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Interview: BioWare's Greg Zeschuk on Dragon Age, DLC, and more
by Christopher Grant 
{ Nov 26th 2009 at 3:00PM } 
Joystiq: Dragon Age is the first PS3 game that BioWare's developed. Can you talk about that process?
Greg Zeschuk: We did partner with Edge of Reality, so we partnered with folks who have had the experience, and that was a good process where we actually had some folks that knew how to do it but also, in general, just worked together with them. A lot of it ended up being like we needed a lot of work to get done and a lot of stuff very fast and everyone was very busy on Dragon Age itself. Collectively, on the console, I would say it was very interesting and challenging to take the richness of the PC game of Dragon Age, with all these different powers and everything else, and actually try to transpose it to the consoles. And the interesting thing about that, or where it worked out really well, is that we literally set ourselves a goal: We didn't want console players to fell like we ripped them off by taking anything away, by minimizing or simplifying. We want them to feel they have all the power at their fingertips, but it's very accessible. It's got the multiple rings that sort of have subsets to them, and you can actually pretty much access any power just a couple little joystick twiddles and button presses. And so with that experience, I think we succeeded there.
Another place where we succeeded on both the PS3 and 360 versions: it feels very different from the PC. Where the PC has got the traditional Baldur's Gate top-down [perspective], the PS3 and 360 are over-the-shoulder and they do have that kind of, very KOTOR feel and that's probably what I play, and that's what I feel most familiar with is KOTOR -- and it actually feels more action-y than the PC does, so I think people will find a very different experience. I recommend both platforms actually, PC and console versions.
Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins
EA takes 30 percent off several PC games until Monday
by David Hinkle { Nov 26th 2009 at 12:05PM }
Not everything is on sale, however -- some of the newer titles like Left 4 Dead 2 and the Dragon Age Collector's Edition don't qualify (though the regular version of the latter is on sale for $35). If you're determined to get good deals on some of these newer games, we have a feeling you'll be able to find 'em somewhere.
[Via Big Download]
For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Sales,
And other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com
Mass Effect 2 system requirements revealed, restrictive DRM removed
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 25th 2009 at 12:30PM }
Now, for the great: The retail version of Mass Effect 2 won't include the restrictive, pestering DRM featured in the franchise's first installment. Rather, the game will simply do a disc check upon boot-up -- the same piracy-preventing measure exercised by Dragon Age: Origins. Activate, dear friends! Activate your game to your heart's content.
Mass Effect price dropped to $10 on Steam this weekend
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 11:30AM }
It might even help you decide whether you want to drop six Hammies on the upcoming sequel. Or a Grant and a Hammy, we guess, though that sounds like Denny's menu item. (Great, now we want some Denny's. Thanks for nothing, Valve!)
None straight minutes of Mass Effect 2 gameplay [update]
by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:15AM }
Update: Due to a faulty interstellar communications array (read: a misunderstanding), EA has asked us to jettison the footage.
Original post:
We get the feeling someone at BioWare has proclaimed this "Epic Week," what with the release of its fantasy RPG stunner Dragon Age: Origins and now an epic new video from its next big game, Mass Effect 2. This isn't a trailer or developer diary -- you're in for nine minutes of unedited, uninterrupted gameplay footage from the most recent build of ME2. In fact, it's the same mission -- set inside Omega's "Inferno" nightclub -- that we ourselves got to play earlier this week. (And yes, we can confirm it looks that good.)
You'll get a sense of the sequel's leap in environmental detail, character modeling and dialog scene camerawork in this clip, along with loads of intense combat. There's even an appearance by returning character (and total badass) Garrus from the first Mass Effect, plus a joke that manages to poke fun at rumors of Commander Shepard's death and the fact players can make him/her look like anyone they choose. Again -- nine minutes.
Hands-on: Mass Effect 2
by Randy Nelson { Nov 6th 2009 at 4:00AM }
click to make more MASSive
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mass Effect 2's newly revealed world, Omega. (Well, apart from the Mos Eisley spaceport, that is.) This is where our latest grubby-mitts-on-the-gamepad outing with BioWare's upcoming RPG shooter role-playing shooter took place -- or, rather, inside its favorite hangout for galactic riffraff, the Inferno nightclub.
It turns out there was a purpose in showcasing this location beyond the throbbing music and exotic alien dancers -- it happens to be the same sort of locale that one of the original Mass Effect's earliest combat encounters played out in, and we got this point before our tour guide even had to make it: The environments in Mass Effect 2 are leaps and bounds better the first game's. In fact, this place seemed alive. Oh yeah -- and there just so happened to be a firefight waiting for us as we ventured further into this seedy sin palace.
It turns out there was a purpose in showcasing this location beyond the throbbing music and exotic alien dancers -- it happens to be the same sort of locale that one of the original Mass Effect's earliest combat encounters played out in, and we got this point before our tour guide even had to make it: The environments in Mass Effect 2 are leaps and bounds better the first game's. In fact, this place seemed alive. Oh yeah -- and there just so happened to be a firefight waiting for us as we ventured further into this seedy sin palace.
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)
The Collectors, and the enemies of Mass Effect 2
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 5th 2009 at 2:56PM }
- Collectors – an insect-like race, controlled by a single leader, that has access to the technology that "no one else in the galaxy" has. They can paralyze humans, and according to the video dev diary above, can abduct entire colonies. Oh, and they have beam weapons.
- Abominations – Husks from the first Mass Effect, but now on fire and 100-percent more suicide bomber-y.
- Scions – Three transformed human beings that have been grafted together onto a weapon. Essentially, super-zombies. With guns.
- Batorians – A "flying suit of armor" apparently made of thirty Husks that can "obliterate everything."
Shepard shoots stuff in this Mass Effect 2 gameplay footage
by David Hinkle { Oct 30th 2009 at 7:00PM }
Head past the break to check out the gameplay clip.
EA Russia lists Mass Effect 2 for PS3 [update]
by Griffin McElroy { Oct 11th 2009 at 7:00PM }
Gaming news site Just Push Start also noticed the PS3 installment on the site of an Australian game retailer called, appropriately, GAME. We put more stock in the EA Russia listing, though we suppose the publishing giant is no stranger to sending mixed signals when speaking about the exclusivity of the Mass Effect series. We've contacted EA and BioWare to find out what the deal is.
Update: As some of you already guessed, the "deal" is that the EA Russia listing was, in fact, erroneous. The PS3 listing for Mass Effect 2 (and Left 4 Dead 2, which we didn't notice) has been removed from the site.
Avatar Marketplace update: Mass Effect dress shirt, Mako RC
by David Hinkle { Sep 30th 2009 at 11:30AM }
Click image for massive size
We thought we had a grasp on this month's Avatar Marketplace content, but some late arrivals have just popped up, namely the two Mass Effect items listed in the title of this very post! If you're playing catch-up on what's in the Avatar Marketplace, check out our extensive look at its launch on Xbox Live.- Mass Effect Alliance Dress Uniform - 160
($2) - Mass Effect Mako RC - 240 ($3)
Mass Effect 2's Subject Zero looks awfully unfriendly
by Griffin McElroy { Sep 27th 2009 at 3:00PM }
Then again, she's also what Rick James might call a very kinky girl -- the kind you don't take home to family gatherings where your mother is in attendance. Check out the very NSFW, Subject Zero-centric Mass Effect 2 trailer after the jump.
Interview: Mac Walters, lead writer for Mass Effect 2
by Richard Mitchell { Sep 14th 2009 at 8:20PM }
Joystiq: All right. So. Biggest question. We sent around email to everyone saying, "What should we ask BioWare?"
Mac Walters: Right.
The big question we had is, "How do you write a story where all the characters from the first game, or a lot of them, could be dead when you start out the second game?"
You mean other than pulling out my hair and weeping at night, sort of, "Oh my god, how am I going to do this?" It takes a lot of planning, obviously, but essentially what we did is we looked at it and said, "Yeah we know that some of these guys are going to be dead. How do we account for that?" And the big thing was -- let's take Wrex for example -- we had to limit to some degree the roles that those characters are going to play because we have to say, "OK well they're coming back or they're not." And then we had to say, "Well what are their alternates?" So a lot of times there's characters that will fill their spot. But they don't just come in and go, you know, "I'm Wrex alternate," or something like that. It's a new character who has his own back story, who has his own role in the game and whatnot.
BioWare looking into Mass Effect 'Pinnacle Station' DLC glitch
by Griffin McElroy { Aug 26th 2009 at 12:45PM }
Unfortunately, if you've played through Bring Down the Sky's added areas and missions, you can't load your game without having that DLC on the hard drive. This means that the only way for Platinum Hits players to reach Pinnacle Station is to delete their bundled Bring Down the Sky DLC, purchase it from the Marketplace for 400
, and then reinstall it. As you can imagine, this has given rise to some unhappy feelings among afflicted players.A BioWare rep responded to these complaints by saying the developer is working on a fix for the problem, but couldn't give an ETA as to when the fix would arrive. We certainly hope it shows up before torches and pitchforks get involved.
Dress up your Avatar with these Mass Effects
by Ben Gilbert { Aug 25th 2009 at 11:45AM }
($1) to 320 ($4) and encompass everything from regular ol' t-shirts to full-on (and terribly adorable) N7 Armor. With the sudden appearance of the new DLC on Xbox Live, the premium theme that went up for sale yesterday, and all this new Avatar accoutrement, all we need now is a downloadable Mako in which to drive our virtual friends around.
Unannounced 'Pinnacle Station' Mass Effect DLC now available
by Griffin McElroy { Aug 25th 2009 at 10:00AM }
click for more photographic proof!
As we all know, the first and second rules of Fight Club are that you do not talk about Fight Club. Appropriately, Microsoft and BioWare haven't talked much about their Palahniuk-inspired Mass Effect DLC, Pinnacle Station; despite the fact that it hasn't even been formally announced, it's now available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 400
($5).According to the DLC's online description, Pinnacle Station will force you to "test the limits of your combat prowess aboard a remote, top-secret Alliance space station," brawling through 13 new "combat scenarios," and adding 2 to 3 hours of play time to the soon-to-be-sequeled space opera. We plan on picking it up ASAP, if only to see if Meat Loaf and spliced-in images of genitalia make an appearance. (We're thinking no.)
[Thanks to everyone who sent this curious item in!]
