Up late talking games & writing? You're...

.
.
Spent last night and part of today playing (surprise!) Mass Effect 2 on 360.
.
So far it's been a wonderful to return to a universe that I fell so hard for the first time around, and at the same time, I felt a bit of dismay over some of the changes. I’m still extremely early in the adventure so I’m not going to shoot my mouth off just yet (plenty of time for that later) but I will say that the game isn’t be the “insta-10” that some readers might have assumed I’d peg it as.
.

.
While on the topic of Mass Effect, if you haven’t played the first game, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing so before starting ME2. To that end, cool guy Andrew Doucet has created a pretty kick-ass PDF that clearly and concisely guides players to a full 100% completion of the original Mass Effect. I used it myself on my second playthrough, and ended up finding a few quests I had never seen before. This PDF is good stuff.
.
.
.
In the meantime, I had a ton of stuff to clear out of the inbox, so here it goes:
.
.
.
Games: I had the chance to play a pre-release version of the new title coming from Nathan Fouts over at Mommy’s Best Games – Shoot 1UP. I really can’t say enough good things about Nathan and what he’s doing. The guy’s ideas are just spot-on in so many ways, and this new title is no exception.
.

.
Shoot 1UP is a vertical shooter where the hook is that each life collected appears onscreen instantly. By collecting 1UPs, the player rapidly amasses a swarm of clone ships raining shots on the enemy. The cool thing about it was that the spread of ships could take up the entire bottom of the screen, or they could be retracted to the size of a single ship. Even better, when they’re spread out, they combine energy and unleash a massive laser that continuously blasts from the middle of the swarm.
.
If you’re a shooter fan, this is some pretty cool stuff going on here. It’s fresh, it’s original, and best of all, it features a boss that attacks with detachable robo-breasts. For more info, click HERE and look for the game to hit Xbox Live Indie in February.
.
.
.
Games: Chris Vandergaag over at The SideMission is having an easy-to-win contest with the prize being ANY GAME OF YOUR CHOICE! If you’ve got a funny FPS story to share, you’ve got some good odds at winning. Check it out HERE.
.
.
.
Comics: If you’re going to be in the Seattle area March 13-14 this year, the best ‘con in the Northwest has got something good going on. The Emerald City ComiCon will be hosting none other than living comics legend Stan Lee himself.
.

.
Stan needs no introduction, but if by some freak happenstance you haven’t heard of him…
.
Stan "The Man" Lee, whose legendary comic book career has spanned over 60 years, is the creative mind behind many of the biggest names in the comic book universe, including co-creating Iron Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Thor and numerous others, and his body of work is far and away the most extensive in the history of comic books.
.
The Eighth Annual Emerald City ComiCon will be taking place March 13-14, 2010 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in beautiful downtown Seattle, Washington and Stan Lee will be appearing on Saturday only.
.
For a complete list of events, guests, activities, ticket prices and times, visit THEIR SITE.
.
.
.
…Now, back to Mass Effect 2.
.
.