Mass Effect 2 Release Date Announced

BioWare has announced that Mass Effect 2 will hit North American store shelves on January 26, with some unique bonus loot for gamers who pre-order.

A pre-order for Mass Effect 2 at GameStop will earn players a code for the Terminus Gear, a set of special-ops weaponry and armor that includes the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon and the Terminus Assault Armor, designed for use in “extreme planetary conditions,” which increases running speed and personal shields as well as providing capacity for an additional magazine of reserve ammo. A pre-order at other retailers will come with the Inferno Armor, which also increases speed as well as augmented damage from combat powers, and provides Commander Shepard with a bonus to his negotiating ability.

“Our fans are in for a genuine thrill in the New Year with Mass Effect 2 – the second installment in the trilogy will be of amazingly high quality,” said BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka. “BioWare’s fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we couldn’t be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome bonus content!”

This works out well for me. The nearest GameStop is about two hours away and it’s a dump, and that’s fine because my Commander Shepard is more of a fast-moving smooth-talker than a big loutish goon anyway. EB Games, here I come! Mass Effect 2 will launch in North America on January 26, 2010, for the Xbox 360 and PC, and then on January 29 in Europe.