Mass Effect available today in Australia

360 News | From EB Games, anyway. UPDATED: Not so fast...

EB Games Australia has posted word on their official website that they will be selling copies of Mass Effect from today (Friday 16th of November). Emails confirming this have also been sent to purchasers. The website suggests that customers call their local store for delivery times.

BioWare's highly anticipated sci-fi action-RPG was supposed to have been released in Australia on the 22nd of November, but it looks like EB has got the drop early. This comes of the back of news from this week that EB Games was also selling Crysis a few days earlier then expected. Nonetheless, the announcement will be welcomed by those who have pre-ordered Mass Effect, as they will be the ones getting first dibs on the game.

Mass Effect is an exclusive Xbox 360 game and is built on Epic's Unreal Engine. BioWare's latest title is promising around 30 hours alone to complete the main quest, so it looks like our holidays just got a whole lot busier!

UPDATE: Mass Effect Community Coordinator Chris Priestly has posted the following on the official BioWare forums: 'We have spoken to Microsoft Australia and they have spoken with EB Australia's head office. NO copy of Mass Effect will be sold before it's Nov 22 launch date.'

Related Mass Effect Content

Xbox Live Deal of the Week - 18/01/10
19 Jan, 2010 A massive trio.

Mass Effect 2 release date announced
17 Oct, 2009 What a start to the year.

Love to Hate #10
31 Aug, 2009 Massively ineffective exploration of the planetary kind.

PagePrevious 1 234 5 Next

112 Comments

Capoeira

4 years ago

genxevo wrote

am i the only one who thinks this is bad as stores that don't have it yet lose sales??

I think that is EB's line of thinking anyway. It's cheap and dirty but hey, we're the one's benefiting so I'm perfected fine with it. I'm not about to shed any tears over a store's loss of profit. They'll live and I'll be playing Mass Effect. That is if my store is willing to sell it to me... why haven't I called them yet?

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

genxevo wrote

am i the only one who thinks this is bad as stores that don't have it yet lose sales??

or is it all good as long as we're sticking it up to the man??

Because the only reason you'd buy the game early is to 'stick it to the man' ... ? Get real.

I paid off my pre-order at EB already, if they're selling the game now then I'll buy it now - simple as that.

Itachi

4 years ago

I can;t wait to find out how much eb will be fined for doing this???? Any guesses people????

Capoeira

4 years ago

Just called. They have it in stock and will sell. SUPER FAST SHOP GET NOW!

arbok

4 years ago

genxevo wrote

am i the only one who thinks this is bad as stores that don't have it yet lose sales??

or is it all good as long as we're sticking it up to the man??

dude relax - let the shopkeepers worry about that.

Just enjoy the chance to get it early while it lasts cause it may not happen again!

Fetidchimp

4 years ago

If they neglected to put the sticker on the side with the release date, which my EB said was the case, then probably will let this one slide but put them on notice.

EDIT: if it was Halo then i'd say you'd see the second coming as far as M$ are concerned

Phend

4 years ago

genxevo wrote

am i the only one who thinks this is bad as stores that don't have it yet lose sales??

I agree: breaking street dates is bad for the industry. As someone that has run an independent games store in the past, I can appreciate the importance of street dates.

EB was notorious for breaking the rules back when I was in the business, but I've never seen it done on this scale. Hopefully this one is big enough to provoke a real response from the publisher.

In saying that, I don't blame anyone for rushing out to get it early. EB needs to take full responsibility.

ittekimasu

4 years ago

Just got a copy for a friend, earned myself a slab from it. win/win situation.

mipac

4 years ago

Just called my local EB, they have tons of copies, off to grab one now. And I have no idea why lol.

arbok

4 years ago

Cerebral wrote

arbok wrote

Why is it still wrapped my friend!

Well if the picture didn't give it away, I'm at work.

I would have been digging into the manual and checking out the pretty disc art.

Sunrider

4 years ago

Grabbed ny copy about half an hour ago. Store was guite full of 20-something men all buying the same game. Freaky.

ObsoletE

4 years ago

Sylar wrote

I can;t wait to find out how much eb will be fined for doing this???? Any guesses people????

from what i hear, the usual "Do not sell before XX/XX/XX" sticker/contract was not included with shipments of Mass Effect.

therefore technically, they've done nothing wrong. there was no contract to breach.

unlike the US street-date breach, which saw copies on shelves with "Do not sell before ..." stickers still on the units.

Itachi

4 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

Sylar wrote

I can;t wait to find out how much eb will be fined for doing this???? Any guesses people????

ahhh fair enough. I am glad everyone is going crazy about this game. From what i have read it's meant to be awesome. I just feel sorry for those shops that are independently run ahh well. Enjoy the game people, i will be getting it when it was suppose to come out i think wednesday not sure.

LeonJ

4 years ago

Picked up my copy. Be interested to see the fall out of this across the global.

I love it how there isn't a single review up yet

Fetidchimp

4 years ago

work finish now!!!!

Spanca

4 years ago

B3NBO wrote

ObsoletE wrote

^ lies.

i've done 3xthe same $20 game (PGR3x3, Wiiplayx6) 3 times in the last fortnight. all accepted, no dramas.

You have a really good EB then

. 2 of the stores wouldn't accept multiples. 1 of them wouldn't accept some older titles. Another one didn't care.

Guess its all random. But in EB's past deals, the one that didn't accept multiples for this one, did accept multiples and launch titles... must have changed since then.

Given we visit essentially the same stores, which ones are which? I want to know which one is the best to pull the dodgy on without having to go through hassle of doing multiple games etc.

Jeremy

4 years ago

LeonJ wrote

Picked up my copy. Be interested to see the fall out of this across the global.

I love it how there isn't a single review up yet

Funny, there is a review embargo up until the 20th, but there was no sales embargo...

Fetidchimp

4 years ago

as long as they don't take it out on us when mass effect starts coming up against everyones tag on live
i had a look at the bioware forums, they not happy that Kmart was selling it in some states in the US, not happy at all

B3NBO

4 years ago

Spanca wrote

B3NBO wrote

ObsoletE wrote

^ lies.

i've done 3xthe same $20 game (PGR3x3, Wiiplayx6) 3 times in the last fortnight. all accepted, no dramas.

You have a really good EB then

Given we visit essentially the same stores, which ones are which? I want to know which one is the best to pull the dodgy on without having to go through hassle of doing multiple games etc.

Chatswood: If you get David he will do anything, best EB manager ever. Steve is a bit random last time i went there he wouldn't accept multiples or launch titles. But when i traded in for cod4 he accepted everything, but only just, because it was matching JB's deals, but he couldn't be arsed checking exclusions, but now that will have changed i think.

Maqaurie: Would not accept launch titles but did say they would take multiples.

Hornsby: I matched JB's deal for Mass Effect yesterday. They took all my games no worries, but he said that he thinks they are on the restriction list, but i know for a fact they aren't.

Galleries: Wouldn't accept multiples. Launch titles accepted but only for EB deals, they will match JB's exclusions if you ask them to match their deals.

So i recomend you go to either Chatswood or Hornsby EB stores. But it probably all really depends on who is working there at the time.

LeonJ

4 years ago

So does anybody know what the offical word is here?

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

LeonJ wrote

So does anybody know what the offical word is here?

"HOOFREAKINGRAYWEGOTMASSEFFECTEARLY!"

There's already a team hard at work on an abbreviation and a catchy theme song for it.

LeonJ

4 years ago

Hey, I'm happy as punch, I'm just wondering what the go is.

Is JB or anybody else apart from EB selling it?

eckymosis

4 years ago

Cerebral wrote

Damn this 8-hour working day!

I’m on the same boat as you mate. But at least you have your copy! I have to wait until 5:30pm to get my pre-order. I just hope there are still copies left let alone are still selling it b/c of that letter from MS.

phatmike128

4 years ago

just a heads up, i just picked up at JB Hifi in Kedron QLD (60 Gympie Rd) for $79 woot.

It was funny as I was also buying a HDMI cable for my new ps3 and the guy there saw me holding it before purchasing. He went 'uhhh mass effect, that isn't meant to be on sale till the 22nd', he didn't do anything about it though and they still have copies on the shelves and behind the counter.

Also picked up COD4. My wallet is crying. In the past week I've bought PS3, GH3, MP3, COD4, MassErect and Galaxy in 2 weeks.

Arrrgh!

LeonJ

4 years ago

Yes, JB in the city only had the 'pre-order' discs. They said they didn't know where the game discs were.

I would have prefered to get it from JB for $79. Perhaps I will take it back to EB next thursday and get a 7 day return policy and then pick it up at JB. I hate paying full price for new games.

PagePrevious 1 234 5 Next

View as forum topic

Add Comment

Like this news?

Share it with this tiny url: http://palg.nu/ZI

| More

Mass Effect

Pre-order or buy:
PALGN recommends: www.Play-Asia.com

Australian Release Date:
  22/11/2007 (Confirmed)
Standard Retail Price:
  $99.95 AU
Publisher:
  Microsoft
Genre:
  Action RPG
Year Made:
  2007
Players:
  1

Read more...