In this second act the devs plan to "throw rocks" at our lead protagonist, where the first "introduced" dark elements the second will be really "exposing" them. The idea is to give the player a view on "how scary" the Mass Effect universe is, "on the scale" they've been talking about. Now lore is established, they can "beat up the hero".
Thanks to the OXM preview, and it's dissection by NeoGAF, the Mass Effect fan community has some promising things to look forward too indeed. Players will take the role of Commander Shephard once again, though it's unclear if that's throughout the whole game. New aliens, new buddies, no texture pops and kickass weaponry.
BioWare revealed during their E3 presentation that moral decisions you make in the first game will have an impact in Mass Effect 2, some more than others. In fact it should feel like you never stopped playing hopes BioWare, with promises that the same will apply to Mass Effect 3. The fate of Wrex, of Rachni and of the Council got decided.
Casey Hudson of BioWare has revealed that players who don't mind cutting corners could very well have quite a red ending, your squad mates "will die". Previous chums will reappear in Mass Effect 2, but Shepard will be recruiting a whole team of "completely new characters," a much bigger squad a lot more varied in race and opinion.
An accidental update to Microsoft's new Games on Demand service talked "new systems and worlds" for BioWare's Mass Effect, including new gear. Meanwhile BioWare's Casey Hudson warns players who like their Commander to "make sure you survive" his upcoming adventure, or it's new Shepard for you come Mass Effect 3.
BioWare has revealed the sequel will not be adopting a feature of the original game, you won't be able to replay Mass Effect 2 with the same-character. They need "reasonable knowledge" of where your guy/gal is at the end of the game, and they also offer character builds "within specific classes." Insanity will be "a badge of honour".
Christina Norman of BioWare has twittered a quick, vague and painfully teasing message that she's "working on" some new "technology feature" for ME2. It's further declared to be a "secret, and awesome!" What is this 'technology feature' for Mass Effect 2? Can Shepard and company now put together their own gear? Let's all hope so...
The second piece of DLC for Mass Effect has been revealed, thanks to the official Swiss Xbox website. It's called Pinnacle Station, a "remote, top-secret space station". BioWare reveal that Mass Effect 2 will be launching simultaneously on Xbox 360 and PC when it goes retail next year. They "learned a lot" from PC's Mass Effect, "put it back into 360".
No confirmation from Microsoft or BioWare, but new DLC is now available for Mass Effect according to the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Pinnacle Station content is available for 400 MS points. Here's the description from Xbox Live: "Test the limits of your combat prowess aboard a remote, top-secret Alliance space station. Do you have what it takes to hold the top spot amongst the best of the best? This module includes a new land-able space station, 13 exciting combat scenarios, and approximately 2-3 hours of game play."
Mass Effect was originally announced for Xbox 360, and touted as an exclusive. Then the PC version went and happened so PS3 should get the nod right? Maybe. Grilled at GamesCom, Ray Muzyka refused to rule out a PS3 visit from Commander Shepard; nothing to say "on that front." They're busy hammering a fix for the new Pinnacle Station.
BioWare writer Mac Walters, lead on Mass Effect 2's wordsmithing, has said the sequel is definitely the 'Empire Strikes Back' equivalent in Star Wars. Still "very Mass Effect." It'll handle all the same themes and elements as the original, just darker. There's a lot "more than meets the eye" with the sequel declares BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk.
Commander Shepard's return has been confirmed as January 29th in the UK and Europe, with developer BioWare also unveiling what pre-order goodies come with Mass Effect 2. Terminus Gear and Inferno Armour each have their perks and will be available from retailers yet to be named, as DLC. Mass Effect 2 is BioWare's 'Empire Strikes Back' chapter.
BioWare has already announced they have long-term DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, but now Mass Effect 2 looks to be getting the same. A Microsoft Expert Zone quiz for retailers reveals big DLC coming to the sci-fi sequel, like new worlds, characters, gear packs and more.
The infamous Evil Chris Priestly, otherwise known as that BioWare community guy, has dropped a citadel sized Mass Effect 2 tease. Something is going to reveal this week on the official game site. Priestly has been occupied with meetings and "secret stuff", he says.
That teasing surprise for Mass Effect 2 this week from BioWare's community man has been revealed, and it's a website "revamp" to go live soon. Yeah it's a major let down, unless it sports some new stuff for us to pick over? Apparently it's "looking really cool" says a biased BioWare.
You might be waiting to hear if your PC will be able to run Mass Effect 2 before you decide to pre-order the game, but we can now confirm the minimum and recommended system requirements needed to run the game smoothly.
BioWare's Chris Priestly has revealed there's just too much "awesome" to fit on one disc, so Mass Effect 2 is split across two discs for all. Actually there's a third if you count the Collector's Edition. The disc swap is "carefully planned" and happens only once on Xbox 360.
BioWare utilized lifts ferrying the player up and down as a way to disguise level loading in Mass Effect, but fans couldn't stand them before long. They've promised the lift sequences are gone, replaced with loading screens that sport "interesting visuals and information" in their place.
EA has released a new gameplay trailer for Mass Effect 2 that features the Engineer class. View it here. Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.
Developer BioWare has cast their voice-actor net wide, and snagged a number of sci-fi top notchers. They've got Michael 'Worf' Dorn in it! They've also landed Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin. Battlestar Galactica's Michael 'Saul Tigh' Hogan and Tricia Helfer too.