Yikes. Yesterday, the Internet was absolutely exploding about the news that Mass Effect 3 has a multiplayer mode. Shocker of all shockers, the instant reaction to this was utter panic, as the Internet is an entirely sensible bunch and not prone to hyperbole.
As a result, Chris Priestly, Bioware’s Community Coordinator, stepped into the Bioware forums to deliver some clarification about just what the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer would look like. It turns out that the game will actually support 4 player co-op missions that are separate from the main campaign. This mode, called Galaxy at War, will put players in control of 4 squad mates (not including Shepard) who can be made up of a variety of powers and races.
The cool thing about Galaxy at War is that it sounds like the progress you make in these co-op missions will affect the single player, in the sense that you’re helping the overall war effort against the Reapers. Whereas in Mass Effect 2, you were grooming 12 people for a suicide mission, in Mass Effect 3, you’re getting the entire galaxy ready for an all-out war. The co-op missions can boost your overall Galactic Readiness level.
So, that’s just a few of the details for what actually sounds like a promising mode that doesn’t step on the toes of the Mass Effect universe. I think the big debate moving forward is going to be if this hurts single player in any way, or if this mode is even necessary for what’s already been a great experience. You can certainly read the rest of the FAQ for yourself here.
How do you guys feel about this? Are you freaking out? Excited? Upset? Ready to swear loyalty to Bioware forever? Go!
Source – Bioware Forums
Ooooh so that’s how they’re handling the endings. That’s a pretty interesting experiment.
I just hope that the endings can be varied and interesting even just doing singleplayer. It really would suck if the grand finale to BioWare’s outstanding singleplayer epic space opera required multiplayer to fully enjoy.
Cossack he says you can achieve the best ending possible alone so hopefully the multiplayer is just a faster way to get there.
I guess he says a separate team worked on the multiplayer so I have faith it wont effect the single player experience. Also, I have no doubt people online will say it did.
Id like to have 4 players arguing over how to handle some tricky choice and fighting wether or not to kill so-and-so. However, it looks like itll be mostly combat…which admittedly is my least favorite part of Mass Effect. I guess character progression and customization are enough to get me excited for this.
Alright my hyperventilating can stop now.
Now that I’ve learned that EA is not satisfied with my $60, but also wants to squeeze me for an ME3 “online pass”, I’m reconsidering whether I’ll buy the damn thing at all. I’ve already passed on MW3 with it’s “cash removal system”. If this is the future of console gaming, I’m not a happy camper.
Judgement shall be reserved. That is all.