Mass Effect 2 - FemShep vs Praetorian - Final Showdown on Horizon

When I visited Horizon with my FemShep, I chose to take Zaeed and Grunt with me for maximum firepower! And not surprisingly, even in Insanity difficulty, Horizon actually seemed rather easy. Grunt is well-known as a Husk-expert, and Zaeed's skills with an assault rifle came in pretty handy. That is, until the final boss showed up to challenge us.

The Praetorian is a huge insect-type boss, with two high-damage attacks. The first one, which looks like a concentrated disruptor beam, can deal massive damage in seconds. Staying exposed to it for more than 3 - 4 seconds in Insanity difficulty can send FemShep tumbling down to the ground, followed by the quickload option. The second attack is a series of AOE energy pulses, which the Praetorian emits every time its shield is depleted and it lands to recharge. Thankfully, the range of the pulse is quite short. 

I am also thankful to Bioware for ensuring that the Praetorian comes alone. In the exposed battlezone of Horizon, a Praetorian teamed up with lackeys would drastically tip the balance in favor of the Collectors.

Anyway, my battle strategy was quite simple this time around. I just turned on Warp ammo, and started blasting the giant insect as quickly as I possibly could. Strangely, the Praetorian never focused its attention on my squadmates, but rather kept following Shep around. That certainly helped me quite a bit. In an intense battle like this, having to micromanage squadmates constantly can be quite irritating!

Have a look at the encounter, in the video below:

Have you completed this section of Mass Effect 2? How was your experience with the Praetorian? Let me know in the comments!

Harbinger - Final Boss Fight - Overlord

The Overlord is the big, bad ruler of the Harbinger. His past is shrouded in mystery, but as I gathered from NPC conversations in the early and middle stages of the adventure - he was a human at some point of time in the past. That was until he apparently woke up one fine morning and decided that he hated his looks. Other than this, there is no satisfactory explanation for his sudden transformation from a wimpy captive to the tyrant ruler of the massive intergalactic prison ship.

Reaching the Overlord is no easy task. I had to go toe to toe with a dozen or so of Silverbacks (quadruped robots capable of inflicting huge damage in a short time) before I stumbled across the entry point to the Overlord's chamber. And those encounters were definitely some of the toughest I had, in the entire game.

A word of caution for newbies - the first couple of Silverbacks you face will go down pretty easily. I am not sure whether this was done intentionally. However, the ones you face after that will take considerably more punishment before getting dismantled. Oh, and don't bother using mines if you are playing as the human hero. Somehow, Silverbacks seemed to be immune to those.

The Overlord's entry was quite impressive (check out the vid below to see what I mean), and the first time I saw him, I was quite impressed by the way he looked. His armor looked magnificent, and he packed a weapon that looked like a machine gun, but spewed extremely damaging plasma bolts. Besides, there were two turrets on both sides of the chamber that kept zapping me (till I blasted those to bits, that is), as well as a couple of energy voids that were constantly draining the energy of my gun. The last problem was not difficult to deal with though; all I had to do was run around a bit to let my gun build up its energy reserves again. Plus, there are two energy recharging stations, which I was using quite frequently.

However, in spite of all these seemingly overbearing odds, the final boss battle was the easiest one I had fought in the entire game. For one thing, the Overlord is very slow on his feet, and I would like to put extra stress on the "very slow" part. He often tried to close the distance and use his melee-range shockwave on me, but I avoided those simply by running around him! And the plasma bolts he fired were also slow enough for me to dodge those almost every time. Of course, I guess I should be a bit thankful for this. In that cramped space, the power armor wearing galoot of a boss ensured that I could survive the battle without crunching down one health pack after another every few seconds!

Anyway, let's have a look at possibly the slowest and easiest boss battle in Harbinger, shall we?

Well, that's it! My journey through the Vantir-infested Harbinger is over. Will I be back here? Hmm... maybe in the near future, but not too soon! I really need a game with a slightly faster pace now!

Quake 3 Arena - Longest Yard - Hurt Me Plenty

Quake 3 = shooter.

Shooter = Quake 3.

That was pretty much my idea about FPS games 12 years ago, when I first got my hands on the demo of Quake 3 Arena. Those 4 maps sucked at least a few hundred hours out of my life, before I decided to take a plunge and get the full version, back in 2001.

Since then I have played quite a few excellent shooters. I have shot a banshee out of the sky with an assault rifle in Halo, punched a hole through the head of Pinky Demon with a shotgun in Doom 3, turned on Strength mode and punched a Korean soldier dead in Crysis... and ... well, the list could go on for quite some time. Still, no other shooter has been able to steal the place that Quake 3 has earned in my heart.

Recently, I was going through my YouTube channel, and suddenly noticed that I had not uploaded anything about Quake 3 yet. So, out came the dusty old disc, and in a couple hours, there was a little video on YouTube.

Sadly, I found that I have managed to lose all my skills as an FPS player. You should see the little running around in circle thing that I had to do with Doom in Q3DM17, and that too in the HMP difficulty! I definitely need to play Q3 more often. 

Anyway, have a look at the vid, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Adios!

Mass Effect 2 - FemShep vs Jedore - Final Showdown on Korlus

In my last post, I had mentioned that I was going to take on Jedore next, and anticipated the fight to be real tough! Was I ever correct!

After 6 reloads, I finally managed to take down Jedore and her cronies in Insanity (NG+) difficulty. To be honest, the boss lady and her pet Ymir mech were not much of a challenge, but the Krogan berserkers made the difference this time. In that cramped space - yup, cramped, considering that if you venture out from the safety of those pillars, the Ymir would happily ventilate you - taking down the berserkers was quite a challenge. I emptied my grenade launcher in there. I don't regret it, though!

Finally, it took proper positioning of Samantha (FemShep) and her squad to turn this seemingly impossible battle to a challenging one. And even then, Miranda and Jacob fell halfway through the battle, leaving Samantha to deal with the remaining Krogan berserker, the mech, and of course, Jedore herself. 

Check out the video below:

Phew! How do I feel now? Exhausted, and exhilarated at the same time!

Next stop... Omega! It's time to say hello to Vakarian!

Mass Effect 2 - Korlus - Krogan Assault

After getting Jack to side with FemShep on the battle against the Collectors, I decided to pick up Grunt next. I still haven't picked up Mordin/Garrus, so Horizon is still quite some distance away.

Anyway, after landing on Korlus, FemShep and party faced off squad after squad of Blue Suns mercs. And then came the Krogans!

I have fought through this area on lower difficulty settings (with other Shepards), but this journey was tiresome. You won't believe how much punishment a Krogan can take in Insanity (NG+) difficulty! It's like someone pumps them with an uber-dose of the strongest steroids the universe has managed to concoct so far! Add to that their hardened armor, which does not seem to take much damage from gunfire, and you will have some idea about the kind of challenge these brutal adversaries can pose.

Thankfully, my Adept FemShep packed a mean Warp and an assortment of biotic powers... but even then it took quite some time to nail each Krogan.

Have a look!

I'm presently in Rana Thanoptis' room, and shall be taking on Jedore soon. I'll try to post a vid of that encounter as well. If these fights are any indication, I anticipate that one would be a hell of a challenge!

Harbinger - Boss Fight - Advanced Gladiator

The second mini-boss you have to face in Harbinger is a gladiator of an advanced design. Apart from being considered nearly unbeatable in face-to-face combat, this hulking brute was instrumental in the capture of your friend Pho by the Vantir.

When I faced the Gladiator with my human hero, I understood why it was considered to be unbeatable by the NPCs. For one thing, this Gladiator is, beyond doubt, the fastest adversary you will ever encounter on Harbinger. Unless you are playing with the Culibine, you have little hope of outrunning the brute. Besides, its melee attacks, simultaneously executed with both arms, can deal tremendous damage.

I had to use 15 (yes, fifteen) health packs during this battle, which is more than what I had to use while fighting all the other bosses, combined! Oh, and I forgot to mention, this engine of destruction also happens to be nearly immune to the effects of EMP mines. I tried using a couple, which it triggered, but did not take any damage. I did not have the option to try placing more mines.

Yup, and it is ready to start pounding you in 3...2... Good Lord! It's here already!

In short, when you are facing this mini boss, be prepared to run like crazy throughout the battle! Bring along tons of health packs, equip the best armor you can find (and afford), and put Plasma mods in your weapon. 

One bit of good news - you will get armor made of the same material as the body of this boss. Unfortunately, when I got the one meant to be worn by my human hero, I found that it had no additional properties aside from pretty high armor rating. As a result, I went with the Beetle, and finished the game wearing that. Ah well, maybe the versions for Gladiator or Culibine will be more useful to them!

The blade it dropped, however, was simply awesome! Too bad I sold it without taking a screenshot. I'll remember to take one next time I face him, I promise! That is going to be the perfect melee weapon for the Gladiator character!

Recoil - Nuke and Missile Launcher Pickup

You know which part gives me the greatest rush in the first level of Recoil? It's the spot on the beach towards the end of the level, where you get to pick up a Tactical Nuke and a Lock on Missile Launcher in quick succession. Seriously, isn't it exhilarating to realize that you have picked up the highest damaging weapon in the game, in the very first level?

I have never used the nuke, though. Even on the Hard difficulty setting, Recoil cannot pose that much of a challenge to anyone! :)

Recoil - Secret Level - Nude Beach

In the first level of Recoil, there is a secret level called Nude Beach. You can access it by shooting at a pair of pink flashing lights at the bottom of the missile command core. That's the building where the lights from the SAM sites converge. Once you shoot out the two lights, you will get to hear the sound of a door sliding down. Turn around, and go down the basement of the building directly in front of you. You will find a corridor blocked by a rather fragile door. Shoot it down, and you will be on your way to the secret level.

When you arrive at Nude Beach, you will find the place deserted. There is, however, a sign on top of a small hill, which states that the beach is closed. Shoot that sign down, and two naked women appear - one on top of the hill, and the other in the water. So, is that all this area has to offer? 

Hardly!

Get in the water before you leave the area. It holds a secret of its own, in the form of a sizable ammo cache. You will constantly lose armor while you are under water though, so don't take your eyes off that ticking meter. 

Check out a video of the secret level here:

Recoil - Opening Sequence

Recoil, developed by Zipper Interactive, is the first ever PC game I played. I was still in school when I got my hands on this title in 1999. Since then, I have played through this game multiple times, and on all three difficulty settings. 

The paper-thin plot of Recoil can probably be jotted down on the back of a business card. Apparently, the world is ruled by an evil corporation, which uses an enormous biological supercomputer (built by installing electronic circuits inside hundreds of human brains) to spy on everyone at all times. Their plan is to turn every human being on the planet into robots (for whatever reasons). However, resistance forces have designed a highly advanced Battle Force Tank (BFT). As their hero, you are tasked with the responsibility to drive the tank through six different areas, killing adversaries, destroying enemy structures, and finally blasting the supercomputer to oblivion.

Check out the intro sequence of Recoil here:

As for my impression of the game - well, I would say Recoil is a pretty enjoyable shooter. I particularly love the starting point of the game, where the VTOL drops the BFT straight on the pier. Besides, the title also earns major brownie points from me for offering me 18 different ways of laying waste on my adversaries. Yup, that's the number of weapons you can collect in the game, including the rather unique Sonic Burst Cannon, Arc Saber, Laser Saber, Laser Designator, and even tactical nukes! And the fast-paced arcade style gameplay ensures you are never bored. If you haven't played this game yet, I would certainly recommend giving this a try.

Harbinger - Boss Fight - Farade

Farade is the official leader of the Scintilla on board the Harbinger. However, as one of the most significant NPCs in the game puts it, he is more like a figurehead in reality, with little power in his hands. He is the one who locked up Ballastre, as per the Overlord's orders.

Farade does look impressive for a Scintilla. Suited in power armor from shoulder to toe and toting an exceptionally large gunblade, Farade looked all set to rip my hero to shreds, when I first encountered him. He is definitely faster than any other Scintilla (even the armored Scintilla raiders) and was often rushing up to my hero, attempting to engage him in melee.

His power armor seemed to grant him some protection against disruption blasts. However, my gun mods still proved to be too powerful for him. The turning point of the battle was when I sidestepped one of his charge attacks. By the time he recovered, I had enough time to fire a series of 7-8 blasts at him. Once it was over, I suddenly noticed that his extra long health bar had gone down more than one-third. That was the beginning of the end for him!

When you are engaging Farade, be sure to watch your health, especially if he gets up close and starts hacking at your hero with the blade. He misses a lot in melee, but when he does manage to connect, he is capable of causing tremendous damage. Beware of this, and try to sidestep his attacks as much as you can. The rest should not be too difficult. 

Human vs. Farade (Click on pic to enlarge)

Farade can offer moderate challenge to players trying out Harbinger for the first time. However, he is by no means an unbeatable boss. Keep weapon slots filled with disruption mods, and try to install some armor chips to provide protection against melee attacks. That should be enough for you to take him down. 

Harbinger - Boss Fight - Ballastre

Ballastre is a Scintilla prophet, responsible for maintaining an anti-gravity field that keeps Harbinger in orbit. However, ever since he was imprisoned after a fall out with the Overlord, the senile genius has gone more than a little crazy. When you have to fight him, Ballastre has reached the peak of his abilities, and no longer knows how to properly use all that energy.

Problem is - once you destroy him, the ship will enter the atmosphere of the nearest planet (Aegis 9) and get torn apart during the descent towards the planet surface. So, once the prophet is dead, you will have to look for a way to get off the Harbinger, and pronto! Thankfully, you never have to get off the ship on your own. The game takes care of that.

When I faced Ballastre at level 28, he did not seem to be too powerful for my human hero. His entry cinematic was the most impressive I had seen so far, though. Curiously, it looked like the sequence was somewhat inspired by the way Diablo appears in Diablo 2... you know, the lowering of three seals, followed by the ground trembling and the boss appearing out of thin air. Ballastre looks almost exactly like the Scintilla Eyons you face before him, albeit much larger in size.

Ballastre - First Look (Click on pic to enlarge)

However, as far as his powers are concerned - well, let's just say I did not have to use a single health pack in the battle. All I did was to pop a health regeneration injection before engaging the boss. His radial attack was too short in radius to do any damage to my hero, and his energy blasts were slow enough for me to dodge most of those.

My weapon was especially customized for fighting Scintilla (2 disruption mod chips, +4 each).

The Gun That Killed Ballastre

Ballastre took tremendous damage from disruption shots. I expected him to have at least some sort of resistance against the type of damage that Scintillas are vulnerable to. However, the way his health bar was going down, I would say he had little or no resistance against disruption. It was only his extremely long health bar that kept the battle going well over 3 minutes.

Disruption Chips FTW - Take That, Ballastre! 
(Click on pic to enlarge)

Bottom line - in spite of the estimates of his power that can be heard from NPC-s throughout the game, Ballastre should not be considered a threat to any character. Just pack your weapon modification slots full with disruption chips, and avoid engaging him in melee. That should do the trick!

Update: Added a screenshot of the gun I used to fight Ballastre.

Harbinger - Boss Fight - Provost Vantir

Provost Vantir is the first mini boss you face in Harbinger. He is faster on the feet and better armored than any other foe you face up to that point. He is armed with a powerful Provost Gun, which fires red pulses capable of causing considerable damage to you, irrespective of your character class. The gun seems to have faster firing rate than any other gun your foes wield till that point, and can completely counter Culibine's natural regeneration.

Thankfully, the Provost Vantir does not seem to have any additional resistances than what ordinary Vantir troops have. I used plasma ammo and brought him down pretty quickly. The only thing you need to do is dodge the red blasts. Getting hit by a couple of those will not kill you, but take 4-5 in a row, and you will be looking for the Quick Load button. Oh, and don't try to engage him in melee. Even if you are a Gladiator with melee skills close to 40, he will pound you into space dust in no time. 

Human vs. Provost Vantir (Click on pic to enlarge)

Sadly, when I equipped the gun dropped by Provost Vantir (when I was playing as Gladiator), I found that it shoots normal plasma blasts (green, not red). Weird! Oh well, perhaps the Provost had some mod chips installed in it, which were automatically unequipped when he fell! :P