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The Bioware Store has revealed several new preview images for their upcoming art book, Art of Mass Effect Universe, which features artworks from all three games in the series.
Even though its 2012 there are plenty of games to fill the early year void. The best part of this that so many of these games are less then $20. Games like GTA IV, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Saints Row 2, Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, and lots of others. There are plenty of other games that offer a lot of bang for your buck.
"Having bought myself the videogames I wanted most before the arrival of the holidays, I’ve come to a painful realization. You see, by purchasing all the games that interested me before they could be given to me as presents, I inadvertently killed much of the Christmas’ ‘buzz.’ This year, it wasn’t like when I was younger and had no choice but to wait for the big day, bubbling with anticipation and excitement for games I knew I’d unwrap.
You remember that feeling, right?"
Amazon has started another Buy 1 get 1 40% off sale. Over 500 select games on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, PSP and Xbox 360. Some of the better games include Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, Final Fantasy XIII, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mario Kart 7, ICO/SOTC collection, The Oregon Trail: 40th Anniversary Edition, NBA 2K12, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The King of Fighters XIII, Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition, and Mass Effect 2. Goozernation...
The dedicated agents of the U.S. Department of Electronic Entertainment have compiled an exhaustive report on all video game sales for the weekend of December the 16th.
PSBeyond's top 5 sci-fi games of all time. The top 5 games ever made to feature a prominent sci-fi element. In a setting shared by so many games, which ones pull it off best?
The second installment in a weekly series examining different methods of storytelling used in video games. This week we are looking at the increasingly popular trend of player choice.
There's been a fair amount of furor over EA's supposedly draconian approach to banning people from EA's Origin service. Ever since March of this year, more and more people are coming forward, complaining about how EA banned them from their games. I spend this rant picking apart their arguments.
"There’s something about certain games that naturally draw me in. This is considerably easier with any sort of RPG that involves decisions and progression that allow you to influence not only your character, but the actual game itself. I’ve spent so much time with these games because I’m able to make the character my own, affect the environment, and play the game almost exactly how I want to play it."
A picture showing the new prototype has been revealed by Bioware and Kotobukiya for their controversial Mass Effect Liara T'Soni bishoujo figurine statue.
Relationships in video games is something that looks good on paper but never really hits home. In so many games a "relationship" with another character is more or less irrelevant to the outcome of the game and serves to do little more than offer a way to have a fade away simulate copulation. What we should be seeing is relationships that actually require real decisions with meaningful consequences.
Have modern games gotten easier? It seems the games of today are a lot more easier, excluding Demon Souls. So why were games so much harder back in the late 80s and through the 90s? Was it because gamers didn't have gamefaqs? Do gamers just have too many distractions these days so modern games have to be easier?
Bioware has revealed the price and other additional details for their Dead Reaper and Prototype SR2 Mass Effect 2 Lithographs, which is now available for pre-order.
"Mass Effect is one of my favorite video game franchises and it has spawned a ton of awesome characters. Squad member spend the most time with Shephard and get a ton of development so here are my top 5 squad members from Mass Effects 1 and 2."
"I just recently began reading some of the Mass Effect novels having heard that they were very good and that they would help fill in quite a bit of back story for the games. I began reading the first book in the series, Revelation, and was pleasantly surprised that my usual lack of interest in reading had disappeared and I was getting engrossed in the novel. But after I put the novel down for the night I began to think about how video games have spilled over into other media and how this is bo..."
"For this list I have decided to countdown my 10 favorite video games of all time, this is not a “10 best” list because I only want to cover games that I have actually played and there are some classics that I haven’t touched (like any of the Zelda games) But the games are in order and I have limited my choices to one per franchise. Here we go!"
"For this top 10 list I have decided to countdown my 10 favorite video game heroes. These characters earn a spot on this list by being courageous, daring, strong, skilled, smart, or any combination of those that make them shine above the crowd. These characters are vital to the survival of numerous people and they are the best at what they do. I’ve only included characters from games that I have personally played. Here’s my 10 favorite video game heroes:"
"Mass Effect is one of my favorite gaming franchises on the market right now and there have been some awesome characters throughout the course of the two games. These 5 characters are people I want to see more of in the next game. They aren’t squad members but they have their purpose to the cause and are interesting enough to be given more in-depth characterization."
"If you happen to be an Xbox LIVE Gold Member, then you can get the exclusive Gold only discount on this week’s deal, Mass Effect 2 content. Expand the gameplay of the role playing game that you love so much with these discount add ons. Don’t miss out on your chance to play hours more of fresh Mass Effect 2 content for a great price."
"Am I missing something? When Mass Effect 2 launched last year, it was welcomed by critics with unending praise, many hailing it as this generation's best game. After playing the first game and being only moderately impressed, I was hesitant in picking up the sequel. Naturally, all the high review scores and unending compliments to BioWare for making such a fantastic title, compelled me to try it for myself. You see, I'm a sucker for a game that has a good story and cast of well developed char..."
Bioware has revealed the price and several other details regarding the SSV Normandy Ship Replica - Cerberus Variant figurine based on Shepard’s ship in Mass Effect 2 and 3.
"The lead gameplay designer for Mass Effect 2, Christina Norman, announced today that she has left Bioware for Riot Games. The news that Norman was leaving the studio behind the Mass Effect trilogy came last week, but just today she confirmed on Twitter where she was headed."
Steam has made this a great summer to stay in doors thanks to all their great deals, and today is no difference. For the next 24 hours there are some great games on sale, highlighted by . Be sure to hurry to get these great titles at a great discount.
In honor of the 4th of July EA is running a sale on some of their iOS and PC download games. There are over 50 iOS games on sale. Most of the iOS games are $0.99 and this includes titles like Dead Space and NBA Jam. For the PC download sale such titles as Mass Effect 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 are on sale
"EA is starting off US Independence Day right with a huge sale on tons of games. A lot of newer games like Dead Space 2, Mass Effect 2, and Battlefield Bad Company 2 are up to 40% off. So if pay day just passed you by and you got all that money in your pocket just burning a hole, why not get some games."
Goozernation takes a look at some of the top female video game characters in the last 20 years or so. Characters like Samus, Princess Zelda, Jill Valentine as well as a few others made the list. The big question is why did these ladies make the "best of" list, and why?
In this week's edition of The Catch-Up, Kyree sneaks and blasts his way through the last of the Mass Effect 2 downloadable missions, and offers his experience.
"In the past, storytelling in video games was a minor thing, high scores were the target. This changed with the roleplaying game and with the invention of bigger hard drives to hold more game information. Now the role of storytelling is going through another renaissance, the actions of the character have dynamic consequences on the story and on future games in some cases."
"So let us introduce you to Sam Hulick. He’s relatively new to the composing sphere, having jumped into game composition with Capcom’s Maximo vs Army of Zin, but he’s come a long way since then. He’s one of the biggest minds behind the music of Mass Effect 1 & 2, and he shared a little wisdom of composition with us."
Here is a list of 10 of the best games on the Xbox 360 that you can currently find on Amazon for under $20. Some are many years old while others were released as recently as 2010.
"Before you even load up your saved game and head off to Liara, you can tell that this DLC is going to be longer and more action oriented when compared to Kasumi: Stolen Memory. Lair of the Shadow broker is 1.5 GB in size, has five new achievements to obtain and a chance to continue that relationship with Liara that you might’ve had in Mass Effect 1; that’s a huge file, but with the name Bioware, quality, size, as well as quantity pretty much go hand in hand. It took me at least an hour and a ..."
"If you didn’t get the reference nor did you read the title of this article before clicking on it, Mass Effect 2 is our game this week for the Catch-Up; specifically, the DLC side of things. And to narrow it down even further: Kasumi: Stolen Memory."
With the pending accoutrement of the Wii HD at E3 its time to start reflecting on this generation of consoles. What will gamers remember the most about this generation? Will it be the Wii's motion controls, the 360's RROD, and/or PSN getting hacked? What about the games of this generation?
Steam is famous for having some ridiculous sales on occasion.
Today hosts one of those sales.
You're gonna want to check out how cheaply you can get Mass Effect 1 and 2 today for PC through Steam.
Morality has become the gaming theme of this generation. Black, and White, Good vs. Evil with some choices doing nothing to impact the long term plot. Gamers have experienced morality in games such as Fallout 3, Mass Effect, GTA IV, Bioshock as well as several others. Goozernation takes a look at the bigger questions and asks is morality really needed? Why do gamers always have to make a choice with consequences?
"Then came Dragon Age: Origins, a game that had not only hot tenting scenes, but also two characters who would swing either way. If you played as a male, and wanted to romance the sultry male elf, Zevran, you could. If you played as a female, and wanted to get it on with the red headed female bard, Leliana, you could."
"If you look back at my other blog posts, you'll know I'm a fan of video game merchandise. I can't help but feel the need to collect things from video games that I enjoyed or plan on enjoying. I mention merchandise for things I haven't played yet, because most of the good stuff in my collection could only be bought or won before the game ever releases. It could be things like trinkets, preorder bonuses, clothing, press kits, and in the case of this blog, art! That's right! Of all the things I ..."
"Pat takes sick leave and Andy hosts as he, David, and Nick journey through the halls of video game history. We discuss the oldies like Mass Effect 2, Pokemon Black, Minecraft, Left 4 Dead, Medal of Honor, Shattered Horizon, the Nintendo 3DS, and a real relic: the 15 year old Sega SuperGT.
We take a look at what games your tax dollars are funding in gaming news. Trivia continues, and we wrap up with a few movies in casual discussion."
Joystick Division runs down the ten best ensemble casts in the history of video games, from Psychonauts to Knights of the Old Republic. Did your favorite make the list?
Electronic Arts recently announced a new customer appreciation event called Sequel Celebration in which all Dragon Age II customers will receive a free copy of Mass Effect 2 on PC.
"Everyone is back into the swing of gaming this week as Andy presents his audio review of Nintendo 3DS and PilotWings Resort with some additional impressions from Pat. Also discussed by Andy are Raskulls, Pokemon Black, and the very recent SHMUP Strania. Pat reports in about his time with Crysis 2 (with some help from Nick), Shift 2 Unleashed, and Homefront. David then talks about the newest Mass Effect 2 DLC: The Arrival and his continuing Civilization 5 obsession."
Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest RPGs to hit the home console. Sadly, we will be receiving no more DLC from Bioware or EA. Check out the review to see if they send Commander Shepard out with a bang.
Sadly, Arrival will be the final downloadable content for one of the greatest games to be released this generation. Today, Bioware released a trailer for this DLC and it looks exceptionally well. Check out the full story for the video. Cheers!
Eurogamer published an article yesterday about new Fable, Halo, Gears, and Forza games. Many gamers might rejoice at this news as those are the four biggest 360-exclusive franchises out there. But gamers have been playing these same franchises for years. Where's the innovation? It's time for some new IPs!
The ability to make moral choices seems to be in most RPGs these days including blockbusters like Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. Here are three reasons why this feature has no place in video games.
"As the Reapers prepare to make their return, Shepard must decide how to deal with the threat in Mass Effect 2: Arrival, which has been confirmed as the final mission for Mass Effect 2. Sent to the edge of the galaxy, Shepard must rescue an undercover operative with evidence of an impending Reaper invasion. Fan favourite character Admiral Hackett will make a comeback in Arrival too, voiced by legendary gruff sci-fi actor, Lance Henriksen of Aliens and Terminator fame."
Mass Effect 2 has been out for a few months on the PlayStation 3 and gamers are still trying to figure out the complex setup of who lives and who dies in the finale. Luckily, we are here to give you the most comprehensive help you can find. Check out the full story. Cheers!
"Video games have been creeping up on movies for decades now, but only in recent years have they been able to match the silver screen in narrative quality and substance. Sure, Final Fantasy VI had a great story, but reading text spouted by sprites doesn’t have quite the same effect as watching real actors."
A lot of video games have you staring at your character's backside for hours on end, which is probably why most of them are really, really nice. Here are the 10 best.
There are good drunk and bad drunk. Though it's obvious that there's more bad drunks. Look at these top eight characters as they get loaded with liquor. Don't worry, these virtual characters can't die from intoxication.
Even if you're a bitter young fart, these Mass Effect Valentines are a little too amusing to not love.
For more, check out inkasylum's Flickr page via the source (rights reserved).
Amazon has begun a new “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” sale for select video games (including Halo 3, Mass Effect 2, Metal Gear Solid 4) priced at under $20.
"2010 saw some pretty strong female characters step into the spotlight and show the world that that girls can play just as rough as the boys. Here are five of our favorites."
January 2011 was a great month that was filled with some exceptional experiences. there was only one game that stood above the rest. Check out the link for the full entry.
"The first Mass Effect had a solid cast and compelling end-of-the-galaxy-as-we-know-it threat for Commander Shepard and crew to deal with, but Mass Effect 2’s collection of teammates and tales is so much more robust, well-written, and quite honestly, badass. It’s all about the sidequests, and the precious few moments you get to spend conversing and building relationships with your crew, whether it be an on-thin-ice hostile working relationship, a til-death-do-we-part camaraderie, or something ..."
"Many video games have inventories. Lets face it, any game that requires you to pick stuff up, carry stuff around, or use something typically has some form of inventory management. Whether its keeping tabs on how much ammo you have or making sure you still have room in your expansive (albeit invisible) rucksack that holds 150 fire arms, 12 outfits, 3 items of food or potions, and a fork, lute, cup, or cat (yeah Anders I’m looking at you) you have to remain aware of something you are lugging a..."
"It’s been a wonderful and sometimes bumpy ride for Microsoft with their Xbox 360 console. Improving in areas that they were weak with the original Xbox, Microsoft has pushed forward and continued to work closely to secure third-party publishing deals to keep their fans happy. It’s no surprise that our Top 10 Xbox 360 Games Since Launch is dominated by third-party software."
"If you are a hardcore (or even slightly more than casual) gamer then odds are you fall into one of two categories. Either you are the gamer who has played the critically acclaimed Mass Effect 2 or you are the gamer who has said "I would totally play this video game if it came out for the PS3.""
Here at All Age Gaming we have launched our new Podcast that will be known as "All About Games". In our first episode we take a look back our 2010 GOTY and a few games we didn't personally enjoy. We also look at the games of 2011 that we are most looking forward to. Enjoy.
"Shadow Broker is far and away the best DLC for Mass Effect 2. There lies a major fault in all of this -- something that is surely subjective -- and the fault is that I believe Mass Effect 2 is an incomplete experience without Shadow Broker."
The SideQuesting staff determine the top ten games of 2010, select a Game of the Year, and prepare for 2011's onslaught. Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Battlefield Bad Company 2 are discussed with considerable detail.
The podcast crew is Dali Dimovski, John Parie, Eric Smith, and Ryan Gan.
Since it was released in January of 2010, we waited all year for a game to take it down from our collective number 1 spots. That never happened. Mass Effect 2 delivers one of the finest role-playing experiences you’ll find on any modern console, and earns SideQuesting's Game of the Year award for 2010.
Despite the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 containing all the DLC of the title (released thus far) as well as a new re-polished ME3 engine and 7.1 Surround sound, IGN felt it fit to slash points in each category for the PS3 version of the title. Bias anybody? Check out the rest of the details here.
"We get in a nice short cast before the rush of new games for 2011 hits, but there is still plenty to talk about. Ghost Trick, Gran Turismo 5, Mass Effect 2, Monster Hunter Tri, Borderlands, 9 hours 9 persons 9 doors, Two Worlds 2, iCarus, and more.
As always we cover the week in gaming news, and some rumors as well. At the tail of the show we chat about TV shows, books, and movies. What more could you want, seriously tell us what you want more of."
"In order to best present our favorite games, we are forgoing the traditional Top X Games of 2010. This is restrictive and divisive and doesn’t allow us to spotlight all the games we like, all in effort to create an artificial hierarchy. Instead, alphabetically, here are all the games we enjoyed from 2010."
Grace Chen, Senior Manager of the PlayStation Store, reveals the download size for the PSN release of Mass Effect 2 in addition to the full game trial start date for Playstation Plus subscribers.
"Fresh on the heels of 2010 the Bonus EXP crew catches up on missed games, and goes back to old favorites like: Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Monster Hunter Tri, Mass Effect 2, Halo Reach, Splinter Cell Conviction, Borderlands, Dark Void, Turok, Too Human, Red Dead Redemption, Greed Corp, Minecraft, VVVVVV, Mafia 2, Enslaved, Fluidity, and 9 hours 9 persons 9 doors. I think that covers it, yeah we talk about a lot of games wanna fight about it?
We also get to some gaming n..."
For all those women (and men) that wish Joker was a romance option, one important personal question arises. With his condition, would Joker even be able to have sex?
Also, BioWare had a slip up with Joker's disease.
2010 was a great year for gaming. In the many great games of 2010 there were many great characters. There's the iconic characters, the unique characters, the memorable characters and the always popular badass characters. This is our top 10 characters of 2010, let us know if your favorite was amongst them.
"I won’t lie: this gaming year has been a difficult one for OXCGN’s staff. (Cue violins). It seems most of us have had a hard time balancing a lack of time, a lack of money, and a lack of interest in the current crop of gamer’s games.
The general lack of innovation and proliferation of sequels in hard-core games in a difficult economic climate has seen many of us often turn to alternative (and often cheaper) gaming experiences like on smartphones or XBLA and PSN. (okay, kill violins).
..."
While everyone was busy gushing over Eitanya's plushified rendition of Garrus from Mass Effect, TK-Nation's Cassandra Khaw took it a step further and investigated the full extent of Eitanya's abilities.
Conclusion? She wants the Okami hat. Bad.
"2010 has come and gone and as usual there have been a bunch of awesome games across the course of the year. New England Gamer wants to share with you five of our favorites, and hope you’ll share your own with a comment or two below!"
Just in time for the excitement of the holidays. GameZone reveals the Genre awards and will continue to reveal the winners of all the other categories until we get to our Game of the Year. For all the winner’s check out GameZone.com
BioWare is bringing Mass Effect 2 to the PlayStation 3. What changes are being made? What added bonuses will PlayStation 3 owners get? And how will the devs bring the once Xbox 360 and PC exclusive story to Sony's console?
Just in time for the excitement of the holidays. GameZone reveals the Technical awards and will continue to reveal the winners of all the other categories until we get to our Game of the Year. For all the winners check out GameZone.com
"Spoiler Warning: This article refers to some major plot points of Bioware games past and present, so proceed with care.
It would be fair to assume that Bioware’s long history of rip-roaring, twisty-turning, jaw-dropping storytelling will lend some clues as to how one may finish the epic yarn that is Mass Effect. By meticulously analyzing their previous games, we have assembled a list containing the five most probable revelations of this sci-fi trilogy, one of which is absolutely guaranteed..."
Just in time for the excitement of the holidays. GameZone reveals the specialty awards and will continue to reveal the winners of all the other categories until we get to our Game of the Year. For all the winners check out GameZone.com
Producer Jesse Houston revealed that the Playstation 3 version of Mass Effect 2, which will be released in January, is running off of the Mass Effect 3 engine.
2010 has been another bumper year for gamers and it is now time to reflect on what games made this year so great. With 18 award categories including the overall game of the year award, there are several great games given the nod as the "best" in their respective category. So sit back and enjoy our awards and let us know what you think of our choices.
gamerzines.com list 5 things which Mass Effect 3 must avoid, from Mass Effect 2, to secure an incredible finale to the the next chapter.
3. Needless Sex Scenes
2. The Same Click, Talk, Fight Formula
1. Too much focus on Earth
IGN's Michael Thomsen lists this year in terms of in game sex. Thomsen explains how sex in video games can be right and can be wrong in many ways. Thomsen also lists a few games which featured sex this year, this list consists of a few bloackbusters like Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redepmtion, Fallout: New Vegas and some not so well known games like Dinner Date and Every Day the Same Dream.
Still need to shop for that Xbox 360 owner in your family or circle of friends this holiday season? Check out BrightHub's gift guide for more Xbox 360 gift ideas.
BrightHub gives you some more gift ideas for your PC game shopping needs with a couple of excellent retail titles. Feel like getting creative? Why not give someone a digital gift in the form of a downloadable title?
CVG list their top 10 games which have been released in 2010.
10. STARCRAFT II: WINGS OF LIBERTY
9. ROCK BAND 3
8. FIFA 11
7. CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW
6. ASSASSIN'S CREED: BROTHERHOOD
5. Mass Effect 2
4. HALO REACH
3. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS
2. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2
1. RED DEAD REDEMPTION
"Mass Effect 2 for PS3 also includes the previously released downloadable content Lair of the Shadow Broker, Project Overlord, Kasumi: Stolen Memory and the Blood Dragon Armor on the Blu-ray disc. The Zaeed and Firewalker content is also accessible through the Cerberus Network."
With LED lights in her hands, a shaven head and elaborate tattoos all over her body suit, Jia Jem does an excellent job in portraying borderline psychopathic Jack from Mass Effect 2.
Today GameFly announced their annual end of the year sale would be held between December 22nd and January 3rd. Look for many blockbuster titles of 2009 and 2010 at "blowout" prices with free shipping to boot.
Check out eight of the most notorious, graphic sex scenes to appear in video games. Obviously filled with nudity and adult content, duh. It's mostly tame compared to movies, but you still probably don't want your boss to see you watching these.
New details for the upcoming Playstation 3 port of Mass Effect 2, which will be released early next year, have been revealed in the latest issue of the Official Playstation Magazine.
"BioWare has released a video and a single screenshot of their next major project and asks us to stay tuned for more. That 'more' will come in the form of a world premiere trailer at the 2010 Video Game Awards on SPIKE Saturday, December 11th at 8PM ET / 5PM PT.
On top of this the mystery increases as there are two tweets on the BioWare Twitter account, biofeed, pointing to two Data Matrix bar-codes."
"With video games more expensive than ever, you would think that gamers would squeeze every last second of play out of them before moving on to the next adventure. But that's not always the case. Earlier this year, Bioware released some fascinating statistics about Mass Effect 2, but the stand-out figure was the revelation that only 50 -percent of players actually finished Commander Shepherd's mission to stop the Collectors."
"We’ve all read countless “best franchise of all time” lists, and while they’re fun to write and then to argue about, there’s an inherent problem with the “all time” part – you have to consider the 30+ years of gaming history before you get to the modern generation. Heavy hitters like Zelda, Mario, Halo, Warcraft, Metal Gear and GTA are virtually guaranteed a place on the list, so how can there be much room left over for games of right now?
That’s why we’re ousting the old guard and choosin..."
The first gameplay details from the upcoming Playstation 3 version of the critically-acclaimed PC and Xbox 360 RPG, Mass Effect 2, have apparently been revealed.
Over 1.54 million votes were casted over a span of 200 days, and between 4000 titles, the winners of the Golden Joystick Awards have finally been announced.
"As video games become more and more robust in terms of content and story development, we are greeted with characters that can feel very human. Though they live mainly off of scripted cues, they play a vital role in how games impact us."
Personally I don't mind 'Collectors' and 'Limited' edition of games, provided they actually have something tangible in them. But many retailers of ;late are simply making up "so-called" Collectors Editions that have little in them, and yet charge for the privilege of having their 'exclusive content'
Young Teenage-Gamer at OXCGN looks at the way this is affecting many buyers in harsher times.
"Influenced? Cliched erotic content? Ladies and gents, I think the gauntlet has now been thrown. Jan then tries to back out by adding,
"Dragon Age really was influenced by us and that's great, because it's a genre that doesn't have that many games and it's not like that serious a competition..."
But it's too late, Bartkowicz. You can't unthrow the gauntlet. GAUNTLET UNTHROWING IS NOT ALLOWED."
"In honor of the profound success of Mass Effect 2′s latest DLC, “Lair of the Shadow Broker,” we bring you one of the most astounding costumes from PAX Prime, and a sniper after my own heart. He’s collar poppin’, scopin’ and droppin’, and rocket-blast survivn’. He’s freaking Garrus Vakarian."
When mass effect 2 releases for the Playstation 3 in 2011 there will be a few enhancements. Bioware founder Greg Zeschuk has confirmed that the visuals will be improved.
"So far I’ve played the pack through three times. Two runs were with characters that were involved with Liara in the first game: one had stayed faithful to her (that’s right, I elected not to get laid before the final mission) and the other had moved on to someone else. Liara interacted with both characters in different ways. Some of the differences were subtle, some of them less so, but it all seemed well fleshed out."
"This is a tremendous add-on for one of the best games you’ll ever play in your life. It puts the other DLC totally in the shade and exposes how poor Bioware can be in producing extra content for their games. Fortunately they’ve saved the best for last and if you have any interest in Liara as a character (and by the Goddess you should) then the Lair of the Shadow Broker is a compulsory purchase."
"Mass Effect 2 released early this year and has continued to stay updated with new DLC since it release, including Katsumi’s Stolen Memory, which added a new party member and plenty of small add-ons which added weapons and armor to Commander Shepard’s arsenal. This time however gamers are given the chance to team up with an ally from the first Mass Effect game as she sets out to get revenge on the Shadow Broker.
All-in-all the add-on is a little over two and a half hours long and does a ver..."
Here is a fun post about the many many games (including 90% of the first games ever created) that involve aliens. Are these games based entirely off of imagination or is art imitating life? You be the judge as DualShockers examine some of the most popular games that involve extraterrestrial life forms.
"BioWare has announced that the next Mass Effect 2 DLC episode The Lair of the Shadowbroker will be available on the PC and Xbox 360 on Tuesday September 7 and will cost 800 BioWare/Microsoft points."
"Dear readers, it has come to my attention that I need to get something off my chest, something which will make me seem like less of a man. You see I have a secret. I am a coward, a wuss, why? Because I play games on Easy.
Throughout my gaming life I’ve always wanted to keep pace with my friends, those with somewhat superhuman abilities for completing games on Normal or Hard – or so they say. I didn’t want to miss out on discussions at school regarding a certain narrative point in Final Fan..."
PlayStation 3 fans will be happy to hear that Mass Effect 2 will be coming to the PlayStation 3. EA announced the release of the game at their press conference at gamescom today.
The Video Game Purists are back this week for another episode, this week they talk about the Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light co-op controversy, Fable III Kinect support and a slew of other topics.
"However, poor Shepard had to suffer the consequences of the lack of romance. The worst was on the eve of the suicide mission, my lonely Commander Shepard locked herself in her room and stared at a picture of Kaidan"
"If you’ve been sleeping through 2010 and waiting for the holiday gaming season, it’s time for you to wake your ass up. Our editors have picked their favorites and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it… like slamming a Red Bull, electrifying your nipples, and taking a baseball bat to the groin all at the same time, these titles will rock your world."
It took months, well, not really, but Kevin has finished Mass Effect 2. We both loved the game so much that we decided to take a step back and discussion one of our favorite games of all time.
"Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has recently made the statement that, “The Call of Duty franchise is a force of nature. I think it is the closest thing this generation has to a Star Wars. I think it’s unique and bigger than any musical act or any movie franchise in that capacity.” While we appreciate Mr. Kotick’s enthusiasm for his product, we don’t believe there’s been a game that has come close to the cultural impact that Star Wars had when it was released in 1977. However, we humbly submit fiv..."
"Video games have multiplayer, anymore that’s almost a given. Multiplayer gives people the chance to go out and pit themselves against other people from around the world or it allows for a collaborative effort to achieve victory. But there are some games that either miss the mark, or totaly skip the online process altogether."
2010 has been a stellar so far for the Xbox 360 with a lineup that contained great exclusive games and multiplatform titles. Here are the top ten games released for the system during the first-half of the year.
"The Aegis Pack adds the M-29 Incisor sniper rifle and the Kestrel armor to Shepard’s armor locker. The Incisor sniper rifle is a burst-fire weapon that excels in destroying enemy shields. The Kestrel armor comes in five pieces."
"I am speaking of video games of course, but I realize some of you may feel the need to indulge that barbaric tradition of lighting things on fire and watching stuff blow up. Fortunately, the world of gaming offers several easy (and safer) methods of satisfying your craving for ‘splosions."
"Unfortunately, the Hammerhead still isn’t a great deal of fun to drive. Seriously, I found myself wishing for my Mako back at more than one point. The platform-gaming sections that I hated so much in the original Firewalker pack make a return and combat in the Hammerhead is almost so dull that it’s pointless. Unleash endless stream of self-guided missiles at target, hide out of sight until health regenerates, repeat."
Mass Effect 2 Overlord DLC adds 5 new planets to explore, along with a new mission. You must eradicate VI problem before humans are destroyed. Overlord will cost 560 MS points ($7), and is ready for download today.
With this years E3 starting tomorrow, All Age Gaming's Ian Crane sifts through the abundance of E3 2010 rumors circulating and provides some rumors that should turn out to be true and some that we hope will be true.
GameZone's Dave Snell explains why he has become bored with BioWare's recent role-playing games. Among the reasons: use of similar characters, good/bad choices, etc.
"The first two Mass Effect games have been commercial and critical successes as single-player RPGs. But, could you and some friends shoot it out with the enemies of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3? That may be the case according to a job listing put up by EA senior recruiter Jeff Goldstein on LinkedIn."
"Have you ever wanted to work with a thief in one of their heists?
How many movies make it look slick and cool and we’d all like to be rich, right? In Mass Effect 2: Kasumi Stolen Memory you can do just that- well pretend anyway.
Kasumi Stolen Memory is a downloadable expansion pack for Mass Effect 2 that was released on April 6 this year and costs 560 Microsoft Points. Mass Effect 2 is developed by Bioware and was published by Electronic Arts (EA) on January 28 2010.
In the heist you..."
Legendary Pictures have announced they have a Mass Effect movie coming soon, penned by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend). It's uncertain as to whether it will be based on either of the games, or a new story entirely. I'm in two minds, personally - whilst I love the games, I'm not sure a movie would work given the amount of choices available and that I've become accustomed to the current actors. What do you think? Could it break the movie license 'stereotype', or could it be a sci-fi epic? Post y...
This week's The Bender shows the return of two special guests Cee Cee Smith of the PSM clan and gamer/model/writer/plus more Raychul Moore. Rounding out the team is Mike and James who are all a little tired and preparing for E3, so give us a break :p Check the show notes, we cover a lot of topics all around the gaming world. Enjoy!
"...this task has been made much more stress-free and quicker by certain optimizations in the latest patch. For instance, the actual speed of the scanning pointer is much faster, with the pointer itself being much larger too. These two combined improvements may not have resolved the monotony of planet-scanning, but they at least quicken the process."
In a recent earnings conference call, Electronic Arts revealed the sales results for Army of Two: The 40th Day, Dante’s Inferno and Mass Effect 2 during the last quarter.
"Mother's day is just around the corner and without a doubt is a day to pay homage to the person who served as a mobile spawn point while we waited in our own personal matchmaking lobby for a full nine months. Sure, flowers and candy would do or a trip to the spa might be the best gift possible for mommy dearest. Maybe even a dinner and movie to remind her of her motherly instincts and how much you certainly love her in one fell swoop. Any of these things would be awesome and in your thankfuln..."
In an attempt to help those gamers out there who are struggling to find just the right game to purchase we have come up with this Top 5 RPGs list for the RPGs that were released within the last four months, which includes titles such as Dragon Age: Origins Awakening, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver as well as others.
Also included are a few honorable mentions, with links to reviews, that some RPG fans may find interesting and might want to check out and a list of many of the RPGs released.
Mass Effect 2 has been a great success for Microsoft and Bioware. With the wealth of downloadable content released for the game, All Age Gaming's Ian Crane has evaluated each piece of DLC that has been released up to the recently released Equalizer Pack.
"Today, Bioware launched the latest DLC pack for their outer space gun-packing dance of bravura, Mass Effect 2. The Equalizer Pack is DLC that adds new items and armor to help Shepard stop the Collectors from harvesting all of the human race. Players who wish to play dress-up with Shepard in these new duds can purchase the DLC pack on Xbox Live or via Bioware’s Social Network for the PC version."
"Shortly after Mass Effect 2 was released, a sizeable number of players complained about the paired-down inventory and power systems versus the more complicated mechanics in the first game. Many people pointed at this change and claimed Mass Effect 2 was therefore not an RPG, but an action-adventure game. Not only do I disagree with this sentiment wholeheartedly, but I would argue that Mass Effect 2 is precisely what a video game RPG was always meant to be - and the only reason why some gamers..."
While we all love playing new games, there are some that just have us all 'sucked in' for hours, days or even months. The ones we keep coming back to, or simply play at the exclusion of others some times.
OXCGN takes a look at the top 8 games its team sink hours upon hours into, and why.
Come check it out, and let them know what games have gobbled up your year.
"When it comes to games, this generation of home consoles hasn't seen nearly as many exclusive as systems in the past did. But both Sony and Microsoft have done quite well at securing a few great exclusives each. And of course we're running down the sexiest female characters to appear in those titles. We did a list of the top five sexiest female characters to appear in Playstation 3 exclusives last week and we have to show the same respect to the women of the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 made it pre..."
"A simple choice can change your life forever. For instance, you may selfishly choose to drive drunk and end someone's life, or yours. You could easily choose to get a ride home and not risk wrecking or endangering someone's health. Of course, those are choices that can be made with dire outcomes. Gaming is slowly but surely introducing the same kinds of decisions. But are we ready? Are they being implemented correctly? And how do we feel about choosing "right" versus "wrong?"
"Lately we have seen a renaissance of gaming tie-ins. Tie-ins can include movies, comic books, novels, and even television series. Big publishers like wringing every cent they can from a popular IP, and thankfully this will often bring fans some extra material about the universes that we've fallen in love with. They aren't always done well, but I would argue that there is an increasing movement towards hiring quality writers and artists for these projects, and it has made for some fantastic ti..."
GameStop is offering $10 coupons for select video game purchases. Notable games include Battlefield Bad Company 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Mass Effect 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction and more.
"Wedbush Security Analyst Michael Pachter looks into his crystal ball in this week's episode of "Pach-Attack" on GameTrailers.com to look at the future of exclusives on consoles. With the cost of game development increasing does it make sense for developers and publishers to limit their potential audience to only one game console? He also gives his thoughts on whether Microsoft will come out with their answer to the DS or PSP."
Some hilarious machinima for Mass Effect 2 featuring Commander Sheperd. He doesn't make the best interviewee, we'll say that.
"Shepard meets Kasumi on the Citadel through an ad screen as she gives little info about her background. She then becomes part of Shepard’s crew. As you make your way to her loyalty mission, she informs Shepard about her plan and the way it is going to play out. This mission is different from most other missions in ME2. The only crewmate that goes with Shepard is Kasumi."
"Now, most of the time I try to go with the Paragon options. I like being the good guy. But sometimes the Renegade options are just too tempting to pass up. I’m sure you know what I mean. As much as you want to be on the side of good, sometimes you’ve just got to knock some heads together to get things done. And, well sometimes a person just deserves what you do to them. :)"
Late last year some were saying that 2010 could be the biggest in gaming history and it certainly is shaping up that way. So, John from All Age Gaming sat down and compiled a list of the Top 10 games in the first half of 2010 (1st January to 30 June 2010). If the second half of 2010 is going to be better, then we are in for one hell of a treat!
"Over the course of the mission you’ll come across a few power ups, including a brand new submachine gun for you and your party to use. There’s also a tech damage upgrade, a new achievement for completing the mission and once it’s all over you get to keep your new outfit and wander about the Normandy in it if you so choose."
2010 is shaping up to be one of the most jam-packed years in the gaming industry with many excellent games already released in the first-quarter alone. Here are ten can't miss games so far this year.
"BioWare's not one to shy away from intimacy in their games, even when it's caused controversy.
Mass Effect 2 is no different, allowing player-characters, both male and female, to romance members of their squad. Playing as a female protagonist, my Commander Shepard had the option to woo a few of the men on the team, as well as as a mono-gendered (yet decidedly feminine-shaped) blue alien Asari.*
However, through the course of the game my Shepard had eyes for only one character, the char..."
At last month's GDC, Kotaku discussed with Mass Effect 2's project lead Casey Hundson a rather unique topic: Miranda's tight outfit and ass.
Go to the source for the full article.
"Fans of Mass Effect 2 should be happy to know that the latest DLC for the hit BioWare RPG is now available for the PC and Xbox 360. Kasumi's Stolen Memory can be yours for 560 MS Points ($7)."
We know there have already been a couple of Mass Effect 2 discounts worth posting about, but this latest one is for those who need the whole Mass Effect saga. Amazon is currently bundling Mass Effect 1 and 2 for $50.
"The remaining couple of missions are fairly simple “go here, jump out and do a little bit of exploring on foot” affairs, really nothing special. There’s a bit of experience to be gained along with some resources, cash and a research project so it’s not a total waste of time. Each of the missions also takes place in totally new star systems (attached to existing star clusters) so you’ve got another dozen or so worlds to strip-mine for palladium should you feel the need."
"As the videogames industry matures, gamers are expecting more from the story telling capabilities with every new season. Many would argue that the infamous death of Aeris in Final Fantasy VII set a new standard in emotional attachment to videogame characters, and others would suggest that the will to survive or keep your teammates alive, in Heavy Rain and Mass Effect 2 respectively, demonstrated a bond to fictional, but incredibly believable personalities that may well have been inconceivable..."
"I like a good story. Something with characters I can relate to, genuine people with their own hopes, dreams and fear.
Something with a plot that twists and turns, surprising at every turn but always making sense. Something personal, as if it was constructed only for me and my unique journey through the game.
Something I will never see.
It's a simple fact: the perfect narrative does not exist.
I can't be anymore blunt than that. Try as I might, I have yet to find a game that can conn..."
It topped the charts on its first outing, now the follow-up is keeping the faithful even more entertained. Many of the 'issues' in the first have been dealt with, and OXCGN's reviewer has spent many hours going through the game to give you a in-depth review. Come check it out, and the images are nothing short of brilliant. Another GOTY contender - most certainly.
"Mass Effect 2's "Firewalker" DLC is now live for both the PC and the Xbox 360. "Firewalker" comes with the Mako replacement, the Hammerhead hover tank and five new missions. More importantly, this add-on comes in at the low, low price of free."
"So, I was going through my quantum closet the other day — it’s a pesky rabbit hole, filled with junk that I bought in various converging timelines and parallel realities — and I found this little nugget I’d almost forgotten about.
In Universe U3X-945, everything is precisely identical to ours, except for the fact that Canada formed its own dominion in 1842 instead of 1867. This changed effectively nothing, except for an odd quirk that Canadian software developers Bioware incorporated in 19..."
"Fresh off the announcement that the "Firewalker" DLC is coming on March 23, Bioware has announced that the "Kasumi's Stolen Memory" DLC is coming on April 6 for the PC and Xbox 360. No price has been announced for the Mass Effect 2 add-on."
"Are you one of those that miss the Gecko from the first Mass Effect? Then you might want to check out Mass Effect 2's "Firewalker" DLC when it comes out next Tuesday. If you're willing to pay the high entry price of free then you'll be able to take the hover tank "Hammerhead" for a spin across five missions."
"Mass Effect 2 does a good job of reminding you that you are on a suicide mission. Every member of your crew can die, including you. While it is easy to lose members, it is possible to complete the final mission with your full crew alive. This guide should give you an idea what you need to do in order to survive the final mission."
For one day only, Amazon.com discounted Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360 to $39.99 (PC version is also on sale for $29.99). That's savings of 33% compared to regular price and the best price ever available for both versions of the game.
These ladies may not neccessarily be amongst the sexiest video game characters, but they would definitely be the most difficult to woo. Gametrailers has listed the top 10 game babes who are out of your league...
Amazon.com is offering 2 promotions for Xbox 360 Consoles that can be combined for great savings on Xbox 360 Elite or Arcade with Mass Effect 2. Taking advantage of the promos, you can get Xbox 360 Elite, Mass Effect 2 and $50 gift card for $329. That's savings of close to $70. Alternatively, you can get Arcade version with Mass Effect 2 and $25 gift card for $229. That's savings of close to $50.
For Reward Zone Members (membership is free and you can sign up on the website), Best Buy is offering $5 to $20 printable coupons
on select video games such as No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Glory of Heracles, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2 and more. Please note that printable coupons only work in Best Buy store and not online.
"I think even BioWare would have to admit, though, that the sex scenes depicted in one of their most recent titles, Dragon Age: Origins - in which your character and paramour of choice roll around by the fire with their underwear on - felt a bit awkward and cheesy."
Neither Mass Effect games can claim to offer the universal remedy for a boring mining experience. Some like the system from the first game with the Mako, others prefer the second method of launching satellites.
Either way, someone realized the satellite method could make for an interesting video. And here you have it, a time-lapse vid of a very bored/creative gamer taking full advantage of mouse-precision to completely exploit Uranus.
"Mankind has had a fascination with beings from beyond the stars ever since someone first realized that it was possible. They make feature appearances in our television shows, books, films, and even our music. Sometimes they’re benevolent creatures that wish to learn from each other’s culture and murderous experiences. Other times they’re rampant predators with no goal more complex than using us as incubators for their young. Whether they’re coincidentally humanoid or unbelievably hideous, the..."
"An inside source has revealed that BioWare could be revealing new DLC for their hugely successful sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect 2 at this year's GDC event. Mass Effect 2 released in late January to wide commercial and critical success, so a potential announcement at GDC will definitely be big news. GDC is scheduled to be held in San Francisco on March 9 through the 13."
"In this episode:
Wangas puts Kane and Jason on the couch again for Mass Effect 2. Craig emerges from the deep to to review Bioshock 2 with Jason.
In Consoles of the Past, Serblander, Kane and Jason take a look back at the 3DO.Download This! is byte sized this episode with a heads up on Arcade Games for Windows LIVE.
Also we take a look at some upcoming games and recent demos."
"Don’t be tricked by the title, it’s merely the words I’m using to describe my analysis of Mass Effect 2. It’s a no-brainer that the sequel would have various improvements and new control schemes. However, are all of these improvements or are some of them faux pas?"
"Considering I am an openly Xbox 360 fanboy it’s hard to admit that one of my most anticipated games of 2010 comes from a studio that develops exclusively for Sony’s Playstation 3, Qunatic Dream. Their first next-gen game goes by the name Heavy Rain, and it hits stores early next week. The reason it caught my attention to such a higher degree than the Call of Dutys and Halos of the world is because it’s completely different than anything available on the Xbox 360 these days (that will change o..."
A relatively timely review for once -- Yahtzee today delivers his take on Mass Effect 2. The guy is typically an RPG hater, if you didn't know, but let's see if he enjoys BioWare's mix.
Hit the source for the review, naturally.
It is a topic that has been raised before. Why do so many games fall into the trap of having disappointing, inappropriate, or just downright silly end bosses?
Negativegamer.com takes a look at some recent examples, and what they could have done to create a more appropriate end bosses.
Go to the source for the full article.
"The scanning of planets for resources in-game is painful. It’s tedious, time consuming and your targeting reticle moves entirely too damn slow — but you have to do it in order to gather enough resources to max out all of your equipment. After a while I stopped scanning planets, mostly because if I hadn’t I would have punched a baby. I would have gone to my neighbor’s house and asked for some sugar. When they went to grab the sugar I would have sneaked into the house, found their newborn and p..."
"On this weeks episode WildBillYurkas from Twitter joins Ronnie and Andreas to talk about January NPDs, Halo: Reach beta starting May 3rd, Ghost Recon: Future Solider announced and a lot more in the news section. And for what they have been playing its Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2 and MAG. Also make sure you listen to the end for an all out spoiler-riffic review of Mass Effect 2."
If you like rap and and you like scanning for minerals in Mass Effect 2, then this will be a treat for you. Kabuto the Python has released a track about mineral scanning called "Those Minerals."
""Every year, there is a day that reminds us all of the people we cherish, love, in some cases tolerate and hopefully can call our Player 2. This week ends with Valentine's Day and for those of us who have someone to share the day with, it's a very special day to reaffirm the small commitments. For everyone else though, it's Sunday. In the meantime, there is always going to be at least one character in a game that the average gamer is going to garner a small crush on. Sure, they're digital, bu..."
A great episode of The Bender this week. Intern Elissa joins us again (and again, speaks on Final Fantasy). James gives us a taste of his Mass Effect 2 review, as does Richard with Bioshock 2. Mike hates on IGN. All this and so much more, enjoy!
Listen live/stream/download with - iTunes - Zune - or direct mp3 download
"Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and the three of us each has a hot date all lined up. But we also have a secret. On the most romantic day of the year, a part of each of our minds will probably be thinking about the virtual relationships we've been cultivating with our new favorite game characters. Creepy? Maybe. But we're pretty sure we're not alone.
There was a time when such an idea would have been unthinkable. We love games dearly, but there's traditionally been an emotional ..."
The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of January 2010, representing sales for the United States for the four week period of January 3 to January 30.
Headlines:
Mass Effect 2 gets more than a half million in first week sales
Industry trending downwards again
Industry:
Total sales: $1.17 billion (-13%)
Hardware: $353.7 million (-21%)
Software: $597.9 million (-12%)
Accessories: $217 million (+2%)
Hardware:
WII: 465.8k (116.45k per week)
ND...
Michael McWhertor discusses part of what John Schappert said during financial calls. EA has decided that every game they make in 2011 will have DLC and Online Play.
"After spending countless hours with Mass Effect 2 – whether as a paragon or as a renegade – and handing out our Game of the Month award to BioWare’s spectacular role-playing game, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. Yes, that’s right, we are about to reveal a few of the biggest secrets of Mass Effect 2 and we have no shame in doing so."
EA executives talks about "something far reaching from Mass Effect" in early 2011 and explains why there was no mention of new games from the Rock Band franchise in yesterday's quarterly financial report.
Mega64 has their own opinion on the whole Mass Effect 2 "censorship" debacle, and they decide to take it to the streets by going around and collecting petitions on video of people that agree with them. (Don't worry, it's pretty work safe.)
To sum it up, as one petitioner states, "Dude, nasty alien sex, dude. Hell yeah."
There's been some talk going around lately about the relationship between Nintendo and third party developers. An example being difficulty with hardcore third party titles. Lee Evans has posted a blog entry going over some facts and figures in an effort to shed some light on the matter and the severity of the situation.
"On Tuesday February 09 2010 Mass Effect 2 fans will be able to get the new Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun DLC fof free through the Cerberus network. It should be available for all fans, both on PC and Xbox 360 at 12:00pm Mountain Standard Time.
Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shi..."
"By now you’ve read all the glowing reviews of Mass Effect 2, seen the praise showered on it and perhaps even played it yourself. I’m not going to tell you again what countless other reviewers have said. If you want read love letters to Bioware you can see the reviews from almost every other site on Metacritic.
Instead, I thought I’d try something different: I’m going to play the critic, dealing in criticism and nothing else. Don’t get me wrong, Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece of narrative, ..."
"Rather than let Xbox 360 owners have a moment to read and reflect about how awesome their console exclusive was, some PS3-skewed fans high on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves decided to take the conversation to the most annoying depths of Internet hell and the 360 followers responded. In the IGN office, this war became a fun spectacle to watch. Some laughed and read comments aloud, others mentioned that a comparison was silly because Mass Effect 2 and Uncharted 2 are completely different types of g..."
"So with so many superb titles releasing so soon after Christmas, it was literally a shootout to win our prestigious Game of the Month award that is handed out, of course, every month of the year. After much deliberation, our winner is…"
"On this weeks episode of the onCAST Ronnie and Andreas talk about the leaked Duke Nukem Forever gameplay, Fallout New Vegas teaser, LA Noire coming to 360, and Xbox LIVE being discontinued for original Xbox games. And for what they have been playing its Heavy Rain demo, Mass Effect 2 and AvP."
Mass Effect 2 producer Casey Hudson explains to Game Informer the concept behind "suicide mission." BioWare seems pretty intent on forcing you to live by your decisions, but what's to stop people from just creating a backup save with a memory card or an internal hard drive? Rather than making you start over, it would be interesting to see the rest of the story pan out through the eyes of another while still centering the story around Shepard.
""People who claim to be old enough and mature enough to handle sex and nudity in a game seem to believe that any lack of sex and nudity in the game is a sign of self-censorship," said BioWare's Stanley Woo. "They generally don't believe that a game can be called 'mature' without explicit sex and/or nudity."
"Let me tell you, folks, that as a developer full of mature individuals, we are also free to not have explicit sex and/or nudity in our games, no matter what you, Fox News, the governme..."
BioWare has heard the complaints about Mass Effect 2's text being too small on SD TVs, but unfortunately they are unable to fix it.
"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update," the game's product manager, Michael Gamble, said.
But don't worry about it affecting future ME games. They are looking into the situation and hope it will be fix...
A Mass Effect 2 fan-video popped up on YouTube yesterday, and while it's not exploding with 238907195715 views, it has garnered some attention from Tali fans and BioWare.
Seriously cute and well-made, so have a look. If you haven't played or plan to get with Tali in the game, there are spoilers. You won't actually know what's going on for most of the video, but seriously stop at the 2:30 mark if you're scared of ruining your in-game romancin'.
"Combat is probably the biggest change. Ammo is still “unlimited” but heat sinks in your weapons need to be replaced regularly and if you run out of them you can’t shoot. In my first play through (as a soldier, on veteran difficulty) I never found myself running all the way out though there were plenty of times when I’d run my assault and sniper rifles dry and I had to resort to my less-favoured weapons."
GameDaily gives its own take at which RPG style is superior in the categories of the classic RPG, the MMORPG, the tactical RPG, the action RPG, most emotionally engaging (contains FFVII and Mass Effect spoilers), and the overall winner.
Though you might not agree with everything stated, it is an interesting read on a topic that continues to spur the interest of RPG fans.
All Age Gaming's Ian Crane takes a look at BioWare's sequel to the smash hit Mass Effect. Mass Effect 2 has had a big build up and in this massive review, Ian lets us know whether it is a stand-out game that we should grab now, or a over-hyped let down.
"If you haven't made the jump to HD TV and plan to buy Mass Effect 2, you'll be in for a slight surprise. Thanks to a design choice by BioWare, those with an SD TV
may have a hard time reading the text in the game for mission, equipment, and planet descriptions."
PS3 codes were recently discovered in the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Mass Effect 2, feuding speculation about a Playstation 3 port. BioWare’s Chris Priestly quickly dismisses this rumor.
"Michael Lafferty of GameZone writes "Gamers don’t care. Doesn’t matter if it is sunny or cold outside – there is the warmth of the television screen or computer monitor, reveling in the glow of White Knight Chronicles, or Mass Effect 2. So what if winter is a bit longer. Six more weeks of winter is all the excuse needed. "You still gaming?" Don't scramble for a response - blame it on the groundhog.""
Mass Effect 2 has been heavily rumored to be ported over to the Playstation 3 for quite some time. Apparently, the PC version of the game contains code referring to “PS3.”
"Even with the game not feeling like an RPG much anymore, BioWare has still crafted one of the best games of the generation. The more action-oriented gameplay provides a better look at the series, but if the depth of inventory management from the first game was left in place, they would have struck perfect in joining the two genres of action and RPG together. If Mass Effect was too slow and boring for you, then the fast-paced play-style of Mass Effect 2 will certainly please you. Mass Effect 2..."
"After having reportedly shipped two million units to retail worldwide, Mass Effect 2 has taken the top spot in the UK, knocking Ubisoft’s Just Dance down to second place, according to GfK Chart-Track data. The chart applies for the week ending January 30th, which means BioWare’s latest managed to become the biggest selling game of last week with just it’s first days of sales."
"The other night I was wasting time at our local GameStop looking over what new PC and Playstation 3 titles recently hit the shelves and I began talking to the sales associate about the state of the current console wars. He asked me to name my top 10 currently released Xbox 360 titles and see how many of them are exclusive to Microsoft’s system and how they compared to last-gen gaming; the following list is a result of that conversation. Remember that there are many other high-quality games av..."
"This week Andreas and Ronnie discuss Apple's latest announcement the iPad along with GTA DLC coming to PS3 and PC, patch released for Darksiders, Monster Hunter Frontier announced for 360 and Red Steel 2 coming March 23rd in the news section. And for what they have been playing its Mass Effect 2 and Bad Company 2."
From GACKT to Ayumi Hamasaki to Keiko Awaji to Shoko Nakagawa to Mari Yaguchi, many of Japan's biggest celebrities are involved with gaming in some way or another.
While some Hollywood actors have starred in silly little game commercials, few ever get involved with games to the extent that Japanese celebrities do.
But with household names like Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin and Veronina Mars' Kristen Bell having roles in big games like Mass Effect 2 and Assassins Creed II, will...
"BioWare's best work is "still ahead of us", says co-boss Ray Muzyka.
"If it wasn't difficult it wouldn't be worth while," he said. "Our best work is still ahead of us. That's why I'm doing it, because I think our best work is still ahead of us and that's why our teams are doing it I think.""
All Age Gaming's Phong Nguyen bring's us the 27th AAG "The Week That Was". This week he discusses the continual sales boom for Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii game, Halo: Reach at Microsoft's X10 event, the once Xbox 360 exclusive GTA IV DLC coming to PS3 and PC and more.
"BioWare has today announced that Mass Effect 2 has sold over two million units worldwide in its first week of release. Mass Effect 2 has been lauded for its intense shooter gameplay and deep, hand-crafted story, earning earned an average review score of 96! With this high score, it is the second highest rated game of all time on the Xbox 360 platform."
January was a big month for the video games industry with many high-profile releases across all platforms. So which games proved to the best so far in 2010?
"Players are introduced to working with party members through a series of simple fire fights before facing any greater challenge. The aforementioned Miranda – a pivotal character – and Jacob are your first recruits, and the return of your pilot, Joker, could not be any more welcome, even though he may retain his status as a plot anchor as opposed to being able to join the on-foot action. Numerous other characters – both returning and entirely new – litter a line-up of expertly crafted personal..."
The review praises the games overall appeal while focusing on the gameplay, graphics and voice-acting. Also pointed out int he reveiw is that the visual "glitches" present in the original have now been addressed making for a much better looking game.
Icrontic's amicable CB Droege brings us this week's interesting new releases in gaming. We get a look at Escapee GO!, MAG, Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans, and Mass Effect 2.
Amazon.com discounted Mass Effect
2 Collectors' Edition: Prima Official Game Guide to $16. That's almost half off regular price for this limited edition hardcover collector's item.
"With the second part of BioWare’s phenomenally popular Science-Fiction trilogy arriving in North America, Europe and Australia at various points throughout this week, I thought it was high time I took a look back at the original title, refreshing the game in my mind and beefing-up my character ready for transfer into Mass Effect 2. With Electronic Theatre’s review copy of Mass Effect 2 arriving imminently, this left me precious little time to successfully finish the story, but having already ..."
"Mass Effect 2 is much more than a game. It’s an ominous sci-fi-mystery-action-epic that continues to provide thrilling moments around every bend. Never letting up for even a moment – well, unless you consider the hot and sexy romances – Mass Effect 2 is a fast-paced role-playing shooter that lasts, on average, more than 20 hours and offers multiple playthroughs with a large cast of critical choices to make for the fate of mankind."
"Since Mass Effect hit the Xbox 360 in 2007, then PC in 2008, we've been waiting impatiently for its sequel, hoping for new levels of epic space adventures and more fraternization with aliens. Even with all the technical imperfections, we understood BioWare's RPG-shooter hybrid as something amazing yet rare.
Mass Effect 2 carries on the legacy, with the same excellent storytelling and a refined combat system. Just minutes into the game, it becomes quite obvious that BioWare was listening..."
"Bioware is one of those video game developers that other companies strive to be like, creating entertainment experiences on the Xbox 360 that are unrivaled in terms of story, dialogue, and pure emotional investment. For that reason the Mass Effect trilogy is one of the most anticipated events in our industry and after three years of waiting Mass Effect 2 is finally ready to hit retail shelves. I tried to continue the same style of decision making from my Mass Effect 1 playthrough and in the e..."
"BioWare has exhausted their options. “We’ve release a 2 minute trailer. We’ve released a five-minute web-only trailer. We’ve release a 10-minute weapons featurette for the Modern Warfare 2 nerds who know the difference between a futuristic rifle and a futuristic carbine. Let’s just say that our video team has spent more hour putting together trailers in the last four months than our dialogue team spent on Dragon Age: Origins.”
So today, we’re happy to reveal the latest trailer from BioWare..."
"Nothing is certain in today’s game industry. But the closest you’ll come to a sure thing is that movies based on video games suck. There are exceptions, sure. But most of the time, gamers end up regretting their ticket purchase after watching their favorite game get some off the wall adaption on the silver screen that fails to encompass any of the elements that made the game so good. So to save the movie industry some time, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 games that need to get big screen ..."
Steam has recently released their top 10 sellers for the week of January 17-23rd, and surprisingly the top sellers are actually Pre-Orders. With Mass Effect 2 being released on the 26th of January and being called by Time.com as "the Avatar of video games — except it's better written", it could hardly be surprising.
However Battlefield Bad Company 2 takes the second spot and has only been available for 2 days out of the 7 possible selling days. Although Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 stil...
Until January 26th (the day of the release) Amazon.com continues to offer $10 video game credit with pre-order of the following titles: MAG (PlayStation 3), Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC) and Tatsunoko VS Capcom - Ultimate All-Stars (Nintendo Wii).
""Register Dragon Age: Origins at EA.com to get: Blood Dragon Armor in Mass Effect 2.
How it boosts your stats:
"
Take a look at 16 action-packed wallpapers for the highly anticipated Mass Effect 2. Collected from all over the web by VGB. The sci-fi game will be released on February 26th for Xbox 360 and PC.
All Age Gaming's Phong Nguyen bring's us the 26th AAG "The Week That Was". This week he discusses Nintendo's promotion of the Wii's online functionality, Microsoft's proposed deal with ESPN, the Mass Effect 2 Limited Edition console, the PS3's motion controller, the reported sexual assault on Playstion Home and more.
"As of this writing, we’re already three weeks into 2010. The “new” year is already practically ancient, and pretty soon we’ll have run out of time to make wild, erratic, entirely factual predictions about things that will happen over the next 11 months. So with January nearly over, we’re going for the jugular and answering the question that’s on everyone’s mind: between the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PC, which gaming platform will claim victory by the end of this year.
Experts antici..."
"Customers at GameStop locations where it's safe to be outside that late can expect a tank building challenge, a commando dress up contest, a grenade launch, and more, while those who frequent seedier stores will instead stand outside until around midnight, huddled together for safety."
BioWare have released the epic Launch Day Trailer for Mass Effect 2.
Beware, the trailer contains brief spoilers.
Mass Effect 2 is due for release Tuesday 26th in North America and Friday 29th in Europe.
This probably comes as no surprise, but it looks like Mass Effect 2 has been leaked onto the 'net a mere week before it's release. Already many gaming sites have full plot summaries and spoiler footage from the game splattered across their sites. So if you are a Mass Effect fan, you might want to stay away from forums until you get your hands on the game.
"After sitting down with BioWare’s Casey Hudson in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and following up with the project director of Mass Effect 2 this past week, we now present you the third of our four-part series centering on BioWare's upcoming title. Check out the audio slideshow to hear from Hudson and his outlook on the Mass Effect franchise."
"Video game developers are always trying to come up with the new gameplay mechanic that will take the industry by storm, something that not only adds to the fun-factor but can be implemented in a way that it becomes revolutionary. Now just because developers are trying to accomplish this feat doesn't mean it always works; today we have a list of the top five video game features that never caught on. Some were just too good to be true, others were dead before they made it out of the test labs. ..."
"When we do, it will obviously be a big deal. You want to see, ‘What’s happening on Earth?’ What’s it like because a whole world. It’s so big. There are so many questions you want answered what Earth is like in this fiction. But we do plan do go there at some point, but just not yet.”"
"If you are hoping to own the entire Mass Effect trilogy on the Xbox 360, you are in luck. Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson revealed that the complete trilogy will be completed on the Xbox 360. With Mass Effect set to release in just a week, Xbox 360 and PC owners didn't have to wait too long to experience the second chapter of the Mass Effect series."
"The Cerberus Network is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, The Cerberus Network can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code."
"After sitting down with BioWare’s Casey Hudson in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and following up with the project director of Mass Effect 2 this past week, we now present you our four part series of the most intimate questioning you’ll see anywhere on the net. Check out the audio slideshow to hear from Mr. Hudson and his outlook on the Mass Effect franchise."
""Remember, even if you’re using a Mass Effect 1 savegame to continue the sequel, at some point at the beginning of Mass Effect 2 you’ll be given the choice to change classes. Considering how much some of them have changed in between the two games, you might want to carefully consider it. The story will even account for the changes.""
"Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of BioWare’s Mass Effect franchise, took a short break from the trenches to tell Critical Gamer what his team was most excited about and proud of regarding the company’s highly anticipated end of January release, Mass Effect 2.
“Probably the biggest enhancement that we’ve made for Mass Effect 2 is simply the moment-to-moment feel of the game. It’s faster, smoother, and more precise, and that makes the whole experience that much more exciting and immersive.”"
"We’re barely two weeks into 2010 and there’s already enough must-have games to choke one of Avatar’s six-legged horses. January alone is home to seven big-name releases, with February, March and April continuing the trend. Hell, we even know what’s coming in the summer and in some cases (like Halo Reach) we’re even certain of the fall’s heaviest hitters.
Collected here is every game that matters (so far) in 2010. Obviously some games will slip and others will be announced in June at E3, bu..."
"BioWare PR previously stated the game is primarily a "shooter" because people are scared of the word "RPG." Apparently this is why regenerating health was implemented as well. Adrien Cho recently said a lot of gamers crave depth, however, and ME2 will definitely go that route. Can you comment on this fear of RPGs and any gameplay elements (including health regen) that may have been implemented because of it?
I’m not much one for worrying about exact genre labels, but like its predeces..."
You might remember Fox News' report on Mass Effect last year, that basically slandered the game for it's "graphic sex scenes" and "objectifying of women", despite neither the interviewer or psychology 'expert' Cooper Lawrence (who appeared in the report) ever having actually played the game. Gaming journalist Geoff Keighley tried his best to set the record straight and defend the game, but was ultimately ignored by Fox's interviewer.
Now that Mass Effect 2's release is just around the cor...
Walmart.com significantly expanded the list of soon-to-be-released games that are eligible for the free $10 gift cards with purchase. At this moment the list of games that are available includes Star Trek Online God of War 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2, MAG and many more. There are more than dozen games in total that are eligible.
This is a look at the Mass Effect 2 cast. VGB runs you by the main characters from BioWare's upcoming action-RPG sci-fi adventure. It will be released on January 26th, 2010, for Xbox 360 and PC.
"The release of Project Natal prior to the year’s end was once again confirmed, along with the fact that it will work with all existing Xbox 360 consoles. Further discussing new ideas, an interesting proposition was mentioned in the fact that Microsoft is considering allowing gamers to purchase a game on Xbox 360, and play it on their PC. Would this fantastic suggestion ever come to light in the retail space, however, Electronic Theatre would be very surprised indeed."
Many expect 2010 to be one of the biggest years ever for the gaming industry. It is off to a strong start with several big video games slated for January.
"Gamemakers aren't wasting any time in 2010 and have made the January-February-March quarter a kind of Christmas Part 2 with a wide variety of big releases across all genres and platforms. Dark Void, MAG, Mass Effect 2 and BioShock 2 only scratch the surface of what 2010 has to offer. To dig deeper you can find an expanded list of many of this year's releases right here."
2010 is looking to be yet another awesome year for us gamers. Hype, developer potential, nostalgia, series’ past sales and successes, all counted towards VGB's unbiased Top 100 list of this years biggest games. See anything you like?
"Out with the old and in with the new is the usual quid pro quo that comes at the end of each year and with everything gamers have been exposed to, 2009 will without a doubt be a tough act to follow. However, as Microsoft Game Studios flaunts what the 360 has to offer, the console stands to seize the market and become the centerpiece of the game industry in 2010. As Microsoft continues to provide a seemingly endless supple of new quality content and numerous choice exclusives, this is just the..."
Following on from the Top 10 new IP's of 2010 article, All Age Gaming brings you the Top 10 Sequels that are coming in 2010. Does this list compete with the New IP's list? Read on to find out.
For those without a 360, today releases the full version of the Mass Effect 2 "Dirty Dozen" trailer, following the teasing earlier this month. Enjoy.
Amazon.com put out an updated list of soon-to-be-released games for which it's giving out free $10 future game credit with purchase. Games eligible include MAG, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Army of Two: 40th Day, Dante's Inferno and several others.
""Lost Planet 2 by Capcom Entertainment
This sequel puts players into a whole new environment while offering up excellent graphics and plenty of giant bug squashing.""
"2010 looks to be the year of sequels. The industry loves them; this past year, the biggest selling titles were sequels – Halo 3: ODST, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2. Sequels sell well because, obviously, they are recognizable to consumers. And what consumer doesn’t like to stay in their comfort zone? There’s plenty to be said for innovative new properties; games like Brutal Legend and Dead Space come out of nowhere to massive success (and inevitably start franchises of their own). Indi..."
""When you sit down for a chat with two of the top gaming developers in the video-game industry, there is no telling where the conversation might range. From the upcoming, and highly anticipated, Mass Effect 2, to the world of developer consolidations and who might play Sam Shepherd in a Mass Effect movie – if there is one – the topics were varied.
GameZone’s Dakota Grabowski had the opportunity for a sit-down chat with Dr. Ray Muzyka - CEO and General Manager, BioWare & Vice President, Ele..."
""The fall of the JRPG in large part is due to a lack of evolution, a lack of progression," Zeschuk said. "They kept delivering the same thing over and over. They make the dressing better, they look prettier, but it's still the same experience.
"My favorite thing, it's funny when you still see it, but the joke of some of the dialogue systems where it asks, 'do you wanna do this or this,' and you say no. 'Do you wanna do this or this?' No. 'Do you wanna do this or this?' No. Lemme think -- y..."
""The second demo put us on the path to meet up with Mordin Solus, the fast-talking salarian that eventually joins Shepard’s team as the doctor and scientist, along with being battle ready when called upon. The mission puts Shepard in the path of the Blue Suns, a mercenary outfit that doesn’t want Mordin to give Shepard the cure to a deadly plague. Within this mission, we met up with a new enemy type, the vorcha, who are hard-hitting and utterly brutal in their combat style. The only adversary..."
First it was hinted that Mass Effect 2 would be coming to PS3, then it was denied, then it was hinted at again.
And now Bioware have hinted at it once more. In a recent interview with Polish site Polygamia.pl (the English translation is in the right-hand column of the article) Bioware's Adrien Cho was asked whether Mass Effect 2 would ever be released on PS3. Cho did not confirm it outright, but his evasive statements indicate that it is a possibility.
Cho also talked about Mass Effe...
"One of our most anticipated games of 2010 is the sequel to Bioware's epic RPG Mass Effect, today the ESRB has released it's "findings" on Mass Effect 2 and to say they are shocking would be a massive understatement; more after the jump."
"With the slew of world premeire videos that were shown off during this year’s VGA’s one little trailer has seemingly slipped under the radar. IGN had an exclusive Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer that teases the release of a full length trailer on December 22nd. The trailer is very much like another cinematic for BioWare’s other RPG Dragon Age: Origins and just like that one it leaves you wanting more. Check it out.
"
"BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., has today revealed the voice actors performing in Mass Effect 2, the second act of the award-winning science fiction trilogy. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal."
"1 - Yes, there are 2 game discs for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions, both the Collector's and standard editions.
2 - There is a 3rd disc with the Collector's Edition. This is a movie DvD containing making of and other bonus information.
3 - The PC version is a standard install. You install the information from both discs and then play with 1 disc in the drive. No swapping.
4 - You can install the game to your Xbox 360 Hard Drive as long as you have enough memory to do so and have t..."
Another awesome new trailer from BioWare for their character roster in their upcoming 'Mass Effect 2'. This time we get to see a new character named Samara who is another Asari.
"Critically acclaimed videogame development studio BioWare, an Electronic Arts studio, has revealed new gameplay details from it’s highly-anticipated sequel to 2007’s widely respected Mass Effect. Due to arrive early in 2010, it appears that the psychic warfare has received a great deal of attention."
"Not wanting to be left out after the recent success stories concerning Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, Electronic Arts (EA) has today announced that it has set a new record for site traffic at DragonAge.com and new user registrations at its social networking site, Social.Bioware.com. With the release of Dragon Age: Origins, the BioWare community has grown to a record five million registered users, propelled by outstanding word-of-mouth buzz among..."
"Man, so much time tied up today in meetings and “secret stuff” I didn’t get any time with ME2 at all. =( Still with the coming surprise for next week on the ME2 website, I’m sure fans will forgive me for no update. Did I, Evil Chris Priestly, just drop a hint? Yes. Yes I did."
The Illusive Man has been lurking in the underground of the Mass Effect galaxy until now, but what could Shepard possibly want with the leader of the pro-Human Cerberus group?
Also shown is the new Vanguard class as well as Shepard's meeting with Mordin, a Salarian Scientist and possible party member.
*Slight spoilers.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
"Several publishers skipped out on the holidays of 2009 and have took to the skies to help make 2010 the year that every gamer dreams of. That’s right, 2010 is turning out to be a year that will steal hundreds upon hundreds of hours from gamers. So it’s time to invest our concentration on the role-playing games of 2010. The RPG genre on the Xbox 360 has surpassed what the original Xbox served up, so expectations continue to rise. Will 2010 turn out to be better than 2009? We can only cross our..."
It's been awhile since we last received any substantial new information regarding Mass Effect 2, but Bioware have came back with a bang revealing the return of Garrus as well as the new evil plaguing Citadel Controlled Space.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
"Leading videogame developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that the internationally acclaimed Shooter Role-Playing Game (RPG) Mass Effect 2 will also be released as a Collectors’ Edition in limited quantities. Available on January 26th in North America and January 29th throughout Europe alongside the standard edition, the Collectors’ Edition of Mass Effect 2 comes in a premium, tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Ef..."
"While we are all waiting to get our hands on the much anticipated Mass Effect 2, lead writer Mac Walters is working hard on creating a brand new story for the Mass Effect universe in the form of a comic book titled Mass Effect: Redemption. The story is exclusive to the comic and will follow a member of Commander Shepard’s team Dr. Liara T’Soni on a “deadly mission of extraordinary importance in Milky Way’s Lawless Terminus System’."
Here it is everyone, the release date for Mass Effect 2 has been confirmed for January 26, way earlier than the initial "Spring 2010" bit.
Of course there are retail-exclusive pre-order bonuses, which is both good or bad depending. GameStop, as always, hogs the good stuff, that being Terminus armor and a heavy weapon. "Other retail outlets" get the Inferno armor.
Really huge images of both armors (plus details) at the source.
"Jay Vatamanyuk of BioWare, and writer on Mass Effect 2, talked of three platforms for the game: Xbox 360, PC and "probably the PS3."
This is the first time anyone at BioWare has admitted to PS3 development on the title. However, Vatamanyuk then stood back from his statement when asked, stating (as usual) that he would "not comment on rumour and speculation.""
Earlier this week, GAME and EA Russia listed Mass Effect 2 as coming to the PS3, and then removed it from their site. Now, Amazon has this as a product feature for Dragon Age: Origins on PS3:
"Exclusive Collector's Edition items including: a tin game case, a bonus content CD, a cloth game map, four pieces of in-game content and an unlockable item for 'Mass Effect 2.'"
Is this another slip up, or just more reason to believe Mass Effect 2 is coming to PS3.
Yesterday there was a rumor floating around the 'net that Mass Effect 2 would be coming to PS3. EA have confirmed that this is false. They also confirmed that Left 4 Dead 2 also won't be released on PS3.
It seems Mass Effect 2 has been listed as coming out for PS3 in various game stores around the world. This could simply be a mistake, or it could be true. The source has phoned EA and we will find out if it is true on Monday.
Some of you may have heard of comments by Mass Effect 2's publicist Heather Rabatich we highlighted previously, who was speaking on the topic of changes in the game from its prequel:
"We are trying to make the game more accessible to people," she says. "Like in your first question, because it's a first person shooter, it is a more attractive game, as the word "RPG" can scare people off from playing a game because they think it's going to be boring. But I think Mass Effect bridges that, b...
Neoseeker editor Lydia Sung returns to the fray today with an editorial about the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace, which, like many gamers out there, she feels is disrespectful to customers.
Not usually just one to rant though, she offers up three major suggestions Microsoft can make use of to please (mostly) everyone.
Check it out at the source, where you can also find a fashion show of sorts -- this may be your only chance to see our fearless editor in a storm trooper outfit.
With all the talk about the PS3 Slim and the Xbox 360's price drop, All Age Gaming takes a look at the value of money of the consoles now and whether the 360 has the quality exclusives it needs to stop potential console buyers swaying towards the PS3.
Mass Effect 2 has been known as an Xbox360 and PC game, but Bioware hasn't denied the possibility that the franchise may come to PS3. When CVG asked Bioware why they haven’t brought the series to PS3 yet, Muzyka stated the following:
“I think a more accurate way to frame it is to say we’ve announced we’re developing Mass Effect for 360 and PC. Right from the beginning we said we wanted to deliver Mass Effect on the 360. Right now all we’ve announced is we’re working on 360 and PC.”
“We ...
Like so many of its contemporaries these days, Mass Effect 2 has adopted a regenerating health system, where in cover it will begin to refill. This is in contrast to previous statements made by lead system designer Christina Norman, who said they would be altering the design of the game, but not dumbing it down.
The source of the new info is the game's publicist Heather Rabatich, who says it's an effort to bring a new crowd of gamers; apparently they're not fond of the word "RPG." Note Rab...
"The new character revealed for Mass Effect 2, and a possible choice for you squad, is Grunt. A violent and unpredictable Krogan fighter, Grunt has never faced true defeat. His unsurpassed physical strength makes him a strong asset to Commander Shepard’s team, if he can be tamed, and if he can be trusted."
A brand new trailer for Mass Effect 2 has just been shown during EA's press conference centering around new Krogan teammate Grunt as well as the Omega space station.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
It's officially 'Meet Thane' day over at the Mass Effect 2 website, with Bioware giving us a host of new screenshots and a wallpaper to boot featuring new teammate Thane, a Drell assassin.
The screenshots also give us a glimpse at the new Krogan teammate as well as a look at the Normandy Mark 2.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
"Back in 2007, Mass Effect wowed critics and gamers alike, winning universal acclaim for its genre-busting game play, enormous scope, beautiful presentation and epic storyline. By blending all the best aspects from a third person, squad-based shooter with the elements of an in-depth RPG, Bioware created a quality game that has revolutionised the action RPG genre. Two years later, Bioware is at it again, adding a highly anticipated second chapter to the saga."
Box art fetishists like ourselves, take note: BioWare/EA has just released the box art for its upcoming blockbuster Mass Effect 2. It does not come with a towel.
""When you're playing the first game, everything that you do is setting a variable so that as the story progresses we know that you did a certain thing on a certain planet, and then internal to the game, we can reference those things," Hudson explained. "Your Mass Effect save game contains all of that information. When you import it into Mass Effect 2, now we can continue mining all that information."
The information pertains not just to what your ending was, but to "literally hundreds of t..."
EA announced today that BioWare and Dark Horse Comics will be putting out a Mass Effect comic series. The first issue, titled "Redemption," will be out on January 6, 2010, and covers some events prior to Mass Effect 2.
The story seems to focus on Commander Shepard, who is stranded in the treacherous Terminus Systems with Dr. Liara T'soni. You remember her -- the blue chick you had (possibly lesbian) sex with before saving the galaxy.
"With fear of sounding like an old grouch, I recall days when the Internet was not so popular, or even not popular at all. For the video game world, this carried with it one wonderful positive: mystery. It's not that print media was completely free of giving us some juicy details months (even years) before we played a game, but it retrospect, it seems it was more tastefully done, and well-orchestrated, as opposed to what the rabidly curious nature of the Internet produces."
BioWare's Casey Hudson and Christina Norman led a closed demonstration for us last week at E3, dropping plenty of details to get any Mass Effect fan going. Shepard, as many of us have learned by now, is in fact ALIVE... but that could all change in Mass Effect 2. Yes, he / she can still die, depending on how you play the game.
I'd include more in the description and following quote, but wouldn't wanna spoil anything for those who'd prefer to keep their mind free of any ME2 details. Also...
"I'm guessing that many of you missed the Spike TV special Thursday night that previewed E3. No worries. I have the highlights and the trailers for you. Take a look to see new trailers for the Batman game, Brutal Legend, DJ Hero, Mass Effect 2 and Just Cause 2.
Oh yeah, there is also a trailer for the new Bethesda game, called Brink. I broke the videos into two parts. This one has the big ones and the news of the night."
The first information from these scans hit a few days ago, so if you haven't already read it then now's your chance. For those who already know the new info, check out the new screenshots and artwork.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
"We’ve managed to take the first real time shots of Mass Effect 2, both in-game cutscenes and gameplay, taken from the Mass Effect 2 prelude video leading up to E3. It’s the first time there has been proper screenshots on the net from Mass Effect 2, and there certainly will be more in the run up to E3 itself when it kicks off in the first week of June between June 2nd and June 4th.
We’ll hopefully also know more from Microsoft’s E3 press conference from June 1st as well as EA’s press confer..."
First of all, if you haven't already seen the new Mass Effect 2 teaser, go watch it. Now.
...Now that we've got that out of the way, enjoy 1UP's new question time with the guys behind it.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
It seems like Bioware have some big things planned for E3 this year, including the ability to get play a demo of Mass Effect 2, albiet behind closed doors.
To view the new trailer click on the video tab (right hand side, bottom tab) and then select the pre-E3 trailer.
[ Discussion in the Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
OXCGN's newest writer Beth Sasagi looks at the high probability that Mass Effects 2 could well be THE greatest console RPG to even grace the screens of 360 and Pc owners.
Hopefully PS3 owners will enjoy that privilege as well. As the game deserves as much exposure as it can get, and all gamers should have access to it, irrespective of platform.
"RM: From our perspective, now we get to play the games and just really enjoy them as consumers, and offer feedback from that perspective, at the early start of the ideation phase. We say, "What's our audience excited by? What's our aspirational fantasy? What are solving for here? What goals are we setting up for this project?" Then the team goes and they work on that. We play it throughout the process and give feedback whether the team's meeting the goals that they set out at the start of the..."
Ready for your first sneak peek at Mass Effect 2?
Although the footage is of a very early build of the game, the last few moments of each video offer an insight into the look and feel of the final product.
Videos at the source.
[ Mass Effect 2 ]
"“If you chose to start a game by importing a Mass Effect save, your game will feel like your game,” he said.
“The first moment will be different.”
Hudson expanded to give the first real details of the game’s plot.
“It’s about what’s happening with the Reapers, what happens to the human race.
“You’ll be able to see the Elusive Man in Mass Effect 2.”
He added: “Romances will be as well done and as sophisticated in Mass Effect 2 as they were in Mass Effect 1.
“Theres gonna be m..."
"So the Game Developers Conference’s 09 (GDC’s) brought a couple of surprises so far. A new Zelda for the DS, third party motion controls for 360, a new Ratchet & Clank for our PS3 comrades, and the entry of Warner Bros to the fray that may well have had fanboys disorientated and asking “Errr… what’s up doc?”
But where’s the goods from Microsoft? Some would lead you to believe that Microsoft has announced its full line up just like they had this time last year… oh yeah, that’s the problem…
..."
It seems that Amazon have revealed a few Mass Effect 2 details... Humans disappearing across the Galaxy? An all-out assault? Shepards fate?
*Quote below may contain Mass Effect 1 spoilers!*
[ Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
Whilst Mass Effect 2 will be multiplatform, it may not be in the way certain people were hoping. The press release also sets in stone the aforementioned Q1 2009 release date and gives fans a brief glimpse into the storyline and gameplay of the next game in the series.
[ Mass Effect 2 Forum ]
![Box shot of Mass Effect 2 [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUEMvUm9sZS1QbGF5aW5nL1NjaS1GaQ==/mass_effect_2_frontcover_small_FRHUKgUNLgR2JME.jpg)