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All Articles: Mass Effect
EA VP says a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster is “most likely” in the works at Gamescom
Believe it or not, but Electronic Arts is the only major publisher yet to release a remaster of one of their games from the PS3/360 era on the PS4 or Xbox One. But that might all change very soon.
Speaking to Game Informer at a pre-Gamescom event, Patrick Soderlund, EA’s Executive Vice President, revealed the company will “most likely” release a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster in the near future:
Game Informer: One of the things I asked you last year when we sat down at E3 was about Mass Effect. At the time, there were two publishers that hadn’t really dipped into the remaster world: you and Activision. Activision has since released a number of remasters or ports, and now they are working on a full-on remaster for MW. Revisiting this as the last man standing on remasters, has anything changed? Like a Mass Effect trilogy remaster?
Soderlund: What’s changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke. There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can’t announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully.
Obviously, Soderlund didn’t officially announce a remastered re-release of the Mass Effect Trilogy just yet. In an impressive display of verbal gymnastics, he even managed to sidestep the entire franchise by not actually using the words “Mass Effect” in his statement. However, with Mass Effect: Andromeda set to launch in early 2017, now would be a great time to revisit the franchise’s first three chapters.
Mark me down as someone who won’t be surprised if a remastered edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy is released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime soon.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2016, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3
10 Actors (and Actresses) We Think Could Play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Movie
BioWare’s Mass Effect series has proven so difficult to bring to the big screen that, according to Screen Rant, it turned screenwriter Mark Protosevich from ever attempting to tackle a video game adaptation again. Legendary Pictures producer Avi Arad has hinted the film could still be five years away. His boss, Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, explained to Ain’t It Cool last summer, “If you’ve played it and you know the universe, you know it is not uncomplicated. To try to hone that, to bring that down to a place that will translate into screen storytelling… we’re pretty close, closer than we’ve ever been. We’re committed to it, but it has to be great or we’re not going to do it. We’re treading on sacred ground. We’re not going to be the guys to screw up Commander Shepard.”
Yet, who could the filmmakers cast in such a highly respected role? They’ll need someone with Shepard’s rugged gravitas. Someone who can carry the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Someone who can sleep with half the universe.
While we wait ever-so-patiently for Legendary to pull its metaphorical finger out of its alien orifice, we thought we would scour the galaxy for an actor worthy of donning the N7 Armour. But just imagine for a moment that some bright producer within Legendary had an idea, an idea that blossomed into something unprecedented in the history of film: they film the same film twice. One version would include a male lead, while the other would place a woman (popularly known as “FemShep”) in charge of the Normandy. I’m not talking about a sci-fi version of Sliding Doors here. I want them to actually release two versions of the same film, and the audience can choose which gender of Shepard they wish to watch, just as they do in the game. How many fans would go see both?
This, I’m afraid, is likely the only way we will ever see a cinematic version of FemShep. Yet, if the producers set the casting directors to task in finding the right actress for the role, who would they choose? Bearing in mind that the character’s appearance is fully customisable, it could really be anyone, but taking the game’s FemShep alternate cover as a template, let’s also have a look and see which starlet could save the galaxy.
So here we go, two Sheps (and two films) for the price of one. (more…)
BioWare might bring the Mass Effect Trilogy to PS4, Xbox One
Aaron Flynn, the General Manager of BioWare Montreal, recently took to Twitter to confirm that the developer has thought about bringing the Mass Effect trilogy to the PS4 and/or the Xbox One:
@shinobi602 @YanickRRoy We have discussed that internally. If we can put solid plans together we'll share. Great to hear you're keen
— Aaryn Flynn (@AarynFlynn) March 2, 2014
The Mass Effect trilogy has spread far and wide in recent years, so it’s a bit hard to remember that the game was originally an Xbox 360 exclusive published by Microsoft. But after EA’s purchase of BioWare, the franchise expanded to the PC, PS3, and the Wii U. So a PS4 or Xbox One port wouldn’t be entirely unprecedented. Developers talk about remakes and re-releases all the time. Especially when new consoles become available. But the timing of Flynn’s reply is especially interesting. The original question was asked on December 9, which was 82 days ago. What reason would Flynn have for answering that question now? Especially when all eyes are currently focused on the officially announced Mass Effect 4.
But to paraphrase someone who probably paraphrased Freud, sometimes a tweet is just a tweet.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3
PSN Today: Guardians of Middle-Earth, Far Cry 3, Uncharted: Fight For Fortune, more
While the retail release pipeline has slowed to a trickle in the month of December, Sony is still soaking the PlayStation Store with a massive amount of new content.
This week’s biggest new addition to the PlayStation Network is Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3. The first person shooter is joined by WB’s Guardians of Middle-Earth MOBA, the original Mass Effect (and the Mass Effect Trilogy), the fighting game Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus, and many others. Six different PSone Classics (previously only available in Japan) have also made their way onto the PlayStation Store.
Uncharted fans may want to fire up their Vitas this week as Sony also added Uncharted: Fight For Fortune, a strategy card game featuring characters from the series, to the portable’s game store.
You can read more about all of these games (and a few others) after the break. And a complete list of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Far Cry 3, Guardians of Middle-Earth, Mass Effect
Not all DLC included with Mass Effect Trilogy
Those of you hoping to obtain the complete Mass Effect trilogy (including DLC) by purchasing the Mass Effect Trilogy are going to be out of luck. An FAQ on BioWare’s website has confirmed that most of the DLC expansions from the three games will not be included in the compilation.
The PC edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy will include Mass Effect‘s DLC expansions, “Bring Down the Sky” and “Pinnacle Station,” on the disc. The Xbox 360 edition will not include these expansions but players will be able to purchase them from the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Both editions of the Trilogy will include Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network, which grants access to “Zaeed: The Price of Revenge,” the “Firewalker Pack,” “Cerberus Assault Gear,” the “Arc Projector” weapon, and the “Normandy Crash Site” mission. The game’s many other DLC expansions, including “Arrival,” will not be included in the Mass Effect Trilogy.
Finally, Mass Effect 3‘s Online Pass for online multiplayer will be included in both the PC and Xbox 360 packages, but all other DLC will have to be purchased separately.
Any decisions on which DLC expansions will be included with the PS3 edition have yet to be made.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect Trilogy coming to PC, Xbox 360 in November; PS3 release coming later
By now, you’ve probably heard a lot of people call the Mass Effect franchise the “Star Wars Trilogy of Video Games.” But are you one of the many who has bypassed the series up to this point? If so, does EA have a deal for you.
The publisher has announced they’ll be packaging together the three games of the series as the Mass Effect Trilogy on November 6. Initially available only on the PC and Xbox 360, a PS3 version will be available “at a later date.” The first game in the series was never released on the PS3, so this Trilogy re-release means Mass Effect will finally make its way to Sony’s system. A separate PSN download of the game will also be available on this “later date.”
The Mass Effect Trilogy will be available for $59.99 and should be great preparation for EA’s first annual “N7 Day,” a November 7 celebration of all things Mass Effect.
Hopefully We’ll find out exactly what happens on “N7 Day” soon.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard has a face for television
Thaaaat’s right. BioWare is pumping Mass Effect through every media vein available, including today’s announcement of a full-length anime movie. FUNimation and T.O. Entertainment will be working closely with EA and BioWare on the film, which “will bring [the] rich universe to life with the utmost quality and the same attention to detail that the Mass Effect games are known for.” The Mass Effect anime will be available on DVD and Blu-ray next Summer.
We at Warp Zoned generally love the Mass Effect games, but it seems that the continuous ventures through every available outlet may overwhelm some Mass Effect fans.
But hey, if this is what works for EA, then by all means, seize it, and go with it – especially if it means that Mass Effect 3 will be as well-crafted as Dead Space 2.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mass Effect
Mass Effect universe expanding with more comics later this year
If you enjoyed last year’s run of Dark Horse’s adaptation on Bioware’s Mass Effect series, or their work to recap the original game on the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 (which we thought worked), you’re getting more crossover goodness in 2011. On a panel last Friday about Video Game Comics, Dark Horse representative Jeremy Atkins revealed that a new series is indeed in the works, due out later this year. They also confirmed that a comic series for Star Wars: The Old Republic is in the works, and writers from Bioware will be the ones penning the story.
The increasingly popular journey from video games to comics has been a rough one in the last few years, but from what I’ve gathered the Mass Effect crossover was a nice exception to the disappointing rule. Hopefully we won’t be let down and the new comics will pleasantly supplement the universe, along with Mass Effect 3 when it hits PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 this holiday season.