Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 January 26

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Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on January 26, 2010, and for PlayStation 3 a year later. This sequel to Mass Effect is set in our galaxy in the 22nd century, when humanity is threatened by the insectoid Collectors. BioWare emphasized third-person shooter aspects in the sequel, including limited ammunition and regenerable health. A variety of downloadable content packs extend the game with new character outfits and missions. Mass Effect 2 was a commercial success and received considerable acclaim from video game publications, including a score of 96 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version at the review aggregate website Metacritic. Critics praised the interactive storytelling, characterization, and combat, but some reviewers expressed concerns about the sequel's simplified gameplay. The game received numerous year-end awards, including Game of the Year at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and the 2011 BAFTA Games Award. It is frequently cited in top-100 lists of video games. (Full article...)

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January 26: Australia Day (1788); Republic Day in India (1950); Liberation Day in Uganda (1986)

• 1699 – The signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz to conclude the Austro-Ottoman War marked the end of Ottoman control in much of Central Europe and the rise of the Habsburg Monarchy as the dominant power in the region.
• 1856 – Puget Sound War: United States Marines from the USS Decatur defeated Native American forces after an all-day battle with settlers in Seattle, Washington.
• 1918 – A group of Red Guards hung a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the Finnish Civil War.
• 1966 – The three Beaumont children disappeared from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations.
• 1991 – Factions led by warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid and his rebel group, the United Somali Congress, ousted President of Somalia Siad Barre (pictured) from office.

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The pin-tailed snipe (Gallinago stenura) is a small stocky wader. It breeds in northern Russia and migrates to spend the non-breeding season in southern Asia from Pakistan to Indonesia. These birds forage in mud or soft soil, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insects and earthworms, but also some plant material.

Photograph: JJ Harrison

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