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| Release Dates: NA March 6, 2012 AU March 8, 2012 EU March 9, 2012 JP March 15, 2012 |
Mass Effect 3 is the epic conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy. It was announced on December 11, 2010. In Mass Effect 3, an ancient alien race known only as the Reapers, has launched an all-out invasion on the galaxy, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in their wake. The events of Mass Effect 3 follow those in the Mass Effect 2's DLC expansion, Arrival.
Multiplayer will be included for the first time in the series in Mass Effect 3 in the form of an online four-player co-op mode, which will be optional.
In Mass Effect 3, Earth has been taken, the galaxy is on the verge of total annihilation, and Commander Shepard, along with the united races of the galaxy, must stop the Reapers, who are ready to pave the way to their extinction. The price of failure is the erradication of all living beings in the galaxy. Several factions are at play in Mass Effect 3, including Cerberus, who now works against Shepard. The game will have 82 minutes of cut-scenes.
BioWare's Casey Hudson said in the May 2011 issue of Game Informer, "The battle for Earth is lost. The only hope is to flee, gather support, and mount a counter-attack to reclaim the planet."
The Story of Mass Effect in Five Minutes
That means that instead of a focus on gathering squad mates, you'll be courting civilizations like the Salarians or Quarians to help ward off the Reapers and save not only Earth, but the entire galaxy. While some races will be required and core to the story, some will be optional and others may only be available for a single mission. It was stated that Mass Effect 3 will have fewer squad members than Mass Effect 2 in order to focus on deeper relationships and more interesting interplay between characters.
Another twist revealed in Game Informer is that Cerberus has also decided to turn against Commander Shepard, though the reasoning for that isn't clear yet.
You can import your save file from Mass Effect 2 into Mass Effect 3, carrying over your decisions, totaling over 1000 variables. Here are some of the details about importing old game saves:
Mass Effect 3 will feature different play styles for people who prefer a different presentation. The three different styles are Roleplaying, Action and Story. Roleplaying is the same Mass Effect game style as in previous entries. Action mode will streamline the cut scenes with pre-selected dialogue options, throwing in a mix of Paragon and Renegade choices. The Story style will make combat very easy for players who are invested in the story, but struggle during the combat sequences.
As a whole, the combat in Mass Effect 3 will resemble to Mass Effect 2.
15 Minutes of Mass Effect 3 Gameplay
The Kinect can be used to issue orders to your squad members among other things in the Xbox 360 version. Mass Effect 3 producer Jesse Houston has said that the Kinect will not work with multiplayer. Also, Kinect is solely used for voice commands, not motion controls.
Galaxy at War is a strategic mode that involves managing resources in the war against the Reapers. Multiplayer co-op mode, a Facebook tie-in and possibly an iOS app will provide ways to interface with Galaxy at War.
The "War Assets" you collect in Galaxy at War directly affect the outcome single-player campaign. Galaxy at War measures Shepard's "Galactic Readiness" level, affecting the outcome of the final battle against the Reapers. It requires an Online Pass, included with all new copies of Mass Effect 3. Playing Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War is optional. Although the system can affect the single-player campaign of Mass Effect 3, it can be ignored and the same results can be achieved by playing only the single-player campaign.
Yes. Mass Effect 3 will feature a 4 player co-op multiplayer mode called Galaxy at War. Here are some facts about Mass Effect 3's multiplayer.
Note: *If the character survived Mass Effect 2. **If the character survived Mass Effect 1.
Martin Sheen reprises his role as The Illusive Man along with other returning cast members like Seth Green Joker, Keith David (David Anderson) and Jennifer Hale (Female Shepard). Jessica Chobot makes her in-game debut as Diana Allers and Freddie Prinze Jr. is Shepard's latest recruit, James Vega.
Cast Announcement Trailer
The Normandy SR-2, rebuilted with new technologies and new areas, will return in Mass Effect 3 to take you freely to many familiar systems. You will also be able to explore some new places, like the homeworlds of the Asari, Turian, Quarian, and Salarians:
So far, only the promotional Weapons and Armor from pre-orders and special editions have been confirmed. However, downloadable Characters and Races for the multiplayer co-op mode have been hinted at by BioWare.
Composer Clint Mansell will be composing the score for Mass Effect 3. Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 composer Jack Wall will not be involved, however, Sam Hulick, Christopher Lennertz, Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan, known for their work for the DLC for Mass Effect 2 will return.
Bioware announced [1] various downloadable items that will be given to people that pre-order Mass Effect 3. The DLC items vary by retailer and may be limited to US outlets.
| Retailer | Pre-order Bonus |
|---|---|
| Everywhere (US) | M-55 Argus Assault Rifle |
| GameStop (US) | N7 Valkyrie Rifle, N7 Defender Armor |
| EA Origin (US) | AT-12 Raider Shotgun and M55 Argus Assault Rifle |
The following items will only be available to those that purchase the N7 Collector's Edition and N7 Digital Deluxe Edition:
On January 11, 2011, EA announced a crossover between Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3. Playing the demo for Kingdoms of Amalur will unlock two Reckoning-inspired in-game items in Mass Effect 3, while playing the Mass Effect 3 demo will unlock armor and a weapon in Kingdoms of Amalur.
Playing Amalur will lead to Reckoner Knight Armor and a Chakram Launcher weapon in Mass Effect 3. EA says the armor will "maximize damage done in close-quarters combat while a beefed-up power cell feeds energy into weapon systems to increase projectile velocity," and that the launcher "uses a fabricator to manufacture lightweight, explosive ammunition discs."
The Dark Horse-published Art of the Mass Effect 3 Universe book includes in-game bonuses. Readers will earn themselves a DLC code for the Collector Assault Rifle, which also came as a bonus in the Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition. You can only score this PC- and Xbox 360-exclusive weapon (and other unspecified content) by pre-ordering The Art of the Mass Effect Universe from Barnes & Noble before February 20.
BigBadToyStore has revealed that their upcoming line of Mass Effect figurines will include an added bonus for fans in the way of downloadable content. Each of the new 6.7" to 7.25" figures from the second series of the set (Miranda, Mordin, Legion, and Garrus) will include a card packed in with an access code for downloadable content for the game. The official description reads:
This product contains a code that can be redeemed for bonus content for Mass Effect 3 multi-player that could include powerful weapons to take on the Reapers. The pack could also include character boosters, weapon modifications, and weapon upgrades to make your multi-player squad stronger.
Unfortunately for PS3 owners, the content only applies to the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game.
