This rumor is like one of those things that you heard from a friend who heard it from their friend who heard if from their cousin, but it’s too juicy not to share. According to a Gamespot article, Mass Effect 2 is going to feature a five-man squad, along with five player co-op. Read more…

Marvel producer guy Avi Arad, the dude behind such fine adaptations as the Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-men movies, has recently snatched up the rights to Bioware’s awesome story-driven RPG Mass Effect. Read more…

The Internet age has lifted humanity up to a fast-paced, easily accessible society. When it comes to console videogames, online gaming has become an essential part of the overall experience.

Ten years ago when a gamer would complete a twelve-hour single player game, the experience was all but over, and the only way to enjoy the game further was to play it all over again, running through the same occurrences with little to no fresh experiences. Flash forward ten years later, and gamers can now rejoice as their short-lived single player experience may now be expanded through the infinite realms of online gaming and downloadable content. Read more…

BioWare, a company that was once a bastion of the PC-iest of PC-centric game design, is forsaking their roots once more as word comes down that they are considering bringing several of their key franchises to the DS, including Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and Dragon Age.

Miles Holmes, the lead designer on the upcoming Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, remarked to Eurogamer that Bioware’s take on Sonic was only the beginning of the company’s move to position themselves in the handheld space, and that the company is looking to produce more handheld titles to support its franchises’ console entries.

“We have a lot of big plans for Mass Effect,” Holmes said. “Having a DS version would be an awesome way to keep interest alive and keep it going in addition to the next one.”

I can see Mass Effect’s gunplay working well on the touch screen, but otherwise the thought is just kinda weird.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

Conservative Michael Medved, best known for his movie reviews and appearances on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, launched a scathing attack on Grand Theft Auto IV on Townhall.com.

“The fact that so many middle income homes managed to find the money to buy the game (having already purchased the expensive hardware to drive it) indicates that the middle class is in no imminent danger of disappearance,” Medved wrote. “But the decision by so many consumers of every age and income group to invest countless hours of time in the dark world of Grand Theft Auto IV nonetheless demonstrates a threat to American values.”

Medved continues to relate the game to the decline of western civilization on GTA IV specifically, if not in general.

Townhall.com is the same conservative site that hosted Kevin McCullough’s similarly misinformed and poorly executed opinion on Mass Effect which garnered the attention of FOX News.

Let the rolling of the eyes begin.

Medved comes a tad late to the GTA IV auto de fe as the title has already been lambasted by the usual suspects. However, Medved’s insinuations border on the hallucinatory as he accuses GTA of America’s moral decline. In that vein GTA is also responsible for the African AIDS pandemic, global warming and the shrinking of the polar ice-caps, and political repression in China.

I can’t help but wonder where is vaunted conservatism was when he was staring at my girlfriend’s chest at the Seattle preview of Spider Man in 2002.

Source: Townhall.com

After supposedly stating in an interview that the Mass Effect trilogy would be exclusive to the Xbox 360, BioWare reps claim that CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka, in fact, never uttered those words. Read more…

After confirming that the Mass Effect trilogy would not be coming to the Playstation 3, BioWare CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka commented that “the most important thing is quality, so we’re never going to compromise that.” Does that mean that developing for PS3 would compromise quality? Read more…

As you may or may not know, the PC port of Mass Effect has been delayed. It kinda sucks, but at least we have the consolation of further optimization for the PC (if yours can run it, that is). And if that wasn’t enough, we’re being told that those of you that have been holding off until the PC version are going to be rewarded with the awesome Bring Down The Sky DLC pack that was originally announced for the Xbox 360. Read more…

An Electronic Arts analyst report has revealed that developer BioWare is working on a new sequel to the massively successful franchise Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Read more…

Available at Target!

Gaming website Playfuls.com reported earlier today that in light of Fox’s recent Mass Effect debacle, US retailer Target is pulling the game off of shelves. They didn’t cite any sources, so I decided to make a few phone calls to see what I could dig up. Read more…

Now that we’re done with the whole FOX “report” debacle, we can focus on the game itself, not the full frontal digital nudity — and what better way to do so than some damn nice DLC? Read more…

Brian from Kotaku and Jack Thompson seem to exchange e-mails fairly frequently, and what came from this exchange may very well shake the ground that we walk on. Jack “I’ll Sue Anything That Walks” Thompson has stepped up to defend Mass Effect, also known as “Luke Skywalker meets Debbie Does Dallas”. Read more…

Head Computer, dial up the internet. I have an idea.

If there is one lesson the internet has taught us, it is that you should under no circumstance mess with geeks. It’s a lesson Cooper Lawrence is learning the hard way. Read more…

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times is handing out yearly awards to various games and while most of the choices are no-brainers, there is one that kind of grinds my gears. Read more…

The notoriously critical UK Magazine has revealed its December edition scores. Another 10 is given, but not to a PS3 or Xbox360 game. Interesting scores this month, with Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect getting the same score. Find out after the jump. Read more…

Let’s start with what is incredible about Mass Effect. As a child of the 80’s, I was reared on The Black Hole, Blade Runner, The Last Starfighter, and Enemy Mine — a mix of cult classics and lovable garbage that tried to capture the public’s imagination between Star Wars episodes 4-6. Read more…

While I was under the impression that everyone liked hot lesbian sex, apparently I was wrong. Singapore’s Media Development Authority (sounds so official) has decided to ban Mass Effect due to the game’s inclusion of hot alien girl on human girl action, or “lesbian intimacy” as they so eloquently referred to it.

This is not the first time that an alien has shared an intimate moment with a human being. I clearly recall ET gazing into Elliot’s eyes as he made contact with the young boy’s fleshy limb. Seems like a double standard to me.

Update: 110:14PM EST 11/16
It appears that the intergalactic lesbian love is back on again. Singapore’s Media Development Authority has had a change of heart regarding Mass Effect, and will now be allowing the sale of the game with a Mature 18 rating.

For every one that breaks free, two more get sucked in. As Microsoft’s cleaning crews entered the empty offices once held by the employees of Bungie Studios, another industry giant, Electronic Arts, was finalizing a deal to purchase VG Holding Corp, owners of both Bioware Corp (Mass Effect) and Pandemic Studios (Mercenaries 2: World in Flames & Saboteur).

“These are two of the most respected studios in the industry and I’m glad to be working with them again. They’ll make a strong contribution to our strategic growth initiatives on quality, online gaming and developing new intellectual properties,” said John Riccitiello, EA’s Chief Executive Officer. “We also expect this will drive long-term value for our shareholders.”

Price tag for all this? In the ballpark of $785 million — $620 million in cash to the companies stockholders, and an additional $155 million in equity to “certain employees” of the VG Holding Corp. We are going to go out on a limb and say that the janitor and kitchen crew won’t be seeing any of that dough. Have at the press release after the jump. Read more…