News - Mass Effect 2 launch date and pre-order incentives revealed

[HEXUS]

Mark your calendar and lock in your copy of Mass Effect 2 now!

Read more.

[Perfectionist]

Looks like they are trying to move American-style preordering onto the UK:

Codes for downloading these items will be provided to players who have pre-ordered, usable when the game is released.

Pre-order bonuses include special-ops armor and weaponry that are designed to boost Commander Shepard’s skills and abilities. Terminus Gear includes the powerful Terminus Assault Armor and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon. Terminus Armor is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo. The M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2.

Inferno Armor will also be available as a separate pre-order incentive. This item is 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.

Specific UK retail partners for the two pre-order bonuses will be revealed soon.

So basically you'd have to buy the game twice if you wanted to have all equipment available... I bet there'll be a player-made patch out within a few days of release - Well for people not playing on their idiot boxes anyway.

[Gunbuster]

I don't have any problem DLC being added as an incentive to pre-order as long as the vanilla game is complete. WH Smith often gets extra DVDs and magazines bundled in with computer magazines.

Really looking forward to Mass Effect 2.

[finlay666]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

Looks like they are trying to move American-style preordering onto the UK:



So basically you'd have to buy the game twice if you wanted to have all equipment available... I bet there'll be a player-made patch out within a few days of release - Well for people not playing on their idiot boxes anyway.

Or you pre-order from 2 places, then return one to Game under their 28 day policy still sealed for a full refund

[Mogglewump]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

Looks like they are trying to move American-style preordering onto the UK:

Not so much trying as this has been a standard tactic for quite a long time now. I'm struggling to remember the first, but certainly Fable 2 had these kind of incentives. Not to mention Game / Amazon / HMV / Play special editions which have an extra x or y that only they have.

Dragon Age Origins has probably one of the most confusing product lineups - pre order, digital preorder, bonus edition, digital collectors edition, collectors edition + preorder bonuses from various shops, EA online store incentives...reminiscent of the "Choose a Vista" idea really.

[Perfectionist]

I think the only other time I saw it done for a PC game was Hellgate London. I guess it's part of the consoleification movement led by MS, it's all going to blow in their face though like with games for windows/windows live - PC Gamer mag had a good feature bashing on that this month.

[kalniel]

Originally Posted by Perfectionist

I think the only other time I saw it done for a PC game was Hellgate London.

Dragon Age: Origins, Need for Speed: Shift, Dawn of War 2, NWN Limited Edition, etc.

[Perfectionist]

Ah, no remotely interesting ones then anyway, apart from dawn of war 2 maybe (not got around to trying it). Though that's pretty new still compared to hellgate london (about 1/2 years now)

[Perfectionist]

More of the same BS:

News - Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition unsurprisingly announced

will include unique in-game weapons and armour that can only be obtained by purchasing this version"