"Well, if anyone previously doubted my motivations, this should clear things right up..."

But yeah, that’s what’s about to happen. Call it Fanboi rage or something.

Last night, my long wait for Mass Effect 3 finally came to an end. I’ve spent the last month or so playing and re-playing the ME3 demo and wrangled three friends into getting online and playing the multiplayer portion of the demo with me. I went back and played ME and ME2 just to try to get in a fix while I waited.

I’m not against waiting. I actually like when the anticipation builds to a fever pitch and most of the best things in life are worth waiting for. Maybe not all of them but most of them.

What does set my Rage Level to 11, however, is arriving to pick up my game, which, I might note, has been paid for in full since the first day the game was available for pre-order, and discovering there is already DLC being sold the night of the launch.

I have no idea what Electronic Arts was thinking. We’re not talking about some Day One patch that has to be downloaded before I can play but a DLC package that requires me to pay extra to have all of the content on the night of its launch. PAID DLC ON DAY ONE. Let that sink in for a second.

This is like going to the movies and shelling out the cash for your tickets, sitting through a movie you’ve been waiting to see, only to have the lights come on before the climatic ending, and being told that to see the end of the movie, it will be an extra five bucks.

Dirty pool, EA.

It gets better. A little research and Crutchboy discovers that the DLC we’re shelling out an extra $10 for is actually the extra content available with the Collector’s Edition. So now you’ve not just slapped the general gaming populace in the face by providing paid DLC on launch but you’ve also pretty much invalidated the extra content the Collector’s Edition folks were looking forward to enjoying while the rest of us waited for the day when the DLC was made available.

Sure, those who shelled out the extra cash for the CE probably get some physical goodies. Though based on my own lackluster experience with the CE of SWTOR, I can’t say the extra 20 bucks was worth an ME coffee mug or whatever EA packaged into the game since you’ve gone and made the extra content, the actual meat of what you were pitching to those interested in the Collector’s Edition, available to any poor schmuck who feels obligated to give you an extra ten bucks on launch day to make sure they’re not missing out on anything.

This is the end of “us”, EA. I’ve shelled out money for your titles and I’ve been a loyal fan of some of your games for years. You disappointed me when I found my last purchase of Madden to be the version I got the year before with an updated roster and a new coat of paint. You disappointed me when you started tying all of your in-game content to pre-orders of titles I had no interest in or on playing demos of games I really didn’t care to play.

You’ve made some good decisions in the past few years, namely the purchase of BioWare and all of the intellectual property that entailed, but you’ve made some glaring mistakes that I’m finding harder and harder to ignore. Offering me paid DLC on the night of the launch of one of the most anticipated titles on my very short list is the final straw.

You’re not getting any more money from me. Oh, I’ll continue to play the titles I’ve already purchased but I won’t be purchasing any new games or any further DLC from you. I won’t be pre-ordering any more games, giving you the excuse to artificially inflate your sales numbers by counting pre-orders as full sales in the present fiscal quarter.

More importantly to me, though I doubt you’ll notice, will be my silence in regards to any of your new titles. I won’t talk about them, write about them, or recommend them to friends.

And sadly, that means I won’t be purchasing anything else your genius step-child, BioWare, produces in the future because you’ve taken a brilliant product line and applied your ever shadier business model to it.

Gritskrieg – End of Line

(Hollywood Reporter) – Legendary Pictures has picked up rights to “Mass Effect,??? the Electronic Arts-BioWare video game. Mark Protosevich, the scribe who wrote “I Am Legend??? and worked on “Thor,??? is in talks to pen the movie, which will be produced by Avi and Ari Arad as well as Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni.

“Mass,??? which debuted in 2008, is an epic sci-fi action game set in the year 2183, focusing on a human soldier and his starship, the SSV Normandy. The galaxy-spanning story involves a long-extinct race of aliens, dormant beacons and more alien species than you can shake a lightsaber at.

The project is still in the early stages of development, though any game-to-screen undertaking would require a massive commitment. So far, humans vs. aliens movies have tended to be set on Earth, which makes those films easier to shoot while making them relatable for mass audiences.

One of the by-products of the success of “Avatar??? has been showing that moviegoers will follow and invest themselves in non-human characters if given a reason to, which opens the door for more alien movies.

The players involved all have experience in undertaking giant-sized production. Legendary’s credits include co-producing such tentpoles as “The Dark Knight,??? “300??? and the recent “Clash of the Titans??? remake. Avi Arad is the former chairman of Marvel Studios, whose Arad Prods. is developing a feature film version of video game “Drake’s Fortune.???

CAA-repped Protosevich is known for his large-scope sci-fi work. In addition to “Legend??? and “Thor,??? the scribe worked on remakes of “Stranger in a Strange Land??? and “The Bride of Frankenstein,??? both still in development at their respective studios, and is writing the English-language translation of “Old Boy??? for Mandate.

Tull called “Effect??? “ripe for translation,??? saying it had “depth, compelling characters and an engaging back story.??? Arad described the game as “a parable whose conflicts mirror the ones we currently face in our own world. This story emphasizes the need for all cultures to learn to work together.???

Casey Hudson, who exec produced the game series, said BioWare always “thought ‘Mass Effect’ was perfectly suited to be a motion picture,??? while Pat O’Brien of UTA-repped EA said the game was seen early on as having cross-over potential by EA Entertainment, whose mission is to take key EA titles and develop new ways to expand their audience.

“Effect??? will fall under Legendary’s co-production and co-financing agreement with Warner Bros., who will distribute the film worldwide.

BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk will serve as executive producers, as will Hudson.

Bioware claims no scenes were pulled from Mass Effect 2

(Kotaku.com) – Mass Effect 2′s tamer sex scenes led some to believe that BioWare held something back, after the 2008 uproar over Mass Effect started by the Network That Must Not Be Named. But a dev sternly denies that charge.

User Menelaos1971 opened a forum thread on the subject, calling the sex scene in Mass Effect 1 “a step in the right direction for Rated M games,” but implied that the uninformed uproar over it chilled BioWare’s intent to extend the theme in the sequel. He also alleged that BioWare was given orders from EA that an M for violence was OK, but not nudity, because it might affect sales. “Or was it just EA lawyers,” Menelaos1972 wrote.

Stanley Woo, a member of the QA story team for the game, replied forcefully:

“It’s kinda funny that this topic keeps coming up over and over again. People who claim to be old enough and mature enough to handle sex and nudity in a game seem to believe that any lack of sex and nudity in the game is a sign of self-censorship. They generally don’t believe that a game can be called “mature” without explicit sex and/or nudity.

Let me tell you, folks, that as a developer full of mature individuals, we are also free to not have explicit sex and/or nudity in our games, no matter what you, Fox News, the government, or Bunky the Wonder Clown has to say about it. We have never considered it a “problem,” it is simply a choice we have made and we have every right to make that choice.”

Redemption bridges the gap between ME1 & ME2!

(Press Release) – Following up on last week’s news of the explosive first issue of Mass Effect: Redemption disappearing out of stores across the country, Dark Horse and EA announce that the series’ second issue will be reprinted as well.

Mass Effect: Redemption tells the exciting back-story that led up to the events of Mass Effect 2, the recently released video game developed by the award-winning creative team at BioWare. The game’s lead writer Mac Walters takes up the pen to give fans exclusive insight into the events that unfolded between the conclusion of the original Mass Effect, and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars Legacy), this four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies of this rich science fiction landscape.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience. Mass Effect 2 was released on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI (please visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.eu for more information on ratings). For more news from the development team, please follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at www.masseffect.bioware.com.

“We knew we had something special on our hands with Mass Effect??? said Dark Horse Director of Public Relations, Jeremy Atkins. “Even still, watching this series sell out issue by issue is exciting, indeed!???

For those who have yet to read the explosive first issue, it is also currently available for download on iTunes for just 99 cents.

Mass Effect: Redemption is the fifth title to arrive in Dark Horse’s ever-growing stable of comics available on the iPhone platform. Other titles available now include Gerard Way’s smash hit Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Terminator: Death Valley, and multiple titles the critically acclaimed line of Star Wars comics.

Mass Effect : Redemption

THE YEAR’S MOST ANTICIPATED NEW COMIC SERIES EXPLODES OFF OF THE PAGE AND ONTO YOUR iPHONE!

(Press Release) – Tomorrow, the year’s most anticipated video game Mass Effect 2 is released nationwide. In celebration, Dark Horse and Electronic Arts Inc. announced that the comic will be released to the iPhone mobile comics platform.

Mass Effect: Redemption tells the exciting back-story that led up to the events of Mass Effect 2, the eagerly anticipated video game developed by the award-winning creative team at BioWare. The game’s lead writer Mac Walters takes up the pen to give fans exclusive insight into the events that unfolded between the conclusion of the original Mass Effect, and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars Legacy), this four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies of this rich science fiction landscape.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience. Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI (please visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.eu for more information on ratings). For more news from the development team, please follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at www.masseffect.bioware.com.

“We’ve been trying to figure out a way to not only profit from these new technologies, but to use them in a way that it would drive customers into the stores of our loyal retailers??? said Dark Horse Director of Communications, Dirk Wood. “We came up with the idea of this staggered release in hopes of accomplishing just that.???

Mass Effect: Redemption is the fifth title to arrive in Dark Horse’s ever-growing stable of comics available on the iPhone platform. Other titles available now include Gerard Way’s smash hit Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Terminator: Death Valley, and multiple titles the critically acclaimed line of Star Wars comics. The first issue will hit iTunes February 3rd, just in time for the release of second issue of the series.

For more information, please visit www.darkhorse.com/Features/Mobile.

Mass Effect 2, which launches January 26, will be buzzing with tons of additional content in 2010 (to add even further to the game’s immenseness). Xbox Live has noted that we can expect to see several add on features in the marketplace such as “planned episodic combat via DLC,??? weapon and armor packs, new downloadable characters for the “campaign experience,??? new downloadable worlds, as well as “full campaign expansions for download.???

Also mentioned is that the game will carry “periodic updates,??? which features DLC, via Mass Effect 2’s unannounced in-game “Cerberus Network.???

And to dazzle us fans a little bit more, posted via Bioware’s Twitter, the studio indicated there will be launch-day DLC and it won’t cost anything. Hear that? Not that any of us BusyGamers would even get around to loading up (or even you for that matter, ME2 is 2 discs HUGE) more content on day one of the launch, it’s should keep our science-fiction appetites well catered to for a good while.

Official Tweet: “Addressing rumors: BioWare will not be charging extra for any new Mass Effect 2 content on launch day. More DLC details next week.”

[Source]

HO, HO, I puHOwned you.

So I know some of you out there are late on the get go, heck I’M ALWAYS late on the get go. I’m speaking to those of you who just now managed to be on the adequate behavior list, and ole Santa went and decided to drop you a Xbox 360 down your chimney last week. Now you have all that cash that your Aunt Edna and Uncle Willard passed on to you since they found out that you wern’t a Jonas Brothers fan, and bought you the boxed set last year…ahh what to do with all that fat dough.

Well I thought that I would convey on to you some vital info, since we do mingle some games around here with our busy lifestyles. Yes, we are awesome, and yes we occasionally get to fire up a console now and then. That being noted, I’d like to compile a few ‘must haves’ for new Xbox 360 owners out there. We know, since you’re here, you understand our BusyGamer Theology, and may not have, nor want to take risks on game titles that (a) you know nothing about; (b) may have the potential to just suck, and really suck; or (c) cost too much to risk beer money on.

So here below are some definite titles to consider, I’ve also tried to keep the genres varied (to cater to your playstyles). But these are games that I refuse to vendor back to my local resale shop, hence the fact I always come back to them. Kinda like bad girlfriends, only less pricey.

I could be running over prostitutes.

RANDOM CHAOS GAME
Grand Theft Auto IV – No questions asked. They should ship this to you when you buy an Xbox 360. You’ve seen it, you’ve heard the controversy in it, and yes, it’s all what they make it – AND MORE. For a 2007 game release, it is still one of my favorites that does not lose any thing on replay. It’s always fun running down pedestrians, chasing criminals (and the law), jacking a new Ferrari because you scratched yours on that old lady crossing the road, or taking over the local Burger Shot at gunpoint with my friends online, to see how many cars we can pile up in the lobby.

ROLE PLAYING GAME
Mass Effect – As much as I write about this game, and anticipate the sequel coming January 26, no surprise that I would put this on a list. And for someone new to this console, a $19.99 game that is well rounded, fun, surprising, beautiful, and well deserving of a play through with a new character type, this is a steal. A Science Fiction, RPG, third person shooter, with action reminiscent of Starship Troopers meets Star Trek meets Space 1999, hell I’m sold. AND a great story to boot!

We still look the best in armor.

FALLOUT 3 – Can you say HUGE? Let’s add a few DLC’s and then HUGEAMOUS! Yeah, this game is big. Not too good on the staying busy with your normal life, but a fantastic RPG game set in a post-nuclear-fallout environment. This game makes me feel like a character out of Road Warrior, mainly because my armor never matches and I’m always out of ammo. Guns and melee weapons are great, tons of quests, playthroughs will guarantee new things to discover, and if you think you’ve seen it all – just download some new content episodes, available online via the Xbox Live Store.

SPORTS GAME
Madden Football – Since one comes out every year just pick one. If you don’t care about the new rosters, and you plan to create all your friends on your hometown team, then buy one that is 2 years old. They all offer pretty much the same thing, and seeing my name on the back of a Texans jersey is damn exciting in my book. They all play great, and football video games are good party starters, plus injuring your friends for the season is fantastic too. Madden Football + beer + bowl of Doritos = win, no matter how you look at it.

Claymore, or less, I win.

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER
COD:Modern Warfare 1 or 2 – Like a story where you (the heroes) get to shoot the terrorists (the enemies) in a third world country? We do. Like a game that boasts an arsenal of real military weapons that you get to test drive, in a world where that would be impossible to the general population? We do. Like a game that offers hours upon hours of online multiplayer gameplay, with so many unlockables, that they themselves have wikisites dedicated to them? We do too. And again some could argue that the Halo series overpowers this, but I vote no, (my article, my rules), and lets add even more varied teamplay to the dish, better maps, and well executed co-op missions to challenge you and your war buddy.

STAR WARS GAME (yes it gets it’s own category)
Star Wars : Battlefront II – One thing that makes the Xbox 360 superior to other consoles, is BACKWARDS COMPATIBILTY! That brings this Star Wars title (from the original Xbox) to the table that won’t get pawned at the store. As much as I love the Star Wars franchise, a majority of the serious Lucas games are a big fail. Most of them. Not this one, BFII is still kicking butt at my house from a ‘console ago’. If you need a blaster fix, this is your game. The story starts at Episode III and goes on into Episode VI and beyond, even includes the fan based cosplay club, the 501st, in the story line, /WIN!

Old, but never outdated.

There you have it, these are all great games (my all time picks). And they most ALL have won awards for how bad a$$ they are, in their respective categories. As for the older titles, well it’s a bonus – because NOW they are discounted, and can be readily found at your local “previously-played shops”. So get to it, their are plenty of old worlds to fight battles in, and all in all, these worlds definitely deserve being saved again, and again, and again….

As we get closer to 2010, Bioware is unleashing more and more info on the second release of the Mass Effect Trilogy. This trailer came out this week from G4TV.com and depics some stunning cut scenes that show some very ‘live action’ footage. This video looks spectacular, over the top, blood and guts, and we are very intrigued about the character ‘Miranda’ (the brunette seen in the white armor above) who is noted as being the genetically manufactured ‘perfect woman’ (hell yeah to that!).

The Mass Effect series continues on Xbox 360 and PC January 26, 2010. And you bet your Asari ass, BusyGamer.com will be on top of it. Well, yeah… that’s what she said.

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Gamespot released yesterday this video “12 Minutes of Mass Effect 2″ that highlights some of the new gameplay featured in Bioware’s 2010 sci-fi double disk release.

As seen in the reel, those of you familiar with the first game Mass Effect, will see some old and new places on the Normandy (your huge warship), new combat play, and what looks like a new ‘collecter’ feature not seen on its predecessor. We see in Shepherd’s private quarters a display area for ship models he can acquire, along with 2 wall aquariums where he can show off his latest catches. This will appeal to some of you hardcore explorers out there who like to unlock every item in the game.

Another very interesting detail is the new inventory system on the ship to view your weapons, and what looks to be some background info on your armory, some 3D imaging of the guns, and even new ways to customize your battle armor, on and off the ship including your casual wear.

Mass Effect 2 launches on Xbox 360 and PC January 26, 2010 worldwide. No release for PS3 is currently noted.

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What will a movie do for the franchise?

(IMDB) – With almost no talk about the movie since September when the rights were purchased by Avi Arad, Mass Effect movie adaptation has received an IMDB page. Avi Arad, known for his cinema versions of Spider-man and Iron Man, has not confirmed which studio he plans on to film the movie with. While nothing is posted in the credits, there is one important piece of information: 2012. The movie is due out before the world is supposed to end.

With a Mass Effect movie on the way, is there something that fans of the series would like to see put into the film? Would you like it to be shot in live-action or be developed as an animation? Would Shepard be a male or female? Give your thoughts below!

Editors Note: And in light of this story, we ran across a new trailer featuring the stars of Mass Effect 2. Bioware is hitting hard with this one,  check it!