Mass Effect gets a release date

Xbox 360's sci-fi RPG will see release by the holidays

August 31, 2007

Microsoft and BioWare have announced that their upcoming RPG Mass Effect will be released to the Xbox 360 on November 20 in North America.

Mass Effect is a highly-anticipated scicence fiction game that combines role-playing, strategic and action gameplay. The game has already received numerous awards from various events and publications, including "Best RPG" at E3.

Mass Effect features a dynamic dialogue system that brings characters to life

BioWare, the game's developers, are best known for their work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, another RPG set in George Lucas' famous sci-fi universe. Knights of the Old Republic was also highly-acclaimed, being one of the few Star Wars franchise games to receive widespread critical success.

Much of Mass Effect is reminiscent of the style and setting of Knights, but the storyline and setting are original. The game boasts a large playable area, where players can independantly explore the galaxy, acting out storyline components in a liberal fashion.

Mass Effect will retail for $59.99 U.S. and is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. The game is also set to launch in Europe on November 23.

The battle system in Mass Effect combines RPG and action elements, much like Knights of the Old Republic did.