The time has finally come and you can now play Mass Effect 2 on your PS3 via Blu-ray Disc or PlayStation Network download. Thanks for being patient and we’re thrilled that you can finally enjoy the full Mass Effect 2 experience.

The Mass Effect team is very proud of the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 2 has already won multiple awards, including IGN’s Game of the Year and Gametrailer’s Game of the Year as well as Best Sci-Fi Game, Best Blockbuster Game, and Best Story, among many others. And early word on the PS3 version is extremely positive with a 5/5 rating from The Toronto Sun, 5 stars from The Guardian, a 9.5/10 from IGN and Official Playstation Magazine giving it 10 out of 10!

Now, I hear you ask “Won’t I miss out since I didn’t play the first game?” Well, the truth is that Mass Effect 2 is an incredible standalone game whether you have played Mass Effect 1 or not. Yes, there are some story choices from Mass Effect 1 that do give some background and flavor to the story of Mass Effect 2, but the Mass Effect team has worked out a very cool way to ensure you don’t miss either the back story or these story choices.

BioWare and Dark Horse Comics, the same studio that has created the Mass Effect Redemption and Mass Effect Evolution comics, have created an introductory motion comic narrated by Mark Meer, the voice of Commander Shepard, that provides you the story of what happened in the first Mass Effect and enables you to make important choices, like who lives or dies, and creates a starting point for your playthrough of Mass Effect 2. This way, you not only learn the background story from the first game, you also directly get to choose the important story options that carry over into Mass Effect 2.

PS3 users also get a huge heap of extra content (plus an upgraded game engine featuring enhanced graphics, the same technology used for Mass Effect 3 in Holiday 2011). Over the past year of Mass Effect 2’s release, we released downloadable content that enabled players to continue their Mass Effect 2 experience. For the PS3 version, we bundled much of this DLC into the game, so you get the Normandy Crash site, Firewalker, Overlord, Zaeed: The Price of Revenge, Kasumi: Stolen Memory, the Blood Dragon Armor and the award-winning Lair of the Shadow Broker as part of your game right from the start.

So there you have it. Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 is a multi-award winning game, with an interactive, motion comic introduction to keep you current with the story that allows you to make key storyline choices, plus a huge amount of bonus content bundled into one awesome package. This is the game that PS3 fans have been waiting for. Don’t just sit there — head out to your favorite game store and buy a copy on Blu-ray Disc, or go to the PlayStation Network and download your digital copy of Mass Effect 2 today.