Mass Effect 3 Preview and Further Magazine Details

I’m not sure if any of you have been keeping tabs on this thread on the BioWare forums, but if you’re really looking forward to Mass Effect 3, then you probably should be. The ever-growing thread has just been updated with some new info from the latest issue of PC Gamer, though I’m only going to quote a small portion of the list of bullet points:

‘¢ The mining mini-game won’t be abandoned completely.
‘¢ Skill trees to be larger.
‘¢ The Normandy has been refitted. [GI]
‘¢ Reapers have different sizes, ranging from 500-600 meters of the smaller ships to the 2km for Harbinger. [ESP]
‘¢ Customization will be more extensive. [PS3M]
‘¢ Combat areas are now multi-layered. [PCG]
‘¢ Melee attacks will gain more focus.
‘¢ NG+ will be a hybrid of ME1’s and ME2’s. You can go back and finish some stuff in the post-game.
‘¢ The Reaperised krogan wears heavy plates, while the asaris have a bloated…belly? [PCG]
‘¢ Tricia Helfer, who voice acted as EDI in ME2, will be back for ME3.
‘¢ Seth Green to voice act Joker in Mass Effect 3.
‘¢ ME3 will be more difficult than ME2 [GI]
‘¢ The cinematic sense of scale will be greater. [GI]
‘¢ Some squaddies will return as permanent ones, while others as temporary. [GI]
‘¢ Game speed improved by 10-15%, you won’t stay in cover for too long. [ESP]
‘¢ Writers are discussing about how to resolve the Liara/Aethyta storyline in ME3.
‘¢ Cerberus Troops will include ‘Phantoms’ and ‘Assassins’ [PS3M]
‘¢ The Tech Armour will return, but the visuals may change.
‘¢ You have more to buy in stores and loot.
‘¢ Jack will be wearing a shirt, and her hair “won’t be as shaved”.
‘¢ Mass Effect 3 will not end like a traditional war story (Kick enemy’s ass, proceed to celebrations) [PS3M]
‘¢ In ME3’s story structure, the objective will not be clear, you will be gathering clues in order to solve a puzzle. [PS3M]
‘¢ Biotics are more potent in combat. [PCG]
‘¢ ME3 might have 3D.
‘¢ ME3 may have timed decisions.
‘¢ London will be featured.
‘¢ Space battles. [ESP]
‘¢ Some of the bosses will need to be lured into specific locations in order to be destroyed. [PS3M]
‘¢ We will see more alien species in ME3.
‘¢ Wrex will be a temp squadmate, not a permanent one. [PCG]

Additionally, there’s a new preview up at The Game Headz:

Class and combat have also been revamped. While they strived to keep the action oriented combat of Mass Effect 2, developer Bioware has heard the cries of fans of the first game’s RPG qualities. Rather than starting players talents from the beginning and putting them on a simplistic skill track as was done in the second game, players will start Mass Effect 3 with skills in line with what they ended the second with. More variety will be added, with the goal being each level of a skill is a choice, rather than only the final option. This will grant far greater customization of characters, separating each from others of the same class. Speaking of class, a few new changes have been mentioned. First off, all classes will now have the ability to use all weapon types. No longer defined solely by their weapons, players will be differentiated by class and skill choices. Don’t think that means each weapon is the same though. Players will be granted the ability to customize several different traits of their gear, altering the qualities and appearance to match. Rumor has it that the Technician class will have an artillery ability. Also of note is the improved melee system, granting each class a different melee attack.

The AI of the enemies has also been improved, allowing them to adjust their tactics and behavior to better hunt Shepard and his team. Each enemy will take specialized roles in order to thwart humanity’s first Spectre in his quest. They’ll be hard pressed to accomplish this lofty goal, however, now Shepard is able to target different points on an enemy’s body for different reactions, or even chip away fragments of their armor or body to weaken their attacks or open new weak points. And even more dangerous for those who stand in his way, Shepard will be able to pick up the weapons of fallen foes to turn them on his enemies. What enemies? Well, obviously the Reapers, but one can only imagine how many dreadnought-sized opponents Shepard can defeat at a time. The Husks have expanded their catalogue as well, adding Turian, Batarian, Rachni, and possibly others to their ranks. And for some as-of-yet-unknown reason, Cerberus has turned against Shepard, and is actively working to halt his progress( I smell and Illusive man, oh wait, now the smell is gone, it’s so illusive).