As requested, by many of you, latest screenshots from Mass Effect 2. 

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This is very cool.  Behind our great development teams are great families.  Our goal is for everyone to feel included at EA.  Hence, why it is awesome to see Bioware  Austin & Edmonton’s ‘Take our Kids to Work Day’. 

BioWare Austin – 2009 Take Our Kids to Work Day

Over 30 kids and their parents participated in a special Take Our Kids to Work Day on August 21^stat the BioWare studio in Austin, TX.   The kids enjoyed a studio tour, demonstrations from various departments, a pizza lunch with face painting and games, and of course, one-on-one time with their parents.   Not surprisingly, we have many little Star Wars fans in our BioWare family!  Everyone had a great time and we look forward to next year’s event.

BioWare Edmonton-Take Your Kids to Work Day

65 children and their parents participated in BioWare Edmonton’s first Take Your Kids to Work Day which was a tremendous success. The children were treated to a day full of activities including:

A studio tour, with an opportunity to learn how games are made, and ask questions of representatives from many of the disciplines at BioWare including Art, Design, HR and QA

• 1:1 time with their parents at their desks, so they could see what their parents do everyday
• A pizza lunch including games, activities and a balloon artist 

Everyone involved appreciated being able to show their children/brothers/sisters where they worked and what their day consisted of. It was a great opportunity to share our passion for games and game development with the next generation of gamers/developers/consumers! We look forward to repeating the event next year!

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

More Comic Con news….so if you are there….check this out.  And this is just as exciting…especially for fans of Mass Effect.  BioWare and Dark Horse Comics have announced a new comic book series based on Mass Effect, the blockbuster sci-fi action videogame that IGN.com rated the #1 Xbox 360™ game of all time.

Again sharing the press release for you:

‘In Mass Effect: Redemption, the story takes readers through the treacherous events leading up to Mass Effect 2 which opens with galactic hero Commander Shepard having mysteriously gone missing and left to fight for survival. What unfolds next will expose readers to new locations, aliens and extended storyline in the Mass Effect universe. Mass Effect: Redemption is scheduled to launch in January 6, 2010.

The Mass Effect: Redemption story is written by Lead Writer Mac Walters at BioWare. Walters is the script writer behind Mass Effect 2. He brings unique insight to the Mass Effect comic and nuance of the world within. The comic is scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars Legacy). This first four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies of this rich science fiction landscape.

Mac Walters and Omar Francia will be autographing a Comic-con exclusive Mass Effect signing card at the Dark Horse booth (#2615) on July 24th at 4:00pm – 5:00pm at Comic-Con International 2009 in San Diego, CA.

“Fans of Mass Effect are going to be pleasantly shocked by the events in these comics,” says Mac Walters. “We worked very closely with Dark Horse to make sure this story was built in to the Mass Effect 2 arc, right from the ground up. Reading the series won’t just add to your experience of the universe, it will change the way you look at Mass Effect 2… and beyond.”

“Those familiar with Mass Effect are aware that it offers one of the deepest and most compelling universes in the history of space adventure,” says Dark Horse President and Publisher Mike Richardson. “We have a long history of successfully adapting properties such as Aliens, Star Wars, and Serenity into comics, and we feel that Mass Effect has tremendous potential with regard to graphic storytelling.”

The narrative in Mass Effect: Redemption picks up just as Commander Shepard disappears and is left without the support of the crew on the Normandy in the lawless Terminus Systems. Shepard must fight for survival, and will be assisted by close companion, Dr. Liara T’Soni, to come home alive. This story is sure to be a must-read for fans looking to fill the gap between the first and second game’.

Mass Effect: Redemption issue 1 hits comic shop shelves on January 6, 2010.

Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PC in early 2010.

EArl

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Dragon Age: Origins is shaping up Beautifully from Bioware

In their GDC Canada key note address, Bioware founders and Co-Leaders, Dr Greg Zeschuk and Dr Ray Muzyka discussed their views on storytelling in games.  Bioware are of course, well known in gaming for their love of bringing compelling story lines into games, hence why this keynote was so fascinating.

Our friends at Gamasutra carried an overview of the session……take a look here:  http://tiny.cc/6BO8M

“What [games] are going to be in the next 30 years is limited only by, we think, the imagination” of game developers, Zeschuk believes. “Imagine mixing internal and external narrative seamlessly, with non-linearity. We’re the creators; it’s an exciting role to have. Narrative is one of the most powerful forms of expression.”

Love to hear your views on both current games that you think tell compelling storylines and also how games should evolve in the future…….

Take a sneak peak at Mass Effect 2…more details at E3

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.