Mass Effect 3 heads into space
Mass Effect 3 will be the first game to be distributed by space-bound weather balloon, claims Electronic Arts.
To celebrate the launch of Mass Effect 3, publisher Electronic Arts is to put several copies of the game on weather balloons released in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin, London and Paris.
USA Today reports that each copy will be fitted with a GPS-based tracking system. As the balloons hit the outer edges of space, they will deflate and drift back to good ol' Terra.
As each balloon drifts with its precious cargo, its location will be tracked live on the official Mass Effect website. Be the first to reach it when it touches down, and you'll have your hands on a copy of the game a week ahead of its retail release.
Okay, so the games aren't quite being sent into space - despite Electronic Arts' amusing mock-up image - but it's still a neat way to generate buzz for the launch. It's also a way for fans to compete to show their love for the series, with the prize of early access being one truly worth winning.
The final full entry in the award-winning series, Mass Effect 3 promises to tie up all the loose ends from previous games. Gamers who have played through the first two games will find the decisions they made have far-reaching ramifications for the in-game universe in the third.
Officially due for launch on the 6th of March, those lucky enough to snag one of the space-bound copies won't have that much of a lead over their retail-based brethren. That said, a head start is a head start.
If you manage to chase one of the London-launched copies down, be sure to let us know in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyThis is a good PR stunt though :)
Wait, wrong game.
welcome to the future
Your decisions do change the course of the various plot lines to a degree.
Pleased Ashley or Kaiden are back in the squad for ME3... I tried to stay faithful in ME2... ahem
But not much :
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Save_File_Transfer#Major_Plot_Decisions
I really REALLY hope that the zillions of dollars they've thrown into making and marketing the last slice of Mass Effect cheesecake doesn't end up being a waste and that they nail the story arc that we all weep tears of gratitude at the end of an era rather than tears of rage at a waste of a dramatic/enthralling/genre defining/changing game and wonder what could have been instead.
Actually thats quite a bit.
Thing is the only result of them so far has been about say 10% of the dialogue being different between a completely paragon/renegade character. No actual plot implications yet.
Then again I can appreciate how hard it must be to have so many branching options.
Mass Effect is a story. It is not a sandbox. The game is played in episodes and these can be addressed in a variety of different ways, but it's got a start, middle and end. If you want the sort of freedom to make choices that ultimately effect the entire game world, well you'd probably want to be playing something like Mount and Blade, which lets you make your own story. I don't think Mass Effect has ever tried to sell itself as a game about the choices you make shaping the story, rather the game lets you use the choices it gives you to define your character.
Agree, there is enough 'choice' or at least illusion of choice to get you emotionally involved with the characters.
Trying to run through ME2 again quickly before 3 comes out
Just imagine the headlines if any break loose from their balloons. Wouldn't want to be the "lucky" sod who gets ME3 delivered straight into the noggin. ;)
This. It's nice to be able to take a few different approaches, means you can make Shepard your own, while still enjoying a blockbuster plot. Bioware have done a pretty good job of keeping the balance. That said, I'm hoping for a few tough choices in ME3 - something like Virmire in the original - ME2 was sorely lacking in them.
(I'm also looking forward to the return of Conrad Verner... )
http://masseffect.com/space/LON/