Watch Sci Vs Fi: Mass Effect Show on SyFy Channel This Week!

Hey kids! While we all wait out the last, painful few days before we can finally play Mass Effect 2, why not watch a TV show about it? It's like an extra-thick, four-part slice of hype to go along with the non-stop hype bombardment already in progress! Yay!

Sci vs Fi: Mass Effect 2 is a documentary created for and being shown by the Syfy channel (gawd, I still hate that name change) this week, and it's got all sorts of goodies in it, including interviews with the developers, voice actors (including Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer-omnomnom!), and more, all scientifically engineered to ensure that you will buy the game the second you are done watching. And if you miss any of the episodes, or don't yet have one of those newfangled "televisions," you can also watch them at the Mass Effect Official Website or right here at our humble headquarters at EA.com. The advantage of watching it right here? We're serving donuts!

The first broadcast actually started yesterday, so check the links above to find that one, but the rest of the air schedule is as follows:

Wednesday 1/20 @ 4:00 PM
Thursday 1/21 @ 5:30 AM
Friday 1/22 @ 8:00 AM
Sunday 1/24 @ 1:00 AM
Monday 1/25 @ 1:00 AM
Tuesday 1/26 @ 3:30 PM

And here's an Episode Guide for y'all:

Part I of Sci Vs Fi: Mass Effect 2 breaks down the key elements of the game: Shepard, the game cast, the universe, and the conflict. Since BioWare was founded nearly 15 years ago, they have been a consistent innovator in delivering emotionally powerful narratives through gaming and this segment explores their handiwork in Mass Effect 2.

Part 2 dives deeper into the story of Mass Effect 2. How are players drawn into the Mass Effect universe? How do you write a fulfilling story that has such disparate paths and endings? The science fiction genre has long been a stage for modern day allegories to play out, but those stories ring even more true when orchestrated and conducted through the player's actions.

Part 3 picks up on some of the notions raised in the first segment, helping to break down what makes people so drawn to the game-and more importantly how ME2 uses a dazzling array of high-tech tricks to make the experience a richer, more complete entertainment experience.

Part 4, the final act, is where we everything gets put together, synthesizing the program's trenchant points to summarize how Mass Effect 2 is an epic mix of both "sci" & "fi", and one of the year's most important works of science fiction in general.  By the show's conclusion, viewers will have become intimately familiar not just with Mass Effect 2's compelling central hero, the colorful mix of intergalactic characters surrounding him, and the wild adventure they find themselves in, but also the creative and technological innovations that give rise to the game's distinctive blend of big-action shooter & innovative RPG elements.

Enjoy! Oh, and while I'm at it, don't forget to tune into the next episode of The EA Podcast, as we host Dr. Ray Muzyka for EVEN MORE Mass Effect 2 hype. Join me for a glass of Kool-Aid! It tastes great!

--Jeff Green