Mass Effect 3 Preview

Ahhh, Mass Effect, it’s a series we all love, lets be honest. Commander Shepard’s adventures, whether male or female, across the galaxy are something that we can all sink our teeth into and enjoy, whether it’s the epic storyline, or galactic freedom. And while the first Mass Effect was good, Bioware hit the nail on the head with Mass Effect 2, taking all the bad elements from the first game and making them good, whilst making all the good ones even better.

As such, I was really intrigued to see Mass Effect 3. It’s not a foreign scenario that a game can easily shoot itself in the foot, change too much and our precious gem that we all fell in love with is now some ugly, misshapen stool that will only end in tears.

Is this the case for Mass Effect 3? The answer to that question is a huge resounding no. In the past, I’ve blamed games for being too samey, for not pushing the boat out with their sequels and generally being more of the same, and I could say the same thing about Mass Effect 3. Everything that was offered to me upon playing the game was what we’ve seen before. Similar enemies, similar characters.

The huge difference here is that Bioware got the formula right the second time around. Mass Effect 2 was fantastic and there was very little to improve upon to make the experience Mass Effect 3 offers any better.

Beginning a new game, I had the option of Action, where the game’s cutscenes played themselves, Role Play, where I can have a few choices in how conversations went (the classic method we’re all used to), or Story, in which all the conversation options you choose actually effect how the story progresses. Whilst it does allow for a whole new level of depth, and also a whole new level of mistakes, I played on Action. Not only did I want to get to the action, I love getting immersed in the storyline, rather than making choices every 2 seconds. I understand why people would want to chose from a vast array of different story paths, and it allows you to create a unique experience, it just doesn’t interest me. So this was a well received feature for myself (don’t hate me).

To start with, we’re shown a clip of Shepard being called into a urgent conference. Following the cliffhanger showing thousands of Reapers waiting to pounce every planet known to mankind, it appears they have well and truly pounced. Assuming Shepard to be the only man (or woman) who has come into contact with them, they hope he can shed some light on surviving and beating the monsters.

Just after Shephard’s positive response of “All you can do is hope” the planet is attacked by several Reapers, destroying towns, people and vehicles alike. Making a quick escape with Anderson they race through the crumbling city to the Normandy.

Without failing, Mass Effect 3 immediately provide us with drama, action and even a heart wrenching scene, in which a small boy I attempted to save whilst running through the carnage boarded a ship that is destroyed by a Reaper as it tries to fly away. A world that is in desperate peril is easily conveyed by these opening scenes alone. The scene is set within seconds, and the game takes no time in bringing you back to where you left off.

Making our escape, the Normandy is told to take a trip to Mars to recover what could be information regarding the Reaper’s one and only weak point. Turning up, we’re treated to a fantastically red sunset, with a dust storm brewing in the distance. I don’t want to be the one to spoil (Yes, spoils this early in), but you meet up with an old friend and traverse a base in which your information is located right in the centre.

If there was one complaint I may have had, it would be with a certain element in this section. To get to a passing room, you need to head past a huge, auto locking, heavy firing, ceiling mounted turret, which will obliterate you without hesitation. It’s the second level of the game, right? This can’t be too difficult. Using a run and cover system, your aim of getting from one cover to the next whilst following Ashley appears to be simple and relatively easy. However one mis-step and it’s a swift death you’ll be receiving.

This was when I started noticing the games odd difficulty curve, which of course could be purely personal. Everybody tackles situations differently, and it’s no secret that shooters aren’t games I excel in at the best of times, but one moment I was clearing rooms with ease, and then would have several enemies asking if I wanted pepper with my backside.

Combat is just how we remember it, as is traversing through the levels, maybe things in this game were a little less clear then before, but after a few minutes of looking around I figured out most of the challenges put in from of me. The Skill system has had a revamp however, being replaced by a tier system; you level up on skill that opens up a path to two other skills, closing the path to several others. This method means that min-maxers or people with a fear of making decisions need to get their heads around it quickly. A large amount of different cominbations will be available, as per usual, but this will literally cut you off from being able to get skills further down the line, so choose carefully.

At the end of the day Mass Effect 3 is pretty much what we’ve seen in the past, just extending the story. Usually when I end a play session feeling like that, it’s a negative thing, but Mass Effect doesn’t need to change. The game is familiar, and it will allow you to pick up the controller and wonder if the gap between the two games actually happened. The foundations were built, and they were already several floors up; Mass Effect 3 just takes us even further.

If you dislike the fact some games are too samey and you’re hoping for a completely different experience, then I would still suggest you pursue Mass Effect 3 very closely, because it’s looking like yet another masterpiece. Yeah, I’m that sure.

Mass Effect 3 is due to be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 6th in North America, with the European release to follow on the 9th of March.