Mass Effect 2 PS3 Hits PSN and Blu-ray on January 18th, More Than a Simple Port

Mass Effect 2 for the PlayStation 3 goes on sale in stores on January 18th in North America, and will also be available in downloadable form through the PlayStation Network in North America on January 18th.

Mass Effect 2 is an amazing game. It has all of the benchmarks of a truly great science-fiction epic: a heroic main character, memorable companions each with their own personalities and abilities, terror-inducing villains, vast galaxies to explore, exotic alien races, strange worlds and locations, high-technology weapons and vehicles, and a story that will have fans talking about it and replaying it for ages.

In Mass Effect 2, you play as Commander Shepard who has to lead a crack team of mercenaries, scientists and soldiers on a mission to investigate the disappearances of human colonies throughout the galaxy. Who lives, who dies and the ultimate success or failure of the mission, is up to you. Now BioWare and the Mass Effect team are proud to bring Mass Effect 2 to the PlayStation community.

PlayStation fans have been asking for Mass Effect for years and we are very pleased to finally be bringing it to a new branch of Mass Effect fans. However, what I think Mass Effect fans on the PS3 will be most appreciative of is that this is not a simple port. The Mass Effect team has taken the time to utilize the PS3 hardware to the fullest in order to maximize your gameplay experience. It was also extremely important for the team to make sure playing with the PS3 controller worked and felt good. You will also see that the in-game graphics and cinematics are clearer and more vibrant on the PS3. As an added bonus, the PS3 version includes previously released DLC missions: Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker and Kasumi.

Mass Effect 2 takes place after Mass Effect 1 and some fans were concerned they would miss out on some of the important story choices available in the first game. The Mass Effect team, working with the fine folks at Dark Horse Comics, has created an interactive in-game comic that allows players new to the franchise to experience Mass Effect 1 while making the story choices that have repercussions in Mass Effect 2.

There is a demo of Mass Effect now available on the PlayStation Network. You can learn more about the demo here. This demo lets you play the start of Mass Effect 2 as well as introducing you to one of your potential party members, Dr Mordin Solus. Dr Solus, or Mordin to his friends, is a salarian scientist who can not only heal the sick; he can create new exotic weapons to use in battle. Finding Mordin and recruiting him to join you and your suicide mission will not be easy.

Look for Mass Effect 3 to come to the PS3 in Holiday 2011.