Mass Effect 2 PlayStation Store-bound

Next Tuesday, PlayStation 3 owners will get their first crack at BioWare's award-winning Mass Effect series, courtesy of Mass Effect 2. Nearly a year after it debuted on the Xbox 360 and PC to rapt reviews, the game will arrive for Sony's console on January 18 on the console's Blu-ray disc format. The expanded storage capacity of the format will allow for the port to also contain three previously released downloadable content missions--Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker, and Kasumi--on a single disc.

In a rare move, Sony and BioWare owner Electronic Arts are simultaneously releasing Mass Effect 2 as a digital download on the PlayStation Store alongside its retail launch. Because the game was originally too large for a single DVD--the Xbox 360 edition occupied two discs--look for a hefty install size of over 10GB. Both the downloadable and boxed editions of the PS3 game will cost $60--three times more than the current price of the Xbox 360 and PC editions of the game.

A demo for Mass Effect 2 is currently available on the PlayStation Network. It lets players experience the beginning of the game, as well as introduces them to Dr. Mordin Solus, a potential party member. Players must undertake a dangerous mission to recruit Solus, a fast-talking Salarian scientist who can both heal injured party members and craft complex weapons.

Billed as more than a simple port, Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 runs on a new engine developed for Mass Effect 3, which is due out this holiday season for the PS3, 360, and PC. The game casts players once again as Commander Shepard, a former Alliance Marine who finds himself in the employ of the shadowy pro-human group known as Cerberus. For more information, check out GameSpot's full review of the Xbox 360 edition of the game.