Gamertell

When EA Games said Mass Effect 2 would be out in early 2010, it really meant early 2010. EA has just announced that the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Mass Effect 2 will be released throughout North America on January 26, 2010. A pretty nice way to welcome in the new year.

As is the trend with game preorders as of late, those who preorder Mass Effect 2 at certain retail outlets will have access to certain in-game bonus items. People who preorder at GameStop/EB Games will receive Terminus Armor, designed for extreme conditions that boost shield strength, speed and allow for extra weapons ammo, and a M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon, which adds to the number of heavy weapons available and sounds like it’ll deal a lot of damage. The picture of Commander Sheppard on the right has the character wearing the Terminus Armor and carrying the Blackstorm gun.

If you preorder your copy of Mass Effect 2 from a store other than GameStop, you’ll only get the in-game Inferno Armor. Like the Terminus Armor, the Inferno Armor increases speed. It also reduces damage taken from combat attacks and gives Commander a negotiation bonus.

Maybe it’s just me, but somehow these extra pre-order in-game items seem like authorized cheating. The items all seem like they’d make the game a bit easier for players. Anyway, if someone has to choose which preorder to go with, I’d recommend GameStop. Getting two exclusive items is always better than one.

Read [Reuters] Also Read [BioWare Blog] Site [Mass Effect 2]