170-636: Thane Krios is a fictional character in BioWare 's Mass Effect franchise, who first appeared in Mass Effect 2 as a party member (or "squadmate"). The character is a drell, a race of extraterrestrial reptilian humanoids who form a sociopolitical alliance with the hanar, a sentient species of jellyfish-like entities. Thane Krios is voiced by Keythe Farley in the video game series. A notorious professional assassin, Thane may be recruited by Shepard in
340-411: A Christian perspective , examined some of the religious beliefs espoused by Thane within the context of commonly accepted Christian doctrine. He compared Thane's prayers for his own wicked self to the concept of original sin and the practice of Christians praying to God for forgiveness of their own sins. Cronn found the prayer recited on Thane's deathbed to be very interesting as despite the fact that he
510-641: A PlayStation 3 version was in the works. Despite this, it was reported that the Microsoft Windows version of the game featured lines of code referencing the PlayStation 3. BioWare responded that the Unreal Engine 3 is cross-platform , which is why it includes PlayStation 3 code. Eventually, a PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 was released a year later than the Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 versions. The PlayStation 3 version uses
680-473: A patch that addressed minor issues such as crashes and long load times on single-core computers. A second patch, which reduced the mining time required to acquire upgrades and fixed other minor issues, was released in June 2010. At Gamescom 2010, BioWare announced that a PlayStation 3 version of the game was in development. Microsoft responded to the announcement that, despite losing the game's exclusivity,
850-496: A 2015 article. PC Gamer staff ranked him the fifth best Mass Effect companion in a 2016 article. Tom Marks remarked the internal conflict present in Thane makes him compelling as a sidekick, calling him the "personification of Shepard’s own Paragon and Renegade choices, and is the literal representation of their team marching slowly toward almost certain death". He also praised Thane's "gravelly voice", while another staff member rated
1020-517: A Reaper invasion, leading to events that bridge to Mass Effect 3 . Other plot-related downloadable content packs include the loyalty missions Zaeed – The Price of Revenge and Kasumi – Stolen Memory , and Overlord , which adds five new missions to the game. Unlike the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows versions, the PlayStation 3 version includes the Kasumi – Stolen Memory , Overlord , and Lair of
1190-489: A character he was emotionally invested in, by finishing off Kai Leng during a cutscene to be deeply satisfying and cathartic. A 2014 IGN reader poll, to determine the "Ultimate RPG Party", had Thane be the eleventh-most voted in character. The comparison between Kepral's Syndrome and cystic fibrosis provided by Weekes resonated with Elizabeth Rogers from The AbleGamers Foundation, who explained in her article "The Problems and Joys of Thane from Mass Effect" that she suffers from
1360-419: A combination of a tight development schedule, bug reports, and the constraints of 2000s game development, as team members did not have the benefit of support from downloadable game patches at the time. Weekes' view of Thane's Kepral’s Syndrome is that it is similar to the real-life disease cystic fibrosis . Chris Hepler took over as Thane's writer for Mass Effect 3 . According to art director Derek Watts, Thane
1530-406: A cure narrative as part of his story arc, which Rogers found to be respectful. She expressed a view that another writer who identifies as being chronically ill would probably have created a space for Thane to exist without death, "to be disabled and kicking ass well into the end of the series", but is content that he represents a movements towards greater inclusivity and representation of minorities in
1700-488: A darker and more mature sound to match the game's mood. The music incorporates orchestral and classic sci-fi arrangements, inspired by the soundtrack of the 1982 film Blade Runner and music by German electronic group Tangerine Dream . The harmonic structure of Wendy Carlos 's Tron soundtrack also represented significant influences. To complement each character, the composers gave them themes to convey their personalities and backgrounds. According to Kates, "it
1870-402: A fate experienced by many major game characters". He likes that BioWare still made an effort to remind players to cherish the things that matter to them as individuals, such as their life goals and loved ones, even if Mass Effect is a game series that resolves around big, galaxy-shifting decisions and impossible odds. Scott Deakin, writing for GamesBeat , found his opportunity to avenge Thane,
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#17328016853522040-542: A final cinematic trailer and launched six class trailers narrated by Norman. Electronic Arts sold-in more than two million copies of the game to worldwide retailers for its first week of release. Mass Effect 2 was initially released for Windows and Xbox 360 by Microsoft Game Studios in partnership with Electronic Arts on January 26, 2010, in North America and on January 29, 2010, in Europe. Microsoft published
2210-1261: A greater role in the galactic community and supports the principle that any methods of advancing humanity's ascension are entirely justified, including illegal experimentation and terrorist activities. The game's protagonist is Commander Shepard (voiced by Mark Meer or Jennifer Hale ), an elite human soldier who is the Commanding Officer of the SSV Normandy and Normandy SR-2 starships. Shepard's squad members include Cerberus operatives Jacob Taylor (Adam Lazarre-White) and Miranda Lawson ( Yvonne Strahovski ), recurring associates Garrus Vakarian ( Brandon Keener ) and Tali'Zorah (Liz Sroka), salarian scientist Mordin Solus (Michael Beattie), human criminal Jack ( Courtenay Taylor ), genetically engineered krogan super soldier Grunt ( Steve Blum ), drell assassin Thane Krios ( Keythe Farley ), asari Justicar Samara ( Maggie Baird ) or Samara's serial killer daughter Morinth ( Natalia Cigliuti ), and geth mobile platform Legion ( D. C. Douglas ). Other characters include
2380-475: A higher frame rate , and better lighting scenarios. According to Hudson, "I actually can't think of an aspect of the game that we haven't overhauled and made 100% better." Mass Effect 2 contains voices from 90 voice actors who play 546 characters and speak over 25,000 lines of dialogue. Voice recording for the game took twice as long as the original Mass Effect . The Unreal Engine 3's Matinee tool, allowing developers to animate characters during cinematics,
2550-399: A loose jacket that evoked the feeling of a professional. Early on, the developers tried to remove his jacket over animation concerns. However, these attempts were considered to ruin his whole design. His "balaclava-style" helmets tried to reflect his criminal background by imitating ski masks . Artists experimented with jewellery. The Thane in-game solely has a necklace. Joe Skrebels from IGN
2720-466: A love interest for her Shepard character, survives the suicide mission and expressed a hope that their romance story arc would be continued for Mass Effect 3 . Phil Savage from PC Gamer remarked that Thane's ending in Mass Effect 3 is brilliant, calling it a "quiet, sad triumph"; he's surrounded by family and friends at his deathbed, content with what he's achieved. Savage observed that "this isn't
2890-500: A medical simulation programme. The three also played video games for recreation, eventually deciding to develop their own. Their success in the medical field provided them with the funding they needed to launch a video game company. To make their first game, they pooled their resources, $ 100,000 CAD each, which resulted in capital of $ 300,000. The company was incorporated on 1 February 1995, though formally launched on 22 May 1995. Their first game, Shattered Steel , began its life as
3060-522: A mix of "aquatic" and "reptilian" characteristics. Thane ultimately went through eight or nine "phases" before his design was finalised. The character was originally intended to have three metal earrings on the sides of his head, but the developers forgot to include this in his model. Once his face had been set, BioWare began work on Thane's body, which Watts recalls as a less "exhausting" experience than designing Thane's head. Debates were had over whether Thane should wear tight assassin-appropriate clothing or
3230-516: A modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 called the Mass Effect 3 engine, the same engine BioWare used for the then-upcoming Mass Effect 3 . In this newer version, character models were slightly improved, and controls were updated to support the PlayStation 3 controller . An option which allowed to switch back to the Xbox 360 controls layout was also added. The music of Mass Effect 2
3400-705: A new Human-Reaper made from the genetic material of the abducted colonists. Destroying the machine powering the Reaper, Shepard prepares to destroy the Collector base. However, the Illusive Man proposes sterilizing the base with a timed radiation pulse to preserve the Collectors' technology and use it against the Reapers. After deciding the base's fate, Shepard destroys the awakened Human-Reaper and escapes with
3570-468: A new studio in Montreal , Quebec , to assist with existing projects as necessary. During the mid-2000s, BioWare staff developed a number of video game projects which were ultimately canceled. A handheld spin-off for Mass Effect franchise titled Mass Effect: Corsair , inspired by the gameplay of Star Control and played from a first-person perspective, was briefly explored as a potential project for
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#17328016853523740-590: A number of changes in BioWare's corporate status. In November 2005, it was announced that BioWare and Pandemic Studios (itself founded by former Activision employees) would be joining forces (with each maintaining their own branding), with private equity fund Elevation Partners investing in the newly named VG Holding Corp. partnership. On 11 October 2007, it was announced that VG Holding Corp. had been bought by Electronic Arts for US$ 775 million (equivalent to $ 1.14 billion in 2023). BioWare therefore became
3910-519: A one-time use card granting an access code that unlocks the game's Cerberus Network , an online downloadable content and news service that enables bonus content for the game. However, users who bought a used copy would have to pay for the Cerberus Network separately if they wanted access to the new content. This policy allows publishers to combat the used-game market; companies like GameStop have allowed customers to sell used games back to
4080-462: A particular action. After using it on the first Mass Effect game, the game's programmers were already familiar with Unreal Engine 3, so they did not need to communicate with Epic Games for support constantly. Although Mass Effect 2 was primarily developed at BioWare's Edmonton studio, a new team of 30 people was set to work at EA Montreal in March 2009 to supplement the teams already working on
4250-536: A personal game with much emotion. He praised the option of importing a character, stating that the overall experience changes as different saved games from the previous game are used. Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer positively highlighted the weight of social interaction on the outcome of events and that players feel actual pressure for their decisions. Further praise was given to the game's characters. Edge credited them for their complex personalities and great characterization , while GameRevolution pointed out that
4420-574: A prayer. As Kolyat and Shepard recite the prayer, Thane passes away. Kolyat will reveal that Thane's prayer was not meant for himself, but for Shepard. Thane's name will be added to the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck area after his passing in either Mass Effect 2 or 3 , alongside other crew members who have fallen. In the Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC, Shepard may hold a memorial service for Thane at their apartment. Following
4590-492: A proof-of-concept demo, similar to the MechWarrior games . This demo was submitted to ten publishers, seven of whom returned to the company with an offer. A publishing deal for Shattered Steel was eventually signed with Interplay Entertainment . Brent Oster and Trent Oster formed Pyrotek Studios, which continued developing Shattered Steel but broke up a year later, with Trent joining BioWare as an early employee to finish
4760-552: A restructuring of their role-playing and massively multiplayer online games development into a new group that included both Mythic Entertainment and BioWare. Ray Muzyka, co-founder and general manager of BioWare, was appointed the group general manager of this newly formed "BioWare Group". BioWare's other co-founder, Greg Zeschuk, became the Group Creative Officer for the new MMORPG studio group. BioWare's studios remained unchanged and continued to report to Muzyka. Near
4930-431: A total of ten points. Upon raising a power to its fourth rank, the player must evolve the power into one of two given forms. The player's primary mode of transportation is a starship which serves as Shepard's base of operations. Aboard the ship, the player can interact with the squad members, customize the player's armour, travel to numerous planetary systems , and scan planets for mineral resources. These resources allow
5100-486: A unit of EA, but still retained its own branding. In 2007, BioWare released the science fiction role-playing game Mass Effect . The following year, BioWare released Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood on the Nintendo DS , its first title for a handheld game console . Later, EA announced that BioWare would merge with Mythic Entertainment , another division of EA who would rename itself as BioWare Mythic after
5270-418: A video game. The depiction of Thane's religious piety and spiritual outlook has been subject to analysis. Researcher Greg Perreault examined Mass Effect 2 as part of his research on the depiction of religion as violent or problematic in video games. He observed that Mass Effect 2 does not portray its religious and spiritual themes in a positive light, but he considered Thane to be an interesting case because
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5440-550: A year after the release. Obsidian Entertainment (successor to Black Isle Studios) used an updated version of BioWare's Aurora, titled "Electron Engine", to produce Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006) and its three expansion packs (2007–2009). Like the original, the Electron toolset was released with the game. The Polish studio CD Projekt Red used the Aurora Engine to develop The Witcher , the 2007 video game adaptation of
5610-416: Is a galaxy map the player can explore to find and complete quests . Most quests consist of combat missions, but some involve the player interacting with non-player characters during visits to settlements. Different locations and new squad members become available as the player progresses throughout the game. Experience points are gained by completing quests. Each time a sufficient amount of experience
5780-492: Is a long quest that "works towards an epic climax", and when it arrives there, "it doesn't disappoint." A decade after the game was released, Eurogamer considered the game's finale "some of BioWare's best ever work" due to its choice complexity. Mass Effect 2 has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time by multiple publications, including Slant Magazine in 2014, IGN in 2015, Polygon in 2017, Game Informer in 2018, and GQ in 2023. In 2011,
5950-476: Is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Microsoft Game Studios and Electronic Arts for Windows and Xbox 360 in 2010 and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3 in 2011. It is the second installment in the Mass Effect series and a sequel to the original Mass Effect . The game takes place within the Milky Way galaxy during the 22nd century, where humanity
6120-568: Is based on BioWare's previous contribution to the Star Wars franchise, and was announced on 21 October 2008, although BioWare had first mentioned an unspecified new collaboration with LucasArts in October the previous year. The other games were Dragon Age II , the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins , and Mass Effect 3 . Following the release of Mass Effect 3 in March 2012, numerous players complained about its endings failing to fulfill
6290-408: Is brought to meet the Illusive Man, who reveals that entire populations of human colonies have disappeared all over the galaxy. Now working with Cerberus, Shepard is sent to investigate a recently attacked colony, encountering Tali and a contingent of quarians searching for their missing colleague. Shepard's team uncover clues that the Reapers are working by proxy through an insectoid alien race called
6460-468: Is no tension or challenge", but ultimately concluded that the game as a whole "does more than enough to live up to its predecessor". The reception for the PlayStation 3 version was similar. Colin Moriarty of IGN described it as "the best, most complete version of the game available" due to the upgraded game engine and the extra downloadable content packs. In contrast, VanOrd criticized the inclusion of
6630-418: Is obtained, the player "levels up" and is awarded Squad Points that can be used to develop powers for Shepard and squad members. Powers provide enhanced combat capabilities, with each power having four ranks that can be unlocked. Each rank costs the same number of Squad Points as its rank. For example, unlocking the first rank of a power requires one point, but unlocking all four ranks of a single power requires
6800-451: Is the story." During the first stages of development, the designers prioritized streamlining and polishing the shooting aspects; RPG elements were not added until this process was complete. According to lead designer Christina Norman, "we wanted more satisfying combat and a big part of that is making weapons more accurate and powerful at level one—basically saying 'let's take the RPG out of
6970-537: Is threatened by an insectoid alien race known as the Collectors. The player assumes the role of Commander Shepard , an elite human soldier who must assemble and gain the loyalty of a diverse team to stop the Collectors in a suicide mission . Using a completed saved game of its predecessor, the player can impact the game's story in numerous ways. For the game, BioWare changed several gameplay elements and further emphasized third-person shooter aspects, including limited ammunition and regenerable health . In contrast to
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7140-615: The Icewind Dale series (2000–2002). When Beamdog sought out a license from BioWare and started engineering enhanced versions of these games in 2012, they created an updated version of the Infinity Engine, referred to as the "Infinity Enhanced Engine" (alternatively Infinity Plus Engine or Infinity Bless Engine). The Aurora Engine was the successor to the Infinity Engine, featuring full 3D environments, real-time lighting and shadows, and surround sound . BioWare used
7310-517: The Mass Effect series was envisioned as a trilogy from its inception, work on Mass Effect 2 started shortly before the original Mass Effect was released. The game was initially developed exclusively for the Windows and Xbox 360 platforms with support provided by Microsoft Game Studios , focusing to have the same level of dedication. As a result, each version features different user interfaces and controls. Like its predecessor, Mass Effect 2
7480-595: The Mass Effect series, and the Dragon Age series. In 2011, BioWare launched their first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Star Wars: The Old Republic . BioWare was founded by Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk , and Augustine Yip. Of the founding team, Muzyka, Zeschuk and Yip had recently graduated from medical school at the University of Alberta , and had a background in programming for use in school. Together with Yip, they had created
7650-658: The Normandy ' s pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau ( Seth Green ), Cerberus leader the Illusive Man ( Martin Sheen ), and the Normandy SR-2 ' s enhanced defence intelligence, also known as EDI ( Tricia Helfer ). In 2183, shortly after the events of Mass Effect , the SSV Normandy , while patrolling for geth resistance, is attacked by an unknown vessel, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Shepard pushes Joker into
7820-466: The 2009 flu pandemic , a significant part of the team was ill during the last months of development, resulting in losing a man-year of time. Despite these factors, Hudson described the development of Mass Effect 2 as successful "on time, on budget, and exceeding quality goals." Lead writer Mac Walters considered Mass Effect 2 a very quick project, stating that the team did not have much time to second guess themselves. Initially, BioWare denied that
7990-484: The 7th British Academy Games Awards . Mass Effect 2 is considered a significant improvement over its predecessor and one of the greatest video games of all time . A sequel, Mass Effect 3 , was released in 2012. In 2021, Mass Effect 2 was remastered as part of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition . Mass Effect 2 is a single-player action role-playing game in which the player takes
8160-561: The Citadel Council controls a large percentage of the galaxy and is responsible for maintaining law and order among races of the galactic community. Races that belong to the Citadel Council include humans, asari , salarians, and turians . Other alien races in the game include the reptilian krogan and drell, the environmental-suited quarians , and a hostile race of networked artificial intelligence called geth. During
8330-463: The Mass Effect franchise , Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was announced as well as an all-new entry to the franchise that had just started development. On 3 December 2020, both Hudson and Mark Darrah, the executive producer on the Dragon Age series, announced their departures from the studio. Electronic Arts stated that work on the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games would still continue at
8500-603: The Nintendo DS in 2008. A sequel to Jade Empire was under development at one point. The project transitioned into a spiritual successor codenamed Revolver , which was canceled by 2008. Trent Oster led a team which worked on a spy-themed role-playing game codenamed Agent prior to his second departure from BioWare in 2009. Unused concept art for Agent and Revolver are featured in the art book BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development , published in January 2021. On 24 June 2009, Electronic Arts announced
8670-670: The Polish fantasy novel series , although the rendering module was rewritten from scratch. BioWare used an updated version of the Aurora, titled the Odyssey Engine, to produce Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003 and their first original intellectual property role-playing game Jade Empire in 2005. The Odyssey Engine was the first BioWare engine to allow developing for video game consoles , with both Knights of
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#17328016853528840-582: The Religion in Digital Games anthology publication, noted Thane's openly religious behaviour and expressed bemusement that the character is embraced as a fan favorite by Mass Effect fandom. They contrasted Thane's positive reception as an unambiguously pious character to the broad negativity many players have shown towards human squadmate Ashley William's expressions of faith in the original Mass Effect . Comparing player responses to Ashley and Thane,
9010-472: The fan community to implement original adventures using the technology of BioWare's games. BioWare created the Infinity Engine to use it as a core component for development of the Baldur's Gate series (1998–2001), which were 2D role-playing video games based on Dungeons & Dragons . The engine was also used by Black Isle Studios to create the critically acclaimed Planescape: Torment (1999) and
9180-426: The user interface for real-time use. Developers also decided to introduce regenerating health because it prevented players from playing erratically and relying on health kits. Norman remarked that it was important not to oversimplify the RPG elements but to make them easier to use. She explained that the original Mass Effect offered "too many choices that weren't particularly representative of how they would impact
9350-669: The 2010 Spike Video Game Awards , the game won the Best Xbox 360 Game and Best RPG awards. BioWare was also recognized for its work on the game and was awarded Studio of the Year. At the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Mass Effect 2 with Game of the Year , Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year , and Outstanding Achievement in Story . Other notable awards that
9520-412: The Aurora Engine to produce their 2002 Neverwinter Nights , as well as two expansion packs. The game included the Aurora toolset, a collection of tools allowing users to create their own digital adventure modules to be played either in single-player or in online multiplayer. The toolset enjoyed great popularity among the modding community, with over a thousand fan-made modules produced in it within half
9690-500: The BioWare team, which is already developing for the Star Wars franchise." In November 2013, teaser images from the next instalment of the Mass Effect series were released. At E3 2014 , BioWare Edmonton announced working on a new (unnamed) original intellectual property in addition to continuing their established series. Another new IP, titled Shadow Realms is an episodic 4 vs. 1 story-driven online action role-playing game, and
9860-474: The Collectors were originally Protheans that were turned into slaves of the Reapers. With EDI's help, Shepard also finds out how to bypass the Omega-4 Relay before being ambushed by the Collectors. Although Shepard's squad escapes, their relationship with the Illusive Man is strained due to his prior knowledge of the trap. Shepard visits a derelict Reaper and acquires an IFF necessary to travel through
10030-452: The Collectors, who have abducted the colonists. The Illusive Man explains that the Collectors reside beyond the Omega-4 Relay, a place from which no ship has ever returned, and tasks Shepard with assembling a team to stop them. Shepard is also given command of a new starship, the Normandy SR-2 , piloted again by Joker and equipped with an onboard AI named EDI. Shepard recruits Mordin Solus, Garrus Vakarian, Jack, and (optionally) Grunt, before
10200-419: The Illusive Man informs them that another human colony is under attack. Shepard defends the colony with the help of Mordin's studies on Collector biology, but cannot stop a large portion of the population from being captured. Shepard can then recruit Tali, Thane Krios, and Samara (who may be optionally replaced by Morinth) before being sent to explore a supposedly disabled Collector ship. There, Shepard learns that
10370-538: The Odyssey Engine and, among other things, supported PhysX hardware acceleration. It was used to produce Dragon Age: Origins (2009) and its expansion pack Awakening (2010). Like Neverwinter Nights , Origins was released with a toolset to allow the players to run their own adventure modules on the Eclipse Engine. An upgraded version of the Eclipse Engine, internally known as the Lycium Engine,
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#173280168535210540-636: The Old Republic and Jade Empire originally released for the Xbox before being ported to the PC platform. Obsidian Entertainment used the Odyssey Engine to develop Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004), a sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic . BioWare maintained limited oversight on Obsidian's development of The Sith Lords , as well as Neverwinter Nights 2 . The Eclipse Engine succeeded
10710-551: The Old Republic , Jade Empire , and Dragon Age: Origins , as well as the game director of The Old Republic MMO, left the studio after 22 years in July 2018. On 24 September 2019, it was announced that BioWare had moved from their old location on Calgary Trail into 3 stories of the Epcor Tower in downtown Edmonton. On 7 November 2020 or "N7 Day", a date first declared in 2012 by BioWare as an annual "worldwide celebration" of
10880-459: The Omega-4 Relay safely. Shepard also acquires a disabled geth that, if activated, joins the squad as Legion. While the IFF is integrated into the Normandy SR-2 systems, Shepard and the squad leave in a shuttle. During their absence, the Collectors board the Normandy SR-2 . Only Joker avoids capture and, with EDI's help, extracts the Normandy SR-2 to safety. When Shepard's squad returns, the team uses
11050-488: The Omega-4 Relay to reach the Collector base located in the Galactic Center . The team rescues any surviving crew members and fights their way to the central chamber. Squad members will either survive or perish depending on the upgrades made to the Normandy SR-2 , their loyalty to Shepard, and the tasks they are assigned in battle. In the central chamber, Shepard discovers that the Collectors have been constructing
11220-514: The Shadow Broker , and Arrival . Released to critical acclaim, Mass Effect 2 was praised for its presentation and cinematography, diverse and complex characters, and improved combat over its predecessor. Some critics, however, expressed concerns about the game's simplified role-playing mechanics. The game received numerous year-end awards, including Game of the Year at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , and Best Game at
11390-455: The Shadow Broker packs. Because the first Mass Effect game was originally not released on PlayStation 3, BioWare released Genesis , a downloadable content pack that allows the player to impact the story of the game with major plot decisions of the first game. These decisions are made through a digital interactive comic appearing at the game's beginning. Genesis was released on May 17, 2011, for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 users. Some of
11560-535: The Xbox 360 version, as well the Windows physical version. Alongside the standard edition, digital deluxe and collector's editions were available. The collector's edition featured a different packaging, an artbook, bonus in-game content, a behind-the-scenes DVD, and one issue from the Mass Effect: Redemption comic series. Although Mass Effect 2 was released at the end of the month, it became
11730-409: The Xbox 360 was still the most appropriate console to play the game due to the game's compatibility with the original Mass Effect , which was only available for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 at the time. The PlayStation 3 version was released on January 18, 2011, in North America and on January 21, 2011, in Europe. After some PlayStation 3 players reported that their save files can become corrupted if
11900-459: The angels in Drell religion. Before the suicide mission, Thane will go up to Shepard's cabin and tell her that before he was diagnosed with his disease, he had no fear of death. But now that he has met Shepard, he is afraid of death and does not want to die. Thane begins to shed tears, but Shepard comforts him, and the two spend the night together. Thane returns in Mass Effect 3 provided he survived
12070-499: The authors surmised that unlike Ashley, "Thane never prompts the player to consider their (or Shepard's) views about religion". The authors posited that in the alternative, Thane and his religion are clearly recognized as alien by players, which do not invite comment on real world religions and spirituality, wheres the same cannot be said of Ashley and her religiosity. Matt Cronn from Geeks Under Grace , an American pop culture website which publishes news, culture, reviews, and videos from
12240-416: The character Kasumi Goto from the Kasumi – Stolen Memory pack, stating that "she never fits in with her more fully developed cohorts." He also remarked that the PlayStation 3 version suffers from technical issues such as frame rate inconsistencies, graphical glitches, and other minor bugs, mostly present in the downloadable content sections of the game. Game Informer reviewer Joe Juba reacted negatively to
12410-401: The character could die at the end of the game. Players could receive new in-game armours and weapons if the game were pre-ordered at certain retailers. Players could also redeem codes on specially marked Dr Pepper products for one of three pieces of headgear and registered copies of Dragon Age: Origins for a new armour set. In the months leading up to the game's release, BioWare released
12580-749: The character for his perceived sex appeal. Ben Griffins said Thane is one of his favourite BioWare companions, and that everything about the character is "fascinating" to him. However, Tim Clark dislikes Thane and called him "just a big green cloud of glum". The character has been cited as a fan favorite, with commentary focused on emotional investment by players towards the character's fate. GamesTM called him one of BioWare's eight most memorable companions, drawing attention to his "emotionally crippling" ending. Tina Amini from Kotaku claimed that she reloaded an earlier save and spent at least another 40 hours making alternate decisions for her Mass Effect 2 playthrough just to ensure that Thane, whom she find compelling as
12750-464: The combat for being more balanced, stating that the game encourages players to use different weapon classes and squad abilities when the situation requires it. Some publications, however, expressed concerns about the game's simplified RPG elements, calling it "stripped-down" and with a "dumbed-down feeling". The game's slow planet scanning was also criticized. GameRevolution felt it was a "chore, mandatory if you want upgrades and boring because there
12920-414: The company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts . BioWare specializes in role-playing video games , and achieved recognition for developing highly praised and successful licensed franchises: Baldur's Gate , Neverwinter Nights , and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic . They proceeded to make several other successful games based on original intellectual property: Jade Empire ,
13090-401: The company lost the licence of the game to Atari and part of their Dungeons & Dragons licence to BioWare. After selling their D&D licence to Atari, BioWare developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire . It had publishing relationships with Interplay Entertainment, Infogrames , under its new name Atari, LucasArts , and Microsoft . The next few years saw
13260-401: The confirmation ( Dragon Age: Inquisition , Mass Effect: Andromeda , Anthem , and Dragon Age: The Veilguard ) were developed using Frostbite 3 as part of the general move towards a unified technology foundation across all of Electronic Arts' development studios. The full list of awards can be found on their web site. In addition to numerous game awards, in October 2008, the company
13430-473: The conversation with direct actions at certain times. Dialogue choices impact how others react to Shepard, the rewards for completing missions, possible discounts from merchants, romances, and the Commander's morality. Morality is measured by Paragon (charm) and Renegade (intimidate) points. These points affect the availability of new special Paragon and Renegade dialogue options with a significant impact on
13600-415: The conversations and cutscenes for featuring better cinematography than the first game, stating that "it's hard to imagine them becoming much better in Mass Effect 3 ". Critics also gave high marks to the game's extensive cast of voices ; in particular, Martin Sheen's performance of the Illusive Man, which was singled out for "steal[ing] the show". Andrew Reiner, writing for Game Informer , opined that
13770-742: The deal. The growth of the MMORPG group as part of Electronic Arts in 2008 resulted in three additional studios being added to the BioWare group outside BioWare's original home base in Edmonton. The first, located in Austin, Texas , and headed by industry veterans Gordon Walton and Richard Vogel, was created to work on the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG project. Both the studio and the project were announced on 13 March 2006. On 2 March 2009, BioWare announced it had opened
13940-451: The developer's earlier promises regarding the conclusion of the trilogy. In response to the controversy surrounding the game's ending sequence , BioWare announced on 5 April that they would reschedule their post-release content production and release an "Extended Cut" DLC that would expand the original endings and address the most common points of critique. The Extended Cut was released as a free download on 26 June 2012. On 18 September 2012,
14110-589: The development of Mass Effect: Andromeda , left in December 2015 and February 2016 respectively. Alexis Kennedy , co-founder of Failbetter Games and the creative director of Dragon Age : The Last Court , joined BioWare as its "first ever guest writer" in September 2016. On 13 September 2016, EA announced the formation of EA Worldwide Studios, which would consist of BioWare Studios, EA Mobile , and Maxis , and led by DICE co-founder Patrick Soderlund . At
14280-501: The drell deity Amonkira a summation of his humble and loyal personality. Thane is a possible romantic interest for a female player character , Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 2 . While the relationship itself does not carry forward into Mass Effect 3 due to the conclusion of his story arc, the player has the choice to spend private time with him at the Citadel hospital as his health deteriorates. Thane's writer for Mass Effect 2
14450-572: The end of 2009, BioWare released the critically acclaimed fantasy role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins . In January 2010, BioWare released the sequel to Mass Effect , Mass Effect 2 , which would go on to receive critical acclaim and many awards. The company announced that it would be opening up a new customer service office in Galway , Ireland, in 2011. BioWare completed three major games between 2011 and 2012. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic
14620-445: The enemies' strengths and weaknesses was made more consistent with different types of health bars so that players did not have to estimate the challenges they faced when fighting new enemies. The game's HUD was revised eight times during development. As the inventory management of the original Mass Effect received criticism, designing a new inventory system for Mass Effect 2 was one of the main concerns during development. Ideally,
14790-521: The events in the Arrival downloadable content pack. The story of the game is influenced by decisions the player made in the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 . However, if Shepard dies at the end of Mass Effect 2 , the character cannot be imported into Mass Effect 3 . BioWare stated that Mass Effect 3 ends Shepard's story arc and that future games in the series would feature a different context. Unlike its predecessors, Mass Effect 3 features
14960-610: The events of Mass Effect 2 . Thane appears in the hospital on the Citadel, and tells Shepard he is now in the terminal stages of his illness and cannot join Shepard in the fight against the Reapers. Later on in the game Cerberus attacks the Citadel and Thane, if he was interacted with beforehand, assists Shepard in thwarting an assassination attempt on the salarian Councilor and is stabbed by assassin Kai Leng whom escapes. If neither Thane nor Kirrahe (who may serve as Thane's placeholder in
15130-460: The events of the original Mass Effect , a geth army attempted to open a portal for the Reapers , a highly advanced machine race of synthetic-organic starships that are believed to eradicate all organic civilization every 50,000 years. The galactic community has since lived in fear of another possible invasion. Meanwhile, a human supremacist organization called Cerberus believes that humans deserve
15300-559: The exclusive focus on the main story of the original Mass Effect , the developers opted to create a plot where optional missions had as much intensity as the main mission. Mass Effect composer Jack Wall returned to compose Mass Effect 2 ' s music, aiming for a darker and more mature sound to match the game's mood. Mass Effect 2 also supports a variety of downloadable content packs, ranging from single in-game character outfits to entirely new plot-related missions. Notable packs include Kasumi – Stolen Memory , Overlord , Lair of
15470-404: The fifth best BioWare companion. Grabowski praised the character's design as well as how much was how parts of him were "open for interpretation". IGN 's Steven Hopper listed him as the sixth best Mass Effect companion, saying he had "one of the most engaging story arcs" in Mass Effect 2 and crediting his complexity. GRY Online included Thane in their list of the best assassins in video games in
15640-461: The final escape pod before being blasted into space and dying via asphyxiation after a suit breach. The body is pulled into the orbit of a nearby planet and recovered by Cerberus, who begins the "Lazarus Project" with the sole purpose of bringing Shepard back to life. Two years later, Shepard is revived on an operating table and escapes a research station under attack by its security mechs . Escaping alongside Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, Shepard
15810-452: The form of downloadable content packs released from January 2010 to May 2011. These packs range from character outfits to entirely new plot-related missions. Major releases include Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival , which are vital to the series' plot. In Lair of the Shadow Broker , Shepard helps former squad member Liara T'Soni to find an information dealer known as the Shadow Broker. In Arrival , Shepard investigates evidence of
15980-527: The fourth instalment in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard , was released. The game received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for its Windows and PlayStation 5 versions and "universal acclaim" for its Xbox Series X/S version, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic . Dragon Age: The Veilguard was review bombed by users for being " ' woke ,' ' DEI ,' ' propaganda ,' and ' agenda-driven ' " on Metacritic, causing
16150-475: The galaxy before his death. Thane's story revolves around his son, Kolyat, and his desire to rescue him from a life of crime. Shepard and team must travel to the Citadel to stop Kolyat from following in his father's footsteps and taking up the career of assassination. Kolyat's contracted target is a racist turian politician who extorts human rackets while promising to reduce crime in the Citadel Wards. After
16320-431: The game crashes unexpectedly, BioWare released a patch designed to combat save bugs and crashes experienced. The PlayStation Network version accounted for more than 10% of the game's overall sales on PlayStation 3. As of April 2011, it was reported that the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 combined had sold more than seven million units worldwide, 77% coming from Xbox 360. New game purchases are provided with
16490-435: The game improved the technical issues of its predecessor significantly while at the same time "expanding the already-impressive universe without sacrificing what made the series special." He went so far as to call the game The Empire Strikes Back of video games, stating that "few sequels have trumped the original as handily as Mass Effect 2 ." The game's focus on characters and their deeper stresses and internal conflicts
16660-497: The game received include Best Game at the 7th British Academy Games Awards , Best Writing at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards , and two Golden Joystick Awards : Best RPG of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year. At the 2011 Canadian Videogame Awards, Mass Effect 2 was awarded Game of the Year, Best Console Game, Best Game Design, and Best Writing. Mass Effect 2 continued to receive attention years after its release. GamesRadar editor Hollander Cooper explained that
16830-624: The game was selected as one of 80 titles from the past 40 years to be placed in the Art of Video Games exhibit in the Smithsonian American Art Museum . According to the museum, the exhibit explored "the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies." The game's sequel, Mass Effect 3 , was released in 2012. The sequel begins on Earth with Commander Shepard having been detained following
17000-490: The game's downloadable content packs were well-received by critics and nominated for Best DLC (downloadable content) at the Spike Video Game Awards . Upon release, Mass Effect 2 received critical acclaim from video game publications. Substantial praise was given to the game's diverse characters, interactive storytelling , voice acting and art design. IGN reviewer Erik Brudvig called Mass Effect 2
17170-499: The game, a New Game Plus option is unlocked, allowing players to replay the game using the same character with which they finished it. Mass Effect 2 is set within the Milky Way galaxy during the 22nd century, where interstellar travel is possible through mass transit devices called Mass Relays, a technology believed to have been built by an extinct alien race known as the Protheans. A conglomerate body of governments known as
17340-613: The game, was released by Big Giant Circles. Mass Effect 2 was formally unveiled at the Game Developers Conference on March 17, 2009, and a teaser trailer declared Shepard "killed in action". The announcement confirmed that the game would be released for Windows and Xbox 360. In June 2009, the game was presented at the Electronic Entertainment Expo , where it was confirmed that Shepard would be alive and playable in Mass Effect 2 , but
17510-595: The game. BioWare's first game was released the following year. Shattered Steel ' s release was described by IGN as a "modest success" with "decent sales". Two noteworthy points were the deformable terrain (player weapon damage caused craters in the environment) and zone damage (well-aimed gunfire could shoot mounted weapons off enemies). A sequel to Shattered Steel was planned for 1998 but never realized. BioWare's founders and staff were keenly interested in both computerized and pen-and-paper variants of role-playing games . Their next development project, therefore,
17680-409: The game. For example, the game features some missions to gain the squad's loyalty. What the player does during one of these missions will determine whether they gain the loyalty of a squad member, which in turn will unlock a unique power and help in the final battle. Endings range from the entire team surviving to the entire team being killed, Shepard included, and everything in between. Upon completing
17850-528: The game. The new team was composed of many people who worked on the original game, but most were new hires. Mass Effect 2 was developed over roughly two years and more than 150 people worked on the game. Hudson mentioned two significant challenges that interfered with the development: financial problems due to the Great Recession limited the game's budget, and the team had to get through it without impacting their ambitious goals. Additionally, due to
18020-430: The game. In Mass Effect 2 , the levelling options were pared down and made more descriptive." The developers wanted to create very different play styles for the character classes, "even if it meant cutting some of the possible choices." The powers were balanced with a unified refresh cooldown since the earlier system, where powers could be used sequentially, was considered "ridiculous and endgame easy." Keeping track of
18190-585: The general manager of BioWare Austin since 2012; after his promotion, Jeff Hickman took over as the general manager in Austin. Aaryn Flynn remained in charge of BioWare Canada (Edmonton and Montreal) and Jon Van Caneghem , the head of Victory Games and Waystone Studio (also parts of the BioWare label). After acquiring and dismantling LucasArts , The Walt Disney Company announced in May 2013 that Electronic Arts will produce future Star Wars games, "in addition to
18360-411: The hanar an honor, regardless of the nature of the task. Thane possesses eidetic memory , a genetic trait typical of the drell species. An external stimulus may trigger an involuntary memory recall, which are so vivid and detailed that some drell may mistake it for reality. Thane occasionally loses himself reliving the perfect recall of some of his memories and can describe them in flawless detail. Thane
18530-436: The initial release. In 2012, a compilation featuring the three main games of the series, Mass Effect Trilogy , was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. In 2016, Mass Effect 2 was added to the list of backward-compatible Xbox 360 games on Xbox One . In 2021, Mass Effect 2 was remastered as part of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition . Mass Effect 2 supports additional in-game content in
18700-465: The inventory needed to handle many characters with simplicity. Norman spent time examining various inventory systems from other RPG games, but none could be applied to support the game's large number of characters. Ultimately, the team opted to replace it with different systems that provide the same functionality without any management. This concept allowed a character to use a weapon without taking it away from someone else. The planetary exploration of
18870-471: The lack of save importation from the original Mass Effect , which was initially not released on PlayStation 3, and pointed out that the decisions made in the Genesis comic "have practically no context". Despite the criticism, he stated that the game is equally as good on PlayStation 3 as on Xbox 360. Mass Effect 2 received numerous Game of the Year awards for its writing, characters, and soundtrack. At
19040-651: The loyalty missions "reach deep enough into their characters to make you empathize with all of them". The game's visuals and atmosphere received similar praise. GameSpot reviewer Kevin VanOrd remarked that Mass Effect 2 is more detailed and darker than its predecessor. He wrote that "deep reds and glowing indigos saturate certain scenes, making them richer and more sinister; eerie fog limits your vision in one side mission, while rain pours down upon you in another. Subtle, moody lighting gives certain interactions great impact." Reviewer Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer credited
19210-459: The main soundtrack album , Mass Effect 2: Original Videogame Score , on January 19, 2010. The soundtrack spans two discs and 27 tracks, covering a duration of 1:55:43. Mass Effect 2 ' s score was nominated for Best Original Music at the 7th British Academy Games Awards and Best Soundtrack Album at the 9th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards. In 2012, Legacy , an album composed mostly of tracks written for Mass Effect 2 but not used in
19380-421: The mission is completed, Thane will talk to his son and attempts to make things right with him; Thane will then become a loyal member of Shepard's team. If the player pursues a relationship with Thane, he will tell Shepard that he has not talked of his past to anyone until he met her, and that she is "very kind." As the relationship progresses, Thane will open up his feelings for Shepard and call her "siha", one of
19550-505: The music "flows beautifully" in both the story and action sequences. The game's presentation and direction were considered "miles ahead of the competition". Numerous publications declared that the gameplay was an improvement over the original. John Davison of GamePro wrote, "BioWare has done a spectacular job moving the role playing genre forward, and blending disparate gameplay styles into genuinely exciting sci-fi epic." VanOrd praised Mass Effect 2 for possessing an identity, which
19720-500: The new game. In July 2017, Aaryn Flynn, general manager of BioWare, announced that he would depart from the company. Hudson returned to BioWare as its new general manager. Lead story developer for Jade Empire and Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw announced his departure from BioWare in October 2017 after 14 years with the company. James Ohlen , the lead designer of the Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights , Knights of
19890-653: The next Mass Effect [game]" in an interview with Rolling Stone . Amazon MGM Studios officially confirmed on 7 November 2024 that a Mass Effect TV series is in development, following negotiations that had started in late 2021. BioWare executive producer Michael Gamble will also act as an executive producer on the TV adaptation. Between 1998 and 2011, BioWare developed a number of in-house video game engines to serve as technical basis for their games. Some of these engines were then licensed to other companies to develop their own games. Others came with modding toolkits , allowing
20060-450: The next day after the official announcement of the third Dragon Age title , both Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk , two of the remaining co-founders of BioWare, simultaneously announced they would be retiring from the gaming industry. After almost a year without a formal head, EA appointed Matthew Bromberg the group general manager of the BioWare label on 9 September 2013. Former CEO and president of Major League Gaming , Bromberg worked as
20230-424: The original Mass Effect was revamped entirely. Instead of having vast barren landscapes, the designers opted to build distinct and interesting places. The goal was to encourage players to keep exploring the galaxy by changing their expectations about what they could find. Initially, the developers experimented with the idea of having a vehicle that could be used to navigate the planetary terrain more flexibly than in
20400-561: The original game to impact the story of Mass Effect 2 and grants the player a set of starting bonuses. The game features six different character classes for the player to choose from. Each class is proficient in a different set of powers and weapon types. For example, the Vanguard class specializes in close-range combat and shotguns , while the Infiltrator class relies on stealth combat and sniper rifles . The game's overworld
20570-415: The original title. However, the vehicle was ultimately removed from the game's final build. The context-sensitive interrupt system, which was initially meant to be a feature in the original Mass Effect , was introduced in Mass Effect 2 to help blend the dialogue better with the rest of the action. The story's pacing was also improved because developers wanted to get players into the action faster. Since
20740-511: The other hand, Thane is unwavering in his determination to separate his moral conscience from the killing he has committed, and that they aren't anything he bears guilt for; according to drell religious teachings, the body and soul are separate, thus the person who hires him bears the guilt as his body is merely their tool. The player can discuss with him in great detail about his beliefs, and may even be invited by Thane to pray with him. Cassidee Moser, writing for Gamesradar , called Thane's prayer to
20910-411: The planet Illium for a " suicide mission " to stop the abduction of human colonists by a mysterious species known as the Collectors. He candidly reveals to Shepard during their first meeting that he is dying of Kepral's Syndrome, a genetic respiratory disease that will ultimately lead to lung failure, but willingly joins the suicide mission. The character also appears in Mass Effect 3 , the final game in
21080-499: The platform to respond with a statement and by removing user reviews which had violated their guidelines. Veilguard is the first BioWare game that allows the player character to identify as transgender . On 7 November 2024, or "N7 Day", BioWare released a patch which added several Mass Effect -inspired costumes into the game. In late October 2024, following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard , creative director John Epler stated that BioWare's attention had "shifted entirely to
21250-441: The player can use status-effect powers such as Pull, which temporarily levitates targets into the air, incapacitating them. Other powers may temporarily benefit the player; for instance, Adrenaline Rush puts the player in bullet time . Powers do not require any expendable resource ; they only have a global cooldown . During conversations with characters, Mass Effect 2 employs a radial command menu called Dialogue Wheel, where
21420-437: The player to research numerous in-game upgrades found in the missions, providing benefits such as increasing weapon damage, fortifying the player's health, or extending the ship's fuel capacity, among others. Scanning requires the player to move a reticle over a planet and launch a probe when an oscilloscope warns of near resources. Additional upgrades, equipment, and non-essential items such as magazines and decorations for
21590-464: The player's dialogue options depend on wheel direction. The left side of the wheel is typically reserved for options that will continue the conversation in-depth, while options on the right side tend to move the conversation towards completion. Responses at the top are generally more polite and selfless, while those at the bottom are more aggressive and hostile. The game also introduces a context-sensitive interrupt system, allowing players to interrupt
21760-593: The previous Mass Effect games. Given the circumstances Electronic Arts had reportedly frozen the entire Mass Effect series, downgrading the BioWare Montréal branch from a leading development team to a support team, and later merging it into Motive Studios . During EA's EA Play pre-E3 press conference on 10 June 2017, BioWare revealed Anthem , a new action role-playing game , with BioWare's story writer, Drew Karpyshyn , who previously worked on Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 , contributing to
21930-435: The production of the first Mass Effect game. Before actual production began, BioWare created a list of goals to work towards based on feedback from fans, reviewers, and internal staff members. The company's main goal was to "create an experience that was less about being a game and more about being an experience." In contrast to the exclusive focus on the main story of the original Mass Effect , Hudson explained that BioWare
22100-403: The release of Baldur's Gate . Baldur's Gate II sold two million copies, matching the sales of the first game in the series. However, the success of both Baldur's Gate II and MDK2 was not enough to stabilize Interplay financially. Subsequently, BioWare began to work with Infogrames , which was later renamed to Atari . Neverwinter Nights was originally to be published by Interplay, but
22270-476: The remnants of the drell people pledged their loyalty and service to the hanar as a client race, the two races establishing a symbiotic cultural relationship known as the Compact. The drell are integrated into every level of hanar society and usually assist with many tasks the hanar may find physically difficult to perform even with mechanical aid, such as combat or assassinations. The drell consider their service to
22440-471: The retailer so that the company can resell them at a slight discount to other customers, but the publisher does not make a profit. BioWare online development director Fernando Melo revealed that 11% of all Mass Effect 2 ' s downloadable content revenue came from the Cerberus Network. The policy attracted criticism from some of the fan community, who have criticized downloadable content as being overpriced and an incentive for developers to leave items out of
22610-415: The role of Commander Shepard from a third-person perspective . Before the game begins, the player determines Shepard's gender, appearance, military background, combat training, and first name. The player may choose to import a character from a completed saved game of the original Mass Effect or start the game with a new character. Importing an old character allows several decisions the player made in
22780-399: The same condition: a life-threatening genetic disorder that fills her lungs and pancreas with mucus, and that like Thane, her lungs will inevitably no longer work. Rogers appreciated that not only did the writers of Mass Effect present Thane as "one of the few chronically ill characters to play a significant role in any video game" which she could identify herself with, they did not give Thane
22950-431: The same time, Samantha Ryan, head of EA Mobile and Maxis, was appointed the new head of BioWare Studios. Released in March 2017, Andromeda was at the center of controversy of equal proportions, if not higher than that around the third chapter; starting with heavy criticisms that were addressed before the video game was released to the lukewarm response received by the specialized press and the fandom with sales lower than
23120-466: The second best-selling game of January 2010 with 572,100 units sold, behind Nintendo 's New Super Mario Bros. Wii . Shortly after Mass Effect 2 was released, the game's font size and colouring were criticized for being too difficult to read on some standard-definition televisions . Because BioWare considered it a design choice, the company could not resolve it but stated that they would consider it for future games. In February 2010, BioWare released
23290-579: The service of his hanar masters through a voluntary severance of their Compact relationship. Thane's wife was later murdered by mercenaries who were pursuing her husband. This event caused him to abandon their young son Kolyat, a decision that still haunts him. Instead of adopting the hanar worship of the Protheans like some of his brethren, Thane is a devotee of the old polytheistic religion of his species, and spends much of his time in prayer and meditation, even within his work. Thane prays before each mission and asks for forgiveness from his gods after each kill. On
23460-447: The service, Shepard could also view some video recordings made by Thane addressed to Shepard. If romanced, Shepard will talk to Thane in their mind one last time. Thane's critical reception has been very positive. The character won the award for IGN's best Xbox 360 character of 2010; IGN called him "easily the most fully realized character in the supporting cast" of Mass Effect 2 . Writing for GameZone , Dakota Grabowski listed Thane as
23630-422: The ship can be purchased from merchants in settlements. Combat in Mass Effect 2 is squad-based, and a maximum of two squad members may accompany the player on the battlefield. The player controls Shepard, while the game's artificial intelligence controls the squad members. Battles take place in real-time , but the player can pause the action at any time to calmly target enemies and select different powers for
23800-476: The shooter.'" Since BioWare had no experience with shooter games, the team spent roughly three months tuning how combat would work using the original Mass Effect as a basis. The camera was improved to offer a more precise aiming that included body-specific targeting like headshots. Norman explained that they wanted the weapons to have their own identity, noting that the game's final build has 19 weapons with 108 tuning variables. The inclusion of limited ammunition
23970-464: The squad members to use. The game uses an over-the-shoulder perspective akin to a third-person shooter and emphasizes using cover to avoid taking damage while fighting enemy forces. The player may also issue commands to the squad members, such as sending them to take cover behind a manually picked object or focus their fire on a designated target. Unlike the original Mass Effect , where weapons overheat if fired continuously for prolonged periods,
24140-506: The story arc) are alive, Kai Leng will be successful in his assassinating the salarian Councilor. After the remaining Cerberus forces have been routed, Shepard visits Thane in the hospital where doctors tell Shepard that due to his blood loss and his illness is in the final stages, there is nothing else they can do but to comfort him during his final moments. If Thane has reconciled with Kolyat in Mass Effect 2 , he will be present by his father's deathbed, and Thane asks him and Shepard to recite
24310-489: The studio. On 10 December 2020, a teaser trailer for the next Mass Effect game was shown at The Game Awards . On 14 May 2021, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was released on Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 4 , and the Xbox One series. On 23 August 2023, about 50 BioWare developers were laid off. A group of former employees later sued EA, seeking better severance following their layoffs. On 31 October 2024,
24480-502: The success of Baldur's Gate , the Infinity Engine was used for the games Planescape: Torment and the Icewind Dale series . The success of Baldur's Gate was followed by an expansion pack for the game: Tales of the Sword Coast . At this point, BioWare decided to return to the action genre. The company's initial thought was to develop a sequel to Shattered Steel , but eventually a sequel to MDK from Shiny Entertainment
24650-455: The surviving squad members. If no squad members survive, Shepard fails to escape and dies. Back on the Normandy SR-2 , after speaking with the Illusive Man one last time, Shepard meets the survivors in the cargo bay. There, Joker gives them schematics of a Reaper. The final scene shows the Reapers awakening in dark space and descending upon the galaxy. Mass Effect 2 was developed by BioWare and directed by Casey Hudson , who previously led
24820-635: The trilogy, where his condition has worsened. Thane makes further appearances in two issues of the Mass Effect: Foundation limited comic series, which take place prior to the events of the trilogy. The character is critically acclaimed and well received by critics and fans, with attention drawn to his complex characterization and as a positive depiction of a character with disabilities and openly religious video game character . Thane has featured prominently in promotional art, demo footage, trailers and advertisements for Mass Effect 2 . Thane
24990-801: The use of the Unity power. However, if Shepard dies, the player must start the game again from the last saved point. All enemies are protected by health, shields, armour, barriers, or a combination thereof. Each type of protection has its vulnerabilities. For example, armour is usually vulnerable to powers such as Incinerate, which burns enemies over time, and weapons with a low rate of fire , such as sniper rifles and heavy pistols. In contrast, shields are vulnerable to powers such as Overload and rapid-firing weapons like submachine guns and assault rifles . Barriers are typically used by boss -type enemies and are vulnerable to certain weapons and powers. When an enemy's shields, armour, or barriers have all been depleted,
25160-511: The violence he commits is not informed by his religion, "although it allows for it." GamesRadar 's Jordan Baughman cited Thane as an example of BioWare's "The Honor-bound Psychotic" character archetype, specifically a religious zealot who "adheres to a special code that dictates his murder frenzies". Joshua and Ita Irizarry, co-authors of "The Lord is My Shepard - Confronting Religion in the Mass Effect Trilogy" published as part of
25330-413: The weapons of Mass Effect 2 have a finite magazine and must be reloaded after a certain number of shots. A damage-absorbing shield protects Shepard and the squad members. When the shield is fully depleted, further damage reduces the hit points of a secondary health meter. The shield bar and health meter regenerate when not taking fire for a brief period. The player can revive fallen squad members with
25500-429: Was Baldur's Gate , with a development cycle of three years. During this time, the three doctors continued to practice medicine. The demands of development later prompted Muzyka and Zeschuck to leave medicine and move into full-time development. Augustine Yip decided to continue with his medical practice. Baldur's Gate sold more than two million copies after its release, nearly matching the sales of Diablo . Following
25670-430: Was Chris L'Etoile, who left the team prior to the completion of the game's development. One of Thane's dialogue wheel choices as part of his romance subplot event tree has attained notoriety for its awkward dialogue paraphrase, as the game's dialogue choices lacked explicit icons to identify their intent for the player's benefit. Patrick Weekes , who was responsible for the character's dialogue paraphrase, attributed it to
25840-503: Was announced on Gamescom 2014 . On 9 February 2015, BioWare Austin announced that development on Shadow Realms would not continue. Casey Hudson , the creator of the Mass Effect series, left BioWare in May 2014, while Drew Karpyshyn , writer of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the first two Mass Effect games, returned in 2015. Dragon Age ' s writer David Gaider left BioWare in January 2016. Chris Wynn and Chris Schlerf, both of whom had an important role in
26010-430: Was built using Epic Games ' Unreal Engine 3 in conjunction with a framework that BioWare specifically developed for the Mass Effect games. As most of these Mass Effect technologies were already developed in the first game, the development team focused on adding new content and perfecting new features rather than creating them from scratch. Technical improvements included better memory management , larger textures,
26180-406: Was chosen for development. MDK2 was released on PC, Dreamcast , and eventually PlayStation 2 , offering BioWare their first taste of developing games for consoles . MDK2 drew the same level of praise as its predecessor but, despite the success, BioWare returned to the Baldur's Gate series for their next project. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn was released in 2000, two years after
26350-414: Was considered giving Thane's face a " mannequin -like, 'perfect human' appearance", and a red mark was considered as a possible key feature for the character. Feedback was received from the women in the office who found the character "creepy", and as the character was a romantic interest the mannequin-face was decided to be too "off-putting". The team went "back to the drawing board", with Thane later becoming
26520-554: Was determined to be a role-playing game. When Interplay financed "exploratory development", BioWare presented the publishers with a demo called Battleground: Infinity . Interplay suggested that the demonstrated gameplay engine would be well-suited to the Dungeons & Dragons licence which it had acquired from Strategic Simulations . Accordingly, Infinity was reworked in line with the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The result
26690-467: Was dying, Thane's primary concern was to absolve Shepard of the sins of their many kills, and asserted that "this is the kindness and concern for others that Christians should exemplify". BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton , Alberta . It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka , Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. Since 2007,
26860-413: Was first trained by his hanar masters as an assassin since he was six, making his first assassination by the time he reached twelve. To achieve his goals, Thane utilizes a mixture of stealth, firearms, hand-to-hand combat techniques, and biotic powers. He met his wife during an assassination mission when she stepped in front of Thane's target in order to stop him. He decided to settle down with her and left
27030-441: Was highly praised. The way the game lets non-player characters carry the weight of the narrative progression has also attracted scholarly interest. Eurogamer editor Rick Lane described Mass Effect 2 as a darker, warmer, and overall more human game than its predecessor, noting that it is the player's responsibility to make sure these characters are prepared for the final mission, or they will die. He explained that Mass Effect 2
27200-429: Was initially not part of the game design and was implemented for some early playtesting. However, the developers ultimately felt it improved the tension and pacing of combat. Real-time gameplay with an emphasis on weapons and cover was a preference because the team felt that the constant pausing to select powers interrupts the intensity of the combat. As a result, more options were added to assign different abilities to
27370-407: Was integrated into BioWare's digital acting and conversation technology. As Hudson explained, "Our writers write into a dialogue editor and that becomes fused with the way that you end up seeing many different pieces of Matinee play out in combination when you have a conversation with characters." Another Unreal Engine 3 technology, Kismet, was used for scripting how levels or enemies would respond to
27540-438: Was interested in a plot where optional stories had as much intensity as the main story and decided that the idea of recruiting people and making them loyal to the player so that they could survive a suicide mission allowed to explore these possibilities. He noted, "the funny thing is that people will say 'other than gathering your crew and building your team and getting ready for this mission, there's not much story there.' But that
27710-621: Was named one of Alberta's Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal . BioWare's co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk were named as members of the Order of Canada in December 2018 "for [their] revolutionary contributions to the video game industry as a developer and co-founder of an internationally renowned studio." Mass Effect 2 Mass Effect 2
27880-522: Was of the opinion that Thane's final appearance bears a resemblance to Abe Sapien from the Hellboy series. Thane is first encountered on the regional asari hub world Illium, where he had been based for the past two years planning the assassinate an asari named Nassana Dantius. He joins Shepard on a pro bono basis following his successful assassination of Dantius, stating that he has nothing left to lose, and he hopes to right many wrongs he has found in
28050-438: Was one of our mandates to create a dynamic score that expressed a wide range of emotions." Around 180 minutes of music were composed for Mass Effect 2 , which totalled more than 700 assets. The song "Callista" by video game music composer Saki Kaskas , who wrote the music for five Need for Speed games, was used as the game's Afterlife Club theme. Music from the game has been released in several albums. BioWare released
28220-401: Was primarily composed by Jack Wall . His previous work with BioWare was as the main composer for Jade Empire and the original Mass Effect . The score also features some pieces by Sam Hulick, David Kates, and Jimmy Hinson (better known as Big Giant Circles ), with additional editing and in-game implementation by Brian DiDomenico. Unlike the original Mass Effect , the composers aimed for
28390-402: Was raised on the ocean planet of Kahje, the homeworld of the hanar, a species known for their strict adherence to polite speech and proper etiquette. A few centuries before the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy, the hanar evacuated a portion of the drell species from their dying homeworld Rakhana and transported them to Kahje. In gratitude to the hanar for saving them from extinction,
28560-423: Was something that its predecessor lacked. He noted that the shooting is "more immediate and satisfying, which keeps the pace moving and intensifies the violence of each encounter". Similarly, GameSpy ' s Gerald Villoria observed that the original Mass Effect "walked the line between RPG and shooter [...] Mass Effect 2 has become a much more focused shooter experience". Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com credited
28730-399: Was the hardest character to design for Mass Effect 2 . BioWare started with a written description of Thane, and wanted to emphasise him as a "career assassin" while keeping him attractive as a possible romantic interest for female players. They asked the women in the office what they "liked" in their aliens. Concept artists began by drawing on lizards and birds-of-paradise for inspiration. It
28900-466: Was used to produce Dragon Age II (2011). In September 2004, BioWare acquired a license to use Unreal Engine 3 from developer Epic Games . Unreal Engine 3 would ultimately be used to develop the original Mass Effect trilogy (2007–2012), as well as the remastered Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in 2021. In 2013, EA confirmed that all future games developed by BioWare will be made on DICE's Frostbite engine . All of BioWare's games since
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