Mass Effect 3’s closed-door session was quite impressive. Composed of three segments, the first was another live rendition of the same Mass Effect 3 content that was featured in EA’s press conference on Monday. The other two segments were exclusive to those who waited in line forever and select members of the media. Lucky for you, we were the latter category.
The second segment saw a soldier-class Shepard along with, Liara, and Garrus, pitted against Cerberus operatives. Combat seemed familiar, but was augmented by a few new tweaks. Legitimate grenades were the most apparent but changes to Shepard’s movement, specifically the way he shifted in and out of cover, were drastically altered. Bioware’s build was confined to the more pure-combat friendly soldier class, but it seemed even more like a modern third person shooter than Mass Effect 2. Lastly Shepard also had a new melee attack in the form of a giant omniblade.
Change was also present in a few behind-the-scenes areas of Mass Effect 3. A weapon bench, where Shepard can customize his gun with parts and augment stats like stability, damage, and accuracy, looks to reinvigorate the loot system. Character development has also seen significant refinement. Points can still be pumped into various attributes, but now it seems certain categories will branch off in multiple directions. This creates variety within variety, ensuring that your Shepard’s build will be as personal as his face.
The third segment of the demo focused more on narrative and conversation than combat and mechanics. In what I assumed was an early portion of the game, Shepard is on Earth and on trial for the events that unfolded in The Arrival. All hell breaks loose as countless Reaper ships breach the atmosphere and launch an all out assault on the planet. Shepard’s duty to defend mankind is superseded by his duty to stand trial, and he, along with Anderson, is thrust into active combat duty.
From a gameplay perspective Shepard was doing his usual thing; combat spread among a predetermined track composed of cleverly disguised set pieces. This would have been a ho-hum affair had the previously mentioned set pieces not been utterly jaw dropping. Gargantuan Reaper ships and otherworldly devices were laying waste to a futuristic coastal city. Though it was likely composed of prerendered sequences cleverly disguised as a real-time background, it was utterly amazing and entirely convincing.
A wrecked Earth no doubt weighs heavily on Shepard’s psyche, but smaller instances also factored into his state of mind. A very brief sequence showed Shepard discovering a small child and (via a dialogue option) offering to help him get to safety. The child ran away, but was later seen boarding a ship that was evacuating surviving humans. The evac ship and Shepard’s own Normandy were taking off at the same time, but the evac ship was hit by Reaper fire and blew up instantly. Shock and disbelief washed over Shepard’s face, and then gave way to a beautiful shot of the Normandy exiting the atmosphere as countless Reaper Ships reigned down in the opposite direction. It was completely surreal, and hopefully an indication of the mood that awaits the somber tones of Shepard’s last stand.
It’s worth mentioning that Anderson actually granted Shepard permission to skip trial and, well, go save the galaxy. None of following was actually stated but it’s my educated (and obvious) guess that Shepard will have to win the allegiance of every other species in order to properly handle the battle for Earth. This implies decisions from past Mass Effect games, including but not limited to the Rachni queen, the fate of the Batarians, the Genophage, and how the Quarians handled the Geth all should factor in who or what comes to Earth’s aid.
Exciting times, indeed. It’s just too bad we’ll have to wait until next March to watch it all unfold.
