Preview: Mass Effect 3

Shepard is back and this time he has a lighsaber'ish thingy on his arm.

Platforms: PC, PS3, XBOX360

Developer: Bioware

Publisher: EA

Release date: March 6 2012

As I mentioned in the previous preview, there are certain games that we the players favor above all others, here is my number two, the oh so glorious science fiction role playing game: Mass Effect.

The third an final installment of the trilogy starts shortly after the events of Mass Effect 2's down loadable  chapter Arrival which has you rescuing a deep cover alliance operative. (its on special for half price until the ninth of February so go get it now if you haven't and if you don't, Get out of my blog!!). It starts with you, Commander Shepard on trail for crimes committed in Arrival, so you're in jail and you're state of the art ship the Normandy has been impounded(not a great start). Shortly after the trail Earth starts coming under attack by a ancient threat, we the players had been trying to warn everyone about for the past five years, The Reapers.

 These towering ships are a sentient civilization, millions of years old their only goal is to wipe out all life on earth every five thousand years. But thanks to Shepard's meddling, the galaxy stands a chance at finally surviving the onslaught that is to come.

The only thing that can stop them though is Commander Shepard and his squad.

Mass Effect 1 had you fighting one of these colossi and it took a fleet of ships to bring it down, so the concept of and entire army descending is truly terrifying.

Let me put it this way,destroying the Collector's Station in Mass Effect 2 was referred to as a  suicide mission, that was a stroll on the beach in comparison of what you will be facing this time.

Don't threat though, because Shepard appears to have stuffed the Normandy enough firepower to take out a small planet and a crew that is more than up to the task.

All squad members will see a return in the third title provided they survived the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2 and even a few from Mass Effect one like Ashley make a return. If you romanced a squad member in Mass Effect 2 you can continue the relationship, if you find time in between saving the universe. If you received the extra characters like Kasumi and Zaeed in the down loadable content they'll also join the fight. And new squad members like James Vega also enter the scene.

From left to right; Thane, Grunt, Miranda, Garrus and Shepard

Right, now to gameplay. Numerous improvements already shine through in the early  gameplay videos, an improved cover system and new melee attacks make close quarters battle much more intense.

The new melee system extends Shepard's old Omni tool (a device used for communications and hacking as well as using tech powers) into an Omni Blade providing opportunity for more close quarter confrontations. Each class has a unique melee that can be charged up, just to name a few:biotic classes you actually slam the guy with a biotic charged fist while the sentinel extends two Omni blades at one for a brutal finisher.

A big change to combat is the ability for all classes to use all weapons, meaning this time that you can finally play with for example an Adept wielding a Sniper Rifle. The kicker is that every weapon you picked up downloaded in Mass Effect 2 will return upon importing your save file, justifying your purchase again. While you can only have one weapon of each type, the Soldier class posses the ability to carry around each gun in the game at all times.Shepard will also be able to pick up weapons dropped by downed enemies.

The game has been quoted as "playing like a shooter". And the comment isn't far off. With combat roll, grenades making a return, the ability to blind fire and target specific body parts or go for all mighty head shot, the game has it all. Bioware states that combat is up to 15-20% faster.

Its no cake walk though, seeing as difficulty has been ramped up, the AI now acts together instead of individually, making them a feisty opponent. Casey Hudson (lead designer) describes Normal as the new Veteran. New enemy types promise some hard to kill variety and what looks like certain species of the galaxy turned to husks featured in the previous two games.

Are these by any chance Batarian Husks?

The series has always been deep for those willing to ramp up difficultly and explore the numerous tactical options that the game possessed. One can already see that commanding the squad will be crucial to achieving success.

The Role playing mechanics are once again deeper, with overhauled skill trees, weapon and armor upgrades can be applied in the field, and existing powers also see some interesting changes being applied.For example, engineers get the ability to build turrets. Weapon customization comes in the form of being able to change, barrels, scopes and materials that will impact on weapon performance and appearance.Your squad is smaller this time around, due to Bioware wanting players to invest more heavily in relationships with their squad.

Shepard preparing to blast a Cerberus operative with an incarceration blast from his Omni tool

Shepard and his merry band of followers aren't alone in this war though, early gameplay demos at Comic Con. showcased levels of Shepard rescuing a Krogan female, who it suggests has been cured of the virus that keeps these brutes from having offspring.

The game really does exert the feeling that those tiny choices from the first two having a large impact now.

Cerberus, a organization fixated on expanding human power and interest at any cost (also the people who brought Shepard back from his untimely demise in Mass Effect 2's first scene) are back and this time they are hell bent on killing Shepard due to his actions in the ending of the previous game.

Your official Female Shepard, you cant deny the fact that she looks badass.

Earlier this year Bioware held a vote for fans to choose a official female Shepard to be chosen, seeing as female fans haven't had much support in the series. The picture above is you're official Fem Shep as fans have dubbed her. She will feature on the box art of the collectors edition along with her male counterpart.

Bioware has also added a nice little gimmick in the form of voice ordering if you have Kinect , meaning you can literally shout orders at your team mates, a nice touch.

Now with all the little things out of the way, its time for the biggest addition; Multiplayer. Now bear in mind this is a series that has never needed or wanted multiplayer, but Bioware are doing it and i have to say all indications point to them doing it right.Multiplayer comes in the form of Galaxy at War, a four player mode featuring customizable characters fighting on the front lines against the reapers. Finally players will be able to play as their favorite races, ranging from the large and brutal Krogan to the small and agile Salarians to the tactical and tech heavy Turians, to the powerful biotic commando Asari. They are all there to make a desperate stand against the invasion.

From left to right,Turian, Salarian, Human and the Asari is in the back.

The interesting part though is that your progress in the coop will grant you bonuses in the single player, but luckily you can ignore it and achieve success alone. It looks promising and I already have squad mates lined up.

In closing; Bioware set themselves a enormous task by trying to top Mass Effect 2, which many people considered to be one of the greatest games of all time, but hell they are achieving it excellently.

Make sure you check out the collectors edition as it features some great in game content as well as a stunning art book, great soundtrack and N& cloth patch to show were your allegiance lies.

DEMO ALMOST HERE!!!!

Bioware has stated there will be a demo available in January for everyone who redeemed a Battlefield 3 online pass, I don't care how much of a Call of Duty fanboy you are its worth buying battlefield for that alone! And for those who will miss out due to Internet restrictions don't despair as I will be posting a synopsis as soon as i have played it.