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God of War III looks amazing. I can’t stress that enough, and I’m still impressed even after having completed the game for review. But according to the game’s director, Sig Asmussen, there’s plenty of room for improvements, which we’ll see in Sony Santa Monica’s next title. 

“Well, I think our studio will use this engine again,” he told me today, “and it’ll get better. And I think we’re probably about 50- or 60-percent at it right now. I think there’s a lot more we can do with it.”

What improvements could be made? For one, Asmussen says the game’s animation system could be tweaked. In fact, he says they already have the tech. 

“I think individually our animations are incredible,” he said, “and our animators are incredibly talented. But I think we could make our system technically better, in the way we blend animations. And I’m pretty sure that we already have the code to do that, and we just didn’t implement it in God of War III because it came in real late.”

He also points to other obvious engine improvements, including lighting, seamlessly transitioning from cut-scenes to gameplay, and more. 

While this might seem like a “captain obvious” — of course it’s working to improve its engine — looking at God of War III, it’s exciting to imagine what could come next. My head, it has exploded.  

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I was all ready to jump in with my old Shepard and Mass Effect 2 for a spin. However, I was shocked to learn that my old flame was no longer really receptive to my feelings. Bioware had a new set of romantic subplots for me to choose from though. There was Miranda (who seemed to be up on her high horse a bit too often for me), Tali (who seemed honest in her feelings, but that weak immune system makes things complicated), and perhaps the most complex of the choices, Jack.

From here on, you are forewarned, we are entering spoiler country.

Upon first meeting Jack, I felt like I was not going to like her much at all. She had the exact kind of attitude that I hate; and I believe this video just about sums it up.

As I talked to her, I noticed there was something funny about the way she acted. It was like she was trying too hard to be the bad girl. Missions went by, and I learned more about Jack. The woman had a hard life. From being used for her talents or her body, being suckered into trusting people, and even a story that heavily implied that she was raped, it’s hard to tell if she had one social interaction that did not end negatively. Surely this would help form her overly negative kill or be killed attitude, but it seems that underneath there is something else.

Then her loyalty mission came. She seemed anxious to confront the earliest stage of her life and erase it. Coming into the planet, I begin to see her change. She was nervous and looked like she wanted to run away, but I brought her to her object, encouraged her to find strength in what she endured, and convinced her to show mercy to another person trapped in the past. On the way out, I briefly notice a sad look on her face as she detonates the facility where she spent her earliest known years.

Briefly afterword, I went to check on Jack. At first she was thankful, but then her conditioning takes over. She demands to know what Sheppard wants, saying “You eyeing me up? Because if this is just about sex, maybe you should just fucking say so.”

This is where things get intriguing. While the subplot involving Jack is a “romance,” it feels wrong to tell her yes and just go at it. If anything, it justifies her world view, that everyone wants something and that Sheppard is no exception. Should I sleep with her here, she clams up and won’t let me get closer to her, in effect causing me to fail at the romance.

So I tell her I want to know her first. This initially serves to frustrate her, and she closed up for a time. Then she told me. She wasn’t always on her own. She had a partner at one point, and they were on the verge of a big score when she got caught. While her partner could have run off with the loot, he instead came back and saved her, dying in the process. This confused Jack, but the true blow was yet to come. A time sensitive message played for Jack, detailing the plans for the future he wanted to share with Jack had he survived. He was closer to her than anyone, and it hurt her. Sheppard’s advances reminded her of all this, and she told me she needed time to think.

Fast forward to the climax of the game, and on my way to the Omega 4 Mass Relay, this happens:

The scene is little more than some making out and crying, but that is what makes it work. It would not make much sense to me if they did go at it right then and there. Jack finally opened up completely, admitting to Sheppard that she needs someone to care about. This would, of course, put her in an extremely fragile emotional condition. Sleeping with her here would be a bad move, and could later reinforce her previous “everyone’s after something” view on life. If all Sheppard did was comfort her, then that would set the foundation for a trusting relationship. Jack’s peaceful smile at the end hints to me that they opted to take it slow.

So what does this have to say about sex in gaming as a whole?

That can be looked at many ways, but to me it shows a bit of maturity in the approach. Jack’s hyper sexualized appearance certainly doesn’t say much, but the approach to the positive resolution to her romantic subplot shows that sometimes, you have to take it slow. Should Sheppard choose to take her up on her initial offer, the player is shown a brief, PG-13 style love scene that shows little more than the fulfilling of a momentary spark of lust. This results in nothing; however, as no lasting relationship is formed, and Jack is openly hostile towards Sheppard should he try to talk to her. If the player is more sensitive to Jack’s feelings, none of that anger is present.

Sometimes it’s more rewarding to take the more mature route.

_{This promoted blog was written for our March Monthly Musing assignment, “Write something about sex.” You too could get promoted if you write something about sex in videogames over on the Community Blogs.}

In case you haven’t heard the good news, Pop’n Music Portable is on its way to the PSP, complete with 9-button mode and the classic art style fans have come to love. Now according to these screenshots spotted on Andriasang, this version also appears to include some kind of story, career or adventure mode as well.

In the gallery you’ll see a few shots of Mimi standing on a board game type of map, which you’ll presumably have to work your way through in order to unlock new songs and such. That should add a nice layer of depth to the game, and it’ll be fun to see what the other characters she meets along the way are up to. 

You’ll also see that the game retains the familiar Pop’n look while you’re actually playing the songs, which should promote a sigh of relief for fans who might have been anxious after seeing the upcoming Wii game. Check it all out and let us know what you think.

It’s funny how you often meet people on the Internet through unusual and fleeting circumstances. 

For example, weeks ago I’d heard that they were making a Tucker Max movie so I checked out the site, bracing myself for a story about sorostitute midgets doing helicopter spins on him in a stolen hearse.  Instead, his blog was about how the Chicago Transit Authority had pulled all of the I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell ads because they found the ad campaign was demeaning to women. I look at the banner and it says "Strippers will not tolerate disrespect. (Just Kidding)."  Is this really worse than the "I support single moms" shirts that the cool kids wear to school? They were looking for people to help spread the word (and I’m always a sucker for the underdog) so I got in touch, and to my surprise they had a gaming story for me. There was a Halo cameo in the movie with something special too: a unique controller made just for the film.

Legendary game hardware hacker Benjamin Heck was approached by the movie’s prop people for a "highly customized Xbox 360 controller for a game-obsessed character".  The controller didn’t actually have to be functional, but knowing Ben he absolutely did make it real — and gave them two for backup. Destructoid is now happy to bring you the exclusive clip of Drew raping someone with it in Halo. Warning: it has NSFW language, but nothing your baby nephew doesn’t already say on Xbox Live. 

Surprisingly, the controller looks rather comfortable and practical.  I think I want it (also, inside of me).

Square Enix and Taito are have updated the classic Arkanoid for WiiWare. Arkanoid Plus! will have multiplayer, co-op, arcade mode, time mode, 122 levels and tons of upgrades and power-ups. There’s no release date yet, but expect it "soon."

Arkanoid type games are some of my favorite. These type of games relax me more so than any other game out there and I view them as Zen type gaming. Sure, sometimes there’s a ton of stuff happening on the screen, but I never get excited or frantic when it happens. 

Also, the music in the trailer is pretty dope. 

Starting October 12 and continuing until supplies run out, Nintendo will be offering a Wii Sports Resort bundle that includes an extra Wii MotionPlus accessory for $59.99. Ordinarily, the two would cost $69.99 when purchased separately, so there’s some savings to be had.

For anyone who has played the game before, you know you can’t own Wii Sports Resort without a second Wii MotionPlus; it defeats the whole purpose. It’s weird Nintendo hasn’t offered such a package until now, and even weirder that it’s a limited edition run. We’ll take what we can get, however.

As I imagine is the case for a considerable number of you, Wii Sports Resort is something I mostly use to entertain "non-gaming" friends and family. It may not get much use on a day to day basis, but all things considered, it’s a worthy investment long term.

Some Halo 3: ODST owners are having trouble finishing the fight. In a recent thread on the official ODST message board, a fair few players have been reporting that they are receiving read errors when using the “Campaign” disc. The problem arises, in most cases, immediately before a cut-scene begins to load.

This is bummer, obviously, but as Joystiq notes, Bungie is looking into it. A representative is probing those with issues and the community itself came up with a sound solution: download the game to the hard drive. The other mini-solution is to remove the hard drive entirely and then play.

For once, our Xbox 360s are cooperating. How is yours handling ODST?

[via Joystiq]

Sega hit’s all the right marks with their impressive booth, one corner features family friendly titles, sprayed with a nice shade of sky blue. While the opposite corner showcases Baynonetta, in black and red with blood covered stairs for that extra tang. There’s more balls for your monkey, but no sign of a 2D hedgehog. Keep an eye out for any booth babes in pink dresses. I’m a fan of turquoise dresses myself, personally.

Koei is known for its strategy games and its endless hack n’ slash sequels. One thing it’s not really famous for is its RPG library, so I’m very eager to see how Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll fares when it finally arrives. A brand new trailer has been blasted from Koei’s PR knob all into our media mouths, so enjoy the sweet blog drippings.

The video shows off gameplay for (I think) the very first time, and it’s certainly not the turn-based JRPG I was expecting. In fact, the combat shares more than a few visual similarities with Dynasty Warriors, in that there’s a lot of hacking and a lot of slashing going on. While I guess I had to expect that from Koei’s internal Omega Force studio, I really was hoping for more of a dramatic departure. 

We’ll have to see how it goes. Hopefully the combat is more "RPG-esque" when one actually gets their hands on it. Nevertheless, I’m always keen to see Omega Force take a creative break from Dynasty Warriors, so I look forward to seeing how this game develops.