PS3 gamers will finally get their chance to see what all the hullabaloo over the Mass Effect series is about when Mass Effect 2 finally releases for the console early next year. While some of those PS3 gamers might be familiar with the title, those that aren’t will be able to give good old Commander Shepard a spin when a short demo for the game releases on December 21st in the US and December 22nd in the Europe.

There is no word yet as to what section of the game players will be exploring in the demo,  but really any portion of this game of the year nominee should do. It really isn’t the story of Mass Effect that reels gamers in at first, it’s the gameplay that grabs players early on. Having made many substantial changes to the combat and the core mechanics, BioWare took a middle of the run first game and made a sequel that was the definition of improvement.

PS3 owners should be happy to learn that not only will they finally get a chance to check out Mass Effect 2, but also that Mass Effect 3, the just announced conclusion to the trilogy, will be releasing concurrently on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Now is the perfect opportunity to catch up on the lore of Mass Effect by first picking up Mass Effect 2, which contains an interactive comic that contains all of Mass Effect 1’s major plot points, and then waiting patiently for Mass Effect 3 like the rest of us.

There are a couple rumblings of negativity regarding BioWare’s decision to include Earth as a major plot point in the final game — many think it is too clichéd to be worthy of a planet-hopping series like Mass Effect. Until the game releases, it’s hard to judge the quality of the title but one thing is for sure, Mass Effect 2 set a very high standard. Try the demo out for yourself and try not to get hooked.

Any PlayStation 3 owners out there happy to get a demo before purchasing Mass Effect 2? How do you feel about the property making its jump to the console with Mass Effect 2 rather than the first game?

Mass Effect 2 releases for the PS3 January 18th in the US and January 21st in the UK.

Source: Kotaku