Let it be clear: the PS3 edition of Mass Effect 2 is not your average port. Developer BioWare is going the extra mile to make this the definitive console release. That includes packing in several ME3-specific engine enhancements.

Expect “improved graphics,” the ability to toggle between PS3 and 360 controller layouts, and a slew of bug fixes according to producer Jesse Houston, who broke the news on BioWare’s latest podcast.

One of the first things you’re going to see is improved graphics. We actually created the engine for Mass Effect 3 and used that to make Mass Effect 2 PS3. So we took the content, the story and all of the other assets that made up Mass Effect 2 and we put it into the Mass Effect 3 engine.

We’ve also gone ahead and made the experience much more solid on PS3. So for example the controls are geared towards the PS3 controller [although] you can switch it back to the old Xbox control style if you like. Other things like planet scanning have been improved; we’ve rolled up all of the patches; done a whole bunch of bug fixing.

Goes to show that waiting does sometimes pay off. Mass Effect 2 is due out on PS3 January 18. A demo is scheduled to hit PSN ahead of time on December 22.

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