[IvyFanBoy]

BioWare Pulse - Mass Effect 3 Combat - YouTube

[Chaos]

So engineer class looks good.

[Sinzer]

Wow, they really managed to make that video so terribly American. Love his little hand actions at the end, a stroke of genius with his sign language

A bit more hand to hand would not go amiss in the game.

[IvyFanBoy]

VGA 2011: Mass Effect 3 Exclusive Trailer - YouTube

[Joe Pineapples]

'gears of effect' or maybe 'mass market effect' ?

[eiren]

To be fair it looks just like ME1 and ME2 haha.

[IvyFanBoy]

Mass Effect 3 pre-order bonuses include bonus armour, rifles, shotguns | PC Gamer

[Miss Chief]

Those look pretty sweet. Wonder if a UK supplier will get them?

[eiren]

Don't want those extra items. The preorder gear in Mass Effect 2 was overpowered, so I never had to upgrade my guns all the way through. Kind of ruined the game to be honest.

[IvyFanBoy]

Mass Effect 3 vs Mass Effect 2 Screenshot comparison

[Chaos]

ME2 looked great, this looks better.

[Joe Pineapples]

Originally Posted by eiren

Don't want those extra items. The preorder gear in Mass Effect 2 was overpowered, so I never had to upgrade my guns all the way through. Kind of ruined the game to be honest.

I thought the standard edition weapons were too powerful to be honest, (or the enemy too weak?). Remember playing it on the hardest difficulty and finding it a bit of a breeze - even the last boss, which was a joke (difficulty wise). ME1 was a lot more of a challenge if I remember right.

[Miss Chief]

When i was playing through ME2 I had some sort of spiffy machine gun. When the head honcho took control of one of his underlings he was practically dead by the time the convoluted and drawn out transformation sequence was completed.

[IvyFanBoy]

A single player and multiplayer DLC for Bioware and EA's upcoming sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 3 has been confirmed. BioWare Executive Producer Casey Hudson confirmed this in a recent interview with GameInformer.

ME3GI asked Hudson about the DLC plans for Mass Effect 3 as its going to be the end of Shepard story. To this Hudson replied, "There’s some multiplayer stuff, but we’re also planning some DLC on the single-player side, because it did really good in Mass Effect 2. There’s a reason why we can add stories to what’s there. The adventure-type DLC will happen in the time frame of Mass Effect 3, within your Mass Effect 3 storyline. It’s similar to how with Mass Effect 2, if you had a saved game from anywhere inside the game, you could go on to the DLC. We have a pretty neat concept for how it’s going to work"

..

[IvyFanBoy]

BioWare has confirmed that both digital and physical versions of Mass Effect 3 on PC will require users to have Origin set up on their machines.

Click to view larger image
Speaking in a Q&A (via VG247), BioWare's Chris Priestly said: "Origin is required for all PC editions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital," adding, "Mass Effect 3 will require a one time, single authorization for the single player game. There is no limit to the number of installs."

Reiterating the reason's behind EA's fall out with Steam, Priestly said: "During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time. Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content.

"We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers."

1) Will Origin be a requirement to play all versions of Mass Effect 3? (Digital and/or from a retail brick and mortar store)
Yes, Origin is required for all PC editions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital.

2) Is constant Origin connection required or is it a single one off authentication when the game is first installed. Is there also a limit to the number of installations available?
Mass Effect 3 will require a one time, single authorization for the single player game. There is no limit to the number of installs. Playing Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer will require a constant connection.

3) Is Origin required for the retail versions of the game?
Origin is required for the PC versions of Mass Effect 3, both physical and digital.

4) Will ME3 be available on Steam?
During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time. Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers.

5) Is there an opt in or opt out clause for data collection?
Users will be allowed to opt-out of Mass Effect 3 data collection from inside the game.

6) I’ve seen reports that Origin is spyware. Is this true?
Origin is not spyware, and does not use or install spyware on user’s machines. In order to allow Origin to install games and their patches for everyone to use, Origin implements a permission change that results in Windows, not Origin, reviewing the filenames in the ProgramData/Origin folder. This is an ordinary Windows function, not an information-gathering process.

.

[eiren]

Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content.

The terms are simply that the DLC be available to buy via Steam, instead of limited to buying from Bioware/EA.

Ridiculous stance from EA on this... particularly since every other publisher lives with it just fine.

[wolvers]

Greed is what it is.

[Dave2]

i think forcing people to havbe origin installed for the game will hurt sales. I for one would prefer to not have any installer or management system installed to play the game unless I want it.

EA is spoiling gaming, they rush games out and they are over priced.

I remember going into a game shop to buy a game published by EA and the guy said he only had two copies because ea charge high prices which prevents them from selling on at a price that would make them a profit ... for example ea would charge that company £38 for the game and for that seller to sell the game and match the price of other competitors he would have to sell it at £40.

[Hillskill]

Personally I'm coming round to origin. The prices are a joke and their store is run by twits but I haven't seen it completely fall over. ME3 is likely t be a game of the year contender so I will buy on day0 and maybe even preorder on Origin. Would anyone seriously not play on the PC over this?

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by Hillskill

Personally I'm coming round to origin. The prices are a joke and their store is run by twits but I haven't seen it completely fall over. ME3 is likely t be a game of the year contender so I will buy on day0 and maybe even preorder on Origin. Would anyone seriously not play on the PC over this?

not from day 1 I am not knocking anyone who uses it , I just dont like the fact that you a forced to install a application such as origin and to not have the option to choose how you would like to play it.

I was against steam originally but I said fine if it was just the one i needed to use and have the option to use steam for all gaming if not then a standard install only with no application that is needed to run and maintain digital rights.

PC gaming is forcing gamers to have on always on connection what about people who dont want to be connected all the time or have a gaming laptop and travelling without 3G.

Why dont games companies use specially designed USB sticks with the game on which has its own digital encryption that stops copying and each usb pen has a identify code only readable when plugged into a computer.

To me its spoiling gaming on PC

[KhalJimbo]

Sucks you cant use steam, lets just hope it gets a good look with the new flashy DX11 features. EDIT: I wonder if this is just for initial sales and it will come to steam in the future then? I guess EA is just pulling a fast one on steam since its a major title they just don't want it going to a third party digital downloader when they have there own. I mean if it really meant that much to them surely they'd pull Dragon Age and the first Mass Effects?

[IvyFanBoy]

February 14 demo release date.

[KhalJimbo]

I wonder if you can carry your saved character across from ME2 on steam to ME3 on origin?? I haven't seen anything about this saying that you can port it from the different platforms.

[stormshelter]

Source Article

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning / Mass Effect 3 Crossover DLC Trailer - YouTube

Anyone who plays each demo can unlock exclusive content for both games. Playing the Reckoning demo - which is available from January 17th - unlocks two items for the full version of Mass Effect 3, both designed by Todd McFarlane, while playing the Mass Effect 3 demo when it releases, will unlock content for the full version of Reckoning.

Here's what you'll get in Mass Effect 3 for playing the Reckoning demo:

Reckoner Knight Armour: This armour will maximize damage done in close-quarters combat while a beefed—up power cell feeds energy into weapon systems to increase projectile velocity.
The Chakram Launcher: This weapon uses a fabricator to manufacture lightweight, explosive ammunition discs. This weapon is earned after completing the Reckoning demo and watching the trailer at the end.

And here's what you'll get in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, for playing the upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo:

N7 Armour: Players can unlock special armour inspired by Commander Shepard's iconic N7 battle armour including Helm, Cuirass, Gauntlets, Chausses and Greaves.
Onmiblade Daggers: A holographic blade stemming from Commander Shepard's Omni-Tool, the Omni-blade allows players to stab enemies in close combat. Once players install and play the Mass Effect 3 demo, they will unlock the daggers.

[KhalJimbo]

I really hope for the PC too we get alot of graphics options, I don't remember seeing many in ME2. Not much said about its graphical ability other than that it is "going to be the best looking one of all".

Hope they give it the DA2 treatment and give PC users a high texture download and DX11.

[Berties]

I wouldn't hold your breath. Direct Xbox port.

[wolvers]

Originally Posted by LostFanBoy

February 14 demo release date.

[asimmd]

Just played the Mass Effect 2 demo and I hope they let you slow down the mouse movement.

Just one tiny move and I had spun round.

[IvyFanBoy]

For the Demo

Minimum requirements:

OS – Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1, Win 7 (Supported chipsets: NVIDIA 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce 9300, 8500, 8400, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.)
CPU – 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU)
RAM – 1GB for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista/Win 7
Disc Drive – 1x speed
Hard Drive – 15 GB of free space
Video – 256 MB* (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support)
Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX – DirectX 9.0c August 2009 (included)

Recommended specs:

OS – Windows XP SP3/Vista SP1, Win 7
CPU – 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (equivalent AMD CPU)
RAM – 2GB for XP / 4GB RAM for Vista/Win 7
Disc Drive – 1x speed
Hard Drive – 15 GB of free space
Video – AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB or greater, NVidia GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB or greater
Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible

[Theydon Bois]

Originally Posted by eiren

The terms are simply that the DLC be available to buy via Steam, instead of limited to buying from Bioware/EA.

Ridiculous stance from EA on this... particularly since every other publisher lives with it just fine.

This can't come quick enough imho, Dragon Age DLCs were a joke, you can't even buy the DLC through Origin, you need to pay for points from Bioware THEN swap the points for the DLC in game, rather than just buy the DLC through Origin and have it added to game content.

Steams solution is far simpler.