DENVER, 10:15 AM, FRI MAY 16 | 62 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@kotaku.com | SUBMIT A TIP | RSS
AU
Posts Tagged “

Mass Effect

”
bioware speaks up

Muzyka: Mass Effect Sex Scene Validates Games As Art

BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka sounded off to CVG recently about the "SeXbox" controversy centered on Mass Effect, calling it an "interesting experience," and sticking by video games as an art form:

It's very tasteful, but it is an emotionally intense scene, and there's a number of similarly emotional scenes in the game, not just romances but across the board - different relationships between characters.

I see videogames as an art form, and they're an emergent art form. They're a commercial art form, but they're still art regardless. And the good thing I think is the fact that people are talking about that kind of scene; it had an impact on them.

More »

3:30 PM on Mon May 12 2008
By Leigh Alexander
5,941 views, 97 comments

Latest by jemakai: @jettokisora: It seems you are one of the types that feel art can be anything that is appealing. Am I right?That doesn't seem practical anywhere other then academia. I think people in general want art to be encouraged, but for more »

bioware backs down

BioWare Backs Down From Draconian Mass Effect Authentication

When Mass Effect comes to the computer it will not use SecuROM's 10-day periodic re-authentication and instead will instead use a modification to do only a one-time online authentication, Bioware announced today.

The developer said the decision came after listening "very closely" to its fans and that the new system will also allow gamers to play the game without the DVD in the drive.

The system will allow gamers to authenticate their game on just three computers, but EA does have the ability to give additional authorizations if they are warranted.

Hit up the jump for the official FAQ and to let us know what you think about this change of heart.

More »

1:01 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Brian Crecente
38,959 views, 173 comments

pc

Mass Effect Copy Protection An Opportunity To Use The Adjective 'Draconian'

EA and BioWare are employing SecuROM for the PC release of Mass Effect, a copy protection scheme you may recall from its universally loathed inclusion in 2K's BioShock. The Mass Effect SecuROM annoyance factor may be much more extreme, as the game requires that the owner authenticate the copy every ten days, meaning that an internet connection is required to play the game from the get-go and until eternity. In other words, if you paid for your copy of Mass Effect, expect to remind EA's authentication servers every week and a half that you aren't stealing it.

The official Mass Effect FAQ explains it all.

More »

5:40 PM on Tue May 6 2008
By Michael McWhertor
15,218 views, 261 comments

Latest by JaLooNz: I already hate CD-based protections, so anything worse it totally out for me. Even with CD-based protections (and a original game), I am using cracks just to run it without the CD (again, HDD space is cheap for either a more »

preorder incentives

Preorder Mass Effect PC, Get Dead Space Stuff

While the practice of offering preorder incentives for video games is ages old bow, generally you want to give things out that pertain to the game the customer is buying. Leave it to those innovators at the EA Online Store to blaze new marketing trails by sweetening the Mass Effect preorder pot with official Dead Space merchandise. While folks preorder the game through traditional PC outlets get a nice $10 off retail price, preordering at the EA Store snags you a copy of the first issue of the Dead Space comic book and a Dead Space poster. Great! If you preorder now, we'll include you in our special marketing program for a completely unrelated game. It makes sense, doesn't it? People who preorder are already buying Mass Effect. Why promote a game they're already sold on when you can open them up to a whole new experience they might otherwise not give a damn about? Of course it switches the vibe from "Thanks for buying our game" to "Here, buy this other game", but why worry about semantics? More »

8:20 AM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Mike Fahey
2,385 views, 22 comments

Latest by Melonfodder: The things that Bioware does for this... conversion seems to be the right word, is something PC gamers should take for given. But I'm still very glad they did it proper. Given pre-order for me, since I don't have a 360. more »

critical criticism

'Reconciling the Irreconcilable': Criticism and Gaming

Lots of people have taken the criticism bull by the horns the past couple of weeks: with the Resident Evil 5 kerfluffle, the expected lead up to the GTA IV launch, and various other reasonably recent debates all coming together, it's no surprise that a number of talented writers have latched on to the faults of the gaming community (namely, we can dish it out but we can't take it). Mitch Krpata of Insult Swordfighting is the latest, and he takes on some recent community uproars: More »

3:30 PM on Sun Apr 27 2008
By mgreene
6,720 views, 80 comments

Latest by MasterDex: @seppukake: When I saw the RE5 trailer the first thing I thought was "Wow, amazing graphics, lotta zombies!" but I knew that it was going to be taken up wrong. Why was it RE5 that was chosen for the racial more »

mass effect

Bring Down The Sky Free With PC Mass Effect

The bad news is that Mass Effect for the PC will not be shipping with the downloadable expansion Bring Down The Sky included. The good news, as was hinted at last Friday, is that PC gamers will be able to download the expansion pack for free upon the PC game's release. It'll be exactly the same content from the Xbox 360 release, optimized for PC and without any cost to you, the consumer. This means that my decision to wait for the PC version of the game has once again been completely justified. Hooray! Mass Effect for the PC is currently due for release on May 28th in the states and June 6th in Europe. More »

8:20 AM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Mike Fahey
3,559 views, 85 comments

Latest by mcderek3000: @skullivan: If Supreme Commander can be ported to consoles, I'm sure that Dragon Age can. My only interest is that Dragon Age is designed first for "PC players" - ie as much like Baldur's Gate 2 as possible. That means 6+ characters more »

bioware

Mass Effect PC Specs Are Light Enough For Launch

Those still awaiting the arrival of Mass Effect to PC will be happy to note that the minimum specs aren't so bad, and the recommended specs aren't much worse. As long as you are running something around a 2.4Ghz processor and packing 2GB of RAM (less with XP), the Universe is yours to save. But just to make sure, we listed both sets of hardware specifications after the jump. Because the last thing you want is to light the candles and prepare for some HARDCORE ALIEN SEX only to be left out of the GIGANTIC ORGY. More »

10:30 AM on Wed Apr 16 2008
By Mark Wilson
6,697 views, 77 comments

Latest by TheOtis: Those are considerably low, seeing as how great that game's going to look. Vista 64-bitQ6600 @ 3.6ghz4GB Patriot Viper Fin 4-4-4-12 1t2x 9600GT in SLI I'm good to go :) Mmmmm, it's going to be gaming goodness. more »

mass effect

No Bringing Down Of The Sky For PC Mass Effect

The PC version of Mass Effect gets shinier graphics, better load times, less pop-up and a fancy new HUD. It's got the 360 one beat, hands down. Oh, except for "Bring Down The Sky". That won't be shipping with the PC version. Before you stab madly at the "publish comment" button, though, bear in mind that BioWare's Matt Atwood says in the interview with IGN that an announcement regarding additional PC content - ie something like Bring Down The Sky, but free - will be made "soon".
Mass Effect PC: What to Expect [IGN]

2:30 AM on Fri Apr 11 2008
By Luke Plunkett
2,248 views, 41 comments

Latest by Terrorsaur.: @Demaar: Hahah Im hoping my laughter is justifiied because Im hoping that was sarcasm XD Agh this is the same reason why I havent bougth the COD4 map pack. As a PC gamer I ask myself: WHO PAYS FOR MAPS? more »

gallery

Mass Effect PC Shows Off Shiny New HUD

Sure the PC version of Mass Effect got pushed back a little bit, but don't be sad! The team at BioWare just want to make sure you've got the best damn Mass Effect you can possibly get, and to prove it, they've released some new screens of the very reason I decided to hold off on the Xbox 360 version. This is the new tactical heads-up display for the mouse and keyboard crowd. All of the information you see on the screen, from squad commands to biotics abilities to weapon commands, all on one handy screen accessed with a simply press of the space bar. It's exactly this sort of thing that makes me yank my PC from my computer desk and hook it up to the widescreen LCD, effectively turning my home office into a discarded CD wasteland, ravaged by time and cats. Mainly cats.

7:00 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Mike Fahey
5,213 views, 98 comments

Latest by SPitFyRe666: Its pretty. Now you dont have to pause to change all your weapon settings . Now they should work on turning Mass Effect into an MMO bigger and better than WoW, it can't be that hard....right? more »

delay

Mass Effect PC Delayed To Late May

Bioware—along with development partner Demiurge Studios—has decided to delay the launch of Mass Effect for the PC. It's been pushed back to a May 28th release date in the US, and a June 6th release date in Europe. The delay will allow the development team to "incorporate more play-testing feedback, add extra polish and tune the additional features." But fret not, PC gamers. I've already saved the Universe on my Xbox 360. It was a bit jittery at times, but due to my quick actions, peaceful, intelligent life will continue to thrive. Take your time, Bioware. I can guard this shuttle craft all freakin' day.

Mass Effect PC Release Date Changes - New Date May 28, 2008 [Bioware via Shacknews][image]

11:40 AM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Mark Wilson
3,416 views, 45 comments

Latest by Replica23: For me it's all good. With GTA4 at the end of April and MGS4 mid-June I have enough gaming to do. more »

mass effect

Mass Effect On PC? NOT A PORT

Get this right. All of you. The PC version of Mass Effect isn't a port, OK? It's a conversion. Not a port. A conversion. If you walk up to BioWare's Chris Priestly (or anyone from BioWare, really) and say it's a port, he may well smack you one in the mouth, right there on the spot. Speaking with Eurogamer about the upcoming PC port conversion of last year's 360 hit, he said:
This is a conversion. BioWare hates ports.
Got it? Not a port. A conversion!
Mass Effect [Eurogamer]

8:20 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Luke Plunkett
4,988 views, 113 comments

Latest by Akin: Of course it isn't a port, it's the real version. The 360 version was a beta. Don't you know how bioware does things? more »

event

EA Sponsors SCI-FI-LONDON

Electronic Arts today said they will be the official games sponsor for this year's SCI-FI-LONDON, "the UK's only dedicated science fiction and fantastic film festival."

EA will have a bevy of titles on hand as part of their sponsorship including Mass Effect, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, Spore and BOOM BLOX. They will also be showing a sneak preview of Dead Space, their upcoming space horror game.

The event runs from April 30 through May 4 at the Apollo West End theater in London. Hit the jump for the full release.

More »

1:00 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Brian Crecente
813 views, 8 comments

bioware

Does Mass Effect Even Need Multi-Player?

Some games are great for multi-player. Take Halo or Call of Duty. Great multi-player experiences! But what about something like, say, Mass Effect? Is developer BioWare thinking about turning its single player RPG into a multi-player online experience? Says BioWare's Matt Atwood:

If the team wanted to do it then I think they could do it well. But Mass Effect is an experience that is very personal, because you make very personal choices. You choose whether you're going to explore that romance or explore that planet; are you going to save someone's life or are you going to kill them? And these are all things that are really personal. So is it possible? Sure, I think the team's smart enough to do it. But I don't know if they're going to do it.

Just 'cause all the other kids are doing it, doesn't mean BioWare has to. No need to give into peer pressure!
Mass Effect Interview [Eurogamer] [Pic]

10:00 PM on Mon Mar 17 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
1,883 views, 73 comments

Latest by Toprem: Does it need it? No. Would it be totally fucking sweet? Hells yes. It would be fucking awesome to hunt people down throughout the entirety of the game's worlds like how the sidequests. more »

downloads

Mass Effect PC DLC May Be Different

While we've only seen one piece of Mass Effect DLC for the 360, Bioware assures us that new planets, races and missions are still on the way in future expansions. So most of us would expect PC players to one day get all the same stuff. But according to Bioware's Matt Atwood, such is not necessarily the case.
We're asked if we're going to do Bring Down the Sky for PC, and it's a consideration. We're looking in to exactly what we want to do; maybe we'll do something different, because the PC offers some different potentials.
Is that a hint at a complete expansion? We'd usually think so, if Bioware weren't trying to crank out three Mass Effects in a single product cycle.

Mass Effect Interview [Eurogamer]

12:20 PM on Mon Mar 17 2008
By Mark Wilson
1,725 views, 16 comments

Latest by Darien_Shields: Man, I'll be peeved if there's a PC expansion that the 360 doesn't get. Not because I'm a 360 zealot, or even because it'd mean forking out cash to play it on the PC. The simple fact is I couldn't more »

hype

Mass Effect 2 Will Blow You Away

Earlier today, we heard that Mass Effect 2 is already confirmed for PCs. How nice. But that's too much news and not enough hype for my fanboy taste. So I'm grabbing the Mass Effect 2 Hypometer and cranking it up to 11...maybe even 12. Because when talking about the upcoming title, BioWare's Senior Manager Matt Atwood had this to say:

How will it correlate to Mass Effect, the original? There's a lot of really exciting answers to that question. I think that people are going to be blown away.
He continued:
More »

11:40 AM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Mark Wilson
8,495 views, 77 comments

Latest by freespeech: FULL FRONTAL - BAM, instead million seller!!!!!!!!!!!!! more »

pc gaming

Mass Effect 2 Is Coming to PCs (Surprise!)

With Xbox 360 title Mass Effect coming to PCs this May, logic tells that Mass Effect 2 is going to eventually hit PCs. That's common sense! But when? Matt Atwood from developer BioWare says:

We haven't announced plans for timing on Mass Effect 2, period, so at this point we're not really ready to talk about it, but because we've got a really great PC fan base we think it's really important to deliver the PC experience as quickly as possible. Look for more news on that soon.

Okay. We will.
Mass Effect Confirmed for PC [videogamer.com]

5:00 AM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
2,760 views, 48 comments

Latest by spoonytrain: Bioware is my favorite company. Baldur's Gate is my favorite game. But sometimes, I really hate them. Like when they alientate their original fans Like when they go on to patronize their original fans Like when you give us shitty Windows Live ports more »

bioware

Mass Effect 2's Side-Quests Won't Be So Sucky

Mass Effect's world was a great one. Thing is, if you weren't plowing through the main story arc, the whole thing felt a little...empty. Especially the game's cookie-cutter side-quests, of which I tried 3-4 before having to stop, for fear of death by acute boredom. But don't be angry at BioWare! They had stuff needed doing for the first game, and it's something they'll have fixed for Mass Effect 2. At least according to BioWare GM Greg Zeschuk they will:
Side quests can sometimes be left on the side, so to speak. Pardon the pun. But a lot of times it's even just getting that whole game done, that first shot [that is important]. We look at "Mass Effect 2" as incredibly exciting. Just the amount of effort and knowledge and know-how that went into building the technology for the first one is huge, and [we now have] the chance to actually make things a little bit richer.
See? They had to get all that nuts-and-bolts stuff done. Now it's done, they can put the man-hours into actually fleshing the thing out. Make the side-quests more of a quest, less an exercise in self-abuse.
BioWare: How We Can Improve The Side Quests For 'Mass Effect 2′ [MTV]

11:30 PM on Tue Mar 11 2008
By Luke Plunkett
3,180 views, 91 comments

Latest by DannoHung: Yeah, they need to use something besides Bryce3D for the planets next time, or at least, if they're gonna use Bryce3D to make the planets, make a HELL of a lot more of them, with more and varied game elements more »

xbox 360

Mass Effect Brings Down The Sky

Curses! Just when we thought we could rest easy with humanity's place in the universe secured, some chuckleheads have to go and toss an asteroid at a planet. BioWare's Bring Down The Sky content pack for Mass Effect went live today, offering 90 minutes of action and 50 points worth of achievements for 400 Microsoft points. The vile Batarians are brining down a mobile asteroid station on the colony world of Terra Nova, and it's up to Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy to save the colonists from a most crushing defeat. Of course if you've already finished the game you're going to have to restart and play to the point where you are actually in control of the Normandy again, but that's a small price to pay for a chance at saving millions of NPCs from a grizzly death.

8:00 PM on Mon Mar 10 2008
By Mike Fahey
3,105 views, 66 comments

Latest by clifftrapremover: @Moonshadow101: I totally agree. Didn't take me long to beat but i enjoyed it. I have played the game way too much to be fair but i think it is well worth the $5. more »