Mass Effect 3 gets multiplayer

Alright, so I was the only video games news writer that hadn't heard about the rumours.

Australian PC magazine PC Powerplay has confirmed the existence of the threequel's multiplayer, according to CVG.

This should make some interesting ripples in the Bioware pond. Bioware haven't previously been one for much multiplayer, but perhaps the upoming Old Republic has shown them just how fun it can be.

Personally, it won't sway me very much. I haven't played a Mass Effect game since ME1, and I refuse to play ME2 (despite having owned it since launch) without my saved game from the other game, which was tragically lost in a reformat.

I still miss it.

So unless I go mad and play through Mass Effect again, it's unlikely that I'll be playing ME3's multiplayer. I will be watching over my friend's shoulder though, and I look forward to seeing how it pans out.

But wow, imagine what Dragon Age multiplayer would be like.

Credit: CVG.

Batman Arkham City 'pretty good actually'.

In news that should surprise absolutely no-one, the new Batman game is very good indeed. CVG reports that some German site has given the game 92%, which on a traditional percentage scale is very high praise indeed.

I'm really not sure why this is news. CVG phrased it in a way that made it seem surprising. I thought it was pretty much a given that Arkham City would be amazing. Maybe it's just me.

Credit: CVG.

Notch tried to compromise with Bethesda.

Boo, evil Bethesda!

Notch has come out with the methods that he employed to stop Bethesda from suing him and his new game, Scrolls. Hell, Notch even tried to give them the trademark, but Bethesda seem to be adamant on suing. In my favourite part of this story, Notch challenged Bethesda to a game of Quake for the trademark, but was presumably turned down. Cowards!

I really don’t think it’s clever of Bethesda to be trying to sue Notch like this. He’s the creator of one of the most loved games on the PC right now, and subsequently one of the most loved PC personalities on the planet. Bethesda really shouldn’t be rocking the boat like this. Silly Bethesda.

Credit: CVG.

American age-rating for Skyrim released - 'sex, alcohol and bloody gore'.

'Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes and use of alcohol'.

It sounds like a typical Friday night, but it's actually part of the ESRB ratings document for the latest Elder Scrolls game, number five, Skyrim.

Without further ado, here is the full document:

'This is a fantasy role-playing game in which players assume the role of Dovakin, a prophesied figure with the power to combat dragons in the fictional world of Skyrim.

'As players traverse through mountainous open-world environments, they complete missions and quests that impact the eventual fate of their character. Players use swords, bows and arrows, axes, and magic attacks (e.g., fireballs, ice shards) to kill various enemies (e.g., wolves, dragons, human bandits and soldiers).

'As players engage in melee-style combat, some sequences are highlighted by slow-motion effects, particularly for decapitations. Large blood-splatter effects also occur during combat, and some environments are stained with blood or body parts (e.g., heads impaled on spikes).

'Some sequences allow players to injure/kill nonadversary characters, including prisoners chained to a wall; they scream in pain amid splashes of blood or fire.

'As the game progresses, the dialogue and on-screen text contains references to sexual material (e.g., '. . . all the whores your heart, or any other organ, desires,' 'She . . . raped the men as cruelly as Bal had ravished her,' and 'Remember when you thought [he] was . . . intent on making you . . . into his personal sex slave?').

'Alcohol such as wine, mead, and ale can be purchased and consumed by players' character throughout the game; and in one sequence, players can engage in a drinking contest with another character, which eventually results in slurred speech (e.g., 'One more. No problemsh . . . Thash grape!').'

Sounds good to me; it's everything that I expect from Grand Theft Skyrim.

Credit: CVG and ESRB.