Electronic Arts announced today that the PC version of BioWare's Sci-Fi RPG Mass Effect has gone gold. The game will reach store shelves in North America on May 28th. The European release date is June 6th.

The press release notes that customers who pre-order the game from EA's online store will get some free Dead Space merchandise -- "the first issue of the Dead Space comic book and a Dead Space poster while supplies last." It's probably a safe bet that the two sci-fi themed, third-person games appeal to a similar crowd.

Mass Effect, originally released on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, will include some new features in its PC incarnation -- a revamped user interface, more customizable and powerful combat controls, and 90 minutes of additional storyline content available to 360 users only as a pay-to-play download, called Bring Down the Sky.

BioWare head honcho and EA VP Ray Muzyka spoke with IGN in a video interview about the PC gaming industry and his company's upcoming projects for the platform. He had positive things to say about the state of PC gaming.

"I think the PC market right now is a very strong place. It's stronger than it's ever been," he said. He talked a bit about microtransactions, digital downloads, and other new developments, but added: "You know at the end of the day it all comes down to can you make a really great game really fun for your fans? And if you can do that and you understand who your fans really are, I think it's an incredibly great opportunity to develop for PC."

He also commented briefly on BioWare's mysterious new Dragon Age IP, saying it's the next generation of and the spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights tradition. There's some discussion of Mass Effect in the interview, as well -- reassurance about the DRM controversy, talk of the PC version's interface enhancements, and speculation about future games in the franchise.

Today via press release, it was announced that famed BioShock lead designer Kev Levine would be keynoting the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Levine, head of 2K Boston (formerly Irrational Games), has been tapped for his contributing role in the gaming industry and his unique story telling abilities to kick-start the event.

Apparently one other reason was a driving force behind the decision for the organizers of PAX, his pimpage. "Obviously, Ken is pimp supreme," said Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo, "We're super excited to have him open up the show."

Joined by Levine is a gaggle of musical guests, including: FreezePop, the MiniBosses, Jonathan Coulton of Portal's 'Still Alive' fame and many more.

The event also gives 20 lucky pre-registrants the opportunity to compete in a wide-range of games for a chance to win a trip for two to the Tokyo Game Show, $5000 dollars spending money and a new home theater system.

The fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo lands at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in downtown Seattle, Washington on August 29-31.

According to FireFly Studios co-founder Simon Bradbury, new installments in the Stronghold and Crusader franchises will eventually see the light of day.

Bradbury said FireFly's current focus is the Xbox 360 and PC action game Dungeon Hero, which is set for a Spring 09 release, but would revisit the studio's other franchises eventually. "Certainly we'll be looking at Dungeon Hero first," he told Videogamer at the Stronghold Crusader Extreme/Dungeon Hero event in London, "I would think if we were to start off work in earnest on Stronghold, the next iteration, it would be after that. "

Bradbury mentions that while the studio feels it isn't time for a new Crusaders installment, fans have been asking for it and Firefly would eventually deliver.

It appears the speculation has been confirmed. Less than an hour ago Joystiq received confirmation from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) that LucasArts is no longer a member of the organization.

According to Rich Taylor, Senior VP of Communications and Research for the ESA, LucasArts has decided to allow their ESA membership expire and will not be renewing. "We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts' decision," Taylor said in a statement released by the ESA.

Director of public relations at LucasArts Margaret Grohne responded to the announcement saying it was business as usual now that LucasArts has branched away from the ESA. "As a company we are still committed to bringing consumers the best interactive experience possible and support the ESA's mission in the industry. LucasArts will be participating in E3."

Recently the ESA was faced with a similar issue when Activision and Vivendi Games announced they had decided to depart the organization over unnamed "business" issues.

ESA's Rich Taylor and LucasArts Margaret Grohne's full statements are available after the jump.

Electronic Arts couldn't get a in-house MMO to successfully launch so a couple of years ago it bought Mythic Entertainment and brought in their fantasy title Warhammer Online. The game is now scheduled for release this fall (after several delays) and now EA has announced that folks in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia will be able not just have the game ship to their shores at the same time as the North American and European launches but they will also be able to log onto a local Australian server

It's rare that an MMO title will begin its life in so many territories at once and having a server close to home will likely make it easier for those Aussies to enjoy the game without a ton of latency issues. Oh, and we have a boatload of new screenshots from the game to show off. There's a lot of visual goodness in this batch (depending on whether or not you like big huge monsters who show their guts . . .literally).

The post-apocalyptic world of the Fallout franchise has always been rife with humor and innovative imagery. While we all think we know what the aesthetic should resemble, it's up to the actual artists to try to find new ways to spin that aesthetic in novel ways, to keep the look fresh and appealing. Leading the charge is Bethesda's Adam Adamowicz, Concept Artist on Fallout 3.

In his latest Diary, Adam details the sometimes rigorous brainstorming sessions and countless revisions it takes to arrive at a truly immersive look and feel for the game, and presents several concept art sketches for our enjoyment. Included in this overview are the clothing, machines, architecture, robots, and assorted mutants and bad guys that populate the ravaged world of Fallout. If the finished product is anything even remotely like these sketches, we're all in for quite a treat. Enjoy!

Razer has just announced its latest lineup of gaming related accessories in the form of the Razer Goliathus soft-mat series. Goliathus is available in two flavors, one built for speed and the other for control and ship in three different sizes ranging from $14.99 to $24.99.

Co-developed by Razer techs and gaming professionals, the Goliathus brand promises to give gamers the edge in all gaming scenarios, from home all the way to professional gaming sessions, using Razer's woven fiber technology.

The pads will release later this month.

City of Heroes and City of Villains scribe Shane Lacy Hensley has been tapped by publisher FireSky to head Superstition Studios. Hensley, who is famously known for creating such pen and paper RPGs as Deadlands, will lead development of a new MMORPG that has yet to be detailed.

Prior to the promotion, Hensley was the creative director of Superstition where his vision and key hiring decisions made him the "perfect" candidate for the promotion, according to FireSky senior vice president of product development Rod Nakamoto. "With Shane's leadership, success is a given for Superstition Studios."

Without giving specifics on Superstition's mysterious upcoming release Hensley explained his work with the studio is helping to fulfill a career-long dream. "FireSky and Superstition Studios have given me the creative freedom to build the game I've been dreaming of since I entered the video game industry back in 1992."

Currently FireSky is developing Stargate Worlds, based on the long running science fiction series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, which is now accepting beta sign-ups.

After the whole Kane & Lynch fiasco, who takes CNET seriously anymore? CBS does, apparently. In a press release today, the media giant announced that they were offering $11.50 for each outstanding share in CNET, or $1.8 billion in total. CNET owns their own gaming media giant, with GameSpot, GameRankings, Metacritic, and Download.com ranking some of the most popular sites around. The CNET Board of Directors has approved the merger and urges all shareholders to accept the offer for their shares.

The most interesting part to us, however, is the fact that in the release, CBS does not utter the word "games" at all. Apparently, the words "games" or "videogames" are taboo to a multi-national multimedia corporation like CBS. However, "entertainment" is a perfectly fine way to refer to it, even though it could mean books, movies, games, music, or even sports. Can't we at least get an "interactive"?

Korean based MMO publisher NCsoft has revealed its latest financial results for the first quarter of 2008 and it's a bit of a mixed bag. Revenue for the quarter was $84.3 million, up 4 percent from the same period a year ago. However, the publisher's net profit was $7.7 billion which is down 43 percent from the same period a year ago.

In terms of the higher revenue NCsoft stated that one of the reasons was the continued high sales of its fantasy MMO Lineage II which had "record high sales" in the last quarter compared to its launch way back in 2003. Continued high sales of Guild Wars and City of Heroes and a reduction of costs like advertising also helped with the revenues. The company's lower profit was hit by a one time reduction of costs because of NCsoft's decision to break ties with Spacetime Studios and not publish their upcoming sci-fi MMO Blackstar (Spacetime recently announced it had reacquired the Blackstar IP from NCsoft and is continuing to develop the game).

NCsoft's major new release for 2008 seems to be the title Aion which is currently scheduled to be released in Korea later this year A line of casual titles is also in the works to be released this year as well. One interesting item of note is the breakdown of sales from individual NCsoft games. Lineage, Lineage II, City of Heroes/Villains, and Guild Wars were all but not Tabula Rasa which indicates that sales of that recently release game have yet to significantly impact the company's results.

There are a lot of interesting innovations in Eden Games and Atari's Alone in the Dark reboot. There are so many, actually, that we worry that it's too ambitious -- that it could end up more like Omikron: The Nomad Soul than a successful revolutionary work like Half-Life 2.

Next Generation played a chunk of the game, and expressed some of the same worries, suggesting that "a hint of a masterpiece is most definitely there, but beneath some problems." That said, Next Gen dedicated quite a few words to an innovation it believes might stick -- Alone in the Dark's episodic story structure. Eden Games admitted that the approach was inspired by serial television shows -- 24 and "the big HBO dramas," to be specific. There are several quotes and explanations by the devs in the article.

Eden Games has split the game up into twenty "episodes," each with its own narrative arc and cliffhanger conclusion. Here's the kicker, though: you can skip an episode -- or several of them -- if you want. Eden Games is doing this to throw a bone to gamers who often don't finish games because they get stuck at a certain puzzle or encounter. Each episode starts with a "Last time, on Alone in the Dark" sequence to catch players up to the action. Don't think you can read the last page first, though; you'll have to complete a certain number of episodes before the ending becomes available.

On Tuesday NCsoft announced a strategic partnership with voice chat technology provider Vivox to add voice support across its library of titles. The partnership creates an NCsoft-branded communications portal between all games in the NCsoft library and will include a robust feature-set, including: voice mail and communication via regular phones and text messages.

"We will be able to offer our players a commanding set of communication tools that will simplify communications amongst the player base with far reaching options," said Peter Jarvis, vice president of operations for NCsoft North America. "We anticipate a successful integration and long-term relationship [with Vivox]."

No estimated date of implementation for the tech was announced.

[via Develop Mag]