mass-effect-2

Mass Effect 2 dev profiles Sentinel class, the ‘Jack of All Trades’

December 14th, 2009 at 06:30pm Under Xbox 360

After Mass Effect 2 lead gameplay designer Christina Norman walked us through the Engineer class and it’s sanguinary droid last week, we were wondering how BioWare could possibly appeal to our inner tactician any more. It appears that the developer sought to do just that with this week’s introduction to the Sentinel.

Skilled in both biotic skills (thats space magic, folks) and tech abilities, Norman says the Sentinel is “the only class that can blast through any enemy’s defenses … with or without your squad backing you up.” With only a handful of weeks left before the game’s January 26 release date, it won’t be long before we get to find out exactly how adept the Sentinel is for ourselves.

JoystiqMass Effect 2 dev profiles Sentinel class, the ‘Jack of All Trades’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer teases ‘full-length’ version for Dec. 22 XBL debut

December 12th, 2009 at 11:58pm Under Xbox 360

Snagged from IGN’s “Ultimate Holiday Videogame Guide” comes this Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer … well, teaser trailer may be more accurate. While the above video shares nearly a minute and a half of delicious cinematic video (read: this isn’t in-game, folks) the end promises the “full-length trailer” will premier on Xbox Live on December 22, just a few days before ecksmas.

So you can take “Mass Effect 2 cinematic trailer” off your wishlist and bump up “Mass Effect 3 cinematic trailer.”

[Via JoystiqMass Effect 2 cinematic trailer teases ‘full-length’ version for Dec. 22 XBL debut originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tricia Helfer, Martin Sheen talk up their voice roles in Mass Effect 2

December 11th, 2009 at 11:30pm Under Xbox 360

Okay, you’ve probably heard by now that Mass Effect 2 has a lot of big-name voice talent. But have you SEEN them? This video trailer for BioWare’s upcoming space opera features the all-star cast talking about their roles, and what it is about sci-fi (and not SyFy) that gets them so excited.

JoystiqTricia Helfer, Martin Sheen talk up their voice roles in Mass Effect 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 cast bolstered by Battlestar, Star Trek actors

December 10th, 2009 at 02:30pm Under Xbox 360

Mass Effect 2 is bound to have some recognizable actors, what with 90 actors voicing 546 characters with 31,000 lines of dialogue. EA revealed today that the cast includes … oh, by Grabthar’s hammer, here’s the list:

  • Martin Sheen (Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez’s dad) — Illusive Man commanding Cerberus
  • Shohreh Adhdashloo (sexy voice lady from FlashForward) — Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay
  • Seth Green (hand in your geek card if you don’t know) — Joker
  • Yvonne Strahovski (wiener lady, lust of Chuck) — Miranda Lawson
  • Adam Baldwin (a man named Jayne… or the man they call Jayne) — Kal ‘Reegar
  • David Keith Keith David (Halo’s Arbiter) — Admiral David Anderson
  • Michael Dorn (Star Trek TNG’s Worf) — Gatatog Uvenk
  • Tricia Helfer (2020 Oscar winner after people stop treating her like meat) — EDI, voice of the “new Normandy”
  • Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh) — Captain Bailey
  • Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from The Matrix, singular, no sequels exist — especially not Revolutions) — Aria T’Loak

We also can’t forget Jennifer Hale, who is reprising her role as the real Commander Shepard, nor Mark Meer, the male Shepard and known expert at cutting the council off at weird times.

JoystiqMass Effect 2 cast bolstered by Battlestar, Star Trek actors originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Mass Effect 2 trailer showcases the Engineer class and its killer robot

December 7th, 2009 at 02:20pm Under PC+ Xbox 360

BioWare has just released a new trailer for Mass Effect 2, featuring the exploits of strategic tactician “Commander Shepard the Engineer” and his murderous robot. Much like the first game, engineer class players will rely more heavily on strategery and tech management than direct confrontation.

Lead gameplay designer Christina Norman guides us through some combat-heavy gameplay, which depicts the aforementioned android aggressor along with some cool abilities, like freezing enemies on the spot and hacking mechanized enemies. Oh, Mass Effect 2, you had us at killer ‘bot.

JoystiqNew Mass Effect 2 trailer showcases the Engineer class and its killer robot originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 ditching elevators for … load screens

December 6th, 2009 at 10:00pm Under PC+ Xbox 360

Expanding upon statements from BioWare’s Casey Hudson earlier this year, associate programmer Thomas Roy took to the developer’s forums (requires login) recently to explain how Mass Effect 2 would be handling the promised lack of elevators (used in place of loading screens). As it turns out, rather than executing on BioWares’s promise of “a completely new system” that’s “part of the game experience,” the studio will be implementing “loading screens and movies.”

Though the game will still ask players to walk into an elevator, it will apparently cue up a loading screen that offers “interesting visuals and information.” We’d like to point out that before Mr. Roy explains any of this, he says that the first game used elevators “so we [BioWare] didn’t have to show boring loading screens” and they only made it into the second due to “a lot of complaints.”

We’re so broken up here — on one hand, the developer is caving to the demands of the fans and critics. Score! On the other hand, Mr. Roy is telling us that loading screens are totally boring. If we demanded it, does that mean we’re boring? Great, now we’ve got a total complex.

[Via Kotaku]

JoystiqMass Effect 2 ditching elevators for … load screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 goes for challenge and sophistication, not pampering

December 4th, 2009 at 06:30pm Under Xbox 360

Mass Effect 2 producer Adrien Cho thinks developers are pampering players, making games much easier now than in previous generations. “It goes back to that learning mechanism of “Well, I tried this – it didn’t work. I’m going to try something different.” And I think that’s going to be something in Mass Effect 2, we don’t want it to be a cakewalk, you want a challenge,” he told Video Games Daily.

Using the brutally difficult From Software title Demon’s Souls as an example, Cho says hardcore players today want to earn progress in games. “I think gamers want a more sophisticated game, they don’t want a breezy game where you see all the cinematics and just put in your hours and play it through.” According to Cho, Mass Effect 2 aims to give players a healthy dose of challenge and sophistication when it launches early next year. We’re all for hard work and challenge, but our idea of sophistication doesn’t include the ancient mechanic of trial and error.

JoystiqMass Effect 2 goes for challenge and sophistication, not pampering originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 to span two discs

December 4th, 2009 at 01:10am Under Xbox 360

How awesome is Mass Effect 2? Well, if BioWare Community Coordinator Chris Priestly is to be believed, it is about twice as awesome. “You cannot fit this much awesome on one disc,” Priestly stated on the BioWare forums, after revealing the game content will span two discs.

The necessity of two discs may mean a staggering amount of content for the RPG sequel — the original was certainly no slouch in content. While some may lament the necessity of having to get up at least once during Mass Effect 2, Priestly promises that the disc swap happens at a dramatically appropriate point in the story. “Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once. You do not swap back and forth. 1 swap and then done.”

We’re going to fathom a guess as to when the swap will occur: immediately after the “suicide mission” revealed in the game’s initial teaser.

[Thanks, Darth B.; Via Kotaku]

JoystiqMass Effect 2 to span two discs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 2 sidequests to benefit from ‘handcrafted gameplay’

December 2nd, 2009 at 05:00pm Under Xbox 360

For such a dark adventure, BioWare’s first Mass Effect provided a surprisingly optimistic viewpoint on universal unity. Sure, an occasional crinkled forehead or an extra filongidler might visually separate the denizens of the galaxy, but it’s nice to know that in all the unrestrained hugeness of space, we all still come from completely identical, prefabricated installations. Well, we did until Mass Effect 2 decided to terraform its sidequest planets with some variety.

“Now when you find mission[s] out there in the uncharted worlds, there are always missions where something special happens, and you get really good handcrafted gameplay and art that you can’t see elsewhere in the game,” project director Casey Hudson told VideoGamer.com. “I think people will find them to be really rewarding, really rich, because there’s something different around every corner.”

Even the process of discovering planets has been made more interesting, Hudson explained, with space-faring explorers sending out probes and expending fuel to make new discoveries. It’s nice to know the shooter RPG still allows you to go boldly — and not just go badass.

JoystiqMass Effect 2 sidequests to benefit from ‘handcrafted gameplay’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2’s biotic bombshell

December 1st, 2009 at 01:00pm Under Xbox 360

With Dragon Age: Origins out the door and making friends, BioWare has switched the Mass Effect 2 hype machine into full gear, inviting us to play the game and provide a peek at some of the new squad mates who’ll be joining Commander Shepard on his/her most dangerous mission yet. The latest cast member to make a debut, Samara, should have absolutely no problem taking care of herself — as well as anything (or anyone) that gets in her way.

Samara is an elite Asari warrior who controls some incredibly potent biotic powers. Forget simply tossing enemies around — she manipulates dark energy in order to levitate herself, as evidenced in the above video. The footage also confirms that there are still five potential party members yet to be introduced before the game ships for PC and Xbox 360 on January 26 (not March 23 as originally noted by Randy, who’s clearly met his recommended daily allowance of paste.)

JoystiqBioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2’s biotic bombshell originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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