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Mass Effect 2 is temptingly priced on Amazon.uk at the moment, as the pre-order buy for BioWare's intergalactic epic is currently set at £30 for the Xbox 360 version (£27 for PC), a 40-percent discount off the normal retail price. Other regional competitors are currently offering the title for £40. (The standard price for a new game in the UK is typically £40–50.) Mass Effect 2 is currently discounted by 5 percent on Amazon's US site -- a mere $3.

[Thanks, Andrew]

ESPN reports that Electronic Arts has acquired the rights for NBA Jam and has assigned EA Canada's Vancouver studio to a reboot of the franchise. The game's original creator, Mark Turmell, who currently works at EA Tiburon as a senior creative director, is allegedly collaborating on the project, which, according to ESPN, will "ship to retail exclusively for the Wii."

With no other platforms mentioned in the report, the story sounds a bit off. However, 1UP, which has partnered with ESPN on the sports network's video game wing, has suggested XBLA and PSN versions of a new NBA Jam are also in the works, though that is not corroborated by the original report.

We've contacted EA and Turmell for confirmation and details. EA Sports will allegedly announce the game later this month.

Update: Joystiq has confirmed with Warner Bros. that it did not purchase the NBA Jam license when it acquired elements of Midway. EA's official statement: "We do not comment on speculation or rumor."

Grunt and Thane are just a couple more of the intergalactic psychos you'll be adventuring with in Mass Effect 2 starting January 26. Sure, there are some relatively sane folks like Tali and Miranda Lawson along for the Normandy cruise around the stars, but just on the estrogen front that's balanced by the bra-less anger of Samara and the grrrrrl-rage of Subject Zero.

Can't we just get a Mass Effect 2 character that's big, fuzzy and easily marketable as a plush figure -- that would probably make EA happy. You'll find the clip for the even-less-cuddly-than-Wrex Krogan above and Thane after the break.

Usually when we post something about PETA here on our gamez blawg, it's about the company protesting this or complaining about that. Not so today, as PETA's awarded EA Maxis' The Sims 3 with a Proggy Award for being the 'Most Animal-Friendly Game' of 2009. You may remember PETA gave the same award to Fable 2 last year.

The award this year is in recognition of The Sims 3's ability to put your virtual pal on a vegetarian diet. PETA also adds that "vegetarian Sims, like their real-life counterparts, live longer, age more slowly, and feast on cruelty-free delights -- from tofu dogs to ratatouille." Sounds well and good, but we're not sure we'd totally attribute any supposed increased life span to a diet, because we all know from the great Xena: Warrior Princess that if anything happens, it's because a wizard did it.

[Via Gamasutra]

Update: It's your lucky day, folks! Battlefield 1943 is on sale for 560 ($7), not 600 as EA originally tweeted.

Concluding its streak of daily deals during the holiday season, the Xbox Live version of Battlefield 1943 will be on sale for 50% off, tomorrow. EA's official Battlefield 1943 Twitter account revealed that the New Years Eve sale (and final daily deal on the Marketplace) would slash the popular shooter's price to 600 ($7.50 USD), for one day only.

While we're avid fans of the WWII-themed shooter, we're still irked that the game hasn't received proper (read: any) DLC support, save for the unlocked Coral Sea "air superiority" map. Perhaps a rush of new soldiers will push EA to begin development on new content, but we won't hold our breath while we wait in that foxhole.

Electronic Arts will give back 800 to those who buy items from a select list of downloadable merchandise between December 25 and January 31. The offer covers items like DLC from Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins and downloadable titles like Battlefield 1943 and Hasbro Family Game Night. It also covers many of EA's Games on Demand offerings, including Burnout Paradise and Dead Space.

The details on how the redemption works are ... well, we can't really seem to find them. We've sent out some emails asking EA if it could clarify how the deal will work, exactly. If you're looking to take advantage of the offer in the meantime, just make sure your Xbox Live email address and contact details are all current.

While we chew our nails in quiet desperation for StarCraft II, let's see what's going on in that Command & Conquer: Tiberian Twilight (we love you, Edward!) game, with a new trailer for the fourth installment. In Tiberian Twilight (we love you, Jacob!), which releases March 16, it appears that players will fetch tiberium from landing zones, which they'll turn in for upgrades and vehicles of destruction -- the tiberium, not the landing zones ... turning in LZs would be absurd ... yeah, um ...

*tap, tap, tap*

Okay, now where's StarCraft II?

Xbox360Achievements has updated with the sweet cheevos you'll be earning upon jumping back into the captain's chair of Mass Effect 2's SSV Normandy. Some of these are certainly spoilers, but BioWare has chosen to be purposefully vague with most of them (did you know you'll be "saving your crew from an incoming attack"? No duh), so they won't completely ruin the story with a quick browse.

In fact, there's some fun in speculating just what all these points might portend. What's this "Geth technology" that you'll be obtaining? And who's this mysterious "Assassin" you could be recruiting? It could be anyone!

[Thanks, tmacairjordan87!]

It was hinted at again and again... and again, until it was finally confirmed. Dead Space 2 is officially a thing that exists, and the sequel will land on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC at some point. Until then, EA's Visceral Games is in full-blown tease mode. Today's tidbit of Dead Space 2 info comes in the form of a Game Informer-exclusive "3D" screenshot.

The image features the game's hero, Isaac Clark, fighting off a horrific childlike necromorph. Well, to be honest, we assume the pair are fighting. For all we know the two characters could be moments away from a beautiful holiday embrace. (Mistletoe may or may not be involved.) Check out Game Informer's dedicated Dead Space 2 site to see the shot in all its interactive glory.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Electronic Arts is looking to create a development center in Atlanta, Georgia, that could potentially employ 300 people. An EA spokesperson confirmed to the paper that Georgia, Louisiana and Florida are all being considered, as the company tries to cut California operation costs. The publisher gave no indication on when a decision would be made.

The information is in-line with rumors that Joystiq has been hearing about more EA changes on the horizon. When we contacted the company about specific studio closures and relocation, an EA spokesperson told us, "We have nothing more to add to this story."

If you're a PS3 owner with an inkling of an interest in first-person shooters, you've probably tried the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta, featuring a revamped Rush game mode. Everyone else, well, you're missing out on some great fun -- but March and the release of the retail game isn't that far off.

I've wanted to play more of the game's multiplayer component ever since getting into the beta, and I recently got that chance at EA's Redwood Shores, California headquarters. The occasion: the unveiling of a new game mode, squad deathmatch. Four squads of four members each (4-vs-4-vs-4-vs-4) square off to see which team can reach the kill limit first, which sounds straightforward enough until you consider the dense foliage of the new jungle map on which we played.

A reminder from your friendly neighborhood Joystiq: The Army of Two: The 40th Day demo promised earlier this week is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Weighing in at a less-than-diminutive two gigabytes, the demo allows players to try out a part of the first level of the game. And, since Army of Two kind of depends on cooperative play, the demo thankfully offers both offline and online co-op for two players.

The demo may or may not also contain bro hugs. We hope it does.

Shortcut: Add the Army of Two: The 40th Day demo to your 360 download queue
[Via Xbox.com]

With the game set to ship out on January 26, EA held one last hands-on sneak preview of Mass Effect 2 on Wednesday night in San Francisco. We were there, of course, intrigued by an invitation that promised we'd learn what something called "Project Lazarus" was -- as it turned out, it's a crucial part of the game's plot that makes an appearance in the first 20 minutes.

We know that because -- save for some optimizations here and there -- we played the first hour-and-a-half of a finished Mass Effect 2, from the title screen until being politely informed that we were about to enter forbidden plot territory. Which is surprising, considering that the opening of the game, apart from being one of the most dramatic we've witnessed in recent memory, is also chockablock with pretty huge plot twists.

That said, we must warn you that the preview after the break contains what some may consider MAJOR SPOILERS -- so if you want the beginning of the game and the surprises it holds to remain unrevealed until launch day, seriously ... don't read any further.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (12-17-09)

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