Origin's "On the House" program has been going on for a while now, delivering free games every couple of months, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time they started right smack in the middle of a series. As you can probably guess from the title, its not the original Mass Effect that's currently on offer, but rather its action-orientated sequel!

Don't take that as a negative, however, as Mass Effect 2 is an excellent way to get into the series. Its fairly self-contained so you won't get confused by all of the lore, the shooting is greatly improved from the original, and in my humble opinion it contains the best cast of characters from any Bioware game so far. So if you're up for losing a couple dozen hours saving the galaxy alongside some of the most memorable crewmen out there, head on over to Origin.

If you do end up enjoying it, I would also firmly suggest you pick yourself up both Mass Effect 1 and 3 in order to get the full picture. Mass Effect 1 is mostly focused around world building and storytelling, so be prepared for some crappy shooting, while Mass Effect 3 is almost the exact opposite - a great shooter with some incredibly disappointing story resolutions. But all these complaints aside, they are still well worth playing, so if you find yourself enjoying Mass Effect 2 odds are you're love them as well.

Have fun, and just in case you have no idea what Mass Effect 2 is even all about, here's the launch trailer: