When we first heard of Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode, which was said—by Bioware—to have a significant impact on the single player story campaign, and affect the game’s ending, we were naturally worried.
Being forced to participate in a multiplayer mode that may or may not be as enjoyable as the single player game was the last thing we wanted to find ourselves forced into, especially given the fact that the first two games were locked in single player mode, with no multiplayer functionality whatsoever.
Writing on the Bioware blog, producer Jess Houston attempted to calm fears with a clear statement about the game’s multiplayer mode and the impact that the multiplayer characters will have on the campaign.
“They will never be involved in the actual campaign of the main story,” wrote Houston. “It’s more like a side mission to the single-player. We don’t want to create situations where multiplayer players have something that single-player players couldn’t otherwise see.”
That’s not to say that the multiplayer mode will be bereft of any story elements. Story elements are said to be delivered in an ambient, rather than expository manner. Think Left 4 Dead instead of Mass Effect.
“At a high level, Shepard is marshalling the troops on behalf of the Earth Alliance so you are technically fighting for the Earth Alliance.
“From a story perspective, a lot of these groups have come together as a loose fighting force to stop the Reapers therefore they don’t fly the same type of banners that would have existed in pre-Reaper invasion days.”
Mass Effect 3 is set for release on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in March 2012.
