Mass Effect 3

[Zombie Fred]

Last of it out now

- Most, if not all, major characters will return in some form. There will be select major characters for squadmates, while other characters will be temporary squadmates for singular missions (think like Liara in Lair of the Shadow Broker). Others will return in other roles
- Because of the above, those 'confirmed' characters (Liara, Garrus, etc) are not confirmed as permiment squad members. It just says they are playabe to some extent, so they could be for singular missions.
- 'Full scale war' feel to the game, about as 'dark' as ME2.
- Some key plot element that will reveal why the Reapers can be defeated. Dont want to reveal it until the game is out. Dont want the way the Reapers can be defeated obvious from the start. Want the progression of the game to give red herrings and a flow of information, so it starts hopeless but you slowly work out what needs to be done.
- As with the above, the reason TIM and Cerberus are after you is another plot element they want kept secret.
- Recruit the races woop woop. Most races dont want to join because they dont want to be ruined by the Reapers. Most races caught up in their own shit. EG: Visit Salarian homeworld, they're stuck in a conflict regarding the Genophage. Quarians trying to take back their homeworld. Shepard must try and find a way to resolve these conflicts to get the best support.
- Solutions to the above wont be easy or obvious, and based on past choices may even be impossible.
- NG+ sound similar to ME2. Can continue playing, but can also 'loop back around' and do stuff over again.
- Shepard can roll, and can vault over obsticles without going into cover first. 'Peak' feature tweaked. Ladders for climbing up to higher areas. Bigger battlefields.
- Smarter AI that can 'plan' certain attacks on Shepard. BioWare feel that with the way ME2/ME3's combat is they need to compete with all the other shooters in the market, so improvements have to be made.
- Game cinematics want to focus on the sense of scale, of both the Reapers and the war. Lots of big moments. Aforementioned Thresher Maw Vs. Reaper is an example.
- Vehicles will be similar to ME2; not built into the main path of the game, but may return in some form as extras.
- Scanning is back but 'wont be at at all like ME2'.
- Dynamics of how choices effect the flow of the game more like the ending sequence of ME2 rather than the actual ME2 game, as in you'll make choices and see the differences quicker (or so they're promising). Quicker referencing of choices in the engine.
- People still dont believe Shepard that the Reapers are coming. They attack New York, London, Japan and others first.
- Earth is basically the first place the Reapers lay the smack down too, but they're spreading to other areas and shitting on everyone's parade.
- New Normandy.
- Dont feel that there is a 'missing out on content' feel to the game if you happen to make decisions in previous games. No one play through necessarily 'better' than the other, just different.
- ME3 will be more difficult than ME2.
- BioWare want to make a Mass Effect MMO.

Direct scans are now out.

Click here

[Mr. Spencer]

I hope to god that Zaeed returns. He's got a goddamn galaxy to save.

[aris13]

First Screenshots

[Humor Tumor]

I gave the Gameinformer story a quick read through. I might buy this game. It seems like it;s fixing some of the issues I had with the games.

But seeing as I didn't care for the other 2 games very much, I'm hesitant to say I'm looking forward to it.

[jimmyjoejangles]

i have been looking for a good space game, and thought I found one when i played first part of the mass effect demo, then I got to the second part and all the stupid powers of levitation combined with the horrible controls made me decide not to buy it I doubt the third one will be any better. What we really need is a "grand theft space ship". anyone have any good space game suggestions I'd look forward to hearing them

[Carnivol]

- ME3 will be more difficult than ME2.

I seriously hope that means they've studied the concept of difficulty, 'cause playing through on Insanity in ME1-2 was seriously one of the prime samples of how to not do difficulty settings in a game.

Thought they'd progressively learned in Mass Effect 2's DLC when I played through the end of the Shadow Broker DLC, but then The Arrival dropped and it seemed like all was forgotten again
Spoiler:

show spoiler

Or, well, you were supposed to lose the fight, but there was an achievement tied to stalling it for a long time... but... geeze... doing that on Insanity was friggin ... well ... insane, but for all the wrong reasons.

[aris13]

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.” - Casey Hudson, Executive Producer Mass Effect series

[Shadow Stalker]

Ever since I got Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 a few weeks ago, I sure as hell am getting Mass Effect 3 once it comes out!

I just recently got into the series. Though I've never played the first game. (I got it for the PC but the damn thing just wouldn't play shortly after I'd installed it, so I took it back.)

One of the main things that drew me to the series in the first place is the fact that Jennifer Hale does the voice of Commander Shepard (... if the gamer decided to play as a female Shepard ...). I've been a fan of hers ever since she did the voices of Naomi Hunter and Emma Emmerich in the Metal Gear Solid series.

[TheBatMan]

Gutted about the delay but hopefully these extra tweaks will make for a better final product. I can't wait to see how this all pans out.

One of the above posters mentioned a new Normandy, but surely it's still gonna be the SR2, just with the Cerberus logos scrubbed out!

Wonder why the Illusive Man is gunning for Shepard if you decided to keep the Collector base for Cerberus?

No mention of Miranda?

Has it been confirmed we can visit the Citadel again? I want to see the Turian Councillor 'Ah yes, Reapers!' response when he see's the invasion pics from Earth.

[Darkmoon]

Yeah, delay sucks. But all told I'd wait longer for it to be olished until it could blind people with it's awesome. And yeah, I also wanna go to the Citadel and point out the window, screaming, 'Hey, Reapers, whatcha know?' Although the response will probably be 'Well, those could be any giant mechanical life destroying machines. Maybe they're friendly!'

[Shadow Stalker]

One of the above posters mentioned a new Normandy, but surely it's still gonna be the SR2, just with the Cerberus logos scrubbed out!

That's what I think too.

Wonder why the Illusive Man is gunning for Shepard if you decided to keep the Collector base for Cerberus?

I've read somewhere that if you decided to save the Collector base for Cerberus in Mass Effect 2, Cerberus will double-cross Shepard in Mass Effect 3. If you decided to destroy thew Collector base, Cerberus will be gunning after Shepard in Mass Effect 3. That's all I know so far.

No mention of Miranda?

Hopefully she'll be in the game. I have a fondness for this character. Even more so that she is played by an Australian actress (Yvonne Strahovski). (The same actress who plays Sarah Walker in Chuck.)

[Enetirnel]

Ever since I got Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 a few weeks ago, I sure as hell am getting Mass Effect 3 once it comes out!

I just recently got into the series. Though I've never played the first game. (I got it for the PC but the damn thing just wouldn't play shortly after I'd installed it, so I took it back.)

One of the main things that drew me to the series in the first place is the fact that Jennifer Hale does the voice of Commander Shepard (... if the gamer decided to play as a female Shepard ...). I've been a fan of hers ever since she did the voices of Naomi Hunter and Emma Emmerich in the Metal Gear Solid series.

I went with a female Shepard myself, the only line that I really felt was a difference was the Hanar renegade response in the first game. Fem Shep's version, Male Shep's version.

Other than that, I get really weirded out without seeing my Shepard or hearing Hale's voice in ME now.

Hey, what's your Shepard look like anyway?
This is mine though ME2 broke her pretty badly on the import so I had to remake her from scratch. I prefer how she originally looked though.

I hope that if they modify the character importer in ME3 that they redo the hair a little bit better to provide some variations for neater or messier versions. That'd be great.

But overall, really quite bummed about the delay BUT if it improves the quality then so be it instead of some crappy rush-job.

And BatMan, I want to see Councilor Velarn's reaction too - I do hope we get to pull "Ah, yes... Reapers!" back on him in that regard too. That'd be great.

[Mr. Spencer]

My Shepard:

http://i54.tinypic.com/11ui3wl.jpg

She's called Catherine.

[Shadow Stalker]

Here is my current female Commander Shepard. I had to take it on my camera since I don't know how to capture a video-game screenshot from my PS3 an upload it on my laptop. (Sorry if the picture quality is a bit dodgy...)

I left the name as the default Jane. And this is on Mass Effect 2. (Don't have the first one since it isn't available on the PS3 and I did buy a PC port, but it was stuffed so I took it back. If I want to get the first game, Bioware should start to release a PS3 port of it. I'm not buying another console.)

[Enetirnel]

My Shepard:

http://i54.tinypic.com/11ui3wl.jpg

She's called Catherine.

Nice, I like her eyes. Mind if I ask what settings you used on her eyes/eyelashes if you can recall?

Here is my current female Commander Shepard. I had to take it on my camera since I don't know how to capture a video-game screenshot from my PS3 an upload it on my laptop. (Sorry if the picture quality is a bit dodgy...)

I left the name as the default Jane. And this is on Mass Effect 2. (Don't have the first one since it isn't available on the PS3 and I did buy a PC port, but it was stuffed so I took it back. If I want to get the first game, Bioware should start to release a PS3 port of it. I'm not buying another console.)

[ATTACH]4086[/ATTACH]

You can't take screenshots in other games aside from Resistance (multiplayer only) with a USB keyboard attached to the PS3 off the top of my head.

As for the PC version of the first game, if you got it boxed in a shop then it was most likely the DRM on it that was making it stuff up. I recommend getting the Steam version as it was modified on the release and it actually works. =)

Despite all the bloody loading screens and the texture changes (changes between low to high on me despite I have everything set on high/very high) it's a great game. I'm glad that they're implementing some things like weapon customization.

I hope armour customization continues and that if we can visit the Citadel, Omega sorts of places that we can have a casual wear choice if there won't be any fighting sections on those places.

Ah, and you kept it like the John/Jane Doe naming on it. Interesting Shep.

I called mine Annette because firstly, I like the name and secondly I also liked Annette Birkin so that's why she also has the blonde hair. The bob is because I usually have a bob so it's a coincidence there.