Mass Effect 3 Preview, Wallpaper

The folks over at GamersXtreme have conjured up a quick preview of Mass Effect 3 after checking out the threequel firsthand at this weekend’s New York Comic-Con. It’s a short piece, but I suspect we’ll be seeing meatier articles next week:

The first thing I noticed when the demo started were the visuals. Instantly, I saw that BioWare was already a step above Mass Effect 2 and that’s saying a lot. As soon as the demo starts, Commander Shepard and Garrus, along with Liara Tsoni, are fighting their way through an enemy barrage. The setting is a laboratory building with open windows overlooking gorgeous environments of jungle and waterfalls. As I start to command Shepard, I notice the game is running at a solid 60 frames per second along with a fresh coat of colors and effects not seen in the first 2 titles.

There’s no question about it, the action is more fast paced than ever before. As soon as you start, there are enemies charging at you in flanking patterns that revealed increased AI from the previous titles. As I started firing my assault rifle a good amount, I noticed the sound effects have been increased as well giving a more powerful sound for each weapon I wielded. The AI for Garrus and Liara seem efficient in fighting the enemies but do not feel overpowering where they are clearing a room on their own, which a good thing is. The coolest addition to the combat was definitely the all powerful omni blade which is melee attacking at its best. For those who haven’t been following, it is a virtual blade that comes out of Shepard’s arm and stabs his enemy brutally. Lastly, the weapon upgrade system has taken a surprisingly refreshing turn, borrowing some ideas from Army of Two, as well as others. The weapons now have a much deeper upgrading system from the previous titles, using custom parts and accessories to enhance the strength and fluidity of each piece of the rifle, pistol or launcher.

Oh, and if you’re interested in another one of Electronic Arts’ cross-promotion ideas, you can check out this new Battlefield 3/Mass Effect 3 wallpaper that was sent to former BioWare designer Christina Norman via Twitter.