The dog days of DLC

From Blue's News:

BIOWARE UNVEILS ‘THE CERBERUS NETWORK’ – AN IN-GAME PIPELINE FOR DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT IN MASS EFFECT 2

On January 26 Mass Effect 2 Players Can Download Exciting Bonus Content

Edmonton, Alberta (January 19, 2010) – BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed ‘The Cerberus Network’, an in-game portal in Mass Effect 2 that will keep fans engaged with the rich and dynamic Mass Effect universe through downloadable content (DLC) and news. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is activated exclusively by original purchasers of Mass Effect 2 through a single-use unlock code that comes included in retail and digital versions of the game worldwide. ‘The Cerberus Network’ is a conduit for players to receive bonus content as well as daily messages and news on upcoming releases for Mass Effect 2 for no extra charge. For players who do not buy the game new, ‘The Cerberus Network’ can be unlocked through a one-time, in-game purchase of a new activation code*.

* Activation is tied to a specific EA Online account and is non-transferable.

IIRC, Cerberus is a mythological three-headed dog monster that guards the gates of Hell, ensuring that none of the damned escape.

So it's not the best mascot BioWare could have chosen. But it is a great way for the developer to cash-in on used game sales, which obviously benefits the fans. So that must be what it's about, or they wouldn't have said it. Right?

Those in need of an immediate distraction can check out a class-by-class "walkthrough" of ME2 on Video Games Blogger.