Heh, despite Bioware's comments on the matter, I knew they were going to add MP in some form to the series. I can think of very few modern shootin' series that haven't implemented some form of online play.
It is possible to add a worthwhile MP mode to a previously single player series, just look at Uncharted 2, but I don't expect much out of this. Mass Effect's combat is so unremarkable, I tolerate it rather than enjoy it, so it's hard to get excited about an online, combat focused mode. Thankfully the single player mode is probably almost content complete by now, so I'm not really concerned about the MP mode diverting attention from it. Whatever, Bioware, I'll try it for the lols.