While many spent Valentine's Day purchasing overpriced sweets and flowers for their significant others, those concerned with saving the earth knew their was no time for love. The Reapers are coming, and they're not going to wait for us to gorge through our heart-shaped boxes of Russel Stovers before they start picking our planet apart.
In case the overwhelming nerdiness flew over your head, I'm talking about the just-released demo for Bioware's action-RPG Mass Effect 3. The single-player portion of the demo allows gamers a good deal of customization right off the bat; Call of Duty gamers with an itchy trigger finger can hop right into "Action Mode," those more into interactive dialogue can choose "Story Mode," and Mass Effect purists who want the full experience can stick with "RPG Mode." For a game that offers so much in both combat and story, "RPG Mode" is strongly recommended.
Players will be able to choose their backstory and appearance, something that they'll have to do once again in the full version of Mass Effect 3 if they have no save data from the previous games. Were you a decorated war hero or a stranded survivor? Are you a ruthless female commander or a peaceful dude with a moustache? These options are all at your fingertips prior to gameplay.
WARNING: LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD
The intro finds your version of Commander Shepard touching down on Earth in anticipated of the arrival of the Reapers, an ancient life form that comes around every few millenia to wipe out entire species'. No big deal. Shepard has flirted with these massive spaceship-monsters in previous games, but seeing them up close, on Earth, no less, adds a chilling sense of scope to the game. You'll be eased into the game through various combat tutorials, while Mass Effect diehards will feel right at home with the controls. While the demo is heavy on combat, the cutscenes contain just enough of the cinematic cutscenes and character-defining decision making that has become a staple of the series.
After holding out on Earth long enough to be rescued by your ship, you're presented with a rather jarring cutscene that will add even more urgency to your fight to send the Reapers back to their prehistoric graves. The next mission comes from later in the game, which focuses on Shepard's quest to gain the loyalty of the galaxy's various species in order to finish the fight. Shepard must fight through the forces of his former employers, shadowy humanist group Cerberus, in order to rescue a female Krogan vital to the mission. Beloved squadmates Garrus, Liara, and Wrex make an appearance, delivering just enough quips and in-jokes to please longtime fans.
Combat feels tighter and more customizable than ever. There are new, chargeable melee attacks that add the "oomph" factor of Gears of War's close-up kills. Leveling up your abilities has been rebalanced to retain the depth of Mass Effect 1's customization without sacrificing the simplicity of Mass Effect 2.
The demo ends with a satisfying battle with a Cerberus Mech that will give you a chance to try out all of your biotic abilites and squad commands (if you have a Kinect, you can just yell them.) Shepard asks "What is Cerberus' role in all of this?," before everything fades out. You'll already be yearning to unravel the story of Mass Effect 3 by the time the pre-order advertisements hit the screen, making the 3-week wait until the game's release seem agonizing.
Multiplayer mode is currently available for those who gained early access. For everyone else looking to save the galaxy with fellow human beings, open access starts Feb. 17.
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