If you’re a fan of the Mass Effect franchise to this point, then it’s a safe bet that you’re eagerly awaiting any and all details concerning the plot and mechanics of Mass Effect 3. More and more information has been released as we move closer to the upcoming launch, and the latest reveals some confirmations of past rumors, as well as a few large tidbits that give a fairly clear view of what the team at BioWare has planned for the trilogy’s final chapter. Read on, but be aware that some aspects of the game may be spoiled if you haven’t been keeping up.
The BioWare Doctors have voiced their belief that Mass Effect 3 will bring a satisfying close to the current series, but the various problems that fans have had with the franchise to this point are more concerned with the moment to moment action than the overarching plot.
A host of game details and insights featured in this month’s edition of PSM3 have made their way onto NeoGAF, and contain plenty of points to get fans even more excited.
Fans dreams are confirmed to be coming true, with Shepard finally making his way onto Earth. Not to London, as Mass Effect 3’s announcement trailer may have led some to believe, but to a mega city formed by the merging of Seattle, Washington with Vancouver, British Columbia. The words used to describe the metropolis speak for themselves: “curved, futuristic buildings bathe in beautiful light as the sea laps into the waterfront and docks.”
So for those hoping for a gritty and gloomy environment on Earth should be happy to hear that in the Mass Effect universe, humans are apparently doing okay. Unfortunately, the city is one of the places first attacked by the Reapers, so we shouldn’t expect it to remain as beautiful once they’re done with it.
The latest screenshots of Cerberus operatives revealed that Shepard will also be setting foot on plenty of alien worlds. According to PSM3, players will be making their way across the galaxy to explore the Turian homeworld of Palaven, the Salarian homeworld (possibly Sur’Kesh), the Geth-occupied Quarian homeworld Rannoch, and a human mining base on Mars. So as expected, Shepard will be calling on the Salarians and Turians to defend their human counterparts.
Sadly, it seems at this point that players won’t be earning the loyalty of a cast army of Asari commandos, but instead venturing to a planet populated by the former minions of the Reapers. Crew member Tali made it clear that the Geth are not to be trifled with in the first two titles, and considering the fact that Shepard is making his way to the Geth stronghold with both Legion and Tali confirmed to be returning, players will want to make sure that they chose their sides in the dispute wisely in Mass Effect 2.
If there is one major theme being emphasized by the team at BioWare, it is the fact that they plan on making player choices through the past two games carry great significance in the events of ME3. The plot of Mass Effect 3 may be all-out war, but the decisions that players have made over the first two entries in Shepard’s epic will give the ability to shape the events in specific ways.
Aside from the truly troubling issues of the Geth’s rebellion against the Quarians, and the decision to either wipe out or reprogram the rogue Geth in Mass Effect 2, choices that may have seemed small could turn out to be serious influences in the third game. Remember the decision to wipe out or forgive the Rachni in Mass Effect? Well according to the new information, the decision players made may come back to “haunt” them in ME3. It’s hard to imagine that eliminating the potentially deadly race would be able to play a significant role, so there’s a good chance that those who chose mercy may have a higher price to pay in the end.
The technology of the series has come a long way since the first game, so it’s only right that the size and scope of the story be broadened to keep pace with the amount of content that can be delivered. The game’s executive producer Casey Hudson is promising big things for the plot of the game, which will bring some of the most dramatic moments in the universe, as well as smaller, personal moments that reveal more about the past and personality of Commander Shepard.
It will be nice to see some more time spent on fleshing out Shepard, since the backstory chosen by players in the first game amounted to very little in the end. The one side mission that brought Shepard face to face with a former squadmate struggling with desires for revenge and suicide still stands out as particularly unique, so any chance to see more of that is welcome.
Shepard has had an intense few years, losing any number of crew members and loved ones, so a little more investigation is more than warranted. We’ve already spent some time thinking about how Mass Effect 3’s denouement will play out, but according to the magazine, it won’t follow the standard pattern. They wouldn’t go into detail about how the story would ultimately end, but did say that it wouldn’t be a simple ‘beat the bad guys, party with the Ewoks’ celebration.
With so many strong characters, having Shepard, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, or even Liara sacrifice their lives to save mankind wouldn’t be out of the question, but we’ll no doubt have to wait until our playthrough is complete to know how the story ends.
The graphics being used to deliver the story have also been improved, with claims being made that it is approaching the same levels as Killzone 3 or Crysis 2, and with more than 6 months left in development further progress is possible. These are bold claims, but hopefully a polished presentation will go great lengths in repairing the ill will over the PS3 port’s performance.
Whether the last chapter in Shepard’s story ends with his demise or not, players won’t be going it alone. Plenty of familiar faces are confirmed to be returning, with Liara, Garrus, and either Kaiden or Ashley as confirmed squad members. Ashley and Kaiden were both competent fighters in the first game, and having now achieved Spectre status they should be even more of a handful. That also means they are even more dangerous to those players who chose to be… less than faithful to their love interests, as possible philandering will absolutely have its consequences.
James Sanders will be the newest member of the team, described as an American football player on steroids. Whether that means that Sanders will be a new type of Heavy Melee class, or that the ‘dudebros’ of current games have indeed infiltrated Mass Effect is still unclear. Tali and a newly redesigned Jack will also be making appearances in the game, alongside other confirmed characters Admiral Anderson, EDI, Joker, The Illusive Man, and Mordin. Mordin’s proximity to Shepard is described as integral to the plot, so expect the Krogan genophage to once again be the topic of conversation.
One of the most interesting additions to the cast of Mass Effect 3 is Kai Leng, a character taken from the series of Mass Effect novels. One of Cerberus’ most deadly and loyal operatives, The Illusive Man’s right-hand man is a force to be reckoned with. Not only has Leng survived more than a few run-ins with Admiral Anderson, but also managed to single-handedly eliminate an entire Turian squad with ease. Shepard’s closest match to date? We’ll have to wait and see.
If anyone has been keeping up with the major changes being made from ME2 to ME3, the area of weaponry and combat should stand out as the main focus for this edition of tweaking and fine-tuning. While some have argued that the move from a science fiction RPG to a more streamlined third-person shooter robbed the series of a great amount of depth, our interview with Mass Effect 3’s Gameplay Designer showed that the developers were happy with the shift.
While the resulting changes in gameplay felt closer to the original intentions for the series, the amount of fans who felt the combat elements of Mass Effect 2 were a little unrefined or straightforward couldn’t be overlooked. We’ve already told you about the new weapons systems of ME3, and the new details confirm that the action will be much faster and far more dangerous. Apparently, Normal difficult on ME3 will be almost in line with Veteran for ME2.
The new opponents will be a major source of that increase in difficulty, with the previously detailed Cerberus soldiers consisting of both Phantom and Assassin classes. The Cannibal will also be joining the fight, described as part-Batarian, part-Human, and part-Reaper. The combination not only makes a crazed and deadly opponent, but one that is capable of consuming other enemies in order to regain health in a fight.
Clearly BioWare isn’t doing anything to make the combat situations any easier, also explaining that the Turrets now deployed by the Engineer class will only be used to distract enemies, not damage them. Shepard will also be getting some new attacks, like a heavy melee attack that can deliver one-hit kills to particularly troublesome opponents. Shepard’s omni-tool will also be put to use in combat, now able to release a charged attack to burn enemies.
If any of you happened to play through the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC - and we suggest you do - then you’re familiar with the new type of combat implemented to take out the titular informant. Rather than granting extra health or armor to make the boss battle challenging, specific strategies and attacks needed to be used to target vulnerable points. The shift added a good amount of complexity and strategy to what was at-times very rinse and repeat combat, and will be carried forward in a big way for Mass Effect 3.
Boss battles are always a nice change of pace, and the team has clearly been thinking up some interesting scenarios. The one example given in the magazine requires the player to lure a Reaper into the vicinity of a Thresher Maw, and let the two of them fight it out. If nothing else, this proves that the developers aren’t satisfied with simply repeating the same situations of previous titles, which is good news for everybody.
It’s interesting to note just how much the combat of the series has progressed over such a short time. Shifting from the dice-rolls and weapon swapping of Mass Effect to the much slicker and modern shooting of Mass Effect 2, BioWare managed to mimic the evolution of the modern shooter in only two title.
The developers are looking to continue the trend into next-gen, delivering much more open and free-wheeling type of combat with Mass Effect 3, said to be more along the lines of Uncharted.
Just how much of that is language being used to promote the game, and how much it accurately describes the combat is anyone’s guess. But if developers are going to model their combat after a franchise, there are a lot worse choices than Naughty Dog’s blockbuster hit.
It could be said that the shooting galleries and bland enemies of Mass Effect 2 took a great deal of emphasis away from the freedom players were given, so perhaps placing more of a spotlight on implementing different strategies will serve to appease the RPG fans out there.
Even though these details may not answer all of the big questions that Mass Effect fans have about the end of the story, they do paint a much clearer picture of the game for those willing to use their imagination.
Are there any changes that you think spell disaster even this far out? Any particular complaints you had that the developers have yet to even mention? Let us know in the comments.
Mass Effect 3 will be releasing across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this November, and if you still crave more ME, be sure to check out these articles:
-
Source: NeoGAF
