Gamers have been waiting and waiting for the new start to the Mass Effect video game franchise after BioWare initially closed it out in 2012, and now, some new trailers and gameplay peeks at Mass Effect: Andromeda are getting players stoked for the planned March 21 release date. In a nutshell, Andromeda focus on the hunt for a new home for humanity, headed up by a brother and sister team of exploring “pathfinders.”
You have to interact with alien species who are also on the hunt for worlds and resources, and that can range from friendly chat sessions to all-out warfare, of course. Gameplay footage looks gorgeous and the game features an expansive setting in a crowded star system you can cruise around in. Neither Commander Shepard nor the Reapers make a return to action in Andromeda, so it’s pretty much a fresh start.
We got some seat time playing the game ahead of its release, so check out our first impressions and the latest trailers here.
I find your lack of quiet while talking disturbing
Haven’t found that perfect wearable yet? Neither has DT’s irascible tech critic Andy Boxall, but he did find a wide-ranging selection of just plain… weirdness at the London Wearable Tech event, and none weirder than the fine looking apparatus, called the HushMe.
Yes, it’s pretty much what you think it is: a device to keep your phone conversations private in close quarters. Mom calling? No need to whisper into the phone, just make like Bane and talk away while the muzzle and “masking sounds” keep your conversation about the latest family drama on the DL. Earbuds route sound to your ears and HushMe uses “passive voice suppression” and “active voice masking technology” to give you a virtual cone of silence.
And that “voice masking?” Choose from nine different “masks” including wind, rain, ocean, monkey and more, including apropos options like Darth Vader, R2D2 and Minion. In their video, HushMe asks if you’ve ever been “uncomfortable” talking on the phone in public places. Sure, but probably not as uncomfortable as wearing a HushMe might make us.
Still, it’s pretty cool tech, and we’ve got more information about the HushMe along with some other oddities Andy found while wandering the back hallways of event.
Condos likely not coming soon to Skull Island
It’s Friday, and talk about big movie openings, that certainly applies to Kong: Skull Island, which opens today and is the latest reboot of King Kong, the original movie monster that dates back to the 1933.
This time around, Kong lives on a fun-filled island populated by tentacle-tongued baddies, really big water buffalos, and a demur human race that worships the big guy. Oh, and John C. Reilly lives in the wreckage of his crashed World War II bomber. But hey, the year is 1973 and that Loki guy has a slick new haircut. He’s off to explore the forbidden island with Brie Larson, John Goodman, Sam Jackson, and a lot of Vietnam-era weaponry. What could go wrong?
Everything, of course, and that’s part of the fun of this latest Kong outing, which provides action, drama and comedy in a solid outing by director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who is currently helming the Metal Gear Solid movie but also directed some Funny or Die episodes a few years back. Check out Rick Marshall’s full review here.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
