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Mass Effect Screenshot 1

Mass Effect 2, is coming to an Xbox 360 or PC near you on January 29th 2010 and is set to get us off to a great year for gaming.

The science fiction RPG-Shooter action returns for this second game (in what will eventually be a trilogy), placing gamers once again Commander Shepard's boots, commanding your crew on a suicide mission in space.  Selecting each member of your squad will have a direct impact on the direction of the story and your survival chances, and will be pivotal to the storyline line.  After assembling your squad from a choice of powerful mystics, geniuses and convicts you will lead them on what looks like a one-way mission to work out why humans are vanishing from the galaxy. 

"Grunt" is a new character for Mass Effect 2, a violent and unpredictable Krogan fighter with huge physical strength who must be tamed, and trusted, to ensure Shepard's success.  A deadly assassin, Thane, will also enter as a new character, a deadly assassin who we first met in June.

A third new character will enter in the form of "Subject Zero", a handful of an action-girl with some deadly combat experience and strength to bring to the party.  With a mysterious past and hefty firepower she will be a valuable ally in Mass Effect 2. Subject Zero will be a formidable biotic – as powerful as she is intriguing, with detailed tattoos marking her favorite kills – “the good ones”. Mystery and fascination surround this uncontrollable rebel, promising to bring some excellent depth and character development to the game.

As with most big (or even medium size releases) these days, Crackdown 2 will come with Pre Order exclusives including special-ops amour and weapons such as the Terminus Assault Armour (for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo) and the M-490 Blackstorm (Generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass). Inferno Armour will also be available as a separate pre-order incentive, used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times – together these abilities translate in-game into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard and an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.  Play.com are advertising Mass Effect 2 with the Terminus Assault Armour Unlock Code but it is not currently clear which UK retailer will offer the Inferno Armour.

Also common for medium-large scale video game releases, a Collectors’ Edition will be available in limited quantities, which will come in a premium tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos. In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armour that can only be obtained by purchasing this version.

A game with claims of a deep and engaging story with a quality plot, as Mass Effect 2 has, will always be in need of the best actors to deliver it and a host of relatively well known voices have been drafted in. Martin Sheen (“The West Wing”, “Apocalypse Now”), Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Saddam”), Seth Green (“Austin Powers”), “Chuck” stars Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, Keith David (“Crash”), Michael Dorn (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”), Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”) will all make appearances.

Martin Sheen stars as the mysterious Illusive Man who commands Cerberus, the secretive paramilitary group dedicated to protecting human interests in the galaxy. Yvonne Strahovski plays Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson, genetically engineered for better mental and physical traits. Returning from the original Mass Effect is Seth Green as Joker and Keith David as Admiral David Anderson. Tricia Helfer will appear as EDI, the voice of the new Normandy; Carrie-Ann Moss as Aria T’Loak, the crime lord who rules the planet Omega; Shohreh Aghdashloo will play Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay; Michael Hogan as Captain Bailey; Adam Baldwin as Kal ‘Reegar; and Michael Dorn as Gatatog Uvenk.

I'm looking forward to Mass Effect 2 and enjoy the fusion of RPG and shooter action.  Looking at the line up for early 2009 this should be a big seller when it's released and could be one of the first 2010 purchases for a lot of gamers.