The worst thing about "Mass Effect" might be... fixed? Read more...

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk answered MTV Multiplayer readers' questions and told us about what they're changing in "Mass Effect 2," BioWare's future and how they like to keep players gasping. Read more...

"Mass Effect" fans desperate for details on BioWare's sequel are in luck; we've just been told a teaser trailer for "Mass Effect 2" has shown up on the game's official web site and reveals the fate of the hero from the last game -- the news is not good. What do you think so far?

I haven't played "Baldur's Gate," but I have played BioWare's spiritual successor, "Dragon Age: Origins," and after a 10-minute session (albeit one without a proper tutorial), it planted the idea this style of RPG might not resonate with players who've come to expect differently from BioWare. Read more...

BioWare announced "Mass Effect" as a sci-fi trilogy, but the studio made no such declarations with "Dragon Age," a return to their PC-based "Baldur's Gate" roots, a conscious decision by the "Dragon Age" team, the game's exec. producer told me last week. Read more...

EA's CEO John Riccitiello just announced the release date of "Mass Effect 2." Rattling through a list of EA games he's excited about for the next year during a conference call  -- and right after name-checking the newly-delayed BioWare role-playing game "Dragon Age: Origins" for Q3 (the fall, we assume) -- he said that BioWare's "Mass Effect 2" will be out in Q4.

Update: An EA rep just confirmed to me that Riccitiello was indeed talking about EA's Fiscal Year 2010, which would date "Mass Effect 2" as coming during the January-March 2010 timeframe.

"Mass Effect 2" became a little more real today with news that BioWare's RPG sequel is showing up in an unexpected way this March at the Game Developer's Conference. Read more...

The first "Mass Effect" may not be over yet.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk may have primarily talked to me about "Dragon Age" at this past E3. But he told me we could also chat a little about his studio's sci-fi role-playing game of last year, "Mass Effect." Really? So how about confirming some new downloadable content?

He certainly came close to doing that:

Multiplayer: What can we talk about regarding "Mass Effect"?

Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder of BioWare: Well we said it was a trilogy so there's some stuff happening. We're also looking at some other post-release content. We're working away. BioWare's pretty busy these days.

Multiplayer: We got our first DLC for the 360. People can expect there may be some more more coming?

Zeschuk: We're talking about that. You know how we are. We're always very circumspect until we can go "Aha! There it is!" With everything we build now, we want to have this long-term relationship with the customer and always have something for them to try. So we're definitely looking at that for "Mass Effect."

***

Related Posts:
BioWare: Why We Are Making ‘Mass Effect’ As A Trilogy
BioWare: How We Can Improve The Side Quests For ‘Mass Effect 2′
‘Mass Effect’ DLC Requires A Spaceship, A Couple Of Hours Of Player Progress

Although "Alpha Protocol" is an action-RPG starring a government operative in modern times, I couldn't help but think of "Mass Effect" when I saw the game at E3 last week.

Everything from the dialogue tree to the real-time combat system (replete with an "active skill" wheel that pauses the combat and allows the player to choose a special attack) to the main character's circular targeting reticule echoed gameplay elements of the best-selling space saga from BioWare.

During a closed-door demo, senior producer Ryan Rucinski of Obsidian Entertainment acknowledged certain similarities to "Mass Effect," but told me that the "Alpha Protocol" has been in development for over two-and-half years, and has plenty of differences to boast about. It goes deeper than the setting.

Read more...

"Alpha Protocol"'s dialogue system doesn't just offer a variety of ways for player-character Michael Thorton to get missions.

It can also help him pick up women. That is, if you select your responses wisely.

When I saw "Alpha Protocol" at E3 last week, senior producer Ryan Rucinski told me that there are "a lot of love interests" for Thorton to choose from. There are several factions in the game that you can ally with or fight against, so the women Thorton meets can become collaborators or enemies. As a government operative, the player can acquire missions and assistance from the ladies Thorton's wooed. But piss them off -- by dating other girls, for instance -- and there's hell to pay.

Read more...