A new rumor swirling around Mass Effect 3 is that it'll feature a four player co-op mode that will not compromise the single-player portion of the game. This four-player, online-enabled co-op mode is allegedly a standalone Horde-style mode, which challenges players to shoot-to-kill waves of enemies. and has "competitive elements".
FemShep will get more representation in the marketing of Mass Effect 3, thanks to the backing of her fans. Jennifer Hale, a veteran voiceover actress who is also known for her role as Bastila Shan in Knights of the Old Republic, made the role popular with her no-nonense, gruff portrayal of Commander Shepard.
Mass Effect 3 may be the conclusion to the Reaper storyline, but it will by no means be the last story in the Shepard universe. BioWare boss Ray Muzyka promises, "This is not the end of the Mass Effect franchise by any means."
Developer BioWare is a fan of sequels because of the advantage they give to the studio, like getting the chance to "leverage your tools and technology". Mass Effect 3's E3 demo was "one of our best" said Greg Zeschuk, but wouldn't have been if it "was just a one off." The key is "innovation" and taking risks.
Mass Effect 3 doesn't bring the end for the franchise when it's released in March next year, as Bioware plans to continue the series, but it isn't sure how yet. "Certainly the setting has really resonated with people, the type of aliens in the world, the type of people that inhabit space," said BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk in an interview with Forbes.
Art director Derek Watts of BioWare has talked about the problems they had with the original Mass Effect for Xbox 360, which was their first next-gen title. The original levels "worked really well" art-wise, he said, but "weren't so good" for gameplay. They aimed for "grand vistas and stuff" but the engine was hard.
UK retailer GAME is hosting GAMEfest this September in the UK which is a consumer show based in Birmingham. The public can get their hands on EA titles. Among the line-up is FIFA 12, Need for Speed: The Run, Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3. GAMEfest boasts fans can play the "most anticipated titles".
Mass Effect has a lot going for it and one of those is that squad mate Tali, a Quarian, never shows her face. Mass Effect 3 maybe set to change that? Fans will be "p*ssed off either way," says executive producer Casey Hudson. The studio avoid the topic for now but they're "going to have to decide."
If you didn't have your fill of Mass Effect 3 and Battlefield 3 at GameFest, you'll get to sample both games and more at Eurogamer Expo a month later, September 22-25.
A screenshot of BioWare's uniform changes to some of the squad mates in Mass Effect 3 shows Kaiden Alenko, Ashley Williams and Liara T'Soni. The fourth is newcomer James Vega, a human Systems Alliance soldier. The leaked shot comes from a Portugese gaming forum. It's out next year.
BioWare's Casey Hudson, Mass Effect's executive producer, will be attending a Q&A panel session at ComicCon alongside screenwriter Mark Protosevich. They'll be discussing the still-in-the-works Mass Effect movie project. Legendary Pictures picked up the rights to the film with Warner Bros. co-financing.
Sorry but hugging a favourite bit of wall for cover in Mass Effect 3 won't keep you safe as BioWare have altered enemy AI making them "a lot more intelligent". The focus is on how the battlefield 'evolves' around you, and not just "aiming, shooting and using powers." Difficulty alters enemy behaviour and abilities.
An announcement regarding a demo for hotly anticipated Bioware RPG Mass Effect 3 will be made sometime in the next few months, according to executive producer Casey Hudson.
Producer Jesse Houston of BioWare says Mass Effect 3 sees through the original arc they had envisioned "eight years ago," despite some major changes. As the studio got "closer and closer" to the finish line changes were made "along the way." Fan feedback is "hugely important" to them and shape the decisions.
BioWare is making the Twitterverse excited with hints about a "Secret Feature X" that will be in Mass Effect 3, a feature that Bioware claims will make everyone buzz. Whatever it is, it isn't the Kinect-enabled feature for the Xbox 360 version, nor is it any sort of multiplayer.
Who's that new guy on the Normandy block? It's James Vega, a human Systems Alliance soldier teaming up with Commander Shephard and crew. Celebrating 10k followers to executive producer Casey Hudson's twitter account netted the BioWare community this teasing character shot of Vega.
Xbox CFO Dennis Durkin affirms they're not preaching for controller-less titles with Kinect, it's "got to be experience driven." It's no longer "firmly entrenched". Games are now "experimenting" between the two spectrums. BioWare's Mass Effect 3 uses Kinect voice commands but needs a controller, noted Durkin.
It seems that some Electronic Arts titles which are already on Steam can be activated on Origin. PC Gamer has discovered that keys that work on Origins include Crysis 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2, Alice: Madness Returns and Dragon Age 2. However, the original Mass Effect does not work.
How should the 'default' female Commander Shephard look in Mass Effect 3? Well BioWare want to know too and are asking fans to cast votes on a selection. Six variations are posted on Facebook with fans asked to 'like' their favourite. So far it's the blonde 'Shepard 5' leading. Who'll win Miss Mass Effect Universe?
Mass Effect producer Casey Hudson is bragging to fans that everything in Mass Effect 3 will be bigger, including the choices players will have to make.