Mass Effect 2 - PS3 Demo

Earlier today, Sony provided a Christmas present to PS3 owners, demos of Mass Effect 2 and Little Big Planet 2. The PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 has been hotly anticipated since its announcement only a few months ago, it being the first time PS3 owners will be able to experience the world of Mass Effect. Mass Effect 2 for PS3 will also have a downloadable interactive comic that will affect your ME2 save files, affecting 6 key decisions from Mass Effect, including which teammate dies on Virmire, if Shepard romanced a team member, and whether or not Wrex survived. The remaining 3 decisions are most likely whether Shepard saved the council or let them die, whether Shepard killed the last Rachni, and whether Shepard followed the Paragon or Renegade paths. The main reason for the interactive comic, besides the lack of a PS3 release for the original game, is the original was published by Microsoft Game Studios and will more than likely never see a release on the PS3. Because of the extreme delay in bringing Mass Effect 2 to the PS3, the PS3 version will also include the following DLC packs pre-included: Kasumi - Stolen Memory, Overlord, and Lair of the Shadow Broker. The Blood Dragon armor previously only accessible for pre-ordering Dragon Age: Origins will be be pre-included since Dragon Age did not see a PS3 release. A Cerberus Network activation code will also, of course, be included, which will also include the DLC for Zaeed's mission line, the M-44 Hammerhead, and "extra weapons," probably referring to the now infamous Eviscerator shotgun that makes Vanguard a force to be reckoned with even before acquiring the Scimitar or Katana shotguns.

A special treat is also in store for people who purchase the PS3 version. ME2 on PS3 will run on a beta version of the Mass Effect 3 engine. I've played the demo already and the game is very close to the graphics and performance of the PC version, but nowhere near dethroning it. A completely affordable gaming PC can run Mass Effect 2 just fine. I have Windows 7 64-bit, an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU running at 2.66 GHz, 4 GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 graphics card. Other than the graphics card, the computer will be more or less standard fare in 2011 for a PC. Of course if you don't want a gaming PC and already own a PS3, Mass Effect 2 is a MUST. I won't be purchasing it for PS3 since I already have 1 and 2 on my PC, but if I hadn't ever owned an Xbox 360 and experienced Mass Effect for myself, I would definitely be lining up in January to get it on PS3.

The PS3 demo includes the opening sequence consisting of the destruction of the Normandy SR1 and playing through the Lazarus Facility, then skips ahead to Omega where you do the mission to recruit Mordin. Gameplay is similar to the Xbox 360 with its obvious lack of buttons compared to a keyboard. Assigning powers to shortcuts was a giant step that needed to be made since constantly pausing the game just to use Pull on an enemy got tedious after a while when I played the 360 version of Mass Effect. Teammate powers are much easier to assign compared to the PC version, but having only 3 buttons to assign Shepard's powers is severely lacking compared to the PC version's 8 slots.

Here's to hoping PS3 gamers heed the call and get Mass Effect 2!