Mass Effect 2 affects X360, PC simultaneously

The Canadian studio BioWare has a history of releasing role-playing games exclusively for Xbox platforms--like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect--only to have them arrive on the PC a few months later. However, the studio will make an exception to that pattern, as it said the forthcoming RPG Mass Effect 2 will have a simultaneous Xbox 360 and PC release.

In an interview with VG247, Jesse Houston, the associate producer of the upcoming title, said the simultaneous launch was based on how the original Mass Effect was adapted for the PC.

"We learned a lot from building the PC version before, and having built it six months later, there was a big difference," Houston said, "So we actually took what we learned from PC and put it back into 360. Fundamentally, we want you to have the same gameplay experience, but just with the difference in controls. This time around, doing it at the same time for a sim-ship, we can control the differences much more smoothly because it’s the same team building it now."

Mass Effect 2 is expected to arrive for the Xbox 360 and PC before the end of EA's current fiscal year, which runs through March 31, 2010. The sequel to the 2007 action role-playing game Mass Effect, the upcoming title will allow players to import character decisions made in the original game.

For more information on Mass Effect 2, be sure to check out GameSpot's previous coverage.