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Legendary Pictures hosting Mass Effect movie panel at Comic-Con
Looks like the reports were true: Legendary Pictures has announced the contents of its very first San Diego Comic-Con panel, a list of films that notably includes the silver screen adaptation of BioWare's interstellar RPG, Mass Effect. According to the event's description, the panel will feature "Game creator, Casey Hudson and screenwriter adapting the game to film, Mark Protosevich," writer of I Am Legend and, more recently, Thor. We have so many questions we'd like to see answered at this panel. For instance, will they hire an actor who resembles our very own, Elephant Man-esque version of the game's protagonist, Accident Shepard? More importantly, is the film going to be, like, really terrible? Is Shepard going to have his very own wisecrackin' Hanar sidekick? Let us know, so we can start getting in a place where that kind of disappointment won't outright kill us.
You'll never geth how this Mass Effect action figure was made
Go on, take a guess at the starting point for this custom made figure. If we tell you that the link came from Halo.Bungie.Org, does that help? If you guessed a Covenant Elite, you're right! The core body of this Mass Effect inspired geth consists of two different Convenant Elite figures from McFarlane's Halo line. If you then went on to guess that the modder also used shot gun parts from a Gears of War accessory, that the pulse rifle was made from spare Halo parts, and that the hoses on his back came from a Mr. Freeze action figure, well then we'd say you know a little too much about your various action figures there, Kreskin.
BioWare 'figuring out the right way' to continue Mass Effect after ME3
Speaking with business giant Forbes, BioWare founders/doctors Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka spoke on the possibility of life after Mass Effect 3, saying that ME3's universe of diverse alien races and planets has struck a chord with the series' audience. While their priorities and resources are currently focused on "nailing it" with ME3, the doctors maintain that possibilities in the future are wide open. "We do have a desire to continue the Mass Effect franchise," said Muzyka, "and we're working on the details, figuring out what the fans want, figuring out the right way." Given the amount of codex text the series has generated over the years, we don't doubt that there are still stories left to tell in the ME universe.
Mass Effect 3 preview: Run and gun
Since the beginning of the Mass Effect series, BioWare has had to walk the line between the role-playing genre the company is known for, and the series' setting-driven third-person shooter combat. The first game in the series was arguably a role-playing game with shooter elements, and the second game, to both cheers and jeers from fans, definitely bent a little further towards the shooter side of things. And with the third title, a BioWare representative told Joystiq at E3 this week, Bioware wants to "bring both of those elements up at the same time" -- increase the depth of the customization and the role-playing game, and make the combat sequences more smooth and exciting than ever. We got to play through one short segment of the game, and while we didn't see a lot of the RPG elements in that part, it's safe to say that the combat is coming together to be some of the best the series has ever seen. %Gallery-125509%
Kinect support explodes, EA Sports, Mass Effect 3, and more hop on board
Kinect is almost as popular for its hacks as it is for actually playing games, but Microsoft and its third party developers are making a hard push for motion and voice-controlled games on the Xbox 360. Popular EA Sports franchises Madden NFL, FIFA World Cup, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour will all join the motion-gaming parade. No longer will you have to punch obscure sequences of buttons to pick plays, you'll actually be able to call out running patterns to your offensive line. Plenty of others are also getting in on the shouting and arm-flailing action, including Mass Effect 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Fable: The Journey, and Ghost Recon -- in fact, we were told, "all future titles in the Tom Clancy franchise will leverage Kinect." Crytek also offered a sneak peak at Ryse, a Roman-era brawler that will have you headbutting the air to take out baddies. Looks like you'll have to start stretching before firing up your console from now on. The following games will also be coming to Xbox 360 with Kinect Support: Minecraft Disneyland Adventures Kinect Star Wars Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster Kinect Fun Labs Kinect Sports: Season 2 Dance Central 2 Update: We've got a slew of demo videos of Kinect Fun Labs after the break -- it's Kinect hacks for the masses! %Gallery-125414% %Gallery-125428%
Mass Effect 2 motion comic now on XBLM
We're not usually excited to be writing about motion comics when there are actual, you know, games out there, but Mass Effect 2: Genesis is a little more interesting than the usual offering. In this BioWare/Dark Horse collabo, you can relive some of the key decisions from Mass Effect (assuming you haven't played it) and then apply those choices to Mass Effect 2. Keep in mind that this $4 (320 MSP) download, which served to introduce PS3 players to the universe of Mass Effect, functions as a game add-on. That means you'll need Mass Effect 2 -- but we assume you've already taken care of that part. [Thanks, Lafu]
Mass Effect 3 will have gay romance option for male Shepard
Mass Effect Executive Producer Casey Hudson has confirmed that the final installment of the trilogy will finally allow a male Shepard to know the touch of another man. Hudson tweeted over the weekend that Mass Effect 3 will support "wider options for love interests," including same-sex for male and female characters "reactive to how you interact with them in-game." Previous installments of the stellar, interstellar saga allowed Shepard to participate in male/female, lesbian and Asari tentacle-head encounters. The omission of a gay pairing for Shepard became even harder to reconcile when BioWare's Dragon Age series allowed players the freedom to define the sexual orientation of their protagonists. In interviews, BioWare heads Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have been responsive to the subject. "The team has its perspective," Muzyka told us during February's DICE meeting. "When they created the character, when they defined him. We're pretty open to how the team wants to define their characters. We go with what they like." It seems the team is ready to try something different.
Analyst predicts a Mass Effect MMO could top The Old Republic
Still having geek dreams about a Mass Effect MMO? Your flights of fancy have another advocate today, as an analyst thinks it could be not only feasible but extremely profitable to boot. In a recent investor's note, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey predicted that a hypothetical Mass Effect MMO could make more money for Electronic Arts than Star Wars: The Old Republic will. Hickey made this claim based on the strength of BioWare's science-fiction series and the historical weakness of Star Wars games: "Looking forward, we believe BioWare could develop an MMO based on their highly successful Mass Effect franchise, which should have a considerably better (relative Star Wars MMO) margin profile, given the dilutive nature of the LucasArts royalty." So far, BioWare's been fairly coy on the subject of a possible Mass Effect online game, although it hasn't ruled out the possibility.
Mass Effect for $5, Mass Effect 2 for $10 today on Steam [update]
In its continuing effort to make us re-purchase all of EA's current-gen titles, Steam has cut the price of the whole Mass Effect franchise today as part of its EA Week promotion. For a limited time, the digital retailer's offering Mass Effect for $5.00, and its GOTY-winning sequel for $10.
Silicon Knights' Dyack on Too Human: 'we do plan on finishing the trilogy'
During the Game Developers Conference nearly two months ago, Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack met with me in a hotel overlooking that week's event at the Moscone Center. He wasn't there to show off his studio's next game -- X-Men: Destiny -- to press, but for unspecified "meetings" with unnamed folks. Spooky. And while we touched on the subject of XM:D during the half hour, the first questions I had for Dyack were about his studio's last major release, Too Human. Primary among them: Is the Too Human trilogy dead? "No, not at all," Dyack told me. "It is still on the table and we do plan on finishing the trilogy." When it came to other questions about Too Human, however, Dyack was far more verbose. With the intention of setting the record straight, as it were, Dyack outright denies that Too Human was in development for 10 years. "It is true that an earlier version of the general 'Too Human' concept was first shown on the PlayStation in 1998, but that was a completely different game than what was released on the Xbox 360," he said. "Among other things, the original concept was a single-player, third-person action/adventure game based on a detective called John Franks trying to discover who had killed his partner." It's a far cry from the Norse mythology-based dungeon crawler we played in 2008.
The MMO Report: ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL edition
Why is G4's Casey Schreiner hiding behind his notes in this week's MMO Report? Maybe it's that his insurance won't cover the liability of his stunning smile -- or that he simply forgot his contacts. Casey jumps on top of two of the most sensationalistic stories from the past week. The first is the saga of the World of Warcraft player who made it to max level without killing anything or completing any quests. Casey salutes her by saying, "If there was a Nobel Peace Prize for pointless dedication toward arbitrary obsessive-compulsive goals, you'd be a shoo-in. Grats." He's also intrigued about the possibility -- not probability -- of a Mass Effect MMO. "But you guys haven't still put out your first over-hyped MMO based an incredibly popular intellectual property. One disappointment at a time, gentlemen." The MMO Report also covers The Secret World's seven-year plan, The Old Republic's advanced class preview, Global Agenda's F2P move, and another dip into Uncle Casey's mailbag. You can watch Casey's mind unravel during six captivating minutes after the jump!
Mass Effect the MMO?
Could Mass Effect be an MMO? In a recent interview with Game Informer, Executive Producer Casey Hudson of BioWare says that the intellectual property makes sense for an MMO. We know that many Massively readers would absolutely pick up a multiplayer version of the series. Do the producers of the game think it is possible to transport the Mass Effect universe to the MMO space? Hudson told Game Informer, "We've been trying to think of a way that makes sense for people to experience Mass Effect with their friends. We haven't yet come up with a way to do that, so we don't have anything to announce at this time. But, obviously, multiplayer is something we want to do more of in the future as a company." We have to assume that Commander Shepard saves the galaxy once and for all at the end of Mass Effect 3, which comes out later this year. Is that world going to be interesting enough to continue? Hudson thinks so: "I think Mass Effect has that quality to it. If you get rid of the Reapers and win that, wouldn't it be amazing to just live on the Citadel or just take a ship to Omega? That makes sense." Whatever the case, we will have to wait for Mass Effect 3 to come out before any sort of official announcement, but that doesn't mean we can't hold out hope.
Mass Effect anime jumps home in 2012
The Mass Effect universe will expand with a direct-to-video anime film in the summer of 2012. The film will be co-produced by Japanese animation house T.O. Entertainment, and FUNimation Entertainment -- the same company that hooked up with EA for the Dragon Age anime (due sometime this year). BioWare's sci-fi series joins Halo and Dante's Inferno in the very specific category of western-developed games that provide the basis for anime adaptations. This movie represents another drop in the Mass Effect transmedia bucket, which currently contains several novels, comics and plans for a Hollywood venture. There's no word yet on the plot -- or how, exactly, Shepard will be drawn this time.
Fourth Mass Effect novel, 'Deception,' coming this fall
When you need a game-related sci-fi novel -- like, stat! -- you call William C. Dietz. The man's something of a legend, churning out at least a book a year since the mid-80s, and in recent years adapting the likes of Halo, Hitman, Resistance and StarCraft into those neat little paper-filled rectangles you see piled into shelves at your folks' place or stacked by the toilet. This is why William C. Dietz was hired to get a fourth Mass Effect novel in to publisher Del Rey early this year, so it could be released ahead of Mass Effect 3. (That, and Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer of the first game and author of the existing three companion novels, has made a galactic shift to The Old Republic.) Right on schedule, Del Rey today announced the title of this latest work of fiction, Mass Effect: Deception. Due out this fall, Deception will continue the story of Gillian Grayson, who was introduced in the second book, Ascension -- in case you've been reading along. We're not sure if William C. Dietz has or not, but then he's pretty adept at making stuff up.
Impulse marks Mass Effect down to five bucks today
You know, we're starting to think Impulse is the most aptly named digital distribution platform of all time. For instance, we already own Mass Effect on 360 -- but since Impulse's store has the PC version for five dollars today, we might just spontaneously, recklessly purchase a second copy.
Today's Steam Holiday Sale discounts Mass Effects, Dead Rising 2 and more
It's another day and you know what that means: more ludicrous Steam deals. Today's highlights include 50% off both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, along with reduced prices on Blur, Alpha Protocol, Dead Rising 2 and many more. Hit the jump for the full list.
Rumor: Mass Effect 3 to be revealed at the VGAs, will include multiplayer [update]
Joystiq has learned from a trusted source that BioWare's enigmatic teaser from last month represents the first glimpse of Mass Effect 3. As many have guessed, the third installment looks to feature something brand new to the series: multiplayer. We're currently unable to confirm that the multiplayer component will be part of the game's unveiling at the upcoming Spike Video Game Awards. The Spike VGAs will air this Saturday night, preceded by a good deal of internet speculation brought on by the above teaser image. As spotted by one of our commenters, Arth Vader, the gun above looks exactly like the M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle from Mass Effect 2. BioWare has also blasted out curious QR codes via its Twitter feed, all of which indirectly reference things from the Mass Effect universe, including the Vostok system and the surface temperature of the planet Aequitas. So, who's ready for more Mass Effect? Do we even need to ask? Update: While the game was indeed revealed during the VGAs, Game Informer's feature article on Mass Effect 3 has seemingly ruled out multiplayer (though it may appear in a different game tied to the franchise).
Gaikai enters closed beta, we get an exclusive first look
This is Mass Effect 2, running on a netbook -- a stock Eee PC -- with a single core Atom CPU that wouldn't dare to dream of actually processing the game. It works because the sci-fi opera's not taxing that silicon at all, but rather a beefy server miles away, streaming processed and compressed video frames direct to the 10.1-inch screen. It's called Gaikai, and if you're thinking it sounds just like OnLive by a different name, you'd be half-right. However, this streaming game service has a radically different business model which doesn't cost players a dime. Rather than provide a library of titles and charge you for on-demand, Gaikai will power game advertisements that let you actually play their games. If that sounds like an idea you'd like to hear more about, then we've got a treat for you. We spoke with founder David Perry about what the service can do, got an exclusive hands-on with the closed beta, and an extensive video walkthrough to boot. After the break, find the whole scoop. %Gallery-108541%
Rumor: Interactive Mass Effect comic will fill in players of PS3 Mass Effect 2
The "seamless introduction" that will ease PS3 owners into the rich backstory of Mass Effect 2, first hinted at when the game was announced this past August, may have been uncovered recently in the BioWare Social Network forums. A moderator recently posted a quote from BioWare's Casey Hudson from the latest issue of German gaming mag Play3, in which he reveals the PS3 version of the game will have an interactive comic from Dark Horse, that lets players make the big decisions from the first game while quickly seeing how those decisions play out. The forum post also claims that Hudson confirmed the PS3 version of the game will come with the game's three main expansions, "Kasumi's Stolen Memory," "Overlord" and "Lair of the Shadow Broker," and will include a voucher to download all the content currently available on the Cerberus network. Finally, the post quotes Hudson as saying the game will include an exclusive mission which clocks in at around six hours in length. Sounds like a pretty tall order for the game's PS3 port. We've contacted BioWare to see if they'll comment on the post's legitimacy.
BioWare Docs talk Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Old Republic plans
BioWare co-founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka have their fingers in a lot of pies (which are made of giant RPGs) -- in a recent interview with Eurogamer, the duo explained how the developer's attention is split across its catalog of franchises. On the subject of Dragon Age 2, the Doctors explained that they're focusing on expanding the universe they've created, rather than telling a chronological story. "It's probably fair to say it's less precise than the Mass Effect trilogy concept," Zeschuk explained. Speaking of BioWare's spacefaring RPG, Muzyka explained, "We're still working on stuff in the Mass Effect universe actively," with Zeschuk adding, "We have a pretty long DLC plan for Mass. We're still doing lots of stuff there." The Doctors also addressed their tremendously costly MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, with Muzyka saying "It's a big bet, but it's the right kind of bet to make for EA," and Zeschuk adding "Hey, entertainment's risky by nature." That's certainly true -- just ask The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Check out the full interview for more of the Doctors' insights on BioWare's upcoming projects.
