Anyone who was up in the wee hours of this morning (Saturday, January 25th) got a pre-launch bunch of goodies. Someone at Microsoft made a mistake and anyone fast enough managed to nab all pre-release Mass Effect 2 downloadable content… for free!

If gamers went through the Xbox Live Marketplace website, they had a chance to grab nine different downloads including weapons, armor and more.

Previously available only to those who pre-ordered the game at GameStop, Terminus Weapon and Armor was up for download giving everyone a chance to nab it for themselves. The Inferno Armor, a prize for pre-ordering at every other retailer aside from GameStop, was available too.

Also, the Blood Dragon armor usually only available to those who own a copy of Dragon Age: Origins and Collector’s Weapon and Armor usually only available to those who purchase the Collector’s Edition of the game were available too.

Additional items included a sniper rifle (M-29 Incisor Sniper Rifle) and three armor add-ons: the Sentry Interface, Umbra Visor and Recon Hood. All of these items present a minor upgrade in your player by the means of a +5% increase in a stat.

Lastly up for download is the Normandy Crash Site, the downloadable content gamers receive as soon as they log-on to the Cerberus Network. Here is a description directly from Xbox Live Marketplace:

“Across the galaxy, entire human colonies are vanishing. As Commander Shepard, you will recruit an elite team of the galaxy’s most dangerous and skilled experts, and lead them on an assault into the most dangerous area of the galaxy – from which you might not return. Download new equipment and missions to continue your adventure even after the main story is complete. They say the mission is suicide. Prove them wrong. Shepard discovers the location of the Normandy Crash Site, an emotionally charged and reflective moment for Shepard as he is on a mission of salvage and recovery.”

Not too bad for $0.00! Sorry to all those who missed out but you win some, you lose some. I can almost guarantee anyone who pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition will receive 3/4 of this content for free anyways.
I am still skeptical this isn’t yet another ploy in BioWare’s massive ad campaign. Every major game news outlet mentioned the leak as well Mass Effect 2’s own official Facebook page. Hmm…