Bioware has officially outed its 4 player co-op multiplayer mode for Mass Effect 3. According to a post from community coordinator Chris Priestly on the Bioware forums, “players can choose from a variety of classes and races, form an elite Special Forces squad, and combine their weapons, powers and abilities to devastating effect as they fight together to liberate key territories from enemy control.”
The co-op missions presented in Mass Effect 3 will have a “direct impact on the outcome” of the single player campaign and allowing an “alternative method of achieving ultimate victory” in the storyline. To facilitate this, Bioware introduces a “Galaxy at War” system that gauges Commander Shepard’s readiness and ability to apply every possible asset – people, weapons, resources, armies, fleets” against the Reapers. The new “Galaxy Readiness” system is presented as an “alternative method” as “it is still possible to achieve the optimal, complete ending of the game in Mass Effect 3 through single-player alone.”
The multiplayer for Mass Effect 3 will solely be cooperative and not include competitive modes, furthermore adding the fact that “players will create custom characters to fight on different and unique fronts in the war. This will include the ability to play as favorites like Turians, Krogans, Asari and more…each with their own unique set of abilities.” Consequently, the co-op modes were designed by a team separate from those who developed the single-player campaign.
Mass Effect 3 will release March 6, 2012 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.
