For those new to the series, here is a quick overview of where the galaxy and most important where Shepard is at the start of the game.  Now the game has two time lines at the start depending on if gamers purchased the Arrival DLC for ME2.  If you have played the DLC, ME3 is about a year at the conclusion of the add on.  If not, its 6 months.  My advice, play the DLC for a much better view leading up to ME3.  The main storyline is that machines of great strength known as Reapers destroy all organic life every 50,000 years.  They leave behind technology for new species to discover and further their knowledge.  This technology is based around the Mass Relays which can instantly teleport ships across vast distances of space.  As organic life reaches its apex of evolution, the Reapers come and destroy them.  These cycles have gone on for about 37 million years, until now.  Commander Shepard of Earth is intent on stopping this from happening.  ME1 is the introduction to the Reapers and gives backdrops of different races and their own set of problems.  ME2 begins with an understanding of what the Reapers are and finding ways to defeat them.  ME3 is the final battle for life against overwhelming odds.  At the start of the Game Earth is attacked and overwhelmed by the machines.  Shepard is given a ship, the Normandy, to rally the other races against the Reapers in a last ditch hope for the preservation of life.

The goal of ME3 is rally as many races and ships together to take Earth back from the Reapers.  This is done in 3 different ways.  The main way is by completing the main storyline missions.  The general progression of the story rallies enough troops for the bare minimum success rate.  The second is doing what ME is about on and actively engaging in conversation with people.  Checking your journal entries in the menu will highlight certain artifacts that can be found by exploring planets in the galaxy map in Reaper controlled space.  Finding these artifacts will not only boost your war assets, but can give large XP and credit rewards to rank up Shepard.  Finally, playing multiplayer consistently will give Shepard the biggest advantage.  At the start of the game, you have a 50% drop in war assets.  Put simply, it you rally 2000 war assets, your overall effectiveness number is 1000.  By playing multiplayer, every successful extraction increases the effectiveness percentage by 3%.  Likewise, everyday where multiplayer is played, 3% is removed from the total.  Keep this in mind prior to making the finally push at the end of the game.

Similar to how the first two games are played, Shepard earns XP by completing primary and side missions. This experience goes to leveling him or her up to increase weapon damage or biotics.  ME3 has 60 ranks for Shepard to reach.  If gamers import a ME2 character, Shepard starts at 30.  Also, gamers can import ME3 characters who have already completed the campaign with whatever rank they finished at.  This is helpful if gamers with to make an Insane difficulty run and highly recommended.  Depending on Shepard’s training, some powers are default while most must be unlocked to leveling.  Each power has 6 slots, the first 4 being specific to the power, while the last 2 are passive and can effect others in the squad.  Be sure to look around the ship in between missions as there are locations where Shepard can reset his powers or buy a bonus ability that would not have be available to that character class.

Weapons used by Shepard and squad mates have also changed.  The first two ME games limited weapons Shepard could use depending on the class he was.  ME3 has no limits except for your squad.  The biggest upgrade to the weapons is incorporating weight to the guns.  The higher the weight, the less often Shepard can use his powers.  Classes that specialize certain weapons will have passive upgrades to decrease the weight, but it is a good idea to check your weight prior to deploying to a mission.  If your a biotic and your carrying a sniper rifle and sub-machine gun, your power recharge time will be hindered greatly.  Be sure to also balance your squad as well.  If your a soldier, its probably a good idea to bring a biotic and tech expert with you to even out the field.  Enemies are much more cunning and deceptive in this game, especially on harder difficulties.  Weapons themselves can also be purchased and upgraded similar to ME1.  After a weapon is found or purchased, go down to the Armory level of the Normandy to upgrade to gun.  This will improve the weight, capacity, and damage making all guns more reliable.  Also, guns now have two attachments that can be found or added.  Examples are barrel extensions to increase damage, a scope for your pistol, or lightweight material for your SMG.  These attachments can also be upgraded.  All guns and attachments have a level 5 max upgrade.  Another new feature to weapons is the firing range.  This is located in the Spectre’s office on the Citadel. After you get a new weapon, fire off a couple rounds to see if you like it before upgrading it.  Most guns can cost 15,000 credits to upgrade to level 5, with snipers costing closer to 30,000.  This will save you money to spend on other things, like fish.

Now I wish I could dive deeper into the story of ME3, but there is so much to say and too many spoilers for each mission.  But here is a once help tip, all storylines will come full circle before the last mission.  If you have played the first two games, you know that each race has a secret or hardship they are fighting for.  This game brings all of that to a close.  Also prior to the final mission, Shepard will be asked by Adm. Hackett if he is ready to go.  Be sure that you are, because the next 2 hours of gameplay can not be saved and no further missions can be done.  So if you have to leave, pause the game and hope your Xbox doesn’t shut off.  No matter the difficulty, the last mission will test you both in combat and emotionally.  I will be the first one to say some sequence may have brought a tear to one eye.  Remember the scale of game and what you have fought for the last 100 hours of gameplay between the 3 games.  If you have been involved and played the missions with heart, the realism of the game is immense.  So enjoy the campaign and talk to people, might be the last time you can.

In The Box:  The X41 comes package similar to the X4.  There is the main base unit, the headset, 2 AAA batteries, a 3 foot fiber optic cable, and a USB power cable for the base unit.  Changed from the AC adapter for the X4′s base, the USB will plug into any USB 2.0 connection for power.  This allows users to use the headset in almost any device.  Blu-Ray players and computers are the two most popular secondary uses.  On the back of the base unit are multiple inputs.  There is a red/white phono plug set, fiber optic in/out, and a headphone 1/8in connector.  This allows for every connector type used today in audio to be plugged in.

The Specs:  The headset is powered by 2 AAA batteries.  The Turtle Beach website claims the batteries will last for 25 hours, however, 10 to 15 hours is average. If the headset is used for voice communication like Xbox, expect to see a shorter life use.  Like the X4′s, there is a bass boost feature on the headset, however, what was a switch before is now a button. When plugging into an Xbox controller, the headset switch changed dramatically as well.  Instead of a base plug piece, it is a simply 1/8in plug.  The volume and mute keys are located on the wire which hangs about 6in off the headset plug end.  It takes some getting used to, but after a bit, it isn’t noticeable.

The Sound:  This headset has the highest quality of sound, period.  Every game of CoD Black Ops felt like I had an advantage over the enemy as I knew where every step was coming from.  To be able to go prone in a field and instantly know where then enemy was coming from is a huge advantage. The headset also was amazing to listen to while watching movies. Since 7.1 is a standard on Blu-Ray, it made even dull movies exciting to listen to.  The highest example was using the X41′s while watching Star Wars on Blu-Ray.  It was like being in the X-wing pilot seat while Tie Fighters surrounded you.

The Down Side:  As mentioned before, battery life is a huge upset.  I found myself going through batteries sometimes an 8-pack a week.  Lithium batteries were the only ones able to last the full estimated 25 hours, but the cost was about the same.  Also, since the X41s use an RF 2.4ghz frequency, wireless routers and phones can interfere with the signal as well as weather from outside.  Every time it would thunderstorm outside, the headset was distorted or would just cut out.  Even when my laptop would connect to the router, I would have fuzzy signal quality. Finally, the headset top band that goes over the head is made of leather instead of a plush pad as with the X4s.  While most gamers would not mind, I had to take more frequent breaks with the headset off to avoid headaches.  (The last issue is not a design flaw, but a personal preference.)

Bottom Line:  This is amazing headset.  With the best sound and bass in the wireless market, it is a winner for almost anyone.  Gamers who love the shooters will enjoy the pin-point accuracy it provides on movement. Movie lovers will enjoy crisp, powerful sound without waking up others.  And everyone will enjoy the recent price cut down to $139.99.  If you have the money and lots of extra batteries, give this headset a shot.  You may not want to take it off.

(Warning:  Wearing this headset in public will make you look strange and your sanity will be questioned.  Please use indoors only.)        

The story starts off immediately with the Saints doing what they do best, robbing a corporate bank.  This sets the tone of the game as they are arrested and discover a new gang called the Syndicate wants the Saints out of the way so they can gain city control.  Since the end of the second game, the Saints are now a household name with clothing stores and movie deals.  The end goal of the game is to win back the city and defeat the three gangs that are causing all the problems.  The gangs are The Deckers, the MorningStar, and the Luchadores. The Deckers are a group of hackers that intends to rule the digital world.  The MorningStar are business men and extremely attractive woman with sleek cars and helicopters who provide sex and weapons. The Luchadores are Mexican wrestlers that are the muscle.  All three work for the Syndicate run by a man called Loren.  Following the bank heist and the Saints arrest, Johnny Gat is killed and the Saints seek blood for their fallen member.  So to accomplish this goal, the leader of Saints played by the gamer, must build up the Saints to the empire they once were and kill everyone in their path.  A new twist to the gang structure is the introduction of the STAG military that intervenes about halfway through the game.  STAG’s goal to erradicate the gangs in Steelport and has it out especially for the Saints. This inconvenience makes life difficult for gamers and much more fun as the weapons and vehicles are pretty awesome to use.

Major differences between this game and Saints 2 is the upgrade structure. The developers made it simpler to upgrade your character through the games progression by making everything money based.  Saints 2 had multiple side missions that if completed, the player could achieve infinite ammo and take less damage.  Now, these perks can be purchased as the game progresses.  There is still a rank structure based of respect points that can be gained through wearing different clothes, tricking out your vehicles, and completion of missions.  The higher the rank the player gains the more unlocked bonuses the player can purchase.  Everything about the player can be accessed by hitting the “Back” button on the controller and using the update smartphone. This makes it possible now to buy completely invincible and have infinite ammo.  So if you have trouble with certain missions try buying more upgrades to help out.  After defeating the bosses of the three gangs the player can get access to their cribs.  Customization of the crib will also increase your experience and money intake as well as turning your crib to an epic building masterpiece.  All vehicles and aircraft can be found at each location as well as weapons, clothing and gang customization.

Side missions are still in the game, however have a different structure than the previous game.  Missions will have money payouts as well as respect points and are labeled as easy, medium and hard.  Gamers can redo easier missions for more money but will cease to gain respect from them.  These missions are scattered throughout the city and can be found through the use of the GPS built into your phone.  Other missions can be found in your phone under Contracts.  These missions are from gang members that include killing certain people finding porn crates hidden in the city and my personal favorite the Streaking payout.  This involves having your character get naked and run around the city freaking people out.  Best to do this during the day as there are more people to run into.  These contracts are pretty easy to accomplish and can really boost your income quickly. 

Saints Row the Third lives up to expectations as devilishly wild game with too much mature content to get into.  Appropriately given an “M” rating, really drives to the limit of what a game can and can’t do. Gamers will enjoy the missions as they all involve killing lots of gang members while wearing outrageous clothing.  The drawback to the game is the lack of replayability.  DLC for the game has not yet released new missions just new weapons and clothing.  There is a mission pack to be released towards the end of March, yet no word on how much gameplay will be added.  If I can get at a good price, I would pick it up and give it a run through.  The laughter brought from this game will keep you going for days.  If you get bored, RoosterTeeth has an entire segment dedicated to just what players can do in the game.  Overall, a great game to play and laugh at.   

For those who purchased the DLC called the Arrival for ME2 you’ll know that the Reapers are here from dark space.  For those who didn’t, they are here, and given events in the opening sequence about a year has passed from the end of the Collectors in ME2.  Shepard has been grounded and stripped of his rank and N7 status.  Following some brief discussions between Admiral Anderson and Shepard players see that not only are the Reapers close but the invasion of Earth has just begun.  The first level is a brief tutorial to familiarize new comers to the controls.  The basic story is Shepard is reinstated, has the Normandy SR3 and now must convince the Council to unite against the Reapers.

The next level is much farther into the campaign and has Shepard reunited with Wrex (if he survived ME1), Garrus, and Liara.  Mordin is also present but does not appear to be on Shepard’s squad.  The mission goal is to get a female Krogan from the Salarian homeworld and bring her back to Tuchanka so she can have babies.  However, for unknown reasons, Cerberus is now enemies of Shepard and is trying to kill the female Krogan.  This brings the main combat to the level and really showcases the improvements made to the combat mechanics.  Gamers with the Kinect system will be able to use voice commands to control their squads movements, powers and target selection.  The end of the mission has a mini boss to take down, a super mech known as an Atlas.  A couple bursts from Garus’s overload makes short work of this beast and the mission ends.  The level takes about 10 minutes from start to finish for anyone familiar with ME.

Now the multiplayer brings a whole new enjoyment level to the game.  I have been playing many games with people who had no interest in ME3 until they tried the multiplayer and became hooked.  The co-op levels are designed for 4 players to work together all the time.  This goes for combat and planning prior to the missions on which characters are going to be played.  As I stated before gamers now have the ability to choose different races and different styles.  The fact is, the more diverse the party is the better chances you have to make it through all 11 levels.  Players have options to customize their looks, powers, weapons and equipment add-ons.  During the mission players will have objectives to complete.  These are not optional and failure to do so in the time allotted will fail the mission.  However, successful completion in a fast time will grant the players credits. Also, the harder the difficulty the more credits everyone gets.  So far the objectives are target elimination of 4 enemies, hacking a computer for data and enabling 4 targets spread through the map.  No word on more objectives for the full game yet, but with the total number of maps being more than 10 players can expect a few more surprises.  At the end of every mission players have the option to purchase equipment packs with their credits.  These packs have new weapons, characters, XP and weapon add-ons.  XP is also earned by kills, teamwork and successful completion of the mission.  The XP is goes to increasing your rank and unlocking more powers for your character.  The demo has two maps to play on and offers the players 3 difficulties to test themselves with.  The levels are designed to be difficult with a wide variety of enemies to change up the balance of power.  Average completion times for bronze (normal) is about 25 minutes, silver (hardcore) is about 35 minutes and gold (insane) is probably about an hour.  The most I have been able to complete on gold is wave 9.

ME3 certainly isn’t holding anything back for their final game and promises to wrap up all story lines. Right now, the game is to be released with either 2 or 3 disks and will require a HDD for your Xbox. So that in itself says the total game will be massive. This review just showcases some of the highlights of the demo. When the full game is released in a week, expect to see to two reviews, one for the campaign and one for the multiplayer. If you haven’t downloaded the demo yet, do yourself a favor and do it now. It’s free and certainly a wonderful experience.

Headquarters on Havana:

We held our own for the beginning of the first match but we were not prepared for their use of Grenade launchers and Tactical Inserts and they were able to get 2 very long HQ Captures while we were scrambling to adjust. Their control of the map forced us to run from our spawn at the fountain in the back of the map which also gave them a huge boost in HQ Points.

Capture the Flag on Array:

The second Match was brutal – 8BB’s CTF strategy was very solid and IceManFlick devastated us in kills – Holding us in the killbox – watching as they captured our flag.

Good games, Putin will be learning from this experience!

Round 1: HQ 150-30

Round 2: CTF 3-0, 1-0

Check IRON Watchtower’s fileshare for the recording (available for a limited time).