[Jarmel]

Update 7 - We think this is the announcement. Vote for your choice of femshep: http://www.facebook.com/masseffect





Update 6 - Comic-Con Event Livestream:

It should be here: http://masseffect.bioware.com/me3/game/biowaretv/

Update 5:

This should be switching back to Mass Effect in a few moments to my knowledge: http://www.bioware.com/biowaretv

Update 4:

So apparently there's an announcement coming on Saturday with a livestream.

As a warning, the livestream does also contain uh... well, I'll let you see for yourself.

Mass March on San Diego Comic Con At 6:00PM Pacific on July 23, 2011 we ask you, the people, to march on Comic Con with us. We will supply everyone with Omniblades. You bring your voice, your passion. At the end of the march Commander Casey Hudson will announce something significant for all the Shepards out there. The march starts at the BioWare Base located at the Gas Lamp Hilton which is directly across from the convention hall. If you can't join us in person you can watch the march and announcement here: http://masseffect.bioware.com/me3/game/biowaretv/ You do not need a Comic Con badge to take part, so visit the BioWare Base and join the Mass Effect March.

Update 3:

Casey Hudson released a new picture of Vega for reaching 10,000 followers:

Update 2:

So either BioWare is thinking about having an incredibly early demo or Mass Effect 3 is actually getting a beta.



Update:

http://twitter.com/#!/CaseyDHudson/s...80277432012800 "Lots of questions on the CE appearances image. It's an early mockup for color - faces etc aren't final, in particular James and Liara." http://twitter.com/#!/CaseyDHudson/s...81509471076352 "Also lots of questions about Ashley. We've only showed her in a jacket outfit & its CE variant. She will also have full armor and helmet."

Original:

Atlus Mech Developer Diary: http://masseffect.bioware.com/me3/game/biowaretv/

Click on Episode 7 to see the footage.



Better look at Vega and some of the alternate costumes.



I fucking hate that I'm going to have to do an Ashley playthrough.



Level Design/Art Interview Excerpt:

What sort of interaction is there between the gameplay guys and your team? DA: It's a lot of back and forth. We let the designers know exactly what's important to us on the art side - maybe the way the sun hits inside a room or something that we just don't want to lose - and design will work with us exactly how to keep that. We have a lot more integrated cover, so you don't walk into a room and immediately know there's going to be a combat there. It's about making these spaces feel natural and not forced. It shouldn't ever feel forced, by gameplay or art - it really should be this perfect marriage. NL: Yeah, you don't want to walk through a room and go, "okay nothing's going to happen here. There's no cover for me here," and then you walk around the next corner and you just see a sea of these chest-high things - you basically see the fight ahead. That's something few cover-based shooters get right. DA: Yeah, you play a game like Gears of War and they just have sandbags everywhere, and we really don't want to do that. We really want to get away from arbitrary things placed just for the sake of gameplay. BioWare tend to build spaces that often feel like they exist only to have a fight in, not to live and work in. How important is it to fix that? NL: Absolutely important. All the departments are involved now - we'll have writers and combat designers in and we'll really talk about the history of the places. DL: We're really pushing the variety within the levels, so you're not walking into the same room just decorated differently. We're really trying to push each room as a functional space. A hallway has a function for people working there, and we're just trying to really make sense of it in the game. NL: I'm doing something right now where I've built the environment as an undamaged structure, and then I start smashing bits up. We try to design the architecture first before we blow it up, rather than just having a box and cramming destroyed bits in it. We're really thinking about how someone from the future designed this building, and whether it functions well. Then we blow it up!

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ing-with-dice/

[Chinner]

i dont know how to respond to that image. i mean, jesus.

[Snuggler]

I hate everything about the look of this "Vega" character. Please give me the option to avoid/murder him at the earliest opportunity.

[Duderz]

WTF at Vega. I mean, really?

[Doodis]

Gotta cater to dat meathead demographic.

[Lime]

What is Gun Jack doing in Mass Effect?

[GSR]

I know there's a minimum of one new space marine per game, but a fauxhawk? Really?

[Snuggler]

I'm trying to decide which I hate the most about this Vega...

1. his massive build, he looks like one of those pea brains on the Strongman competitions
2. that stupid optical device covering his right eye
3. his stupid caveman face
4. oh jesus that fucking faux hawk

[Chinner]

I'm trying to decide which I hate the most... 1. his massive build, he looks like one of those pea brains on the Strongman competitions 2. that stupid optical device covering his right eye 3. his stupid caveman face 4. oh jesus that fucking faux hawk

5. Redesign of Ashley to make her SUPERHOT WOMAN I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH

[Snuggler]

5. Redesign of Ashley to make her SUPERHOT WOMAN I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH

I don't mind them tweaking her face a bit since she looked a little funny at times in ME1, but yeah, sexing her up like that is so unnecessary. I'd love to see Bioware try to explain why she started to let her hair down and go heavy with the make up. Oh, and is that a skirt on her armor?

geez

[toastyToast]

I'd feel a lot better about Vega if he had a beard.

[Mister_Bubbles]

I don't mind them tweaking her face a bit since she looked a little funny at times in ME1, but yeah, sexing her up like that is so unnecessary. I'd love to see Bioware try to explain why she started to let her hair down and go heavy with the make up.

As she's a Spectre now rather than a down-in-the-trenches type, I imagine they want to reflect that in her model. More spy than soldier, sort of thing.

[Nirolak]

Ashley's armor would have worked quite well for Miranda, but it's just kind of offensive on Ashley.

Ashley and James both look rather derpy as well.

I do really like the new shaders they wrote though. That's some of the most convincing metal, rubber, and plastic I've seen in quite a while.

[Nirolak]

Actually, they also just had a large interview about art and level design. Anyone opposed to me breaking off the newer information into a new thread so we don't get derailed into ME2 plot discussion after 15 posts?

[Jarmel]

Actually, they also just had a large interview about art and level design. Anyone opposed to me breaking off the newer information into a new thread so we don't get derailed into ME2 plot discussion after 15 posts?

Yea that might be the way to go. We might get to 30 posts this time.

[Replicant]

What have they done to Kaidan's face? It's so bro-derp now like he just took a shot of steroids and instead of going to his arm muscles, it goes into his face, deforming him.

[Zeitgeister]

5. Redesign of Ashley to make her SUPERHOT WOMAN I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH

more like weak damsel in distress, imo.

Ahsley was a xenophobic dick. She was also rather masculine. A combination that never went to absurdity and gave the character something that one doesn't see very often in gaming.
"a random woman capable of handling herself? Absurd!"

Lord knows I've spend a long time on that railing, making that decision.

[The Bookerman]

Gotta cater to dat meathead demographic.

Watch out for fatass Mountain dew drinking cosplayers. It's gonna be their favorite.

[Diablohead]

when did 2007 Turok get invited to Mass Effect 3?

[The Technomancer]

Wait, that's Ashley? I thought she was Miranda at first glance.

[Nirolak]

Split bump.

[Xamdou]

Oh Liara how I love thee!

[Thagomizer]

My expectations keep falling with every single piece of new info released.


I mean, this is a goddamn trainwreck.

[∀ Narayan]

:|

[Draft]

Hmm. Sex up Ashley, introduce a male NPC with physical deformities. OK. Whatever, Bioware :rollin

Everything about this game looks kind of stupid and hilarious, but what can you do? Not finish the story? Not an option. Day one, blah blah blah.

[Jarmel]

Ashley's armor would have worked quite well for Miranda, but it's just kind of offensive on Ashley. Ashley and James both look rather derpy as well. I do really like the new shaders they wrote though. That's some of the most convincing metal, rubber, and plastic I've seen in quite a while.

I actually like Ashley's armor. Less trashy compared to Miranda. James is horrible and absolutely uninspired. Even the eyepiece is ugly. I'm already hating the character and I haven't seen him speak a word yet.

[Zeouterlimits]

These are the alternate costumes.. maybe the others are better... Maybe in the vanilla game vega isn't real and this is some horrible Wrex costume...

[FlawlessCowboy]

I loved Mass Effect 2, but I don't even have a passing interest in 3 after all the information we've seen thus far.

[WonkersTHEWatilla]

Ashley's wearing a skirt! What the hell?! That's supposed to be armor?

[jackdoe]

These are the alternate costumes.. maybe the others are better... Maybe in the vanilla game vega isn't real and this is some horrible Wrex costume...

Maybe the good alternate costumes will be day 1 DLC.

[shadyspace]

Hahaha

[Confidence Man]

Like Miranda was modeled after Yvonne Strahovski, Vega is modeled after Ronnie from Jersey Shore only they did an even worse job.

[Derrick01]

My expectations keep falling with every single piece of new info released. I mean, this is a goddamn trainwreck.

Yup. This has the same bad feelings DA2 had before release.

Also, when did the ME universe merge with Killzone? That new guy looks straight outta killzone 3.

[Grisby]

Don't like Vega. Will space him the moment I get him.

Also, kinda neat that Liara is wearing justicar stuff.

[Pixel Pete]

looks greats! November march can't come soon enough

[Small Mailman]

God damn the faces in Mass Effect are ugly.

[Angry Fork]

ME3 will have the trainwreck of DA2 but with better graphics and polish so reviewers will ignore the short comings because of the flashy'ness. It would be hilarious if ME3 ended up getting A reviews or something but I doubt it.

[The Technomancer]

Well I'm probably going to pick it up for $10-20 six months after release exactly the same as I did with the first two, regardless of quality. All of the latest news just makes that decision easier.

[User33]

This game is seriously looking like a disaster. Horrible character designs (worse then Mass Effect 2 it seems), turret sequences, all dialog we've seen eliminates the "neutral" option giving you less options, gameplay continues to look dumbed down, and story tidbits we've heard of sound awful.

Its going to take a lot for Bioware to get me interested in finishing the trilogy.

[EmCeeGramr]

<;|

[Samara]

mmm Kaidan. So WTF is Liara doing with a Justicar headband?!? It looks dumb.


Can we have an official ME3 news thread? Im kind of lost here ( this is the only gaming site I go to)

[Sickboy007]

[Qwomo]

Wow.

How pathetically dudebro.

[The Mana Legend]

Goddamn I get less and less interested in this everytime they announce something. My expectations were already rock bottom after ME2, and somehow they've sunk even lower since then.

[Kaldea]

Vega looks like he's in the wrong game.

I kind of like Kaiden's look, but Ashley...ugh. Better than Miranda's look, but that's not saying a lot.

[The Technomancer]

I'm pretty sure I already know the final set-piece battle to a T: the various allied races will be engaged in a huge battle with the Reapers, and Shepard and crew will infiltrate the head Reaper and fight their way to his intelligence core to shut him down and cripple the entire invasion. If he explodes, that much the better.

[MushroomSamba]

Way to be creative, Bioware.

[Replicant]

I never had the chance to get to know Ashley (since I killed her during my ME2's prologue in PS3 version). But from the sound of it, she's even worse personality-wise than Miranda. Why are we getting her back?

God damn the faces in Mass Effect are ugly.

I beg to differ. My custom Shephard is good-looking although I'd be pissed off if Bioware fucks up his face in ME3 due to non-functioning character import.

[snoopeasystreet]

Everything about Vega says "video game character".

[Y2Kev]

What's wrong with his face? Jesus.

mmm tits