In Mass Effect 3, an ancient alien race known only as Reapers, has launched an all-out invasion of the galaxy, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in their wake. Earth has been taken, the galaxy is on the verge of total annihilation, and you are the only one who can stop them. The price of failure is extinction. You, as Commander Shepard, must lead the counter assault to take it back. Only you can determine how events will play out, which planets you will save from annihilation and which alliances you will form or abandon as you rally the forces of the galaxy to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all.
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Game Play Changes:
In a presentation by Lead Gameplay Designer Christina Norman, at the Game Developer's Conference in March 2010, titled Where Did My Inventory Go? Refining Gameplay in Mass Effect 2, Norman outlined her goals for Mass Effect 3. These included richer RPG features, more combat options and more complex enemies.
According to Project Director Casey Hudson, Mass Effect 3 will continue, with adjustments, the approach of Mass Effect 2 by focusing on "an awesome sense of exploration, intense combat, a deep and non-linear story that's affected by your actions, and rich customisation of your armour, weapons and appearance" instead of an approach where the player "(equips the) hero by sifting through an inventory of hundreds of miscellaneous items and spend hours fiddling with numerical statistics" noting the "overwhelmingly positive" response Mass Effect 2 received for its approach.
Decisions from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 will be imported into Mass Effect 3 to keep continuity within the series. Over 1,000 variables will be pulled to shape how players experience the final chapter. Unlike in Mass Effect 2, Commander Shepard will start the game with some powers. Upon finishing the game, there will be a newgame+ option that allows players to continue playing after the main story ends or start again with their finished Shepard and collect items they missed the first time around. If players achieved a love interest in both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, then there will be two love interests vying for their Shepard's attention in Mass Effect 3. This "love triangle" will be resolved by the end of the game.
Locations in Mass Effect 3 will include the Salarian homeworld Sur'Kesh, the Asari homeworld Thessia, the Turian homeworld Palaven, the Quarian homeworld Rannoch, a human mining base on a Martian crater, and a giant city on Earth representing the combination of seattle and vancouver Players will also return to Tuchanka - the Krogan homeworld - and Illium.
As of June 6, 2011, BioWare has confirmed the return of previous characters Illusive Man, Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko or Ashley Williams, Legion, Tali'Zorah, Urdnot Wrex, Jack, Mordin Solus, Ambassador Udina, Captain Anderson, Zaeed Massani, Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Some characters will not return if they were killed at any point during the previous games. The number of characters available as squad mates will be smaller than in Mass Effect 2 for the purposes of deeper relationships and more interesting interplay, including same-sex relationships for both male and female Shepards. BioWare has also confirmed a new character called James Vega
Trailers:
