The Official Mass Effect 3 Thread

[MATRIX 2]

http://masseffect.bioware.com/



Developer BioWare
Publisher Electronic Arts
Platforms Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date: March 6, 2012

Info used from various sources

- ME3 is aimed to have the same length as ME2, but with more replayability

- Squad armour customization will have more options than ME2

- Game choices from ME1 and 2 will affect the war in ME3

- ME3 will have a gore system, but not for a shock effect

- Bioware has fixed limitations that hair had in the previous games

- Improved technology allows for longer hairstyles

- ME3 will use thermal clips, not ME1-style regeneratable ammo

- The powers of squadmates evolve as well as Shepard's

- Interrupts are back, but with new "tech and methods"

- Squad weapons can be selected and customized

- Ammo is fully replenished after every mission

- Removable helmets for some armours and conversations

- There will be more animations for combat, movement and character interactions

- Bioware are trying new ways to build more of an emotional connection to Shepard's experience as they head to the finale.

- Shepard's armour will be different.

- Bioware is attempting to achieve seamless loading

- ME3's squad will be less than 12 squadmates

- Every weapon can be customized with up to five modifications.

- New banter/squad interaction systems have been introduced

- You will be able to equip and remove helmets.

- Playable Earth action to be in Vancuver

- Water physics to be more advanced

- Sanders renamed to Vega.

- You can still dispatch squadmates to waypoints and have access to their class-based powers

- You can shatter the glass of the Cerberus mech, Atlus, and throw the pilot out

- ME3 will have a deeper exploration system

- There will be intros to LIs for new players, and a final resolution for previous romances.

- Shepard can jump and roll

- Lighting Up is a new charged melee attack, Shepard uses his omni-tool to inflict a burn to the enemy.

- There will be a one-hit-kill melee attack, depending on your class. The engineer uses Lighting Up.

- Directed energy weapons will return, one of them is a laser gun.

- Your weapons have three upgrade slots -scope barrel and grip, and you can change the colour and camoflage of weapons.

- You may be able to get an eyepiece, like Garrus's, that will allow non-sniper weapons to scope in further, which also hints at armour having more of an effect on gameplay.

- Blindfire has been introduced

- All weapons from ME2 will return.

- ME3's economy will be much bigger and there will be more choices in weaponry and armour.

- Husk types below:

There will be Asari, Rachni and Krogan husks.

- Powers can be combined. Using concussive shot with cryo ammo for example, causes an 'ice' wave that freezes oponents.

- Wrex isn't a permanent member.

- Tali is a confirmed permanent squad member.

- No new LI in ME3.

- Squad member "Loyalty Missions" impact the war effort.

- Cerberus troopers use rocket boots.

- Liara will have Singularity.

- Engineer drones are back.

- Adepts get a new melee attack where they can knock all nearby enemies away.

- Casey Hudson says, the game will have some epic moments, as well as 'smaller, more personal moments' that exceeds the previous 2 games. The player will start realising things from Shepard's personal life. He will have to deal with the consequences of the sacrifices he's had to make.

- There is a new charged-up melee attack where Shepard uses his Omni-Tool to inflicting a big burning hit.

- Earth's megacity in the game is 'Seattle' meets 'Vancouver' as they sprawl into each other in the American North-West. That's where you'll spend your time on Earth. So not London or New York like previously mentioned. Describes the planet: 'It's curved, futuristic buildings bathe in beautiful light as the sea laps into the waterfront and docks.' They also saw the aftermath in which the Reapers decimate it.

- Your choices will all have an impact in ME 3 such as the genophage, the collector base, your LI choices etc.

- Players won't miss out on content because of previous choices. An example, you run into Conrad Verner but it could be someone else for another player.

- The Turret that Engineers can use won't decimate enemies, but distract them.

- Gunfights are quicker and more deadly.

- You visit the Geth-occupied Quarian homeworld Rannoch, Sur'Kesh (Salarian homeworld) and a human mining-operation on Mars.

- Visually it's tapping the heels of games such as Killzone 3 and Crysis 2, with 6 months development time left.

- The Rachni decision may haunt you in ME 3.

- Confirmed character list: Ashley, Kaidan, Liara, James Sanders, Garrus, Tali (apparently she has unfinished business with Shepard), Wrex, Mordin (the plot dictates that he stays close to Shepard), Jack (she has matured, softened up a bit), Legion (will be back but don't expect him to playable). They expect Jacob to be dropped.

- Character customisation will be as extensive as ever.

- The action, rather than the all-linear affair of ME 2, will be more along the lines of Uncharted.

- New Cerberus troops are called Phantoms and Assassins.

- "Many of the core story levels are built around the largest, most dramatic moments in the galaxy."

- Cerberus troops: mechs, assault units, shock troops ninja-style.

- Reapers: they have different sizes, ranging from 500-600 meters of the smaller ships to the 2km for Herald.

- New skills for Shepard: Rolling, jumping small holes in the ground. 'SWAT' turn and strike the enemy with greater variety of melee attacks. It specifically mentions "a new class: Heavy Melee" take advantage of these capabilities of combat.

- New skills: Engineer can build turrets.

- More items to "loot."

- Space Battles? Perhaps, but unconfirmed.

- Scenarios: larger. We will see people walking, ships fighting, architecture in greater detail. Searching for the photorealism of the sites using new lighting techniques on the stage. It has also improved the atmosphere and the number of dynamic elements of the stage, increasing interactivity with the player.

- Locations to visit: New York, London, a moon of 'Koriana' world, a salarian world and Mars, among others.

- Enemies: we can do dynamic damage into them. The Cerberus mechs, for example, requires that we shoot a weak point, the glass cockpit in order to overcome them. In other enemies we can cut off the arms, break the head or break various pieces of their armor.

- Fighting more dynamic, forcing us to move more frequently. The game speed is improved by 10 to 15%.

- Exploration: we won't drive vehicles seen in previous games. The main gameplay is designed without them and will continue so. This does not mean that there is no vehicles, but they can't reveal more now. There is a new scanning system.

- Shepard can now shoot pieces off of certain enemies to slow them down or reduce their combat effectiveness.

- Space cinematics and space combat is different, and on a bigger scale.

- Shepard can now Roll, and vault over cover without having to sit behind it first

- Each class will have its own special CQC (close quarters combat) attack

- Shepard can now Pick up weapons from fallen enemies to use them

- Ladders have been added to add Multi-Level battlefields

- Battlefields will be larger and more varied

- Enemy AI will be more aggressive, and intelligent

- Enemies will perform cohesive maneuvers to such as suppressing fire and flanking

- Shepard will start ME3 with most of the basic abilities from ME2

- Those abilities will evolve along multiple evolution paths and longer skill trees

- Weapons will have Modding system that will alter appearance and have tangible effect in functionality in battle, such as scopes, barrels, materials, etc.

- Some enemies have built in melee attacks such as an electric baton in addition to their rifles

- BioWare wants to change up the battle area, so that it?€™s moving away from large arenas with obvious cover.

- Systems are in place to fully track who is alive, and where, and what, like the Suicide Mission but on a grander scale for the whole game.

- Just because Person X died in the Suicide mission doesn?€™t simply mean you?€™ll be penalized in ME3, only that the universe is different and you?€™ll see the ramifications of that.

- All choices will come to a head in ME3, ranging from ME1 through ME2, and it will be major.

- The RPG elements are being beefed up, not going back to ME1, but giving more freedom with the character skills.

- Skill trees will be larger, and powers will evolve several times instead of just once, offering even more freedom.



- Weapons are ME2 style, with a set list, but mods make a return, not in the ME1 style, but allowing you to swap out different parts such as barrels, scopes, and so on, which effect both the weapon's combat performance and its appearance.

- All classes can wield all weapons unhindered now, but will have limited slots to carry them. Only the Soldier can carry all weapons at once. Probably means Adept, Engineer, and Sentinal will be limited to two, and Vanguard and Infiltrator will have three.

File Transfer

As with Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3 will allow the player to import their save file from the previous game, carrying over their decisions from both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, totaling over 1000 variables. As Mass Effect 3 will import decisions not just from Mass Effect 2, but the original Mass Effect as well, some of the player's decisions from Mass Effect that did not have impact in Mass Effect 2 could potentially have an impact in Mass Effect 3.

If Commander Shepard died in the player's Mass Effect 2 playthrough, the player will be unable to to import their save game. Mass Effect 3's story is a continuation of Shepard's story and if Shepard died in Mass Effect 2 that death is considered final. Similarly, any squadmates who did not survive the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2 will not return in Mass Effect 3.

Also known to have an impact in Mass Effect 3 is any romance the player has pursued. If Commander Shepard had a love interest in Mass Effect, yet pursued a new love interest in Mass Effect 2, this could have negative repercussions for Shepard's relationship in Mass Effect 3.

The game will by default feature a "previously on Mass Effect" comic to make decisions with if starting from scratch.



Collectors Edition



Get the ultimate Mass Effect 3 experience with the N7 Collector?€™s Edition! This exclusive and limited package includes:

Premium metal case featuring commemorative artwork of Commander Shepard.
70-page hardbound art book featuring hundreds of unique and gorgeous illustrations from the BioWare development team.
Limited edition Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse Comics, complete with unique cover artwork.
Join the ranks of the N7 with the premium fabric N7 patch.
Exclusive 4x6 lithographic print featuring a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.
A full collection of in-game content that can?€™t be found anywhere else!
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Relive all the greatest moments of Mass Effect 3 with the digital soundtrack.
Xbox LIVE Normandy prop for your Avatar. (Available on Xbox 360 version only.)
Display your initiation in the N7 ranks with a collection of forum and social badges, avatars, and perks.


Videos











http://live-event.ea.com/e3/chat/mass-effect





Images

















David Anderson in Combat Gear, and new Enemy Husks

New Screenshots 1/23/12:



[img]http://na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com/u/f/eagames/bioware/masseffect3/resources/assets/media/screenshots/screenshot-041-p.jpg/img]











More Info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_3

FYI/Side note: I decided to put this in the 360 section because my thread about converging all multiplat game threads into the multiplat section went nowhere. So this thread is meant to cover both the 360/PS3 (along with PC) discussion of the game, and should be the sole ME3 thread on this forum.

[Completely Average]

I'm so torn on which platform to get this game on.

The PC version will be the best as far as graphics goes, and I have one heck of a gaming PC to play it on, but... I've played the two previous games on my 360 and that's where my saved games are.

Do I want the better graphics, or do I want to carry over my previous saved games? Decisions decisions.....

[MATRIX 2]

Update:

ME3 playable at Comic Con:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...-Mass-Effect-3

[Soldier 95B]

Nice work on the OP Matrix. +1 to you.

[Morganator]

I'm so torn on which platform to get this game on.

The PC version will be the best as far as graphics goes, and I have one heck of a gaming PC to play it on, but... I've played the two previous games on my 360 and that's where my saved games are.

Do I want the better graphics, or do I want to carry over my previous saved games? Decisions decisions.....

Man. I know exactly what you're going through. I have both the 360 version and PC version of both games. Decisions decisions indeed.

[BoyBettaKnow]

+1 to the debate as to where to play the game. I have started playing the series on my PC though (i've completed the first again and i'm playing through the second now) cause i wouldn't mind finishing it on there. Depends if EA sell it on steam or not.

[Completely Average]

Perhaps that's what I should do. Get the two previous games on the PC and play through each of them again so I can have the saved games I want to carry over to the 3rd on the PC.

It's not like I would really mind playing through each game twice again.Unfortunately I would have to play through the first one at least 3 times to get two characters maxed out, and I am already struggling to finish all of the games I have right now, but I still have a few months left, right?

[Soldier 95B]

Both my saves are on the 360, so I am ready to roll.

[BoyBettaKnow]

Perhaps that's what I should do. Get the two previous games on the PC and play through each of them again so I can have the saved games I want to carry over to the 3rd on the PC.

It's not like I would really mind playing through each game twice again.Unfortunately I would have to play through the first one at least 3 times to get two characters maxed out, and I am already struggling to finish all of the games I have right now, but I still have a few months left, right?

Yeah it's not out till March next year, i think, i could be wrong but i know it's one of the first few months of next year. We've got plenty of time yet, unfortunately.

[Soldier 95B]

Oh, plus I want Kinect support!

[Morganator]

It's too bad the first game will never be released on the PS3. PS3 only owners are really missing out regardless of what BioWare is doing with the intros, comics or install screens. There's just no substitute for actually having played the games.

[Minnzy]

"Wrex isn't a permanent member."

I died a little inside

[MATRIX 2]

Update:

Interview with Bioware founders about ME3 and the future of the Mass Effect Universe:

http://blogs.forbes.com/davidewalt/2...-greg-zeschuk/

Also a video about the Mech's in ME3:

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/60...-Mass-Effect-3

[MATRIX 2]

Interview with Casey Hudson about ME3:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ugh-decisions/

[MATRIX 2]

Update about the sound and environment design in ME3:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ing-with-dice/

Also Updates on game difficulty and AI improvements:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...verhauling-ai/

[LegendaryAim]

Hmmm I wonder how they'll improve the combat classes, they did such an impressive job in ME2 it was ridiculous.....Well time to boot up ME2 again.

[MATRIX 2]

Update with new teammate information:

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/pos...new-companion/

[Soldier 95B]

Some dolt rated this thread 1 star. I have given it 5 stars, which it is well worth.

[MATRIX 2]

Gamespot impressions from the extended comic-con demo:

http://comic-con.gamespot.com/story/...ching-upgrades

[Abdou23]

Haven't really read all the info but i hope they change that very boring mining system.

[crilleedara]

Yeah man. And the graphics, too. The side missions were most of the time just boring, and it felt like you got pretty much nothing outta them xS

[AaronSOLDIER]

It's too bad the first game will never be released on the PS3. PS3 only owners are really missing out regardless of what BioWare is doing with the intros, comics or install screens. There's just no substitute for actually having played the games.

PS3 owners didn't give a shit about ME2 it flopped on PS3, I doubt they'd bother with 1 either. 3 will probably sell better because it wont be a year later but even then I doubt many people will buy 3 on PS3, this is more of a 360/PC series.

[Morganator]

PS3 owners didn't give a shit about ME2 it flopped on PS3, I doubt they'd bother with 1 either. 3 will probably sell better because it wont be a year later but even then I doubt many people will buy 3 on PS3, this is more of a 360/PC series.

It flopped mainly because the first one never came out on the PS3. If it had, I bet it wouldn't have flopped or done as bad. It's why I don't buy sequels on systems where the originals aren't released. I'd rather stick with the system that gets all the games from the start.

[AaronSOLDIER]

It flopped mainly because the first one never came out on the PS3. If it had, I bet it wouldn't have flopped or done as bad. It's why I don't buy sequels on systems where the originals aren't released. I'd rather stick with the system that gets all the games from the start.

Same with me.

[Nitey]

It flopped on ps3? didnt know that, various reasons as to why though - still thankful that EA ported it over though, despite having a xb since launch i got it for my ps3 recently and im glad i did, can't wait to get my hands on 3!