New Mass Effect story coming soon

We knew it was going to be coming eventually, and now we know that the first downloadable content for Mass Effect is coming on March 10.

From the press release issued today:

“Bring Down the Sky” includes a new uncharted world that introduces the notorious and feared alien race of the Batarians. A Batarian extremist group has hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, setting it on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova. Only Commander Shepard can save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid completes its deadly descent.

400 points gets you 90 minutes of extended story and a possible 50 Xbox Achievement points.

When I interviewed the developers at BioWare last fall, they told me that downloadable content will add to the overarching Mass Effect story, so playing through this expansion will enhance your overall Mass Effect experience.

I'm in. Anyone else excited about the potential of downloadable content as a way of extending and expanding upon stories?

Jade Empire 2

While we're on the topic of BioWare and sequels, San Jose Mercury columnist Dean Takahashi reports that he's spoken with someone who has seen the code for Jade Empire 2.

The first game was a well-rounded RPG set in an Asian-influenced world. You took on the role of a martial arts student who ended up on a quest to get revenge for the destruction of his home, and learns his story along the way.

Takahashi's source says the Jade Empire 2 code is for the Xbox 360, which makes sense given that the first game was an exclusive to that platform.

But Takahashi also notes that this could change given that BioWare/Pandemic were acquired by Electronic Arts late last year.

What do you think? Should Jade Empire 2 remain an Xbox exclusive? Or would you like to see it debut on the PS3?