Mass Effect 2: Interactive Comic Book Announced for 360/PC

Ahead of the launch of the Mass Effect 2 demo on the UK PlayStation Network later today, Electronic Arts has announced a brand new interactive comic based on the videogame series. Mass Effect Genesis has been developed as a collaboration between from Dark Horse Comics and BioWare, as is set to arrive over the holiday period on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Mass Effect Genesis will be available through the Cerberus Network, an in-game online interface that allows gamers who purchase the game new to receive free content. Designed to aid PlayStation 3 gamers taking their first steps into the franchise, or those Xbox 360 and PC gamers eager for yet more action, the interactive comic will help give players a high level overview of the events of the original Mass Effect, giving them the option to make critical choices that will affect their storyline in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, launching simultaneously on all three platforms for the first time in the franchise’s history in Holiday 2011.

The Mass Effect 2 demo is set to hit the PlayStation Network later today, with the game to launch in January 2011. Electronic Theatre will keep you updated with all the latest details on the Mass Effect franchise.

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Mass Effect 2's PS3-exclusive comic: how it works

Finally! Mass Effect! On the PS3! As a huge fan of the franchise, I was waiting for another excuse to play through Mass Effect 2. New and exclusive to the PS3 version of BioWare's RPG is an interactive comic that summarizes the events of the first Mass Effect. It's a clever workaround to Microsoft's publishing rights to the first game, and considering the importance of these choices in subsequent games, the effort is much appreciated. Unfortunately, after "playing" the comic, I couldn't help but wonder if it was enough to ease newcomers into the franchise.

Although most of the game's expansions are included on the Blu-ray disc, you'll have to download and install the free comic from the PlayStation Store before starting the game. The comic is also not the first thing you experience in the game -- you'll have to play Mass Effect 2's impactful intro sequence first. The comic book sequence takes place in-between Shepard's first encounter with the enigmatic Collectors and his arrival at the Cerberus station. (If you opt not to download and install the comic DLC, the game will continue as it did in the original version).

While its position is unexpected, the interlude offers a perfect place for Shepard's life to flash before his (or her) eyes. (Both voice actors of Shepard provide narration for the comic, so don't be afraid to create an Oprah Shepard of your own!) The pace of the comic is incredibly swift, jumping from one crucial event to the next.

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BioWare doctors add 'AIAS Hall of Fame' to credentials

BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk will be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame. Muzyka and Zeschuk will be the fourteenth and fifteenth (they can quibble about which is which) members in the hall of fame, which includes folks like Mike Cerny, Mike Morhaime and Dani Bunten. This is the first time the award has been given to a pair.

"The Doctors," as they are referred to in the industry, took the leap from medicine to game design and have been more than marginally successful, heading up the studio that created top-tier franchises Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The awards will be presented to the pair by Epic Games prez Mike Capps at the 2011 D.I.C.E. Summit in February. We really hope someone chooses the renegade option when the duo get up to accept their awards.

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Mass Effect 2-PlayStation Blog Meets Casey Hudson

The Fastest Way To Make Six Mass Effect Decisions, On The PS3

 The PlayStation 3 gets Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in 2011. Getting Mass Effect 1 as well would just be too ridiculous. But PS3 gamers will be able to speed through a short version of the 2007 game.

The January-launching PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 will include an interactive comic called Mass Effect Genesis. It doesn't just summarize the original Xbox 360 and PC-only Mass Effect from 2007, it simulates the experience of playing it. The comic allows gamers to make six key decisions from the original game and see their ramifications in Mass Effect 2.

The brief digital comic starts shortly after the playable introduction to Mass Effect 2 on the PS3. That introduction won't surprise Xbox 360 and PC players who have been able to experience it since the second Mass Effect game launched in January of this year, but let's not ruin things for Sony-only players. A PlayStation 3 gamer will start the game, pick a gender and look for their version of the series' hero Commander Shepard, will play the opening sequence and then reach the comic.

The comic recounts the main story of the first Mass Effect. It also exposes what I hadn't realized were the surprisingly few key decisions players made in the first game. Maybe the six choices do set up a lot of consequence, but it was odd for me, someone who spent well over 20 hours playing the first Mass Effect, to see that the actions I took could be presented in a brisk re-telling with a mere half-dozen narrative forks. Some forks involve who lives and who dies during Commander Shepard's quest to save the galaxy. One involves sex. There's some politics too.

Mix up your responses and you get more than 700 permutations, if I'm remembering my middle-school math correctly. That makes the six choices available feel not so slim a picking after all. It also presents PlayStation 3 owners with one of the only bragging points they can make to Xbox 360 and PC players who have a more than three-year advantage in Mass Effect experience: the PS3 player can re-play the comic at the beginning of Mass Effect 2 repeatedly with each new start of the game, crafting a new Mass Effect 1 history for Shepard in just a few minutes. The player can then see how any tweaks affect the story of Mass Effect 2. What if you made some pivotal decision pivot differently? It's easier to test on a PS3. You don't have to replay many hours of Mass Effect 1 and import the save file over.

I saw the comic at a Sony showcase for PlayStation 3 games in New York last week. I was also shown some mid-game action. The people showing the game say it looks better, that the graphics engine has been overhauled, but without an Xbox 360 running the game right next to the PS3, it's hard to say if and how much better things look. I was encouraged to look at the mesh on Shepard's uniform. You look at the mesh. Better lighting, they say. Better reflections.

The PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 will include all of the downloadable content released for the Xbox 360 version as well as reflect changes made in patches. A representative for the game's development studio, Bioware, said we can think of this version as what Bioware would release if they ever sold an ultimate version of Mass Effect 2.

The game will also support the Cerebus Network, which is Bioware and parent company EA's way to release free and paid downloadable content to Mass Effect 2. The Genesis Comic, in fact, is a Cerebus Network item, which probably means that it, like other freebies on the service, will only be freebies if you buy the game new. Otherwise you have to pay extra for the Network if you have buy a used copy of the game. Bioware plans to release more Cerebus Network content for all platforms in 2011.

Chances of Mass Effect 1 coming to the PlayStation 3 were always slim. Time was against it. The fact the Xbox 360 maker Microsoft published the game was against it. But in the history of humankind, comic books have often solved intractable problems, or something. So here's a comic, PS3 fans. That's your Mass Effect 1. Make your decisions, and make them again.

Mass Effect 2 is out for the PS3 in January; Mass Effect 3 is set for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in the "holiday" season.

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Mass Effect 2 - PS3 Preview (IGN)

Apparently the game runs on the Mass Effect 3 engine for the PS3 version, so any differences should be interesting to note.

Mass Effect 2: IGN's Best Xbox 360 game of the year 2010

It's easy to forget about games that are released in the first half of the year, but Mass Effect 2 managed to stay fresh in our minds for more than 11 months against heavy competition. Stunning environments, unforgettable characters, a gripping story, and kick-ass combat are just some of the many reasons Mass Effect 2 surpassed every other game launched on the Xbox 360. More importantly, BioWare successfully implemented a feature touted back in the original Mass Effect: plot divergences depending on your actions. It was awesome having a choice you made in Mass Effect come back to haunt you in the sequel, and we can't wait to see how everything comes to a head in the third.

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MAss Effect 2: X-Play's 2010 Game of the Year & Casey Hudson ME3 Interview

Mass Effect 3 launching on PC, PS3 and 360 simultaneously

Electronic Arts confirmed this morning that Mass Effect 3 will launch simultaneously on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in holiday 2011. This marks the first time the franchise will set foot on all consoles on the same day. The first installment is still not available on the PS3, while the critically acclaimed sequel will "save the lost" on Sony's console beginning January 18.

Mass Effect 3 was officially unveiled over the weekend at the 2010 Spike VGAs. As evidenced by the trailer and the description from the EA Store last week, the "final" chapter in the Mass Effect saga will see Shepard saving Earth from the Reaper invasion. Come on, Shepard has saved the galaxy twice now -- he (or she) should have no difficulty saving one measly planet.

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From the VGAs Red Carpet: Bioware's Doctors

At the red carpet event right before the VGAs this weekend, all we could get out of Bioware's two founding doctors, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, about their reveal was that "it involves shooting." Sure enough, as we predicted, the new game ended up being Mass Effect 3, and we'll look forward to more information about that game as we move toward release next year.

But in the meantime, Muzyka and Zeschuk were happy to tell us what they thought of fan reaction to the last entry in the series. Even though it came out last January, Mass Effect 2 remains a game of the year contender for 2010. "It's a tremendous honor for us to have the game considered in that light by the fans," said Muzyka. "At the end of the day, that's what it's all about." Zeshuck agrees that "it's a long time. But people seem to remember it, and it's really exciting that it's still on people's minds."

With Dragon Age 2 and The Old Republic already on the way, and now Mass Effect 3 due out next year as well, we asked if Bioware is concerned about spreading itself too thin. "There was a point a couple of years ago where we actually thought about that really carefully," says Zeschuk. "We actually did kind of constrict ourselves a few years back. We had to very specifically structure the studios."

But nowadays, the doctors feel that the company's balance is exactly right. "I've actually just done a circuit across the studios," says Muzyka. "What really struck me is how passionate our people are, and how much they care about the quality of the experiences. We're making different types of games in every studio, but they all retain that feel of Bioware."

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Mass Effect 3! Coming Winter 2011

As speculated and teased (and accidentally outed), BioWare and EA tonight revealed the next installment in the Mass Effect series: Mass Effect 3. Alongside the official announcement at tonight's Spike VGAs came the first trailer of Shepard and Co. in action. Surprise, surprise - Earth's burning! The final chapter to BIoWare's trilogy will launch sometime in "holiday 2011."

Sources: here and here.

Somewhat disappointing trailer (like the reapers wouldn't just bombard from orbit, and - what - the london eye is still around how many years in the future?! but winter 2011 is way faster than just about anyone anticipated.

Mass Effect 3 outed on EA Store [Update: Listing yanked by EA]

[Update 3:56pm ET: Well, that was fast. Unsurprisingly, EA assassins have leapt into action, lobbing a throwing star into the unlucky server that housed the just-there-a-second-ago Mass Effect 3 listing. We've got our screen grabs after the break if you want to relive the memories.]

The EA Store has added a pre-order listing for Mass Effect 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The listing includes a description that notes the "Earth is burning" and Commander Shepard (that's you!) has to gather the races of the galaxy to launch "one final mission" against machines striking from beyond known space.

No release window is provided on the site. Well, we guess that confirms the rumors we've been hearing about. The game is expected to be officially announced tomorrow during the 2010 VGAs on Spike. Just in case the page gets pulled, we've saved a full screengrab after the break, along with the game's description, just below. Also of note, the search screen which lists Mass Effect 3 releases for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms. This, of course, is likely placeholder data (evidenced by the PC release's unlikely $59.95 price tag) and there's no release dates, placeholder or otherwise, so it's anybody's guess as to whether all three versions will be released simultaneously.

Earth is burning. Striking from beyond known space, a race of terrifying machines have begun their destruction of the human race. As Commander Shepard, an Alliance Marine, your only hope for saving mankind is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth.

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Mass Effect 2 PS3 Release Date

Electronic Arts has confirmed to IGN that Mass Effect 2 for PlayStation 3 will ship in the United States on Jan. 18. 2011 and Jan. 21 in Europe.

Given that the first Mass Effect title will remain a Xbox 360 exclusive, EA and BioWare will include an interactive comic with the PS3 copies to help bridge the storylines. The choices made in the comic will carry over into your Mass Effect 2 playthrough.

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.

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New image leaks from new BioWare trailer scheduled for the VGAs

And we thought BioWare made such nice games. A new image confirmed to be from the studio's secret new blockbuster - obtained by CVG - suggests that its next epic may be grittier than anything it's produced before.

The image, which you can see right here, depicts crosshairs from a first-person perspective. Shockingly, as you look closer, you realise they are aimed squarely at a seemingly defenceless woman - reaching out to a fallen child.

Rumours abound that BioWare's new title is the latest addition to the Mass Effect universe - or even Mass Effect 3. The studio will finally unveil the game in full this weekend at the Spike VGAs in Los Angeles (4am Sunday morning UK time).

The US source that leaked the image to CVG told us: "I won't spoil it for everyone by telling you what the game is. But it's going to have a lot of hardcore BioWare fans jumping out of their seats."

CVG approached EA and asked if the game to be revealed on Sunday at this year's VGAs was part of the Mass Effect canon.

The publisher conceded that the image was a still from the trailer but would "not comment on rumour and speculation" surrounding the exact nature of the game.

BioWare gave us the first taste of its new game last month with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it teaser for the VGA reveal. A short video showed a marine-like gunman aiming down the sights of his weapon.

We noted at the time: "The unannounced game looks more like a modern shooter than Mass Effect 3, so perhaps the Dragon Age dev plans to introduce its trademark RPG elements to the Call of Duty genre."

Could Mass Effect be getting bleaker than ever before? Or does BioWare having something all-new up its sleeve to wow us with? All will be revealed this weekend...

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