The “early 2010 release” provisional release date given for the hotly anticipated sequel to the original “Mass Effect” when the game was first announced in January this year wasn’t joking; the game has now been officially announced to be hitting the shelves of retailers on January 26 (in North America) and January 29 (for the rest of Europe).
Likely to be rated M (just as was the original), “Mass Effect 2” is expected to arrive simultaneously on both the Xbox 360 and the PC, giving it something of a leg up over its predecessor. There will also be a set of pre-order download incentives for the release, which will be available for those who reserve the game early at GameStop; namely, two in-game items, the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon, which “generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass”, as well as some seriously heavy duty Terminus armour, which gives the player the advantage of increased speed, “an extra magazine of reserve ammo” and provides a boost to personal shield devices.
Those who pre-order “Mass Effect 2” from other retailers won’t get the above, but will receive a suit of Inferno Armour, which provides much the same effect as the Terminus armour, but also increases the player’s negotiating power. The sequel will allow continuity from the original in terms of importing character decisions from the first game, and is now rumoured to be the second in a planned trilogy of “Mass Effect” games.
