Sigh…it only seemed like yesterday that we were introduced to the legacy of Commander Shepard, and his (or her) battle with an invading alien race set to dominate the galaxy. The original Mass Effect is still considered one of the best Xbox 360 exclusives around, while the sequel, though multi-platform, is a worthwhile follow-up, especially if you snagged the coordinating expansions. On March 6, 2012 this legacy concludes with the long-awaited Mass Effect 3. Bioware recently invited us down to its Comic-Con headquarters to take a look at the game. After we picked up some inflatable Omniblades and temporary tattoos (I still have mine five days later), it was game time. Essentially, the demo is about the same as the E3 build that was shown a couple of months back. The mission follows Shepard, teamed with Liara and Garrus, as they attempt to free a female Krogan, stuck in the midst of a Salarian homeworld. But she's quarantined, and the fast-talking (yet helpful) Mordin Solus is monitoring her progress, though he's unable to fight given his location next to her chamber.
It's up to Shepard and his (or her) team to combat invading troops and save the Krogan, though that proves to be more of a challenge than they expect – especially when a big monstrous walker shows up at the demo's conclusion. Now, noticed that we said "about the same" as the E3 build. That's because Bioware didn't want to come to Comic-Con with the completely same demo. There's actually some new stuff here. Sure, you can use your Omniblade to stab someone fierce with a well-timed attack, but it feels just a slight bit more concentrated here. Still, it'd be nice to determine a location for the stabbing, rather than just a general attack. Can't we head-blade someone? Anyway, minor complaint aside, let's talk about the sweet upgrade tree. It's a completely reworked system that not only lets you adapt from one of three combat classes, but also upgrade and improve accordingly, making yourself ready for whatever challenges lie ahead on your quest to save the Earth.
There are three here – soldier, sentinel and adept – and each one we played around with had someone new to offer. Adept, for instance, gives you access to biotics, enabling you to shoot someone with anti-gravity force and make them float around as they take your bullets. Soldier's better for those who want to get into the action, though. Sentinel's pretty slick, too. Once you choose a class system (which you can do from the main menu), you're given a series of points to spend on you and your deployment team. We went ahead and did this first, and were surprised to find that Bioware had developed a branching system, where you could effectively choose which way you want your character's development and progression to go. For instance, some attacks enable you to have stronger shielding, while others let you work out better pulse shots, in case you're taking on tougher opponents or those carrying around big-ass riot shields. You'll need to make these choices carefully, though the door is swung wide open when it comes to earning more progression points to make your Shepard a better one.
This feature preview continues on the next page, please click Page 2 below to read the rest of our thoughts on Mass Effect 3.
