Looks like Karl B. (and the rest of you who also haven't finished Mass Effect yet) might want to hurry it up! Details for Mass Effect 2 are scant. Even the teaser video shown last night was rather... vague in itself, Shepard-wise. But, here's one thing we could confirm about the sequel though: gamesaves from the first game may be transferred to the sequel!

Chris Priestly, BioWare Community Coordinator for Mass Effect, has announced over the game's official forums that Canada will also be getting the Mass Effect Limited Collector's Edition has been made available to gamers in the country. So far, the LCE has only been spotted as available for pre-order through two online retail stores, BestBuy.ca and Futureshop.ca. Check out the full article for more details.

BioWare Community Coordinator for Mass Effect Chris Priestly posted an explanation over at the game's official forums regarding the earlier reported Limited Collector's Edition disc as well as the pre-order bonus disc for the game.

The deal has caused some confusion among gamers while others paid dearly for it by being suspended. According to Priestly, he just got word from their publisher about the availability of both items depending per region. He provided these details:

• U.S.A.
• LCE available through select online retailers
• LCE not available in stores
• Bonus disc available online or in stores (selected merchants, check your local stores) for pre-orders
• Europe
• LCE available in store (check with local retailers)
• Bonus disc not available
• Canada, Australia, Latin America
• LCE not available through online retailers
• LCE not available in stores
• Bonus Disc not available

The community coordinator added that the whole BioWare team for Mass Effect is working very hard right now and seeing what they can do to improve the situation.

 

In a recent interview with BioWare's Chris Priestly he explains that because of how story progression Mass Effect depends so much on the actions and decisions of the player (not to mention the massive scale of the game itself) players can clock in anywhere from 20 to 60 hours of play depending on their individual style.

Just to give an idea about how big the universe of Mass Effect is, Priestly says that there's some 20 to 30 "full-sized, plot driven planets where you're going to have to explore around." When he says "full-sized" he means about the same size as Kashyyyk (home planet of Chewbacca's race):

Some are larger - which is why we give you a vehicle this time to get around, because if we made you walk around, it would be a whole lot of walking. Even with the vehicle, [...] on some planets it would take five minutes just to get to get to where you're going [...] if you didn't bother stopping to do any of the plots along the way.

He further states that only about 5% of the game has been shown publicly: "Knowing the video so far that have been released, and the screens, there's just so, so much that hasn't been seen before. There are a lot of surprises still there." However, as grand as Mass Effect is, Priestly also explains that this will not detract from the next two installments in the trilogy:

If you enjoyed the game but never wanted to play another Mass Effect game again, you would've been totally satisfied with the experience. You're not going to be left hanging at the end. [...] It's a self-contained story by itself, but there are definitely ways - and people will say 'oh! I see how they can do a second one!' That sort of thing.

Mass Effect, rated M-17, has already gone gold and will be hitting stores on November 20.

Almost everyone waiting for BioWare's latest RPG, Mass Effect, was disappointed after seeing the mediocre quality of the screenshots that the developers showed recently. Doubts have been raised as to how the new game will live up to its hype and if Bioware can get its act together before the release date.

Chris Priestly, community coordinator for Bioware, admitted that the shots weren't "that great" and explained that those shots were taken in short notice to be sent to publications. There was apparently some mistake with how the guy who took the screenshots went about his work. Priestly said that the person who made the mistake wasn't able to have the pictures approved by supervisors.

Sounds like an excuse you'd tell your mom? We can never tell, but the good thing is that Priestly whipped out some new Mass Effect screens and they redeemed Bioware. The new ones were much better and fans received them well.

   

Bioware is the development firm behind the popular Neverwinter Nights series and has been known for its RPGs that have deep gameplay, engrossing storylines and stunning visuals.