All Articles: Mass Effect 3

If you’ve been living and breathing Mass Effect since the release of the original game, this news is probably going to excite you.

BioWare has announced that a playable demo of Mass Effect 3 will be released in January 2012, featuring both single-player and multiplayer modes. Early access to the multiplayer portion of the demo will only be available to those who have redeemed the Online Pass included with Battlefield 3. And not to worry, this demo will be available in all regions and on any platform.

The duration of the demo’s availability is unknown at this point, but BioWare is saving that news until you calm your crew back down and get the Normandy under control. More details as to the demo’s early-access release date will be specified in November, says BioWare.

Also, don’t tell anyone – but it seems that BioWare will be announcing another way to gain early access with no purchase necessary. Take my word for it though, you’re probably going to want to buy Battlefield 3 anyway.

BioWare asked the people and the people have spoken. With all the votes tallied, the public vastly preferred “Shepard 5” (the one that looks like Samus Aran) as the model for the official female Shepard in Mass Effect 3. But an equally large group has also spoken and declared Shepard 5’s blonde hair the mark of a bimbo, so BioWare has opened up a second round of voting to decide the official female Shepard’s official hair color.

As of right now, redhead Shepard is winning with more than 13,000 Likes on BioWare’s Facebook page. Brunette Shepard is in a distant second and a pair of blonde Shepards (one bleached and one dirty) are bringing up the rear.

I guess blondes don’t have more fun.

Fans and critics alike praised Jennifer Hale’s portrayal of the female version of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect games. As the feminine version of the protagonist garners more attention, BioWare wants to shine more of the spotlight on her with an official rendition. Fans may go to this Facebook page to let their voice be heard and “Like” their choice for the official, standard version of Commander Shepard for Mass Effect 3. Right now, contestant number five, featured left, appears to have a clear lead, with an alleged 2,300 votes. As the only blond of the lot, it would appear fans are subconsciously associating Mass Effect with Metroid, or there’s a strong Aryan demographic amongst Mass Effect fans.

Personally, I applaud BioWare for letting fans have a say in the development of the game. We’ve all seen how well that’s worked out in the past.

When promoting the Mass Effect trilogy, BioWare has never strayed far from the default look for the game’s protagonist, Commander Shepard. And that default has always been the male default, meaning players who like to play as “FemShep” never got a chance to see her in action in the game’s many trailers. According to David Silverman, Director of Marketing at BioWare, that’s all about to change for Mass Effect 3.

In a series of recent tweets, Silverman has confirmed that a trailer starring a female Shepard is in the works. “FemShep” will even get a chance to be a cover girl as the Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition will feature both versions of Shepard on the box.

Here’s what Silverman had to say about the future of “FemShep”:

there will be a #FemShep trailer. We actually had a meeting on her yesterday. We are working on the look now.
– June 14

the CE of #ME3 has both #FemShep and male Shepard on the box.
– June 12

Mass Effect 3 will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 6, 2012.