Mass Effect 2 PS3 Hands-On: BioWare, Beautiful & Brilliant

PS3 owners may have missed out on the original Mass Effect, but the stellar sequel plus four DLC chapters and a little something extra (plus a LOT of something extra under the hood) is headed your way in a great standard edition pack that's bound to fly off store shelves faster than the new Normandy hits light speed. I had the opportunity to play a demo version of Mass Effect 2 and was immediately floored by the visual upgrade (thanks to what was recently revealed as the Mass Effect 3 engine), the tweaked puzzles and a few other niceties BioWare has seen fit to add. I'd have to safely say this is going to be the definitive console version of the game and even if you've played the Xbox 360 version, you might want to snap up a copy of this one, provided you also have a PS3 in the house.

EA & BioWare Reveal Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station Content Pack

EA and BioWare continue to generate Mass Interest in the upcoming Mass Effect 2 by adding more download content to the original game (which in turn, gives folks like me yet another fine reason to hop back into the boots of Commander Shepard for a few more hours). Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station, the latest add-on for the original game is now available as a downloadable pack for the Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft points via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The PC version of the content pack will set you back $5 and can be purchased through EA's online store. By the way, the 1.02 patch for Mass Effect is required for the installation of Pinnacle Station and is available over at BioWare's web site. First things first and all that...

So what's in the pack? Glad you asked - let's go to the press release:

"Picking up where the first game ended, players will enter Pinnacle Station, a top-secret Alliance training facility. Featuring 13 scenarios ranging from fast-paced combat simulations to high-stakes winner-takes-all wagers, players will push their combat skills to the limit.

In Pinnacle Station, players will encounter aggressive simulated enemies and unlock a mysterious new location. In the station players will acquire rare weapons and special armor available exclusively in the Pinnacle Station Game Add-On. With each successful mission, players are rewarded with Xbox 360 Achievement points.

“At BioWare, we’re committed to providing ongoing support for all our franchises. With Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station, you’ll execute challenging new combat missions that will allow you to reenter the Mass Effect galaxy with a bang!” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager and Senior Vice President, Electronic Arts, and co-founder and CEO, BioWare. “Regardless of whether you choose to start Mass Effect 2 as a standalone adventure, or import your Mass Effect saved games, we know that you will enjoy Episode 2 for all of its intense action, dramatic plot twists and memorable characters.”

Fancy a few choice screenshots, anyone? OK:

Remember, Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PC in early 2010. If you're a 140-worder, you can follow the game's Twitter page for all the latest quick updates. We'll have more info on any other upcoming Mass Effect content and Mass Effect 2 as it comes in.