In just over a month the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 will hopefully be hitting store shelves. To provide some solace for gamers, producer Jesse Houston revealed that the game has gone gold and will be featuring some vast improvements as compared to its Xbox 360 counterpart. While BioWare had before announced that Mass Effect 2 would carry an improved look, Houston dropped a bomb when he announced that said improved look will come as a result of the game being run on the Mass Effect 3 engine.
Houston went on to describe exactly what improvements gamers can expect in the PS3 port:
"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."
It might not be the exact look gamers will eventually see in the multi-platform Mass Effect 3, but it should provide something for PS3 gamers to hold over Microsoft supporters’ heads for a while. There have been no serious looks at Mass Effect 2 in action, but expect to get a better idea when the demo releases very soon.
Houston was also happy to announce that BioWare didn’t stop at improving the visuals for the port but also tried to tighten the experience for the PS3 player saying:
"The controls are geared to the PS3 controller, [although] you can switch it back to the old Xbox 360 style controls if you'd like. Things like planet scanning have been improved, we've rolled in all the patches, done a ton of bug fixing."
Though most of these fixes came to Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360, having them installed from the start should certainly up the fun factor, especially in the mining department.
Mass Effect 2 on the PS3 is going to be the perfect starting point for every gamer to get on the same page. The interactive comic fills them in on the back-story of the first game and the second game sets the stage for the final title in this trilogy’s arc. Pack in some DLC to sweeten the package and gamers have all they need for a solid gameplay experience.
Xbox 360 owners, how do you feel about the Mass Effect 2 PS3 port using the Mass Effect 3 engine? Do you think it’s a clever marketing ploy to encourage double dipping or will it really make a difference?
Mass Effect 2 releases for the PS3 on January 18th in the US and the 21st in the UK.
Source: Gamespot