Mass Effect

Mass Effect Community Co-Ordinator Chris Priestly has recently announced that Biowares award winning smash hit Xbox 360 RPG will hit PC this May… yes you heard right May 2008 or to put it in perspective 3 months away… i couldnt be any more clear, it was a shock to me too.

BioWare and EA are very pleased and proud to announce Mass Effect for the PC. The game is will be released for the PC in May 2008.

Published by EA and re-designed for the PC, Mass Effect invites players to take the role of Commander Shepard as they set out on an adventure to save the galaxy from imminent destruction. Wrought with treachery, heroism, difficult decisions and a universe filled with unique and colorful species, Mass Effect delivers a truly compelling storyline.

Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:
•Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
•High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
•Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
•Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’ allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
•New decryption mini-game.
•New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.

Can Discuss This Annoucement On Our Forums Here

First off: A special thank you to cometojames of the Mass Effect Forum for kindly giving is a heads-up regarding a recent Mass Effect DLC announcement made by the folks at IGN. Cheers, ctj!

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Bioware have recently opened up a community competition for people to recreate the dance moves Commander Shepard does at the Flux nightclub in a setting of your choosing and post it.

Mission

Recreate the sweet dance moves Commander Shepard does at the Flux nightclub in a setting of your choosing and posting it on the web. Download a sample of Shepard dancing at the Flux (MOV 1 MB).

How to Enter

* Grab the Flux Dance music, or if you really need it, there’s an extended video loop.
* Film yourself or your friends doing the Flux dance in the locale of your choosing (home, the mall, work, etc.).
* The total length of the video should be between 10 and 30 seconds.
* Post it on the web for all to see.
* E-mail the link to the video to bulletin@bioware.com and we’ll link to the best on the Mass Effect Community page.

We’re looking for the best or funniest situation involving at least one dancer and one non-dancer/hapless observer/fan/groupie/nervous bystander. The coolest videos get sweet Mass Effect swag!

First round of prizes announced February 15th, 2008.

Can Comment On This Amusing Competition Here

Biowares highly rated RPG Mass Effect has continued to win the awards and has recently been made Number 7 in the Game Critic Awards for 2007. Tal Blevins, VP of Games Content, IGN Entertainment had this to say about it.

Given BioWare’s history as a top-notch RPG developer, it’s no real surprise that Mass Effect made our top 10 list for 2007. Combining a compelling storyline with stunning cinematic presentation, masterful voice acting, and a fully-realized universe, Mass Effect is one of the most epic role-playing adventures ever created. Not only does it provide gamers with 30+ hours of gameplay, but incentives such as branching storylines, diverging moral avenues, and ongoing Xbox Live achievements make it ripe for at least another, if not several, replays. While exploring the universe at large is a blast, being able to land a little closer to home – well, about 240,000 miles away on Luna, Earth’s moon – keeps the adventure at least somewhat familiar, and the potential for implied alien intimacy gives those of us who dare to dream a bit of cosmic titillation.

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Mass Effect hits the news once again, this time becoming the focus of discussion during a recent Fox News broadcast whereby an argument erupts between Canadian video game journalist, Geoff Keighley, and psychologist, Cooper Lawrence, concerning the adult content featured in BioWare’s ultra-successful RPG. Read more »

The New York Times has today named Mass Effect as its 2007 Game Of The Year.

Mass Effect points the way forward in story, characters, moral tension, and graphics that evoke “emotional empathy.”

Story and characters aren’t everything, but these components of narrative have always been the weakest part of video games. For decades games have made up in frenetic action what they have lacked in dramatic depth. And that is a big reason why games have traditionally appealed most strongly to the demographic group that most enjoys frenetic action: young men. In its choice of milieu — science fiction — Mass Effect is not ambitious at all. But with its focus on character development, personal growth and moral tension, all fueled by a graphics system created to evoke emotional empathy, Mass Effect points the way forward. It may be a harbinger of a time when story and character are as important to video games as explosions.

Whole List Of Winners Can Be Found Here

Can Comment On This On The Forums Here

We all know that even before the release of the original Mass Effect game for the Xbox 360 that BioWare were planning to introduce three games in the form of a Mass Effect trilogy. Obviously meaning that we still have two more games to go before we find out how this cinematic story reaches a climax. One thing for certain is that when Mass Effect 2 is finally released - whenever that may be - it will definitely feature some great unlockable achievements to help boose your gamer score. Read more »

Even months after the original release of Mass Effect for the Xbox 360, BioWare is still seemingly having to have to deal with the now infamous alien and lesbian sex scene controversy which surrounded the game even before release. For Mass Effect fans amongst us whom might have missed it first time round: The first blow to strike BioWare, because of this lesbian and alien love scene business, came from Singapore when their government banned it from their country entirely. Read more »

Those of you whom might have recently checked out our awesome little Mass Effect Gallery will have seen the awesome little JavaScript pop-up animation that occurs whenever you attempt to view an image at full size. It’s a gorgeous little effect which was made possible thanks to the Lightbox 2 WordPress plugin. The only problem with the Lightbox plugin, however, was that it’s just such a huuuuge file and takes an eternity to download on a 56k connectin. Read more »

This might not be ground-breaking news, or particularly new, but for those devoted Mass Effect fans out there who are yearning for that little bit more Mass Effect goodness and haven’t already heard–there’s some absolutely incredible Mass Effect merchandise available over at the official BioWare store in the Mass Effect section. Read more »