14 DAY TRIAL // Mass Effect 2 is now out in both European and North American markets and early looks at the game are saying that it's one of the best role playing experiences ever delivered to gamers and certainly on par with BioWare's 2009 release, Dragon Age: Origins, although in a very different setting.
And one of the most interesting aspects of the release is the Cerberus Network, the in-game downloadable distribution channel that the developer and the publisher have introduced.
The Cerberus Network seems the best idea the videogame industry has come up with in order to limit, if not eliminate, the business of second hand sales of blockbuster titles. A new character, named Zaeed, the Hammerhead tank and fresh missions are incoming for Mass Effect 2 initially after launch, much in the same way that Shale was offered to those who bought Dragon Age: Origins new when it came out.
The big distinction is that for Dragon Age, those who bought the game used had to pay for the DLC itself, while for Mass Effect 2, players who pick the game up used need to drop 15 dollars in order to only have the ability to get the DLC that BioWare might release in the coming months for the title.
It's both an interesting and a somewhat troubling development. On the one hand, it will mean that getting the game at GameStop or another second hand retailer might become a more expensive proposition for the gamer than picking the game up new, especially if they buy it for a discount at some point after the release date.
Used game prices might dip because of the move on the part of BioWare and Electronic Arts, and other publishers and developers might follow the model in the future, getting more money from their work. Some might push it too far and charge too much for the channel or for the content itself, while others will probably offer interesting deals with complete editions coming through digital distribution with a bigger upfront price for the promise of getting all the content that might arrive later for a title.
There could be a bit of backlash on the part of gamers but it will quickly subside given that developers are getting a bigger share of their money. It remains to be seen whether the model of the Cerberus Network will be successful enough to gain a following.