Mass Effect 2 Release Date Announced

BioWare's anticipated action-RPG Mass Effect 2 will be released in North America on January 26 and Europe on January 29, the developer announced this morning.

The sci-fi sequel is slated to hit both PC and Xbox 360, with "key retailers in North America and across Europe" offering in-game items as pre-order incentives:

In North America, pre-order bonuses* include special-ops armor and weaponry that are designed to boost Commander Shepard's skills and abilities. At GameStop, Terminus Gear is available with pre-orders, 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-490 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 Mass Effect 2 at other retail outlets in North America will receive the potent Inferno Armor, which is used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times - together these abilities translate in-game into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard and an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.

*Restrictions apply. See actual pre-order offers for details.