Oh, no! Mass Effect 3 will have online multiplayer

by Steven Mostyn - Oct 11 2011, 13:28

It’s been a long time coming—and it may split the opinions of hardened series fans—but the third entry in BioWare’s critically acclaimed Mass Effect series will indeed come with multiplayer components.

Now, before single-player purists start leaping about in unbridled fury, it should be noted that Mass Effect 3’s online gameplay elements will not include mindless run-and-gun Deathmatch idiocy but rather cooperative multiplayer missions.

Developed by a freestanding team within BioWare’s recently opened satellite studio in Montreal, the ‘Galaxy at War’ coop multiplayer mode will enable players to take a unique character across a wealth of online action that will partially affect the single-player storyline.

That said, BioWare has been quick to subdue any fan-related fears by adding that the four-player coop portion is entirely optional and playing through it ultimately only makes the single-player campaign a smidge easier to deal with.

Specifically, coop progression brings with it the ‘Galactic Readiness’ meter, which reflects how gameplay influences the surrounding galaxy when it comes to facing the game’s climactic Reaper confrontation.

And, when the online coop missions have been successfully tackled, offline campaign players will ultimately only gain access to a slightly different storyline ending.

“Being able to explore and fight alongside your friends in the Mass Effect universe has always been something we thought would be fun and compelling, and many players have asked for it for a long time as well,” commented BioWare community manager Chris Priestly in an official forum post.

“Mass Effect 3 is the best place for us to introduce multiplayer through coop because of the premise of the game—all out galactic war,” he added.

Taking a closer look at the cooperative challenge, which is perfectly placed when considering Mass Effect’s squad-based mechanics, players will be able to design a completely new character of their own (presumably human) or step into the virtual skins of a variety of alien species, such as the Asari, Krogan and Turian.

Priestly added that there will be more contributing elements attached to the Galaxy at War online mode, but these will be revealed during the course of the coming months.

Mass Effect 3 is expected to hit retail on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows on March 9 of 2012.

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