Mass Effect 3 Special Edition, Trilogy dates and details laid out

Mass Effect is affecting all the home consoles in their own special ways this holiday season, so hold off on that renegade interrupt long enough for us to give you the details. BioWare today confirmed details for what Wii U gamers should expect with Mass Effect 3 Special Edition, and last week laid out the full plan for when and what Mass Effect Trilogy will pack in for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 players.

The Wii U's Special Edition will launch alongside the console on November 18, with an expanded version of the same Genesis interactive comic which let PlayStation 3 players jump straight into Mass Effect 2. Players will make key choices from the narratives of the first and second games as they advance through the illustrated scenes and find their actions reflected when they get to Mass Effect 3.

Wii U players will find the From Ashes and Extended Cut DLC on-disc as previously announced, as well as the Rebellion, Resurgence, and Earth multiplayer packs and an exclusive heavy weapon. But what they won't get is all three games for the same price of $60.

For that, you'll have to snag the Mass Effect Trilogy. The PlayStation 3 version for the game has been confirmed for release on December 4, or 7 in Europe (as well as a standalone download of Mass Effect on PlayStation Network), and the PC and Xbox 360 versions will arrive on November 6, or 9 in Europe.

We could split hairs about what DLC comes in each version of the game and why, but we'll leave that to Mass Effect Trilogy's external producer Ryan Warden:

"The PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect Trilogy will have the original Mass Effect with Bring Down the Sky integrated into the game, both on-disc and on the PSN download. Mass Effect 2 will still have the same DLC on-disc that it was originally shipped with: Cerberus Network; Kasumi; Overlord; and Lair of the Shadow Broker. Finally, Mass Effect 3 will also be exactly as it originally shipped.

"The Xbox 360 version will include all DLC that came with the original games – Cerberus Network with Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 remains unchanged as well. The PC is the same as Xbox 360, except both Bring Down the Sky and Pinnacle Station are available for free – just as they are for all PC players who purchases each standalone product today."