When EA acquired BioWare a while back, many were worried they would turn Mass Effect into an EA franchise. I mean to say, they would crank out a sequel year after year, thinking more about quantity than quality. Well, EA Games president Frank Gibeau has definitely not put our worries to rest in a recent discussion with industry analysts.

I guess we can now expect to see Space Game 09 sometime this fall, and each year thereafter. On the bright side, we can look forward to Mass Effect Street HomePlanet down the line, right?

Hit the link for the juicy details on EA’s game plan for the future. Hint: Sequels.

Link: New Burnout, Skate on the way [Via Joystiq]

Link: Fox News’ Expert Backs Down From Xbox ‘Mass Effect’ Sex-Scene Attack

Link: Alt Text: More ‘Filthy’ Games to Drive Fox News Crazy

Adam Sessler of G4 has chimed in regarding the Fox “News”/Mass Effect fiasco. This guy knows how to rant and it’s awesome! And yes, I will continue to put “news” in quotes whenever I mention Fox.

Update: YouTube has pulled the video citing copyright claim by G4. I will be sure to put the video back up, should I find another copy somewhere.

Update #2: Thanks to Stephen Przybylowski from G4TV, we now have the video once again.

Shortly after the original “news” piece aired, Amazon was flooded with negative reviews of her books. Many people admitted they had never read the book, a direct reference to Lawrence’s admission that she had never played the game. Amazon has since removed the negative reviews, which is disappointing. It’s not like Fox News can simply “remove” the damage that they have done to the reputations of Mass Effect and Bioware.

Lawrence has now apologized for her remarks in a New York Times article published today. In the article, Lawrence says the following:

“I recognize that I misspoke. I really regret saying that, and now that I’ve seen the game and seen the sex scenes it’s kind of a joke.

“Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it’s like pornography. But it’s not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of ‘Lost’ that are more sexually explicit.”

It’s a nice gesture, however, one wonders if it was only done to subdue the backlash that she would inevitably continue to receive. Also, where is the apology from Fox News for airing completely false information? I believe the word is “slander?”

Link: Author Faults a Game, and Gamers Flame Back [Via Joystiq]

I’m so glad that EA stepped up and said what all of us have been saying the past two days. They have the media presence to actually get a response from someone as big as Fox News. I only wish they had demanded an apology instead of asking for it, but I guess we can’t have everything we want.

Hit the jump for excerpts from the letter and video of the Fox “News” segment that sparked the controversy.

[Via Kotaku]

As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.

Your headline above the televised story read: “New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex.” Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots – a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It’s also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.

FNC voice-over reporter says: “You’ll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex.”
Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.

FNC reporter says: “Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers.”
Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature – appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.

Commenting on the people in the round table discussion following the interview, the letter states:

They have had zero experience with Mass Effect and are largely ignorant about videogames, the people who play them, and the ESRB system that governs their ratings and sales.

Lastly, EA makes the comparison to TV shows that no one in the media seems to understand:

The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

This isn’t a legal threat; it’s an appeal to your sense of fairness. We’re asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.

If you are into straight action games and are looking for something along the lines of Gears of War, this is not your game. If you are a fan of the KotOR series also created by Bioware, you will love this game. I’m going to leave out some of the details and try to get straight to the point.

Some of the pros for this game are that you can make up for skills that your character lacks, by choosing teammates that have those skills. Also, whatever level you are at, you’re teammates are at, even if you haven’t chosen them for any missions. The story is great as well as the voice acting. Bioware does a great job of making you feel like you are a part of the world that they have created.

The game is not perfect and is probably not going to convert any action gamers to RPGs. As of this writing, Mass Effect scores an average of 91 on Metacritic. I think that is a fair assessment. It is one of the better games for the Xbox 360, but definitely not the best. The combat is a little clunky and the game suffers some frame rate issues. Some of the side quests start to get repetitive as well and the inventory system is a mess.

I overlook the minor issues that keep this game from being perfect because the game is fun. I enjoyed the KotOR series and I loved Mass Effect. It has great graphics, good sci-fi and voice acting. Playing the game over and choosing the ‘renegade’ path kept the experience new and fresh and I played through it a second time.

Our scoring system is based on what we think the game is worth between $0-$50. I know next-gen cost $60 because of a supposed $10 next-gen tax or cost or whatever you want to call it. I call BS and say that they are just trying to squeeze more money out of the consumer.

I give Mass Effect a score of $45. If this is your type of game, you’ll enjoy it. It feels epic. It feels next-gen and that is what I hope to see continue with more next-gen games.

Score: $45 / $50

How We Score