Hi guys, I'm not sure I'm suppose to ask this here but I really wanna play Lair of Shadow Broker and Arrival DLC's.
Should I be able to download them from EA store if I buy ME2 now?
Do I need to pay for those DLC's? And what is MS/Bioware points? How do I get them?
Thanks a lot guys

The release date for Mass Effect 3 has been revealed - the final chapter of Commander Shepard's trilogy will be on March 6, 2012, and Bioware has announced the Collector's Edition as well.

The $79.99 (USD) N7 Collector's Edition will include:

* Premium metal case featuring commemorative artwork of both male and female versions of Commander Shepard.
* 70-page hardbound art book featuring hundreds of unique and gorgeous illustrations from the BioWare development team.
* Limited edition Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse Comics, complete with unique cover artwork.
* Join the ranks of the N7 with the premium fabric N7 patch.
* Exclusive 4x6 lithographic print featuring a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.
* A full collection of in-game content that can’t be found anywhere else!
-N7 Arsenal Pack – Bring the firepower with the N7 Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, SMG, and Pistol.
-Robotic Dog – A faithful sidekick to keep you company on board the Normandy.
-Squadmate Alternate Outfit Pack – New appearances for squad members Ashley, Kaiden, James and Liara.
-N7 Hoodie – For Commander Shepard’s casual days on board the Normandy.
* Relive all the greatest moments of Mass Effect 3 with the digital soundtrack.
* Xbox LIVE Normandy prop for your Avatar. (Available on Xbox 360 version only.)
* Display your initiation in the N7 ranks with a collection of forum and social badges, avatars, and perks.

Let us know if you'll be picking up the Collector's Edition.

Mass Effect 3 may be the conclusion to the Reaper storyline, but it will by no means be the last story in the Shepard universe. BioWare boss Ray Muzyka promises, "This is not the end of the Mass Effect franchise by any means."

"We have more things planned. We're laser-focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is awesome and epic and intense on a galactic scale, and we want to provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy," explains Muzyka, "But also it's a beginning on a brand new adventure. The galaxy is at war. It's a beginning as well as a conclusion."

The last part about the galaxy being at war also being a beginning opens up a lot of speculation about what happens after the galaxy is saved from the Reapers. Do Shepard's allies decide they don't want to play nice after the Reaper problem is solved? Do the Reapers remain a threat even after they are defeated? Does a new enemy arise beyond the Reapers?

March 6, 2012 is an awful long way to find answers to that question, but gamers will have to wait til then to play Mass Effect 3 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Developer BioWare is a fan of sequels because of the advantage they give to the studio, like getting the chance to "leverage your tools and technology".

Mass Effect 3's E3 demo was "one of our best" said Greg Zeschuk, but wouldn't have been if it "was just a one off." The key is "innovation" and taking risks.


"There are a couple of reasons why sequels are actually good in the games business," said BioWare big cheese, Greg Zeschuk. Until recently with Mass Effect and Dragon Age the studio tended to avoid sequels and just moved on to new IP.

"Actually making one game is really hard. When you have a chance to leverage your tools and technology for a follow-up, it gets easier."

"We talk about how this is probably one of our best demos ever here for Mass Effect 3, and the game itself we feel will probably one of our best ever. It wouldn't have been that way if it was just a one off. From a gamer's perspective it's a positive," he said.

E3 2011 had a lot of sequels in the spotlight but BioWare notes this isn't necessarily a bad thing for gamers. Providing the studios don't get lazy and still works in new risks we're all moving forward. "You have to innovate," co-founder Ray Muzyka said.

"Innovation means taking some risks creatively. When you're doing a sequel, if you're thoughtful and you understand your audience well and you spend a lot of time listening to what they like and don't like, you take risks – sometimes they pay out, sometimes they don't – but if you listen you can continue to refine and make the games better and better."

"You can adjust the right variables in a sequel. They're good if you do them right."

"When it can be a negative is when people get lazy and rest on their laurels and don't use ambition for the sequel and create something that's predictable and there's nothing unexpected," offered Zeschuk.

"We use the phrase, 'surprise and delight' our fans with our games, and if you fail at that..." BioWare and EA have both accepted that Dragon Age 2 got them new fans but also lost old ones, and the team has taken fan feedback to heart with future titles in the series.

Video game research firm EEDAR has named EA and BioWare's upcoming Mass Effect 3 as the "most promising" retail game shown at this month's E3 expo, citing purchase intent and online media consumption.

EEDAR's research involved analyzing page views, purchase intent and video views through its media partners, IGN and GameTrailers, to rank which of the games shown at E3 had the highest sales potential at retail.

"EEDAR has had strong demand from its retail partners to create an objectively quantifiable method to measure the commercial potential of games showcased at E3 2011," said EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, saying that its new report "highlights the collective activity of over 20 million consumers during the week of E3."

According to EEDAR, Mass Effect 3 had the highest number of recorded page views among all tracked games. The firm says that its data indicates the game could sell in excess of 20 percent more copies than its predecessor.

"We are excited to see that there was such a high level of interest in Mass Effect 3 during E3, especially when you consider how many amazing games were on display at this year's show," said BioWare VP of marketing Patrick Buechner.

The top 20 most promising retail releases showcased at E3 2011, according to EEDAR, are as follows:

1. Mass Effect 3 (Electronic Arts)
2. Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts)
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard)
5. Assassin's Creed Revelations (Ubisoft)
6. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Sony Computer Entertainment)
7. Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros. Interactive)
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)
9. Halo 4 (Microsoft)
10. Infamous 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
11. Duke Nukem Forever (Take-Two)
12. Star Wars: The Old Republic (Electronic Arts)
13. Tomb Raider (Square Enix)
14. Gears of War 3 (Microsoft)
15. Rage (Bethesda)
16. BioShock Infinite (Take-Two)
17. Super Mario 3D (Nintendo)
18. Resistance 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment)
19. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Microsoft)
20. Street Fighter X Tekken (Capcom)

Note that EEDAR's research methodology weighs all three factors (page views, video views and purchase intent) with its own internal metrics. While Mass Effect 3 had the most page views, it was actually Modern Warfare 3 that topped the list in both purchase intent and video views, despite its placement at number four.

EEDAR's report also named Nintendo the most-watched publisher of the show, saying that the announcement of its new Wii U made it stand out above all other publishers.

"While investor reception was slightly negative, EEDAR believes the initial sentiment from the finance community was premature and unwarranted," said EEDAR. "EEDAR believes that as Nintendo continues to release additional information regarding the Wii U, investor sentiment should reverse."

The most-watched platform of the show, says EEDAR, was Microsoft's Xbox 360, which came out on top in both purchase intent and page views. The firm cited its continued perception as "the quintessential core gaming platform" of this generation, as well as the long-anticipated announcement of Halo 4, as contributing to its placement.

Art director Derek Watts of BioWare has talked about the problems they had with the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360, which was their first next-gen title.

The original levels "worked really well" art-wise, he said, but "weren't so good" for gameplay. They aimed for "grand vistas and stuff" but the engine was hard.


Despite these woes, like 'texture-popping', the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360 was hailed as a mighty success for the studio and has gone on to spawn an entire trilogy.

"Art-wise the original levels worked really well but for gameplay they weren't so good... We had a lot of raised platforms and areas you could get caught up in - stuff we should have fixed right from the beginning," said art director Derek Watts.

"Because it was our first next-gen game we were actually thinking we were doing a really good job. It's just the challenge of trying to make that first next-gen game was huge. Everybody else had issues too."

"Getting used to the technology made it difficult for us. We wanted those wide open areas, those swooping curves, the grand vistas and stuff, but it was hard to do with that engine," he added. Planet exploration was a major gripe for the community as the MAKO vehicle could easily get wedged and force you to possibly reload.

Mass Effect 2 ditched planetary exploration for a mineral scanning mini-game, which was both welcomed and poured scorn upon. Obviously the MAKO had more lovers than haters. Did you enjoy BioWare's Mass Effect, videogamer?

y sheperd bring knife to a gun fight, this i dont understand
rarely enemy can get close with all fire, kinetic power so powerful

If a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, would a space-babe by any other face... uhm, be as spacey? Or something? Forget it.

In a recent interview with CVG, Mass Effect 3 Art Director Derek Watts admitted that his team tends to avoid discussing the visage behind Tali'Zorah's lavender visor, primarily because they still have no idea what's in there.

"That's something we're going to have to decide." says Derek. "We've had a lot of debate over Tali's face, but that's the one we kind of dread a lot." While it hasn't been confirmed that Tali will be unmasked at some point during BioWare's upcoming space odyssey, Derek laments that "Obviously people are going to be pissed off either way." Hit the source link to check out the rest of the interview, unless you want to go into Mass Effect 3 completely in the dark.

BioWare's Casey Hudson, Mass Effect's executive producer, will be attending a Q&A panel session at ComicCon alongside screenwriter Mark Protosevich.

They'll be discussing the still-in-the-works Mass Effect movie project. Legendary Pictures picked up the rights to the film with Warner Bros. co-financing.


The press release for the panel mentions "screenwriter adapting the game to film", so it sounds like fans will get to learn something about how it's progressing. There's plenty that will need to be cut from the game to squeeze into a movie.

BioWare bosses Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk were said to be attached as executive producers of the film. Legendary Pictures has brought the world of cinema 300, The Dark Night and The Hangover. Warner Bros. will co-finance and help distribute.

I Am Legend and Thor were both scribed by Mark Protosevich. What do you think about BioWare's much lauded sci-fi RPG series coming to the silver screen? Who has the acting chops to player Commander Shephard? Will they aim to follow the trilogy?

As previously predicted, the Digital Deluxe Edition of BioWare's upcoming sci-fi shooter Mass Effect 3 will be available only through the recently-rebooted EA game download store, Origin. This is part of the publisher's on-going strategy to entice people to buy highly-anticipated games straight from the source, but if you ask me, they're going to have to do a lot better than this... Though it contains a wide variety of bonus .PDFs and in-game items to complement your copy of ME3, they've decided they're going to charge $80/£55 for it!

Here's the full list of extras, do you think it's worth it?

    Get the ultimate Mass Effect 3 experience with the N7 Digital Deluxe Edition! This exclusive and limited package includes:

    • 70-page digital art book featuring hundreds of unique and gorgeous illustrations from the BioWare development team.
    • Limited edition digital Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse Comics, complete with unique cover artwork.
    • Exclusive 4x6 lithographic digital print featuring a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.

    A full collection of in-game content that can’t be found anywhere else!

    • N7 Arsenal Pack – Bring the firepower with the N7 Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, SMG, and Pistol.
    • Normandy Robotic Dog companion
    • Squadmate Alternate Outfit Pack – New appearances for your favorite squad members.
    • N7 Hoodie – For Commander Shepard’s casual days on board the Normandy.
    • Relive all the greatest moments of Mass Effect 3 with the digital soundtrack.
    • Display your initiation in the N7 ranks with a collection of forum and social badges, avatars, and perks.

Spotted on PC Gamer.

An announcement regarding a demo for hotly anticipated Bioware RPG Mass Effect 3 will be made sometime in the next few months, according to executive producer Casey Hudson.

A fan tweeted to Hudson, "A fan, saying best of luck with ME3! Probs too early for any demo talk, i suppose Just getting into the industry myself!"

Hudson tweeted in response: "Awesome, much appreciated! Stay tuned for news on demo plans in a few months."

Mass Effect 3 will be released in the Spring of 2012, so don't hold your breath on a demo anytime soon, but it's nice to know one is coming.

BioWare is making the Twitterverse excited with hints about a "Secret Feature X" that will be in Mass Effect 3, a feature that Bioware claims will make everyone buzz. Whatever it is, it isn't the Kinect-enabled feature for the Xbox 360 version, nor is it any sort of multiplayer.

Mass Effect series lead designer Preston Watamanuik tweeted: "Writing the spec doc for Secret Feature X this morning. The easier it is to write a detailed spec the more confident I am in the design."

Meanwhile, assistant producer Bill Buskell tweeted, "With @PWatamaniuk back in the studio this week, our team was plugging away on Secret Feature X. Gameplay room was buzzing! #excited #ME3"

Speculation of "Secret Feature X" is leading to wild speculation - what do you think it will be?

Mass Effect 3 is due to be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the Spring of 2012.

We first found out about the SR-2 miniature back in May, but it wasn't yet available for pre-order. If you look over at the Bioware store today, you'll see that it can now be ordered for $35.

The ship measures 6 1/4" long, and it's estimated to begin shipping in November.

Mass Effect 3 executive producer Casey Hudson dropped this rendering of new team member James Vega, as a community reward celebrating his 10,000th Twitter follower. Whoever's No. 10,000, thank you for that.

Vega debuts in ME3 and is meant to represent the perspective of a new player coming to the story. As a character, he occupies something of an antihero role, an experienced soldier with a realpolitik sense of the galaxy and its underworld.

Ursus-Veritas, who sent along the tip, notes he looks a ton better than his original reveal, in the 'Alternate Appearance' outfit to be included in the collector's edition.

I have just started ME1.. but already looking forward to ME3 coz I really want to finish the trilogy

but i really wanted to collect the whole trilogy on Steam.. and looking at the situation between valve and ea, i am kind of worry..