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Mass Effect 2 remains atop UK charts, Dante debuts
Mass Effect 2 has maintained the top spot on Chart-Track's UK all-formats sales chart for a second week in a row. However, there seems to be some kind of Batarian flu loose on the isles, because Mass Effect 2 sales, which dropped by 64 percent this week, were "within touching distance" (850 units, to be exact) of Wii's Just Dance. Rounding out the unchanged top three for a second week was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. EA's Dante's Inferno had one hell of a premiere on the charts, earning a somewhat sinful spot at fourth. In a good sign for MAG, the mega shooter slipped only three notches to seventh place. Meanwhile, the surprise return of other BioWare game Dragon Age: Origins to the top 40 last week has gained even more momentum, moving up another three spots to 28th. Source – Mass Effect 2 leads an unchanged top 3 [GFK Chart-Track] Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
BioWare: No fix for Mass Effect 2 SDTV 'tiny text' issue
[ChrisJohnBeckett] BioWare has stated that it can do nothing to alleviate Mass Effect 2's "tiny text" issue, which affects standard-definition television users. The company claims on its forums that after "investigating potential solutions," it has determined that it is unable to fix the text size with a patch. BioWare has taken note of the complaint, however, and will take it into consideration for "future games in the Mass Effect franchise." Um, how about all future BioWare games? SDTVs are apparently still quite prevalent. Two famous case studies in "tiny text" syndrome are Dead Rising and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, with two very different outcomes. Capcom used the same excuse as BioWare, while Rare actually fixed the problem. Additionally, some Mass Effect 2 players are complaining that they're having difficulty reading the text on their 52-inch HDTVs. No, but really, it's time to see an optometrist. [Via Eurogamer]
The Daily Grind: What would you like streamlined?
It's not a secret that several bloggers around these parts are enjoying some quality time with Mass Effect 2, a game that's made a few ripples for massively streamlining the entire RPG experience. Superfluous elements like inventory management and sprawling urban areas are excised in favor of a clean yet satisfying sequence of events. On paper it almost sounds as if the game has been gutted, but in play it feels just as full as the last course. On the flipside, Warhammer Online's streamlining of processes has more than a few people up in arms at the perceived depletion of the game's most interesting content. While we're all familiar (or hopefully familiar) with the basic design guideline of KISS, the argument is being made is that Warhammer Online is simplifying to the point where the fun parts of the game are obliterated. Needless to say, there's a happy medium to be found, and we can all think of at least one aspect of a game that received some much-needed simplification. What part of your preferred game could do with a solid sweep to get rid of unnecessary complexity? Similarly, what complicated part of the game should remain like it is rather than be slimmed down?
Bioware: 'Mass Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360'
Okay, there seems to be some confusion out there. Gamers have taken a microscope to the code in the PC version of Mass Effect 2, which they claim hints at an inevitable PS3 release. Well, we hate to break it to you, but it looks like that's not gonna happen. Bioware's Chris Priestly hopped onto the forums to bring some balance to the Matrix. "The Unreal Engine is cross platform, hence the PS3 code," he said. "This was brought up back in Mass Effect 1 days as well." So, there you have it. Priestly also added one last quote, to help drive the point home: "Mass Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360." [Via GameWire]
Mass Effect 2 enjoys effective debut in UK
Mass Effect 2 has warped to the top of Chart-Track's UK sales chart, revealing that Britain isn't just about Just Dance (which still stepped its way into second place, by the way). Comparing debut weeks, the Normandy crew's second outing sold twice as well on Xbox 360 than the original did back in 2007 and three times higher on PC. EA is expecting a good financial return from Mass Effect 2, having already shipped 2 million copies. Taking the bronze this week on the all-formats chart is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and in fourth is ... MAG. Yes, coverage of the PS3-exclusive may have been totally eclipsed by BioWare's space opera, but it still managed a strong debut -- have a look at our review to see if it's worth the attention. The rest of the list features the usual suspects, though Dragon Age: Origins has made a return to the top 40. It seems Mass Effect 2 wasn't the only BioWare game casting a spell over consumers last week. Source – Mass Effect 2 gravitates to No1 [GFK Chart-Track] Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
First issue of Mass Effect iPhone comic free on launch day
Beginning February 3, the first issue of the four-part comic series Mass Effect: Redemption will be available on the iTunes App Store. To celebrate its release, Dark Horse and EA have announced the issue will be free for a limited time. How limited is the "free digital comic" window? One day only. After February 3, the digital release is bumped up to 99 cents. Of course, if you're a Mass Effect 2 fanatic you probably own the collectors' edition, which included a mini-version of the first issue. But, if you love moving pictures, a free digital comic is a hard thing to ignore.
Mass Effect 2 amasses two million units shipped
Let me tell you something. It's rough being one of the few Joystiq editors that isn't currently knee-deep in the space-faring magic of Mass Effect 2. The constant insults, the pointing and laughing, the threats on my life; it gets old really fast. And now Electronic Arts has to announce that Mass Effect 2 has already shipped two million units worldwide in its first week. The press release also notes that the game has earned more than 40 perfect review scores. And, of course, the Joystiq review drips with effusive, well-earned praise. I get it, okay? I need to play it, and I will, just as soon as I finish the first Mass Effect. Oh, gotta go. Looks like Justin is putting another stink bomb in my lunch box.
Metareview: Mass Effect 2
It's quite obvious we adore Mass Effect 2. Judging from the game's Metacritic score, we certainly aren't alone. What a crazy and exciting year we've got ahead of us, especially when a game of the year candidate sets such a very high bar in January. Let's check out the lavish praise other sites bestowed upon BioWare's epically epic space opera: Eurogamer (100/100): "Perhaps BioWare's greatest success in Mass Effect 2 has been taking a complex RPG and making it effortless to understand, play and enjoy on a constant basis, because it has done this in a manner that should prove utterly essential to veterans and newcomers alike, and more than enough to suggest Mass Effect 3 will be the most important game in BioWare's history" Giant Bomb (100/100): "BioWare has really gotten it right the second time around. They took those same ideas and figured out a better way to combine them into a more cohesive, more playable sequel that makes good on every bit of Mass Effect's potential and leaves me staring very grudgingly at the presumable two-year wait until my own Commander Shepard can continue his fight in the next game." Game Informer (98/100): "The loss of RPG elements may hit some people hard, and the repetition in minigames may lead to yawns and tired eyes, but none of these faults hold Mass Effect 2 back from being a work of bold ambition, and one of gaming's most exciting sequels." IGN (96/100): "It's incredibly personal while still retaining a sense of epic sweeping scale. The combat and mission design are outstanding. The visuals, voice acting, soundtrack, and direction are miles ahead of the competition. Perhaps most impressively, Mass Effect 2 manages to fulfill its incredible ambition while only suffering from very few technical hiccups. The only real caveat I should mention is that some of the revelations and plot twists won't be quite as powerful if you haven't played Mass Effect 1, but that isn't any reason to skip this fantastic videogame." Edge (90/100): "Ultimately, Mass Effect 2's greatest strength is in tying its disparate pieces together, binding the gunplay and conversation systems into something that meshes, while creating an action-RPG that knows stats should be there, but that they should never get in the way of a good headshot." %Gallery-70022%
Ray Muzyka: Bioware producing a lot of content, more to come at E3
Bioware's Ray Muzyka has been spilling some Bio-beans over on Eurogamer today. In the public interview, he says that while there is both PDLC (the "P" stands for "Premium") being developed for Mass Effect 2 and expansion content planned for Dragon Age: Origins, most of the core team for the sci-fi series has already started working on the as-yet-unannounced Mass Effect 3. He does promise that there's been a vision from the beginning and that the vision has been tweaked and changed as the games are coming along, so hopefully the trilogy will lead to a worthwhile conclusion. He also hints that there's lots more to see coming from Bioware -- Muzyka is working on both PS3 and 360 titles (some still secret) "across the studios I manage," and of course The Old Republic, which he describes as "KotOR 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 in one project," is in development as well. And at the very end of the interview, to a question about what we can expect at this year's E3, he only answers a cryptic, "Yes!" Maybe Muzyka should have been in charge of the dialog trees in Dragon Age; the game would have been a lot shorter. [via NeoGAF]
PSA: Mass Effect 2's Zaeed DLC now available
It would appear that BioWare has gotten things with our buddy Zaeed all sorted, as his Xbox 360 DLC pack is now available through Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network. Coming in an update this morning, the disgruntled, padded mercenary is now available for the low, low price of zero dollars. As BioWare doc Greg Zeschuk explained to us recently, additional content arriving for Mass Effect 2 through the Cerberus Network will be free of charge, with "paid DLC packs" available separately. %Gallery-70022%
PSA: How to redeem Mass Effect 2 DLC codes ('cause it can get complicated) [update]
BioWare has posted a clarification for those having issues redeeming Mass Effect 2 promotional codes received in the Collector's Edition of the game or as pre-order bonuses from retailers. The codes require you to go to MassEffect.com to redeem, and although PC players just have to download a file in most cases, it's the Xbox 360 users that are stumbling into an issue. Take note: If you have played a recent EA game with an online component (like Battlefield 1943) on your Xbox 360, chances are you already have an EA.com account linked to your Gamertag. If this is the case, do not create a new account on BioWare's or EA's site to redeem your code. Xbox 360 owners that have played an EA game online and have their Gamertags tied to an account should not input their codes until they can log into their EA.com accounts. If you've already tied your Mass Effect 2 DLC code to a new account, the only way we know to get the game content is to transfer your new account over to an existing one, which requires getting in contact with EA. We're currently contacting the publisher to see if EA can implement a streamlined process to transfer accounts and will update as soon as we hear back. Update: We've placed EA's suggestions on fixing various Mass Effect 2 DLC issues after the break.
Mass Effect 2's Zaeed DLC delayed on 360, coming later this week
It seems there's a slight clog in Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network DLC pipeline. Though the promised bonus mission is still available, the deadly, rugged and elaborately scarred mercenary Zaeed has been held up until tomorrow or Thursday on the Xbox 360, according to a BioWare spokesman writing on the company's official forums. You could spend time being sad about the delay or you could spend time playing Mass Effect 2. We think the choice should be pretty clear. Just pretend his space luggage got lost or something. [Thanks, Theresa]
Review: Mass Effect 2
I was an unlikely choice to review Mass Effect 2. Unlike most of the Joystiq staff, I wasn't in love with the first entry in the series. Oh, I could see the promise, but I had a hard time getting past the clunky combat, the terrible vehicle sequences and a damnably irksome inventory system. But in a weird way, I was the very best person to review the sequel, because BioWare has gutted the original framework, doing away with everything that didn't work and replacing it with something vibrant, something engaging. All the while, the developers have expanded on the sweeping yet personal scope of the first game that made such an impression on so many. The resulting concoction is the best game BioWare has ever made and the best action RPG in history. %Gallery-70022%
Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2 top Steam best-seller list
EA must be feeling pretty good that it's got the top three best-selling games currently on Steam. It must feel even better that said games haven't even been released yet, but gamers have already paid in full to pre-load them onto their PCs ASAP. Specifically, this week's highest grossing title on Valve's digital distribution service is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which doesn't release until March. Mass Effect 2, which hits tomorrow, occupies the number two and three slots -- the Digital Deluxe and Standard editions, respectively. Modern Warfare 2 and Company of Heroes Complete Pack round out the top five. The latter came out last October and is certainly in some pretty good company. Just missing the cut? BioShock 2, which is currently on sale for $5 off the $49.99 (virtual) sticker price. [Via BigDownload]
Tons of Mass Effect 2 DLC available free right now [update]
Here's the deal: We're not going to be the least bit clever or amusing in this post. 1. It's just past 7 a.m. and Uncle Joystiq got a little ... silly last night and do these lights have to be so bright? and 2. We don't want you to waste a second reading when you could be grabbing all the Mass Effect 2 DLC that's currently on Live. You'll find links after the break. Is it supposed to be up yet? Will it be free forever? There's no earthly (or spacely, for that matter) way of knowing. But do you really want to be the guy that missed out? [Update: Okay, it looks like all have been pulled now, except the Collector's Weapons and Armor.] [Thanks, Ryan Gan] %Gallery-70022%
'Tremendous' amount of interest in Mass Effect film, BioWare says
[Image credit: Danny McL] "Huh?" you say, confused by the very prospect of the Mass Effect trilogy getting the film treatment. Don't worry buddy, we're right there with you. The BioWare space RPG may be getting said treatmentt, though, according to Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hundson in a recent interview with MTV. "Obviously we have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about Mass Effect," Hudson said. Thankfully, Hudson followed up his statement with a conditional position for the possibility of a Mass Effect film. "The most important thing for us is, we don't just want to see a movie get made ... we want to see a great movie get made, if it's going to get done at all." We have but one humble request should a movie ever be made of the series: it goes fully 3D -- if only for text trees in the third dimension. %Gallery-70022%
Joystiq Podcast 124 - Origami bazooka edition
We've got a packed show this week with some details on our PAX East plans, some very non-embargo breaking impressions of Mass Effect 2, a Tip of the Week, and a brand new feature called "Spoiled Rotten," where we'll have a secret chat about a game exclusively for people that have solved that particular tape. First up? Dark Void. Thanks to the incredible Bill Mudron for the podcast art which, we're told, is comprised almost entirely of Omnigel. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Hosts: Christopher Grant (@chrisgrant), Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy) and Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group The Do It Line!: 1-(877)-JOYSTIQ See all of this week's links (and what games we played) after the jump.
Valkyria for $20 with MAG or ME2 purchase at Toys R Us, other games on clearance
Be honest -- regardless of which of the Great Console War's factions you side with, you're either going to purchase MAG or Mass Effect 2 at some point next week. While you're doing so, Toys R Us will be running a pretty sweet promotion: purchases one of those games and also grab Valkyria Chronicles on PS3 for just $20. Now, we realize the 360 diehards out there will have little use for this game. However, we suggest sending it to your favorite PS3-loving comment-sparring partner. Think of the hours of entertainment they've brought to your life! If tactical RPGs aren't your area of expertise, we also suggest checking out the rest of Toys R Us' site for a killer clearance sale on a number of games and accessories. You'll have to dig through a disheartening pile of Imagine titles to find the valuable chunks of ore -- don't let it break your spirits! It's worth it, we promise.
Video Interview: BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk on Mass Effect 2 & 3
"You may not even see the impact of a decision in Mass Effect 1 in Mass Effect 2, but in Mass Effect 3," BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk told us while elaborating about the whole Mass Effect franchise. The pedigreed co-founder of BioWare isn't simply set on promoting the upcoming Mass Effect 2, but a vision for the entire trilogy. "In planning out the overall trilogy, we know what general story beats we want to hit along the entire thing. So we know the key events we want to have in 3, and right now the team is starting to flesh that out, fill in the spaces. And of course, we're going to be waiting for the fan response to Mass Effect 2, to see what works and what didn't work, what we can strengthen." Fan reaction is a huge part of the BioWare design, but according to Zeschuk, the Mass Effect team still goes with what they want to do. "Fan reaction is usually a really important part of what we do. We listen to everything the fans say, everything the press says. And when we make a sequel, that's one of the guiding things. Overriding that though really is the team's choice. And I think that's interesting because obviously the fans have been very vocal about who they want to see and how they want to see them. We've made our choices, and they may or may not be happy with what we did. But at the end of the day, they're going to think the experience was incredible. And you have to remember there's a third part, as well. Hey maybe you didn't see who you wanted to see in number two, but maybe you'll see them in number three. We're going to keep fans guessing." %Gallery-70022%
Mass Effect 2 DLC not only available through Cerberus Network
The announcement of Mass Effect 2's in-game DLC pipeline, "Cerberus Network," left some details unclear. For example, will DLC through Cerberus be free, since the network itself costs money to install for those without a code from a new copy of the game ($15, to be exact, as reported by Bitmob)? And will DLC only be available through Cerberus? In a video interview with Joystiq (to be published later today), BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk cleared up some of the confusion around the DLC portal. "We'll definitely have for-pay DLC down the road too," he said, revealing that the DLC through Cerberus will be free. "It's not going to be all free DLC for Mass Effect 2 -- far from that. There'll be paid DLC packs, and there'll be stuff available through Cerberus as well." The way Zeschuk puts it, there will be two separate types of DLC: free material that is offered through the Cerberus Network and paid DLC that can be purchased without Cerberus (through BioWare or Xbox Live Marketplace).
