Mark your calendars, Mass Effect fans, as the second game in BioWare’s award-winning sci-fi role-playing game trilogy has just received a release date: January 26, 2010. With intriguing new characters, an improved combat engine, an engaging storyline, and the potential for more virtual orgasmic rape, Mass Effect 2 is going to kick off the New Year with a bang. In support of the launch, BioWare will be offering unique Mass Effect 2 pre-order bonuses at key retailers throughout Canada. Unfortunately, the pre-order bonuses are all digital in nature. There goes my dreams of a cloth map of the universe!
“Our fans are in for a genuine thrill in the New Year with Mass Effect 2 – the second installment in the trilogy will be of amazingly high quality,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of Electronic Arts. “BioWare’s fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we couldn’t be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome bonus content!”
Players that pre-order their game through EBGames will receive a download code for a set of Terminus Gear, which includes the powerful Terminus Assault Armor and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon.
The Terminus Armor is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo.
The M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2.
Players that pre-order a copy of the game at other retail outlets will receive a suit of Inferno Armour, which is apparently used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and it regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for a greater response time. In-game, that translates into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard, as well as an increase in running speed and augmented damage from combat powers.
I have never been keen on the idea of different pre-order bonuses being made available to different retailers, because gamers shouldn’t be made to choose where they will spend their hard-earned gaming dollar, but knowing Electronic Arts, each of the pre-order bonus items will be made available for purchase as downloadable content, regardless.
Richard Mitchell is a video game addict living in Toronto. He has been gaming for more than two decades, and despite multiple interventions, continues to game today. He has an Xbox 360, a PS3, a Wii, a Nintendo DS, a gaming PC, and a life, and does his best to juggle them all.
yeah, this pre-order bonus diversification thing is getting out of control. I mean, it makes sense for the publishers, but c’mon.