Mass Effect 3
Confirmed information on the upcoming game, Mass Effect 3
Release Date
Well, the set date,
for now, is March 6, 2012. Personally, I find that as a reasonable release date, though I doubt it will end up on that day. Ah, well. Who knows?
Decisions
If you've played the first two Mass Effect games, then all of the choices, relationships, personality...
everything can be imported into Mass Effect 3, in which you will have to face consequences and get rewards for almost everything you've done. ...Including romances.
Plot
Not
much has been said about the plot of Mass Effect 3 except for the obvious things, such as the invasion of the Reapers.
Characters
A lot of the characters from 1 and 2 are returning, and a few others will appear. So far, all of the companions you will be able to recruit include:
Kaidan Alenko
Tali'Zorah vas Normandy
Liara T'Soni
Garrus Vakarian
James Vega (the new guy)
Ashley Williams
There are also some characters reappearing that are not companions:
Captain Anderson
EDI
Jack
Thane Krios
Miranda Lawson
Legion
The Illusive Man
Zaeed Massani (if you bought him)
Joker
Mordin Solus
Jacob Taylor
Ambassador Udina
Wrex
Romance
Well, there's good news, bad news, and neutral news here. Good news: Our old love interests are coming back! Bad news: Depending on whether or not you cheated on them, you're going to suffer some consequences. Apparently even in the future they don't like unfaithfuls. Neutral news: There aren't any new romance characters. ATTENTION JOKER FANGIRLS/BOYS: That does not necessarily mean that Joker will not be a LI. It just means there won't be any new guys.
I hope.
Locations
New locations will include:
Earth
Mars
Rannoch (Quarian homeworld)
Sur'Kesh (Salarian homeworld)
Palaven (Turian homeworld)
Thessia (Asari homeworld)
Old locations will include:
Illium
Tuchanka
Normandy
Well, apparently, the Normandy was taken by the Alliance and upgraded (though, if you ask me, if the Alliance think they upgraded it, it's probably no better than the original SR-1, which I didn't think was too great.)
Gameplay
There were a lot of gameplay changes, but most of them were just little tweaks and barely noticible. The only big changes would have to be the design of the menues and stuff, and combat. There's a large difficulty increase (which some casual players like me might not be too fond about, but I'm sure we'll adapt), a 10 to 15% overall combat speed increase, more agility in combat (you can now roll, leap over objects without covering first, run without becoming fatigued, and just a generally easier way of moving), melee is much more effective and convenient to use, and enemies are smarter and more tactful than in 1 and 2.
Weapons
Weapons in Mass Effect 3 have changed a bit as well. All classes can weild any weapon they want, but, depending on which class they are, are limited on how many they can carry at a time. Soldier is the only class that can carry all types of weapons at the same time. Weapon modification is allowed once again, like in Mass Effect 1. You can now pick up and use enemy-dropped weapons, and grenades are a usable weapon again.
Conclusion
Overall, I find that Mass Effect 3 will be a lot different, but also quite similar. The only things that I would be concerned about would be the difficulty increase, and the Normandy 2 upgrades, but that's just my paranoia to change. What do you guys think? Based on the released information, would you buy the game? Oh, and if you guys catch anything that I missed (that is worth checking), tell me and I'll add it.