After stirring up a hornets' nest of gamer contempt last week by announcing that the forthcoming PC flavor of Mass Effect would require re-validation every 10 days, BioWare community manager Jay Watamaniuk has come forward as the voice of reason on the game's official forums, stating that the developer has now removed the "feature" from the game.

Instead of employing the previously revealed DRM madness, Watamaniuk explained that Mass Effect will include just a one time online authentication, allowing players to play the game once validated without the disc in the drive at all. That said, if any new content is downloaded, the game will again have to bite the disc to make sure it's real. The caveat to all of this, however, is that each Mass Effect purchase will only be able to be installed a maximum of three times, news that has again incited us to pick up our torches and pitchforks and join the mob outside.

BioWare technical producer Derek French lit up the Mass Effect forums this past week announcing that both their game and (on page 2) fellow Electronic Arts title Spore come with SecuROM, a DRM system that requires activation the first time you play the game and then a re-check every ten days, with the first check on the fifth day.

French explained that there is no external program installed and the check will be run through MassEffect.exe (or Spore.exe, presumably), the data transfered will be the CD key and a "unique machine identifier of some type" and that he has been told, "there will be clear labeling on the package."

Despite all these reassurances, an unfortunate scenario brought up by one poster -- of ignoring the game 11 days and then trying to play with no internet -- was proven true, as French confirmed you wouldn't be able to play the game under that situation. Of course, it's not like you're gonna put any of these games down for ten days, right? Right? Eh, we hate DRM.

(Note: We do understand the irony of making a Samara/The Ring joke when -- spoiler -- her primary goal was to have people make as many copies as possible.)

[Via Shacknews]

CEO Ray Muzyka and President Greg Zeschuk of Bioware, a company founded on narrative-centric RPGs, can't seem to decide if the Wii is a game (as opposed to, from what we gather, a toy). In an interview with GameDaily, Zeschuk said, "If gaming is defined by story, then generally Wii may not be," though he immediately expands on that, "The game [4 to 5 people together are] playing is actually very different than the rest of us. What they're doing as a company is like a different flavor."

Providing a counterpoint, Muzyaka noted that the Wii experience is "more toy-like" but also said, "there's also a narrative between the players outside the game and kind of fulfills the same things games do. Games are 'toys' in the sense that they're fun." Warren Spector had made a similar designation in an Escapist piece last year, categorizing games like Tetris and Madden akin as "retold" narratives. The above is a rather bare-bones highlight of their discussion, so check out the full interview for more.

Though they've had to wait several months before experiencing the thrills of chatting up aliens and gallivanting across the galaxy, PC gamers are going to receive yet another bonus alongside their version of BioWare's planet-hopping RPG, Mass Effect. The first batch of downloadable content, entitled "Bring Down the Sky" and available on Xbox 360 since March, will be offered for free to registered members of BioWare's community website. The 90-minute, $5 add-on won't be packed inside the box, but we imagine you PC folks can handle an internet registration and download.

Provided your system meets the technical requirements, you can also look forward to an improved inventory system, an enhanced HUD and (hopefully) much shorter elevator rides. Mass Effect PC is out on May 28.

While scouring the Mass Effect forums for a guide on how to place our girl, Beyoncé, into BioWare's space epic (found one!), we stumbled across the "system requirements" of the PC version. Not only will you require a PC, but one filled with the following rams, gigabytes and geforces:

Minimum System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
• Processor: 2.4+GHZ Intel or 2.0+GHZ AMD
• Memory: 1 Gigabyte Ram (XP); 2 Gigabytes Ram (Vista)
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6 series(6800GT or better); ATI 1300XT or better (X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements)
• Hard Drive Space: 12 Gigabytes
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers

Recommended Real System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
• Processor: 2.6+GHZ Intel or 2.4+GHZ AMD
• Memory: 2 Gigabytes Ram
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or higher; ATI X1800 XL series or higher
• Hard Drive Space: 12 Gigabytes
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers – 5.1 sound card recommended

Mass Effect PC is out on May 28th.

Don't expect to play Mass Effect's "Bring Down the Sky" downloadable content on the day the game releases for PC. Developer BioWare tells IGN that the DLC will not be included in the PC release, though there will be an "announcement soon" about "additional content" for it. Update: The DLC will not be included in the box, but will be offered for free to BioWare community members

BioWare dodges the question about whether future DLC will be staggered and released on Xbox 360 first, followed by PC. Either way, the PC gamer race is sure to giggle with delight as they experience less texture popping and shorter elevator rides when Mass Effect launches May 28.

"But how could the PC port of a game that was released in November be delayed?" you moaned, upon hearing the unfortunate news that Mass Effect would be delayed from May 6 to May 28. Beats us, but we've got three letters to make it all better, friend. Aich. You. Dee. Put it all together, and that spells HUD. And then, err ... break it all apart again and you've got heads-up display, an "entirely new" one of which BioWare wants to share with you after this morning's downer.

The new HUD, activated with a simple slap of the space bar, brings up access to squad commands ("Get your ass behind that rock, Williams!"), Biotics powers ("Get thrown, Geth scum!"), and abilities and weapons interfaces (sorry, it's hard to narrativize this one). Hey, we're already sold. We're just wondering if any of this lovely UI work will find a place in the (for a time) gamepad-saddled sequel.

BioWare's community coordinator, Chris Priestly, has announced via the official Mass Effect forum that the PC version of the interstellar RPG has experienced a slight delay. Originally scheduled for release on May 6th, Mass Effect's retooled conversion will now arrive on May 28th in North America and June 6th in Europe.

Reasons given for the extra development time include the incorporation of further play-testing feedback, the tuning of additional features and, of course, the ever-popular application of "extra polish." Trust us, PC gamers, the wait will be worth it. You'll forget all about these extra few weeks once you're having a gas with our old pal, Saren.

[Thanks, Matt]

Dear developer, does your game need to be a trilogy? MTV's Multiplayer blog decided to make two developers -- Too Human's Denis Dyack and Mass Effect's Ray Muzyka -- justify their trilogy ambitions. Dyack responds that their three-part epic is already mapped out, story-wise, and that each iteration has a specific theme: discovery, revenge and enlightenment, respectively.

As for Mass Effect, BioWare co-founder Muzyka was more vague in his reasoning, citing how "great science fiction arcs often occur in trilogies" and that they allow for a different pacing. The feeling we get is that BioWare isn't as interested in the story aspect so much as it is in the building of a virtual world, akin to what Will Wright discussed at this year's GDC.

Look at it. It's sexy, no? Well, the good news is that you're going to win this ultra-chic special limited edition Mass Effect-branded Xbox 360 Elite. The bad news? The previous sentence applies to exactly one of you. ... And it's you. ... No, not you. You. With the hair.

In order to take your shot, you're going to beat cheeks over to our brothers-in-thumbs at Xbox 360 Fanboy for all the details. Oh, and you can enter every day, so you may want to clear your calendar, just to make sure you don't miss your chance.

When EA snapped up BioWare, common wisdom was that the game's main attractions would be ported to any system that would have them. But it seems that (for now, at least) that doesn't hold true for space opera Mass Effect. As BioWare senior manager Matt Atwood told CVG, "I believe we'll be Xbox 360 exclusive for at least a short period of time. We're still working out the details on that, but we've had a great relationship with Microsoft and done very well."

There's plenty of wiggle room here, of course, because there's no telling how long a "short period" is. But it's not like we blame them. Heck, if we had a game company, we'd promise Microsoft a "short period" of exclusivity on everything. That way, when we inevitably had to delay the PS3 version to make it work, we'd make some free coin on the deal. Everybody wins! ... Well, we'd win.

Update: Atwood continued to elaborate with Videogamer.com, confirming a PC version, saying "We haven't announced plans for timing on Mass Effect 2, period, so at this point we're not really ready to talk about it, but because we've got a really great PC fan base we think it's really important to deliver the PC experience as quickly as possible."

In an interview with MTV's Multiplayer, BioWare General Manager Greg Zerschuk says Mass Effect II's side quests will be "a little bit richer." He says the company is looking into ways to auto-generate content and possibly tie those into the main story. He'd like to make sure that side quests stay to the side, but that there's something "purposeful about them."

Zerschuk explains now that the technological backbone for Mass Effect is there, the sequel should be much better. He uses the company's Baldur's Gate series as an example, explaining that the the first one was a very solid game, but that the sequel allowed things to be taken "to a whole new level."

We never forget a face. That explains why we nearly overlooked the charming fellow above, as his disturbing assemblage of teeth, eyes and wrinkles really stretches our definition of "face" to its very hideous limit. Apparently, we were supposed to meet him for a round of Mass Effect today, foiling his and his fellow Batarians' plan to toss an asteroid at an unsuspecting planet.

If you feel like your galactic romp across BioWare's rich galaxy is in need of extension, the "Bring Down the Sky" Mass Effect add-on promises "approximately 90 minutes" of gameplay and 50 gamerscore points. It's available on the Xbox Live Marketplace now for $5, or 400 MS Points. Oh, and you can win a download code for it right now.

• To enter this giveaway, suggest a caption for the above image in the comments section.
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
  
• Limit 1 entry per person. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified and jettisoned into space!
• This entry period ends tomorrow at 5:45pm ET Tuesday 3/11/08. We'll randomly select 10 winners at that time.
  
• For complete rules capable of generating extensive dialogue trees, click here.

[Update: The contest is over. We'll be contacting the winners shortly, so please keep an eye on your inbox!]

Right after our demo of the PC version of Mass Effect, we had the chance to sit with BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk for a quick catch-up on recent events. The two men were overjoyed to talk about Mass Effect's success and critical reception, as well as the uplifting effect the EA buyout has had on the company.

The impression the two give are of guys who have just been given a chance at the brass ring. Their comments, intimating that BioWare itself is now a micro-publisher, praising their new co-worker's common sense, hint at a new era of opportunity for the company. We've already posted the audio from the interview, but for a full transcript of our discussion just read on below the cut. You can get a better sense of Ray and Greg's cheery outlook, see them again discuss the reason Mass Effect on the 360 had the UI it did, and watch them stonewall on a question about their in-development MMO title.

The bottom line, unsaid in the interview itself, is a clear message: "Fans shouldn't worry. We're not, and neither should you." Here's hoping that they've got the right of it.

If you're counting the days until Mass Effect's PC release, you're probably getting pretty bored. Our mothers used to tell us that a watched pot never boils, and while that's a total lie, we see what they were getting at. It is with some small amount of trepidation then we relate to the specific day the game will arrive at retailers. Not just May ... but May 6.

Now, feel free to start counting the days, the hours, perhaps even the minutes until the game drops. ... Or just buy a 360 already, cheapskate.