In a recent interview with Game Informer, Mass Effect 3’s executive producer Casey Hudson
effectively unleashed a
mass of details regarding the final chapter in Bioware’s excellent Sci-Fi space opera.
Regarding the campaign, specifically its completion, Hudson noted that ME3 will feature a hybrid of the New Game + mode of the first game and the ability to sail the stars, tying up loose ends (read collecting treasure and exploding random mechs) alike its successor,
'It's probably going to be a combination of both,' Hudson explained, 'We're going to have a version of the post-game state that you can go back to and finish more stuff, but then we'll have stuff you can loop back around and do in new game+. It's a hybrid of the two”
Because there’s always a pirate whose buckle needs swashing!
Expanding further on the sweeping narrative, Hudson elaborated on why Mass Effect 3’s ‘incredible moments’ truly define the experience,
'... This is what we've been looking forward to the whole trilogy... If you think about the IP that we've built, really every one of the arcs we've got going are leading towards this long list of incredible moments, and that's really what Mass Effect is made out of.'
A third, and supposedly final game concerning an interplanetary invasion by a race of near omnipotent aliens known as the Reapers. Two opening chapters comprised primarily of intense space battles and super-powered gun fights. A powerfully emotive tale, studded with interesting, sympathetic characters wrapped in a shroud of cosmic mystery and political intrigue of a galactic scale. ‘Incredible moments’ sounds about right...
Hudson also revealed a cluster of additional snippets alluding to the games combat and characters.
Sheppard will begin ME3, standing trial on earth for his/her actions in the recent ME2 DLC Arrival. It is as of yet unclear whether or not Arrival is integral to the plot. Then the Reapers turn up uninvited and things begin exploding and/or dying.
Sheppard, unsurprisingly, is then tasked with amassing yet another squad of rogues and renegades. Assuming they survived the first two games, returning cast include Wrex, Mordin, Legion and the sturdy Captain Anderson. Potential squad mates are set to include Liara, Garrus, Ashley or Kaiden (depending on whom you sent to their grizzly death in the first instalment) and some unknown bloke named James Sanders.
Oh and the Illusive Man, your benefactor for the entire second game, is now trying to kill you. The dastard!
The combat mechanics mirror ME2’s yet with minor tweaks and RPG elements to satiate fan backlash regarding an overly streamlined simplistic design. Now weaponry can be outfitted with upgrades and alternate parts, biotics will have significantly expanded upgrade trees, the cover mechanic has been enhanced, the AI is more aggressive, and Sheppard can now peak around corners, scale ladders and roll around the battlefield like Donkey Kong.
Finally, regarding the apparent absence of multiplayer from a series ideally suited for it, Hudson alluded to the following,
'A lot of people say that they want to see an MMO, I think that kind of makes sense for this universe.
'I think Mass Effect has that quality to it. If you get rid of the Reapers and win that, wouldn't it be amazing to just live on the Citadel or just take a ship to Omega? That makes sense.'
Keep your cybernetically augmented eyes peeled for further Mass Effect 3 coverage before the games release for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC at the end of the year. Hopefully!*
*Considering Bioware will have launched Mass Effect 2 for the PS3, Dragon Age 2 AND The Old Republic in 2011, don’t be completely flabbergasted if this one gets pushed back a bit