Preview: Mass Effect 3
There are few game series which have captivated my attention as Mass Effect has done. At the time of Mass Effect’s release, I was writing for a few game-related websites. Columns, reviews, news, and even previews. I had been paying special attention to Mass Effect. I even went to a special game conference at the time, where I could play the first mission on Eden Prime prior to the release. I was sold. I would get Mass Effect, no matter what.
The game itself wasn’t a dissappointment. It was better then I expected. The whole story was amazing. I couldn’t wait for more Mass Effect. Some books with more background information were released, so I bought them. Because Mass Effect had always been intended as a trilogy, I couldn’t wait for information about Mass Effect 2.
When Mass Effect 2 was released, I bought it instantly. I was somewhat dissappointed. A lot of changes had been made to the combat and the weapon system. The story had gotten weaker, but was still great, except for the final boss, which I found ridiculous. I was dissappointed. In these two years after Mass Effect 2 my interest in the Mass Effect-universe subsided.
Now, Mass Effect 3 is close to a release. It had been announced that ME3 would feature a multiplayer. I always thought a Mass Effect multiplayer was not something I would want to see, not at the cost of a great singleplayer. Now, the ME3 demo is released, and because I’ve bought Battlefield 3, I can play with the Mass Effect multiplayer demo a little early. I’ll describe my findings and experiences with it below.
First off, it’s not a normal multiplayer. It’s not 32 vs 32, as Battlefield has. It isn’t even 8 vs 8; it’s a 4 player co-op. Much like Gears of War’s horde-mode. There are ten rounds which you have to endure to see the finish-line. There are about four different objectives which are randomly assigned each round. A normal ‘kill all the badguys’, an objective where you have to take out four designated enemies within a certain time limit, a round where you have to hack a certain objective within a time limit, and another where you have to protect a certain location.
Then, the powers. You can choose one of the six different classes, the same as the single player. However, each race has a different class. You can play as an Asari adept, a Turian Infiltrator, etc. You build experience as you win rounds, which level’s you up. You can choose how to level up your skills just like in Mass Effect 2. So far so good.
Then, there’s a store. You can buy packs of goods in this store. You can use these once every time you start a game. I would much rather have the player work his ass off to buy an upgrade which lasts forever, instead of just one round.
Anyway, this is my first impression on Mass Effect 3. The multiplayer is surprisingly well-put together. I’ll probably buy this game, but I don’t know if I will do it at the initial release date. Since Mass Effet 2, Mass Effect has given me a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t know if they’re back on the right track story-wise. I can only hope so.