When Mass Effect 2 is (finally) released for PlayStation 3 owners in North America on January 21st, you’ll not only be able to buy it at a traditional brick-and-mortar store, but you’ll also have the opportunity to purchase a digital copy of Mass Effect 2 from the PlayStation Store, sporting a download size of roughly 12GB.
This news arrives ahead of the worldwide launch of Mass Effect 2’s PS3 next week, where in addition to the North American date, it’ll become available in Europe and the UK on January 21st.
According to a post on the US PlayStation Blog, however, Mass Effect 2’s transition to PS3 is no ordinary port…
Posting on the blog, Bioware community manager Chris Priestly talks about how “amazing” of a game Mass Effect 2 is, as it contains “all of the benchmarks of a truly great science-fiction epic: a heroic main character, memorable companions each with their own personalities and abilities, terror-inducing villains, vast galaxies to explore, exotic alien races, strange worlds and locations, high-technology weapons and vehicles, and a story that will have fans talking about it and replaying it for ages.”
Priestly stresses that this amazing game is “not a simple port,” and that the team at Bioware has “taken the time to utilize the PS3 hardware to the fullest in order to maximize your gameplay experience.”
“It was also extremely important for the team to make sure playing with the PS3 controller worked and felt good,” Priestly continues. “You will also see that the in-game graphics and cinematics are clearer and more vibrant on the PS3. As an added bonus, the PS3 version includes previously released DLC missions: Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker and Kasumi.”
Priestly then goes on to mention the included interactive digital comic that will bridge the gap between the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 – the choices you make while poring over the comic (created in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics) will be carried over to Mass Effect 2 in order to shape the story of that game.
Oh, and here’s that fantastic launch trailer:
Mass Effect 2 - PS3 Launch Trailer
A Mass Effect 2 demo is currently available on the PlayStation Store, but you can look over El33tonline’s previous coverage of this epic space opera action RPG, as well as read our review of the Xbox 360 version of the game, to get a clearer idea.
El33tonline readers also voted Mass Effect 2 as the second best game of 2010. Something to keep in mind, especially considering all of the quality titles that released last year.
Source: US PlayStation Blog
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Comments:
definitely the first time we're seeing a major title being simultaneously available to buy on psn at launch. even better than xbl's games on demand in terms of turnaround time on this occasion. it is an old title though... i think it's R60 on pc atm... so 10 times more expensive on psn as things currently stand.
Mass Effect 2 on PS3 does have a bit of added value with the included DLC, though, as well as that great-sounding interactive comic. And I think, visually, it would even be worthwhile to play through the game on PS3 (you told me that it's running on what is essentially Mass Effect 3 tech?).
The fact that it was one of the greatest games of last year (some would argue the very best) also weighs into the equation - if you've got a PS3 and you want Mass Effect action and adventure, this is the only option.
yes, i haven't really heard yet if using the mass effect 3 engine makes a huge difference. digital foundry did a comparison with the 360 version using the demo that was released on psn and concluded that the graphics look better in some places, but also worse in others. so we'll have to wait and see...
Can't wait to give this one a go. After watching the Mass Effect 3 trailer, I think it's time I stepped into the shoes of Commander Shephard.