Besides beer, hockey and universal health care, few things make me prouder to be Canadian than to see a Canadian based development studio do well. Especially when they provide content for my platform of choice, the PC. I’m talking, of course, about BioWare and their recent announcement that their highly rated (91 on MetaCritic) 360 “exclusive” RPG Mass Effect would be coming to PC this May.
Find out what will be different after the jump!
Because all video games are made on a PC, and then customized/formatted for whichever console they are targeting, it comes as no surprise to me that a successful “exclusive” 360 title would be making the jump to PC. It’s not a very big step vs. releasing it on another console like the PS3. Especially when you consider BioWare’s past AAA exclusives, like Knights of the Old Republic, also found their way to PC’s.
The PC version will feature an improved version of the 360’s “questionable” inventory system and decryption mini-games. On top of those minor changes, will be the ability to use hot key assignments and, of course, better graphics at higher resolutions. Which makes me happier than Dave at a Frag Dolls reunion.
Mass Effect has been one of those games that my console loving compatriots have been using to encourage me to buy a 360. I have not made that commitment yet, because almost every huge AAA 360 title makes its way to PC eventually, and is almost always superior. Kinda like COD4, BioShock, Gears of War and Orange Box were.
The only other change will be that EA will now be in direct control of publishing the PC version, with Microsoft Games Studios continuing to publish the current 360 version and its downloadable content. EA will continue to publish all future installments of the Mass Effect.
This is one of those times when it feels good to be a PC gamer. We get to play Mass Effect at its best, the way it was meant to be played. Like Volkov said when the extra content for the PC version of Assassins Creed was announced, now is the time to “commence the pointing and laughing!”
Source: GameSpot
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14 responses so far ↓
1 Sean // Feb 14, 2008 at 8:09 am
does this make me first…Mass Effect on 360 was good but everything is better on pc
2 Frantik // Feb 14, 2008 at 8:43 am
I can’t even find the time to play Mass Effect now. Besides, I prefer the consoles over PC (calm down PC gamers, I’m not saying PC is bad) because it’s much more simple for me. Updated graphics don’t concern me since I’m legally blind to begin with (I can still see but I don’t usually notice most differences in graphics). I’m happy with what I got.
So point & laugh all you want, it ain’t bothering me.
3 Pojut // Feb 14, 2008 at 9:13 am
I’m excited about this too…and for one primary reason. It has nothing to do with bug fixes or enhanced graphics…I can’t to see what kind of mods the community develops for this game. You know it’s going to happen.
http://www.livingwithanerd.com
4 ajnokia // Feb 14, 2008 at 9:59 am
I have a PS3 and dont really play PC games. But Im going to get this or download it anyway
5 Keith K // Feb 14, 2008 at 10:38 am
Beer + Hockey = Necessity for Universal Health Care.
I too will be grabbing this for PC as I dont have an Xbox.. Its never really appealed to me.. but I just built a new PC and it needs some love. Im sure its better than WoW.
6 Some guy in a van // Feb 14, 2008 at 11:03 am
I’m pretty sure that CoD4 and Orange Box were not developed specifically for the 360. Also isn’t Sum 41 Canadian too?
7 PacManPolarBear // Feb 14, 2008 at 11:41 am
^ True. But I never said they were exclusive, just that they were big successes on the 360, and better on PC.
As to Sum 41…well, I like to pretend they don’t exist.
8 thunderball65 // Feb 14, 2008 at 1:38 pm
you can have your little bit of extra content. i mean you do have to spend so much money (the price of consoles) upgrading your system every year. a little bonus is good for you.
9 Cube // Feb 14, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Damn now I will have to buy the game twice.
I got the Xbox 360 collectors edtion since they did not annouce it for PC and I wanted the Tin box with extra stuff.
im going to wait until the PC version is in the discount bin though then play a new class on PC.
The xbox 360 version controls blow, and it’s full of bugs so I never even bothered to play it until they patched it.
They are never going to fix the controls that blow though damned gamepads. I do not think they can fix all the slow down on the XBox 360 either the PC will have some muscle.
I cant wait to play it in higher res though with my SLI nivida 8800 gtx’s
10 Cube // Feb 14, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Orange box Was PC source engine existed before the BOX 360 was even on market.
anything using unreal engine 3 ran on a PC first the first tech demo showing gears of war content was shown on a PC until microsoft came in and said I think we want this to launch how late it was.
As for anything else since XBOX 360 is a scaled down PC using Direct X it will run on both xbox 360 and PC with almost 0 effort.
So anything the xbox 360 can not handle can be thrown on a PC make game run on high end PC scale back for xbox 360, you go xbox 360 port. then you ship the Pc version at the right time.
So in that way since the xbox 360 uses so much PC code all xbox 360 games are “PC ports”. in most cases xbox 360 gets them first because microsoft talk/ shovels money there way.
Or they ship out xbox version early cut content have bugs then keep working on the PC longer and ship when it would have been “done” and you get a better game on PC.
mass effect you can tell it was a PC game and they are shipping it out now when they had more time to finish it, and I am sure Mircosoft shoveled a little green there way and said only HYPE the xbox 360 port and ship it on the “holidays “bug filled or performance good or bad.
Ohh and the controls are obviously for a mouse why even have free aim with a gamepad? if you are making a gamepad game as an action RPG you want a type of “lock on” aim not free mouse like AIM that will suck on an xbox 360 gamepad.
11 clstirens // Feb 15, 2008 at 1:01 am
There are many things that go into this, though. The games on 360 have to be “hard-wired” into the 360’s “OS” so that they can properly integrate with the blades and Live. They are specially built for the system’s 3 cores, and are based around the entire system’s specs.
Sure, they are programmed on a PC, but they are later compiled and placed on dev-kit Xboxs. The same can be said of ANY title. It isn’t like the devs look at a disc/cartridge and THINK the game into existence.
As far as this version being better? Yes. It will be cheaper (by $10, watch), and it will run at higher resolutions, with more AA. It will also have mods, and user-created quests.
But some people can’t afford the equipment. Some people don’t CARE that much. So it is really just awesome news for PC gamers. Nothing more.
12 Kachi // Feb 15, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Doesn’t really matter to me, I’m happy to know I got the greatest RPG of 2007 in november instead of whenever.
Just sitting back for the downloadable content and ME2 now, my computer couldn’t even run Mass Effect anyway. O.o
13 Yoooooouuuuuuuu // Feb 16, 2008 at 9:24 pm
What, no faster load times.? =(
14 Burken // Feb 18, 2008 at 6:55 am
“Fell the rush of riding the slowest moving elevators in the world, now on you PC!”
I don’t hate Mass effect I love it
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