Unlike the first game, Mass Effect 2 won’t allow players to start the next playthrough with all the skills and attributes gained throughout the previous one. Addressing a question on BioWare’s forum, lead designer for Mass Effect, Preston Watamaniuk said that the main reason for this change was that the developers wanted to offer a, “smooth transition into Mass Effect 3.” His exact words after the jump.

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No one outside Sony will disagree that PlayStation Home, which launched less than a year ago, has been a disaster. And they may well have begun to accept that, because they’re now working on an enhanced version of its online service for the PS3 and PSP – the PlayStation Network, due for release around spring 2010.

Kaz Hirai, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, has revealed to Fortune that they’re building the new service on the current PSN base, but will mould it according to the needs and capabilities of the different devices. It also sounds like there will be quite a visual overhaul when the new service is launched. “It’s now a matter of what all the services need to look like for each device, and coming out with a rollout plan,” he said.

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After the successful GI FIFA 09 League back in January, we’re back with season 2 for a last hurrah before the release of FIFA 10. Danny has rung in the changes, so rather than the 30-player league format of the first league, it’s going to be a Champions League-esque group format this time around.

We originally planned to run two parallel GI FIFA 09 Leagues on Xbox LIVE and PSN, but it seems the Xbox 360 league may be delayed or cancelled. The PS3 league however, is very much on course to kick off on July 1. FIFA fever continues all month as GI members battle through the group stages, followed by the knockout phase, and culminating with the finals on August 1.

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Serious Sam, the much famed classic shooter franchise is back in glorious HD much to the delight of fans. Majesco Europe has announced that a Serious Sam : The First Encounter remake titled Serious Sam HD will be coming to PC and Xbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360 later this summer. Developed by Croteam and produced in partnership with Devolver Digital, the game is said to make use of the all-new Serious Engine 3.

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The rumor stork has dropped a little nugget for us today. A job posting on the Contractorindex website mentions the requirement of QA Tester / Game Tester position for Bioware’s upcoming online epic by the foreign office of a large Indian BPO. The description is reproduced below:

Job Title: QA Tester/ Game Tester
Company: Ienergizer, Granada
Date From: 10/2007
Date To: 04/2008

Description:
EA/ SONY/ BIOWARE: Star Wars: Knight of Old Republic- Game based application

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a massive multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) video game by BioWare and Lucas Arts collaboration. My job as a leading team member to perform testing on different layers of the build like functional, regression, Smoke, BVT, Ad hoc, Frame rate, Graphic, System testing using V model methodology. Creation of test cases, checklists sending daily and weekly reports to manage includes bug reporting.

A google search of iEnergizer reveals that it is a BPO based in Noida with offices abroad. I wonder if this means we’ll find some easter eggs in the game that can only be enjoyed by us folk (shall we say, Indian exclusive Easter Eggs?).

I wonder if anyone here works for or has heard of iEnergizer.

Thanks to the rumor stork for the heads up.

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