Mass Effect 3 Preview

Having gathered up “everything we know so far” about Mass Effect 3, the editors over at Game Rant have piled it all into this quick preview of the sci-fi action RPG sequel. A few paragraphs:

The fact that Shepard has to gather allies to fight the Reapers on Earth implies a few things. First, that the game may employ the same ticking cl0ck mechanic as ME2 to decide human casualties. In ME2, the longer the player took to take on the Collectors the more of the Normandy’s crew would be lost.

If the same mechanic is used to decide how many millions of casualties the Earth suffers, or if players can gamble on recruiting only certain allies in the interest of time, then BioWare once again opens up the floodgates for replay-ability and variable endings. Since the team is reportedly bringing 1,000 variables forward, Mass Effect 3 will hopefully be the most player-shaped title to date.

Mass Effect 3 director Casey Hudson stated how the third installment of the series would have a much lighter tone, and putting Shepard into situations with former lovers, condescending alien races, and more opportunities to explore the relationships between the team members assembled in ME2 would certainly do that. The Normandy’s pilot, Joker, got more entertaining as his character was fleshed out. The exchanges between he and the ship’s new AI were genuinely funny — so fans can expect the team to continue to build on these types of interactions.