Mass Effect 3 details leaking out

[FSUViking 184]

BioWare spill Mass Effect 3 deets on squadmates, RPG elements, and no multiplayer

BY Jamie Feltham Apr. 8th, 2011

 

Straight from the pages of Game Informer, Mass Effect 3 details have sieged the internet like a Krogan on a war path. Read on for all the latest on Shep’s next adventure.

 

First and foremost? There’s no multiplayer of any kind; breathe a sigh of relief. Possible online modes haven’t been ruled out for future entries in the franchise though.

 

In terms of story, we know that Garrus will return to your squad (if he made it through the last game), along with either Kaiden or Ashley depending on who survived the first game, along with Liara T’Soni. Someone named James Sanders will also join the Normandy crew this time around. Other characters include Wrex, Mordin, and Legion though it’s not entirely clear if they’ll rejoin the squad.

 

The Illusive Man will also return, although this time he could well be after Shepard instead of with him, meaning Cerbreus is back on the bad side.

 

On the gameplay side of things, BioWare are looking to make the RPG elements deeper than Mass Effect 2. Powers will be able to upgrade more than once for example, and skill trees will be larger. Weapon mods are also returning.

 

The game will start out with Shepard on trial for his actions in the recent Arrival DLC. That’s when the Reaper invasion that we’ve heard so much about starts, thus Shep is sent on his merry way to take them down. Que 20+ hours of ducking behind cover, blasting aliens in the face, and a heck of a lot of chit chat; we can’t wait.

 

Mass Effect 3 is on track for a release at the end of the year.

 

SOURCE: That Videogame Blog

[Vin+ 3,121]

Sweet, more Legion.

[Bangy 19]

WREX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So much win if he returns to being a playable character as he is so much better than Grunt

[Phenomenal TJ 28]

I don't think Wrex is going to be playable. :\

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Hell yeah! This game just gets better and better...

[Bangy 19]

I don't think Wrex is going to be playable. :\

 

It depends on how they do it as far as we know we could have that Grunt takes over while Wrex helps out. If he is a playable character or has more of a role then it would be epic

[Duck Fallas 209]

There are no words in our language to adequately express how earger I am for this game.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Wrex is fail anyway. Well, Krogan in general.

 

I still haven't beat Mass Effect 2...

 

Really close to the end though. The ending of the Sheppard Era shall be a great one.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Favre4Ever

[Duck Fallas 209]

Wrex is fail anyway. Well, Krogan in general.

 

I still haven't beat Mass Effect 2...

 

Really close to the end though. The ending of the Sheppard Era shall be a great one.

To my great shame, I too, have not yet completed Mass Effect 2. I got distracted by Dragon Age: Origins again.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

To my great shame, I too, have not yet completed Mass Effect 2. I got distracted by Dragon Age: Origins again.

 

I had a mini Black Ops obsession.. hehe. Then DA 2 came out and that was my life for a good few weeks. I'm really close to the end though. I don't really feel any urgency to beat it yet. Beating it close to the ME3 would be pretty epic, IMO. So... I may just chill for a while. haha

[Duck Fallas 209]

I had a mini Black Ops obsession.. hehe. Then DA 2 came out and that was my life for a good few weeks. I'm really close to the end though. I don't really feel any urgency to beat it yet. Beating it close to the ME3 would be pretty epic, IMO. So... I may just chill for a while. haha

Good point. I am likely to delete the current game after I beat it, likely to clear up some space on my HDD. Not that I would hate to play it again, of course. I actually replayed the first game so that I could carry my character over.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I have like 220 gig of empty space on my HDD... lol. Not a problem for me.

[Duck Fallas 209]

I have like 220 gig of empty space on my HDD... lol. Not a problem for me.

lol. I have 1.2 gig on a 4 gig HDD. I was too cheap to get a larger HDD, now I am regretting it.

[Phenomenal TJ 28]

I've got a 20 gig that is useless to me since I bought the slim and the 250gb. I can sell it pretty cheap if you're interested. lol. Have a transfer cable too.

 

From what I've read, not many Bioware fans are fans of how 3 is supposed to start off.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I've got a 20 gig that is useless to me since I bought the slim and the 250gb. I can sell it pretty cheap if you're interested. lol. Have a transfer cable too.

 

From what I've read, not many Bioware fans are fans of how 3 is supposed to start off.

 

That's why I have so much space. LOVE the slim. So quiet, doesn't over heat... Amazingness.

[Phenomenal TJ 28]

I've got like 199 GB left. But, I've also got about 4 full games on the HD and a bunch of DLC. Plus numerous saves lol.

[Vin+ 3,121]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/116/1166008p1.html

 

Electronic Arts is delaying the release of Mass Effect 3 into early 2012.

 

Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series, made the announcement through the game's official Facebook page.

 

"Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012. The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations."

[FSUViking 184]

Mixed emotions. Extremely disappointed when anticipated games get delayed, but if it's for the betterment of the experience, I can understand it I guess.

[Bangy 19]

:'( man I am sad as I was so hyped to get it around Christmas time however if they do it as they have with Gears of War and the delay does make it as bad ass as it should be then I won't mind.

 

It also gives me more time to re play both of the previous games and all the DLC.

[Phenomenal TJ 28]

Yeah, I'm with FSU on this one. Hate to see it delayed, but I want it to be perfect.

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Yeah there's nothing worse than when studios rush a game for release and it's buggy, missing shit and needs multiple patches to make it work properly. You see it too much these days. I'd rather they take the time to get the game to where they want it to be.

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Ohhh Dat Mass

Edited May 31, 2011 by BlaineDifference
Dat nudity

[Duck Fallas 209]

I am very happy that they are delaying the release for a couple of reasons:

 

1. I don't want to play some buggy shit like I had to do with Fallout: New Vegas.

 

2. I can actually not go broke with both time and money having to play The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 at the same time.

[Vin+ 3,121]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1172193p1.html

 

Spoiler Alert: This article contains some story spoilers for Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and previously released downloadable content.

 

The Reapers have come to Earth. This is how Mass Effect 3 begins. The first two titles in the series were building towards an epic war with the ancient arbiters of doom and that war has finally come. Good thing the galaxy has you, Commander Shepard, professional Reaper killer.

 

Mass Effect 2 focused on gathering the best mercenaries in the galaxy for a suicide mission against the Collectors. Mass Effect 3 is a survival mission. You must rally the various races from around the galaxy to your cause to reclaim Earth and save every form of life from extinction. Fail, and everyone and everything dies. No pressure.

 

 

 

Mass Effect 3 Trailer

It won't be easy. This is full blown galactic war and to many, the battle appears hopeless. How can any army possibly defeat the Reapers? Forget about earning the trust of individual allies -- you must unite warring factions to one purpose. Returning to Earth with anything less than a galactic armada would mean failure. In Mass Effect 2, you helped Jack deal with her past and tracked down Samara's daughter for a family reunion. Here, the stakes are higher and the importance of each mission is going to be greater.

 

One example of these unifying missions comes about halfway through Mass Effect 3. Shepard and crew have journeyed to the Salarian homeworld, Sur'Kesh, to rescue a Krogan princess. Yes, she's crazy hot. The princess in question is the key to uniting a divided Krogan homeworld. Mordin Solus is assisting (it is his home planet after all), and naturally the Krogan clan leader Wrex Urdnot has quite an interest in the princess.

 

Find out how Mass Effect 3's combat has changed.

But wait, is that team even possible in your version of Mass Effect 3? This is where the branching paths of the first two games begin to really affect the final battle against the Reapers. What if you killed Wrex in the first game? What if Mordin died at the end of Mass Effect 2? What if you gave thumbs up to the Genophage? It's unclear how these choices affect the missions -- maybe losing Mordin just means another character is there in his place -- but in some cases the differences should be significant.

 

Mass Effect 3 Executive Producer Casey Hudson says that "all things contribute to the war effort." Meaning every major decision from the first two games has an impact. The relationships you've built, and those you need to build going forward, matter.

 

With the Krogans, you might have murdered one of their own. You might have further doomed their species to extinction. Now you must ask them to help you save the galaxy. Awkward. But there are other decisions that should have an impact. Did you kill or spare the Rachni Queen in Mass Effect 1? When Sovereign attacked the Citadel did you sacrifice or save the Council? At the end of Mass Effect 2, did you destroy the Collectors' experiments or save them for (then ally, now enemy) Cerberus? Thinking about all of the decisions made in the first two games and if/how they impact Mass Effect 3 illustrates the scope of the trilogy. This is something we've never seen before.

 

The separation between someone who played Renegade versus Paragon in the previous games makes the large scale of Mass Effect 3 all the more interesting. Renegade isn't the traditional "evil" you see in games with morality. Often times, it's about self-reliance. Many of those decisions show a Renegade Shepard as being direct, uncompromising, and perhaps trying to prove that humans don't need help from anyone else to survive in the galaxy. For some species, that brash mentality can earn respect. For most, it likely shows that humans are under-developed savages who should be destroyed by the Reapers. I've got to imagine a few things my no-nonsense Queenie Shepard did are going to come back to bite her in the ass.

 

If you didn't play any of the downloadable content, Mass Effect 3 assumes the events happened. You get a little more out of things if you played Lair of the Shadow Broker and Arrival. But either way, Liara is the new Shadow Broker (think queen of all mercenaries) and Shepard has been arrested and is on trial on Earth at the start of ME3.

 

You are one ugly...

Mass Effect 3 might be about big-scale battles and the fate of all worlds, but there's still time for love. There's an epic battle for Shepard's heart, after all. If you were suave in Mass Effect 1 and 2, then you have two love interests, both vying for you as worlds are about to end. This love triangle will be resolved by the end of Mass Effect 3, so look forward to walking off into the sunset with Liara. I mean, seriously, who else would you want to be with -- Kaidan?

 

Regardless of how your love life turns out, the Reapers need to be taken down. With a galactic armada at your disposal, that should be doable. All you have to do is convince the galaxy humanity's worth saving.

 

 

And.

 

 

 

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1172200p1.html

 

 

Mass Effect 3 plays like a shooter.

 

Sure, Mass Effect games have always looked like shooters, but they've never really played like them. Yeah, you pointed and shot at things, but the less tangible particulars of combat have always eluded BioWare's sci-fi epic. Gunplay in Mass Effect was a clunky exercise in behind-the-scenes dice rolls, RPG-style. Mass Effect 2's battles weren't the chore they often were in the original, but they weren't what anyone paid the price of admission for. The cover mechanic was limited in comparison to dedicated third person action games, and guns lacked any sort of oomph.

 

My playtime with Mass Effect 3 was set on the Salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh. Ostensibly, my job was to escort a Krogan princess offworld. But in practice, my main job was kicking Cerberus ass across a science station, and Shepard was more equipped than ever to get the job done.

 

A host of seemingly small additions have changed the way Mass Effect 3 plays. Basic character movement is more responsive for starters, more animated. Guiding Shepard around is less of a struggle than it's ever been. Aiming also felt snappier, and guns have the punch now that they've always lacked.

 

 

 

Find out how Shepard will save the Galaxy in Mass Effect 3.

 

These changes alter the way you can move around combat zones in Mass Effect 3. Previously, firefights in Mass Effect were mostly static affairs. You'd find a good sized bit of cover and fire away, or throw abilities at your enemies hoping they'd never really get in close enough to make Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2's unwieldy combat controls a liability. If you were a Vanguard, you might risk your life to use your powerful charge move, but it was an awkward maneuver that missed as often as it hit. But Mass Effect 3's revised movement and aiming make Shepard viable at variable ranges in a way he never was before.

 

Moving and shooting, a previously suicidal maneuver that most players outgrew within a few hours of Mass Effect 2, isn't just an option now - it's a good choice. Cover is still important; it's also been revamped from the last game, easier now to traverse and use dynamically rather than finding a point to set up at and pray that enemies don't close the gap. But BioWare wants you to mix it up in close - something made obvious by the revised melee system.

 

Cerberus shock troops? Not a problem.

 

The awkward melee shoves and slaps of past Mass Effects are gone. Formidable melee punches and attacks specific to each class have taken their place. The Soldier Shepard I used delivered some solid, fast punches that knocked enemies back without causing me to double over like I had shattered every bone in my hand. But the real new addition to close quarters combat is the instant melee kill - hold down the B or Circle button and Shepard will wind back to deliver a killing blow unique to his class, in this case a tech-blade in my Soldier's wrist armor. Shaped similarly to the energy-based armor used by Sentinel classes in Mass Effect, it cut down enemies in one hit. Other classes have their own heavy melee attacks - Adepts have blades of psionic energy that they use to cut down their enemies in close, for example.

 

Then there are the grenades. Mass Effect 3 sees a series debut for actual, round, conventional grenades. This adds yet another combat option to the game that changes the way Shepard can engage with enemies, and adds a new tactical wrinkle to flanking and other maneuvers.

 

All of these things combine to provide a shooting experience that, honestly, feels a bit surreal in a Mass Effect game. As I made my way to the Krogan princess on the other end of a science platform with my teammates Liara and Garrus, there was a point in the demo where Cerberus operatives stormed the opposite end of the corridor. The platform had the standard smattering of cover objects between us and the Cerberus forces, but there was also a passage to the right that flanked to the other side. Ordering Liara and Garrus to use their abilities as a diverson, I stuck to cover and ran to the corridor. I made my way to the end and blind-tossed a pair of grenades into the other side of the room.

 

As the explosions rocked the Cerberus personnel, I swung around the cover and quickly popped a pair of enemies with my assault rifle. Then I dashed forward, sprung over a bit of cover, and took out another Cerberus agent with a pair of quick melee strikes, then ducked back into cover and made my way around to the remaining enemy's rear, cutting him down with Shepard's tech blade.

 

It all felt like a different game, like a different series even. Where Mass Effect 2 felt like a slightly tighter Mass Effect combat-wise, Mass Effect 3 is in an entirely different space. The familiar elements that need to be there are intact - powers and talents are still in the same menu wheel structure, and weapon types remain unchanged. You're not going to select an assault rifle and be shocked by its looks. But you will be taken aback by how well it works. I was. And now the wait to play Mass Effect 3 until 2012 is that much harder.

[Phins4life 271]

Mega pumped about this game. I've been in love with Bioware games since I first played Mass Effect 2. I had to go back and play the first one afterwards because it just wouldn't have felt right.