effect

Game maker Electronic Arts is adding more diversity to its new multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic -- characters in same-sex relationships and plot lines.

Because of this, the company is coming under fire from some unlikely contingents for the gaming world -- anti-gay conservative groups such as the Florida Family Association and the Family Research Council.

"There were no LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] characters in any of the Star Wars movies," the Florida Family Association declared on its Web site. "So if BioWare, the maker of Star Wars video games, adds LGBT … Read more

Can Electronic Arts possibly be a worst company than, say, Bank Of America? Can it possibly offer more troubling customer service than even Facebook?

It seems that, in more than a few eyes, it can. For it has just been voted by readers of Consumerist as America's worst company. Yes, the worst. The very worst. The most irredeemably awful company of all.

The Hollywood Reporter tells me that some people were rather upset that Mass Effect 3 had a rather less satisfying ending than "The Sopranos." In conclusion, the customers stopped believing.

Gamers, just like any other … Read more

BioWare announced today Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut, a downloadable content pack due this summer that adds cinematic sequences and epilogue to the arguably lackluster ending of the popular space-bound role-playing game.

To further sweeten the deal, BioWare will give away the enhanced Mass Effect 3 ending free to gamers on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 consoles until April 2014.

"The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard's story," a BioWare representative said in a blog post. … Read more

Out of all the silly headlines that squirmed into my Google Reader feed yesterday, "Ashton Kutcher signed on to play Steve Jobs in upcoming biopic" stood out as the most obvious April Fools' prank, but the joke's on us when we find out today that it's true -- the star of such films as "The Butterfly Effect" and "What Happens in Vegas" will portray the Apple luminary in an indie film simply called "Jobs."… Read more

The original PhotoToaster ($1.99) was already a favorite among photo app users, and I've had a chance to check out a demo of PhotoToaster 3.0, which adds several new features to make the app an even stronger image editor.

New lighting adjustments and presets Several new one-touch presets have been added in the latest version including Clarify, Amplify, Bleach Bypass, Sketch, Dynamic HDR, and Dramatic. Each of the new effects I tried in my testing added even more options for playing with your images, and -- like the original -- you have the option to use sliders … Read more

Russ Frushtick is truly the Steve Martin of The 404 co-hosts, but we keep asking him back because well, someone has to talk about video games with Jeff, and it's not me. Speaking of, don't forget to wish Mubakalar a happy 30th birthday tomorrow, because this one's going to hurt.

There's lots to talk about with Russ, and first in the rundown is the ending to Mass Effect 3 and the secrets revealed this week about who signed off on it.

We'll also get Russ's take on ethics in gaming journalism and the future of the industry with regard to the new Apple iPad.… Read more

No spoilers here, folks. You'll have to look elsewhere for those, but it's no secret that the gaming ranks are getting all hot and bothered by the controversial ending to BioWare's Mass Effect 3.

The ire over the space-bound role-playing game has raised the fan discussion to levels previously reserved for television shows like "Lost" and "The Sopranos." It's left many gamers asking if the conclusion lived up to the prerelease promises.

There are even reports that one disappointed gamer felt so let down that he lodged a false advertising complaint with the FTC.… Read more

Sometimes, it pays to protest.

In the aftermath of fans of the BioWare game Mass Effect 3 nearly rioting over their displeasure about the game's conclusion, the publisher appears to be willing to consider new endings.

According to CNET sister site GameSpot, fans were unhappy with the game's ending, and its initial downloadable content, known as From Ashes.

"Members of the Mass Effect community even formed a charity petition called the Retake Mass Effect Chipin fund, collecting PayPal donations for the Child's Play charity as a way of encouraging BioWare to make alternate Mass Effect 3 endings," GameSpot wrote. "The fund has [now] amassed over $75,000." … Read more

Can't get enough Mass Effect? That's understandable--the newly released Mass Effect 3 for PCs and consoles is drawing rave reviews (though not everyone is wild about the ending).

If you own an iOS device, most notably a new iPad, here's good news: Mass Effect: Infiltrator ($6.99) delivers a new chapter in the saga, giving you the chance to fight as a new agent on a new world.

In other words, it's not just a rehash or port of one of the original Mass Effect games; it's an original chapter in the story, one that … Read more