I never thought I'd say that I wish I were Canadian. I mean, really, don't you all remember the South Park Movie? Now BioWare's trying to ruin that for all Americans by having an open contest to not only visit BioWare at their Vancouver offices, but also to win $500 spending cash and a free trip from wherever you live in Canada and back.

Fair? I think not. Does America deserve it? Considering how expensive it is to ship anything across that border, most likely. Just look at magazine prices here and there. Will we all yell and scream about it? Most definitely.

Click here to see the contest rules

To begin with, recently I have been a console-only gamer. I have not played a PC game in the past two years, so I must give it credit for that alone. However, after beating Mass Effect 2, I felt satisfied yet could not see the huge hype. While this is not technically a review, I will be speaking about a few aspects of the game and what it means for RPGs.

(more...)

More news from the EA conference call that took place earlier today, this time on the Mass Effect front. EA says to expect "something far-reaching from Mass Effect" sometime in its fiscal 2011.

"Winter of 2011 marks the chilling return of Dead Space, a highly rated, fully-owned franchise," said COO John Schappert. "Another big driving simulation from Need from Speed, a new shooter being developing by Epic Studios and co-published by EA, and finally something far-reaching from Mass Effect."

So what do you reckon it could be?

[via Destructoid]

BioWare has announced that a new weapon and armor set will be hitting Cerberus Network tomorrow, February 9 for Mass Effect 2. The Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun will be available for free on PC and Xbox 360 at 12:00pm Mountain Standard Time.

Hit the jump for more info on the gear.

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For the second consecutive week, BioWare's Mass Effect 2 was the UK's highest-selling game, beating out former chart-topper Just Dance and Modern Warfare 2 while fending off the newly debuted Dante's Inferno. This is even despite a 64% drop in sales last week, according to GfK Chart-Track data.

Sony's new FPS MAG landed at number seven this week, and Star Trek Online falls at number 11.

[via Chart-Track]

Many gamers have complained about the really, really small text used in Mass Effect 2. On a standard-definition TV, it's almost unreadable apparently. BioWare has announced that it's not fixing the issue.

"We understand that on some (SDTVs) the smallest text in Mass Effect 2 can be difficult to read," said project manager Michael Gamble on the game's message board. "While this was not an intentional result, it was a byproduct of the enhancements to the user interface.

"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update."

Sorry gamers, you'll either need to get glasses or an HDTV. BioWare says it will consider the issue for future Mass Effect titles, but by then, you should have an HDTV. Really.

We've already received two free DLC packs for Mass Effect 2. BioWare announced on its Twitter that more free content is coming to those who have activated Cerberus Network. "Free in-game content in a couple weeks for those who have activated Cerberus Network! Stay tuned for more details," they write.

More weapons and armor? More missions? We're taking bets.

Yesterday, someone discovered that the PC version of Mass Effect 2 had what clearly appeared to be some PS3 code. BioWare has dispatched the myth that their game is coming to Sony's console, saying, "The Unreal Engine is cross platform, hence the PS3 code. This was brought up back in Mass Effect 1 days as well.

"Mass Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360."

So now it's final. No BioWare love on PS3. Go play something else, like Uncharted 2.

There have been plenty of rumors suggesting BioWare's Mass Effect 2 is coming to the PS3, but this is the most telling evidence we've seen yet. Someone did some digging and found PS3 code buried deep within the PC version of the game. Here's the code itself:

[SFXGame.BioSFHandler_CharacterR?ecord2]m_nMaxRenegade=1900
m_nMaxParagon=1957
m_srXPFormat=340881
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessageXBox?=348754
m_srParagonRenegadeMessageXBox=3?48755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePC=3?48753
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePC=348?755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePS3=?348755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePS3=15?3007

BioWare, of course, has refused to comment.

[via Kikoo]

According to BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, the company's best work is "still ahead" of them. He noted that they are prepared to one-up their latest masterpiece, Mass Effect 2.

"The way we approach it, is that each game has to be better than the last one," he told CVG. "That's always been true for the last 20 years we've been doing this, that's just what we do. It's kind of in our culture now.

"I think the team finds it reassuring that you've done something good, you've got great sales, great critical success, but they're driven by making the next thing even better. That's what drives me.

The BioWare boss realizes it's going to be a huge challenge, but that's what makes it worth while. It's what drives him.

"If it wasn't difficult it wouldn't be worth while," added Muzyka. "Our best work is still ahead of us. That's why I'm doing it, because I think our best work is still ahead of us and that's why our teams are doing it I think."

BioWare's next title will be Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the studio will be announced one or more new games at this year's E3.