What is BioWare’s mysterious countdown going to reveal?

Recently, developer BioWare has updated its homepage with an unexplained countdown timer set to expire, if our math is correct, this coming Monday, March 29. As if that wasn%26rsquo;t enough to get us dreaming, the timer also appears on the dedicated pages for two of BioWare%26rsquo;s games: Dragon Age: Origins as well as Mass Effect 2.

What could it all mean? Separate announcements for each title? One big revelation so earth-shakingly magnificous that it takes two games to deliver it? Is there any chance at all that we%26rsquo;ll finally see our Mass Effect 2 soulmate Tali%26rsquo;s face? It%26rsquo;s discussion time, children!

Theory One: More DLC is coming for both games.
Could be, but coming so soon after the recent DLC announcements and releases %26ndash; the Awakening DLC for Dragon Age along with Firewalker and Kasumi%26rsquo;s Stolen Memory for Mass Effect 2 %26ndash; does it make sense to put up an ominous countdown for more DLC? What the hell else are they going to throw at us? Will DA fans receive a patch that makes Morrigan less of a bitch? Will Mass Effect 2 fans with a female Shepherd finally be able to romance Miranda Lawson%26rsquo;s Aussie-accented badonkadonk? WILL WE FINALLY SEE WHAT%26rsquo;S BEHIND TALI%26rsquo; ZORAH%26rsquo;S MASK? Forgive us for repeating ourselves on that one %26ndash; it%26rsquo;s important to us.

Theory Two: It%26rsquo;s a new game announcement entirely.
You don%26rsquo;t put up a countdown after announcing a bucket load of DLC just to announce more DLC. Perhaps Bioware is ready to disclose what Project Wombat fully entails. Maybe they%26rsquo;ve finally decided upon a release date for Mass Effect 3 or Dragon Age 2.

Theory Three: They%26rsquo;re opening the porthole.
Our bet, regardless of what everyone else has said in the past, is that we%26rsquo;ll hear about a PS3 port of at least Mass Effect 2 (if not both MEs) on Monday.

The last speculation may piss off some Xbox 360 fanboys; and yes, it doesn%26rsquo;t explain away the appearance of the timer on the Dragon Age page (unless BioWare just wants to spread the word to the maximum number of people). However, it would only make sense for BioWare and owner/publisher Electronic Arts to take advantage of how well the PS3 has been faring recently.

So what do you all think?

Mar 25, 2010