Although PlayStation 3 owners will get their own
Mass Effect 2 release in January 2011, it comes a whole year later than the title's 2010 launch to Xbox 360 and PC gamers -- and 2007's original
Mass Effect won't hit the PS3 at all. With that in mind, BioWare is taking an interesting approach to catching up players who might be new to the series.
The key events of
Mass Effect are more than simple background info: They comprise the history of the character, Commander Shepherd, with whom players begin
Mass Effect 2.
According to Kotaku's report, PS3 players starting
Mass Effect 2 will get a quick reprise of the events of the first game in the form of a comic book-- one that also allows players to make the six major decisions that have the most impact on the
Mass Effect 2 gameworld.
Mass Effect 2 allowed players to effectively continue the character they began in the first game, with the impact of that character's romantic and political decisions carrying over (provided players had beaten the first game fully and retained their save files).
Those who started
Mass Effect 2 without having played the first game could just begin a character from scratch and receive info on previous events.
But since PS3 players don't have the option of creating a character in the first
Mass Effect, the comic book provides an intriguing and speedy way to begin the game with some history in decision making if players so choose.
Further, the comic could be viewed something of an advantage, in that it's a much faster and easier process for PS3 users to build a history for one's character when starting a game of
Mass Effect 2 (versus beating
Mass Effect one all over again) in case players want to try multiple different playthough methods and different incarnations of Commander Shepherd.
