Mass Effect 3 has multiplayer

[karthink]

<img src="http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/PCPP197Cover.jpg" alt="Krogan Blue is in vogue" width=450>

Source: http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2011/1...le-october-19/

In the form of co-op, probably.

I'm not surprised, but I am a little disappointed. I don't care for multiplayer in general, but this means some of the resources that could have gone into making the game better have gone into making co-op. There might not be much overlap, but every bit counts.

Another reason it's a bit grating is that I have a deep connection with the Mass Effect setting games; the basic pointlessness of multiplayer (in PvP modes) or cognitive dissonance of co-op is at odds with the highly personal, directed nature of the story. It's not my right to demand anything from Bioware, I know, but I feel a little chagrined nevertheless.

On a side note, every little bit of gameplay information released is encouraging. Better gunplay, more customization, new powers, maneuverability. (I'm staying away from story spoilers.)

<i>Edit: "It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise – reports from inside EA have stated that EA wants multiplayer to be part of every single AAA title it releases, so we should have seen this one coming."
<a href="http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/10/confirmed-mass-effect-3-will-have-multiplayer/">From Kotaku</a>
Well, we know how well that turned out for Dead Space 2.</i>

<strong>Edit: More info here.

It's looking good. Short version:
1. Co-op, separate from Shepard's story, same timeline, different part of the war with the Reapers
2. Create your character, play with three others as a squad in custom missions
3. Level/weapon progression
4. Co-op outcome can affect singleplayer ending--but ONLY IF YOU WANT IT TO.
5. Completely optional, created by Bioware Montreal, not Edmonton.
6. Not known if you can play with bots (and effectively extend your singleplayer playthrough)

[Jams O'Donnell]

More importantly, what the fluff is with Sonic The Krogan?

[soldant]

...or cognitive dissonance of co-op is at odds with the highly personal, directed nature of the story.

My thoughts exactly. I don't know why, but playing through co-op with someone tends to result in a massive devaluation of the storyline to the point where you just screw around finishing off things with no real idea of what's going on. Which is why Borderlands worked out as a co-op game; the storyline didn't matter and might as well not have existed, all you needed to know was that you and your friends went to the target area, killed everything, and got a reward.

But Mass Effect games are supposed to tell a story... a story that takes decisions made from Game 1 all the way to Game 3. More to the point, how the hell will the game manage that one? Who's storyline do they decide is "canonical" in a co-op game?

[Vexing Vision]

I can see session-based drop-in, drop-out co-op work where the other party takes over companions. It's interesting for the lead character, but sounds pretty boring for the sidekicks.

But real co-op? My wife loves Mass Effect just as much as I did, so we'd be all over ME3 co-op. However, we'd both want to keep playing our Commander Shephards, and since we're both only survivors of expeditions, we both hunted down Saren and we both defeated the Reapers as the only people daring to do so, it's a bit hard to see where the two of them would meet. Unless they pull of a REALLY neat parallel-universes thing. Which kinda could work.

But that'd mean I can't romance Tali anymore without risking marital wrath (it's another thing if she doesn't play with me).

No, I can't see this ending well.

[acidtestportfolio]

chest high walls, cover shooting, regenerative health

booooring

[karthink]

chest high walls, cover shooting, regenerative health

booooring

Biotics, ragdolling, human pinball-ing: FUN.

[Althea]

No-one else noticed the cover is absolutely horrible?

[soldant]

No-one else noticed the cover is absolutely horrible?

I can remember PCPP right back to issue 1, and to be honest they've never had good covers or art design. Their best layout was when it was just text, images, and whitespace. Then they started all the fancy crap and I lost interest.

[Burnside]

I'd be all over co-op me3 if it was as part of the reaper invasion fleet.

[Wizardry]

The Infinity Engine had multiplayer. It was infinitely more fun than single player too. However, not even a multiplayer mode can save Mass Effect.

[Joseph-Sulphur]

The Infinity Engine had multiplayer. It was infinitely more fun than single player too. However, not even a multiplayer mode can save Mass Effect.

But surely you must agree that as a multiplayer RPG Mass Effect 3 is inextricable from the ZX Spectrum classic Chaos, in other words ME3 is the new Chaos and as such must be good because I have referenced an obscure old game.

[coldvvvave]

I can imagine 20 years later some guy on some forum posting stuff like "games are shit nowadays" under a username Masseffect.

[Vexing Vision]

But surely you must agree that as a multiplayer RPG Mass Effect 3 is inextricable from the ZX Spectrum classic Chaos, in other words ME3 is the new Chaos and as such must be good because I have referenced an obscure old game.

You may have just sold the co-op in the game to me. Well done.

And what do you mean, obscure? I loved this!

[Wizardry]

But surely you must agree that as a multiplayer RPG Mass Effect 3 is inextricable from the ZX Spectrum classic Chaos, in other words ME3 is the new Chaos and as such must be good because I have referenced an obscure old game.

1) What?
2) The Infinity Engine is not obscure.
3) Neither is Chaos for that matter.

[thegooseking]

I can imagine 20 years later some guy on some forum posting stuff like "games are shit nowadays" under a username Masseffect.

What 20 years? I've already seen people complaining that Mass Effect isn't more like Call of Duty. Apparently liking games like Mass Effect is already a thing of the past.

[Joseph-Sulphur]

1) What?
2) The Infinity Engine is not obscure.
3) Neither is Chaos for that matter.

Come now Wizardry, I had regarded you as a worthy adversary. Surely you cannot discount the innate worth of ME3 as both an RPG and a work of philosophy? Can you not see the parallels between the Paragon/Renegade system and the Socratic dialogue of Plato's Republic? And no doubt you will have spotted the obvious fact that Mass Effect is the modern Ultima, with the striking similarities between Captain Anderson and Lord British?

[Shane]

I must agree with Wizardry on this, the horror. The thing is, the Mass Effect ip like Dragon Age is something that tries to pass off turd with glitter sprinkled on it as gold. Given the hollowness of the core material, I doubt that adding co-op or any other mode will negatively affect the IP in any way.

[somini]

HaHa, Wizardry finally got himself a nemesis!
What do you think of the Quarians, who were defeated by their own creation and almost driven to extinction? Terminator? Matrix? More obscure references?

[Username]

I, too, wonder who Sonic the Krogan is. Since he doesn't have Wrex's face, he must be the other one.

[Skalpadda]

As long as the co-op is a separate part of the game that I don't have to worry about, then fine, I don't care. So far it seems more like a way to grab a few extra sales from people who just want to play with friends and justification for having to register your single player game online.

All I really want from ME3 is a neat wrap-up of my Shepard's story and a couple of hours worth of decent choose your own adventure gameplay with shooty bits.