Slidell

Update

UPDATE colors aren't gay

Sorry but I didn't lol.

Crap I just sent my xbox out yesterday,this game looks good.

Not a buyer but,I suggest you add pic your new so not many people are going to believe you.

I like the text it's simple but I like it.

Then go rent it and enjoy.

Dude I just listened to Paramore it's a little gay,and I listen to Toto.

Holy **** really,am I color blind?

lolwut

He is still not here,well.

WAH,YOU MEANY!

No I don't

It better,that took me 2 whole mins.

Ok I'll get to it,BRB! Woosh! Looks exactly the same.

http://wirelessmedia.ign.com/wireless/image/object/143/14302493/ASSA2_X360_BXSHT_RETAIL_RPboxart_160w.jpgApril 15, 2009 - This month's issue of Game Informer sports a rather dramatic pose by the new leading man of Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore de Firenze, but it's what's inside that's truly interesting. Having listened to the cries of needless repetition besmirching what was an otherwise rather impressive debut for a new IP (it's apparently the fastest-growing new gaming franchise in history), Ubisoft is adding quite a bit more depth to the Renaissance Italy-based sequel. The ample amount of historical documentation about the smattering of city-states, infighting merchant families and the corrupt religious figures of the time make for plenty of ties to real-life events, but perhaps none are as promising as the inclusion of Leonardo da Vinci and all his wonderful toys (Game Informer likens him to Bond's gadget buddy Q). Among many of da Vinci's inventions that will feature in the game is his legendary flying machine, which is perhaps more of a glider than anything else, as he'll be kept aloft with warm air currents rising off Ezio's allies during a particular mission. With Venice's network of aquatic channels (yep, there's swimming now) and densely-packed buildings, Ezio's ability to ditch enemies has naturally been magnified, and to help balance that out, Ubisoft has bumped up the types of enemy units, which will grow more aggressive and skilled as the game goes on, including being able to tail you with the same now-infamous parkour moves from the first game. Other enemies will be advanced melee attackers or will poke into hiding spots (which have likewise increased in variety). http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/973/973234/inline_asscreed2_1239833647.jpg Watch our in-depth analysis of the Assassin's Creed 2 teaser trailer. The increase in variety hasn't just been restricted to the cities and waterways, though; outside the cities, Ubisoft is populating the countryside with more to do, including the ability to string together missions that will take you from Venice to Florence and the more rural areas in between, tied together with a stronger narrative thread. Promises of missions being stacked back-to-back -- about 200 in all -- abound, as do mentions of the different types of missions one can undertake. Because Ubisoft Montreal is being careful to mix things up, they're also claiming that the side missions can essentially be taken on in any order, and stretching from the city into the countryside and back. With all the changes to the scenery and main character (Ezio is a far more affluent and cultured protagonist than Altair was in the first game), it's not really terribly surprising that Ubisoft Montreal also amped up the combat. Weapons can now be ripped from an enemy and used against them, but Ezio doesn't carry a sword with him at all times, meaning improvisation and getting the drop on enemies is more important this time around. To assist in this, he can fight bare-handed if need be, stripping enemies of their weapons or simply opting to whittle down their numbers and make a break for it. officialtopic All this fighting will lead to Ezio becoming rather notorious in whatever city he's causing a ruckus, and though he can make a break for it (with white sheets indicating key routes of traversal), it's smarter to just undertake missions to lower his notoriety, which will drive down the presence of suspicious guards (though Ezio can now blend in with any crowd rather than just monks if the situation calls for it). Tearing down posters, taking out witnesses or paying them off were all mentioned as viable ways to keep the heat off you . The full feature is on stands now, and is rather loaded with new tidbitsApril 16, 2009 - Though we've already seen the teaser, which is as good an announcement as any, Ubisoft today made the officially official announcement of Assassin's Creed II. While we already knew it was coming, one interesting bit of info is included within the text - a holiday 2009 release window on all current-generation systems, which reads to us like it's hitting the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii (and probably the PC as well). Note that the first title never hit Nintendo's latest console. http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/973/973528/inline_AC2_1239927135.jpg More in IGN's Daily Fix Here! (HD available). From the scans, Jade Raymond is not, repeat NOT, involved with Assassins Creed 2.However, Patrice Desil�ts, who worked on the first one with Raymond, is involved as Creative Director.Over 240 people working on the game from Ubisoft Montreal.The info from this? All true.The more intelligent enemies in the game will check places where you think they wont catch you, that includes barn stacks."Altair was only in the middle of this long timeline" according to Desil�ts which means there could be prequels, should the option arise.Know that hidden blade Altair had in the first game? You automaticlly use it for assassinations but only if your target is unaware. The main characters name is Ezio Auditore de Firenze You do indeed play as a new ancestor of Altair / Desmond You CAN swim There is now a night and day sequence in the game. Game will feature a new notoriety system that governs how enemy soldiers and people will treat you. Da Vincis workshop is in the game No more eaves dropping or pick pocketing missions. You'll have a ton of new weapons to choose from including an axe, a hammer, a mace, a spear, 2 different sword types, a spear axe, and 2 smaller blades Locations include Saint Marks Basilica, The Grand Canal, The Little Canal, and the Rialto bridge. The game opens in 1476, Altair is from 1191 You will see the countryside of Tuscany The "Auditore" family is mentioned [Ezio] is a nobleman of Florence Big characters are in the game including Machiavelli, Caterina Sofrza, and Lorenzo de Medici YOU DO INDEED GLIDE on Da Vincis flying machine. You can disarm enemies and use their own weapons against them this time. Each weapon has a special move. 16 unique mission types. If you get beat up to much you will need to see a street side doctor to regain full strength. Hidden objects (like flags in the first one) are there to uncover but this time if you track them down you will get in-game bonuses that make it worth your time. New enemy types with unique attitudes and weaknesses are present in the game. Archers are mentioned, as well as elite enemies, dagger wielders, "Brutish" armored troops with heavy armor and 2 handed swords and axes, and an intelligent halberd enemy will probe hiding places with their weapons if they think you're near by. While hiding in a hay bail you can assassinate people this time, but it may expose your position. You can still climb towers and ride horses The Lorendo de Medici assassination attempt is in the game. 240 people are working on this title. June 1, 2009 - During what was perhaps the longest gaming press conference of all-time, Ubisoft snuck in a release date for their much-anticipated Assassin's Creed II. ACII will be out for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC this fall on November 17, 2009. E3 2009 isn't even a day old and already Fall's gaming lineup is looking pretty stuffed. June 2, 2009 - A few years back, Ubisoft wowed many with the debut of Assassin's Creed. A large, fully scalable world with the promise of dynamic assassination missions was too good to be true. And as it turned out, the first Assassin's Creed didn't live up to expectations. Two years later, Ubisoft Montreal has learned from its mistakes and is ready to provide a better and more complete experience. Assassin's Creed 2 has you once again playing as Desmond, a modern-age descendant of some of history's greatest killers. But Altair, the ancestor Desmond inhabited, is not a part of the sequel. Instead, Desmond has a new ancestor's history to play through. Ezio is not an assassin at the start of AC2. And he might never have done anything notable in his life, but when his family becomes entangled in a conspiracy, Ezio is called to action. The E3 demo takes place in Venice, in 1486. It's nighttime and there's a festival. People are dancing in the town square, laughing, enjoying the bright evening. Even though Ezio is among the crowd for a few seconds, it's clear that the people are more interactive with one another and that they have more to do than just walk around mindlessly. There are no monks just chilling out waiting for you to slip into their group. But don't worry, it's going to be a little easier to hide amongst the crowd. So long as there are at least eight people in a group, you can blend in and hide in plain sight. While old Jerusalem was a fascinating place to explore in the original Assassin's Creed, it had a drab color palette. Obviously, this is due to the setting. In Venice, there's color everywhere. The skies are alight with fireworks and the people are dressed in festive garb. Ezio's mission is to assassinate Carlo Grimalde, one of the most powerful men in Venice. In the original AC, you'd need to gather three sets of intel in order to unlock the ability to take out Grimalde. These tasks were somewhat menial and were a common complaint among critics. Ubisoft Montreal obviously agreed with the criticisms, because they threw that entire system out the window. That's right, you won't go to a handler to get a mission, then perform repetitive tasks to gain information that doesn't really assist you, kill the target and then have to return to that same handler. The mission's are a little more structured this time and any intel you need is going to be gathered as you progress towards the assassination. http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/989/989408/inline_ac2_1243965187.jpgWatch the debut trailer in HD. Leonardo Da Vinci is Ezio's best bud and has a new invention waiting for him atop one of the roofs. Something that will help Ezio gain access to Grimalde. The ascension up the Venice rooftops is quick and easy. The climbing controls are unchanged from AC1, but you'll be able to perform longer acrobatic sequences, some upwards of half-a-minute. There's also a ton of new animations being added, though the demo didn't showcase many of these. Regardless, it still looks incredible. As before, you have both high and low profile kills. So you can climb up a chimney, leap off and slam your blade down into a guard's back or take a stealthier, less flashy approach. Still, some of the stealth kills are pretty flashy in their own right. That's because Ezio has two hidden blades. You can sneak up behind two enemies and stab both in the back. Or casually walk between two guards and you can knife them both in the throat. Ubisoft is putting a lot of focus on the enemy AI this time around, but the short demo didn't really get to showcase much of this. What was shown fully was the device Ezio uncovered on the rooftops. Leonardo created a flying machine, a winged glider for Ezio. You get to test it out. Ezio flies over the rooftops and canals of Venice, swooping down low over some areas on fire in order to catch a draft and continue his flight. All the while, archers are firing flaming arrows at you. There doesn't seem to be a way to dodge these. Or at least in the demo it didn't seem pressing. After a quick and thrilling flight over Venice, Ezio crashes atop the roof. Getting to Grimalde won't be easy. Ezio didn't come in quietly and the guards are aware of his presence. Even leaping into a bail of hay won't help, because now there are seekers who are smart enough to check these types of hiding spots -- sometimes with a jab of the sword. Fortunately, you can kill from your hiding spots. The basics of combat are the same, but there are different enemy types. You have seekers, the regular guard and even some brutes. Each requires a slightly different tactic to take down, which should make combat a little more challenging since you'll be fighting a mixture of different types of enemies throughout Assassin's Creed 2. The big change to combat, though, is the ability to take weapons from enemies. See a halberd you want? ****** it from your foe, then use it again him. Eventually, the guards all fall and Grimalde is all that's left. Kill him and you get a similar death bed conversation as in AC 1. With the assassination complete, it's time to escape. Ezio can't survive a battle with a dozen guards. Fortunately, he has smoke bombs, which act as a distraction. The demo ends with Ezio running towards the docks and then leaping into the water. Yup, you can swim and use boats in Assassin's Creed 2. Epic gondola chases have not been confirmed. Assassin's Creed 2 comes to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 November 17. All eyes were on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II unveiling at E3 earlier this month - and with good reason. Not only was the original Assassin's a divisive game ââ¬â some players loved it completely, others saw it as a rough draft ââ¬â it also held a heck of a lot of potential, irrespective of polarised opinions. After an extended session with the game at E3, we're convinced that Ubi Montreal are going to floor some jaws with Assassin's Creed II. From the story to the new weapons and inventions, here's why we think Ezio is destined for great things. Flying Machines for Fun and Profit The year is 1486. You are Ezio, the eagle of Venice. You live in a time of invention; the birth of new forms of art, writing and fine culture. And the beauty of a game like Assassin's Creed II is that you can twist all of this history and culture into an incredible setting for a game. To that end, the integration of the marvellous inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci is a stoke of game design genius. We all know Da Vinci drafted prints of incredible machines of war ââ¬â as well as flying machines and creations to enable human flight. Who's to say that Ubisoft can't integrate those designs straight into Assassin's Creed II? Ezio can now find Da Vinci's wings scattered around rooftops in Venice, allowing speedy ââ¬â and very conspicuous ââ¬â travel over long distances, using the hot air from bonfires to keep it aloft. Genius at work. Freedom, Willy, Freedom One of the most warranted criticisms of the original Assassin's Creed was its lack of variety. At all times it felt like you were playing in a lush world, full of breathtaking vistas and opportunities to explore ââ¬â only to be hemmed in and forced to do only a handful of different tasks. These followed a pattern too, making the rigid structure all the more noticeable. Ubisoft Montreal has addressed these concerns head on and completely revamped almost every element associated with the day-to-day assassination routine. To begin with, missions are now freeform. Some may see you escorting and protecting; others might have you stalking from a distance or pursuing your victim on-foot. More random events will occur, too; where once you could pickpocket just about anyone in the first game, this time you yourself can fall victim to nimble fingers. If you're feeling vengeful, you can even give chase and reclaim your goods. The overall impact on the player is key, though ââ¬â and Ubi is clearly working hard to make sure you're never bored or feeling restrained. http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/996/996037/assassins-creed-ii-20090617115110458.jpgThe beauty of Venice... without the smell. Bonus! It's That Time Again Time of day plays a big part of the daily routine in real life, so why shouldn't it be the same in the game world? Following in the footsteps of many other great open-world titles, Assassin's Creed II introduces a full day/night cycle to proceedings. Once again, the emphasis is on variety ââ¬â and this time around, some missions will only be available at night. There will also be unique events occurring at different times of day in different parts of the city, which should prove pretty interesting in terms of mission design. If nothing else, it'll give you more reason to experiment and explore the city at different times of day. It's Kind of Stupidly Pretty The original Assassin's Creed was a gorgeous game. It featured a vast draw distance, great animations, distinct districts and cities, and the climbing mechanic has been aped but never matched, let alone surpassed. This time around, we're seeing what a few years of research and refinement can do to an already spectacular engine. The detail level remains just as high ââ¬â but it's the smaller details that really blew us away. For one, the use of water effects ââ¬â stunning simulated waterways of Venice ââ¬â is something new for the series, given the previous desert setting. More impressively, the city is full of vibrant colours. Fireworks explode overhead, casting a wash of warm light over the city's dwellings. The animations and Ezio's context sensitive movements have also been refined. Watching him shimmy up a tower and then pull a guard over the railing is just as convincing as before, but when he suddenly takes flight with Da Vinci's wings, sweeps down and kicks another guard off a bridge and into a river ââ¬â before bailing out to a perfect landing, you know it's going to make for cinematic gameplay. Pulling it All Together Perhaps the most impressive part of Assassin's Creed II is simply how it all comes together ââ¬â the sense of place, purpose and deadly efficiency. What Altair lacked in gadgets and purpose, Ezio has addressed completely. Ezio has all sorts of new abilities at his disposal ââ¬â not the least of these is the ability to perform context-sensitive double executions. He can use two-handed weapons, hammers, swords and spears in addition to his spring-loaded wrist blades, too ââ¬â and the smoke bomb looks like a handy inclusion. With more freedom ââ¬â a true sandbox assassination experience, better structure and more personality, we're utterly beside ourselves with anticipation for this one ââ¬â and we think you'll agree it's completely warranted. http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/996/996037/assassins-creed-ii-20090617115117004.jpg Click here to check out Part 1 of IGN's Assassin's Creed II Live Demo from E3. NewWell look at this, a game that is actually going to be released in 2009. What a happy thought. Though the story will still concern the main character Desmond for the first game, in Assassin's Creed 2, the time-hopping assassin from the past is named Ezio. He looks similar to Altair, but his drama unfolds in a different age, Renaissance Italy. If you've been following our Assassin's Creed 2 coverage so far you'd know that already, but you might not know some of the details Ubisoft let loose during our time watching a new demo of the game at Gamescom 2009. Gone is the do X number of side-quests to open up main assassination missions from the first game. Though you do still climb up to high perches to unveil bits of your map in the sequel, you'll no longer be forced into tasks in the same manner. It seems the main missions will flow more naturally. You also won't be wandering around in any hub world Kingdom trying to dart from metropolis to metropolis. Instead, each city will have a unique countryside where you can ride around a horse before heading into town. Eventually you'll also get the ability to quickly travel between major locales, which we were told include Florence, Venice, Tuscany and more. Like in the first game, all architecture within cities can be climbed across. You'll still be diving off high towers and landing in wagons of hay to break your fall, and creeping around lines of wandering pedestrians. This time around, you'll be able to blend into cover with any NPCs you so desire. No more waiting around for groups of monks to walk by. As soon as you enter cover with NPCs, they'll be colored white and grey, the ground beneath your feet will jitter with Animus-electricity, and no guards will be able to spot you unless you do something that draws attention. What might draw attention? Well, how about pickpocketing all the NPCs who are unwittingly providing cover. As you pickpocket you naturally gain funds that can be spent on items and health at merchant shops sprinkled around the metropolis. Some of these items, like vials of poison, can be used in interesting ways. In one instance, Ezio tracked down a pigeon coop using an indicator on the mini-map as a guide to accept an assassination side quests. The mini-map then lit up with the probable location of the target, and upon nearing him Ezio flipped into eagle eye mode to identify exactly who it was. The target was highlighted in gold and a bodyguard in red, and to help keep track it's possible to leave on eagle eye mode while moving around, though that means the HUD won't be onscreen anymore. Incidentally, if you're the type of player that doesn't like the HUD in Assassin's Creed, you can turn it off entirely. Instead of mounting a direct assault, it's possible to open Ezio's radial weapons menu and poison your hidden dagger. By sneaking up to the bodyguard and lightly nicking him in the neck, he's sent into a drunken stupor, lashing out at those around him with his axe. To further create chaos, Ezio can sprinkle coins on the ground, sending the peasants into a money hungry frenzy as they scramble to scoop up anything shiny. Instead of trying to be clever and sneaky with your tools, it's also possible to take action more direct. Gangs of mercenaries roaming city streets can be hired on the spot and sent after targets, letting you slip through. Ezio can perform double kills with two hidden blades as he charges forward, making quick work of any guards flanking doors. In combat, which will still feature a heavy focus on picking the right time to hit and countering enemy swipes, you can select Ezio's small gun. While inaccurate, it's possible to enter into an aiming mode where four lines converge the longer the mode is active, which should mean the shot hits closer to its intended mark when fired. Smoke bombs can be smashed against the ground if you're in trouble for an easy escape, and if you're tired of waiting around for opponents to hit you, a taunt can be initiated to get them to swing. About five to six hours of the game won't take place in the marvelously detailed cityscapes that sparkle under the game's dynamic day night cycle. Instead, they'll take place underground in sequences that strongly resemble Prince of Persia. As Ezio ventures into dusty crypts painted with worn religious imagery and filled with rotted wooden and broken stones, he'll face numerous platforming challenges that, in theory, require some skill to conquer. The one we saw was early on so not all that difficult, and basically required Ezio to hop and swing through a number of precarious positions in order to listen in on a secret Templar meeting. Then, at the end of each section like this, you get access to a large treasure, which Ubisoft didn't want to give too much away about. More of these types of challenges are in the game and some will be optional, meaning you'll need to explore if you want to unlock everything hidden. The game's still got a few months to go before its November release date, and it's looking quite impressive. Hearing about the changes from the first game is certainly exciting, since this does sound like it could be a much better product, and as expected the visuals and animations are looking great. Here's hoping it turns out to be a polished and thoroughly entertaining experience.

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/4/4a/Fallout_NV_logo.png A whole new game is on the way. April 20, 2009 - Bethesda has announced a new entrant into the Fallout franchise, subtitled New Vegas. Details are slim at the moment as Bethesda is remaining tight-lipped, but a few bits of information were provided. The game is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and is due out sometime in 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The game is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3, though it is an RPG and Bethesda has said that you can expect the "same type of game," despite the fact that a different developer is working on it. Bethesda did not go into specifics on gameplay or what engine would be used, but a spokesperson did mention that you can "make educated guesses" on those matters. While we're in the guessing mood, we're guessing the game will be set in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. IGN has been told we can expect a full reveal when Obsidian is ready to show it. Obsidian Entertainment was founded by members of Interplay's Black Isle Studio -- the group that worked on the original Fallout games -- after it was disbanded. Bethesda has said it approached Obsidian regarding this project and an agreement was quickly reached It has a projected release date of 2010 and will be available on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Las Vegas was one of the main and most central cities in Wasteland, the predecessor to the Fallout series. The fat mobster mentioned by Tycho is a reference to Fat Freddy, a character from Wasteland Meet the Developers Developers Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a company founded by Feargus Urquhart and Chris Avellone, two of the makers of Fallout 2 (originally at Black Isle Studios). It is not currently known whether Avellone and Urquhart will be involved. The entire development team is not yet known, but it is known that the project is led by J.E. Sawyer, one of the lead designers of Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle Studios. Known developers: J.E. Sawyer - project director and lead designer John R. Gonzalez - lead creative designer Akil Hooper - designer Scott Everts - designer Fryda Wolff - sound designer Theresa Treadwell - associate producer Brian Menze - artist Sean Dunny - artist Other people at Obsidian who worked on previous Fallout games include Chris Jones, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, Jesse Reynolds and Rich Taylor. At least some of them are likely to be on the New Vegas team. FAQ What is Fallout: New Vegas? Fallout: New Vegas is a futuristic post-apocalyptic RPG set in an alternate universe based on 50s sci-fi pulp fiction, as if the world had stopped during the optimistic 50s and found itself in a dystopian post-apocalyptic reality. It will make use of the gameplay style of Bethesda Softworks' Fallout 3[1], however, with a brand new story and setting. Is it Fallout 4? No, Fallout 4 will be a separate future project that will likely be developed by Bethesda Game Studios itself. For more information, see: Fallout 4 FAQ. Will it be a MMORPG? No, it will be a Single-Player game, like previous Fallouts. However, Interplay licensed the rights to a Fallout MMORPG from Bethesda in 2007 and is currently developing it under the codename Project V13. Bethesda recently moved to rescind the Fallout MMORPG license, claiming that Interplay is in breach of the licensing agreement. Interplay disputes these claims. Is it some kind of DLC? No, unlike the Fo3 DLC packs, it will be a standalone game. Will it feature exclusive DLC's, like Fallout 3? It is not known at this time. Will it use the Fallout 3 engine? Not officially announced, but given that it has been announced that it will be the same style of game as Fallout 3 and given the tight schedule, it most likely will. Who is making and publishing Fallout: New Vegas? FoNV is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. What is Fallout: New Vegas rated? To be announced. However, Fallout 3 was rated M (Mature) by the ESRB in the United States and 18 in the UK, and New Vegas will likely have the same rating. Release date(s) When will it be released? The game will be released in 2010. Platforms What platforms will it be released for? Like Fallout 3, the game will be released for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Will it require Windows Vista? Fallout 3 will work on PCs running either Windows XP or Vista. Development team Is it being made by people who made previous Fallouts? Yes, it is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which was founded by some of the people who worked on Fallout, Fallout 2 and Van Buren at Interplay/Black Isle Studios. Who is on the team? The known developers so far are: J.E. Sawyer - project director and lead designer John R. Gonzalez - lead creative designer Akil Hooper - designer Scott Everts - designer Theresa Treadwell - associate producer Which other Fallout developers are at Obsidian? Other people at Obsidian who worked on previous Fallout games include Chris Avellone, Feargus Urquhart, Chris Jones, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, Brian Menze, Jesse Reynolds and Rich Taylor. At least some of them are likely to be on the New Vegas team. Gameplay Combat Is the combat turn-based or real-time? The combat will likely be real-time, with the active pause VATS system, similarly to Fallout 3. <a name="Other_gameplay_questions" id="Other_gameplay_questions"> Other gameplay questions Is first or third perspective used? While nothing has been officially announced, given that it has been announced to be the same style of game as Fallout 3, it will likely allow you to use both first and third-person perspective.

Who cares?

Who's Paramore? Looks a little "Loin Kingish",but other than that it's ok.

YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I don't like the yellow I'd stay away from that color. The green is ok though.

To guy that hardly ever comes to the site.

2021

2018

http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/object/142/14235013/Mass-Effect-2_X360_BOX-tempboxart_160w.jpg -Platforms: Xbox 360, PC -Release date: Xbox 360 - Early 2010 (Worldwide), PC - TBA 2010 -Developer: BioWare, with support from EA and Microsoft Games Studios -Publisher: EA -Engine: Unreal Engine 3 (Custom) -Mass Effect 2 is a 6-month timed exclusive game for the Xbox 360 -The same team that worked on Mass Effect is working on Mass Effect 2 -Mass Effect 2 has been in development since July 2007, total development time for Mass Effect 2 will be 28 Months -The story in Mass Effect 2 will continue 2 months after Mass Effect -The story will not continue depending on the last decision made by the player in Mass Effect, it will however continue after the PC version ending -The character created in Mass Effect can be transported into Mass Effect 2 via save-files -Level cap has been increased to Level 120 -Physics will be power by Havok -Bioware has spent an enormous time on facial animations and charater movement animations, so expect animation quality to be at the very top. -BioWare is using the Unreal Engnine 3 for graphics, with many custom changes made, graphics will be better than in Gears of War 2 -Water is confirmed to have fluid simulation, also, if a player or NPC dies on water, the players body will slowly sink, this also applies to weapons and certain objects -The Game Over sequence has been reduced to 1.78 Seconds, due to complains from fans over the long Game Over sequence in Mass Effect -Mass Effect 2 will have up to 5-player CO-OP, depending on the host players decision of how many players will be able to assist him/her -There will be a Multiplayer component called Survival, where players will crash on a planet and battle to survive against endless hordes of enemies, the score will be determined on how many enemies will be killed and how much time players will be able to survive, there is no end to this mode, it's a very similar mode to Gears of War 2's Horde. -Armor has to be repaired, armor will also react to different weapons, bullets will damage it, fire will melt it, ice will freeze it,... -The player can now lead a squad of 2-5 members, the player decides how many squad members will be on each mission -The Citadel is now much larger, and whenever a player visits the Citadel all members of the players squad go with him/her, the squad will interact with other NPC's if you allow them to -Battles wil be on a much larger scale, reported scale is the same as in Gears of War 2 -There will 2 more classes added to the aditional classes from the first game -The Galaxy has been expanded, you can now explore 8 times more planets than in Mass Effect, also, every planet now has a bigger scale, players will be able to set up small bases on planets with a sustainable atmosphere -The player will be able to create mines near resources and send resources to Earth or by the decision of the player mine illegaly and collect all resources for him/her self -Weapons can be upgraded and customized, the weapon arsenal has been expanded, the player can now carry a bionic arm on each arm, the player can dual wield not just pistols, but also shotguns and semi-automatic weapons -One new weapon is called "The Scilary", it's a missile based weapon, the player marks a targed on the ground and then shoots a missile into the air, the missile is then split into multiple pieces and hits the target and an area around it -The player can now equip a knife, the knife can be customized and upgraded, the knife can also be used with different powers, i.e. the knife can be thrown and then brought back, the knife will also react to environment hazards, i.e. a knife over fire will cause it to catch fire and eventually melt -There will be Boss Battles in the game -Depending on the decision made by the player on Noveria to either spare or kill the Rachni, they will assist you during a crucial time or you will be left alone -Preston Watamaniuk, the Lead Designer hints at more and larger environment hazards, for example a volcano erruption than can destroy a base built by the player, another example is an ice storm of different colors, dependning on the planets atmosphere -The primary planetary exploration vehicle can now be upgraded and customized, it can also be expanded to carry up to 4 members of your squad -The armor can now be upgraded and customized to the players liking, similar to the weapon customization, the player can now select a certain part of the armor, i.e. the left shoulder and put a small picture on it, i.e. the Earth's flag -The second mission will be to save a squad member that was believed to be dead in Mass Effect, depending on the decision made on planet Virmire (the cloning facility mission), you will have to rescue the squad member left behind, the story will explain how the squad member survived the detonation -Planet Eden Prime can now be visited, explored and the player can now build his own house on the planet, same with many other planets -The total number of interactive NPC's you can talk to is around 3000, total number of NPC's in Mass Effect 2 is unknown Trailer Cannot Be Displayed Inter View. Cannot Be Displayed March 26, 2009 - To talk all things role-playing, we sat down with BioWare bosses Greg Zeschuk (Vice President BioWare and Electronic Arts) and Ray Muzyka (General Manager and CEO BioWare, and VP and GM EA). It's a busy time for the duo, as Mass Effect 2 is expected sometime in 2010, Dragon Age this fall, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare's first MMORPG effort being developed at its Austin studio, slated for sometime in the future, as well as some unannounced projects. We had a chance to check in with them at the Game Developers Conference 2009 to catch up on the latest, mostly related to Mass Effect 2. So what's BioWare working on they're not talking about yet? Well, as you might expect, they're not talking about that yet. "I think one of them might be pretty soon, then maybe a little later, then possibly some other stuff a little later," said Muzyka. Would we hear something in 2009? "Maybe one of them," he said. Aside from the types of fantasy and science-fiction settings BioWare is known for building into its games, the duo commented on a few other scenarios that might be interesting. "We actually discuss that stuff a lot," said Zeschuk. "We've got other stuff that may be in other genres." "In fact," chimed in Muzyka, "it probably is." Getting back to the question, Zeschuk started up with, "A horror RPG you could do a whole kind of different ways, it's been done before by some folks but we'd probably put our own fingerprints on it. There's lots of places you could tell a story. We haven't talked much about Wild West�Victorian England. [laughter]." "I'm not sure about that last one," said Muzyka. "But you can make almost anything into an RPG." http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/966/966964/mass-effect-2-20090326083600829-000.jpg On Dragon Age: Origins, the upcoming multiplatform RPG styled after the classic Baldur's Gate PC games of roughly a decade ago. "It's always been the plan to bring [Dragon Age] to multiple systems," said Muzyka. "PC has been our leading platform and still is the leading platform in terms of the content deployment but we're actively working on the consoles now and they're coming along really well." Muzyka went on to talk about what the recent PC version delay would mean for the title now that it's shipping alongside Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions later this year. "We're looking at this as a huge opportunity to iterate and polish and make the game that much better on not just PC but all the systems. We're definitely making use of that time. If we have a week, if we have a month, if we have a day, we'll use that time to make the feature improvements and do more usability testing, focus testing, and make the game as good as it can be." On the subject of downloadable content, Zeschuk said it was becoming a fundamental part of the company's overall philosophy, as it's part of the plan with Dragon Age. He shifted gears into Mass Effect 2, the upcoming sequel to the science-fiction epic, the first part of which was released in 2008 for the PC platform, and in late 2007 for the Xbox 360. "Mass 2 is going to have some plans [for DLC]. We'll look at Mass Effect 2 differently because it's a different kind of game. It's a very cinematic action shooter / RPG and with different kinds of consumers and different kinds of likes for DLC, so that's something we're always going to be iterating on." No word yet on whether Mass Effect or its sequels will ever show up on the PlayStation 3, but will it show up on Xbox 360 and PC simultaneously when it ships next year? "We haven't disclosed that, but the development efforts are simultaneous," said Muzyka. http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/966/966964/mass-effect-2-20090326083557267-000.jpg With regards to the interface, which was altered quite a bit during the time between the release of Xbox 360 and the PC version, what can players expect with the sequel? "Every version, and this is true for Dragon Age as well, we want players to feel when they play they should feel like it was natively developed for that system," said Muzyka. "Our philosophy is to lovingly handcraft every version so that players have a different entry point, different interface, different controls that work really well. A lot people said when they played the PC version 'Wow that's cool, it's like they designed it as a PC game.' Well yeah, we did, because we made PC fans feel supported. We also made 360 fans feel like it was developed as a 360 game because it was. Both answers are true. And we're doing the same for the console version of Dragon Age and we'll do the same for Mass Effect 2." What about the technology behind the Mass Effect franchise? How does that develop and improve with the sequel? "What's interesting about making a game especially like Mass Effect one is just getting the galaxy on one disk is a lot of work. So you've worked on it for over three years and two and three-quarters of those years were just figuring out how to make it all work and then the last quarter is like ok, let's finish it all off. The great thing about a sequel is you start from the point where you know everything works, you know what the good and the bad things were. One of the big objectives we have for Mass 2 is we go through your reviews and everyone else's and�" "We made a list of the features," picked up Muzyka, "that reviewers and fans and internal people, all whose opinions we respect, thought were really important to make the game better. Then we added a bunch of cool **** on top of that." "The key thing is," said Zeschuk, "when you're working on a sequel like Mass you start from day one knowing most of the answers. And then you know what your faults were and you can address those specifically. First and foremost are things like performance and textures and everything like that. We maximized that to make sure it's hot. In some ways the problem we've had we haven't had the chance to do a sequel for like seven or eight years, we've always been doing one-offs�We've learned a lot about the technology after the first one and there's already stuff that's like wow." http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/966/966964/mass-effect-2-20090326083553048-000.jpg Unfortunately the two weren't willing to go into any specifics, not that it was really expected at this point, but Muzyka broke down a few basic categories where he asserted changes and improvements were being made for the sequel. "There's a few bigger buckets of things we're working on. One of them is the intensity of the action, amping that up so people will see this as a shooter RPG�It's going to feel like shooter fans are going to have a great experience�Another category we're working on are the moment to moment interactions, kind of grabbing control of them more, and we'll show that later as well." By later, he means later in the year. "Exploration, we're still trying to tighten up that experience," Muzyka continued. "It's still optional and there's still uncharted world that'll be optional, but we want every single one of them to feel like they're adding something important to the main storyline. So you feel yeah they're optional, but I feel like I really want to do that. So that's a philosophy change too." Was there ever a definitive word on whether you could use the same character from Mass Effect in the sequel? "We've said two things. Everything we've said in the past about keeping your saves, that's all true. Everything you've seen in the teaser is all true. What does that mean?" What does that mean? "We look forward to sharing with you guys soon what that all means." We'll have the full interview later on. Oh, and if you're wondering, no release date or pricing structure for Star Wars: The Old Republic was revealed. It's still way too early for that. ' The co-founders of BioWare delivered the keynote address at the second day of the inaugural Game Developers Conference: Canada in Vancouver, pounding home the importance of narrative in videogames and outlining the company's strategy for building compelling stories. Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk used their upcoming games � Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Star Wars: The Old Republic � as well as older BioWare titles like Baldur's Gate 2 and Jade Empire to illustrate what's possible in game narrative, the evolution of story in games and what the future might hold. In the speech, titled "Emotionally Engaging Narrative: Gaming's New Frontier," Muzyka and Zeschuk said BioWare's goal is to "achieve genuine emotional engagement," no small task in a medium that's relatively short on emotion as a whole. But BioWare's games have always been a bit different, and the company's beloved RPGs have encouraged players to form bonds with characters. Those bonds are often forged through difficult choices, which the company's writers and designers carefully craft to encourage players to think carefully about the fates of the characters. These choices can sometimes be agonizing (the confrontation between Shepard and Wrex in Mass Effect), but they can also be more reactionary, like the tactical decisions made in combat that can leave the player feeling as if they outsmarted a difficult opponent. These types of choices help form the basic narrative of a game, but in non-linear games, the true story will be different for every player. In its attempt to engage all types of players in BioWare games, Muzyka and Zeschuk say they've loosely adopted Richard Bartle's theory of player types, originally introduced as a way to explain interactions in early multi-user dungeons (and by extension, massively multiplayer online games). The developers at BioWare think of players as belonging to four general categories: those who enjoy action and conflict, those who are motivated by progress and customization, those who are more into story and character interaction, and those who care most about exploration. Most gamers probably wouldn't classify themselves as being exclusively in one of those four categories, and BioWare would likely agree. So the development teams try to work the pillars of the BioWare experience (story, combat, progression and exploration) into those categories where they fit, in essence creating custom narratives for different types of players. In BioWare's Jade Empire, for example, Muzyka said gamers who enjoyed exploration felt right at home, while achievers drooled over the rare Mandalorian armor in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. But narrative is much more than what's explicitly built into a game, Muzyka and Zeschuk said. The way gamers talk about their experiences with a game; message board activity about a game; user-generated content; social networking; press interaction; and even marketing all have a role to play in shaping a game's narrative, they said. "We like to mix things up. The original Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer is part of the external narrative. We suggested that Shepard might actually die, and we'll explain more what that's about at E3," Muzyka said. "Since we released that trailer, there's been incredible buzz." Along with Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins will be shown at E3 this year, and Muzyka and Zeschuk dedicated a portion of their talk on narrative to explaining the difference between the Mass Effect and Dragon Age dialogue systems. Despite the fact that BioWare has three huge games on the horizon, Muzyka and Zeschuk didn't go into detail about any of them at their GDC Canada keynote, opting to save those juicy details for E3. So make sure to follow IGN's E3 2009 coverage for more on Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Cannot Be Displayed May 18, 2009 - Mass Effect 2 is one of the most anticipated games of E3. And with good reason. The original was an amazing role-playing game. One of the best elements of the original was the numerous choices you made. Who knew those decisions would have such a major impact on Mass Effect 2 and 3? We spoke with Mass Effect 2 Producer Casey Hudson, who assured us that every choice we made in the previous game matters for the sequel. "We wanted to tell an interactive story over the course of three games," Hudson said. "So your choices don't just affect what's happening in the story, they affect all that's happening in the first game and really start impacting the world you experience in Mass Effect 2. And by Mass Effect 3 you'll see things really diverging and end up in completely different kinds of conclusions to the entire trilogy." As evidenced by the debut trailer, the story gets a bit grim in the sequel. "We look at each game in the Mass Effect trilogy as a three-act story," Hudson said as he explained the darker nature of Mass Effect 2. "But then as a trilogy we have our three acts. So Mass Effect 2 is the dark act. It's an opportunity to really explore the tougher, more brutal parts of the universe. They say in the first act you put a guy in the tree, in the second act you throw rocks at him, and in the third act you get him down. That's the fun of the second story is that now we know who these characters are, we know what the situation is and we can really beat up the hero of this story and take you to the most brutal parts of the Mass Effect universe... In terms of Commander Shepard's death... we're going to be showing what that means at E3 and why it's fundamental to what Mass Effect 2 is all about." While it's a bit premature for Hudson to give too many specific gameplay improvements, he did touch on one area BioWare is giving particular attention. "[People] like exploring the galaxy so much, they wanted it to be richer. They wanted there to be more. When you go out and explore the galaxy, we've actually built in a lot more interactivity. The way you look at a planet, the way you find a place to land. And when you're out on the surface, [there's a] lot more interesting things to do. In Mass Effect 1, you would do a subplot and then things would terminate. In Mass Effect 2, everything you do really ties into the way things come into fruition in the end. If you do go off and explore the galaxy, you do a subplot, these things start to really matter to the people you are accumulating on your ship. As you get towards the end [of the game], your decisions really start to snowball." One thing that won't be changing is the game's length. Expect Mass Effect 2 to be about as long as the original. Hudson promises that there will be more replayability this time around. "There are more choices and more paths that you can go out and diverge the story into," he said. And remember, the choices from Mass Effect 1 and 2 will carry into Mass Effect 3. Cannot Be Displayed Release early 2010. June 4, 2009 - Earlier this week I sat through a very cool Mass Effect 2 guided demo, delivered by the game's project director Casey Hudson. You can read about why it was so cool right here. Today, I got to play through the combat section for myself. I also got to grill BioWare for more details and what I learned might surprise you. Some found the combat and item management in Mass Effect to be a bit cumbersome. From what I saw of Mass Effect 2, the system has been reworked to be vastly streamlined. Working with your teammates, dealing with health, selecting and using powers, and swapping weapons have all seen subtle changes that add together to make a combat system that is a heck of a lot better. With less pauses in the action, Mass Effect 2 plays much more like a straight shooter when playing as the soldier class. Med packs have been done away with entirely for Mass Effect 2. Rather than having to heal yourself and your party members constantly, an auto-regeneration system has been put into place. Take cover for a few seconds and your health will go back to full. With death disabled and Shepard overloaded with awesome weapons, I wasn't able to tell just how much this new system will affect the difficulty. What it should do, though, is streamline the battles and ensure you spend less time micromanaging and more time kicking ass. http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/991/991756/mass-effect-2-20090604014323023.jpg Click the image to see brand new direct-feed videos.Speaking of streamlined controls, the way you deliver commands to your two party members has received a few tweaks that make them more effective allies than ever before. Their commands are still mapped to the d-pad, but now you can direct each individually. Up on the d-pad tells everyone to attack a target while down rallies everyone to your position. Left and right are each assigned to one squad member. Tap left and you can tell a single ally to move forward or use a power on the foe you're targeting. Tap right and you'll direct the other. This gives you access to your main mapped power as well as two of your allies at any moment. The Right Bumper is where you go for calling up the power wheel. Hold it down and you can adjust yours or choose a specific command you want an ally to use. Tap it and you'll automatically use whatever you have mapped. In this demo we were playing a soldier character, so the only powers available were centered around boosting your weapons power. For Mass Effect 2, you won't be equipping weapons with different types of ammo. Instead, you can get powers that will infuse an entire clip with a boost. It recharges pretty quickly, so it wouldn't be out of the question to infuse your bullets with different types of boosts non-stop. nSimilar changes have been made to the Left Bumper. Hold it down and you can adjust which weapons are being equipped by the entire squad. If you tap it, you'll automatically switch back to the last weapon you had equipped. I quickly switched over to a rocket launcher that has homing missiles. It's a bit overpowered, particularly given the fact that I had about 30 rockets to blast at about 10 enemies. In the final version of the game, getting that many rockets will be just about impossible. For most missions, you'll get to select one new heavy weapon to take with you and the ammunition will be much more scarce. With all of these upgrades, Shepard's enemies have more to fear than ever before. It doesn't help them any that BioWare added limb specific damage for the sequel. Head shots now do more damage. Legs can be shot off of robots. In practice, I didn't notice much difference but that may be because I was too busy tossing enemies in the air and then blasting them with homing missiles. And now for some news that might upset the hardcore Mass Effect fans. Your level from your first Mass Effect game will not carry over into the second game, something done in the interest of maintaining a degree of balance. The decisions you made in the first game will have a major impact on the story for Mass Effect 2. The team is still figuring out what to do with your skills, but those might get reset as well since the option exists to switch classes at the start of Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 2 is due out in the first quarter of 2010 on Xbox 360 and PC. kJuly 21, 2009 - Videogames and comics are becoming increasingly familiar bedfellows these days. This SDCC alone has brought about several new announcements of videogame-related comic book projects. And while not all of these comics turn out well, easily one of the most successful has been the long-running Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series at Dark Horse. Thanks in part to the close cooperation between Dark Horse and KOTOR developer Bioware, the comic continues to appeal to fans of the games and Star Wars in general. Bioware fans now have a new comic to look out for. Mass Effect, the growing RPG franchise and spiritual successor to KOTOR, is going to make the transition to comics soon. Early next January, Mass Effect: Redemption will hit stands. The collaboration between both companies is only growing, too. The story behind this four-issue mini-series was crafted by Mass Effect lead writer Mac Walters. That story is then being scripted by KOTOR write John Jackson Miller. Joining Miller on art will be artist Omar Francia. We had the chance to chat with Walters over the phone. We mined for details on Redemption and how it connects to the first game and its upcoming sequel. Walters also explained how the project came about and discussed some of the challenges of moving from writing games to comics. hJuly 21, 2009 - Videogames and comics are becoming increasingly familiar bedfellows these days. This SDCC alone has brought about several new announcements of videogame-related comic book projects. And while not all of these comics turn out well, easily one of the most successful has been the long-running Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series at Dark Horse. Thanks in part to the close cooperation between Dark Horse and KOTOR developer Bioware, the comic continues to appeal to fans of the games and Star Wars in general. Bioware fans now have a new comic to look out for. Mass Effect, the growing RPG franchise and spiritual successor to KOTOR, is going to make the transition to comics soon. Early next January, Mass Effect: Redemption will hit stands. The collaboration between both companies is only growing, too. The story behind this four-issue mini-series was crafted by Mass Effect lead writer Mac Walters. That story is then being scripted by KOTOR write John Jackson Miller. Joining Miller on art will be artist Omar Francia. We had the chance to chat with Walters over the phone. We mined for details on Redemption and how it connects to the first game and its upcoming sequel. Walters also explained how the project came about and discussed some of the challenges of moving from writing games to comics. IGN Comics: To start out, could you describe the collaboration between Bioware and Dark Horse on this project? Specifically, are you actually scripting this comic, or are you working with another writer? Mac Walters: The collaboration from the get go has been very close. We've been working with Dark Horse on everything ââ¬â art and writing. I actually wrote the story itself. I came up with the idea. I based it, obviously, on the Mass Effect 1 and 2 universe. And John Jackson Miller is going to be doing the actual scripting. But we're working very closely with him on that just to make sure it has that Mass Effect flavor and tone. He's been great so far in giving samples and ideas and helping us expand the universe in exciting ways. IGN Comics: John has been writing the Knights of the Old Republic comic for the past few years. Do you know if that influenced Bioware's decision to bring him on board for Mass Effect? Walters: I don't know if it influenced it. We definitely reviewed his work before we started, as well as the artist's work. We chose him because we really enjoyed what we saw him doing. He seemed like a really good fit for us. So maybe the style did help with that. But it really just came down to us feeling he would be a good fit for Mass Effect. IGN Comics: We know that Bioware is going to be releasing some more downloadable content for the first Mass Effect that sort of bridges the gap between that game and the sequel. Is this comic connected in any way to those stories? Walters: Actually, our goal right now is to have the story tie to some of the downloadable content for Mass Effect 2. That will probably be coming later next year. I don;t think we have specific dates yet. It's meant to be standalone in the sense that it explores something we don't necessarily see in the game, but it is connected to the game, and in the downloadable content we hope to follow through on some of the events in the comic. http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/100/1005868/mass-effect-20090721002233924-000.jpg IGN Comics: Where does this story actually fall in relation to the two games? Is it set in between the two? Walters: It's shortly after the opening events of Mass Effect 2. I can't get into a lot of details on where that is specifically, but I think people will recognize it when they see it. IGN Comics: What can you say about the plot of the comic right now? Does it still feature Captain Shephard and his crew as the main cast? Walters: Shephard is always a key part in everything we're doing. He is the Mass Effect universe, as far as we're concerned, certainly in the media we're working in now. And there are people from the game you'll recognize, including some of the people from Mass Effect 1 and 2. And we're also giving you the opportunity to explore new characters and some of the species and aliens that haven't had a lot of time in the game. We're going to try to explore them as well. IGN Comics: As I understand it, Mass Effect Galaxy for the iPhone is going to introduce a new character called Jacob who will go on to play a major role in Mass Effect 2. Would you say this comic is introducing any new characters along the same lines, who will have a big impact on either the game or the DLC? Walters: The idea is that we're both expanding on characters that we didn't really explore in Mass Effect 1 and also looking at opportunities to expand on them even further in the DLC. IGN Comics: One of the big appeals of the first game is that it allows you to completely customize the gender, appearance, and behavior of Captain Shephard. Obviously the comic can't do that, so how are you going about choosing to portray Shephard? Do Bioware have a sort of set idea of how he looks and how he acts? Walters: What we've done with the marketing for Mass Effect from the get go is, if you look at any of the covers or posters, we have one version of Shephard that serves as the default Shephard. And whenever we get into a situation where we can't customize that, where you're not playing the game, that's the version of Shephard we're going to assume. So if you've played the game and you've created your female Shephard, that's different, obviously, than what we have on the cover. There is going to be a difference. But Shephard is always written with certain parameters in mind. As the writing team, we always try to stay within a certain set of values and behaviors that he or she would have. And that applies to the comic as well. IGN Comics: In a larger sense, the game allows for some decision-making and gamers can alter the course of the universe based on their choices. Was their ever a worry that maybe they wouldn't take to the comic as readily since they didn't have that control over the story, or do you think it will appeal regardless? Walters: Oh, I think it'll appeal. There's so much in the Mass Effect universe that's exciting and waiting to be explored. To hope to cover all of it in an interactive environment is just impossible. The universe is just huge. So whenever an opportunity like this comes along, whether it's a written novel or the comics, it's a chance to look at Mass Effect in a completely different way. I'm really excited. I'm starting to see some of the early concept art for the comic, and it's really fun to see Mass Effect growing in a new way that we maybe didn't have the opportunity to do within the game. IGN Comics: Would you say that this comic will be accessible to new readers who haven't played the games before? Walters: Yeah. I think right from the get-go it's got a great story that's going to draw them in and get them interested in the universe and the characters that are there. And we looked at it that way. We wanted something where, if you played the games, it's exciting to go in and explore the universe further in the comic. Or if you just want to read the comic because you heard about it or saw it on the shelf, it'll get you excited about the universe and make you say, "Wow, I want to run around in that place. I want to go and see more". That's part of the benefit of the collaboration and the really good teamwork we have with Dark Horse. We're able to create something that's very synergistic in that way. IGN Comics: As a writer, is it difficult for you to put together story that both stands on its own and serves a larger purpose by tying into the games? Walters: There are definitely challenges to it, for sure. It's a different medium, and whenever you tackle something in a different medium like that, even when it's source material you're really familiar with, there are always challenges that come up. But I thought that it was a lot of fun just to be able to write a story and be able to go with it in one direction. There's a sort of freedom that comes from being able to tell a purely linear story. Usually when I'm on a game, I'm writing a semi-linear story with multiple outcomes, which, of course, has it own challenges. So it was fun to be able to approach this as a story that I could tell and tell it in a specific way. Hopefully the fans will be excited by it. We all are. IGN Comics: Bioware and Dark Horse are also collaborating on the Star Wars: The Old Republic tie-in, which is taking the form of a web comic. Was there any reason you decided to go with a more traditional mini-series format for Mass Effect rather than something like that? Walters: I don't know what the specifics were behind that, actually. We're looking at all possible opportunities, so it's not that there never would be a web comic for Mass Effect. We just felt the the IP and the story we wanted to tell really fit the medium well. That's what Dark horse seemed to be excited about, and frankly, so were we. That was a large part of the decision-making process. IGN Comics: There have been a lot of videogames adapted to comics over the years. Were there any specific adaptation you looked to for inspiration as you were crafting the story? Walters: You brought it up before, and I think the KOTOR stuff ââ¬â Bioware being the start of that way back when. What that's spawned into now, it's not just comics. We've seen a lot of different areas. We thought Mass Effect had that similar sort of appeal to it. It's an epic, sci-fi world that we thought would be fun to explore in new ways. Certainly, some of the work we've done before with Dark Horse helped spawn this. IGN Comics: You've sort of hinted at this already, but would it be safe to assume that, if this project does well, you'd want to come back and do more Mass Effect comics in the future? Walters: Oh, for sure. I love seeing what we're doing already. I get really excited when I see the art. I think it's going to be very interesting to see how it ties into the games. Given that, I think it will be successful, and I'm certainly hoping it will be. I'd love to continue doing it right through all future Mass Effect endeavors. lJuly 30, 2009 - The final box art for Mass Effect 2 was released. Come, let's take a look together. There's definitely a bit more action this time around. We see Commander Shepard, a Krogan (Wrex?), and a female (Ashley?) charging ahead on a war-torn battleground. Gone this time around, however, is the "Only for Xbox 360" stamp on the top. But let's not read too much into that. It's probably due to the PC version. http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/100/1009269/XBOXjpg_1248982148.jpg l + Rep if you liked this