slowing down and smelling the roses, so to speak. Many games put a ton of effort into making things happen, but never really ask you to look at them. Photography is potentially a great way to engage players with that content. Knowing that their pictures matter, either in-game or on Reddit, makes them more valuable to the player. Similarly, learning about the world by scanning things encourages you to slow down and explore.

How its Done WELL...

Beyond Good and Evil literally had creatures that only existed for you to figure out how to photograph them. Creatures that would have felt like ambient visuals in other games were a fun challenge to take photos of in Beyond Good and Evil, such as the dolphin-like creatures -- it made me appreciate their existence more. Batman Arkham City tasked you with taking pictures of objects that were the answer to the Riddler’s riddles. I paid more attention to the game world knowing that the answer to a riddle could be around the next corner.

Bioshock did something spectacular in that they didn’t just ask you to take a picture of every type of enemy, like Beyond Good & Evil. Instead, it rated those pictures based on what was happening in the photo and how often you'd taken a photo of that kind. It wanted you to slow down and catch the splicers, big daddies, and little sisters as they interacted with one another, the world, and you. Each different enemy could be photographed in a variety of situations -- including bashing your brains in -- to reward even more experience. If you choose to sit and watch them in their maddened ramblings it forced you to empathize with your enemies’ plight, in a way that you normally wouldn’t have while mowing them down, setting them ablaze, shattering them, or.. well, you get the point. (Plasmids were really violent. When was a swarm of bees needed in civilian life exactly?) Trying to take pictures of a big daddy as he charged at you while you helplessly held a camera up to his face was a daunting task, to say the least.

 ... and How Mass Effect Andromeda did It

The act of scanning in Mass Effect provided none of these thrills. The other games I've talked about gave you very specific things to photograph or scan. But in this game, it was unclear exactly what objects should be scanned. The end result was the player opening the scanner, walking around, and waiting for something to light up. Moreover, even objects that seem interesting are often not scannable. Sure, I can scan the basic computer terminal that has been in all of the Mass Effect games, but that new alien species? Nah! Even when you did scan interesting things there was rarely anything interesting you learned about it. Because of this, it fails to re-contextualize the world.

Rewards

On top of that, the rewards for scanning are very slow. Sure, research leads to blueprints which can create some of the best items in the game, but that is mostly meta-game content. I'm still not sure what weapons are useful to craft and resources take so long to gather I don't want to waste them.

Compare that to the fact that some of the best abilities in Bioshock were obtained early in your photography progression. In fact, one of the first upgrades you gained from this line of research allowed your character to turn invisible when they were immobile, which helped you observe enemies and take better pictures. It literally feeds back into the loop while still being a useful and interesting skill on its own. Moreover, your main source of income in Beyond Good & Evil was photography.

Bioshock Wins (But Who's Counting?)

Bioshock did the camera almost perfectly. It gave great in-game rewards while allowing you to take cool pictures, which is intrinsically rewarding. It made sure that good, varied pictures were rewarded so that you were constantly challenged to up your game instead of merely taking one photo of an enemy. It added a wrinkle to world exploration and to combat while deepening the purpose of the dangerous inhabitants of Rapture.

In contrast, Mass Effect Andromeda largely concentrates on scanning inanimate, mundane objects, like computer terminals and parked vehicles. The rewards are abstract and take long to bear any meaning. They added little to the world and didn’t ask you to see the world with a different lens (Pun intended. Pun always intended.). And that's why it sucked.

Tali: Is it common for human women to be front-rank fighters, Chief Williams? I know that salarian women do not serve in the military.

Ashley: It’s becoming more common, but it took a long time to prove that “ladies” could handle an assault rifle or a shotgun.

Tali: On the flotilla, we don’t have the luxury of sexism. We need the best hands for every available job.

Ashley: Sounds nice, but I don’t think I could get used to the uniform.

The above quote from Mass Effect 1 perfectly summarizes in a nutshell the argument of this post: that BioWare's massively successful RPG series shows a universe that, while obviously flawed, portrays a place where merit and ability above all else determines one's lot in life. Mass Effect does plenty of things right; it's three games tell a compelling story, the third person shooter mechanics are tons of fun, the dialogue options offer a real sense of player agency, and much more. One thing that the best science fiction does is to take complex philosophical and/or political issues and comment upon them while at the same time telling a gripping story of future happenings, events, and technology. Star Trek, in particular, is famous for tackling issues such as racism, climate change, and war (among many other important topics) in its' 726 episodes and 13 movies.

The writers at BioWare, like Gene Roddenberry, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and other great science fiction authors and visionaries, portray real life issues before, during, and after the galaxy wide conflict with the Reapers. Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, in particular, grapple with what it means to be a person and self determination in the face of negativity, specifically in relation to the Geth and their search for true sentience. The same conflict between the Quarians and Geth explores how prejudice and ignorance can hamper, and (if the player's decisions go the wrong way) ultimately, foil any possibility of peaceful coexistence for the two races.

However, what this post deals with is BioWare's treatment of social mobility and meritocracy across the various space faring species of the Milky Way galaxy. The following are various examples of a progressive worldview the races of the Mass Effect universe share in relation to merit, not species, class, etc.

Commander Shepard

At the start of the game the player customizes Shepard's appearance. His or her race, gender, and various other appearance based attributes can be and are changed at will. This basic fact makes meritocracy a default setting at least in the Systems Alliance. A black woman, an asian man, skinny or fat, old or young, all are welcome in the Systems Alliance and all are allowed to succeed or fail on their own abilities.

As part of the customization in the first game, the background history of Shepard can be customized. Either option, whether she/he grew up in space, an orphan on the hard scrabble streets of Earth, or on a small colony world, Shepard only got where he/she is because of their (from now on I'll just use their for convenience sake) talents and drive to succeed. The psychological profile as much as the pre-service history shows how no matter the path, Shephard got their promotion to Commander through hard work and ability, not family connections or personal wealth.

Whether holding off hordes of enemies to protect squadmates, surviving while the rest died, or simple ruthless determination, all psychological profiles show a person whose drive and talent put them on track to become the first Human Spectre. Their last name wasn't Udina, or Grisham, or Anderson, but they were still able to become a symbol, not just for Humanity, but for the whole galaxy. 

Equal treatment of LGBTQ+

The most influential and powerful Human in the galaxy, if the player chooses, can be gay. Or lesbian. Or bi sexual. Or any gender/sexual orientation. Through its' romance system (and character customization), Mass Effect allows its' player to choose their character's sexual orientation. This shows that the Mass Effect universe's races don't judge their members by gender or sexual orientation. This, however, was not without real world pushback. 

Mass Effect 3 garnered a ton of controversy for including gay romance options. Steve Cortez, the shuttle pilot on the Normandy, turns out to be homosexual. However, tragically, he is also a widow. Romancing him takes a lot of finesse, tolerance, and patience. Even if you (like me) choose to play as Femshep, or just don't pursue a relationship with him, Cortez is still a great character with a ton of depth and backstory. BioWare, as usual, put a significant amount of time and effort fleshing out Cortez as a character, and not just the obligatory gay man put in for affect.

Although lesbian relationships had been included in the previous game (ME2) with Kelly Chambers, the final game in the trilogy opened up options for same sex relationships for the male Shepard as well as the female gendered hero. Both games have bi-sexual characters; the aforementioned Chambers in ME2, and Samantha Traynor in ME3. For the first time in a flagship AAA game, both males and females had the option of engaging in same-sex relationships in game with the same characters. True meritocracies discount gender identity and sexual preference in determining the "winners" and "losers" of society. And this is the case with the species that populate BioWare's ME universe.

The Asari

If you count Liara, then all three Mass Effect games include same sex relationships. However, I don't count her. Although in appearance all Asari resemble human females (and the voice actors match said gender), they are most definitely not. They aren't all women. Or all men. Or gender fluid. They are mono-gendered. Asari biology allows for reproduction with any gender of any species. So, as a society, Asari not only won't, but CAN'T judge other Asari by gender or sexual preference. Take it a step further, and when dealing with other species, Asari in particular are truly gender blind.

If there is one race whose sexual freedom is truly progressive and accepting, it's the Asari. For a species that lives more than 1000 years, sexual and reproductive rights are trivial and don't generate controversy like they do on present day Earth. As long as it's consensual, Asari are free to copulate with whomever they like. Whether it's a female Hanar, a male Elcor (well, it probably happens), another Asari, and so on, all Asari can, and do, have consensual sex with any willing partner.

In addition, the idea of "mother" and "father" can have very different meanings for Asari. So there is no stigma attached to having "two mothers" or "two fathers," like there is in many places of 2017 Earth. Below are some snippets of conversations between Liara and her "father," Matriarch Aethyta:

Aethyta: So, yeah. My dad was a krogan.
Liara: Yes, I'm aware of that.
Aethyta: So that makes you a quarter krogan. 
Liara: That's... not how it works.
Aethyta: I'm a thousand years old. I've had kids with hanar. Don't tell me how Asari reproduction works.
Liara: Wait... I have a half sister who's part hanar?
Aethyta: I thought that wasn't how it worked.

Aethyta: Just take care of yourself out there, okay kid?
Liara: I will, Dad. 
Aethyat: Hey, I've called a few friends. Commandos. Eclipse girls who owe me some favors. They're all yours. Just tell 'em where to go.
Liara: You're giving me... Asari commandos?
Aethyat: We'll, you're too old for me to buy you a damn pony.
Liara: You're the best father a girl could wish for.

Talk about gender identity meaning nothing. If taken out of context and just given the audio transcript, most would think it odd that a "female" called their "female" parent "dad." However, Asari aren't males or females. They treat everyone equally, regardless of their parents race or sexual preference. If nepotism occurs, it occurs in a meritocratic way as well. I guess 1000+ year lifespan truly does impart wisdom.

Krogan

At first glance, this may seem like an odd choice. After all, Krogan society is heavily gender biased. However, this is simply due to numbers. With the Genophage severely curtailing Krogan births, female Krogan are guarded fiercely. This has resulted in a society divided on classic male/female gender roles (i.e. males as hunters and warriors, females as childcare providers). However, unlike in human society, this gender divide did not make female Krogan second class citizens in comparison with their male counterparts.

Putting gender aside, Krogans are fiercely egalitarian, in the most Darwinian and harsh sense. Although fiercely selfish and bloodthirsty in nature, Krogan respect others simply on their merits, nothing else. I mean it literally, NOTHING else. One of their most damning insults is, "you're not worth killing". That's as Darwinian as you can get.

Natural selection doesn't take into account the color of a turtle's skin, or the gender of a slug. Similarly, Krogans don't care if you're Human, Asari, Turian, Salarian, or a Thresher Maw. If you show yourself to be capable, then you're accepted. When the rare Krogan is born, its' status is decided purely upon the survival of the fittest principle.

When coming of age, only those Krogan who pass the Rite of Passage are allowed membership into their Clan. In ME2, Shepard helps Grunt pass his Rite of Passage by, among other things, killing a Thresher Maw -- this test many, many Krogan don't survive. In order for Clan Urdnot to approve his membership, Grunt must show that his inclusion in Wrex's Clan is merited. His skill as a warrior and survivor are proven by his successful completion of the Rite.

Wrex is able to see that Grunt is a good judge of character by Grunt's pick of Shepard as his ally in the Rite. So, for all their regressive views of violence and its' role in problem solving, Krogans are meritocratic to a fault in choosing the members of their clans.

 Gender and Racial Equality

I touched on this before with Commander Shepard, but I'd like to go into more detail with this entry, specifically among Humanity.

By the 2180s, Humanity seems to have mostly abandoned any racial, ethnic, or gender bias (at the very least among its' own kind). Depending on your choices, Captain Anderson can be a Council Member (either way he gets promoted to Admiral and already almost was the first Human Spectre), a former female convict becomes an invaluable Alliance instructor for young biotics (Jack), a clearly crippled individual is allowed to pilot one of the Alliance's most important ships (Joker), and a clearly Middle Eastern (and possibly Muslim) criminal is allowed to redeem himself and become an integral member of the player's squad (Zaeed).

Religion, ethnicity, skin color, gender, they all don't seem to matter to Humans. Even the ultra xenophobic Cerberus employs Zaeed, Jacob, Miranda, and Kasumi. When given the chance, even criminals such as Kasumi and (technically) Shepard are allowed to re-assimilate into society after having proven their good qualities and their intentions. Just because Kasumi is Asian, Zaeed is Middle Eastern, and Miranda was genetically engineered, it doesn't mean they can't succeed in the universe of Mass Effect.

The Squad

Ultimately, the greatest sign of meritocracy in the Mass Effect universe has to be your squad mates. All species, all genders, even artificial intelligences are represented in your squad across all 3 games -- hell, even a friggin' Prothean is accepted as part of the gang, and he just woke up after 50,000 years of hibernation.

If you look at the picture above, Humans aren't the majority. For Commander Shepard and their team, all that matters is that you are the best in the Galaxy at what you do, and you're useful to Shepards mission. What other group includes the first truly sentient Geth, a Prothean, EDI, two Krogans, and a bunch of former criminals (Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Kasumi, Zaeed, Thane, and technically Shepard themselves)?

If you need one example of how Mass Effect is a meritocracy, then look no further than the squad mates Shephard recruits to their cause.

Jack/Subject Zero

On the outside Jack portrays herself to be like rabid uncaged animal lashing out physically and verbally at anyone within arms reach. She is a very complex character though, and easily one of the most well developed in the series. Jack is often just looked at as the punky, tattooed, aggressive and rebellious archetype but if you stick with her she reveals herself to be so much more.

Her need to act out in an aggressive manner, be the most dominant, and the most dangerous character in the group is her way of hiding the real vulnerability and fear of betrayal and abuse. She portrays herself as hating human contact yet definitely yearns it by getting a short quick fix through brief and short sexual encounters.

Her pushing others away through aggressive, violent and sometimes sexual means will eventually give way to the need to belong and feel a part of a community. Through Shepard helping and caring for Jack with no means of an agenda, she slowly learns how what trust means and comes to the eventual realisation that she wants Shepard to be her Alpha and belong to his/her pack.

It is through needing Shepard's guidance and leadership that she eventually realises that she can belong and begin trusting others and more importantly herself by becoming far more than the persona she began with.

Do you think other characters in the Mass Effect universe were just as needing or had as much development as characters?

Tali

Tali is one of my favorite characters in the Mass Effect universe, and she developed well beyond her "damsel in distress" archetype. When we're first introduced to her we see how much she doubts and questions her own abilities as a leader and even going as far as admitting she feels more comfortable as a follower as opposed to a leadership role.

Her respect and total admiration for Shepard is revealed throughout the course of the series, and more so when it is revealed in recordings found in the game where Tali is making her own leadership decisions by "guessing what Shepard would do if he/she were there."

Her need and potentially developing feelings for Shepard helps Tali grow into a far more confident and interesting character. As her confidence increases she begins to show a good level of humor, sarcasm and a more assertive side in contrast to the shy and reserved character she started out as. Depending on romance options, this new personality was shown in verbal back and forths with Ashley or Miranda during missions. Tali needed Shephard's positive influence to become stronger and more independant.

Jacob Taylor

Jacob can appear to be quite a generic one dimensional space marine type with his typical boy scout demeanor and a need to protect those weaker than him. He is quite a difficult character to like because of these traits, he appears to have no shades of grey.

He does hide a needy interior and loves being in service of Shepard and is in complete of awe of his/her military prowess. There is a certain side of him that needs validation of achievement through the protection of others. Through the course of the game though, he has shown himself to be quite conflicted -- as he only pretends to love the fast lifestyle of being single, and serving a military life there can be a certain level of bravado to his character.

Deep rooted father issues which are revealed in his companion mission shows that while he tries to be smooth with the women, he clearly needs to feel wanted even just for a brief moment in time. This is a reflection of why he cheats and sleeps around. Jacob eventually reveals that he would love get serious and start a family.

His romance options aren't the most fondly revered amongst fans though and is perhaps more memorable for his comparisons to the "old spice man" and his remarks about a certain "prize."

Everybody needs someone, and while the term "being needy" is often associated with being a negative personality trait. I don't feel this is the case because in life we need people to develop as individuals, whether that's our parents, friends, mentors, husbands and wives. Other people's influences throughout our lives can help a person grow and develop as a human being. This influence in our lives is something happens all the way through our lives from childhood to adulthood as we put ourselves through college, work and other social necessities in life.

BioWare games have always put a strong focus on character interaction, and no where more so with companion relationships. With the promise of more natural relationship progression in Mass Effect: Andromeda, I look at three of the past characters that could be considered needy -- or rather needed guidance -- and revealed more layers as characters than their initial RPG archetype and therefore developed more naturally over the course of the series.

Conclusion:

Who says video games cannot help you study? Through music they can relax you and allow you to enter the right state of mind to focus on reading the pile of books you need to prepare for your big exam.

Whether you like the games in this list or not, it's difficult to ignore the quality of the music in them.  So, even if you are not a fan, take a listen. You won't regret it.

Happy reading!

Shadow of the Colossus 

Best track: Shadow of the Colossus Main Theme

We close the list with another masterpiece of the video game industry. If you played this game, you certainly remember the fights with the 16 colossi. They were action packed, but the universe of the game was the exact opposite of this.

When players were not occupied with killing gigantic creatures, they were free to explore the map, and with its vast empty spaces, it perfectly represented the calm before the storm.

To create this contrast, adding the right songs was paramount and the team dedicated all of the resources it could to getting it right. The result was one of the most memorable soundtracks in the history of gaming. 

Final Fantasy Series (Vocal Collection)

Best track: "Answers", by Susan Calloway

Even if this franchise does not meet your taste in gaming, you cannot ignore the significance it has had on the industry. 

The series has many memorable moments that will forever dwell in the minds of those who played them, and the emotional impact of these moments were possible due to the soundtrack that accompanied them.

The video above plays all of the most memorable vocal songs from the franchise, so you may have a dose of nostalgia as you read through your books. 

The Mass Effect Trilogy

Best track: Mass Effect Main Theme

We jump from one space adventure to another, as we bring you the soundtrack of the series of games that told the story of Commander Shepard and his crew, fighting to save the galaxy.

This trilogy will go down in history as one of the masterpieces of video games, portraying the best this medium has to offer. We can see the quality of these games in many fields, including design, narrative, and soundtrack.

Listen to the sounds of intergalactic achievement as you prepare for your next exam, and mentally visualize the next victory in your life -- passing the hardest class in your curriculum. 

Starbound

Best track: Horsehead Nebula (first in the video)

This game features simple 2D graphics, but combined with masterful art direction and a cinematographic soundtrack, it delivers a compelling audiovisual experience. 

The aspect that makes this soundtrack perfect for you to listen while you study is that it is mostly slow paced and continuous, so there are no sudden changes to distract you from your reading. 

Life is Strange

Best track: "Obstacles" by Syd Matters

This game became known for making YouTubers cry on camera, and making the viewers drop many tears as well. Despite the saddening end to the story, the songs you listen to as you control Max Caulfiled, a photography student in an academy of arts who recently acquired the power to manipulate time, are relaxing and sometimes even uplifting.

The game features a choice-driven narrative in Telltale style, and if you want to relax and enjoy some quality reading time, listening to its soundtrack is a must. 

Whether you are a student preparing for a test or simply a person who enjoys to dive into a good book, odds are you have the habit of listening to music as you read, and if you are reading GameSkinny, you probably love video games.

There is a simple way to combine studying with games. 

Video games have evolved through the years, and so have the soundtracks that set the tone for them. Composers have produced memorable tracks for video games, just as in movies.

Some are uplifting, others bone-chilling, and some are relaxing, perfect to help you forget about life and focus on the task at hand. These are the ones that are most likely to help you focus on your reading.

With this in mind, we have listed five video game soundtracks that will put you in the relaxed state of mind that will ensure an optimal experience when going through a book.

What Made Mass Effect So Great?

While Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic remains to be of my favorite games the first Mass Effect introduced us to an amazing and complex new Sci-Fi universe that we had never seen before with a huge amount depth and lore that truly added to the sense of discovery. It had an absolutely stunning synth soundtrack too that fitted perfectly into its setting and atmosphere.

Mass Effect 2 improved on the elements of the original with refined combat mechanics and great pacing.  It also felt a lot more "cinematic" something that is difficult to achieve when a game offers the player so much choice -- cinematic games are usually associated with linearity.

Despite the well-documented issues with Mass Effect 3's ending it did an amicable job in wrapping up a huge trilogy of complex relationships and individual stories in a fast paced and tension filled finale.  It also improved on its action/RPG hybrid battle system that was seen in its predecessor.  Taken as whole the trilogy played out like a superb Sci-Fi movie franchise or television box set for me it felt like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica all wrapped up into a great video game package.

After the Mass Effect trilogy was finished many fans were left wondering what was next for the franchise with such a huge and well-developed universe there was still a lot to expand on for future installments -- The biggest issue BioWare has now though is shaking off the negativity because of the bad taste in some gamers mouths as a result of Mass Effect 3's ending.

Mass Effect: Andromeda 

With Mass Effect: Andromeda only weeks away there's still a lot of speculation as BioWare has kept its cards close to its chest with this new release there hasn't been a lot of information about the game that's been made public beyond a few trailers and some story leaks not much is known about the game yet.

The developers have spoken openly about moving away from the ending of Mass Effect 3 and taking the game to a new galaxy but this has been met with criticism from some fans. One might argue that was a natural step forward for the series, especially as they have stated in interviews that they want to recreate the same magic the original Mass Effect captured upon release. 

BioWare now has the difficult task of dealing with the negativity and low expectations of the fans despite Mass Effect 3 coming out five years ago, so maybe the lack of media hype is warranted and keeping expectations at a calm level will help elevate the game in the eyes of the critics and fans alike -- you only have to look to No Mans Sky at the potential drawbacks of overly hyping a game.  

A potential concern for fans is the loss of the original key developers and writers having all moved on to different career paths inside and outside of BioWare.  On top of this BioWare lost its lead writer on Mass Effect: Andromeda Chris Schlerf:

To confirm what some folks asked about a few months back, I am no longer working on ME:A at BioWare Montreal.

— schlerf (@schlerf) 16 February 2016

It's far too early to tell how exactly this will have an effect on the final release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, it didn't help fuel more of the negativity already building up with some of the fanbases toward the title. A positive comment coming from the writer himself may help alleviate some of the worries, though: 

Think MEA is really gonna blow people away; couldn't be prouder to be part of it, & excited like a lil kid to play the final when it's out.

— schlerf (@schlerf) 16 February 2016

Taking the above Tweet at face value the writer does seem to be very positive the game will be a huge success and his leaving seems to be on good terms, but the fact is we won't truly know what effect his departure has had until the game's release.

Speculation - If Andromeda Fails, What's Next?

It would be no doubt be a massive blow for BioWare if Mass Effect: Andromeda didn't live up to expectations because despite the negativity surrounding the project from some of the fanbases they are still expecting a good game. If it doesn't quite get the critical acclaim or the sales it needs then the backlash would likely be huge and despite BioWare shutting down its forums -- another move that raised a few eyebrows -- fans and detractors alike will still find a way to vent their frustrations toward both BioWare and owners EA.

What is more worrying for BioWare is EA hasn't been shy about closing its studios and laying off staff in the past if it feels the games aren't living up to expectations or not worth the development costs.

Even if Mass Effect fails BioWare is a name that holds a lot of respect in the gaming industry and EA will still want to get its money's worth after spending $850 million on acquiring them. A more likely outcome for the developers would be a shift in focus and a move to work on new projects.

The possibility of making Mass Effect an MMO like Star Wars: The Old Republic could be a way of keeping the series relevant while building on the already established universe. This could, in turn, lead to work on a new single player Star Wars RPG like The Knights Of the Old Republic, a game that fans have been begging years for and with the Star Wars license in EA's pocket I'm surprised it hasn't happened already.

The possible consequences of failure may at worst -- for us as fans -- lead to a shift in management but whatever the outcome of Mass Effect: Andromeda, I think BioWare will move on but instead will likely be forced to move on to other projects with more potential for greater sales while working to regain the faith of the fans. 

 Do you think Mass Effect: Andromeda will be a success?  What do you think the consequences of a bad game will be for BioWare?

Since the conception of the term "bromance," we've seen more and more examples of this type of friendship in all forms of pop-culture. To those who still don't know, a bromance is the relationship between two male friends that breaks the walls of mere friendship; they become "brothers." If there's one thing women hate the most, it's their man in a bromance.

We've had movies (mostly comedies) portraying this inseparable bond between buddies but (all alliteration aside), video games have used many bromances in their own stories, Here are STG's 11 Best Video game Bromances, bro... 

Mass Effect Trilogy

Commander Shepard & Garrus Vakarian

Garrus:"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" 

Shepard:"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice." 

Garrus:"Ha-ah! Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is. Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it."

Throughout their adventures in the Mass Effect series, Shepard and Garrus form a strong bond while trying to save the galaxy. If you played as fem-Shep, then you could have formed an even tighter relationship... Ahem.

But this is about the bros, so it stands to reason that sharing multiple near-death experiences would have only strengthened their friendship. Having similar personalities and a sense of humor helps, at least in our play-through.

Gears of War Trilogy

Marcus Fenix & Dom Santiago

Marcus: "What are you doing here?"

Dom: "Getting you out. Here, put this on." 

Marcus: "You could get into a lot of trouble for doing this."

Dom: "Not anymore. Things have changed. C'mon."

Another tale of friendships strengthened through battle and near-death experiences -- all while trying to save the world -- Marcus and Dom shoot their way through multiple alien species, as their mission is to eradicate all and save humanity. Two muscle-bound bad-asses carving their way through tough-as-nails aliens, all while spouting one-liners? This would definitely solidify a bromance.

Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, & Revelations

Leonardo Da Vinci & Ezio Auditore Da Firenze

Leo: "The blade is finished, though it will require the removal of your ring finger. It is the way the blade has been constructed."

Ezio: "Bene (fine). Do it, quickly."

Leo: "I'm just joking with you Ezio. In the past such a sacrifice was required but I have found a way to modify the blade."

This was always going to be a good combination. A master craftsman, painter, engineer, and all-around genius working with a sneaky, efficient master assassin. Ezio and Leo are the prime example of a great bromance, willing to risk their lives for one another and achieve their goals together. A bromance spanning across decades and countless Templar conspiracies sees this relationship to the list. 

Jak & Daxter Series

Jak & Daxter

Daxter: "Please, Jak, you're such a wimp. I could have taken them myself! Maybe you should sit on MY shoulder for a while."

This mischievous duo requires no introduction to many gamers. The Jak & Daxter series scored a massive following due to the captivating platforming, dialogue, and beautiful graphics. Naughty Dog definitely know how to create their characters/worlds and these two are no exception.

Daxter is usually riding Jak, pushing him forward and showing a somewhat false, yet still inspiring, sense of bravado from atop Jak's shoulders. However, when the time comes, Daxter has proven to be the ultimate ally as they go on a quest to not only change the furry friend back to his original form, but also to save their world as they know it.

Ratchet & Clank Series

Ratchet & Clank

Ratchet: "If I can get that, I can get past those robot guards."

Clank: "Robots are not so easily fooled."

Ratchet: [trying to trick Clank by pointing at something] "Ahh! What's that?"

Clank: [falling for the trick, Clank turns his head] "What?"

Ratchet: "Uh-huh..."

The only other duo that seemed to pick up hot on the tails of Jak & Daxter, this ingenious little robot and his marsupial accomplice span their known galaxies going on bounty hunts, stopping villainous henchmen and bosses along the way.

Ratchet & Clank are right up there with the Jak & Daxter games (though they have released a few more installments than the former).They have amassed their own cult following, even managing to take part in one of the most dangerous combat sports arenas in the universe and survive!

Street Fighter Series

Ryu & Ken

Ryu: "Let's leave the talking to our fists!"

Ken: "Can these things even talk?"

Everybody's favorite fighting duo from the Street Fighter series undoubtedly belong in this list. With a bromance spanning decades now (how do they stay so damn young?) and more than a few ways that it could have ended very, very badly, these two show us what true brotherhood and friendship can be. 

Hadouken! 

Contra Series

Bill Rizer & Lance Beam

Considered one of the hardest game series ever made, Contra puts games like Dark Souls and Battletoads to shame with its insane difficulty system (a true SNES staple). Many controllers have been broken against walls via fits of rage and epic moments of completion in this game, which solidified its place in history.

Contra brought forth two bad-ass bros, Rizer & Beam. Shwarzenneger and Stallone got nothing on these two. Side scrolling, shooter action at its finest.

BRING IT!

Army of Two

Tyson Rios & Elliot Salem

Phillip: "No problem, fuck-o."

Rios:  "Fuck-o? Who says that?"

Phillip: "I'm gonna kill you both, slice you open and go to an aerobics class wearing your intestines for leg warmers!"

Salem: "I mean... does that even make sense?"

Elliot Salem & Tyson Rios, two bad-ass dudes who clearly live through hundreds of death-defying moments together, covering each other's hides. Their job? Being a complete 'Army of Two', with Salem & Rios, flanking, tactics, firefights and one-liners are literally their life.

Playing as these two mercenaries really pulls everything together if you have your very own bromance buddy sitting next to you playing co-op, even if things get a little weird.

Telltale's The Walking Dead -- Season 1

Lee & Kenny

Kenny: "Hey. Lee. You know how to pick a lock, right?"

Lee: "No, why would you say that?"

Kenny: "Well. You're... you know... urban?"

Lee: "Oh, you are NOT saying what I think you're saying."

Kenny: "Jesus, man! I'm from Florida! Crazy shit comes out of my mouth sometimes. Sorry."

Lee first meets Kenny at Herschel's farm after saving Clementine from a couple of zombies and bringing her along with him. Kenny has his wife Katja and his son 'Duck' there with him and things seem to be going kind of well.

As this is Telltale's TWD, this peace and serenity is short-lived. After a chaotic and surprising zombie attack, Herschel's son is killed and the gang are banished from the farm.

Lee and Kenny continue to do what they can with the ragtag group of survivors they meet up with but Kenny starts to lose his wits. This forces Lee to make some seriously hard decisions for all of them. A bromance that stands the test of time (or at least until the last episode of Season 1), Lee & Kenny are the perfect example of a true bromance, looking out for each other (and their subsequent 'families') no matter what happens; arguments, punch-ups, and all. 

Uncharted Series

Nathan Drake & 'Sully' Sullivan

Sully: "I'm sweating like a hooker in church!"

Drake: "You took a hooker to church?"

Sully: "Nate, let's just pretend for a minute that I don't really care about any of that and cut to the chase will ya?"

Drake: "Man only interested in the climax. You must be a real hit with the ladies."

Sully: "Never had any complaints."

Now there can be the argument made here where Sully isn't really a 'bro' and more of a father figure, however as they are not related by blood, this still counts as a great bromance. 

Throughout the Uncharted series, Sully is Drake's mentor and partner, keeping him focused and getting him to continue using his head and not his, erm, other head. Regardless of how you personally view their relationship, Sully is bonafidede bro in all aspects of the term and continues to be there for Drake no matter what.

Now Nathan's real brother, on the other hand.

Sonic the Hedgehog Series

Sonic & Tails

Sonic: "We good to go or what, Tails?"

Tails: "I've built a TV out of paper clips..."

Sonic: "Yeah..."

Tails: "...and reprogrammed a super computer using dish washing detergent and a toothpick..."

Sonic: "I know..."

Tails: "...So look, fixing a propeller on a biplane? That's about as difficult as taking a nap."

Sonic: "Kay, I did not need your whole life story. A simple "good to go" would have been cool."

Tails: "Alright. Good to go!"

These two heroes need absolutely no introduction to the gaming world (unless you've been living under a rock you're entire life). Sonic & Tails are the ultimate bros, taking part in adventures throughout the entire Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Once thought to be a female, Tails' first name is actually Miles, so show us one woman with that name, but I digress. Tails can fly and Sonic can run really, really fast. Put these two together and you have a bromance that spans across decades and still moves strong to this day.

 ---

So there you have it. The 11 Best Video Game Bromances that STG thought deserved some attention. Next time you pick up any of these games, see how much you notice.

So what did you think about the list? Any that should have been mentioned or that we seemed to forget? What did you think of the bromances listed? Leave a comment below and look out for our next article!

Mass Effect fans everywhere rejoice, because James Gunn, director of both Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) and its' sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took to Twitter on Monday to share his post Guardians plans.

As is plain to see, the veteran director has his priorities straight, at least according to the millions of gamers across the globe who similarly are marking their calendars in anticipation for the release of the game on March 21. When asked about his experience with the original games, Gunn stated it simply in another tweet:

Another follower wished to know how ME inspired the director in the creation of GotG and its' sequel.

I can see millions of people searching their hard drives for GotG and scouring it, frame by frame, for ANY sign for Chora's Den, a Stormtrooper helmet, or maybe even an Atari in the background of a scene. All that notwithstanding, it's simply cool noting that Hollywood's top creatives are fan of things just like all us regular folks.

2017 is officially here. While you may still be reeling from the tide of solid releases in 2016, the new game release calendar, unfortunately, just isn’t going to wait.

This year is set to see quite a few sequels and comebacks from major franchises. Below is a list of games that, if you didn’t get a chance to play them the first go-around, you should play right now. If you have played them, you should replay them in anticipation of these new titles.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

In anticipation of South Park: Fractured But Whole

Stick of Truth was exactly what the next gen South Park game needed to be. It’s combat, albeit simple, was fun (the “summons” were definitely a highlight), the humor was very very South Park and it all actually tied into the franchise nicely.

In other words, if you haven’t played this game yet go now! There isn’t really a better time to do so. The Fractured But Whole is slated to come out soon, on March 30. TSoT is a little bit more forgiving to your schedule too since the play time is about 15-20 hours.

Bonus: If you’re not caught up on recent seasons of the show it might be a good idea to start a marathon. At the very least watch season 13 episode 2 and season 14 episodes 11-14. That whole superhero franchise thing definitely seems like it will be a huge part of the new game.

The Resident Evil series

In anticipation of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Ok, so you may not have time to play every game in this series, but it might be worth playing one or two to hype yourself for the latest installment. There’s a small window for this one since Resident Evil 7 is supposed to release later this month on Jan. 24.

Through the demo, gamers have been able to see a game that seems to depart from the formula of its siblings. There have been reassurances from Capcom saying that this new game will not completely abandon all that makes the series what it is.

Knowing that tidbit of info, it might be a good idea to venture back into the franchise. Even if it’s just to enjoy the 'amazing' voice acting of the first.

The God of War series

In anticipation of God of War

The reveal of God of War was a highlight of the E3 2016 Sony press conference. The public got a new view of an older and paternal Kratos. A huge development for the character since past games. Big changes are coming to the God of War universe.

Playing the older games of the series would be worth it just to see the progression of the protagonist. Just look at the description for the game on its website:

“With new purpose and his son at his side, Kratos must fight for survival as powerful forces threaten to disrupt the new life he has created..."

The game doesn’t have a solid release date yet but is rumored for late 2017. That’s plenty of time to at least get started on past games.

The Mass Effect Trilogy

In anticipation of Mass Effect: Andromeda

Another game rapidly approaching release in March is the latest in the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect: Andromeda. On March 21, players will be able to explore a whole new galaxy within the Mass Effect universe.

It’s still not entirely known if Commander Shepard will have any sort of role in the game, whether it be through lore or otherwise, what we do know though is through trailers and words from BioWare. A 2015 blog post from the developer reads, “this game is very much a new adventure, taking place far away from and long after the events of the original trilogy.”

Playing the first trilogy before this release might be a good idea not only to catch up on the inner-workings of the game’s world, but this game could signal the start of something completely new. No need to miss out on a solid story line in the hype of the new.

Red Dead Redemption

In anticipation of Red Dead Redemption 2

The original Red Dead Redemption could debatably be called one of the best games of all time. Its beautiful open world is paired with a strong story and a highly personable underdog of a hero.

Fall can’t get here fast enough. The good news is though, you have plenty of time to play the first game. Especially if you never got around to finishing it the first time.

Chances are, the story of the first game is going to play into Red Dead 2, but of course, all the details aren’t out just yet.

What are the games you are playing or replaying to get ready for 2017 releases? What other games should be on the list? I would love to hear your thoughts via the comments below!

Is this year's election bothering you? Are you concerned a dystopia is close at hand? I wouldn't worry about it. If games have taught us anything over the years it's this: politics are everywhere, but in the games there's always a good side.

While any game can take your mind off of this election, the easiest thing to lose yourself in is an RPG. If you just want to blow this whole thing over, try out one of these games.

1. Mass Effect

Taking place in a multitude of  planets and moons of the milky way, you play as Commander Shepard. After touching a device from the Protheans, Shepard receives visions of death and destruction, and falls unconscious. After awakening you must set out on a journey to stop the enemy, elite operative (Spectre) gone rogue, Saren, from making that vision happen.

Because of this game having multiple classes to choose from, as well as hybrid classes, it allows you to take your own approach to each mission.

With 3 games in the Mass Effect series, each one longer, and bigger than the last, not only will you lose yourself in the first game, but the sequels too.

2. Fallout 4

Fallout 4 takes place in the post-nuclear ruins of Boston Massachusetts, After a series of events that happened in vault 111, your character goes out in the wasteland to find their missing son, Shaun.

Within the vastness of the commonwealth, you will have to fight your way through many dangers, including the irradiated beasts of the pre-war era.

This game has no level cap, which means you can eventually unlock every skill on the tree, while that's not the best for replay value, it certainly will be time consuming.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Ulfric Stormcloak has quite a hot temper concerning the freedoms of his homeland, sound familiar?

In Skyrim, you start out as a prisoner being transported for execution. When you're the one under the chopping block, suddenly a dragon attacks the village you're in, making you run out through a series of tunnels, with someone who was also set for execution. From there you must go on to discover the mysteries of the dragons and their return. The land of Skyrim is very beautiful, and vast in scale, as well as diversity.

The skill tree differs from the previous Elder Scrolls games, as you have constellations pop up and you must create routes to the perks you want, point by point. This too, like Fallout 4 has no level cap. 

With many areas to explore, many skills to master, and spells to learn, Skyrim is very time consuming, going for days on end. In a good way though, not like the Presidential debates.

4. Final Fantasy VIII

You play as Squall Leonhart, a student at the Balamb Garden Military Academy. After receiving an initiative mission to acquire the Guardian Force Ifrit, squall is sent off to Dollet, with a few of the other main characters, to help fight off a Galbadian invasion. After these events, they have a graduation ballroom party, where Squall meets the girl who starts the whole adventure.

With a humongous world, there are a few side activities to do, they even have a card game with different regional rules!

With a unique conjunction system, you have to equip a summon, then you could equip spells to them, boosting strength, vitality, etc. You could also experiment with a lot of magic elements, to fight against monsters with their weaknesses, and you can strangely enough add a cure status effect to your attack too!

5. Final Fantasy VII

A light haired person stabbed a good friend of mine in the back... No I'm not talking about Hillary stabbing Bernie in the back. Politics aside, Final Fantasy 7 is a good game that has captured the hearts of hundreds of millions.

You play as Cloud Strife, a mercenary for hire who has joined an eco terrorist group called AVALA`NCHE. Tasked with destroying Mako reactor, they succeed only to have Cloud fall. Luckily the roof of a chapel broke his fall, there he met Aerith Gainsborough.

A series of events leads Cloud and his group into the shinra building, where they were detained, but one morning, when they woke up, they found their cells open, and most of the personnel and guards murdered by the antagonist, Sephiroth. The band then escape the city in pursuit of Sephiroth

This game has another massive open world with dynamic events occurring within it, for example there was a serpent creature in a swamp that you could not beat before getting further in the story, but you could see him slithering under the swamp.

The skills have to do with materia, these orb objects you equip on your weapons and gear. Each color presents different kind of magic, i.e. red materia is used to summon.

While it might not be completely possible to take your mind off of politics, these games are still really good, and deserve a playthrough... or two, or five.

Which games have you played to take your mind of the mindless bickering? Have you played any political games so that you could make 'the perfect world'? Let us know in the comments below!

Casual gaming is a way of life. It seems from my experience that most gamers are about 'the end game' -- either beating the game (in the case of single-player games) or doing end-game content (such as raids in the case of MMOs).

But that's not the only way to game.  For some, playing is its own reward. Some do not care about being top dog or king of the hill in their game of choice. Some just enjoy the journey itself. One might call such a person a journeyman.

So what kind of games does a journeyman play to get their fix? Let's find out.

Sandbox Games

Examples:  Minecraft, Terraria, No Man's Sky

These types of games tend to have no end-game objective, which makes them the epitome of casual games. Minecraft is the poster child for sandbox games -- as it has no end-game, the only thing to do is build things (apart from a purely optional 'story' of beating the Ender Dragon).

However, a sandbox game's very nature can be its downfall. Having absolutely no objective can be very boring to many people, even casual gamers.  The Journeyman is often okay with sandbox games, but sometimes prefers games with with an objective (otherwise one might be called a 'Wanderer').

Role-Playing Games 

Examples:  Dragon Age series, The Witcher series, Final Fantasy Series, Mass Effect series

RPGs lend themselves very well to the journeyman. No matter what the style or story, the whole game is about gaining experience for your character to make them stronger, ultimately reaching the end with a (hopefully) fantastic story that you've experienced.

You can then restart the story with a new class of character or try again with a harder difficulty, but the key is that the journey through the world is the real objective.

MMO Games

Examples:  World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Destiny, Eve Online, Elder Scrolls Online

MMOs tend to be a mix of sandbox games and RPG with an extra layer of multiplayer thrown in. They usually provide a leveling system (with the huge bonus of playing with others), while giving you freedom to do just about anything you want.

However, for many MMOs, reaching 'top level' means you start doing end-game content such as raids. These activities tend to be about getting the 'best gear' for bragging rights (or lately, eSports options). For the journeyman, this side of things has little or no appeal, purely because the journeyman enjoys the process of leveling -- the grind, if you will. A journeyman typically has alternative characters that he/she can switch to and experience the journey in other ways.

There can be many reasons why a player prefers the journey to the end-game destination. But whatever the reason, 'hardcore' gamers should acknowledge that there is another way to play a game.  For many, the journey is its own reward.

Hey, GameSkinny readers! For those of you that recognize the name, yep it's the same, little ol' BTide, back at it again. For those of you that don't, let's get you filled in. A while ago I participated in the Journalist Training Program (JTP) here on GameSkinny and became a Program Mentor. Rather than returning for a third stint in the program, I began to focus my efforts on my YouTube page, BlackTideTV, becoming relatively inactive on GameSkinny.

Recently I proposed a collaborative project with the website: a weekly news roundup show on my YouTube channel. The video above is the first of said video series. For "GameSkinny Spotlight," I'll be collecting an assortment of articles from the writers here on GameSkinny that I find will be suitable for my audiences, and expanding on the topics provided. I may provide alternate opinions, extra information, added examples, etc.

In exchange for the boosted exposure to the journalists here on GameSkinny, my only request is that anyone who finds these videos enjoyable visit my YouTube channel and give it a chance. I'm currently producing a ton of Call of Duty content and doing my best to expand my horizons. That being said, I hope you enjoy the weekly videos and don't forget to check out the original articles mentioned in this week's show for more information by heading to the bottom of this description.

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review // Chris Bowring
• Red Dead Redemption 2 May Be Announced, Not at Gamescom // David Martinez_1224
• Resident Evil 7 Gamescom Trailer // Captain Booya
• Mass Effect Andromeda & Trilogy Remastered News // Anne-Marie Coyle
• No Man's Sky Review // HomelessRanger

Mass Effect Andromeda, the sprawling sci-fi series' first foray into the current generation, is due out next year. Rather worryingly though, there has been very little actual gameplay shown off to date.

It's lack of presence at Gamescom strongly suggests the game's current quality may be a concern forcing EA to forgo gameplay footage at yet another big event and cruelly keep us waiting for our first proper look at the series post-Shepard.

With such a short time remaining until the game's March launch it's not beyond the realms of possibly that Andromeda might miss its planned release date.

However according to EA boss, Patrick Soderlund, the decision to hold back on solid Andromeda footage is a marketing decision rather than a reflection of the current status of the game's development. Speaking to GameInformer Soderlund said:

"Right now we're focused on our big titles for [October through December], and when that's done, we'll shift to Mass Effect. You'll see a lot more very shortly."

Elsewhere in the interview Soderlund hinted that a Mass Effect trilogy remaster might be on the cards, something that the studio has been largely against up until now.

"The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can't announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully."

Andromeda is the the first Mass Effect that won't star Shepard, so the timing couldn't be better for a current-gen version of the original Commander's complete adventure. The diversity available through player choice has us positively giddy at the possibly of revisiting it's intricate sci-fi world.

Electronic Arts (otherwise known as EA), disappointed many fans when they announced that they had no interest in remastering the famous sci-fi trilogy, Mass Effect. This came as a bit of a surprise, considering that remastering old and popular games has proven to be a profitable course of action for other video game companies. However, EA possibly let the cat out of the bag when they teased a possibility that the Mass Effect trilogy may get a remaster, after all.

Patrick Soderlund, EA's executive Vice President, had an intriguing conversation with Game Informer about remasters, and his response has raised some eyebrows:

"What's changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke. There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can't announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully."

Based on the statement of Soderlund, everything should be taken with a grain of salt. It would be uncharacteristic for EA not to take advantage of this cash-grab strategy, but that does not make the remaster official. After hearing this information, we can only hope that the remastered version of the Mass Effect trilogy is in the works.

There hasn't been a new entry in the Mass Effect series since 2012's Mass Effect 3, the final game of the trilogy covering the story of Commander Shepard, and his or her battle against the mysterious and devastating Reapers. The good news for Mass Effect fans is that the newest entry, Mass Effect: Andromeda, is finally visible on the horizon. As I covered earlier this week, the game recently received a new teaser trailer for this year's E3 conference, and is still on pace for a release sometime in "early 2017."

With that said, now is the perfect time for those who are curious about the Mass Effect franchise to dive into the original trilogy and experience it for themselves. New players might be curious which of Shepard's various teammates throughout the series are the most helpful in the various firefights they will find themselves in through all three games. Here are my top 5 teammates for new Mass Effect players, presented in no particular order along with the games they appear in.

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Liara T'Soni

Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2*, Mass Effect 3

The operation to rescue Liara from a detachment of Saren's forces, including a final showdown with a particularly hardy krogan commander and his geth troops, is in my honest opinion one of the most difficult moments to overcome early in a first playthrough of Mass Effect, but the reward is well worth it. Though she is a researcher and academic by trade, Liara has powerful biotic abilities that give her flexibility on the battlefield. Powers like Warp and Throw (only ME1) are good single-target choices, while Singularity can hit multiple weaker targets at once, freeing up Shepard and the squad to focus on more urgent threats or pile onto the enemies left defenseless while in the radius. In the first Mass Effect, her Barrier can be the key to Liara surviving heated battles, since she won't be able to take as much damage as, say, Wrex. Liara's also great for setting up biotic combos with Shepard and the other teammate as well.

Liara's an available teammate from fairly early in Mass Effect and even earlier in Mass Effect 3, but you'll only be able to team up with her in Mass Effect 2 during the "Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC. You can compensate the rest of the time using Miranda and/or Samara, as necessary.

Garrus Vakarian

Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3

The always-dependable Garrus is a great choice for general damage-dealing purposes. Players who choose classes like Engineer or Infiltrator for their Shepard might find Garrus a godsend for the more chaotic firefights they encounter throughout the series. Abilities like Overload (which fries enemies' shields) and his Armor-Piercing Ammo are tailor-made counters for hardier enemies. Meanwhile others, like Concussive Shot, make for good crowd control. As an added bonus, he's available early on in every game in the series, meaning that Shepards with glaring combat weaknesses have the option to compensate relatively quickly. Garrus isn't the flashiest or most unique ally, but he always makes battles easier, and that in itself is a great asset.

Urdnot Wrex / Grunt

Mass Effect (Wrex), Mass Effect 2 (Grunt, pictured above)

This will probably come as no surprise, but the two krogan teammates Shepard encounters throughout the series are natural tanks, great at attacting and soaking up a ton of damage before dishing it back out to enemies. Wrex in Mass Effect is particularly handy to have around, because his biotic abilities further extend his versatility and survivability in battle. He has many of the same abilities as Liara (not her Singularity though, unfortunately), but isn't a pure biotic. The meat of his power comes from his weapons, while his biotic powers can soften up tough targets for both himself and the rest of Shepard's team. Grunt eschews biotic power and serves solely as a tank, but an incredibly sturdy and powerful one. One particular research project, his Claymore shotgun, makes him devastating at close range, making him a great decoy for players who prefer to snipe from afar with Shepard rather than charge right in.

Thane Krios

Mass Effect 2

For those players who do like to charge right in, and therefore chose a class such as Vanguard for their Shepard, here's a quality sniper to consider to cover your back. While Garrus can operate as a sniper, and a pretty good one, Thane seems to be, more equipped for the job. For example, his biotic powers (especially Warp, one of my favorite powers in the entire series) are perfect for softening targets, which can then make them susceptible to one of his perfectly placed sniper's bullets. His loyalty power, Shredder Ammo, acts exactly as its name suggests, which can benefit him up close with his SMG, and from afar with his rifle. The only downside to Thane is that he isn't available until fairly late in the game (and only in Mass Effect 2, sadly), but at least this gives you time to tailor Shepard's skill tree and determine his or her vulnerabilities. Thane's precision can make the final "suicide mission" a much easier affair if he's added to Shepard's squad. 

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy

Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3

I have to admit, I saved my favorite teammate for last here. In all my time playing the Mass Effect series, Tali almost never leaves my squad when she's available. Some part of this probably has to do with my personal fascination with the quarians, but I prefer her over almost everyone else because her skill set can easily turn the tide of battle. She's pretty frail, as teammates go, which makes positioning key to keeping her alive. She primarily uses SMGs and shotguns, which makes her skilled in mid- to close-range combat. It is her tech powers as an engineer, however, that make her valuable on the battlefield. She can hack electronic targets, making her particularly lethal against the geth (naturally, being a quarian and all), but also against targets such as Cerberus Atlas mechs in Mass Effect 3.  My personal favorite among her skills is her combat drone, whom she affectionately calls "Chatikka" in Mass Effect 2. Once fully upgraded, it's capable of wreaking absolute havoc on targets, distracting or outright destroying them. It can be used in tense firefights to buy a few seconds, which can be critical to get a wounded Shepard into cover to heal. The other teammate, or Shepard for that matter, can also use the drone to distract enemies, and then flank them for easier battles. She can also use Energy Drain to take the shield energy of enemies to refuel her own, and in Mass Effect 3 she can deploy a defensive drone to complement the offensive combat drone and protect herself, as well.

For the Mass Effect veterans out there: does your Top 5 list look completely different? Do you have any insight you want to share with newcomers? Please feel free to leave a comment below!

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I’m probably one of the few people in the universe who liked the basic mechanics of the original Mass Effect weapons. I thought that it was great that I didn’t have to worry about finding cartridges on the ground in order to replenish my ammunition. I believe that is one of the original tropes of shooters that was tired by the time that Mass Effect hit the scene. I was glad to see it gone. Of course, the cartridge system came back in Mass Effect 2, but in the game universe the guns worked on the same mechanical principles.

I do have a tiny beef with the guns of Mass Effect. Not as big of a beef as I have with the faster-than-light travel, but we can get into that on another day. The problem I have with the guns is a simple one: why is there recoil on any Mass Effect weapon?

"But it’s still a projectile weapon, Larry, of course, it’s going to have kickback, duh."

But would it? Would it really? To answer that question, we have to examine how the weapons in the Mass Effect universe work. So let’s science the shit out of that first.

Element Zero

Everyone knows what a macguffin is, right? It’s that thing in a story that has some kind of unexplained ability that moves the plot forward. Generally, the macguffin isn’t usually important to the overall plot but it helps move everything from point A to point B. Well, Mass Effect’s macguffin is element zero. Element zero doesn’t just move the plot forward, it kind of controls everything. In fact, element zero even affected the title of the game series: Mass Effect.

Element Zero, or eezo, comes from solid matter that is affected by the energy of a dying star. Although it’s unlikely that we would discover a brand new element when mining near a supernova, we do know that many of the existing elements that aren’t hydrogen or helium were formed when stars exploded. So I’ll give BioWare an A+ on the scientific creativity here, and give them a pass on eezo on the whole. I mean, this is fiction after all -- and if the only thing I have to suspend my disbelief on is this fantastical element, I’ll buy it. But that doesn’t excuse weapon recoil, yet.

According to the Mass Effect codex, eezo “releases dark energy which can be manipulated into a mass effect field, raising or lowering the mass of all objects within that field” when subjected to an electrical current. A positive charge makes the object more massive and a negative charge makes it less massive. I question the use of dark energy in the explanation of the effects of eezo. It seems that the writers are using dark energy as an anti-gravity, but that’s not exactly what it is. And for the purposes of this piece, it’s not really necessary to go into what dark energy is, but if you do want to know there’s a great video that you should watch about it.

Applying eezo to weapons

Of course, the way we hairless apes would first want to use this new discovery is by making weapons. In the Mass Effect universe, we applied this mass-reducing properties the ammunition in our guns. We take a sliver of metal, dip it in eezo, shock it with a negative current, and a explode a small bit of propellant behind it. And there you have a superfast bullet.

Thanks to the introduction of element zero, it now takes less force on the object to reach a specific acceleration. Mass, force, acceleration! Oh shit! Those are physics terms I can start plugging numbers. So let’s do that. This is simple physics, so don’t be scared.

Let’s math

Let’s take a weapon we know, like the Beretta 92 series. The 124 grain (or 8.04 gram) 9 mm bullet will travel at 335 m/s out of the barrel of a Beretta 92S, the standard US Army pistol with a 127mm barrel. We can calculate the acceleration with Newtonian physics v²=v₀²+2as. The first v is the ending velocity. The second v is the beginning velocity, which is 0. The a is acceleration, and the s is the length of the barrel. We solve for a like this:

a=v²/2s

For the Baretta 92S the acceleration is 441830.70866141732283464566929134, or to simplify, let’s say 4.4 x 10⁵ m/s².

But we need another formula to calculate the force on the bullet, which is measured in newtons. And everyone should know that force equals mass time acceleration. I’m sure you have all heard that before.

F=ma

Plugging our numbers, and we get 3537.6 N. This is good times and not super big or small numbers. I can work with this. So now we know all the numbers that it takes to kill a person with a Beretta hand gun. And we also know, thanks to Newton’s third law that there is disbursed 3537.6 N pushing back on your hand. (The exact calculation for recoil is much more complicated, and there is actually a really nice wiki page on it.) For the sake of argument, let’s say that’s the amount of force that causes the kickback you see in Mass Effect, because that’s very similar to the kind of kickback that you’d see in real life.

So that would mean that if there was significantly less force applied to the bullet, there would be significantly less or no kickback.

Thanks to eezo, we can reduce the mass of the bullet. So let’s be really efficient and reduce the bullet to 1/10th its mass. Using the same amount of force as the Beretta example, that would push the bullet to 4.4 x 10⁷ m/s². To give you a reference, that’s over 10,000 times the speed of sound. And if resistance and gravity wasn’t a factor, you could literally shoot that bullet to the moon in less than a second. That’s insane and completely inefficient and unnecessary.

So let’s reverse that. Let’s see how many newtons it would take to push a bullet of less mass to the same speed. Our mass is 0.0804g and the acceleration we are looking for is 4.4 x 10⁵ m/s². Well, that’s easy, we just plug that into our force formula: F=ma, and we get, unsurprisingly 353.76 N. To put that in perspective: a ten year old is exerting that amount of force on the Earth right now by standing still. And that’s hardly enough force to push your hand back the way that Mass Effect guns do.

Now you might be thinking that they could be increasing the mass of a smaller projectile. Maybe they are, but as you can see, that would be even less efficient. And do I even have to talk about the Geth beam weapons whose projectiles have zero mass because they are literally beams? No, I don't.

As usual, science is about testing and testing. What do you think of my hypothesis? Am I wrong? Could this be done a different way? Let me know in the comments below.

Mass Effect will be opening up a new Theme Park ride at Great America in Santa Carla, CA. It will launch on May 18th of this month and is called Mass Effect: New Earth 4D.  

 This up close and personal experience will place you on the Normandy with Commander Shepard. A live action performer will be playing the part of captain on your voyage while interacting with the holographic screen. You, along with the other ride participants, will be seated in an 80 seat theater equipped with motion seats, wind effects, water, leg pokers, neck tinglers, and surround sound. 

“It’s very important that we create an attraction that fits seamlessly in the world of Mass Effect, while including the elements we know are critical to making a good amusement park experience. We want to ensure that dedicated fans and park-goers being introduced to the franchise alike walk away thrilled and excited.”

-- Christian Dieckmann, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Growth at Cedar Fair Entertainment

Also to come to Great America theme park rides are Rabbids and Assassin's Creed. Nintendo may also soon be in the mix of up and coming attractions. The new Mass Effect game, Andromeda, is set to release sometime next year. 

Battlefield 5

Now don't go getting all excited, there hasn't been an official statement regarding Battlefield 5 yet, apart from various hints on a release date ranging from late 2016 to mid-2017. 

That being said, rumors on Battlefield 5's development are so widespread we couldn't leave it out of this list. Following last year's train wreck that was Battlefield: Hardline, hardcore fans are hoping to get back to the original theme of the series: military engagements.

If EA drops another Hardline on us, the Battlefield series might as well call it quits. Despite tons of sales and some surprisingly high reviews, all Hardline was, was a half-assed expansion of Battlefield 4 with no major gameplay changes, not even half as many weapons, items, maps, and game modes, and a ton of game-breaking glitches.

Players are hoping that EA drops Visceral Games as their new "Battlefield devs" and brings DICE back on as the sole creator of the series. If this happens, we can all rest easy. If not, well... I hope you Battlefield guys like Call of Duty.

Did we miss any?

Let us know in the comments section which Electronic Arts games you think could end up getting f**ked in 2016! 

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Not exactly Mass Effect 4, this game still has a huge fanbase anxiously awaiting its arrival. The "sequel" to the original trilogy takes place quite sometime after the events of the third installment, and doesn't feature the original cast, nor the original galaxy. Slated for release this holiday season, this reboot could change the entire nature of the Mass Effect series - and that, my friends, is the problem it's going to have to face.

There are some hardcore fanboys of the Mass Effect series out there; people who have dedicated significant portions of their lives to the games. If Andromeda wants to have a chance it will have to pay so much homage to the original series, they might as well have announced a legitimate Mass Effect 4.

Unless EA and BioWare can make this game as close to perfect as possible, fans will completely dismiss it and chances for further sequels will be trashed. 

Starting up a new series in the same universe as far as Mass Effect goes is a gamble. The reward could be outstanding, but is it worth the risk? I guess we'll find out this Christmas. 

Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Next on our list is one of my most anticipated games of 2016, so I'll be a little hurt if what I'm about to describe actually happens.

The original Mirror's Edge was a game changer (ha-ha). Paving the way for modern "advanced movement" shooters, Mirror's Edge was a totally unique title offering an extremely plain-with-saturated-splashes color palette, mostly peaceful gameplay, and simple, straightforward storyline. 

It was a fairly overlooked game during its time so I'll describe the basis of the game: parkour. The protagonist, Faith, would travel through a sparsely populated city, mantling objects, often running from mean guys with guns. That's about it - simple. 

As mentioned in the last slide on Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2, prequels and sequels tend to pile on too much to the simplicity of the original. It's not always best to pile on features, but developer/publishers seem to think it is.

Of the three options the devs could've taken on a Mirror's Edge 2 (prequel, sequel, different game - same universe), EA went with the hardest option: prequel (just look at how those Star Wars movies turned out). A general rule-of-thumb for a prequel is character expansion. The fans want to know how and why a character became the way they did, what's going on in their lives then versus now, and so on.

How the hell is EA going to keep their new Mirror's Edge game as simple as the original if they need to pile all of that storytelling on top? They probably won't. Let's pray that the writers for Mirror's Edge Catalyst have their heads on straight...

Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2

Releasing later this February, the newest addition to the Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare series has had a short but sweet rise to fame. The original game was praised by critics for being a suitable alternative to hardcore online shooters like Call of Duty. It gained a large "cult" following by turning what most people know about Pop Cap's PvZ mobile series on its head. 

How could the sequel be screwed up? Despite a widely successful beta, the Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare series is getting thick. By which I mean that the sequel is building directly onto the first game, making it more and more in-depth. There are more characters, weapons and abilities, maps, gamemodes, etc. There are cases where problems have arisen from games getting TOO full, something that might happen to this game. 

When a game - especially one directed towards a younger audience - gets so menu-complicated, it can be a turnoff and reduce from the silly PvZ fun that fans have come to expect from the series.

This one is a longshot, but given the proper - or improper - circumstances, it could end up screwy in the long run.

Electronic Arts is one of the most easily recognized game developer/publishers with hundreds of titles under its belt. With subsidiaries EA Sports popping out nearly every sports game you've ever heard of, BioWare creating sprawling 100+ hour RPGs, and DICE delivering well-known shooters such as Battlefield and Star Wars: Battlefront, it's hard to be a gamer and manage to avoid titles from EA.

Unfortunately for EA, like so many other companies, franchises have gone wrong. It's just something that happens in the world of gaming. One little mistake such as a small change to a character, the setting, DLC, microtransaction, or a game function can be the death of an entire game or series of games. Most of the time these errors occur with prequels, sequels, or other expansions on an existing fan-favorite series.  

We here at GameSkinny are gamers just like you. We don't WANT these things to happen, they're just a possibility. Join us in knocking on wood before heading to the next slide to see the first of four games that EA could f**k up in 2016.