Mass Effect 2

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New Info revealed my contain spoilers regarding the end of mass effect 2 and mass effect 3 read at your own risk

Mass Effect 2 - Just the Facts, Man…

Just the Facts, Man…

Casey Hudson
Executive Producer
BioWare

Well we’re back from E3, and I’ve been checking out some of the feedback on our first live demonstrations of Mass Effect 2. We showed some pretty dramatic stuff, and the response has been incredibly positive. The demo also inspired some passionate debate about what it all meant.

There are some really good articles out there describing what we showed at E3, but I figured it might be useful if I clarified some points and answered a few questions people have asked here and on the BioWare forums since E3. I’ll won’t drop any real spoilers here - this is all just the basic premise of the game that we described for people at the show…

The Suicide Mission Concept
In Mass Effect 2, you (as Commander Shepard) are faced with what appears to be a suicide mission: taking a team into the heart of enemy territory where you shouldn’t have any chance of coming back alive. Your survival therefore is based on how well you’ve built a team – who you recruited, how well-equipped they are, and whether they’re loyal to you. Loyalty (and the things you’ll do to earn it) is a central part of the game, and it is critical to Shepard surviving the final mission.

Paragon / Renegade decisions affect a lot of things in the game - and will affect which how the game ends - but they are completely separate from your character’s readiness to survive the final mission.

When we say that Shepard can die in Mass Effect 2, it’s not something that happens at points in the middle of the game. Yes, you can “die” in gameplay as normal but that’s not what we’re talking about here. It’s not a “Game Over” screen. It’s not a gimmicky thing where you make a choice, “die”, and reload to continue to the “real” ending. When you get to the very end of the story in Mass Effect 2, you will get one of a wide variety of climactic and satisfying endings. Depending on how prepared you were, your ending may involve Shepard making the ultimate sacrifice to accomplish the mission.


If you do die in the ending of Mass Effect 2, it will not come as a surprise, nor will it be random. It will be pretty obvious that you headed into the final mission knowing that Shepard probably wouldn’t make it out alive. Throughout the middle of the game you are building up information, resources, a team, and a ship that will be able to do the job, and although you can jump straight to the final mission at a certain point, you’ll have a good feel for whether you’re likely to survive it.

Part of what makes the final mission dangerous in a more profound way is that each squad member could potentially die a real, story-based death during that mission as well. You might have an ending where Shepard’s entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between. And for all characters, death in Mass Effect 2 means they won’t show up in Mass Effect 3.

One big reason you’ll want to be alive after the ending is that after the credits roll, you are returned to the game world - ready to head back out for more adventure. You can complete unfinished missions, explore the galaxy, and download new adventures to play. But Mass Effect is a trilogy about Commander Shepard’s journey - if your Shepard dies in the end of Mass Effect 2, that’s the end of him / her. In that case, you can play Mass Effect 3 as “a” Shepard – just not “your” Shepard. As in real life, not being able to keep living is really the main down-side of death. So if you care about playing the next game with your character, make sure you survive this one.

If you die in the end but in retrospect you really wish you had lived, you can of course go back to a savegame from before you attempted the final mission. From there you can make the improvements required to survive and continue your character into the next game.

Importing your Mass Effect Savegame
First, you do not need to have played Mass Effect to enjoy Mass Effect 2. The introduction is designed to introduce new players to the story and universe, and to recap the situation for previous players.

If you have completed Mass Effect and you still have your savegames, you can view each playthrough you’ve completed, and choose the one you want to continue from. The Mass Effect savegame doesn’t just contain a couple of your big choices. It contains countless decisions you’ve made, both large and small. These things could each potentially carry forward and affect your story in Mass Effect 2. This has never been done before on this scale, and it means you’re actually continuing your own story from exactly where you left off.


Some have asked “I built a level 60 character with lots of loot in Mass Effect – will it all carry over to Mass Effect 2?” We will definitely provide benefits for those who put time into developing their character in Mass Effect. But to support all the improvements made in combat and inventory, the skills and items are pretty much completely redone for Mass Effect 2. So if you import a character from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 will adapt the key assets of your character into starting benefits that work in the new system.

Answers to Other Popular Questions
• “You demonstrated feature X, so does that mean you’ve forgotten about feature Y?” Some worry that by emphasizing certain things in the E3 demo, it means we’ve forgotten about other elements. Not so of course. When you take a game to E3, you really have to focus the message down to something razor-sharp, to cut through all the noise of the show. In our case, it was the key differences between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 that we wanted to emphasize – and we didn’t even have enough time in our slot to show them all! Examples of things we did not show but are definitely in the game are: a completely new and beautifully-handling vehicle, richer and more diverse Uncharted World locations, new space exploration interactivity, systems for character progression, new weapon and armor customization, other cool characters (some new and some you know from the first game), and a ton of content and features.

• “Will Ashley/Garrus/Wrex/etc return in ME2?” Pretty much all the main characters from Mass Effect appear in Mass Effect 2 in one form or another (if they survived your decision-making), and some can join your squad. In general you can expect to continue relationships with these characters across the trilogy, unless you get them killed.

• "Why can't every squadmember from Mass Effect join my squad in Mass Effect 2?" Part of the answer is that the story of Mass Effect 2 is really about the characters - how you go about building a team of interesting individuals - and we wanted to provide some new characters for you to learn about. But beyond that, we're creating a story full of thrilling twists and turns, and while it may be frustrating to not have all the answers right now, these surprises will make the actual playing part really enjoyable. As part of that story, you'll discover what each of your original team members is up to, and why they will or won't join you. You wouldn't want us to spell out exactly who you team up with before you have a chance to discover it on your own, right? Once you're playing Mass Effect 2 and you're immersed in the story, you'll be glad we saved lots of juicy surprises and revelations that can only be found inside the game.

• “Was that a reload animation I saw in the demo?” Like in the first game, most of the futuristic weapons in Mass Effect 2 do not require ammo but they do overheat. The difference now is that instead of waiting for your weapon to cool, you can hit a button to eject a small heat sink to immediately cool the weapon and get back into firing. So it’s a similar system but now you are in control of the cooldown.


• “Do I need fast reflexes to use the Interrupt system?” Interrupts are not meant to be “quick time events”. They are additional options that can appear throughout an NPC’s line that allow you to take a more physical action versus one of the verbal responses. You don’t need to fixate on a part of the screen – a flashing icon will catch your attention in your peripheral vision when it is available. A red icon on the left of the conversation wheel means you can pull the left trigger to fire a hostile interrupt. A blue one on the right side means you can pull the right trigger to do a heroic interrupt. This system allows you to really throw your weight around and get involved in more dynamic interactions with other characters.

• “Did you remove pausing in combat?” No. We’ve made a bunch of changes that add up to the ability to fight without pausing. But you can still hold the powers screen up to pause the action and plan your next moves. One of the biggest improvements was the option to fire your powers in realtime by mapping your favorite ones to buttons – this is a lot of fun and really unlocks the real potential of the combat system. The other big improvement was separate, context-based squad commands on the d-pad. So with a single press of the d-pad you can send a specific squad member to exactly where you want him / her, or to hit an enemy with a special power. This means you can run around with the best powers of your team right at your fingertips and enjoy realtime tactical mayhem – or you can pause with the powers screen to really think about what you want to do next.

• And the two most common questions: “Did you fix the slow elevators?” and “Will there be alien love scenes?” Yes and yes. We actually had our new level transition system on display in the demo, which replaces elevators and other transitions from the first game. The new system did its job perfectly in the demo– it was a natural part of the visual narrative and went by fast enough that no one noticed it even happened. As for whether there will be alien love in an elevator, you’ll have to play to find out.

[dz06lt]

Video Game News, Geek Stuff & Gadgets - The Feed at G4tv.com

BioWare's Casey Hudson Explains The Improved Combat In Mass Effect 2
Posted by Raymond Padilla - Thursday, June 18, 2009 10:52 AM


Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version
While everyone was floored at E3 2009 by what BioWare is doing in terms of story and characterization in Mass Effect 2, one aspect of the game that isn't getting a lot of play is the combat. Longtime BioWare fans love the pause-and-play skirmishes the company has been serving up since Baldur's Gate. Newer gamers would prefer something smoother and more fluid. It looks like BioWare is keeping up with the times. Project director Casey Hudson told G4tv.com aboot about the combat improvements:

"Much of the way Mass Effect 2 plays is similar to Mass Effect, but every part of it has been improved. The biggest difference, in fact, is when you pick it up, it feels like a precision shooter. It has all the depth that we had before, but now weapons feel accurate and powerful right from the beginning. We have physics-based special-abilities. All of these things can now be fired in real time, so you don't have to pause the game to select tactical options. It just feels so much more fluid. It feels fantastic."

I'm sure that younger gamers and players that are relatively new to BioWare games will love the improvements that Casey was talking aboot about. As an old school BioWare fan, I'm a little saddened by this inevitable modernization. I fondly remember the epic battles I waged in Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II -- part of the fun was hitting the space bar in the middle of a fight and spend minutes thinking about all the cool ways I could dispatch my enemies before finally delivering the deathblow. I totally understand that the majority of fans desire combat that's faster and smoother, but I wish there were more gamers that enjoyed a break in the action so that they could plot their cerebral assassinations.

Click here to watch the entire Mass Effect 2 interview in glorious HD.

What do you guys and dolls think? Do you like that Mass Effect 2's combat will be more fluid than the original's? Or do you enjoy pause-and-play gaming? Also, isn't Casey's Canadian accent awesome?

SD: Mass Effect 2 E3 2009 Project Director Interview in High Definition ? G4tv.com

HD: Mass Effect 2 E3 2009 Project Director Interview in High Definition ? G4tv.com

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Release date confirmed 1/26/10

Mass Effect 2 Coming Jan. 26, Pre-Order Bonus Items Detailed - G4tv.com

Mass Effect 2 Coming Jan. 26, Pre-Order Bonus Items Detailed 11 Comments Posted 1 hour 54 mins ago - By Jake Gaskill



BioWare has announced that its highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 2 will be released on Jan. 26, 2010. The developer also revealed details about bonus in-game items that will be available to those who pre-order the game from select retailers.

For those who pre-order through GameStop, you’ll receive Terminus Assault Armor and the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon. Here are the official descriptions:
The Terminus Armor is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo. The M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2. If you pre-order the game through Electronic Arts online store, you’ll receive Inferno Armor, which BioWare describes thusly:
“The potent Inferno Armor…is used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times – together these abilities translate in-game into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard and an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.”
A release date AND pre-order bonuses? Mass Effect fans must be feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good about themselves right now…Right?

[TheSwex]

Preordered mine today at Gamestop. That Terminus Armor looks incredibly badass. Can't wait!

[dz06lt]

yeah they both do actually but i doubt ill preorder just to get these

oh yeah i wonder if they took idea from elsewhere for the inferno armor

[dz06lt]

DLC plans already revealed, looks like this one will be supported unlike the first

Destructoid - Retailer training quiz drops details on Mass Effect 2 DLC

Retailer training quiz drops details on Mass Effect 2 DLC

1:20 PM on 11.02.2009, Brad Nicholson12 comments

share: filed under: #rumors

If a recent Microsoft Expert Zone quiz for retailers has it right, Mass Effect 2 will be supported with downloadable characters, specific combat content, and full episodic content.

This morning a tipster dropped us word and images from the Expert Zone quiz for Mass Effect 2. Created so the retailer can sell the product with more information in tow, it teases what kind of optional content is coming to the follow-up sci-fi RPG.

It lists, specifically in the Xbox LIVE Features section, “planned episodic combat via DLC,” weapon and armor packs, new downloadable characters for the “campaign experience,” new downloadable worlds, as well as “full campaign expansions for download.”

It also mentions that the game will carry “periodic updates,” which features DLC, via Mass Effect 2’s unannounced in-game “Cerberus Network.”

So, in other words, BioWare is probably planning to support Mass Effect 2 in ways we wished the studio would have for the original. Sounds good, right?

[Fyrus]

There was some RPG quiz on IGN, and they told me JRPGs were my style... what a bunch of Dumb Shits.

[dz06lt]

^Fail

[JCRCrasyz]

Bioware Announces Mass Effect 2 Collectors' Edition

By Gabriel Franco 05th Nov 2009
Microsoft, PC, 237 views

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Special Edition Includes Exclusive Armor and Weapons, Comic Book, and Bonus Content












Tin-cased Collector's Edition to include book, comic, DVD and extra in-game stuff

Press Release:

Edmonton, Alberta (November 5, 2009) – Recruit your crew and fight for the lost! Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the internationally acclaimed Shooter RPG Mass Effect™ 2 will also be released as a Collectors’ Edition in limited quantities. Available on January 26 in North America (Jan 29 in EU) 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 Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos. In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armor that can only be obtained by purchasing this version. With its larger-than-life hero Commander Shepard, intense shooter action, nuanced characters and a rich storyline, Mass Effect 2 is one of the most anticipated titles of 2010.

“We’re really excited to roll out this Collectors’ Edition featuring so many unique items, including special Collectors’ Edition armor and weapons and content that will surprise Mass Effect fans,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “The limited edition comic book and bonus DVD will really enhance and expand the overall Mass Effect 2 experience.”

The Mass Effect trilogy is an emotionally charged science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. 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. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Mass Effect 2 will be available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. The Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will retail at an MSRP of $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC. Mass Effect 2 assets are available at info.ea.com. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/masseffect2. For more information on Mass Effect 2, go to http://masseffect.bioware.com/.

[rounds1]

I'm not really thrilled about what comes with the CE, but for only $10 more it isn't bad. Normally they're $90.

I won't be buying it, of course.