BioWare's latest Mass Effect 2 trailer--previously teased--contains both combat and startling story from the action RPG sequel, due to hit PC and Xbox 360 early in 2010.

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Do check out our Mass Effect 2 preview for the hot scoop on what's new, including changes to combat, continuing from your Mass Effect 1 save, and the return of Shepard.

It is no longer be a spoiler to say that Commander Shepard, hero of Mass Effect, lives in Mass Effect 2. Despite the clever teaser trailer, he is again the protagonist.

"We've always said we wanted to create a story about taking one human through [a huge story]," said Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson during a lengthy demo of the game. "And that human is Commander Shepard."

As planned, players can carry over their saved data from Mass Effect, with character choices and gameplay decisions impacting the events of the dark sequel.

The real surprise coming out of E3, however, is that it also isn't a spoiler to say that Commander Shepard dies in Mass Effect 2. ... Read more

Fresh off the E3 presses are the first screenshots of Mass Effect 2, showing shaven headed star Shepard engaging in some downright destructive behaviour.

We'll have more on Mass Effect 2 for you as the week unfolds.

Refreshingly, the following Mass Effect 2 trailer from BioWare shows at least a few clips of gameplay. It also includes plenty of Mass Effect star Shepard, apparently confirming that he's not exactly out of the picture.

Mass Effect 2 is looking at an Xbox 360 and PC release. Stay tuned for extensive coverage of the game at next week's E3.

Click below to view the trailer:... Read more

BioWare has released a new teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2, hyping up the various changes and providing some slightly-obscured gameplay footage of the action-RPG.

The second in a planned trilogy, Mass Effect 2 is slated to hit PC and Xbox 360 in early 2010. A playable demo of the game will be shown at E3, which runs from June 2-4.

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It's a little mindboggling to think of how big BioWare has gotten over the past few years.

On the one hand, the company is developing two major RPGs in Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2. That alone would be an impressive showing.

But on top of those titles, BioWare is also tackling a new Star Wars MMO--a project so daunting, and potentially lucrative, that it almost dwarfs the more traditional efforts.

At last week's Game Developers Conference, I caught up with BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. While I could have easily spent my limited time asking about just one of the projects, I tried to cover all three with a few questions apiece--starting with the old-school RPG being demonstrated next door. ... Read more

Throwing more fuel on the fire, BioWare has teased a few more details regarding Mass Effect 2, telling Shacknews that while the game will indeed make use of saved data from the original--so hold on to those saves--the recent teaser trailer was all true as well.

"How can it fit? That's a surprise," teased BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka.

In case you haven't seen it, that teaser concludes with word that original Mass Effect protagonist Commander Shephard was "killed in action." Of course, there's always the chance that BioWare is utilizing some Kenobi-style "certain point of view" logic here.

The sci-fi action-RPG sequel is due to hit PC and Xbox 360 in early 2010. Below is the relevant bit of our conversation with BioWare heads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk:

Ray Muzyka: Everything we've said before about keeping your save games, keeping the continuity of the trilogy, is absolutely true... Read more

Several minutes of Mass Effect 2 work-in-progress footage shown at GDC have already leaked onto the internet. The footage includes an early look at some of Mass Effect 2's level design, as well as one short scene of dialogue.

We'll have more on the game in the next few days, including a chat with BioWare chiefs Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. For now, check out the video below.

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While we've already known about the title for a while now--a teaser trailer was released last month--acclaimed role-playing game developer BioWare today formally announced its sci-fi RPG sequel Mass Effect 2.

The second entry in a planned trilogy, Mass Effect 2 will hit PC and Xbox 360 in early 2010. Publisher Electronic Arts had previously revealed the release timeframe, but refused to confirm platforms with Shacknews at that time.

"We're going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story," said BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka.

"Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action."

The studio also provided a brief synopsis of the plot, copied below:... Read more

Gamasutra has learned that BioWare is opening a new studio located within EA Montreal to contribute to the development of Mass Effect 2.

BioWare will hire thirty employees to fill out the new division.

"We'll be working together with our friends at EA Montreal," said BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka. "There's a great studio here continuing full-force with a whole bunch of really cool, exciting things as well."

Muzyka added that the new resources will not affect any existing BioWare projects, including "a couple unannounced projects... really cool future stuff."

The first brief teaser for Mass Effect 2 has been released by BioWare.

The RPG sequel is expected to hit between January and March of next year. The game will hit multiple platforms, but no specifics have been announced as of yet.

BioWare has confirmed that players will be able to continue Mass Effect 2 using their saved games from the first title, carrying over their characters.

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The combat-centric theme of the next Mass Effect DLC pack was revealed by BioWare in a documentary included with the recent release of the Mass Effect Platinum Hits edition.

"We had something in Mass Effect 1 which we didn't have the time and we didn't think we would do well enough, which is a fight club arena," said principal lead designer Preston Watamaniuk in the video.

"We wanted to be able to give people a much more combat-oriented, lighter-story kind of experience," said project director Casey Hudson. "You're going to go to kind of a casino, gaming, fight club space station."

The developers also dropped a few details on the anticipated Mass Effect sequel.

"Any save game that you make from Mass Effect 1, you should be able to carry that same character into Mass Effect 2," noted Hudson.

Said Hudson of the anticipated sequel: "In the second game, you're actually going to go through a darker period where you're really looking for answers... there are a lot of twists and turns, and it's generally a much darker experience."

BioWare's Mass Effect 2 and a sequel to DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company will arrive in the first three months of 2010, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has revealed.

In today's conference call, Riccitiello said that Mass Effect 2 will arrive on multiple platforms, which means it could hit both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at launch.

The first Mass Effect was a console exclusive for Xbox 360, trailed by a PC release a few months later. BioWare has suggested the sequel may follow that model.

When asked about specific platforms for Mass Effect 2, an Electronic Arts representative told Shacknews that no details were available at this time.

The Battlefield: Bad Company sequel will presumably follow in the footsteps of the console-only original, which hit PS3 and Xbox 360 in the summer of 2008.

Both games will be released during the fourth quarter of the publisher's 2010 fiscal year, which runs from January 1 to March 31.

Developer BioWare will provide new details on its sci-fi action-RPG sequel Mass Effect 2 at this year's Game Developer's Conference, according to the event schedule.

BioWare project manager Corey Andruko and lead technical designer Dusty Everman will host an hour-long session titled "The Iterative Level Design Process of Bioware's MASS EFFECT 2," which will detail the team's "new level-creation process."

This year's Game Developers Conference runs from March 23-27, at its usual venue, the San Francisco Moscone Center.

As the event is geared towards developers--the schedule promises that attendees will "learn about new pitfalls the team discovered that can potentially be avoided on future game projects"--it's unknown how many of the details will be of interest to gamers.

At the very least, it's encouraging that BioWare is finally beginning to offer some information on the second game in the planned Mass Effect trilogy. Previously, the company had only noted that the trilogy was not exclusive to one platform or console, and suggested that the PC version would arrive after the console release.

Despite the first Mass Effect being billed as an Xbox 360 exclusive, famed developer BioWare tells Joystiq that it has "never confirmed any plans of Mass Effect exclusivity for the trilogy."

Though the sci-fi action-RPG later appeared on PC, the title is still considered an Xbox 360 exclusive in terms of the console market--meaning it has not appeared on rival systems PlayStation 3 or Wii.

Speaking on Mass Effect 2, BioWare senior manager Matt Atwood previously expressed his belief that the sequel would "be Xbox 360 exclusive for at least a short period of time," followed by a PC release "as quickly as possible."

Following EA's $860 million purchase of BioWare and Pandemic, many speculated that the PlayStation 3 would receive a Mass Effect game, especially given BioWare's plans to deliver at least three Mass Effect titles and the tendency of EA-published titles to hit both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Dragon Age, another one of the company's in-development titles, was originally slated to be a PC exclusive, though the company recently noted that the franchise will eventually hit consoles as well.

The upcoming sequel to BioWare's sci-fi RPG Mass Effect will arrive on Xbox 360 first with a PC version hitting soon after, according to senior manager Matt Atwood.

"I believe we'll be Xbox 360 exclusive for at least a short period of time," Atwood told CVG. "We've got a really great PC fan base, we think it's really important to deliver the PC experience as quickly as possible," he continued in a VideoGamer interview.

The first entry in BioWare's planned Mass Effect trilogy arrived on Xbox 360 last fall, with a PC version, co-developed by Demiurge, due out May 6. Many had speculated that, following EA's acquisition of BioWare and the publishing rights for Mass Effect, the sequel would release simultaneously on multiple platforms.

BioWare has yet to specify a release window for Mass Effect 2.