Were you one of those Xbox 360 owners that was disappointed when it was announced that the PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 was going to have a motion comic to play through the events of the first game? Are you the type of Mass Effect fiend that has read all the novels and comics, played through the game every possible way, and contemplated buying a PS3 just so you could experience this awesome comic? Well, worry no more, as Mass Effect 2: Genesis is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 320 Microsoft Points. Obviously you need to have the game to be able to play the comic, but it will work the same as it did on the PS3. Make key choices that were available in the first game and have them carry over to the sequel. Too bad this wasn’t available a couple of months ago when Aaron played through the original.

In a conference at GDC given by Quantic Dream’s David Cage, the man behind Heavy Rain, Cage revealed that 72% of gamers who started Heavy Rain actually finished it. To put this into context, the industry average completion rate is between 20% to 25%. That’s triple the average. When compared to another popular game of last year, and a staff favorite, BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 was completed by 50% of gamers who started it. Still impressive but short of Heavy Rain’s impressive number.

While the stats don’t point to one game being better than the other, it is interesting to note that two games that are driven more by narrative than shooting have such high completion rates. One could argue that Heavy Rain‘s gameplay style is also more conducive to completing the game than a traditional shooter. Hopefully, with numbers like these, we will see more games that have a focus on narrative rather than just blowing things up. On that note, be sure to check out our Bulletstorm review which will be up shortly.

As if Mass Effect fans weren’t excited enough of the upcoming PS3 version of Mass Effect 2, BioWare’s Jesse Houston added to the growing hype around the game in a recent podcast. Houston stated that Mass Effect 2 would be running on the Mass Effect 3 engine. According to Houston had this to say regarding the upgrade:

“One of the first things you’re going to see is improved graphics,”

“We actually created the engine for Mass Effect 3 and then used that to make Mass Effect 2 PS3. We took the content, the story, all the other assets that made Mass Effect 2, and we put it into the Mass Effect 3 engine. That’s what we’re actually delivering.”

On top of getting an improved engine, an exclusive motion comic, and all of ME2′s DLC, Bioware is adapting the controls to the DualShock controller. Houston noted that the classic controls would still be an option.

You can check out the whole podcast on BioWare’s blog.

Are all you PlayStation 3 owners ready to play the game that we’ve raved about for all of 2010?

Source: IGN

It was announced back in August that Mass Effect 2, the space-epic that will more than likely grace a multitude of “Best of 2010” lists, would be coming to the PS3 at some point in January. CVG reports that point being January 21st, 2011.

While the 21st is most certainly a point in January, the date seems a little dubious. First of all the date doesn’t fall on a Tuesday, which is when 99% of all video games are released. Also, the original source comes from Ciao People, an Italian news site that states all of this was announced at a press conference which, suspiciously, nobody else has reported on. GameStop lists the release date as 1/11/11, which is at least a Tuesday.

As we mentioned in November, PS3 owners will be able to catch up on all of the events from the first game through an “Interactive Comic.” The comic, created through a partnership with Bioware and Dark Horse Comics, will also allow players to make some of the big decisions from the first game which have repercussions in the sequel.

In addition to the core game, the disc will include three mission packs: Overlord, Kasumi: Stolen Memories, and Shadow Broker. The game will also include a code to access the Cerberus Network, which allows players access to additional weapons, a new mission and the previously mentioned “Interactive Comic.”

Mass Effect 2 for the Playstation3 has a MSRP of $59.95. Additional weapon and costume packs will be available on the PSN Store at some point.