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Bioware Considering Mass Effect DS

Zach Lott — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:07:17 -0500

Are you interested in a DS version of Mass Effect? So is Bioware, as Miles Holmes, lead designer for Sonic Chronicles, has spoken to Eurogamer about the possibility of new iterations of several of Bioware's key IPs hitting the DS, stating that the company is interested in "basically anything that reinforces the franchises."

Holmes also said that Bioware has "a lot of big plans for Mass Effect" and that "a DS version would be an awesome way to keep interest alive." He also pointed out that Bioware's handheld division's current role is to reinforce major title releases and that they plan to have the capacity to work on three projects at once in the future. That should lead to plenty of interesting announcements once Bioware decides what they want to work on.

Xbox 360 Kills Candles, Tops Charts at 17.7 Million Units Sold

Shiva Stella — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:56:16 -0600

While I have no idea why you'd want to stick a candle next to your Xbox 360, MyGEN has discovered that the unit has surpassed its baby-killing predecessor and moved into the realm of candle devastation. See above.

As if to bask in its latest evil accomplishment, Microsoft has confirmed that it has sold 17.7 million Xbox 360 units since launch; Halo 3 has sold more than 8.1 million copies, followed by BioWare's Mass Effect at 1.6 million units.

Keep your candles away from you videogame consoles, kiddies.

Jade Empire 2 In the Works for Xbox 360

Shiva Stella — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:55:33 -0600

According to journalist Dean Takahashi's personal blog, BioWare - the popular developing house behind such titles as Mass Effect and which was recently purchased alongside Pandemic by Electronic Arts - is working on Jade Empire 2.

Takahashi claims that he has spoken with someone who has "[seen] the code" for JE2 on the Xbox 360, but did not comment as to if the game was a Microsoft exclusive or would also see release on the PlayStation3 or Wii. We'll keep you updated.

Mass Effect Effects Mass Sales, Over 1m Sold

Aaron Dunlap — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:07:34 -0600

You people sure love you your Mass Effect. Although analysts predicted the game's November sales to be in the 300,000-range, Microsoft has confirmed that the BioWare action/RPG/time-suck game has sold over a million (with an 'm') copies worldwide in just over three weeks.

For a game that isn't Halo, that's huge.

The blue alien doin'-it scene probably spurred the massive sales figures.

GB Preview: Mass Effect (360)

Eric Jonathan Smith — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:40:01 -0600

It's hard enough to stand out amongst the flood of new releases that deluges the end of every year, but something even harder to do is meet expectations when your game just happens to be made by BioWare. The game in question is Mass Effect, BioWare's galaxy-spanning action RPG. Hype is no stranger to Mass Effect, but with the BioWare pedigree from titles like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights, most would agree the attention is justified.

In Mass Effect you play as Commander Shepard, a character you can fully customize in terms of gender, appearance, and abilities. In true RPG form, Abilities come from your chosen class, from standards like the gun-toting Soldier to the Biotic-dabbling Adept. Mastery of classes will naturally open up more complex options. General combat revolves around a squad-based mechanic where you only have complete control of Shepard. The complete customization of Shepard from the aforementioned abilities to even his/her morality may prove to be quite a timesinker.

What is Biotics? Biotics is, simply put, the game's magic and refers to the game's title. "Mass effect" within the game universe is tied to a discovery of an invisible matter along the lines of the real-life scientific hypothesis of "dark energy" which is said to be, among other things, accelerating the expansion of the universe. Certain beings can manipulate this dark energy and voila - you have Biotics. Combat is only one side of Mass Effect's attraction. Interaction with NPCs through complex dialogue choices is a BioWare staple thanks to Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire and Mass Effect has promised to up the ante in this area. In lieu of choosing from a list of responses, you choose your general attitude from a wheel and your character will respond thusly. You can also interrupt NPCs while they are speaking and they will emote appropriately. Players looking for replay value need look no further from the gaggle of options from these interactions alone.

In short, Mass Effect's appeal to the hardcore gamer may be as wide a span as the adventure it contains. BioWare has also confirmed that it is the first of a series, though EA's recent acquisition of BioWare has raised questions as to whether the series will remain an Xbox 360 exclusive as it is now. Regardless, Mass Effect ships to the Xbox 360 in North America on November 20 and in Europe on November 23.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: BioWare
Release: Nov 20, 2007
MSRP: $59.99
Live | Limited Edition | Mature

EA's CEO Changes Company's Revenue Model, Questions Industry

Eric Jonathan Smith — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:58:15 -0500

Electronic Arts' CEO John Riccitello revealed today a shifting of his company's focus away from licensed titles and more to original brands. This helps explain EA's recent acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic Studios, which to Riccitello was worth the $860 million price tag to acquire them.

Speaking with CNN Money, Riccitello outlined in some detail EA's future plans and philosophy, of which - no surprise here - Madden is still a huge part. More importantly, he questions the game industry's ability to sustain the $60 price tag for games and admits change must be made soon.

Click on the 'Read' link to jump to the full article.

Lucasarts and Bioware Team Up, KOTR MMO in the Works?

Tim Grube — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:08:18 -0500

Two massive videogame companies, Lucasarts and Bioware, announced today the creation to take over the world. Well, not really - but they did announce they have teamed up to create a whole brand new videogame for next-generation platforms.

Considering their collaborations in the past (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, anyone?) and the fact that this is LucasArts, which means that whatever the project is there's a high chance that it's related to the Star Wars brand, those old KoTR MMORPG rumors have once again hit the Web. Click the jump for more info.

Excerpted material follows:

"LucasArts has a deep commitment to developing compelling stories and characters for the unique medium of interactive entertainment, and we have been searching for a developer that shares this value. We found this in BioWare, said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. "Through our previous collaborations, we know that BioWare has an impressive ability to blend gripping stories with technological advancements, and we believe that our upcoming product will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment.

"BioWare's mission is to deliver the best story and character-driven games in the world, delivering powerful emotional experiences to our fans, said Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer, BioWare Corp. Added Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare Corp., "The collaboration with LucasArts allows us to combine our passion for creating high quality and innovative experiences with those of a company dedicated to bringing only the finest games to market.

Essentially the buzz is high for whatever BioWare has been working on, but what's even more interesting is that BioWare/Pandemic was recently purchased by Electronic Arts this month for a cool $860 million and one of the reasons given by EA for the purchase was an un-listed MMORPG. Whatever the title is, it's expected to launch sometime in 2009.

In the meantime, BioWare's Mass Effect is set to release on November 20 for the Xbox 360. Only one review is in at the moment, but Game Informer has given it a 98 (view the summation here).

Knights of the Old Republic III In Development?

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:22:00 -0600

According to a few reports, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III is supposedly in development over at Obsidian Entertainment. The reports (and logic) indicate that the game will be on a next-next generation console (never thought I'd hear myself saying that) and such a system is likely the Xbox 2.

While it does sound true keep in mind that no official announcement has been made and as such, KOTR 3 remains little more than a hope. If we hear any new rumors on this popular Star Wars title we'll let you know.

Originally written by Shiva Stella